Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 55

Chapter 55

After lunch, I took a walk around the castle to clear my mind. It was somewhat ineffective, since all it did was make me worry even more. After a while, I just started daydreaming about Pete to get Gerard and Ray out of my head. As I discovered, thinking about that day when Pete forgot to wear a shirt to breakfast was a good way to distract me from just about anything else.

I went up and down the staircases and through more corridors than I could count. The castle was surprisingly empty, since most people had class at that time, but I had an open period and very little homework, so I could afford to walk around. I was admiring a portrait of Sir Cadogan when I heard voices coming from a classroom nearby. I cautiously opened the door, and I saw Geoff and Mikey sitting next to each other and talking.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Mikey said. "My parents are dead, and now Gerard's gone too."

Geoff sighed. "I'm scared too," he said. "We all are. Gerard was my friend too."

"He was more than that," Mikey said. "He's my brother. Brothers are supposed to be there for each other, to pick each other up and hear the drums of the city rain together, and now Gerard's in prison. He doesn't deserve this."

Geoff nodded. "I get it, Mikey," he said. "Gerard was like a brother to me for a long time."

"I'm not sure if you do," Mikey said. "He's in prison, and you know what they do to guys like him in prison."

"Are you talking about his cellmate being a killer and making him do push ups in drag?" Geoff asked. "Gerard's too sassy for that. I'm not even sure they get cellmates in Azkaban anyways..."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about at all," Mikey said.

"Then what are you talking about?" Geoff asked.

"I'm talking about the dementors, Geoff," Mikey said. "Gerard doesn't do well around dementors, and his Patronus is weak. I don't think he can conjure it without his wand, and he's never actually done the charm around a real dementor. I'm scared that they're going to take all of his happy memories away."

"That's even worse than the push ups in drag," Geoff said.

"It's much worse," Mikey said. "If he's around the dementors for too long, he'll go mad. Even if he does come home someday, he won't remember us. He'll only have his very worst nightmares to torment him."

"I really don't want to think about that," Geoff said, and as I watched them, I nodded. It was honestly terrifying to consider what the dementors could do to Gerard and the other innocents trapped in Azkaban. "I don't think Gerard would want that either. We should think about happier things for him."

"I suppose so," Mikey said, despite his agitated expression.

"I wrote a new song," Geoff said, inching closer to Mikey. "Do you want to hear it?"

"I'd love to, but you don't have your guitar," Mikey said.

Geoff pointed his wand at his Divination textbook and Transfigured it into a guitar. "Divination is a daft and useless subject anyways," he said. "I should have done what you did and dropped the class."

"I didn't drop the class," Mikey said. "Professor Trelawney kicked me out."

"Close enough," Geoff said, and he began to play and sing.

Is it too much to want to hold the sun?

To flip a switch and take the light from everyone?

Is it too bold to want to crush a soul?

To be the weight bearing down upon your heart of hearts?

Let's not go too far

I just want to be your God

Watching you and keeping you from harm

"What is this song about?" Mikey asked.

Geoff smiled and said, "It's about how much I want to be your God, Mikey." He then continued to sing, and as he did, Mikey smiled. It was the first time that I had seen him smile since Gerard had left, and I was glad that Geoff was able to make him as happy as he did.

Now you wanna be left to fate

And now you wanna be kept in place

And now you wanna come face to face

And be free of the eternal embrace

Well, I'll see what I can do about that

Let's not go too far

I just want to be your God

Watching you and keeping you from harm

I want to be your God

I want to be your God

I want to be your God

"So what do you think, Mikey?" Geoff asked.

"It's beautiful, Geoff," Mikey said.

"That's good," Geoff said. "I did write it about you, after all."

"It fits," Mikey said. "I do think I could use someone to watch me and keep me from harm."

"I would do that for you," Geoff said. "I meant everything I said in the song."

"Including the part about wanting to crush souls?" Mikey asked.

"No...at least I don't think so," Geoff said. "I'm not interested in crushing your soul, although I am very interested in you - wait, did I just say that out loud?!"

Mikey chuckled and said, "Yes, you did. It's okay though. You're a little hot mess, but I'm interested in you too." Meanwhile, I started laughing hysterically at Geoff's unbelievable awkwardness. In fact, I had to use a Silencing Charm on myself to keep Geoff and Mikey from hearing me.

Geoff blushed. "Do you really fancy me?" he asked.

"I've never fancied anyone more than you," Mikey said. "I still haven't forgotten about all of those years we spent together when we were kids. It was always you, Geoff."

"Let's make up for lost time then," Geoff said. "Mikey Way, will you be my boyfriend?"

"Of course I will," Mikey said.

I finally decided to leave the lovebirds alone, but I couldn't believe how cute Geoff and Mikey were together. I hoped that they would last, and there was a good chance that they would. Plenty of couples stayed together after leaving Hogwarts. My own parents had met at Hogwarts, after all. More than anything, I was glad that Geoff and Mikey had found their own personal happiness.