The Cracked Twilight

steven heard the fight as he slipped on his jacket hew as about to reatch out and pull Andrew back when he watched the boy just step over the man , he stood amazed and a little concerned that some one of his age should be unfazed by man laid out in front of him with blood running down his nose. He gave a growl as he too steped over him to join Andrew out side "ya not up set about that back there?" he asked curiose to know more about the boy. He felt now he needed to know "any nornal boy would be crying about now, guess ya made of stronger stuff " he said with a smile "ok let see that list , if im right the shops this way" he pointed back up the alley.

"Any boy who would cry about that is a sissy," he said, walking again now, and handing the list back to Steven. "Happens all the time, you know. Gotta know when to duck and when to just get out of the way, that's all. They just had too much firewhiskey. It's no big thing." He looked at him, scowling, "You don't get out much, do you?"

Steven chuckled at his comment "yeah I guess" and shook his head when she spoke of him not getting out much he smiled "I,ve been in a coma for six months , so , nope not for a while and certainly not around here, back home they would have been kicked out before the fight started" he said with a chuckle now having a bit more respect for the lad understanding he had seen more than the ushuall 10 year old had he would not underestamat the lad again.

Reatching the store he opened the door as he did he saw the perfect back pack hung in the window of the shop " you get ya stuff i got to do somthing but i'l be here " he said smiling as he moved to an assistand who after a glance at Andrew smiled and nodded.

Andrew walked in, a bit overwhelmed at all the school stuff that seemed to be everywhere he looked. A young clerk took him underwing and took his list. She led him through the store and kept stacking things in his hands--uniforms first--several changes. 2 black dresses--well, they looked liked dresses to Andrew and he didnt know why he needed them, books, pens, quills, ink, parchment, paper, all sorts of things. She looked at the little shabby backpack and added some jeans, t shirts, new sneakers, shirts, underwear, socks, a couple of sweaters, and some pajamas and slippers. She had to have a second clerk take his wares and start to stack them up on the counter. She seemed to sense the boy had nothing. She made sure he even had toiletries. Well, that was good, because his one little piece of a cake of soap was running out.

He started to lose track of the things she was outfitting him with, but he was beginning to get scared he didn't have enough coins for all this. She added a large metal trunk to pack everything in and said she would pack his school trunk for him and make sure it got to the train station.

Train? What bloody train? He was lost. Well, there were some envelopes from Hogwarts he hadn't opened yet. He thought it was just more junk he didn't understand. So he hadn't opened them. Well, maybe there was something in there about a train.

When it got to payment, his little brain seemed to fog over when she talked about how much it all cost. He opened his pack and rooted through to all the shiny coins he'd brought. There were a lot of them. But now he was just overwhelmed. Life at the bar was far easier.

Stephen walked over to the counter where Andrew stood he saw the look on the boys face as he rutted threw his make shift back pack "here" he said handing over the money for the things to the woman "call it a frendly gesture, ya can pay me back by doing the best ya can in school , ya naver know ya may become an auror, when ya leave, if ya do look me up"he said smiling to him "ow here I got ya this too that thing looks as if it could fall apart " he held out a brand new back pack filled with things he'd need for school but one compartment was empty for his things

Andrew's eyes grew wide. For him? Nobody had ever given him anything. Certainly never anything new, anyway. "For me?" he asked. "Really?" He took the pack from Steven and began looking through it. It seemed to have room for everything he would ever own in his life. Much better than his design. Sturdier too. He liked it. He liked it alot. He liked the silvery gray color with black trim. Seemed sleek somehow. "Wow. Thanks!"

He was looking through the bag, happened to glance up and saw a shelf full of stuffed animals. Among them was a little green frog with big black eyes. He walked over to the shelf and took down the frog. He'd never had a stuffed animal either. If he hadn't been going to school with the big kids, he'd have found a way to make sure that frog got into his bag. Well, if you needed it, it wasn't stealing. Not by his rules. He was good with it. But then, again, the other kids might make fun of him. So he put the frog back on the shelf, deciding not this time.

He returned to Steven, watching them put his few things into the last empty pocket of his new bag.

Steven watched as he saw Andrew eyes light up "yeap all yours" he said letting him take it he also watched ashe crossed to and took down a stuffed toy frog but then placed it back on the shelf , he was puzzled why he'd done that as from being with him he knew he liked frogs. he smiled as he realised he probably didn't want to be picked on when he went to school "ya know i had a small stuffed pony , I use to take every where with me I ddn't care what the others said, he was called " he lent down to whisper "Fred" he said smiling to him "yea silly i know but he kept me company" he looked at the frog on the shelf "so ya want it ?" he asked happy to be sharing time with him , but even if he said no he was going to bye it and slip it into his pack pack befor he left to say thanks for being his freind.

Andrew hesitated. He had never had a toy either. Only what he could find lying about that he could use his imagination with. He had walked by places that had toys in the window, but his father said Andrew needed to be a man. He had heard that slurring voice bickering at him about what a pitiful excuse for a man he would make if he kept playing with toys. To the best that Andrew knew, he had never done that. Never had the chance. Now, here was a real toy. And his father wasn't here. He could have it.

He stiffened, pulling up his independence. "Only if I have enough coins to buy it myself," he said, determined to stick to his guns on that point. "Oh, you have plenty," the clerk laughed. She took the little frog down and simply tucked it into his pack. She took one coin, although Andrew felt the toy had surely cost more. "There," she said. "Oh, and by the way, we sell a lot of those to Hogwarts students of all ages. Don't worry about that. " She zipped the pack shut and handed it to him, after tucking inside a luggage tag. "The tag will help you find your trunk if you need to, in case it gets misplaced. but somehow that never seems to happen at Hogwarts. I think you're all set."

He looked up at Steven. "Did you say something about ice cream?"

steven smiled to the female clerk and nodded "thank ya maam" he said and gave her a wink before turning to Andrew "yeap this time my treat" he beamed "what ya favorate flavor , mys rocky road, its cocolate and vanilla ice creasm with all good things mixed in" he said chuckling as he held open the door for him so they could walk back into the alley again.

Walking down it he found the parlor and smiled seeing they had tables out side "ya want out side or in?" he asked looking inside he saw it bustled with peple "looks kinda busy inside " he said but he caught some ones eye and they came out smiling.

When the server arrived, Andrew watched Steven order. He'd never had ice cream--not that he could remember. He simply waited until Steven had made his order and said, "I'll have the same." He watched the people inside getting all different colors, and presumably flavors, of ice cream. How could it possibly come in so many flavors and colors? It fascinated him. Some had little candies on top or nuts, or --well, almost more than he could imagine.

He felt a brief flash of anger towards his father for only ever exposing him to bars and firewhiskey, beer and loose women. What was life like for other kids? He was starting to figure out that he was an exception to the rule, and it was all that no good drunk's fault. The man who was his father. The world was bigger than pubs, it seemed.

He said nothing. When his ice cream arrived, he dug into his ice cream. Like a milkshake--only a whole lot better. He couldn't imagine anything better than this. And if Hogwarts didn't have ice cream, he wasn't going. If he had to sleep in the streets for the rest of his life.