Characters: Kurt, Adam, Burt
Words: 1914
Genre: Harry Potter crossover
Rating: All audiences
Summary: Some more Chaser!Adam; and a pensi(e)ve Kurt. Like in 'Slander', Adam's a 7th year Hufflepuff, Kurt's a 5th year Gryffindor. "Slander" was originally inspired by an art prompt asking for Adam in a Quidditch uniform. (adjoining fanart of Adam playing Quidditch can be found on my tumblr). Written for the '30 words - 30 days' challenge, word of the day: 'palette'.

Palette

Being Headboy had its privileges. Of course Adam had to spend some of his free time arbitrating disputes between his classmates, but since there was only one Headboy per year, it also meant he was more or less House-less and had access to the other Common Rooms and dorms. To some, that sounded like a free pass for promiscuity, but the thing about Hogwarts' Headmasters was that they picked their student representatives out of the select few who knew not to abuse their freedoms for such reasons. The Common Rooms and the dorms were the students' private sanctuaries, where they could let off steam and be themselves. They were the boarding school equivalent to a family living room. Adam had never been in the Ravenclaw Common Room because there had been no need so far, and had been called to Slytherin only twice. The Hufflepuff Commons, of course, were his own and had been so for the last 7 years.

But the Gryffindor area held a little more temptation for him. His boyfriend lived there, and Adam really wished he could just flash his badge at the portrait of the Fat Lady every night and demand she let him in just to see Kurt. The Gryffindor fifth year had completely enchanted him- so much that Adam's friends playfully teased him with rumours about love potions- and if he could, he'd spend every waking moment with him. Preferably every sleeping moment too.

But as Headboy (all puns about the title aside), Adam knew he had to set a good example and only used his power when it was really urgent. Like when the Astronomy Tower was already occupied. Or when Kurt sent him the all-clear that his dorm mates were all off to Hogsmeade or at Duelling Club. And every now and then, just because he could, Adam would ask to be let in when he knew Kurt was out, so he could leave a flower or a chocolate frog on his pillow just to keep their budding relationship spontaneous. In all, Adam thought he was being rather mature about his given privileges. Until now.

He was coming back from the Quidditch field, freshly showered but still carrying his gear and his broom in a bag over his shoulder, and the thrill of the flight still had his blood rushing in his veins. As he turned the corner towards the kitchens and the Hufflepuff Common Room, Adam changed his mind and headed towards the seventh floor instead. It had just been a friendly match, and he knew Kurt didn't really like Quidditch so he didn't ask him to come to all of his games, but Adam had been rather spectacular in the air today and he wanted to see Kurt and tell him all about it. Maybe he had even seen some of it from the windows of the round dorm tower?

Adam smiled to himself at the thought of talking Kurt through his last goal- the one that had won them the match. He had nearly fallen off his broom (he couldn't wait to tell Kurt and maybe spook him a little before making everything okay again with a kiss and the story of his goal) and it had been quite heroic. Maybe he was a bit of a sap, but there were very few things he liked more than having Kurt look at him with admiration.

He beamed at the Fat Lady and she tutted at him eying his Quidditch gear but swung on her hinges anyway, letting him in with a few giggly words of encouragement. Adam found the Commons almost deserted- not unusual for a Saturday afternoon- and he hurried up the stairs to the fifth year dorm.

"Kurt?" he called out, knocking on the door but too impatient to wait before opening it. "Kurt, did you see-?" His words curdled in his mouth as he saw his boyfriend sitting on his four-poster bed, hunched over a large bowl of glittering silvery light. Kurt's shoulders were shaking softly and he had his wand out, clenching it tightly in his hand.

"Kurt?" Adam asked again, softer this time, stepping closer carefully. "Are you okay?"

Kurt looked up, and Adam's breath caught a little. His boyfriend's eyes never failed to amaze him, even like this, when they were red-rimmed and impossibly, painfully bright. Kurt blinked, recognition slipping into his face, and he quickly let go of his wand to rub over his face. "Adam. Yes. Yes, I'm fine," he said softly. "I'm sorry, I'm just... reminiscing."

Adam looked down on the bed. "Is that a Pensieve?" he asked curiously. He knew of their existence, but they were rare and expensive and he didn't know Kurt had one.

Kurt nodded. "It's my aunt's. She gave it to me when my mother died so I could...spend time with her."

Adam swallowed. "You revisit your memories with her?" Kurt nodded again, biting his lip.

"Sometimes. I was warned not to do it too often so I've been trying to keep away from it. When you miss someone, it's tempting to just... want to stay in there." He glanced at the bowl and suddenly seemed to realise the implications of what he had said. "But I don't! I mean, I don't want to stay in there now, because... there's no you." He offered Adam a watery smile. "So I always come back."

Adam smiled back. His heart ached for Kurt. Hell, if he had a Pensieve, he'd probably use it to look at memories of his family too, and they were all still alive and he'd see them all again in the summer holidays! He reached out to caress Kurt's cheek. "Do you want to tell me where you were just now?" he asked. "You don't have to-"

"I do. I can...show you. If you want." He looked down on the bowl and its swirly silvery depths. "But I wasn't with my mom just now." Kurt sighed again. "It's kind of stupid because I know I can see him any time-"

Adam swallowed. Him? What if Kurt had been looking at memories of his first boyfriend? Was he ready to deal with that? He knew Kurt and Blaine had a past, a past that must have consisted out of happy memories as well as bad ones, but he doubted the ones that had made Kurt cry like this were the happy ones. Unless...he was still so sorry they weren't together anymore? Doubt must have crossed his face, because Kurt quickly took his hand and squeezed it.

"It's not Blaine either," he said. "I was looking at my dad." He took up his wand again and made a stirring motion over the bowl. Adam shifted a bit closer to look, still holding Kurt's hand. "I just need to-" The movement of Adam on the mattress jostled Kurt and caused him to dip his wand in the basin. A rushing, sucking motion not unlike Apparating pulled the both of them forward and they were siphoned into the memory.

As they landed in a large, white room, Adam gave Kurt a guilty look. "-take something out first," Kurt finished. "Too late, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Adam offered immediately, but Kurt shrugged. He gave the lonely figure in the room a sad look. Adam followed his eyes. Was that...? It had to be.

Kurt, a few years younger than he was now, stood in front of a dresser mirror. He wasn't as tall as Kurt was now, but Adam easily recognised his profile and his eyes. His hair was pulled back with a few clips and a headband and he seemed to be eying himself critically. Memory!Kurt dabbed something on his face just below his cheekbone.

"Can I-?" Adam whispered, and Kurt next to him shrugged. "Go ahead. He- I... can't hear or see you," he replied, and Adam stepped closer.

As he neared the mirror, he saw the younger Kurt was applying make-up over a bruise. It made him feel a little strange inside. He knew Kurt had told him he had been bullied at his old school, but since his boyfriend hardly had any visible scars, it was easy to think it had all just been mean words. Before Adam could think about it more, Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and carefully lifted his shirt, tugging it up over his head. Nausea hit Adam with full force.

The unflattering light overhead made past!Kurt's skin seem even paler than it was, which increased the shocking contrast of the large bruise on his back. Dark purple and blue splotches overlapped faded patches of yellow and green, their colours more intense as they crossed the sharp ridges of Kurt's shoulder blades and the back of his ribcage. Adam had taken enough hits from the Quaffle as a Chaser to know that a single foolish accident did not cause such a layered palette of colours. This was the result of continuous assault, leaving the skin no time to heal. As he finally managed to tear his eyes away from Kurt's shoulder, he noticed other blemishes on his skin too, smaller areas that, if singled out, could surely be explained away- but not as a whole.

It was hard to process the immense range of emotions going through him at once. When Adam finally managed to speak, his voice sounded hoarse. "Who-?" he started. Kurt walked up to him and his younger twin.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said calmly. "I changed schools and came here. I met Blaine and my other friends, and you. I'm okay now. That was not what I was revisiting." The door over head opened and the younger Kurt scrambled to get his shirt back on, wincing as it rubbed over his skin. He plopped down in his seat and took up a cotton ball from his dresser. He was just finished as his dad came down the stairs.

"Nighttime skincare is a big part of my post-game ritual," the boy announced.

"I don't know what to say about that," his father replied awkwardly.

As they landed back on the mattress in the dorm, Adam felt conflicted. He was happy Kurt's father had reacted so well to his coming out and it made him feel very warmly about the man he had only seen in pictures so far, but at the same time he couldn't get the memory of Kurt's bruises out of his head.

"That look on your face is exactly why I was going to cut that memory short," Kurt explained. "It's in the past, Adam. I've dealt with it."

"I don't understand why anyone would do that to you," Adam said.

Kurt smiled a lopsided, self-depreciating smile. "I know, right? I guess not everyone appreciated my fabulousness." He cocked his head and struck a pose. He still looked a little sad, but Adam could tell this was not the time to push the topic any further. He returned the smile. "I love your fabulousness."

"Of course you do," Kurt replied. "Now, how was your game?"

Adam had completely forgotten about that. "Uh. Good. Great, actually." A thought struck him. "Hey... do you wanna see?" He nodded at the Pensieve.

Kurt grinned. "You remember I am afraid of heights, right? I don't fly well."

Adam nodded and wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him close against his chest. "That's okay. I got you."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, snuggling back into Adam's embrace. "Let's go."