Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its wonderful universe do not belong to me, everything else is MINE though.

Also, I'm a bit rusty with writing and I really, really need a beta.

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"Adam, it's been four years; he's gone, he's not coming back. You'll be much happier as soon as you realize that," declared Brent rather thoughtlessly. Adam just glared; he did accept Nathan's death. He knew Nathan couldn't come back anymore than his dead mother. It's just...it's just he couldn't forgive Nathan-not for the way he ran off and got himself killed-but he also couldn't blame Brent for not understanding. Brent led a charmed life, never experienced lost. Four years isa long time, though, long enough time to stop obsessively thinking of someone who had no hope of returning. But he couldn't stop. Taking another swig of his booze, Brent asked, "Anyways, what did you do to piss off your old man this time?"

"Hell if I know! I didn't do anything, not this time! I walk in and all of a sudden I'm on the ground with a jarring pain in my head. I try to get up, and he takes another swing. Then he walks off, without saying a word. He gets in these moods, you know, where he just sits there brooding and drinking for days...." Since Nathan's death, Adam usually would have to goad his father into showing any kind of emotion. At first, he would try to console his father, help around the house, even joined in his drinking habits, but he only ever received an apathetic look in return. He tried to hide his father's beer, next, and destroyed all his cigars, but Adam was convinced his father wasn't even aware he did anything at all. His father just bought more anyways, and Adam stopped soon after that.

One day, though, he came home surprised to see his father livid, ranting and yelling about how much better Nathan was, how Nathan was the good son. He wasn't surprise at what his father was saying so much as that he was lively. He found out shortly afterwards that his English teacher had called his dad to discuss his failing grades. After that, Adam knew if he himself couldn't bring his father out of that horrible lifeless, lethargic state, someone else could. He did everything from committing petty crimes, starting school fights, to failing a class or two, just so someone would inform his father. His father would get enraged, yes, but anything was better than seeing him detached; dead to the world.

Not mentioning any of this, Adam went on to say "Then out of the blue he'll go off on some tangent about how horrible his life is…how horrible I am. Sometimes he gets…violent. I guess this is one of those times," shrugged Adam. It didn't matter, not really. It wasn't the drinking that bother Adam, or the yelling, or even when his father knocked him around a bit; it was his father's inattentiveness, his utter negligence. Hell, Adam couldn't even provoke him himself, he had to involve someone else.

This was the way his father for as long as he could remember; his father never really paid any attention to Adam unless he was saying a derogatory remark or when Nathan was around. Nathan, though, his father loved. "Nathan…he was always dad's favorite...he, well, he could say one sarcastic remark, smile even, and dad would just laugh and forget about whatever was bothering him at the time. He could actually be decent to me when Nathan was around. Now my dad can't even look at me. I think he blames me."

"Why the hell would he blame you? I'm not going to lie; your dad needs some serious help. Now, let me take a look at your black eye." Without warning, Brent grasped Adam's chin and pulled it towards him. "Ooooouch, it looks pretty bad. Are you sure you have enough ice?" Adam abruptly knocks Brent's hand away; he hates when people touch him, especially his face. Brent, though, doesn't comment on his behavior, just looks at him searchingly.

"Pfff, I don't need ice…it's not even that bad. I suffered much worse." With that proudly said, Adam chucked the ice into the river flowing beside them. It was true though, Adam had suffered much. Not a day went by where he didn't get into a fight. Back in the day, he would often get the shit beaten out of him, but that was long ago. Nowadays it was him who did the ass-kicking.

But that didn't stop Brent from clutching Adam's shoulders and saying, "Listen here, if your old man hits you once more without provocation, just once, you come to me. Got it? You understand, you come to me!" The passion that Brent spoke with stunned Adam somewhat. Brent always hated taking responsibility; he was, however, always protective of Adam. He was about five years older and saw Adam as a younger brother. Despite all that, by tomorrow he would likely forget the conversation. Not that Adam minded, to him it was just another charming aspect of Brent; you just couldn't talk to Brent when he was drunk.

The two of them sat on a river bank facing the sunset, and as the sun slowly descended, the chill of the night crept onto them. There was a moment of silence as they listened to the crickets chirp and the birds sing good-night to each other. On the distant riverbank, they could see the flashes of the lighting bugs as they dance to their own tune. Between them laid multiple empty beer bottles, but that was ok because they had plenty more to go. Deep in the woods to the east, you could hear the howls of the wolves. Adam shivered, the hair on the back of his neck standing on edge. He didn't know why, but the eerie sound of a wolf's howl made him feel strangely. He couldn't describe it, only that it was odd, that it made him feel sort of restless and eager. Shaking his head, he tried to forget the feeling. He went on to say, "But seriously, I need you to take my shift tomorrow. The Tyrant isn't going to be there and I doubt anyone will say anything because, you know, everyone hates Jacob. Just this once! C'mon, you know I'll do the same for you."

The Tyrant, as Jacob was dubbed, was the current manager of Wolf's Lair, a quaint diner on the outskirts of town. He believed in a time reminiscent of Laissez Faire and so worked his subordinates to the bone. He treated his employees poorly and afforded them little respect; only ever giving them the bare minimum. He showed as much understanding as a brick wall to his staff's needs, and there was no such thing as a pay raise when working under Jacob. People only worked for him when they had no other choice, but they never stayed for too long. He was hardest on Adam not only because he knew Adam would stay no matter what but because he was jealous of him. Adam, when he turns eighteen, will inherit Wolf's Lair, and so take the only job Jacob loved. Jacob hated him for that.

Wolf's Lair, his parent's dream, and Adam's perpetual nightmare, was founded by his parents over twenty years ago. Established at the beginning of his parent's marriage, it become hugely successful after Nathan's birth. It was mere coincidence that the wolves' population increased drastically around that time, and that the people came to view the diner as some sort of lucky charm, an omen of good luck. Wolves were oddly revered in the town, and for awhile they were in danger of dying out all together, and so it with was pure brilliancy and luck of his parents to name it after them. And even when his mother left shortly after Adam was born for another man, his father still continued on in the hopes that she would come back to him and their dream. The business did suffer during that time. After his mother died, his father lost all motivation to continue the business, to continue doing anything at all. Nathan, old enough to take up the reins, did so. And he was good at it; the business bloomed again under his leadership. In two years, Nathan brought the Wolf's Lair back to its former glory. And then he died.

When Nathan died, everything changed for Adam. His father had no desire to continue his business, to even work for a living. Left with a deadweight father, and the fact that the proceeds from the diner that they were guaranteed weren't cutting it, Adam had no choice but to work in order to survive. Jacob, knowing Adam's situation, allowed Adam to work for him. Adam was only thirteen at the time, a minor, and Jacob gladly took advantage of that fact. That was four years ago.

"Of course I'll do it. What time do you work? Oh yeah, six o'clock." Brent swiftly set the alarm to five o'clock on his cell-phone. "Alright, since I have to get up early tomorrow, I might as well leave now." Brent raised his arms up into a hearty stretch and stood up. He lowered a hand to Adam and lifted him up. He noticed that Adam was almost as tall as him now, not that he was tall himself. He would guess Adam was about 5'7 or so, and rather lanky. Brent was proud of how muscular he himself was, especially his biceps. He worked hard for it damnit.

Looking closer at Adam, Brent could safely say Adam didn't look a thing like Nathan. Nathan took after his dad, and was tall and muscular. From what Brent remembered, Nathan was quite handsome and popular with the ladies, with shining blonde hair that was always gelled neatly back. The most distinctive feature of Nathan were his eyes, one was dark green and the other a warm brown. Adam on the other hand had messy jet-black hair that contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. He had his father's eyes, a steel gray-bluish color. Unlike his father, Adam's eyes were lively and willful, and often betrayed him when he wanted to hide his emotions. Right now, though, his face was covered partly in shadow and he couldn't see his eyes. But he imagined they were turbulent.

"Adam, I still don't understand why you would want to go back there though. Nathan's dead, and going back there won't change that. Nor will it make things better."

"I know. Believe me, I know. I just need to be alone and, I don't know, I just feel like need to go there." It was, after all, a week ago four years ago that Nathan died. Brent of course didn't remember that part. Adam didn't really understand why he had to back to the place Nathan died only that he wanted, no needed, closure. He hadn't been there since Nathan died and felt he owed it a visit.

"Argh, I can't find my car keys." Brent started rummaging around for his car keys, "Kid, you want me to drive you home? I haven't drunk that much, I swear!"

"Um…no. It's only two miles away and I feel like running anyways." That much was true. More than anything else, Adam loved to run. Plus, he still felt on edge from the wolves' howling.

"Smart kid, you make me proud. Sort of. You kinda make me feel old too. Ah, there they are." Brent finally found his keys, but he still lingered around, restless. Adam didn't have to wait long to find out why. "You know, forget what I said about your dad. You need help. You obviously can't accept Nathan's death. And I hate how you casually accept that your old man beats you. You don't take shit from nobody. Nobody! Why him? He never did a damn thing for you. You can turn him in, totally screw him over. But you don't. Why?"

Thinking for a moment, Adam simply said, "Because he's the only family I have."