@hazel


Ezekiel wasn’t overly enthusiastic to be seeing Hazel, in fact he was rather hesitant. The couple had ended on good terms and he held no ill feelings towards Hazel, he knew her family came first. The way Hazel was with her family was how the Fehu siblings were together, Zeke would do anything at all for Ruby. One of the things he had promised Hazel when they’d broken up though, was that he would keep an eye out for anything related to her family and he was making sure to keep his word, it was risky for his job and he hated having to pretend that he completely supported what was happening to the Muggleborns and more than once he’d put himself in potential danger to look out for someone who needed his help. Hazel’s parents and brother were one of these cases, he often scanned files for any sign that they’d been caught or had registered and luckily they were still unregistered, but it still concerned him that things could be much worse than they appeared, if they had died or been killed it would have been swept under the rug, but he could safely assume that wasn’t the case yet. It was a little more complicated when it came to his sister though, he was keeping particularly close tabs on Caleb too and like with the Donaldson family, there’d been no signs of trouble yet, Zeke hadn’t kept Ruby updated on anything to do with Caleb though because he knew his sister would try to track him if there was a hint he was safe.

Zeke had owled Hazel, inviting her over to his flat where they could safely talk without people overhearing, Ruby was out for the day which made things a little more complicated for him, he hadn’t been alone with Hazel since their break up and even though he wasn’t going to try anything, it didn’t mean he still didn’t have feelings for the Ravenclaw, but business came first right now, and business involved her family and talking to her properly, without any flirting or distraction. Another part of him that was glad that Ruby was out, was that it meant that he wouldn’t have his sister asking if he knew anything about Caleb, he didn’t like lying to her, but when it came to Swanson, he believed it best to lie, admittedly he hadn’t heard anything about him, but he wasn’t going to tell Ruby that he was even tracking Caleb, she knew he was watching out for Hazel’s family, and his sister wasn’t stupid, she knew he was doing it because he still cared for Hazel. When Zeke and Ruby had lost their parents, it had been hard and it was still hard to deal with and he didn’t want Hazel and Louise to go through what he went through daily with Ruby.

The wizard strolled around his flat with a coffee in his hand and files strewn everywhere, he was skimming over one file about a newly caught Muggleborn and he frowned at the description related to what happened to him before he was thrown into that ghastly camp when he heard a knock at the door and he flipped the file over so the text wasn’t visible for Hazel or Ruby and he hurried to open the door, smiling at the brunette in front of him before stepping back and letting her in, ”I won't keep you long, don’t worry Haze… how’s Louise?” He asked, shutting the door behind her.

The feeling of the unknown was something that Hazel couldn’t shake. Despite this, she knew she couldn’t stay at school. Even if their break would only be a week long, the fact that school would be more emptier made her realise just how strong the feeling of fear was. Hazel however, put on a brave face for both Louise and Ruby. She knew she couldn’t fool either girl but still she tried. She felt like she to keep the act up despite it being for no good reason. After all she had been through so much after her parents had taken Timothy and gone on the run. She had broken up with Ezekiel, something she had never seen herself doing but she had to. She needed to for their sakes, or at least she had felt she had to. She knew while Ezekiel would be an expert on losing parents, she didn’t want to put him though if that evenuated. She would hurt him and Ruby and herself in the process and so she had felt it better to cut ties before that happened to lessen the hurt.

There was no saying that if she and Louise lost their parents that it would hurt Zeke or Ruby now that she had broken up with the wizard any less because she had broken up with him. She didn’t know what she was doing but she knew what important to her and that was to not hurt anyone and for her to look after Louise. While her sister was not so dependent on Hazel now that she was older, they still needed each other emotionally at least. She had also celebrated her eighteenth birthday without her parents around but she knew they would be thinking of her. Hazel hoped that she could celebrate with them belatedly when they got back. She wondered where they were. If they had made it all the way Portugal then she would at least be at ease knowing they were safe but there was no guarantee that they were there. Since Zeke had invited her over to his flat she had been interested in seeing what news he had where her mum and dad were concerned. She was sure that was the only reason he had invited her over. She the kind of thing that happened when the two of them were alone and she was certain that wouldn’t happen today. Ruby had told her the day before she was going to be out but had not given any details with who or where. Hazel could assume she was out getting with someone but she wouldn’t dare mention that in front of Zeke. He was understandably very protective of his sister.

She had been a little apprehensive of going to Zeke’s flat because if he had any news on her parents, she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it. What if they were safe now but harm had come to them later on. She didn’t want to get louise’s hopes up if she were go to share the news with her sister later. She had smiled politely at the wizard as she had entered his flat. She had not been around here in so long but it was still familiar to her. She tucked her hair behind her ear as he shut the door and nodded slightly. ”She’s good thank you” The fact he had called her ‘Haze’ made her relax, if only a little. ”How are you?” Ask something more substantial…”And how’s your training going?”

One of the things Zeke prided himself on when it came to the people he cared about, was being able to read them and Hazel was no exception, in fact he thought there was a chance he knew her better than he knew someone like Ruby, because he’d seen every little part of her, every expression, every smile and frown and it hadn’t taken him long to work out when Hazel was hiding something, he had a feeling other people might be able to read her well like Louise and Ruby, but he still had that little extra something that only they shared. Something he used to think only they would ever share but how things had turned out, that didn’t seem likely any more and that bothered him but he loved Hazel enough to respect her wishes, even if it hurt him daily.

Seeing Hazel brought a lot of emotions and confusion with it and he wasn’t sure how to react, normally he would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek in greeting, but then again if the situation was different she wouldn’t be visiting him, they’d still be living together. He sighed softly when Hazel walked past him and tried to hide the brief look of anguish at the fact he’d let her walk away without a fight before closing his eyes and the door and trailing along behind her, plastering a smile on his face when she looked at him. ”I’m glad she’s okay.” He said, this time giving her a genuine smile. He dropped onto onto the sofa and patted the space beside him before crossing his arms and sitting back, keeping his gaze steady on her. ”I’m fine thank you.” He replied, smirking playfully as she carried on talking, he could tell she was feeling just as awkward as him, or he thought that was what it was, it could just have been him pushing his own feelings onto her. ”Training is going well, there’s been no updates on your parents you’ll be pleased to know.” He continued, knowing that was probably what she wanted more than just small talk. ”How are you doing? How was your birthday?” He didn’t want Hazel to think he was dismissing what concerned her, but he also didn’t want to give her the chance to possibly dwell. ”I have something for you.” Zeke got to his feet and headed into his bedroom.

He’d given Hazel something small via owl when she was at school, but he had been anticipating seeing her at least once over Easter so he kept the bigger things at home so he could give them to her himself. ”Have you any ideas where your parents might be so I can try and narrow my search down more and hopefully find them and give you some solid information?” He asked, as he reached her and he handed her a small box tied with silver ribbon, he placed the bigger present, a dress bag, on the coffee table in front of her and sat back down, ”I know you probably weren’t enthusiastic about your birthday this year but it was a big birthday and I did want to get you something.” He said, smiling tenderly (although a little nervously) at her. ”Are you proud, I chose them alone without Ruby’s help… I just hope you like them.” He added on, giving her a cheeky smile.

”Do you want a drink or something to eat?” He got to his feet and started towards the kitchen and paused in the doorway, biting his lip nervously.


Gift 1
Gift 2

Hazel missed her parents terribly but she took comfort in the saying ‘no news is good news’. She knew they had gone on the run with her brother for their safety. If they had left Timothy with family and fled the could have very well become a target for the muggleborn registration office and they could have questioned him or done much worse. She really didn’t want to imagine what but a few thoughts came to mind. They were far from pleasant ones and considering what she had heard about what was happening she didn’t want to think them but there was so much trouble around everywhere that she couldn’t help but think about it. The witch tried her hardest to refrain from reading the paper for that reason, but again, that was something she tended to do, just to make sure there was no news about her parents. Hazel tried to keep a positive frame of mind and she was glad she had Ruby as her best friend to help her with that. She knew there was no need for her to be strong all the time given that she was human but she wanted to, if only for her sister. If Louise could see through her exterior she never questioned it.

The only person who knew her better than Ruby even was Zeke. The pair of them had been through so much and she had done something she thought she would never do. But she had wanted to not drag him through the emotional roller coaster she thought she would go through when her parents had left. And she was well into riding that roller coaster now, even more so when she came home. It was a given though since at least at school she felt further away from them. Being in London was just bringing back so many memories. Many of those memories included Ezekiel. She didn’t want to break up with him and she hated herself for doing it. Hazel knew there was every chance that she had lost him forever by her actions and every day she would regret it. Did she still love him? Yes, she did. Was it at the same level that it had once been? That was what she lying to herself about. She had lied to Ruby and she knew her friend would never forgive her for that but emotions were not a static thing, the redhead knew that after all she had gone through with Caleb.

But for now Hazel had to focus on her time with Ezekiel even if it was very awkward for the two of them. She would try and act as normal as she could but that would not be easy. The brunette offered him a nervous smile as she took a seat gingerly beside him on the coach. She looked at him confusedly as she saw him smirking. ”What is it?” she looked around to see if she missed something. Had she sat in something on the sofa? Unlikely because she knew that Zeke would alert her if that was the case. ”Oh..okay, that’s good to hear, both that your training is going well and that there are no updates regarding my parents. I just want to see them but I know that is impossible. Hopefully this shit is over soon” she sighed as she rubbed her temples before she looked back at the wizard. ”I’m fine, my birthday….it was just another day. I turned another year older…” she trailed of shrugging. She knew that her attitude to her birthday would likely upset him but she also knew he would understand why she was so dismissive about it. ”What? You didn’t have to get me anything…” she called after him as he went to his bedroom, what had been their bedroom once upon a time.

The witch’s eyes widened as he returned and put the bags down. She felt guilty for all the pain she had put him through especially now it appeared he had bought her some birthday gifts. Hazel looked up at him and smiled before shaking her head ”Other than Portugal, I don’t know where they would be, but I don’t even know if they made it there, I mean would they likely track muggle airports or the muggle train that goes to Paris” she responded, saying as much as she could. Hazel really couldn’t pinpoint where her parents and brother could be since she had not heard from them herself.

Hazel chuckle as she went for the dress bag and ran her fingers over the bag first before she unzipped it. She didn’t have to ask how he would know what size she was. If there was one person who would know her size, it would be him. ”Ezekiel…..” she spoke softly as she admired the dress before looking up at him smiling as (happy) tears formed in her eyes before she took the bag and untied the ribbon before she opened the box and she bit her lip and got to her feet and smiled at him ”Drinks and food can wait, come here…” she said as he beckoned him over with her finger.

Ezekiel shook his head when Hazel asked what he was smirking about and he chuckled, ”I just never imagined there would be a time where things were awkward between us.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, one of his few noticeable nervous habits. He leaned back on the sofa and angled himself towards Hazel with one draping over the arm of the sofa, and the other one along the back of it, he was close to her but not so close that he could potentially do something he’d regret. The wizard sighed and leaned forward, resting his hand on Hazel’s lap, something he used to do to reassure her, ”They’ll be fine Hazel, all of this will be over soon and then you’ll all be back together.” He said softly, hoping he sounded meaningful. Part of him had a slight jealousy towards Hazel, even though her family were on the run, she still had her parents alive, sure he hadn’t had the greatest relationship with his parents, he’d always been closer to Ruby and Iris when she was alive, but they were still his blood and he didn’t have them anymore, but he’d never tell Hazel that; well… not when she didn’t know if her parents were alive or not. At least he knew his parents were definitely not coming back, Hazel was clueless and he could only imagine it would be much worse because she couldn’t even find out via a letter or anything that could be too risky. At least when it came to Caleb for Ruby, he had a faint idea of where he was, not that Zeke would tell his sister that. Sometimes it was cruel to be kind and unless his sister’s ex was definitely coming back, she had to try and move on.

Zeke frowned at Hazel when she told him about her birthday being another day and he heaved a sigh, ”I know it’s hard but you shouldn’t think like that. You deserve a treat too and to enjoy yourself and your birthday would have given you that option.” He said softly, reaching and nudging his hand under her chin so she was looking at him. ”Promise me you’ll try and do something whilst you’re home. Merlin, even I will take you out for a celebratory drink if you wanted too, it’s a bit late but so what.” The brunette look at the way he was touching Hazel and he let his hand drop to his side a little too quickly as he got to his feet, it was a perfect time now to get her present or else he’d do something he would regret, even though he was trying his best to avoid it. ”I didn’t have to, but I wanted to… you only turned eighteen once Haze.” He scolded affectionately as he left for her gift. He took a few moments alone in his room to recompose himself before he made his way back to her and began to bite his lip in anticipation. He wanted to stay close by and watch her open them, but his emotions were running high so retreating to watch her from a distance was the only option he could think of.

”Portugal?” He repeated from the opposite side of the coffee table and he crossed his arms, humming thoughtfully, he could always try and plan a trip there, but if the ministry was tracking him (which was probably likely), he knew that he was associated with Hazel and by default, muggleborns so if he just up and disappeared without a word? People would get suspicious and he could put Hazel’s parents and brother in danger, he’d have to try and think of a way to find out if they’d got there, but now wasn’t the time. Now was the time to watch his ex open her presents. He started towards the kitchen to get an even safer distance from Hazel but so he could still watch her and he smiled when she pulled out the two presents. A look of concern flashed over Zeke’s features at first when he saw the tears but he relaxed when he realised she was smiling. At her words for him to come over, Zeke began to chew on his lip and he eyed her warily, that finger beckon was one he knew all too well, now he had to decide whether to cave like he always did and go straight to Hazel or dismiss it and potentially upset her and ruin the fact that things seemed to have relaxed between them a little. Still chewing on his lip he took a small step closer towards her, then another small one and another until there was only another couple of feet between them. ”You like them?” He asked, stammering a little and looking her over, trying to keep his emotions in check as he smiled at her.

The awkwardness between her and Zeke was to be expected given who they were to each other. She just didn’t know what to say or do without potentially blurting out something she didn’t want to say and make it more awkward for the two of them. As he spoke and she listened, Hazel couldn’t help but feel guilty once again. She was so guilty. It was her fault. The awkwardness, the fact Zeke was out drinking and probably bringing home witches who weren’t her to his flat was all her fault. She didn’t want to think about him with someone else but because she had broken up with him, the possibility was very real. She had not slept with anyone since their break up except for one wizard in her year at school and that had only been a one time thing. She had compared him to Zeke, something she knew she shouldn’t do because every guy was different in bed but Hazel couldn’t help given how she still felt about Zeke. Of course, she was not about to admit that. That would be her confessing she made a big mistake but she was far too stubborn right now to do that. ”Honestly, me too” the brunette laughed a little before smiling fondly as she saw him rub the back of his neck. It didn’t take a genius to tell how nervous he was, she was pretty much the same. Her stuttering was her telltale sign she was nervous, Zeke had seen it many times. ”I know and having my family back together is something I dream of. I just wish the dream would become a reality sooner rather than later” she smiled nervously at him before looking away. She didn’t know where to look honestly and the fact they were on the couch together made it very uneasy for her. It was all so familiar to her but still foreign at the same time.

Normally an eighteenth birthday would be a celebration of great joy but this year for Hazel it was far from that. She knew that Ruby had tried her best to make the day special and no matter how much distraction she had thrown at Hazel, the brunette still couldn’t forget everything that she was going through. ”I know Zeke, I know, I somehow managed to get out of patrols that night” she laughed lightly. It had been her first birthday without Zeke at school and she had missed her. She couldn’t tell him that of course. That fact he had touched her chin made her want to back off. Why was he making it hard for her to behave, it was not like she could do anything. She kept being reminded he was probably bringing home random girls from the clubs almost each night. She didn’t want to think about it but at the end of the the day, Zeke was still a teenage guy. ”You want to go drinking with me, even after I broke up with you?” She asked in disbelief, not sure she had heard him correctly. What did they say about spending time with your exes? He was slowly increasing the chances of either one of them caving in and making a move exponentially. She tried not to frown when he moved his hand and she hoped she had pulled it off. ”Well, yes but I have a whole year ahead of me being eighteen” she called after him as he headed to his bedroom. She knew the apartment like the back of her hand and well, like her back too, but that was in the past now.

Hazel realised too late she probably shouldn’t have mentioned to him that her parents could be in Portugal. He could easily head off and go and try to track them. She didn’t want him to put himself in danger for her sake. No matter how careful Zeke could be, she knew the ministry would be well ahead of him. Afterall he was still an Auror in training.

She was floored by his gifts for her. It was evident he had taken the time to think carefully what to buy for her. She really did appreciate it all. As soon as he had handed the gifts over, it was evident he wanted to get away from her. She wasn’t sure what to do honestly. Did she herself try and get out of there herself or did she wait around until he got her drink or a snack. No, she had to show her appreciation somehow and that was why she had beckoned him over. She wanted to roll her eyes when he still remained a few feet away from her. Was he likely to cave so easily? She took a few steps towards him and placed her hand on his shoulder before reaching up and kissing his cheek softly. His scent was all to familiar the witch and it was still intoxicating. ”I do like them Zeke, thank you” she whispered before stood properly and moved her hand away and headed to the kitchen. ”Do you have any muggle soft drinks?” Hazel asked him.

Zeke smiled faintly when Hazel admitted that she’d never expected things to be awkward too, they’d been friends since her first year and even when they both had crushes on each other, before they’d told each other; things still weren’t awkward. Sure there had been the shy giggles and nervous looking at each other then looking away, but nothing like this. They’d been able to stand side by side and touch and even though the spark was massive, it had still been nothing like it was right now. He’d never say out loud but part of why he was sleeping around was he was trying to fill the void that had been left when Hazel broke up with him. He was still working on it, he wasn’t sure if he’d found anyone yet but there had been a few girls who he’d seen more than once, it was still just fun for him and that’s all he wanted right now. Plus, it was a good stress relief bedding girls so often. Ezekiel smiled tenderly when Hazel told him that she wanted her family back and he nodded slowly as he listened to her, ”It will Hazel, it’s just a matter of time. Your parents are headstrong and amazing. They’ll be fine and so will Tim. You and Louise have us here for you too – me and Ruby and you know we’d both do anything for you.” He told her earnestly, taking her hand hesitantly and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Zeke chuckled when he was told that Hazel got the night off, ”Was that by the teachers or did Ruby somehow manage to get you out of it by talking to the head girl?” He smirked, normally they had spent her birthday together, even before they dated. He, Ruby and Hazel would sneak into an empty classroom with Butterbeer and sweets from Honeyduke’s and just spend time together, laughing and joking into the early hours of the morning, it had become their tradition of sorts. Even when Zeke had his girlfriends that may have been with him over the month of Hazel’s birthday, he’d chosen his friend and sister over them – it never ended well but it helped him to know which girlfriends would be worth dating in the long run, after all if people couldn’t value his friends then they weren’t worth his time. He’d not do that to his girlfriends if they had male friends, but then again he wasn’t really the jealous type. ”Haze, of course I would. You’re still one of my best friends and you can’t deny, there’s still something there.” He wouldn’t act on his feelings, but he wasn’t stupid. ”You and I, we may be exes now, but I’m not going to let that dictate our friendship. You mean far too much to much to just walk away.” He sighed. ”You do have a whole year of being eighteen ahead of you, but you can only really celebrate turning eighteen once.” He pointed out.

He didn’t say anything else on the matter of where Hazel’s parents were, but he made a mental note just in case he could manage to go and do something. Choosing his gifts for Hazel had been difficult, he wanted everything to be perfect for her. She deserved that at the very least. ”I’m glad.” He smiled at the kiss on his cheek and before she moved away he caught her wrist and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead before letting go and following her. ”In the fridge.” Zeke said, nodding towards it.

Hazel wanted to feel at ease with Zeke and she should have, very easily. But they were here alone. This was his flat. It would have been their flat had she not broken up with him. He had said at the time he understood why, but he may still dislike her for what she had done to them. It wasn’t hate, that was to strong of a word. They had both been in love and there had been no reason for them to break up other than her parents being on the run. She knew there was no going back to them now. It upset her greatly but she didn’t let it show. He had invited her over and she had to remain happy. She was eighteen now and while that was normally a cause of happiness and drinking to much, Hazel wanted to do the exact opposite. There was nothing wrong with her keeping to herself and not celebrating. The witch knew that Zeke would encourage her to get out and go celebrate as an eighteenth birthday should be celebrated. Heck, her parents would probably say the same thing. But that was the problem, they weren’t here. She missed them terribly as Zeke did his. The difference was that she had a better chance of seeing hers again. Zeke would never had that chance. It was heartbreaking.

Still, the witch knew she had to get on with her life. Right now that included her being here no matter how awkward it was. She had to bite the bullet and spend time with the wizard. There were friends first and foremost and that meant something to them. He was speaking of being there for herself and her sister and just listening to him say that made her smile. ”We know that Zeke and we appreciate it” she replied, of course speaking on her sister’s behalf. ”There is so much wondering going on in my mind. Like, I know that mum and dad would know what to do in any situation, including this one. But I worry how Tim is coping” she said as her smile faded slightly. Her brother may have thought he was a big boy as most young boys do but this now a typical situation that an adult would face let alone a child and she worried a lot about her brother and how this would affect him in the future. It was obviously not something that the bloody Death Eaters had not thought of. They had only thought of their own agenda, she was sure of that.

Hazel laughed at his next question. ”I know it was probably Ruby and I’m grateful for it, but it wasnt like the past years we had celebrated” she sighed as he fold her arms. She missed those times greatly. It was before she and Zeke had even been a couple even. They had been happier, all of them. It had been a much simpler time to. There had been less to worry about and less to fear. It was all different now. Hazel worried even where Zeke was concerned given what he had chosen to move into graduating. She had to hope he wouldn’t do anything stupid. He was clever but he was also daring and that was something she hoped he didn’t play out.

The witch had to bit her lip as he spoke again. Of course there was something still there, she did still love him after all. It was just what kind of love it was. It was the romantic kind of love. ”You and I have been through so much, even with dating, I know we’ll continue to be friends. I guess coming here I was fearing you may still hate me” she replied refusing to look him in the eye. He wouldn’t hate her but she knew that her breaking up with him had hurt him on some level. It had hurt her too. Him saying that they were exes now made it seem like it was a final decision but that was on her part. It was not something she could take back. He deserved someone who wasn’t going to hurt him but she wasn’t about to voice that hope for him out loud.

The kiss he had placed on her forehead had been identical to the ones he had given her when they had been together and she hated herself even more in that moment. She nodded and headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge and studied what was on offer with the muggle soft drinks. ”Do you have anything stronger I can mix any of these with?” she asked, which came as a surprise to her even.