A Howl In The Night ✔ » l.s

43

The gentle sound of the gravel crunching underneath the wheels was a little bit comforting as they silently drove past thick clumps of trees and houses, turning them into nothing but a blur of various swirling colors from where Harry was looking out the car window.

It was a miracle, to say the least, that Louis had agreed to Harry's insistent request of leaving the mansion after weeks of being locked up in that place. Don't get him wrong—Harry understood that Louis only wanted to protect him, considering that David was out there possibly plotting something against them, but he really just needed to do this one thing. Luckily, Harry was quite a good kisser and managed to make Louis say yes during a particularly heated make out session, so.

Even so, Louis definitely planned to hold onto his role as Harry's protector (he told Harry repeatedly that he didn't see Harry as weak—quite the contrary, really—but that it gave him comfort to know that he was looking out for him) and was now currently seated beside Harry, eyes alert and observant as the car turned towards a small road with occasional houses along the sides.

"Hey," Harry said, taking Louis' hand in his to catch his attention, "we're fine. There's like an entire army here to protect us. I want you to relax too, you know. You deserve it."

Louis sighed, because well, Harry was right. He'd talked to Benedict and asked for escorts to accompany them on their trip just to be sure. Benedict had come through and now several cars were trailing after them and driving ahead of them. Louis knew that Harry might find it a bit exaggerated, but Louis still felt nervous and kept on wondering if he'd made a right decision after all by risking Harry's safety like this.

"I know. I'm sorry." Louis said.

Harry just smiled and leaned over to press a sweet kiss on his lips before turning back to look out the window, a content smile decorating his face. Eventually, Louis did somehow relax, though he still kept his eyes peeled and his weapons at the ready in case of any threats and dangers that could come their way.

After nearly half an hour, they finally arrived at their destination. Louis stepped out of the car first and jogged around to Harry's side, opening the door for him like the proper gentleman he was. Harry hopped off the car with a dopey grin on his face, and Louis just couldn't help but kiss those stupidly beautiful lips.

"You ready?" Louis asked, tangling his fingers with Harry's.

Harry bit his bottom lip and nodded, curls bouncing. "Yup. Let's go."

Harry had never been to a cemetery before, but he was grateful that Louis was beside him right now, his warm and comforting arms wrapped around his. They walked past rows of grey tombstones, some with fresh or withered vases of flowers, while others were simply empty, as though it hadn't been visited in years. Harry's heart ached at the idea of that but brushed his thoughts away, instead looking ahead and searching for  a particular name.

Emily had been the one to tell Harry about where he could find where his mother had been buried, and as soon as he'd learned, he'd nagged Louis non-stop to go here.

As they walked, Louis squeezed his hand comfortingly, which only urged Harry forward. Eventually, they stopped in front of a large tombstone which looked very well-kept and clean. Harry looked over his shoulder to find several guards standing a good distance away to protect them. Louis gave him a reassuring smile and beckoned him towards the tombstone. With a nervous nod, Harry let go of his hand and crouched down in front of the stone where Anne's name was engraved.

"Hi, Mom." He began a bit awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs. "It's me. Harry. I just—I'm sorry I never visited before. I don't have any excuse for it, really. Emily told me all about you. You guys were great friends, apparently."