The Return

It had been one hell of a weekend, that was for sure. Between helping Alec fend off trolls in Hogsmeade on Saturday and finally spending some time with Ari on Sunday, it was easily the most excitement Hayden had seen in a long time. But she wasn’t thinking about any of that right now. Nor was she thinking about Halloween. No, as she headed down the hall toward Ravenclaw Tower with her sketchpad and pencils in a bag over her shoulder, she found herself thinking about Toby. The registration deadline was tomorrow. Had he sorted things out? What had he even decided to do? They wouldn’t really take him away, would that? She had actually toyed with writing Claire to ask some of her questions, but all adoptive awkwardness aside, she had been stopped by the sickening feeling that she probably didn’t want to know the answers.

So instead Hayden was left to worry. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the Gryffindor boy fall in behind her until he caught hold of her sleeve. People rarely tried to get Hayden’s attention in the halls. She was quiet and kept to herself, and most people didn’t seem to register her existence outside of the occasional encounter. A fact that sat just fine with Hayden. So who would want her attention? She was genuinely curious as she turned around. Her expression brightened as she recognized Toby under the hood, only to fell again when she saw his red eyes. Toby wasn’t the crying sort. He yelled and hit things. If he had been crying, then something was very, very wrong. “Hey. Are you okay?” Hayden glanced up and down the hallway at the students around them before taking hold of his wrist and tugging him into a nearby classroom that was thankfully empty. Once they were inside with a closed door protecting them from prying eyes, Hayden turned her own worried gaze back to Toby. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Had he gotten in another fight again? He didn’t look hurt. Maybe it was about the registration. Sweet Merlin, what if they really were trying to take him away? Hayden didn't know if she could handle a blow like that. She tried to stay calm and give him a chance to explain, but she could feel her stomach twisting itself into worried knots.

Toby wasn’t the sort to initiate physical contact. Not that Hayden really was either, so they tended to get along just fine. Usually the closest they got was sitting beside each other with their shoulders almost touching. But now Toby had hold of her sleeve, and he was very much not letting. Something was wrong. Very wrong. That was confirmed by his apparent inability to get a word out. Hayden hadn’t felt this helpless since she watched the burning store collapse with her parents still inside. Toby was hurting, badly, and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do.

Her worry only increased as Toby failed to meet her eyes. But then he was talking, barely. Offering up something she could do. Hayden nodded. “Sure.” She had the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in her satchel with her art supplies. A gift from Connor. Apparently he was reading them to Micah and wanted Hayden to be caught up when she came home for Christmas. Although she would probably have all three finished by that point. But that wasn’t what mattered here. Hayden let go of Toby’s hand so she could sit down against the wall, silently waiting for him to join her. She pulled the book out of her bag and flipped past the bookmark to the first page. Might as well start at the beginning. There she paused briefly. On a sudden impulse, she reached over and took Toby’s hand in her own so she could give it a small squeeze. Then she started to read out loud. It was a quaint beginning for a book. Calming. Or at least it had been for Hayden. Maybe it would calm Toby down enough that he could talk about whatever had happened. Hayden's mind was racing even as her mouth moved over the words. Maybe she should write to Ari. Or Claire. Toby was her only real friend, for Merlin's sake. There had to be something she could do. Something more substantial than just giving him a moment of distraction.

Hayden’s worry only got worse as she took Toby’s hand. He tensed briefly, as expected, but he didn’t pull away or lash out over the contact. Just the opposite. He seemed to collapse into Hayden, his face burying itself in her shoulder. Not good. It made Hayden feel utterly helpless. So she read. She read all about the hobbits and a birthday party and a strange ring left to Frodo. She wasn’t really sure how long she kept going. But finally, at the end of a chapter, she paused and looked over at Toby. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly. There was no demand in her voice. If he wanted to talk, she would listen. And if not, she would keep right on reading. That seemed so small in the grand scheme of things. Such a useless little piece of comfort. But right now, it was all she could do.