Candles

Harry Potter x Criminal Minds

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or Harry Potter. I am just a fan fiction writer.

Note: Sorry if Spencer seemed OOC last chapter, but if you've watched as much Criminal Minds as I have you'll have spotted that he is quite capable of losing his anger. He thought he'd been taking care of a murderer for a second and left him with his boss's son, so it is quite understandable though what he said was cold, I know.

Blow the Candles Out

Chapter Eleven

Snow.

It drifted peacefully amongst the world, as if an angel glowingly making its front stage on the pavement and dirt. It stuck together as one, snowflakes giggling as it clashed into things and stayed as if to chatter there and eventually slide down to join the rest on the ground.

He was shivering as he found himself surrounded by once luscious oak trees, decayed by humanity and nature combining forces. Where was he? He remembered nothing as his surroundings had blurred at his run.

'Nothing to do now', he mused as he scooted to sit beside a tree, shivering, and terrified.

The personalities seemed to have clashed and molded itself together, and all Hayden could feel was his own emotions, mixed together with Harry's. He felt wary, terrified, angry and hurt. It was as if Sirius had told him those things, might as well have been Sirius. He'd trusted Spencer out of that group and look where it had gotten him! No one to turn to anymore…

They all thought he was a murderer. Was he? He'd killed Voldemort directly. Others had died for him, including Heather the sitter. Jack had almost gotten severely injured from the toy. Who was that man who'd shown up at both locations?

It was starting to rain and Hayden thought it was rather appropriate. He sniffed, pulling his feet closer to his small body in an effort to prevent any rain from splashing on his bare toes. He realized he was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt, but that was his entire attire. Bugger…

"So we meet again Potter," chuckled an unidentifiable voice and Hayden snapped his head up, searching for the voice. He didn't see anything, not a soul, within his vision and he shivered violently, trying to pull his small body closer to himself. He opened his mouth to demand who the disembodied voice was when he heard a dog barking and suddenly –

"Clooney!" Hayden gasped as the dog bowled him over. The dog was Morgan's and Hayden had played with him when he'd been over at the man's house. Clooney woofed happily and the next time Hayden glanced at where he'd heard the voice, Morgan was standing there and Hayden flinched in surprise. The dark skinned man frowned at Hayden and he couldn't help but think that he was going to get yelled at.

"I'm sorry!" blurted out the child and the next thing he knew, Morgan had him in his arms and was rubbing his back soothingly, words stumbling out of the agent.

"Hey, hey now. You've got nothing to be sorry for. It's alright. Shhh," the man calmed as Hayden found himself crying noiselessly against him. Morgan finally stood up with Clooney barking cheerily in triumph for having found the little boy. Morgan shifted Hayden onto his hip and patted the dog, giving rightly due praise.

Derek was concerned by the little boy's silence, but relieved Hayden trusted him for the moment even after Spencer's actions. He was going to tell Reid off for that later, much later, but he couldn't help but think it should have been expected. A man in his late twenties with no social skill or parental skill was taking in a kid who had witnessed murder and now had someone after him.

"I'm a murderer though," whispered Hayden.

Derek looked Hayden in the eye. "Did you take that knife to Heather?" When the little boy shook his raven locks, the FBI agent leaned close until Hayden was looking directly into his eyes. "You are not a murderer Hayden. You did not kill Heather."

"B-but she died because of me," Hayden argued. Derek felt a pang of sadness that one so young knew about the woes of death and murder already, while most would still be talking about those going to heaven with angels instead of how they died.

"But did you directly tell him to take her life?" Derek quipped and Hayden fell silent, a yawn erupting from the child before he could help himself. "Enough of this baby boy, let's get you home." Hayden stiffened.

"Please don't make me go back to Spencer," pleaded Hayden and Derek sadly sighed before conceding and telling the boy they would instead head back to his own place. Hayden nodded and hesitated before Derek felt warm breath slap against his neck as a head nestled against his shoulder. He felt a smile tug on his legs and he hoisted Hayden into a better position before using his free hand to pat Clooney in signal that they were leaving the forest.

Covering Hayden up with the flap of his jacket, the dog and man bore the boy from the oak trees and disembodied voice. The thought brought Hayden's mind whirling. The boy-who-lived's reincarnation felt as if he were missing something. Yes, he was reincarnated into the body of a child, and therefore Hayden instead of Harry, but… how did this come about?

What was Ron and Hermione doing, he wondered. Were they even aware he was missing, or had his own life been torn apart. Would Hermione be waking up and immediately burying herself in studies to give house elves a better life, a pursuit of career in the Ministry she had taken upon after her education at Hogwarts, her final year that she returned to that Harry and Ron did not? Would Ron be continuing rounding up Death Eaters after his best friend and now coworker was missing? And Ginny… Ginny… Would she have found someone else now?

There was silence and Hayden closed his eyes. No, he wouldn't cry. He had the feeling he knew he'd never be able to return. The date of today was the same as it had been when he'd looked at the date in his old flat. Yet, he felt as if he was far away from them. Would he ever see them again? A six-year-old could only do so much to travel, and to tell someone he was 20 years old? It was absurd, especially as he realized he was no longer that age. He was honestly six years old, with the experiences of memories and magic from the boy-who-lived.

"Okay, kid?"

Hayden looked up at the end of the sentence and realized Derek had been looking at him in concern, the two of them seated safely upon the couch in Derek's living room. He looked back down silently.

"Am I a freak?" Hayden asked softly.

"What!" Derek exclaimed in shock, making Hayden cringe. "No! You're not a freak. Who told you that!"

"Kids in my neighborhood," lied Hayden partially. While Hayden had never been called a freak, Harry had in his childhood. Merlin, this was all so confusing. He was Hayden, but he was Harry as well. He needed a butterbeer.

It took a good hour before Derek stopped telling Hayden that he was not a freak and by then the little boy felt tired. He yawned, letting Derek halt and jostle him gently with murmurs of 'bedtime' before standing up with him in his arms.

"Thank you," murmured the six-year-old boy-who-lived reincarnation before sleep claimed him. He was safe, from the land of the living yes.

But not from the land of oblivion.

Author's Note: Ok I know you want to hit me with something for not updating, but I've been so busy with two jobs and police training that I sort of just stopped and collapsed where I was. Can't even bring myself to write a lot, but I got this chapter out and I'm going to get myself to keep going! Cough, anyways. So this chapter was a sort of passive one and I tend to like it because Morgan gets to be the hero here.