January 7th, 2025

Crenshaw place

23:12

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Jessy was squinting at the paper in his hands. He was so engrossed in his school literature that he failed to notice how dark it was getting around him. The dim light that the small lamp in the corner provided did not make it easy to read and Jessy's eyes were getting tired quickly: 'Although fingerprint and DNA analysis can show a high probability that a particular individual left particular trace evidence at a scene, neither science can make absolute claims of identification. Forensic identification scientists are ultimately making a subjective judgment in reaching a categorical decision about the identity of a source for trace evidence; however, there is no absolute scientific certainty of the source...'1) Jessy finally looked up around the room. His dad was sitting on the couch staring at the tv screen, probably not even watching the movie that was currently on, if his unfocused gaze was anything to go by. Bluish screen light reflected on his troubled face. He was unusually quiet. The sight in whole was completely unfamiliar to Jessy. The large lounge chair across the room was painfully void of it's frequent occupant. If he just closed his eyes for a second Jessy would still be able to see Uncle Steve sitting there, his legs crossed, reading a day old newspaper. His dad would effortlessly make the man lough at one thing or another and the comfort they felt in each others presence would infectiously spread around, filling the entire apartment with some invisible but easily noticeable warmth and closeness. Opening his eyes again Jessy would notice the same chair, the same lamp and the same pictures on the walls, but that light feeling which enveloped them before would be replaced by the cold and empty glow from the tv nobody was watching, making the hollowness Jessy felt swim to the surface. Uncle Steve's presence seemed to be just beyond Jessy's reach and the frustration that feeling brought was overwhelming. It was made even worse by the ever growing realization that Uncle Steve was not coming back. He missed that man more and more by the hour.

A few days after Uncle Steve was killed Jessy was still in shock and had yet to cry a tear. Then, almost a week ago from now, the funeral came and the reality of being near Uncle Steve for the last time hit him hard. He sniffled a few times standing next to the freshly dug grave. It would have probably gone unnoticed if his dad wasn't already waiting for the breakdown. His dad's strong arms enveloped him from behind. He turned, pressed his tear stained face into the broad chest and broke down into uncontrollable sobs. All he could remember from that point on were the dark thoughts going through his head. He wondered how life was ever again going to be 'alright' as his dad kept whispering in his ear. The slight tremor in the usually steady voice did not help either. But get better it did. The tears subsided and the sobs would just occasionally come out. And then they also died down.

Now, a week later, sadness was taking a back seat to anger. And doubts.

His usually cheerful dad was quiet, hardly saying a word. Whenever he spoke it was in this detached manner that Jessy just loathed to hear. He wanted everything to go to the way it was before. Every little trouble they had before, that seemed like the end of the world was put in a different perspective. It was all irrelevant in the face of this all consuming helplessness that just wouldn't go away. It wasn't fair how you never apreciate what you have until you lose it. And now he was starting to hate the whole situation they were pushed into. He hated Uncle Steve's murderer for taking everything away from him. He hated Uncle Trey for not stopping him. He hated himself for the same reason. And ultimately he even hated Uncle Steve for dying.

And it wasn't supposed to be that way. Uncle Steve promised him he would always be there for him and his dad! And now he broke that promise.

"Are you done studying for tonight?"

Jessy snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his dad's voice. He noticed he was frowning so much that his forehead hurt and immediately tried to cover it up by relaxing.

"No, I still have a few pages." Jessy replied. Jessy wondered if he should bring up something that's been eating him up for a long time. He watched his dad stand up and carefully fold the blanket Jessy carelessly discarded on the couch previously.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think Uncle Steve would have still been alive if I did something differently?", 'Do you blame me for his death?' was left unsaid, but Jessy hoped his dad would pick up on it. Jason watched him for some time with a blanket folded in half over his arm. Jessy was wondering what was on his dad's mind and after a few moments of stretched out silence he was sure that his dad blamed him as much as he blamed himself. When it finally came, the answer was quiet and did not bring as much relief as Jessy was hoping for.

"No."

"But perhaps I could have stopped him somehow…" he tried.

"Stop it, Jessy…" his dad sighed tiredly. He sat back down, putting his head in hands and rubbing his face "If you even saw that guy, you would have probably been dead too, Jess… that's something I can't deal with… it's enough that Steve… just… don't even think about it anymore, please…" Jason replied, not even wanting to think of what might have happened and how this situation could have been even worse. Losing his brother was hard, but losing his only son was something he didn't think he would survive.

Seeing his dad struggle, Jessy felt even worse for causing him more pain on top of everything else. The man was already on his way to the kitchen area when the shrill sound of the telephone broke the silence. Being the one closer to the receiver Jason picked up.

"Hallo?"

Jessy was observing his dad carefully. He was putting more and more weight on the door frame, getting paler by each second. His mouth was pressed in a thin line and the curt responses spurred the person on the other end to continue whatever they were saying. With a final "Thank you, Detective." Jason hung up and looked back at Jessie with haunted eyes.

"Did they get him?" Jessy asked, knowing now who it was.

Jason nodded once. "He admitted to killing Trey Donovan on the same night."

Jessy gulped. He didn't care much about Uncle Trey, he had not even known about the man before all this happened. It was only when he identified the man as a potential killer, that his dad told him who it was. But Jessy knew his father had known the man for much longer, and of course he would not be as indifferent. They just couldn't seem to have a break from all the bad news.

"Can you tell me more about him?" Jessy asked, not exactly sure if this was the right way to proceed. He needed to help his dad and be there for him. However, Jason looked at him again with that unreadable expression. He slowly came back to the couch and sat down, taking a deep calming breath before he started talking.

"Your mum adored the ground Trey walked on. He was her big brother, and she idolized him… like I did Steve I suppose." he smiled. "When Trey was sent to the boarding school he entrusted Steve with his little sister. That's how your mum and I became so close, you know. Steve would look after us together more often than not when Trey was away. I was only a baby at the time and your mum was only four." Jason's sobered suddenly. Jessy recognized this change in him. It was always there when his dad was forced to remember his mum's death. So of course, Jessy expected to hear what happened after his mum died, but was surprised to hear about Darien Louvier instead. "When Trey was 17 he brought home a friend from school, Darien. Steve didn't like the guy at all, but with our mum being sick and having me to take care of… Well, Steve needed a steady job and this guy offered it." Jason huffed. "Anyway, at the time everything seemed to be going as good as we dared to hope. A few years later I was about to go to the police academy. Trey was also working for the police, so your Mum would laugh how she would be surrounded by cops." he smiled. "You see, that was about the time your mum and I knew we wanted to be together. "

"In a way that was the happiest time of my life. On the other hand, your mum was not as happy as she should have been since Trey never seemed to have time to visit anymore. Kathryn said it's because he was so busy at work, but… he seemed to be avoiding everyone but Steve. Kathryn always thought those two were a bit more than friends with how close they were." Jason smirked when Jessy's eyes bulged out.

"Uncle Steve was gay?" Jessy asked baffled.

Jason only laughed at the look on his face before continuing the story "When your mum found out she was pregnant with you, we decided to get married." Jason smiled, deep in thought. "Steve's face when we told him was hilarious, something like yours was now." he laughed." He thought we were just kids, and the truth is, we probably were… I've just turned 18 and your mum was just a bit older. But we knew what we wanted." Jason looked at Jessie with a sad smile. "Steve and Trey wanted to protect both of us the best they could and I think that is why Steve decided to put a stop to anything illegal Darius was doing at the bar. Steve has always been stressed out while working with Darius. Of course, Trey helped him put the guy behind bars for dealing drugs. And everything was perfect for a while then. Trey started spending a lot more time at home. We were a happy little family; your mum and I, with our overprotective big brothers... and you in your mum's belly."

"But close to her seventh month of pregnancy, your mum went into a preterm labor. When doctors said she didn't make it..." Jason stopped for a few seconds "They said you were still struggling to survive, and I decided to focus on that instead. Kathryn was gone, but you still needed me." Jason sighed and closed his eyes. "And Steve and Trey were there for me every step of the way."

"And then when doctors said you would live… Trey left. I don't know why, but I think Steve did. He said Trey was not coming back and that we were on our own. I've never heard from Trey again."

"I am sorry I've never met him." Jessie said tiredly and couldn't stop a yawn. It was late and he's been studying the whole day. "And that is why you couldn't believe it was him that I saw at the bar? You knew he would never hurt Steve…"

Jason nodded. "Steve and Trey were best friends. When Trey was not at the boarding school they did everything together. Trey looked rough on the outside, but on the inside he was the most caring guy I've ever met. So none of it made sense; him leaving and especially him killing my brother." Jason said. He turned to Jessie only to see his son's eyes start to droop. He smiled and took the papers from his son's lap, putting them on the coffee table.

"Story-time's over, Jess. Off to bed now." he said, waiting for his son to get up.

Jessy dutifully obeyed, like when he was a child. He started for his bedroom, when another thing occurred to him.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Is it ok with you if I give Harry a call tomorrow?"

Jason did not look too pleased about that. "If you are sure that's what you want..." he sighed " I just hope it's the right choice."

A small smile appeared on Jessy's face. "I want to try, dad."

"Then go for it." Jason said. "Just remember: if anything goes pear shaped, you've always got your old man to watch your back."

Jessy laughed quietly and whispered thanks to his dad.

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January 8th, 2025

12 Grimauld place

09:23

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Harry was looking forward to this sunny Saturday morning the whole week. Albus and James were still not up so he was enjoying the quiet, while reading a fresh copy of Daily Prophet and sipping his morning coffee. After everything he went through with reporters in his school days, he didn't believe most of the stuff the papers said, but even he had to admit, articles were anything but dull. If anything, reporters tended to make a huge drama out of anything that might have been considered a boring news article. Fortunately, these days Harry was just mentioned in there a couple of times a week, so things have died down quite a bit compared to the period when he and Ginny were getting a divorce.

His quiet morning was interrupted by a telephone ring and a very predictable young man who didn't fail to bring a smile on Harry's face. Without even checking the phone number, because, who else would try to contact him this way, he answered after the second ring.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to call." Harry said, already imagining a cute pout on those tasty lips.

"I hope I didn't disappoint." Jessy answered in an amused voice.

"Not at all." Harry chuckled. "Wanna go out someplace and talk things through?"

"I was hoping you would ask." Jessie said shyly. "How about the park right down the street from my place? It's really nice there."

"Sure." Harry hesitated. "Is it ok if I pick you up? We can walk there together."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be waiting for you then."

Harry ended the call with a satisfied smile. He couldn't remember ever feeling this giddy before. With Ginny everything was slow and just the way he always expected. Somehow he always knew they would eventually end up together. And after Ginny, he was just going from one meaningless fling to the next… But this, what he was feeling now was completely new to him. Excitement and butterflies in his stomach have been absent ever since he asked a girl to a dance that first time, and that was one memory he would rather forget, but it was the same excitement he felt now.

The sound of feet thundering down the staircase snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Morning dad!" James said as he went straight for the kitchen. "Who was on the phone?"

"Morning! And it was a wrong number."

James showed up again with a cup in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.

"Is Al up?"

"No, he's still asleep." Harry answered, lowering the Prophet on the table.

"Hey, dad? I wanted to tell you something…"

"Ok…?" Harry hesitated " Should I be worried?"

"Well, not exactly worried… but you see… IammovinginwithCora!"

It took Harry a second to decipher what his son had said but when he did he relaxed a bit.

"Oh…ok." Harry said to James' astonishment. After all, James has been with Cora for a few years now. She should know by now if she could handle the hurricane called James Potter. Besides, she and James reminded Harry a bit of the stories of his own parents, so he's been secretly cheering for this girl all along.

"Ok?" James wondered. "You've been awfully accepting recently, what's going on?"

"Seriously Jamie? I tell you that it's fine to move in with your girlfriend and you question it?" Harry smirked. "Is that really wise, son?"

"Probably not… but something's going on with you…" James squinted suspiciously.

Harry laughed. "I'm going out. I'll be back for dinner."

James eyes widened and his jaw hit the floor. "You…" he pointed his finger at his father "You are seeing someone!"

Harry laughed again as he walked out the door. "Goodbye, James…"

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"So…" Jessy stalled, not knowing where to start. He was sitting on one side of the bench, gripping the edge, while Harry casually sat leaning on the other end. Jessy focused on the few ducks swimming in the lake not far from their bench. They made everything seem so easy. Humans always make things comlicated, Jessy thought.

Seeing Jessy's hesitation, Harry was starting to have his own doubts about this. It was definitely making him feel like a cradle robber. "Let's just have a casual talk. Tell me a bit about yourself? Last time we conveniently skipped that part." he chuckled, embarrassed, trying to ease the situation.

"Uh… ok… what do you want to know?" Jessy replied, not making this any easier.

"Ok… let's see… I know you live with your dad and that you are studying forensics. You are 21 and like to visit nightclubs. You are a loner, otherwise your friends would have had your back at the Blizzard. How am I doing so far?"

He must have gotten some of that wrong if Jessy's frown was anything to go by.

"Yes, I am 21, I live with my dad and I am finishing master studies in forensics. That much is true. But I don't particularly like nightclubs. Other than having a job at Uncle Steve's place I've only been to a place like that twice, and both times it was the Blizzard. The first time dad took me there for a drink to celebrate my birthday and then only once again, when you showed up."

"What about the last thing I mentioned?"

"If I am a loner?" Jessy asked and received a nod in response. "I prefer to keep to myself most of the time." he shrugged.

"That's not so different from myself. I have a precious few friends. My best friends are actually married to each other. Ron and Hermione. What about you, do you have a best friend? The one you can share all your deepest secrets with?" Harry joked.

Jessy smiled sadly. "No, not really. I've never had much time to hang out after school with the other kids and… well, they didn't like me much anyway."

Harry winced. "Were they jealous of your superior grades?" he half joked, but had a feeling he was right about this. Jessy looked more intelligent and mature than his peers, unfortunately James included.

"It might have played a hand in it." Jessy said and decided to switch the topic. "So did you meet your friends at school?"

And now, Harry wondered how much to reveal. He also wanted to know how much Jessie knew about magic, if anything. He checked Hogwarts records for Jessy's mother and she wasn't on the list. Neither was Jessie. "Yes. I went to the same boarding school as your Uncle Trey in fact. Have you heard of it?"

Jessie shook his head."Dad told me Uncle Trey went to one, but that's it."

"The school is in fact a castle, and the first time you see it you think it's the most wonderful place in the world. That feeling doesn't go away." Harry said softly.

"That sounds nice…" Jessy smiled.

A short silence ensued, with Harry studying Jessy who was still fidgeting in his seat.

"So, other than your two best friends, is there anyone else important in your life?" Jessy asked.

Harry nearly gulped. Yes there was, but again there's that question how much to tell… but this time he decided to go with the truth.

Harry nodded. "I have three kids with my ex wife." Jessie jerked his head in Harry's direction. "The oldest, James, is your age. Albus is 19 and Lily is 17." Harry said, wondering how Jessy would react.

Jessie nodded slowly, acknowledging Harry's explanation.

"They live with me. Well, James will move in with his girlfriend soon, but the other two are still there." Harry said. He saw how quiet Jessy was at this revelation. "Will that be a problem?" Harry prompted, genuinely curious.

Jessy quickly shook his head no. "I don't mind… Not unless you think it's too weird?"

Harry smirked. "I wouldn't be here if I did."

Jessy's face lit up at that. It was a first true smile that Harry saw on the young man and it suited him well.

"So, Jessy, what is your plan for the future?"

"Short term or long term?" Jessy asked, encouraged by Harry's casualness.

Harry gave a short laugh "Well, let's hear both."

Jessie looked at him and Harry would have sworn he saw a twinkle in his eyes. "Ok. Short term. I want to hook up with you, get a job, and apply for a PhD. In that order." he recited, surprising Harry with a sudden boldness.

Harry barely contained his smile. "Is that so?" he said amused. "It seems to me like the first part is not entirely up to you."

"None of them are. But I think I'll manage." Jessy stated nonchalantly.

Harry finally laughed at Jessy's forced confidence. "Oh, I think you'll do just fine."

Jessy grinned and then frowned in thought. "Long term plans are a bit trickier, although they must seem boring to you. I would like to marry someone I love, adopt a kid maybe… make dad proud…" he blushed.

"Not boring at all." Harry said, wondering why Jessy would think that."But I think your dad is already very proud of you, Jessy."

"I wouldn't be if I were him. The first guy I sleep with and I can't remember most of it." He said, visibly cross with himself.

And that was like a slap in Harry's face. "The first… Jessy, are you saying that before that night you've never slept with someone?" Harry asked incredulously.

Jessie huffed. " Yeah… dad also said you wouldn't believe it, the way I was acting."

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. "Ok… "

"Is this" Jessy motioned with his hand between the two of them "going to continue? Would it work?"

"Honestly, I'm not convinced it would work." He held up his hand when Jessy tried to interrupt."But there is definitely something there, and I for one would like to see if it can lead somewhere. If you are willing?" Jessy was worrying his bottom lip. "And you are not sure either…" Harry sadly concluded with an uncertain smile.

Jessie shook his head. "I'd also like to try, but I need to know something first." When Harry nodded, Jessie blushed and continued hesitantly "Is it… Do you want to try because… uh…damn… ok…" he took a moment to calm down and organize his thoughts into one sentence. When he did he visibly tensed but spoke clearly. "Do you want to try only because the sex was good?"

Harry bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh out and waited until he was sure that won't be the first thing that leaves his mouth.

"Sex with you wasn't good, Jessy."Jessy winced and Harry decided that although he liked to have the younger man squirming in his seat he wouldn't tease him for too long, "It was bloody fantastic. But to answer your question, no, that is not the reason. I am not sure of the real reason myself. I know that what I feel when I see you is more than just an attraction at this point and I'd like to see if it can be even more." Harry scooted closer to Jessy and was now silently asking the permission to come even closer. Seeing how Jessy wanted this as much as he did he gently tilted Jessy's head to the side and leaned forward until their lips met.

It wasn't a heated or a passionate kiss. They have already done that. It was simple, gentle and full of promises. It was just what they both needed. A stable start of something new.

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1) The section is taken from the abstract of A.P.A. Broeders "Principles of Forensic Identification Science ", 2007

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you are interested in the sequel, you can follow the story, I will be posting another chapter when the sequel is out (late September/October).

Yalia