Henry and Charlie sat in the younger boy’s studio. They had returned from a troublesome breakfast only half an hour ago, and, though they said they wanted a comfortable silence, the two chatted away as Charlie worked.

The boys had a troublesome breakfast, because there were people testing their food and drinks for poison, which simply wouldn’t have worked anyway, because if someone really wanted to poison the two, they would’ve given them poison that acts after a few hours, so there really was no need for the workers to be there.

“Hey Charles?” Henry spoke after a short silence.

“Hmm?” The younger hummed his response, enjoying the nickname that only his best friend could use.

“What… What happens if one of us dies..? I’ll probably just have a funeral, and you can keep working as you have been, but what if you die..? You’ve been working for years on whatever it is you’re actually working on, wouldn’t it be more harmful to the others if… Something happened now? Rather than when you first joined?”

Charlie stopped what he was doing, turning to look at the taller boy that had been standing behind him.

“Henry, if I die, the Elders will work something out. You can teach them how to use my sigils and spells, they can work out ways to improve them, make them stronger. I’ll just have a normal funeral, and everyone will forget my name.”

“I wouldn’t forget your name…” Henry mumbled, casting his gaze to the floor.

“What was that?”

“I said… I wouldn’t forget your name… Nor your eyes, your smile, your laugh… I wouldn’t forget any of it… We’ve known each other for almost ten years, Charlie… I don’t want to lose that now…” Henry spoke a little louder, just enough for Charlie to hear, as he clenched his eyes shut, not wanting any of the forming tears to fall.

Charlie stood, and he walked to Henry. Gently, he wrapped his hands around the taller boy, not at all surprised when he returned the gesture, only much tighter. Charlie felt his shoulder growing damp.

“Please… Please don’t leave me… Not like father… Not like mother, or Jenny and Sam… Please don’t leave…” Henry managed between shaky sobs. Charlie let out an ever so soft sigh as he tightened his hold on his friend.

“Don’t worry, Henry… I’m not gonna leave you… Not now, and not in a hundred years time… I promise to you…”

Henry simply held on tighter, seemingly afraid that, should he let go, Charlie would disappear. Charlie didn’t mind one bit.

~~~~~~

Some hours had passed since the boys’ earlier incident, and they were still in Charlie’s study, working away.

At a wave of Charlie’s hand, some papers floated out of a thin slit in the floor, making their way to the opposite side of Charlie’s desk to where the boy was currently sitting. Once the papers were in position, Charlie raised his head, gently swiping his hand through the air until the right sheet of paper was in front of him. The boy waved his hand toward himself elegantly, looking as though he was inviting the paper to join him. The paper did as was instructed, floating ever so delicately down to him, resting right before his face.

“Henry?” Charlie called behind himself, not even sparing a glance. “Could you see if you could find any matches for this in any of my books, please?” Charlie waved his hand once more, and the sheet of paper floated over his head, stopping right in front of Henry, who plucked it ever so gently out of the air, reading over it.

“Of course.” He spoke, moving through a marvelous, yet small, doorway, into Charlie’s personal library. “Do you have a wand I could borrow? Mine lost a chip, so it won’t be able to do this.”

Charlie nodded, though Henry couldn’t see him, and stood. He moved over to a rather large cabinet, a cabinet that anyone who knew no better would call a wardrobe. This cabinet, although large, only had a single door, just big enough to fit a single wand through.

Charlie closed his eyes, hands splayed, palms facing the cabinet as they remained perfectly still, just a few inches from the large wooden box. After a single moment, clicking could be heard from within the cabinet, along with near excessive movement. Only half a minute later, the noises stopped, and the young boy opened his eyes, dropping his hands to his side.

He seemed to analyse the door, which had changed its shape to perfectly fit the wand behind it through, before nodding his approval, reading out and pulling it open. Once open, out floated a beautiful acacia wand, one that held Fingooyn spine as its core.

Walking over toward his library, Charlie spoke out for Henry to hear. “Acacia with Fingooyn spine good for you?”

“Oh, Charlie, you spoil me. It sounds wonderful.”

“Good, cause I made it myself.”

“All the more reason for me to love it!”

Charlie let out a soft chuckle, letting the wand float into the library and to Henry as the young boy made his way back to his station.

Unbeknownst to Charlie, Henry had almost immediately laid a soft kiss to the shaft of the wand, still feeling rather emotional after that morning, and wanting nothing more than to go to Charlie’s room and spend the day with him there.