Damian awoke the following morning after passing out after taking the potion, did it work yes and no. The potion took some of the pain away but it still left a lingering pain similar pain to that of when a limb would fall asleep. Damian rubbed the aching pain in his chest, at least it was more an annoying pain then a something being burned into his chest. He arose from his bed scratching his head as he walked across his room it a cracked mirror that leaned against the wall taking his hand, he wiped a thin layer of dust from it once that was done he stared at his reflection and noticed the birds that flocked to his face were no longer there. Curious he rolled up his sleeve on the left side he noticed that they had migrated back to their original place.

With a sigh Damian reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes lighting on as he sat back on the edge of his bed kicking the piles of clothes around him trying to decide what to wear today or while at the same time deciding what he was planning on doing. A cloud of smoke exited his lips as he found a semi holely black tee that was kinda trending and a pair of super skinny jeans. He lazily got changed as he changed he put his smoke out as slipped on a ratty pair of converse and his gray peacoat. He slipped his wand into his jacket pocket as he had decided on where he was planning on heading today and he needed it to gain access to his destination.

Today he was planning on heading to pretty much only place he didn’t feel like a freak and that was rare these days his destination was The Blue Door Tattoo Parlor. This wasn’t a regular tattoo parlor it was a wizard tattoo parlor that specialized in magical charms turned into tattoos it was also a hangout place for the outcasts of the wizarding world which Damian was apart of. Those cast outs could also find work here as in a backroom they have posting for mercenary work, which didn’t make them popular with The Ministry. The problem had was actually locating this parlor as it wasn’t exactly an easy location to find, a shop that practiced charms as its bread and butter was easily able to charm up its location so that the Ministry could never find it no matter how hard they looked.

Damian had asked the owner exactly what charms did he use in order to hide from the Ministry as he wished to use the same charms to hide his apartment. Damian was a reoccurring face on the Ministries most wanted, not for doing something bad but out of fear. They feared the curses that he absorbed against them, but this was farther from the truth Damian had absorbed these curses to prevent anyone innocent form accidentally stumbling across them and getting hurt. The Ministry didn’t understand this so what happens to those that are consumed by fear they automatically jump to conclusions in fact wars have started for the same reasons. The owner had told him he used charms that made it so that those of any slight ill intent could ever come across the parlor but those looking for shelter and like-minded people could be able to come across the parlor. This still didn’t stop the occasional stranger from stumbling into the parlor he would always respond “Destiny allowed you here because it sensed you belong here for some reason.”

The owner was a strange man in Damian’s eyes he was very optimistic yet wise and Damian could share they were about the same age. It just baffled him he always fell into deep thought as to how and why he was so wise and optimistic Damian even once came to the conclusion that maybe he used a charm that he tattooed onto himself to make him appear young. Then it could come to a new fork in the road was he that vain or was he mistaken this cycle would turn and turn into his mind but he was always to scared to ever ask.

Damian slowly stepped out his apartment and locked the door behind him as he did the door vanished as if never there. This one of the security processes he did in case anyone tried to discover his apartment when he wasn’t home just another percussion he thought it couldn’t hurt he thought. He just didn’t want the Ministry sticking their noses in his business he wanted his privacy, was he nervous as to the Ministry catching him no not really, he knew if they wanted to catch him they would have already but they didn’t know the extent of the curses he had absorbed so they stayed their distance the only people that knew what kind of curses that were embedded into him was himself and his father. He would never tell and his father was no longer physically alive Damian had lost his father while he was a teen so his father would only actually know of a small handful of the curses that Damian had absorbed.

Damian turned down to face the hallway that lead up to his room which in appearance looked ten times worse then his actual room. The hall was dark brown with lights hung every ten feet from the ceiling it was the hallway that you didn’t want to walk down in the middle of the night in fear someone might be watching you but Damian was comfortable with this as he made his way down the fall all the while keeping his eye out for the damaged architecture of the halls. The holes in the floor the cracks that littered the ceiling and some of debris that had fallen from the ceiling onto the floor. All while keeping his eye out for the local wildlife that also lived here the roaches, rats, spiders, assorted bugs and the once in while feral cat or dog. As he reached the end of the hall he was at the stop of a staircase and began walking down it as he climbed down to the first floor of the apartment build the stairs creaked as if they were to fall out from under you, and the railing just wobbled as if only be held in place with one singular nail.

To a normal person I guess this place would be considered unlivable but to Damian this was home and thought of all these faults some people might see as character and charm who can say that there home brought them a sense of adventure and danger, well Damian can and he was proud of that. Even the wildlife was interesting he remembered once sitting down in the hallway and watching a roach and centipede go at each other and he couldn’t look away it was so interesting. Damian walked through the lobby and saw the owner which was a very elderly muggle man that to be in late eighties if not early nineties before heading out he walked over to the elderly man “Good Morning Mister Hanes how are you this morning?” Damian asked sincerely. As if not noticing Damian Mr. Hanes bushy and unrulily white eyebrows perked up “Oh if it isn’t young Mister Reed, I’m doing well young man how about yourself?” he asked in a low growling voice.

“I’m well I’m off to see if I can find some work…” before he could even finish Mr. Hanes interrupted him “Its good to see such young blood in this place, your up every morning searching for a job. With all us old timers here its nice to see you trying so hard, have I ever told you your one of my favorite tenant you never once complain. And I know this place isn’t that great I can honestly say this place is dive yet us old timers find such peace in this.” He said as Damian nodded “as I find peace here as well” Damian responded as he saw Mr. Hanes grow a cheerful smile on his face. Damian was indeed the youngest tenant in this apartment building all the other tenants were around Mr. Hanes age bracket. They all lived here from the start and recalled the grand opening of the building telling Damian their memories of how beautiful it was. But not once faulting the age and state of the building currently just stating the time was never kind to either them or the building itself. Damian had grown attached to all the other tenants feeling like they were all one big family but he knew that was only fake as none of them knew his secret expect one elderly woman that lived on the third floor which was one floor under him. Mr. Hanes held his index finger up as if telling Damian to stay still for minute as he scurried over to his desk and pulled out an apple and handed it to Damian “Don’t forget to eat lunch okay, this is a gift for helping fix Mrs. Black’s radiator I really appreciate the help you give us old timers. You’re such a good boy, why couldn’t you have been my son?” Mr. Hanes joked Damian couldn’t help but smile as he took the apple in his hand and tucking it into his jacket pocket. “See you later tonight ‘Dad’” Damian joked as he headed to the entrance of the building.