Chapter 7 (edited)

He looked boringly around the room, his hands clasped behind him, taking slow steps around the room admiring the artwork, passing the table as he went.

He had been told that his grandmother had summoned him, but when he entered her chambers, all he saw was her sleeping figure. She was resting on her large bed.

He had considered leaving but decided against it because he wanted to take a look around. It was his first time in her room. He expected her bedroom to be devoid of life, but it was adorned with numerous accessories that cost more than the entirety of his previous life.

Leonis finally came to a halt in front of a specific piece of art. The abstract nature of the work reminded him of Picasso's work.

The shapes came together to form this scene before him, yet he wasn't sure what it was. He watched as the pieces swiftly moved to a new position, creating the same scene but with different colours and shapes in different places.

He drew his gaze closer to the framed work. It was roughly the size of an A1 page. He was curious as to what the painting was supposed to be. They were truly just a collection of random shapes put together... he could never understand 'art'.

As he leaned in closer, a strand of his hair fell forward and landed on the side of his nose. His hair had always been wavy, and the strand curved to the side of his eye was just as wavy. He pushed the strand back as he ran his hand through the hair he had begun to grow out.

"It's an interesting piece, isn't it?" a frail voice from across the room said. His grandmother had awoken. He didn't react to her voice, but instead turned around and inclined his head respectfully.

He looked at her eyes, which appeared to be fading in colour, and realized she was still weak from her illness. Her gaze was drawn to the painting he had been staring at.

He turned his gaze to the painting but stepped back to the side to ensure his grandmother had a clear view of it. He lingered on it for a few seconds before turning his gaze to her. He broke the comfortable silence by responding to what she had said not long ago.

"… It's perplexing; I was trying to figure out what it meant. Trying to figure out why these shapes and colours were chosen. They switch positions after a few seconds... but why? What is the meaning and purpose of it?" He spoke loudly enough for her to hear. With that, he returned his attention to the painting. His hands were no longer behind his back, but rather at his sides.

In response, the woman hummed, "I, too, had those questions when I bought it. I was never a fan of art; everyone around me always had an opinion about every piece they had seen, but I could never understand their point of view. All you have to do is trust your instincts and create your own vision of the piece- what drew you to it?"

He returned his gaze to the piece, this time with squinted eyes, watching it move once more. Trust his instincts? What if he didn't have any instincts telling him anything, allowing him to create his own vision?

"I see..." he trailed off, searching for the right words.

He saw nothing, but he didn't want to disappoint the sick woman.

He was about to say something else when he heard her coughing. It was coarse and sounded painful. He'd never felt anything for this woman before, but now he was worried. Even though the woman was always strict with him, he could tell she cared about him by her unspoken words, hidden behind her stern gaze.

He moved quickly towards the table that he had walked past not too long before. He grabbed the water jug that had been set there and continued to pour it into the glass cup that was placed beside it.

He brought it over to the still coughing woman once it was filled. She took the glass gracefully as she coughed into her elbow, and finally, as they came to a halt, she drank the water, allowing it to reach halfway.

He took the glass from her grasp as she tiredly rested her head on the pillow. "I should let you rest," he advised her tired frame.

"I'll be dying soon" came her reply.

"You don't know that" he spoke again... Actually, they all knew that. She really was on the brink of death, her illness was an incurable one, he knew that after overhearing the healer one time when he had come to visit the woman.

What else was he supposed to say really? 'Yeah, I know'?

As she stared up at the ceiling, she turned her gaze to her only grandchild, the only great thing her son had ever done.

"There's nothing the healers can do. There has been so much I have come to regret. There had been so many things I could have done differently in my life, different things I could have done, things I could have said yet I was too blinded to know what to do, what to say. I know I haven't been exactly caring about his actions, but I do hope you know I do care for you" her weak voice sounded out.

He nodded and placed the glass cup at her bedside locker, saying, "I know."

"I don't know how much time I have left, but I want you to know... that your mother would be proud of you. I never liked her, but she'd be proud of you; it appears you've taken after her more than your father. I'm sure it will be long before they tell you-"

He observed her struggle to keep her eyes open; she was tired.

Tell him what?

He stood patiently at her side waiting for her to speak once again, as her eyes closed.

"She's alive."

Then sleep had taken her.

It felt as though time had stopped as if he had aged another ten years. The woman's voice rang through his head, repeating the same thing over and over again, 'She's alive'.

The woman he had begun to care for- no, the woman he had cared about was… alive?

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with that information in that moment in time; it had been 5 years! They held a funeral for her, and now they intend to inform him that she had been alive the entire time.

His 'family' had been lying to him the entire time, but why? If she was still alive..., why wasn't she with him, why wasn't he back in France with her? Had she abandoned him?

He shook his head. No, she wouldn't abandon him like that; she was far too kind. If they really did have a funeral for her, and she wasn't there, it had to mean she was sick from that night.

Was he supposed to jump for joy now that he knew she was alive? Was he too seethe in anger, knowing that the people who had raised him had lied to him, allowing him to attend her funeral with saddened eyes thinking she had died?

He really wasn't sure what to feel, it was as though he felt nothing. Although there was a feeling, he was sure of which was a betrayal. The betrayal of trust.

He stepped away from the bed and straight towards the door, allowing himself out while being careful not to wake the woman who had so gracefully told him the truth. How long would it have taken him to find out his mother was alive if she hadn't been sick and felt obligated to tell him before her death?

He walked down the corridor, mind blank, only to run into his great grandfather, Arcturus, the man who had brought him to see her. A member of his family who had lied to him. He looked up at the man, straight into his eyes, his face emotionless, while his grandfathers held one of confusion.

Leonis stood there staring, wondering if he could really trust this man. He was desperate to learn the reason for the lies; was there anything else he had yet to be told?

No, he wasn't angry. People always see the things they do as a way to protect those they care about. Sometimes those things they do hurt those people they care about whether it was truly to protect them or just for their own selfish needs.

Having known this man for 5 years, he had grown on him. The man was strict with his teachings, strict with how he was to present himself, the man barely let a smile loose, yet he was always making time to spend with his great-grandchild. He had taught him how to play chess, something he had started to take a liking to.

He would clear his schedule for the sole purpose of not allowing him to have to eat alone, even if he could easily visit their extended family instead.

The man would answer every question he had, explained the things he had been finding hard to understand, never once refusing to answer a question.

"Is she…?" he heard his grandfather speak out; the tone of voice only held nothing. He didn't sound concerned at all, after suggesting if his daughter in law, his first cousin once removed was dead.

"No. She's asleep" came his calm and direct response. He tore his gaze away from his grandfather, "If you'll excuse me" he spoke again as he walked around his grandfather.

"Leonis" he heard the man call out, not at all happy with the boy not waiting for his response.

"Leonis!"

He shoved his hands in his pockets nonchalantly, ignoring the man that had been raising him since the 'death' of his mother and headed straight towards the nearest fireplace.

With a handful of floo powder, he found himself heading to Diagon alley, for the first time, by himself.

He was welcomed by the chattering voices of witches and wizards of the different ages, both young and old. Him being a part of the few young customers, yet he wasn't a customer.

With little care, he avoided eye contact, as he passed by the adults that talked among themselves not bothering themselves with the young child.

With a push of both his hands, he was out of the bar and into the streets of Diagon Alley. He took calming breaths of the fresh air, staring down the busy streets. The times he had gone to Diagon alley, the streets weren't as busy as they were today. With his hands back in his pockets, he began walking once again, enjoying his time away from everything. He knew if Draco had been with him, the boy would be complaining and whining having to walk among such 'filth' with how the streets were packed.

As he saw the children of many ages, most seem to be around the ages of 11. With that thought, it was like a bell dinged in his head telling him he had figured it out. Hogwarts was to be starting soon, they were getting ready to go to Hogwarts.

He was starting to get bored of just walking and began thinking of just heading back to the Black manor. Although the thought of heading back to the Black manor didn't sit well with him, only because he knew there would be someone waiting for him there, after all, he left without any mention of where he was going.

They would surely be worried, he couldn't exactly say he had been out and about without someone with him, it was nice.

He stopped in his tracks as a flash of red ran past him, two boys, their red hair differentiating them from everyone on that busy street, everyone else having blonde but mostly brown hair.

The boys appeared to be his age; they had run past him, most likely not noticing him walking forwards before cutting him off to press their freckled faces against a window. It was obvious they were twins.

Laxly, Leonis looked up at the shop they stared into.

"Bubble gum-"

"Chocolate-"

"Raspberry-"

Leonis moved closer to the shop where the boys' faces were pressed and watched in amusement as they took turns naming different flavours; after all, the window they were pressed against was an ice cream shop. It had only been about 20 seconds and people had already walked in and out of the shop, the door making a ringing noise every time it was opened.

It was obvious the store was popular.

"Strawberry Peanut Butter."

"Strawberry Peanut Butter."

Both boys spoke at the same time, as they did, they turned their heads to face each other only to shiver at the mention of the flavour.

"Never-" one of them started.

"Again." Then the other finished.

A small smile landed on Leonis's face as it occurred, having had enough watching he walked closer to where they were standing and face the same window they were staring at.

With the view of the window, he could see many children and their parents standing in two lines, it was quite busy. He could see others sitting around the table having a blast finishing their scoops.

As he stood beside them, it seemed to catch both their attention. Nothing was said. Feeling their gaze, Leonis himself faced them.

"Are you planning on getting ice cream?" Leonis questioned the boys who were staring at him with their brown eyes.

They looked slightly wary of his presence there, they seemed to relax slightly at the question.

"We can't" both responded at the same time.

Leonis raised his brow, 'they can't?'

"Really? I have always thought buying ice cream to be one of the easiest things." He started speaking, his hand made its way to his chin, holding it as he pretended to think.

"First you walk into the shop, then you tell the shopkeeper what you want… then you pay." He finished off with, as he dropped his hand back into his pocket. As his hand went back into his pockets, he could feel the coldness of the coins he had stuffed in there.

The boys snickered at the obvious explanation.

"We know that!" the one on the right spoke.

"We just don't have any money!" the one on the left spoke after.

The one on the right pressed his face against the window and spoke again, "If we had all the money in the world, we'd buy the whole shop and have ice cream every day!"

His brother joined him as well in pressing his face against the window with a wide grin, "That would be a dream come true!"

"Couldn't you just ask your parents for money?" Leonis questioned, surely it wouldn't be too hard to ask. The prices weren't exactly what he would call expensive but then again what did he know?

Both their faces turned to him.

"Um…" one started with as they both gave each other looks.

It was obvious they were slightly uncomfortable and Leonis realised that they either didn't have parents or even if they did ask their parents, they would be allowed to buy any.

So instead of waiting for them to respond, Leonis spoke again, "Never mind, my grandfather gave me some galleons, I'll buy you guys some ice cream if you want…"

Their eyes widened just as wide as the other, "You would do that!"

"… Some galleons? How much did he give you?!"

Leonis shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, his grandfather did give him some galleons about last week, but he wasn't sure where he put the money. On the other hand, the galleons he had in his pockets, he wasn't really sure when he put them there. They were his favourite shorts, so he never lets anyone touch them let alone the house elves, so they're always left alone unless for washing.

He grabbed the coins he had in his pockets unsure if he actually had enough to buy them ice cream. Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he laid it flat to count the gold coins that presented themselves.

Both boys had wide eyes staring at the coins he had in his pocket.

1.. 2,3,4, 5,6…9- ah there's ten galleons there he counted, using his finger to shift them around as he counted the coins, he had weighed his shorts down.

"That's- that's like all we-" the boy on the right didn't finish in the sentence but looked to his twin then back at the coins, their amazement shown on their faces.

"…I guess if it isn't any trouble to buy us ice cream… then we wouldn't mind! I'm definitely getting salted caramel."

"Salted caramel? Heavens no, I'm most definitely gonna get myself some Chocolate chilli."

"Chocolate chilli?! I don't think you'll ever shut up if you have that! I wish you luck on your endeavour with that spicy delight, dear twin of mine." The redhead on the right wrapped his arm around the other redhead with a grin.

He understood their shock, it hadn't taken him long to understand the currency. Him having ten galleons was ridiculous especially with him being young. It was practically the equivalent of having close to 60 euros, and if he were to try to convert it into dollars, it would practically be around 70 dollars. He shoved the coins back into his pockets, he wasn't trying to have a red mark on his head saying, 'rob me'.

He stared at the brothers who were chatting away about what they wanted, realising he didn't know their names. It was as if they read his mind, seeing as at that moment they stopped talking and turned to him.

"I'm Fred, and that's George! But you can call us Gred and Forge" the one who introduced himself as Fred, dramatically said.

He threw his hand forward as he finished their introduction for Leonis to shake.

For a second Leonis wasn't sure why the boy's hand was placed in front of him. It had quite quickly that his brain was still trying to catch up.

"I'm Leonis, but I guess you can call me Leo," he said, looking up from his hand. " Nothing as interesting as Gred and Forge though," he replied lastly, followed by a small chuckle. boy, Fred dropped his hand not having it shaken, but he still smiled back, his mouth watering at the prospect of finally getting some ice cream.