Alive & Accusing
Harry just wanted his glasses.
The optometrist that Wednesday took Harry to had weird glasses that felt all wrong on his face. Harry felt like a baby, but he’d put on a pair that were square and plastic and wrong and Harry had to force himself to not cry.
Then he went to Xavier’s art shed, thinking maybe he’d find Xavier or could wait there for him so he could get his glasses back, and he found Xavier.
And Tyler.
And Sirius.
And a very bloody, bruised, broken Fester.
Harry blinked at Tyler and Sirius more than a little surprised that they thought he’d died. Clearly though, there has been quite a bit of what Dr. Kinbott would call ‘miscommunication’.
“Prove you’re Harry,” Sirius suddenly said, aiming his wand at Harry’s chest. “Prove it.”
“Hey,” Xavier stepped in front of Harry and raised his hands, “it’s Harry.”
“I’m not believing that with a metamorphmagus running around,” Sirius said. He leaned to the side, his face pensive when he looked at Harry. “Where did we first meet?”
“St. Brutus’s,” Harry said slowly. “What’s a metamorphmagus?”
It sounded a bit like a disease or something.
“First thing I said to you?” Sirius asked, sticking his arm out to stop Tyler from moving toward Harry. Xavier was keeping Harry back, Sirius was keeping Tyler back, and Harry was so bemused he had no idea what anyone was doing.
“‘I’m nobody, are you nobody too?’,” Harry quoted. “Siri- Ares, it’s me, I’m Harry. I’m not dead.”
Sirius lowered his wand and Tyler shoved past him, past Xavier, and grabbed Harry. Tyler’s arms wrapped around him and lifted Harry clear from the ground.
“You’re alive, you’re alive!” Tyler cried, swinging Harry around.
“How?!” Sirius was demanding. Harry saw him grab Fester by the shoulder and drag him to his feet. “You told me you killed him, Fester! I was about to bloody kill you!”
“I did kill him,” Fester was saying, “then I brought him back. Abracadabra!”
Harry was dizzy and breathless when Tyler finally stood him up and smiled at him.
“You’re alive,” Tyler breathed.
Harry grinned shyly, rather pleased by the welcoming. “I’m alive.”
Tyler bent his head down and Harry thought he was going to be kissed, but instead he was literally snatched by Sirius and swung in another circle.
“You’re ALIVE!!” Sirius crowed happily. His grey eyes were sparkling with what Harry liked to think was actual love when he smiled at Harry.
Nobody loved Harry, except for Wednesday. But… Sirius and Tyler and Xavier were going to kill Fester for killing Harry and they were all smiling and laughing and swinging Harry around.
Harry probably shouldn’t be so flattered that they were going to kill Fester over him, but it was flattering. It was flattering in a way that had Harry filled with warmth and feeling overwhelmed in a good way.
He didn’t even know people could be overwhelmed in a good way.
“I’m alive,” Harry laughed. “And you’re out of the hospital!”
“We’re all alive!” Sirius laughed. He hugged Harry to him then released him so quickly that Harry stumbled backward a little and fell into Xavier. Everyone, including Fester, was smiling and Harry couldn’t believe they were all so happy just to see him.
Harry turned to ask Xavier and Tyler for his glasses and saw that Tyler had his arm around Xavier, pulling him against him in a loose hug, and they had on wide smiles. Tyler shook Xavier a little bit, laughing happily, and then Xavier glanced at Tyler with a smile and something inside of Harry twinged.
Not a happy twinge.
“I’m alive,” Harry repeated softly. He glanced down and cringed when he could see blood - probably Fester’s - on the wooden floor and had gotten on his shoes.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Harry asked Fester, squinting at him and realizing that he looked terrible.
Harry’s question caused Sirius to turn and look at Fester. He sighed heavily and walked back over by the man.
“C’mon, mate, have a seat,” Sirius told him, guiding him to a rolling chair by the wall. “Let’s heal you up and you can tell me what you’ve been up to for the last eighteen years.”
“Oh! Here!” Xavier pulled Harry’s glasses from his jacket pocket and handed them to him with a wide smile. “Have you just been hiding from us blindly all day?”
“No, I went to the hospital with Wednesday and Enid,” Harry said truthfully. He felt like he could finally breathe when the room came into focus. He grinned at Xavier and opened his mouth to thank him, but then he could see - quite clearly - Tyler’s thumb tracing a circle on Xavier’s shoulder.
Harry’s overwhelming happiness at his friends and his godfather all being so thrilled to see him deflated quicker than a balloon being popped.
*****
Wednesday waited outside the art shed for Harry to retrieve his glasses. After seeing Xavier’s odious excitement at seeing Harry - perhaps Xavier would not be languishing under the delusion that Harry was dead if he had the fortitude to stick around until Harry returned last night - Wednesday had no desire to see it repeated with Tyler Galpin.
“I bet they’re all like freaking out in there,” Enid said brightly while they waited together. “And Harry and Tyler are probably kissing and Xavier’s throwing paint because he’s so jealous.”
“Jealous?” Wednesday raised a brow at Enid. She was hardly one to sit around gossiping, but just as she had rubbed off on Enid, it seemed like Enid’s horrible habits had rubbed off on Wednesday.
“Why would Xavier be jealous of Harry having his face attacked by Tyler? Why would anyone be jealous of that?” Wednesday asked.
Enid rolled her eyes and shuffled over to lean against the wall of the shed beside Wednesday.
“Because obviously Xavier has a crush on Harry,” Enid said slowly, as if Wednesday were a child in needing of a lecture. “And Harry’s like super in love with Tyler, so Harry’s probably kissing Tyler right now and Xavier is having to watch it.”
“Better Xavier than me,” Wednesday muttered darkly. She crossed her arms over her chest and pushed away the reminder of when Enid had kissed her. If only Enid herself were so easily pushed away.
Enid stepped closer to her, her side pressing against Wednesday’s in a warm, familiar, and… not extremely uncomfortable… way.
“I think Mellie would be jealous if she saw us kissing,” Enid said in a low and coy tone. “She was saying the other day how cute she thinks you are.”
“That’s vile,” Wednesday sneered. She paused for a moment, “Who is Mellie?”
Enid laughed and it filled the cool afternoon air like a fire warmed a room.
“Mellie is one of the scales,” Enid explained. “Purple braids with the silver beads?”
Wednesday scoffed and was prepared to inform Enid precisely what she thought about the siren girl with the pale blue eyes who stood by idly while Bianca attempted to humiliate her cousin. Unfortunately, her tirade was cut off before it could begin when the shed door opened and Harry slunk outside with his glasses on his face and his shoulder curled up in a remarkable unhappy way.
Clearly Harry had not been kissing his infernal boyfriend.
“They tried to kill Fester because they thought he killed me,” Harry mumbled with his face dropped to the ground. “He’s fine. Everyone’s happy. I’m going to get dinner.”
Harry was quick when he wanted to be, Wednesday watched him practically sprint toward the campus before she could even argue that not everyone was happy.
Wednesday was certainly not happy.
She stormed inside the shed, deciding to decipher what had caused Harry’s abrupt downturn in moods before bothering Harry about them. It wasn’t altogether concerning to see Uncle Fester’s blood all over the shed or her uncle being magically repaired by Sirius Black.
Uncle Fester had a habit of finding himself in the most ridiculous situations, usually by personal choice.
Instead, Wednesday faced down the idiots that she was certain had something to do with upsetting Harry. Most likely Xavier, considering he was the murderous monster in the pair of them.
“What did you say to Harry?” she demanded. She gave the boys her most dangerous look and subtly reached for the knife she kept strapped to her left calf. “Speak, now.”
“Nothing,” Xavier said, as if Wednesday would believe a single word from his mouth. With Kinbott knowing what Wednesday knew, it was only a matter of time before she told her trusted Hyde and bumped Wednesday up on her list.
It was going to be a race, Wednesday could feel it. Could she expose Kinbott and Xavier before they killed her? Fortunately, Wednesday had always been fast. Racing against a Hyde and a woman hell bent on destruction of some sort would be a tight race, but Wednesday never lost.
A problem for another time though.
“Then why does Harry not look as if he was happily reunified with you people?” Wednesday asked coldly, sending a dark looked from Xavier to Tyler to Sirius.
Sirius Black was unflappable. He ran the tip of his wand - and didn’t Wednesday want to get ahold of one of those?! - across Uncle Fester’s face, washing away the blood, and he scoffed.
“Because apparently Harry’s boyfriend moved on in the eighteen hours they thought he was dead,” Sirius said.
Whatever the hell that meant.
Sirius reached down and snagged Uncle Fester’s hat, plopping it on his head then clapping his shoulder. “We’re good, right, mate?”
“Better than good,” Uncle Fester laughed. He gave Sirius a bow with a tilt of his hat. “We’ll have to reenact that little curse this summer, Gomez says you and Harry will be staying with us.”
Sirius blinked at Uncle Fester, similar to the way Harry did when he refused to understand basic English language.
“Uh… alright,” Sirius said slowly. His lips curled to the side in a crooked grin. “I guess I’ll be there. Tell Gomez I said thanks.”
“Will do!” Uncle Fester bounced to stand in front of Wednesday and gave her a gleeful smile. “Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday… horcruxes, Hyde’s, and messy love triangles?” Uncle Fester clapped his hands together and laughed. “You really have found a fun little playground haven’t you?”
“You’re leaving,” Wednesday guessed flatly, recognizing the farewell in her uncle’s tone. Father said Fester was a free spirit, he couldn’t stay pinned in one place for very long. Wednesday had hoped that he would stick around and assist her in taking down Kinbott and Xavier.
“The rolling stone gathers no moss!” Uncle Fester declared with a finger raised. He winked at Wednesday and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You’ll clear this all up, niece. I know you.”
Wednesday looked from her uncle directly to Xavier and narrowed her eyes.
“Absolutely I will.”
*****
Harry sat at the dinner table inside the cafeteria, moodily poking at his dinner.
He was so stupid.
There Sirius had been, thrilled to see Harry alive, awake and talking, and Harry had let his feelings be hurt and walked away. Sirius hadn’t seemed bothered, he promised Harry they’d talk soon, but…
But it felt suffocating standing in that shed with Tyler and Xavier and their… touching.
“Hey, you.”
Harry looked up from the vegetables he’d been mashing into a lump with his fork and saw Enid standing across from him, Wednesday at her side, both of them with dinner trays in their hands.
“Hey,” Harry said. He forced himself to smile - Dr. Kinbott said sometimes you had to ‘fake it til you make it’ - and waited for them to sit. “How’s your uncle?” he asked Wednesday politely.
“Healed and off to his next great adventure,” Wednesday said with a frown. “It’s as if I am the only one concerned with the Hyde running around slaughtering he townsfolk.”
“You are,” Harry and Enid said simultaneously.
“It’s not like the monster hurt anyone since Parents Weekend,” Enid said quickly while Harry avoided Wednesday’s glower. “Maybe you’ve scared it away.”
“Or maybe they’re plotting their next nefarious move,” Wednesday countered with.
“Or maybe they’re really sorry and just want left alone.”
Not that Tyler was sorry, necessarily. He wasn’t really broken up about killing the people that his ‘master’ forced him to, he’d just rather not be a mindless killing machine with no free will.
He definitely wanted left alone though.
Wednesday was staring Harry down, he could feel it, and when he lifted his head enough to peek at her through his lashes, he saw a curious look on her face.
“Harry… did Xavier say something to you?” she asked him. “Did he confess?”
“Confess what?”
Harry was relieved to see Xavier for a split-second, he was a shit liar and Wednesday was like a dog with a bone when she sensed he was holding something back, then he was hit by a wave of uncertainty, jealous, and stupidity, so he looked down to hide a heavy blush.
It was stupid to worry about something like Tyler’s thumb on Xavier’s shoulder. Tyler trusted Harry, they were so alike. Tyler understood Harry’s pain over his parents and Harry understood Tyler’s anger that drove him to enjoying his kills.
They really saw each other; the good, the bad, the light, and the dark. Harry doubted if anyone understood what it was like inside of his head as much as Tyler did.
But it was like Xavier saw them now too. Xavier saw Harry in the painting he made- he had flipped Harry inside out and painted who he was on that canvas. And now… now Xavier looked at Tyler like he could see him as well.
The worst part was, Harry could see Xavier. He could see the loneliness in his eyes and the insecurity that led him to drawing away from others. Xavier expressed himself through his art like Harry did his music. It felt a lot like they were so alike in an entirely different way than Harry and Tyler were.
Dr. Kinbott never told Harry that relationships would be so difficult to manage.
“Confess your involvement with Kinbott and the murders,” Wednesday told Xavier, causing Harry to groan quietly.
It was frustrating that no matter how many times Harry told her that Dr. Kinbott and Xavier weren’t involved, Wednesday wouldn’t listen. She was so confident in herself, in her assessment of it all, and Harry admired her for it. Harry was never confident about any of his decisions.
Wednesday was wrong this time though, Harry just couldn’t prove it. Not without risking Tyler’s freedom.
“You know what your problem is, Wednesday?” Xavier leaned down, right in Wednesday’s face, and Harry had never seen him look so angry. “You think you know everything when you know nothing. I haven’t killed anyone, maybe you should just drop it.”
Wednesday stared balefully at Xavier, unbothered by his proximity.
“I will never drop it and you can tell your master that,” she told him.
Xavier scoffed and flipped his hair back as he straightened up. He gave Wednesday a last scornful look before he turned to Harry with a more neutral expression.
“I came to see if we could talk,” he said. “I can wait until you’re done though.”
“I’m done,” Harry said. With his food and Wednesday’s investigation both.
Harry grabbed his tray and tossed his water bottle and napkin on it, but Wednesday grabbed the edge of the plastic tray before Harry could lift it.
“Harry, he is dangerous,” Wednesday said, her tone soft and her eyes unwavering as they bore into Harry’s. “You have to believe me.”
“Why?” Harry asked her sadly. “You don’t believe me.”
When Wednesday couldn’t refute Harry’s statement, he took his tray and followed Xavier out of the cafeteria.
*****
“He’s not wrong, you know,” Enid said while Wednesday watched her cousin walk out of the cafeteria with one of the most dangerous beings she ever encountered.
Of course Harry wasn’t wrong. Wednesday couldn’t believe that Xavier wasn’t involved in some way when all the evidence pointed to him. He had been present or involved in every attack, he had a shed full of drawings of the Hyde, and he even knew where the cave was that Wednesday and Enid went to check out.
And Harry was blind when it came to Kinbott, she had brainwashed him to believe she was helping him. Perhaps she had, Wednesday didn’t know, but she also delivered purple roses to Sirius Black in the hospital - the same purple roses that sat on her bedside table in Gates Manor.
Wednesday had no emotional attachment to these people, not like Harry, and it made her able to assess it all without something as trivial as ‘feelings’ getting in her way.
“Harry has too many emotions,” Wednesday decided. “He can’t see this clearly.”
Enid shook her head at Wednesday, her lips turned downward in what seemed to be disappointment.
“Maybe you don’t have enough,” she suggested quietly. “Harry’s your family and you’re pushing him away by accusing his friends of murder.”
“His friends are murderers!” Wednesday snapped, slapping her hand on the table and causing Enid’s tray to jolt. “I am trying to protect him! Any time now they could decide that Harry will make the perfect victim and then I will lose him, Enid! I. Cannot. Lose. Harry.”
Never again. Wednesday would rather hurt his feelings than risk his life.
Someway, somehow, that frail looking little serial killer had wormed his way into Wednesday’s life and she could no longer envision a future that didn’t include him. For the rest of their lives they would be connected by blood, by experience, and by their spirits that had been destined to meet.
They were connected in the past with their shared ancestors, they were connected in the present by their relationship, and they were connected in the future by a prophecy and by choice.
Enid’s look of disappointment softened into something more indecipherable.
“You love him,” she said, sounding insultingly surprised. “You really love him.”
“Of course I do,” Wednesday snarled. “He’s my family.”
And nothing mattered more than family; Father always said it and Wednesday finally understood it.
“Tell Harry that,” Enid suggested. “Tell him that you’re just worried about him getting hurt, but don’t accuse two of his friends of murder in the same conversation. You guys don’t have to agree on everything, you know. We don’t and we’re besties.”
Wednesday rolled her eyes at Enid’s declaration of them being ‘besties’, but she did consider the rest of her idea.
“You are reasonably more intelligent than your rainbow hair leads people to believe,” Wednesday told her, a true compliment.
Enid smiled, her pink lips sparkling as much as her amber eyes, “You like my hair.”
Wednesday glanced at the pink and blue locks as she gathered her belongings.
“I don’t despise it,” she said evenly. “I’ll see you later, I’m going to go talk to Harry.”
“Good luck!” Enid called at her back.
Wednesday didn’t need something as arbitrary as luck, she simply needed to be honest with Harry.
A daunting task.
“Miss Addams!”
Wednesday sighed when she had barely made it out of the cafeteria and had been stopped by Thornhill.
“I’m rather busy,” Wednesday told her. She spun around and faced the eccentric normie teacher with something as close to neutrality as she could.
Thornhill smiled at her and held her hands up innocently.
“I’m sorry, dear, but Principal Weems sent me to find you,” she said. “She needs you in her office. Something about accusing Dr. Kinbott of murder today?”
Wednesday clenched her jaw. She should have known that Kinbott would go running to Weems in an attempt to have Wednesday expelled- it was a preclude to silencing Wednesday through murder, she supposed.
“Fine,” Wednesday scowled. She would have to find Harry later and talk with him.
“You know the way,” Thornhill said with a wave of her hand and a wry smile on her face.
Wednesday led the way to Weems’ office, mentally planning her speech as she went. It would be prudent to inform Weems of what she knew and what she suspected regardless, the woman was a fanatic about keeping her students from harm, she would see the urgency in removing Xavier from Nevermore and finding a new therapist for the students.
“Why do you think Dr. Kinbott is involved in the attacks?” Thornhill asked when they turned down the corridor that led to the principal’s office.
“Her name is Laurel Gates and I don’t think, I know,” Wednesday said.
Thornhill laughed from behind her, something mocking in her tone.
“You’re wrong.”
Wednesday stopped and turned to face the teacher, skepticism painted in every line of her face.
“Am I?” she drawled. “I suppose you have some information on the case that I’m missing?”
Thornhill’s smile became sharp, dangerous, and she swung a metal pipe from behind her back before Wednesday could even blink.
The pipe struck Wednesday on the side of her head and the last thing Wednesday saw was Thornhill’s blue glasses before everything went black…
Thornhill scooped Wednesday in her arms and began dragging her unconscious body in the opposite direction of where they’d been heading.
“You bet I do,” Thornhill whispered.