Volcanic Encounters

August 2027

It was now a rarity for Melissa Hayes to get a few hours to herself. Juggling the running of a house and two infants was something that had left her exhausted and decidedly frustrated, also. Without much input from her husband there was no one to vent to barring her brother whose absence, having gone to university, made it nigh impossible for her to get to talk to anyone. Thankfully, that morning, her mother-in-law had given her a break, offering to take the children for the day. The new mother didn’t need to be told twice and, donning a pair of sandals, she hurried out of the house in Galway, Ireland, standing in the front garden for a moment before disapperating with a loud pop!

The young blonde reappeared in the courtyard outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Lifting her wand from her bag which hung from the thin, silver chain on her shoulder, she tapped the tip across the bricks and waited for the archway to open up. Then, Millie stepped through and bobbed up through the shopping district, delighted to be out of the house but, all the same, found that she missed her children. They were barely a month old now but were getting more and more developed as they days wandered by. Millie needed some time for herself, though. So, upon stepping into Madam Malkin’s she spent an hour or so picking out some clothes for herself, purchasing them, before leaving once more to peruse what the alley had on offer.

By the time Millie made it down towards the end of the street where Knockturn Alley joined on she had more than her fair share of bags containing an array of items including the clothes she’d bought, some for the children, a few toys and a handful of t-shirts for Keiran that she thought he’d like. It was then that she came across the tattoo shop that she remembered sitting in with Trent as she got the tattoo on her back. She paused outside, looking up the sign, and smiled a little, wondering whether or not to go inside. She looked at the pictures in the windows and nibbled absently on her lower lip, considering it. In the end though, Millie changed her mind.

Turning abruptly, she slammed into another person, her hands relinquishing her hold on the bags which tumbled to the floor. Millie blinked, reaching up to right her glasses on her face and she knelt down, scrabbling to pick up her things once more before looking up, her mouth opening to offer an apology but when she caught sight of who it was she froze, her lips instead curling into a half smile.

“Henry?” She queried gently. “Henry Yewbeam? Gosh, it’s been forever. I’m so sorry… h-how have you been?”

Henry had been good. He hadn't done drugs for three weeks and had only left the house once, now twice. Really he shouldn't have left the house at all. Sophia had warned him it would be too soon, warned him about what could happen if he ran into someone he'd rather not. That had happened exactly. Only the other day Henry had bumped into Lily Potter on a trip to Hogsmede. Thankfully he hadn't taken any drugs, managed to fight back the urge and return to the Granger Household. However the past few days drugs were all Henry could think about.

Three weeks was a long time. That deserved a reward didn't it?
No. Henry couldn't think that way. He'd managed to stay clean for three weeks, why not try and make it a month and then receive a reward? Naturally Henry didn't listen to what his head told him. That morning when Sophia had left for work Henry had grasped a handful of floo powder and taken a trip to the Leaky Cauldron.

Already hitting off at a bad start. The place was full of people smoking, people drinking and Henry even had to duck and hurry to the courtyard that served as the barrier between Diagon Alley and the muggle world to avoid being seen by someone he recognised as a death eater. Already his second vacation from the house was becoming as bad as his first. No matter he'd get his drugs first and then he'd get high. It was the least he deserved.

Quickly pacing down Diagon Alley he reached Ollivanders, glancing in at the lone chair sat in the dusty corner. The place had been closed down a while now. Whatever had happened to Ollivander Henry didn't know, what he did know was that it was this shop where his Mother had bought him his first wand. Times were happy then. The soon-to-be Gryffindor was excited about embarking on a new adventure.

Henry had been bold back then. Adventurous, courageous and a tad mischievous. Little did the eleven year old Henry know what his life had install. If he'd know the first six years at Hogwarts would have been the best in his life he'd have appreciated them more. Maybe fooled around a lot less, not cheated on Hallie, stayed clear of dark magic and drugs. Drugs. Henry shook his head. He needed his high.

Continuing at a faster pace Henry saw the sign for Knockturn Alley. Almost there. He could soon purchase some spice, roll it up and smoke it. He'd now gotten past the point of thinking about Sophia, thinking about his achievement so far. Henry should never have gone to Hogsmede, he should never have seen Lily but now, right now, did he really care? No he-

'Ouch!' Henry yelled as he felt his body brush hard against the wall. Someone had pushed him, bashed him hard. Rubbing his arm he looked around to see who it was. A familiar face. A blonde. Melissa Finnigan. She'd been in the year below him at Hogwarts and if he remembered rightly he'd been one of the girls that he'd fooled around with before Hallie.

'I'm- I'm good.' He replied nervously not really knowing what to say. His eyes darted down the alleyway that led to Knockturn Alley. He needed drugs. How long was Melissa going to keep him? What if by the time he was done talking with her Henry no longer felt the need to get high? No. That wouldn't happen... Would it? Henry hoped not, but then if it did would it be the end of the world? He wouldn't have to lie to Sophia, in fact he could return home and tell her how he'd bit back the need to take drugs.

Biting his lips Henry returned his attention to Melissa. 'Do you want to grab a drink, maybe we could sit underneath the parasols by Florean Fortescue's?' Why did he just say that? What in God's name was his doing inviting her to share a drink with him in the sun? He was supposed to be going to Knockturn Alley, supposed to be buying sugar, spice heck even some pixie dust if needs be!

In the blazing summer sunshine, there was nowhere better to be than under a brightly coloured umbrella outside of an ice cream shop, tucking into a frozen treat slathered in cream and in all of the toppings available. At Henry’s suggestion, Millie bobbed up excitedly, finding that it was a terrific idea, indeed. She smiled brightly and fell into step with Henry as they began to pad their way down through the shopping alley towards the ice cream shop. It felt nice to be with someone familiar, someone she knew personally, on her own terms, not as an extension of someone else. It would have felt the same, she was sure, if she’d been with Gisele, too, and not for the first time lately Millie mourned the loss of her friends.

“So you’ve been well, then?” Millie queried inconsequentially as they weaved through the crowds milling around Diagon Alley.

Soon enough, the pair arrived at the ice cream shop and Millie found a table for them, setting her bags down underneath before taking a seat. One of the waitresses with roller skates on her feet skated over and took their order before disappearing them, leaving them in the soft, flirting sunshine peeking underneath the trimming of the umbrella. The waitress returned quickly, setting down two tall glasses of buttercup yellow lemonade that had a fuchsia coloured straw floating in each much to the delight of Millie who immediately took a sip.

“It’s been so long, hasn’t it?” Millie reflected, sitting back in her chair. “So much has changed.” She poked at the ice with the bottom of the straw before smiling again. “Sometimes I wish we could’ve all just stayed in Hogwarts, don’t you? It was a bit better then.”

(OOC: A bit of godmodding. I can edit if it's not okay!)

Henry didn't speak, he simply allowed himself to be led by Melissa his mind absent from thought. It was only until the Gryffindor spoke that the death eater zoned back into reality before thinking about his reply. He could hardly tell her he was a recovering drug addict after recently overdosing, that would send her running for the hills. But so what if she went, he would be free to go and get his drugs. It made sense to tell her, the sooner he got away from her the better.

'I've been well.' He lied, his eyes gazing dully ahead and not really focusing on anything. Okay. That wasn't what he was supposed to say, he was supposed to tell her about how he had become a death eater addicted to sugar, how he was craving for the drugs now after being three weeks clean. Or was he craving? Did he really need the drugs? No. He simply wanted them because he was going bored out of his mind and didn't know what else to do to distract him from the constant thoughts in his head.

Melissa was very chatty, Henry found once seated underneath an umbrella with a glass of lemonade. It seemed all she wanted to do was have a conversation and, unlike old times, Henry simply wasn't the out going friendly person he once was. Well, at least he didn't believe so.

Henry had to hand it to her, Millie knew what she was talking about. Life had been easier at Hogwarts. He wasn't part of the death eaters, he wasn't taking drugs - or at least not to the extent he'd gotten to and for the first five and a half years Henry had been having the time of his life. Quidditch captain. A hot girlfriend. Everyone wanting to know him. Now? Now nobody wanted to know him.

'Yes.' He replied, not really knowing what to say. Wow. This was awkward. There was once a time when the pair could have talked for hours on end, kissed a few times in between - maybe more at one point. Then Henry's bottom lip did something it hadn't done since the day he cheated on Hallie: it wobbled.

Biting his lips he stared Millie in the eyes. She was innocent, strong, bubbly, a bright yellow and he was guilty, weak, unsociable, a putrid grey. How was it two people who were once the same had ended up so different. Why had it been him who had sunk into an addiction to drugs with an allegiance to the dark arts.

'You seem well.' He finally said, sipping the lemonade as an excuse to fight back the sudden urge to cry.