Anything for the Alcohol

Kaiden took one last glance back at the kind on the couch and then headed out Harper’s front door first, letting her close it, probably to make sure it was locked behind her. They boarded the elevator and he almost outwardly groaned as the stupid music filled his ears. Why did people insist on putting music in elevators? It wasn’t like they were going to be in there for more than a minute or so, were people so impatient they couldn’t stand in a moving box for that long without some kind of entertainment? It was a good thing, when the elevator dinged and the doors opened upon the lobby, at least, to Kaiden it was. They were finally making some actual progress. It wouldn’t be long now until they had the drinks and could return to the school with them and he could retreat back into the dark comfort of his curtained bed. And he would finally be rid of the bitch.

The male Gryffindor nodded as Harper, that was her name, what the little boy had called her, asked if he lived in the Muggle world. Harper. Sounds like the name someone would give to a tattle-tale. Kaiden wasn’t sure if that was just an unfortunate accident or if her name suited her. He didn’t know her and never intended to, so he would probably never figure that one out. Not that it really mattered though. There was no point in wondering about others when all they ended up doing was screwing you over, and those that didn’t, well, they ignored you.

Eyes shooting every which way, Kaiden’s body stiffened ten fold at the amount of people walking by them now. It was obviously a busy area of the city, one that didn’t really ever stop moving. He had lived in almost every single section of London by this point in his life, but never this one. It was different, swarming, alive. He hated it. Probably full of fakers and dreamers who would eventually learn that nothing ever came to fruition just by thinking about it. It was also too loud, so many sounds coming from every direction. Different types of music, melding and irking against each other, people’s voices, some shrill, others hushed, all talking and moving all at once. And then finally, the painted door that led inwards to the oasis.

Right on in through the door, Kaiden followed after Harper seamlessly, knowing he did not quite look old enough to be in this kind of shop. He eased a bit once they were hidden away, out of sight of the clerk behind the counter who hadn’t even looked up when the door had opened, his face buried in some magazine. The boy’s eyes actually met Harper’s as she held up the bottle of grey goose and he nodded, still not smiling, but approving of her selection. He watched as she placed things into the bag, keeping a count on what was what, able to do so simply because he knew what he wanted the most out of them all. And then he saw the whiskey and held up a couple of the strongest ones before placing those in the bag as well. It was like being, well, a drunk in a liquor store. At the moment, all he saw were bottles full of beautiful liquids. He was tempted to fill that endless bag with everything he could reach, but knew that if they took too much it would quickly be noticed that things were missing, though, no one would be able to peg it on Harper or himself unless they tried to look in the Prefect girl’s bag. It was impossibly handy, that bag. They could have stocked parties for the rest of the year with it if they wanted to.

Kaiden shrugged, not really sure if a nod counted as much of a response, but deciding to go with it. He was in a better mood than he had been a little while ago, now that he was surrounded by the sweet, sweet heaven of booze. The bitch was becoming less annoying, or rather, he was tolerating her better with the prospect of alcohol being welcomed into his body very, very soon. He gathered, making his selections with ease, knowing exactly the types of things he wanted the most. Anything strong, with a bite or kick to it that would leave his throat burning was preferable. He added a few more bottles to the bag, following after Harper as she made her way around the aisle, searching for wine. He wasn’t big on the stuff, though, he had had his fair share of it in the past. It didn’t take long to locate, and he watched as she picked up one of the most impossibly girly of all of the choices given. His face scrunched up slightly, eyes regarding the bottle with disgust as it was added to the bag. He supposed it was alright though, for a teenage girl. Especially one who couldn’t hold her liquor, though, he wasn’t sure if it was for Harper or for one of her mates. Not that it mattered, what was it to him what other people drank so long as he got to indulge in the kind he preferred?

The boy nodded, content with the amount of alcohol in the bag. There was more than enough in there for the party and he knew exactly which bottles he would be swiping before it hit full force if he was able to. The need to get completely plastered, to make his brain numb before he went to sleep every night… the opportunity to maybe have a stash under his bed that could help him do that, the very idea of it was so good he could have smiled. Didn’t, but could have, a small one.

Kaiden’s eyes followed Harper’s gaze to the stand, and he blinked, looking at her face, wondering what she could possibly be up to now. He could almost see the gears moving in her head, turning, something to do with the stand… He nodded towards it, raising his eyebrows inquiringly, half of a smirk playing at his lips, the corners of them twinging. He could have opened his mouth, but chose not to. Whatever it was that Harper was planning, he was almost certain it would be a bad idea for the clerk to hear about it beforehand. That, and he really wanted to see what she was going to do, if she was ballsy enough to actually go through with whatever it was.

Kaiden watched with half a grin on his face as Harper moved closer to the counter and picked up a bag of sunflower seeds. What did she need those for? It wasn’t obvious they had taken any booze, because Jane’s bag was too small to actually have held much in a Muggle’s point of view. Harper’s smile was mischievous, like she was going to do something and he didn’t want to miss it. While he didn’t actually like the girl, she could have been worse. He could have gotten stuck doing this with someone less… well, someone like Jane. Then again, he probably wouldn’t have been suckered into getting drinks had Harper not tripped over him on the stairs, but then again… the trip was proving worth it. They had gathered a good amount of alcohol and he was actually quite looking forward to getting back to the school and drinking to his heart’s content.

The Gryffindor boy’s eyes glimmered slightly, more life in them than usual, as Harper appeared to flirt a bit with the ugly old clerk. There was no way in hell she was actually interested in the man. He was the epitome of gross, the kind of guy who only got laid if he got some chick seriously hammered beforehand. Kaiden stepped closer, just as Harper shoved the seeds into her pocket and flipped off the clerk. His pace quickened as the man came out from behind the till, ready to intervene as Sir McUgly grabbed hold of his partner’s arm. But Harper was fast, and didn’t need any help… Kaiden realized her plan as soon as she jerked backwards, and he almost laughed, as the entire stand of nips to went falling, the cacophony of glass upon dirty tile quickly following as the man shouted in alarm.

Kaiden quickly made for the door as Harper dashed away from the man, grabbing up a couple more drinks, and then him. He blinked, the feeling of her hand on his more physical contact than he had had in years aside from when they had Apparated here. That had only lasted seconds though, and he hadn’t been paying it much attention, too busy having his body squeezed tighter than it had ever been before. This time was different, and he held on, gripping Harper’s hand back, not because he really wanted to, but because it was easier to follow after her, to not get lost in the number of people out on the street. Her hand was smaller than his, by a lot though. It caused his breath to catch and his stomach to heave as it had earlier. Harper’s hair turned blonde again, for a split moment, in Kaiden’s mind, but he shook his head hard, forcing his legs harder against the pavement beneath his feet to keep up with the girl in front of him. The girl who was not blonde… the girl who was not his sister.

They raced down a few more streets until Harper turned, dragging him down a mostly empty alleyway. There was a dumpster here, and a couple of cardboard boxes that seemed to hold rotten vegetables. They must be behind some kind of restaurant, Kaiden reasoned. He was glad, when Harper finally let go of his hand and he rubbed it against his jeans, the palm sweaty from her tight grip and his momentary episode. His breathing was slightly heavy as he gazed at the laughing girl, both perplexed by how insane she was, and how he suddenly didn’t find her completely repulsive anymore. Normally he hated everybody equally and there was no problem, but then again, he never really spent any time around anyone enough to feel any differently about them. It was strange, this feeling in his chest… the excitement of having been partially involved in something as crazy as what Harper had just pulled. He wasn’t used to it, a lapse in his usual melancholy.

As Harper held out the money, Kaiden took it, without even worrying that it was technically stealing. Then again, if Jane had assumed it would be used, she wasn’t going to be missing it anyway. There was no point in confusing the Prefect by coming back with it, right? He pocketed it without a word, and then, stared at Harper for a moment, summing her up. She wasn’t completely terrible… she had gotten them here, to the booze, and amused him at the same time. Perhaps she wasn’t quite a bitch, but maybe… asshat suited her better. He opened his mouth, but the words got lost in his throat, head jerking to the side.

Movement by the dumpster had Kaiden turning around quickly, his eyes searching the shadows for a second, backing up and placing himself automatically between it and Harper. It could have been something as simple as a cat, but one could never be too careful. It wasn’t too late out yet, just barely past nine, however, it was dark. And with darkness, came trouble. The Gryffindor boy backed up slowly, reaching one hand behind him until he found Harper’s arm. He grabbed hold of her, tightly, eyes searching, darting back and forth, his stance stiffening.

”Well lookie, lookie, a couple a kids. What you doin’ in these parts this time o’night?” A man, tall, came looming foreward, a baseball bat in one hand, a partly toothless smile on his face. He grinned at the pair of Gryffindors. He raised the bat, swinging it menacingly in circles.

”Empty yer pockets and no one gets hurt.” A second voice came from behind the teenagers, another man, and another bat.

Kaiden clenched his jaw shut, knowing that speaking in a situation like this could usually lead you into more trouble than it was worth. He had spent his fair share of time wandering the streets after dark and had come across such people before. Most of the time he was able to fight them off, but sometimes he either got the crap beat out of him. In a situation like this, when it was two dudes against him and the asshat girl, well, the odds weren’t very much in the Gryffindors’ favor. Kaiden could feel Harper shaking behind him, a sign of being afraid. He didn’t know the girl, like at all, but he did know that a situation like this was the kind most girls never wanted to find themselves in. There were all sorts of things that could happen to a young woman when she was roaming the streets at night, things that could even happen to men if they weren’t careful enough. Kaiden backed up tighter, trying to put more of himself in front of Harper, to hide her between his body and the wall. He might have disliked her a great deal, but she was still one of his own in a way. That, and he was not about to lose the bag with the booze to these two bastards.

Then Harper went and opened her mouth, and Kaiden realized he was wrong. The asshat wasn’t scared… She was furious. He felt himself pushed by and heard, rather than saw, the smashing of glass against the wall. The Gryffindor boy blinked, turning his head just in time to see the precious alcohol dripping to the ground from the jagged edge of the wine bottle Harper had just turned into a weapon. Was she fucking insane!? It was one thing to try and defend themselves, but to pull that kind of thing out of your ass….? Well, alright, so it wasn’t too bad of an idea. However, now the two blokes were think them a little bit more threatening, or assume Harper was bluffing, which, as Kaiden though about it, she very well could be. Also, what on earth was a ‘fanny muncher’? Someone who… oh… oh. The men were not going to like that one.

Kaiden moved forward, about to try and get Harper to…. Do what? The girl was waving around sharp glass and the men didn’t seem to know what to think of her. Neither did Kaiden, not anymore. Who was this girl? He had known she was a Gryffindor, that much was certain, but was she a bitch, or an asshat, or something else? Some kind of lunatic who just happened to come out in situations like these? Or was this some kind of defense system Harper had kicking in? There was too many questions, and not enough answers, and that bothered the shit out of Kaiden. He hated when he couldn’t understand things, though, not nearly as much as he hated realizing he was asking himself questions about another human being. He hated people, so why should Harper be any different?

Because she was wielding a muggle street weapon and… Mother fucker!

Kaiden watched, coming out of his thoughts, as the raged Gryffindor moved forward and basically jumped the guy in front of them. He moved, ready to help, but was met with another bat swinging his way from the other man. He ducked fast and moved out of the way, arms reaching out to grab the bloke around his torso, slamming his backwards into the wall. Kaiden felt the bat whipping through the air, smacking him in the side, but he reached out, grabbing hold of the other end of it with both arms and spinning hard. The bat loosened in the mugger’s grip, the calluses and extra strength in Kaiden’s hand giving him the better hold. The bat came free, and Kaiden swung it, slamming the smaller end into the guy’s head hard enough to send him reeling backwards onto the pavement where he laid there, unmoving for the time being.

The Gryffindor boy turned just in time to see the other bat whack hard into Harper’s head as she thrashed with the other bloke. He bolted as she fell limp and backwards, away from the mugger. Kaiden leapt over her, brandishing the bat and swinging it rapidly, not even bothering to aim. However, the other man was injured, the bottle having pulled free from his shoulder. He glared at Kaiden, but turned tail, one arm gripping his bat, the other reaching up and clutching at his shoulder.

Kaiden lowered the bat, turning to make sure the other guy was still out, before his eyes moved to the girl sprawled on the ground. He dropped the bat and crouched down, reaching out a tentative hand to brush some hair away from Harper’s face before holding a hand out over her nose. She was breathing, but had obviously been knocked out. Well, this wasn’t good. She was the only one who could apparate them back to school. If they were noticed to be missing, and it was likely if they hadn’t returned by morning, they would be in some serious trouble.

Heaving a sigh, Kaiden grabbed the bag of drinks and pulled it over one shoulder. No way in hell was it getting left behind after all the pain they’d gone through just to get it. He pulled on Harper, knowing they couldn’t stay here, and shifted her, getting her onto his back until she was slumped forward on him, his arms looped through her legs to keep her on. Now then… He just had to find his way back to her apartment and then… what? Surely she would wake up before morning right? Unless the injury to her head was more severe than Kaiden knew… Well, shit. What a lovely situation this was.

Kaiden walked, carrying the girl and going a few blocks, trying to remember which building was hers, and yet, he couldn’t. There were several promising ones, but none that he recognized outright. He had been much too busy following and focusing in booze to pay much attention to his surroundings when she had first led him out and towards the liquor store. So Kaiden paused on the sidewalk, turning his head, and gently jostled the girl on his back. ”Hey, asshat… Harper, wake up. Haaar-peeer. Harper.”