Hunting Silver

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare hadn't seen his brother in so long that it had gotten ridiculous. Not since before that last Daily Prophet outing him and Michael. Not since before Silver had gotten with Dru. Dare hadn't even gotten a chance to tell his brother congratulations before they'd broken up.

So here Dare was now, staking out the library again. It was a place he knew his brother wouldn't avoid, no matter how much he was hiding, and it carried less of a risk of running into his boss outside the comfortable distance of work. Dare had spent what time he could here the past weeks, and he knew he was bound to run into Silver some time.

[Silver Blackwood]

Dare was right; Silver couldn't avoid the library, though he'd taken to borrowing and returning books as quickly as he could, then retiring elsewhere to read. He didn't feel like talking to anyone, not Dru, not Dare, not even Annabelle, considering she was seeing Chase now, or so he'd heard. So he'd read, truth be told.

Silver almost turned heel and walked back the way he'd come when he saw Dare standing outside the library. He'd heard too much about his brother over the past months--had it really been that long?--and he didn't want to think about what he'd read or heard, let alone talk about it. He didn't want to talk about himself either, or Dru. He just wanted to keep to himself and pretend he really believed that it would all blow over.

But Silver didn't walk away. He knew his brother too well to think that Dare wouldn't corner him sooner or later, and since he'd probably been seen by now, he decided to just get it over with. Silver hiked his bag up a bit higher onto his shoulder and went to face Dare.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

When Dare first saw Silver, he straightened from where he'd been leaning against the corridor wall. He'd fully intended to chase his brother down, but it hadn't been necessary; he was already coming this way, apparently resigned to talking. "How's it?" Dare asked, giving a brief nod to his brother. There was so much that had happened, and Dare didn't know where to begin.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver looked away from Dare, out into the corridor at nothing. "Totally copacetic," he said, knowing Dare would follow. The words sounded genuine enough, but it was a long-standing inside phrase between the boys. Copacetic was cool, but totally copacetic meant that everything was crap, but they'd deal with it. They'd pretend it was cool.

Nothing was copacetic right now, but Silver was living somehow, keeping up on his school work without the distraction of a social life. Social lives were highly overrated anyway, in his opinion. Silver lifted his gaze to Dare then, the look in his eyes returning the question, though he wasn't at all sure he wanted to know. Hopefully Dare would spare him the details that the Prophet hadn't.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare rolled his eyes in annoyance and looked away from his brother, brows lowering slightly. It was obvious what Silver thought simply by the look on his face, and Dare could hardly believe that his brother had swallowed that tripe the Prophet printed. "You're smarter than that," Dare said shortly. "We weren't then and we aren't now." Of course, even if they were, it would be none of his brother's business, but at least now Silver would wipe that slightly queasy look off his face.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver breathed a sigh of relief at Dare's assurance, no matter how small it had been. Silver had enough trouble thinking of his brother as gay or bi or whatever without thinking of him having sex, too. And with a guy, no less.

"So you're still with him," Silver prompted. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to know, but he was thinking back to that first conversation with Annabelle and the one with Dare the morning after. The last time he'd seen his brother.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare looked back at Silver with slightly narrowed eyes. "Yes, I'm still with him," he said. "You need to get over what you've heard, Silver. Me and Michael aren't going anywhere. He's my best friend, and you don't know the half of what we've been through to be together."

Even if Silver had heard things, it wasn't nearly all of it. Most of it wasn't his brother's business, and so Dare had no intention of telling Silver about the rings hiding in that safe in Hogsmeade. He'd always thought he'd have his brother stand up for him when he finally took the plunge, but now he wasn't at all sure.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver's brows knitted at that. His brother was far too touchy about this. What had he said to piss him off so badly? Where had open-minded Dare gone? "Pardon me from breathing," Silver snapped, annoyed from his brother's suddenly sharp temper. "I found out the guy's dangerous and I tried warning you-"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"You can shut the hell up about Michael!" Dare interrupted. He hadn't come here to start a fight with his brother, but it was impossible not to take the bait. "I know Michael," Dare said sharply. He forced himself to take a slow, deep breath before going on. "I know about his past, and his girlfriends, I've talked to them both, so let it go." He didn't even want to tell Silver that he loved Michael, not now, after all this. "I got more than enough crap from Dad."

[Silver Blackwood]

Dad. It hadn't occurred to Silver that Dad might have gotten involved, but it made sense. Dad had always kept a subscription to the Daily Prophet, even in California. Why wouldn't he have one now? And why wouldn't he read up on his Alma Mater? Silver's frustration drained into concern at the different possibilities of their father's reaction. "What did he say?" Silver could only imagine. Dad wasn't the free spirit that Mom had been.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare sighed heavily, then dug into his book bag after the letter. It was buried, folded and wrinkled, but he didn't smooth it out for Silver. He tugged it open and haded it over, letting his brother worry about whether it was readable or not. For as few times as Dare had read it, he had it memorized. He'd far prefer to just let Silver read and come to his own conclusions than try to explain.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver looked at Dare a moment after taking the parchment. Then he looked down at it, smoothing it with his fingers before beginning at the top. His eyes widened as he read.

Alasdair,

Whether the Daily Prophet exaggerated or not is not at issue. I am trying to rebuild ties with a family which disowned me nearly two decades ago, and your appearance in the paper, despite whatever claim of truth you might hold, is detrimental to my efforts. I love both my sons, but you must see that with Sylvester's condition, you were my hope for the future of the Blackwood name. If you choose to walk this path, you are choosing to have nothing to do with the Blackwoods, and you are harming my standing with them as well.

Your mother always encouraged freedom of expression for you and your brother, and I never once argued, as both of you were successful in your own rights. However, I begin to wonder how much freedom was too much. Perhaps I should have spent fewer nights at the American Ministry. Perhaps I should have shown more of my approval for your female friends. Whatever the reasoning, I cannot help but feel that I have failed you in some way.

This is not a reflection on Mr. Hardt's character, but his broken ties with his own family bear no positive effect on the situation, either. The Hardt family is well respected, and though the Blackwoods broke ties with myself years ago, this incident will cause strain in any political connection still remaining between the Blackwoods and the Hardts in England. I regret not having spoken more of the Blackwoods, as you can have no concept of the levels of power at work, nor the difficulties this will cause.

I will advise you to write a letter of clarification to the Daily Prophet. Let them know that things are not as they appeared, and apologize for any misunderstandings. The Blackwood family depends on this being done quickly and properly. Adolescent relationships are notoriously short-lived, and one slip-up will likely be overlooked. There are likely many young ladies at Hogwarts who would be pleased to help you move into a more traditional light. You might take your appearance into consideration as well.

Your devoted Father,

Adair Spencer Blackwood

Silver stared at the page for some time after he finished in disbelief. The letter had slammed both of them in the first paragraph, then it had gone on to detail disappointment and a recommendation for Dare to conform. Dare to conform. "This is ridiculous," Silver said. Regardless of what Silver knew about Michael, their father had definitely overreacted.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"Thank you," Dare said softly. Thank God his brother could be reasoned with sometimes. Dare made no move to take the letter back. He wasn't attached to it, so Silver could re-read as many times as he liked. "It hasn't been better anywhere else," Dare said. Nowhere but London, and Dare wasn't about to go that far. "I can't sleep in my dorm room, and Michael can't sleep in his. It was really bad at first."

Dare wasn't at all surprised when Silver asked how bad. He could hardly believe that his brother, as antisocial as he was, didn't know. But this was Silver, and he could be painfully oblivious sometimes. Dare sighed to himself and told Silver briefly. Not everything, but enough that Silver might understand. He went as far as mentioning the vandalism and hexes, but didn't say a word about where he was sleeping now that the dormitory wasn't available.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver couldn't understand, though he tried to. He'd been avoiding people since the last Daily Prophet, but even so, he'd heard whispers. Most of them cut short as he neared, or he'd turn and walk away, but still, he'd heard things. Nothing like what Dare had told him, though. It was hard to believe that people would do things like that. And it occurred to Silver that Dare had said he was still with Michael. Silver rubbed at the back of his neck, and looked his question.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare knew what Silver was asking, and he blinked and looked away. "I love him," he said simply. "I can tell him anything, and he's told me things I know he's never told anyone else, I know." There was no faking the way Michael had reacted before his therapy, no faking the emotions they shared. Dare looked briefly up at Silver, then away into the corridor again. "This is different for both of us," he said. "Very different."