The Halfwolf (Year 1)

"I'm Here"

"Not here, I'll explain outside." He whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He looked around and saw most of the adults going towards the sitting room, then pulled on Zach and Gale's sleeves, leading them out to the garden. They went quickly across the lawn over to the bushes that Al and Rose had been sitting at earlier. It had started to snow lightly, the flakes dancing from the sky to the cold ground. Teddy stopped and turned to his friends. "Alright if I explain to her?" Zach gave a tight nod.

"Ok if I take a walk?" he asked, absently rubbing his arm through his jumper. "Bit sore from all that inside." Teddy nodded and motioned for him to go. As he walked away towards the barren vegetable patch, Gale stared after him, then up at Teddy.

"What's wrong with him?" She said quietly, turning back to watch him wander along the far side of the lawn. Teddy set to tell Gale everything they knew, starting from Harry and his mum identifying the Vow lines on his arm in the Hall of Heroes and ending with everything that Anna had just told them inside. When he finished, she stared up at him, eyes wide and bright. She slowly turned her head, looking for Zach. When she saw him, she kept staring at him, as if willing him to look her way. He seemed to sense this and looked up from his contemplation of the leaf-bare bushes. She started toward him, slowly at first, and he toward her. By the time she'd crossed the yard to him, she was at a full run and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his chest, burying her face in his shirt. Zach didn't say anything, he just pressed his face into her hair and closed his eyes.

Zach's POV

He pressed his face into Gale's hair, closing his eyes tightly against the sting of tears that came. She hadn't spoken, hadn't asked him anything, she was just there. He heard her mumbling into his chest, but he couldn't track what she was saying. So much had happened in just the short time they'd be here. Such a mess.

"Zachary?" He looked down into her pale grey eyes as she gazed up at him through her glasses. Had she been talking to him?

"Hm?" He hummed down at her.

"I'm here, ok? I know you couldn't tell me, and I'm here now. I'll stay here with you as long as you need me, alright?" She pressed her cheek back to his chest again. "I'm here." Zach closed his eyes and tilted his head back, trying with all his might to hold back his tears. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned his head to see Teddy next to them. He gave him a small smile.

"I'm here too, mate. Always." Zach closed his eyes and nodded, unable to stop the tears that escaped the corners this time. He put his face back into Gale's hair.

"I'm so scare." He whispered. She tightened her grip around his middle.

"I know, Zachary. I know."