The Start of Term feast, despite the unorthodox and slightly delayed beginning, quickly settled into its usual routine. Announcements were made, to include Harry informing the student body that it appeared that the main threat that had been hanging over their heads the last couple of years was over. But he cautioned that the students should remain vigilant for trouble and diligent in their studies. He and the rest of the faculty were particularly pleased, he told them, since last years exams had the highest average grades seen in many, many years. The warning about journeying into the Dark Forest was especially important, they were informed by Professor Sprout, since recent events had created some additional safety hazards and no one was allowed under the trees without appropriate escort.
Dominique Weasley sat quietly among her new housemates listening to the announcements while wondering what had become of Trevor Osborne, the small boy who had made the ride on the Express in her compartment and presented her, her new friends and the school administration with a significant mystery. His poor physical condition and even worse emotional and psychological state indicated the boy had suffered significant abuse for some time. How he had gotten on the train in the first place was a big question. He had his letter and his ticket but that was it. No robes, no school colors, no books, nothing.
She managed to eat her dinner and engage with her tablemates when drawn into the conversation but it was all half heartedly done. She received her schedule from her father who gave only the slightest of winks as any indication of their relationship. As her sister had before her, she had to explain that her father's facial scars were the result of a werewolf attack during the days of conflict against Voldemort and his Deatheaters. Yes, she stated, her father had in fact practiced what he taught.
Before she could make her way up to the hospital wing she had to spend some time after the meal being introduced to friends of her sister and cousin. One introduction provided one of the lighter moments in what had turned out to be a fairly serious day. When James' friend Cecil came over from the Hufflepuff table to greet his mate, James took the opportunity to introduce him to his newly arrived cousin. Now, obviously the boy had seen her walk in with the rest of the first years and then more clearly when she sat on the stool to wear the Sorting Hat. However, he apparently wasn't prepared for the full effect of standing a mere few feet away.
"Cecil," James began, "I want you to meet my cousin, Dominique. As you can probably tell, she's Vee's younger sister. Domi, this is my friend and partner in crime, Cecil Rhoades."
"Hello, Cecil, it's very nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand to the boy.
James couldn't help but smile at seeing his friend for quite possibly the first time in his life, at a loss for words. Dominique saw this too and she let her voice drop into that soft tone that worked so well on Trevor.
"I've heard your name before, of course. James has told me so much about you and how much help you were to him all last year."
This seemed to help Cecil get a hold of himself and with a bit of a shake of his head he took her hand and shook it while saying,
"Well, it's no big thing, really. He's me mate and you always have to have your mate's back."
She smiled that smile and James had to hide a laugh as he saw his mate blinking owlishly.
"It's certainly has been nice meeting you all. Victoire, when will I be able to get up to the hospital wing?"
"After we get up to the tower and you all hear what the Prefect has to say. Then I'll take you there but we won't be able to stay too long."
"That's alright," Domi said, "I just want to see that Trevor is okay. I promised him."
It was at this point that the various House prefects called their tables to attention and got the first years moving toward their new homes for the year. As Cecil watched Dominique walk away, James heard him mumble,
"Cor, blimey, two of 'em."
It took about half an hour before the two sisters were making their way to the hospital wing. Domi was talking in low tones, explaining to Vee what had happened on the train.
"Is he some kind of orphan, do you think?" Vee asked.
"I dunno, Vee. If he was I'd have thought Uncle Har..., I mean, the Professor would have known and made some sort of arrangements. The way they acted on the docks it was like they expected him to come just like anyone else."
"And you're sure it was bruises and not just him being dirty?"
"I'm pretty sure. We've been around Ted and James enough to know what bruises look like," Dominique replied.
When they reached the waiting room they found that the door to the ward was open and someone was talking to Madame Pomfrey already. The stood quietly and listened.
"Well, Harry, all I can tell at this point is that the boy might as well have been a bludger that the whole school had practiced with. There's hardly a spot on him that doesn't have a bruise of some kind. Some old, some new, but everywhere. I can't be sure, but there may be a few healed broken bones as well. I've sent to St. Mungo's for a specialist to confirm that. In all my years I've never seen a child in such a condition."
"Well, I'm sorry to burden you with this so early in the year, Madame Pomfrey. It's usually just stomach aches tonight."
"Nonsense, Harry. I'm a healer and this boy needs me, us, in fact. Now what?"
"I'm sending a message to an old friend in the Ministry. We know the address and we'll find out the particulars and go from there. I have my suspicions but at least for now the boy is safe. I have someone else in mind to have a chat with him. Young Miss Weasley did a tremendous job getting him to where he is now but I think more will be needed. I'll be back in the morning."
"Alright, Harry, I'll see you then. And Harry, it wouldn't kill either of us for you to call me Poppy. You are the Deputy Head after all."
"I know, but somehow it doesn't seem right," Harry replied with a grin.
As he turned to leave the ward he saw his two nieces standing patiently in the waiting room. He smiled and said,
"Well, we were just talking about you, Dominique. Again, our thanks for what you did for the boy. I hope you realize he's in the best of hands now and you needn't be concerned."
"I know, sir, but I did promise him that I'd come and see him after dinner. May I? Please?"
Harry turned to the Healer and said,
"What do you think?"
"I doubt he'll even know she's here, but it should be alright, for just a few moments. After all, a promise is a promise."
Harry stood back and watched as the two young witches followed Madame Pomfrey down the aisle between the rows of beds until they reached the last one. Under the blankets the small boy was laying on his side, pulled up into an even smaller ball. In the moonlight that was coming through the window, he looked even paler than he had on the train. The smudge of an old bruise was plainly visible on the one cheek they could see. Victoire said,
"He looks more like a china doll than he does a boy of eleven."
"I wonder what he did that could make someone hate him that much," Domi wondered.
Vee caught her eye and then gestured with her head to the man standing at the doorway on the other side of the ward.
"Need you really ask that?"
Domi merely nodded. They left soon afterward and Harry walked with them as far as the Gryffindor tower. Before letting them enter the tower Harry said,
"I know you two are concerned about the boy. You wouldn't be your mother's daughters and not be. But try not to worry too much. We'll take him in hand and get this mess straightened out one way or the other. Alright?"
"We know that, Uncle 'arry. You wouldn't be your mother's son if you didn't," Vee said with a smile.
Harry made to look around and then took the sisters in a one armed hug each, which they returned gladly. Harry went off to write some messages and the girls went into the common room to answer some questions. In the morning the business of learning got underway for the great majority of the occupants of the Hogwarts castle. But for a few, what they were trying to learn had a greater and more immediate significance. Harry had checked in with Madame Pomfrey before breakfast and found that the boy was still fast asleep and the only apparent difference was that he was on his other side, but still pulled up in a tight ball.
During breakfast a pair of wizards had appeared in the side doorway of the Great Hall and Harry had hurried off to meet them. He then escorted them up to the hospital ward and found that his other message had borne fruit as well because Abagail and Angus were sitting in the waiting room when they walked in.
"Hello there, little miss," Milligan said, "it's been a while."
"Yes, it has, Mr. Milligan, and I wish it were under better circumstances. Hello, Anthony."
"Abagail, Angus."
"So, Chief, what do we have here. Runaway, throwaway, what do you think?" Milligan asked.
"I'm not sure, but I'm thinking runaway. But for sure we know that he's been heavily abused. I want to know who and why and then we can decide what to do from there. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like Abagail to do the questioning. He's very frightened and withdrawn. My niece Dominique was able to get a few things out of him and I'm thinking Abagail can come up with the rest."
They talked for a bit more and then Harry had to leave to start his first class. A few minutes later Madame Pomfrey appeared and said,
"Trevor is awake and he's been eating. I've put a screen around his bed so he should feel more at ease just talking to Miss Westwood. The rest of you can use the chairs I've put on the other side, although I imagine you'll have to strain to hear the conversation."
With a nod and squeeze of Angus' hand she walked into the ward. It had been a long time since she had first been in here, visiting Harry that first year. She slowly approached the curtain and very carefully poked her head around the edge. Sitting on the bed, all huddled up was the boy, Trevor.
"Hello, Trevor, how are you getting on?" she asked in that whispery voice.
The boy jerked his head up and backed himself up against the bed's headboard.
"No, no, sweetheart, it's alright. My name is Abagail. Do you remember Dominique from yesterday?"
The terrified boy managed a brief nod.
"Well, she's my cousin and she asked me to tell you that she came up to see you last night like she promised and that you were sound asleep. She couldn't come this morning because she has classes but she'll be by later. She thought maybe we could talk for a while instead," Abagail explained, as she stepped around the curtain. "Would that be alright? Can we talk?"
He shrugged a bit. Abagail took that as a positive and moved to sit in the chair that had been placed near but not too close to the bed. It would have been a simple thing to just sit there and read the boy, peel him as she would say, but she didn't think that would be right. She would try to get him to tell her things and let her mind pick up additional details.
"And do you know what else? You remember Professor Potter?"
A nod.
"Well, he's my dad."
A look of confusion.
"I know, he kind of adopted me when I wasn't much older than you. I lost my parents and then my grandparents and when it looked like I'd have nobody to take care of me, he took me in and I've been a part of his family ever since. So he knows how to help people really well and he'd like to help you. Do you think you'd like for him to help you?"
The start of a shrug that turned into a nod.
"That's wonderful, sweetheart. Can you start by telling me how you got to the train station?"
The boy looked out the window and then, finally, directly at Abagail. He looked into those big dark eyes and said,
"Ran away."
"So you ran away from home. How did you know to come to King's Cross?"
"Letter," he said, reaching under his pillow and pulling out the grubby piece of parchment.
"Ah, your letter, yes. Did your parents give that to you when it arrived?"
His head shake was pronounced and his eyes went back to the window.
"How did you get your letter, then?"
"Got it from the furnace."
"Your letter came down the flue pipe to the furnace? How did you know it was there?"
"Heard it."
"You heard it land in the furnace? Where you playing in the basement?"
Again the emphatic head shake.
"Kept down there."
"You were kept in the basement? Your parents kept you down there?"
"Not real parents."
"Oh, you didn't live with your real parents then. Where they relatives, like aunt and uncle or grandparents?"
Head shake.
"Fester," he said.
Abagail wondered at that for a moment and then said,
"You mean foster. You live with a foster family."
Small nod.
"And your real parents?"
Shrug.
"Don't know, never said."
The boy looked down at the tray on the stand next to his bed. There was still some cereal and juice there.
"If you're hungry or thirsty, you can have some more, sweetheart. There's plenty more, believe me."
So the boy ate and drank some more and then huddled down again, his knees by his chin, his arms around his lower legs.
"Trevor, where did those marks come from? On your arms and legs," Abagail asked, seeing more marks on his ankles and shins as the legs of his pyjama's rode up.
He shrugged then looked at her and said,
"Them, hit me."
"Your foster parents hit you?"
"All did."
"What, the whole family hit you?"
Nod.
"But why? You seem like such a sweet boy, why would they hit you?"
He looked up into those bottomless eyes and his began to get shiny and he blinked rapidly. Abagail slowly slid off the chair and perched on the edge of the bed.
"Why, Trevor? Tell me why."
"For being me," he finally said with a gulp. "Called me demon and witch. The devil. I'm not, I'm not," he finished as his voice faded and the tears began to run down his face.
Abagail moved forward and the boy lunged to meet her. She wrapped her arms around his back and held on as his frail body was wracked with spasming sobs. She ran her hands up and down his back, whispering in his ear that things were going to get better. And as she did she opened herself to the boy and as he cried in his anguish she was filling with revulsion that threatened to bring her breakfast up with it. It would be several hours before she would have the chance to share what she knew with Harry. In that time she thought back to the times he had done the same things for her and her admiration for her father grew by leaps and bounds.
She was sitting in the room behind the faculty table along with Harry, the two investigators, Angus and Professor Sprout. She looked at her father and said,
"Harry, I don't know what I want to do more. Go sit in a corner and cry, or hunt down those horrid creatures and set fire to their house, with them all in it. It wasn't just the beatings, Harry. They had him locked in the basement for over two years. He could only remember being outside a few times during all that. He said they were foster parents, but I'm not sure how that happened, since he doesn't know anything about his real parents and there didn't seem to be any inspectors or case workers so I'm not sure if it was anything official."
"Does he remember how old he was when the beatings started?" Harry asked.
"His sense of time is a mess. He was surprised when he found out he was eleven when his letter arrived. He knows why though. Apparently he doesn't like the dark very much. So he would wish for a light to come on and it would, or a candle would begin to burn. They called him a demon, a witch, all sorts of things and thought they could beat it out of him. When people noticed odd things about the boy, that's when he went into the basement."
"Didn't anyone notice the boy gone? What about the muggle authorities?" Professor Sprout asked.
"He doesn't know, so I couldn't find that out. When he finally got his letter, it made him think he had a place to go. To escape to. There was a door to the outside from the basement that was always locked. He wished and wished and did a lot of tugging and pushing and finally the door opened. I don't know if he managed it with magic, brute force or both but he was out. As best I can tell it was five days, maybe a week for him to get to King's Cross. Mostly walking, a few rides on the backs of lorries. He stole food where he could and drank water from where he found it."
"How'd he know how to get onto platform nine and three quarters?" Anthony asked.
"He watched and saw some other witches and wizards go through. He's a wizard so the spell to keep muggles away didn't work on him. No one paid him much attention and didn't notice he had no trunk or bag. You know the rest."
Harry took in and then let out a long breath. He stared up at the ceiling. Then he looked at the others and said,
"Well, we have the boy and he's safe. We'll do what we can for him. If you two would do me a favor and take the information Abagail has provided and look in on these people. If it looks as bad as she says, I think we can make the case for keeping Trevor away from them. We can work something out, I suppose. After all, the Ministry's official charter covers all matters magical, right?"
"As far as I know, Chief, but I'll confirm it."
"I'll talk to the other Heads, Harry and see if something like this has happened before and if so, how it was handled," Professor Sprout offered.
"Thank you, all of you. I wonder if there is some way to modify the spell that tells us who the kids are that need to come here to alert us to things like this. I wonder how many we may have missed in the past," he mused.
"Harry, could I talk to you in private for a moment?" Abagail asked as they stood up.
"Of course," he replied.
She turned to Angus and said,
"I'll be out in a minute, sweetheart."
He just nodded. When Abagail and Harry were alone she looked at him and said,
"That could have been me, you know."
"Oddly enough that thought crossed my mind."
"I just wanted to say thank you, Harry, for what you've done for me. I'll never be able to do enough to repay you and Ginny and the others for taking me in and giving me a home, and a family," she said.
"There's no way that you should ever think that you should have to, little one. In fact, you've been doing things in ways both big and small that make us glad every day that we found you. Today being a very big one," he said and he held out his arms and she stepped into one of those big hugs.
Harry didn't have much of an appetite so he skipped lunch and went to the hospital wing to check on the boy. After crying himself out he had fallen back to sleep and hadn't awakened yet, Madame Pomfrey reported. He had a class so he went down to his classroom and waited. He had thought that with the demise of the old ones he could get back to the business of educating the youngsters of the magical world. He had forgotten just how tricky that task could be.
Nor was it a piece of pumpkin cake to try and raise a precocious boy with a penchant of mechanisms, mundane or magical. He had to remind himself that Albus was expecting a second trip to the muggle library to get some books on internal combustion engines and muggle maths. Harry was wondering if his second son was going to be a wizard, some form of muggle engineer, or maybe both. He didn't have a clue about what the boy was up to but if he ever finds a jet engine strapped to the bristles of his Eddie Hillchurch special, there would be some very serious words with the boy's grandfather.
This line of thought was broken by the arrival of his students from both Hufflepuff and Slytherin. He had to smile to himself as he watched two thirds of the MacTavish triplets walk in and take seats next to each other. He was struggling to remember which of the three wound up in Hufflepuff while the third went to Ravenclaw. Another facet to what was already shaping up to be an interesting year.
"Alright, everyone, find a seat and give me your full attention. Welcome to transfiguration. I'd just like to check a few details. Gentlemen," he directed at the two triplets, "I have you down as Angus and Fergus MacTavish. Have I got that correct?"
"Aye, Professor, spot on," replied one of the boys.
"So it's Seamus who went to Ravenclaw."
"That's right, sir," the other confirmed. "He's the brains of this outfit. We're the muscle," he finished, joining his brother in wide grins.
Harry had a sudden premonition that he was looking at the northern version of the Weasley twins with an extra helping of brains. He was at least happy that their accents were more along the lines of Oliver Wood than Abagail's Angus. It would make understanding their explanations about future transgressions that much easier. He gave his head a bit of a shake and moved on with the class. He had a feeling that the Hufflepuff head of house was in for an interesting seven years.
Over the next several days the story that was Trevor Osborne unfolded. Diligent searching and cautious questioning by Anthony and some of his best detectives failed to turn up a shred of evidence that supported the existence of the boy or his connection to the family that lived at the address where Trevor's letter had been delivered. The closest they got was a neighbor mentioning something about some little kid that they remember seeing a few times but hadn't been around for the last couple of years. Before the magical detectives left, the person volunteered that there seemed to be a lot of yelling and activity in and around the house in question about a week or so ago. They never did find the reason for all the tumult but somebody was very upset, it seemed.
The plan was to identify the responsible adults in the house and bring Abagail into close proximity for a good peeling. The boy's case had come to the attention of the Director of Magical Law Enforcement and he was very anxious to know the boy's history. As for the boy himself, he was making a slow physical recovery, with regular meals and plenty of sleep and daily visits to the outdoor patio that Harry had found so beneficial during his recovery after his collapse after the battle with Voldemort.
He was also receiving regular visits from the Weasley sisters and Abagail. His answers still consisted mostly of head gestures and single digit word answers but he was making consistent eye contact and not trying to back himself against whatever vertical surface was handy. Early on the first Saturday morning of the new term, Abagail and the two sisters visited together with an offer for the boy.
"Trevor," Abagail said softly, "Domi, Vee and I are going down to see Professor Hagrid and his dog Wullie. Would you like to come with us and meet Wullie? He's quite large but a very nice dog. Do you like dogs?"
A nod and what might have been a bit of a smile.
"So would you like to come with us?" Domi asked.
A brief pause and then a nod.
Twenty minutes later, for the first time in nearly a week, the battered boy on the train left the hospital wing in the company of the best looking entourage seen at Hogwarts in many years. He was walking fairly well, with no evident effects of his escape and flight to Hogwarts. All was not well, however, since the sight of any other student would cause the boy to try and lose himself in the group of girls escorting him. Once outside, he seemed to relax a bit and his head swiveled, taking in the various sights. As they drew closer to the edge of the forest he seemed to take an interest in what might be in the shadows under the trees. Domi noticed and said,
"Do you think the trees are interesting, Trevor? It's one of Professor Potter's favorite places. But students aren't allowed in there alone. It can be quite dangerous."
He looked at her with what appeared to be actual interest. As the hut came into sight, the booming bark of Wullie drifted towards them. Trevor slowed his pace slightly and Abagail said,
"It's okay, Trevor. He's really a very nice dog and we'll make sure he behaves himself."
When Wullie made his appearance the boy stopped dead in his tracks. Domi, Vee and Abagail stopped and looked at the boy. It was a little difficult to tell but it appeared he was more fascinated than he was fearful. He took a few steps forward and stopped again. Wullie stood on the trail, his long tail wagging quickly, his head tilted to the side, regarding the boy.
Many a muggle, even the most mundane, would swear that there was something magical about dogs and their awareness of the moods and needs of those close to them. Many a sad companion would find a furry head with big sad eyes in their lap, begging for some head rubs that would, in time, lighten the mood. Imagine the canine intuition that would develop in a dog raised in the midst of one of the most magical places on earth.
Instead of his usual headlong charge and abrupt halt, Wullie approached slowly, practically one paw at a time. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, giving the appearance of an open mouth smile. When he reached within a few feet of the boy, Trevor raised his hands, palms outward; as if he wasn't sure he wanted the big hound mix to come any closer. Wullie chose to proceed and he lightly butted his head against the boy's hand.
"See, Trevor. He's very gentle if you want him to be. He wants you to pet his head," Vee told him.
He looked up at the tall girl, his eyes wide and he turned toward the dog again and began to lightly run his hand over the dog's wiry coat. What followed next took the three witches by surprise. Trevor stepped close to Wullie, went down to one knee and wrapped his arms around the dog's heavy neck and pressed the side of his face against Wullie's. After a few moments the big dog sat down by walking his rear legs forward and dropping to his haunches without unduly disturbing the boy. It didn't appear that the boy or the dog were interested in breaking contact so Abagail made a wide detour around them and headed for the hut. Domi and Vee could see her knock and then look up as Hagrid appeared.
After another ten minutes the two sisters took the same route that Abagail took and walked down to the hut and took seats on the steps so they could relax while keeping an eye on the boy and dog. They accepted cups of tea from Hagrid and talked quietly among themselves, wondering what the cause of Trevor's behavior was. Abagail said she would try and get him to explain it and wasn't sure if it was critical enough for her to take a look. It took half an hour before the boy finally stood up and walked toward the hut with Wullie pacing alongside. It was an odd sight considering that Trevor's shoulders weren't all that much higher off the ground than Wullie's.
At the hut Wullie walked up to the girls to get some attention from them while the boy moved closer to the edge of the forest to try and look in under the trees. When he reached the area of the trail entrance the girls saw him begin to back away as a large figure began to emerge from the shadows. When Morgotta fully emerged into the sunlight the boy simply went over backward in a dead faint. The sisters rushed forward while Hagrid and Abagail followed a bit more slowly.
"My apologies," the Centaur Loremaster said. "I did not think the young human would react in such a manner."
It was extremely difficult to tell what a Centaur was feeling by their expression, but her voice did give away her sense of anxiety.
"It's not your fault, really, Morgotta," Victoire said, "Trevor has had a very difficult time of it and he's pretty skittish."
"Perhaps a bit more explanation could make that more clear," Morgotta suggested.
So while Domi and Abagail did what they could to get the boy back on his feet, Morgotta and Victoire moved back into the shadows of the trail so the young witch could explain Trevor's predicament to the Centaur. By the time Trevor was once more aware of his surroundings and had been moved inside the hut, Morgotta was fully informed of his situation and greatly angered. Of course an angry Centaur was not so visibly different from a happy one but for those who knew, the signs were there and it was most evident in her voice.
"Can you explain to me, Victoire Weasley, how it is that a race of beings that can produce the likes of Friend Harry Potter and your family in general, can also produce individuals capable of such callous and grievous crimes as you have just described?"
"No, Morgotta, I can't. I don't know if anyone can. I think the best we can do is know that it happens and deal with it as we can. My uncle has people looking at this so called family of his and if necessary I think Trevor will be taken away from them. It's not unlike the situation with my friend Estelle, although she never took a beating, I think. She was probably to strong for them to risk it."
"Yes, such cowardice will usually retreat when confronted. Do you think, Victoire Weasley, that the young human would be willing to meet me again? I would not like to leave him with a negative impression of his first encounter with a Centaur."
"We can try. Abagail is very good at getting through to him. My sister doesn't do too badly either," Vee replied.
Vee hurried toward the hut while Morgotta came to stand about midway between the forest and the hut. It took about ten minutes before the door opened and Abagail Westwood emerged with Trevor at her side. Vee and Domi stood behind them. Wullie and Hagrid remained inside.
Abagail and the boy made it about halfway towards the Loremaster when he pulled up short and refused to move. Morgotta watched as Abagail spoke quietly to him and saw the brief head movement that she knew was a negative response for humans. Having interacted with a number of Hogwarts students since embarking on her joint effort with Harry she thought she could do something to help the boy. Slowly and smoothly she settled down into a reclining position.
She watched as Abagail spoke to him again and after a moment he took a step forward, then another and another until he was within a few paces of the Centaur. Her expression took on a softer look and while not exactly smiling, it was as close to pleasant as Abagail could ever remember seeing.
"Greetings, young human. My apologies for causing you such distress."
Abagail spoke in his ear and the boy looked at Morgotta and said,
"'s okay."
"Your forbearance is greatly appreciated. I had noticed that you were taking a great interest in the forest. That is what prompted me to approach you. Is there something that you would like to know about my home?"
After a moment the boy asked,
"You live in there?"
"Indeed, as does all my herd, a fair number of us. As do many other creatures of various types and sizes," she replied.
After a bit of hesitation he asked,
"What do you do in there?"
"We live, we hunt, we learn and we watch the sky to see what the stars have to tell us."
"No, you," he emphasized the last word.
"Ah, I am a Loremaster of my people. I teach the young about our past, our traditions and our place in the world. A place that is changing, in fact."
"Stories?"
"Yes, you could say that. Do you enjoy listening to stories?"
He nodded. Morgotta regarded him for a moment and then asked,
"Can you return to this place tomorrow after the noon meal?"
Trevor looked at Abagail and she nodded. He turned to Morgotta and nodded again.
"Excellent. I look forward to our next meeting, young human. Would you accept my hand?"
He looked back at Abagail, who whispered in his ear. He looked uncertain but slowly stepped closer and held out his hand. Morgotta took hold of his wrist and said,
"This is how we Centaurs do it."
Trevor took hold of her wrist and Morgotta gave a brief squeeze. When they released the grip the boy turned and began to move back toward the hut and the sisters who waited, smiling. Abagail stepped forward and said quietly,
"Thank you, Friend Morgotta. That was truly amazing. He needs so much reassurance and contact with people. There is so much fear there, it was wonderful that he could get over his fright of you."
"I am glad to do it, Friend Abagail Westwood. His initial reaction was most unsettling. I suppose I have gotten accustomed to my association with the students. And his story as relayed by Victoire Weasley struck me as familiar. While the Serpent King did not suffer as severely physically as this boy, the stories share similar threads. I could not be of help to Friend Harry Potter. Perhaps I can offer some assistance in this case."
Abagail smiled and nodded. Her thoughts in the matter were not so different. It actually turned out to be an even more interesting day for Trevor once Abagail and the sisters brought him back to the castle, although it took a bit to get him away from Wullie. It looked like the big dog had made another friend. Trevor was brought to the outside room of the Heads office where he was persuaded to put on the Sorting Hat. It was the strangest sorting anyone present had seen. It appeared that the hat was having an actual conversation with the boy and it took the better part of ten minutes before the hat declared that Trevor should be in Hufflepuff house.
Professor Sinistra, who had taken over Hufflepuff house when Professor Sprout became Headmistress came and had a short conversation with Trevor and took him in hand and escorted him to his dorm room. There was a surprise waiting for him there. At the foot of his bed was a brand new trunk that contained all the books and supplies that he needed. Also, three new student robes and all new clothes. The Professor spoke quietly to the boy and then assembled his dorm mates in her office. There it was explained to them the boy's situation and their role in dealing with it. Words like responsibility, kindness and acceptance weighed heavily, as did the unacceptability of teasing, harassment or cruelty and the consequences of any such transgressions.
That evening at dinner, Harry had chosen to remain so that he could get a feel for how the boy was going to integrate himself into the student body. As he sat at the faculty table he let his eyes roam over the students. He saw the boy at the very end of the Hufflepuff table. He appeared to be eating well enough and somewhat listening to the conversation taking place, if not really participating. Directly across from him were the two triplets who had been placed in Hufflepuff. Harry had to think these two would either pull Trevor out of his shell or scare the daylights out of him. However, at the moment it appeared they were more interested in talking to each other and yelling over to their brother at the Ravenclaw table.
His eyes shifted to the Gryffindors and he could see that both Domi and Vee were looking over at Trevor as much as they were engaging with their housemates. He had to smile when he saw that while two school years apart, James and Kai had conspired to get as close as they could and maintain eye contact. He was sitting on one side of the table next to a third year while Kai sat on the other side next to a third year. This meant the two could see each other diagonally across the third year section, holding a conversation with looks, gestures and occasional words at volume. In this area of student life, his son was certainly no chip off the old block.
After dinner he went up to his office to sign some paper work and then he returned to the Great Hall, not to work, but to observe. He saw his son, Kai, nieces and nephew and their friends doing homework and having conversations. At the Ravenclaw table was a pair of fourth years engaged in a game of Wizards chess. Harry walked over and watched for a short time and could see that the young wizard playing white was already in trouble but not irrevocably so. The black player looked up and said,
"Oh, yes sir?"
"Carry on, gentlemen. I just wanted to watch a bit," Harry replied.
One of the students who were watching looked and Harry and asked,
"Do you play, sir?"
"Yes, I do, not too badly. Although my best friend beats me routinely."
The white player asked,
"Sir, my cousin once mentioned that you own a really amazing antique set. You had it up here one winter?"
"Ah, yes, he was here during that brutal winter we had snow drifts up to the second floor windows. Everyone was trapped inside for weeks and weeks. I thought the set would help provide some diversions."
"When was that, sir?"
"Well, let's see, my oldest was born the spring after and he'll be thirteen this spring so it was almost thirteen years ago."
"It sounds like an amazing set to play on."
Harry had a thought. The more he considered it the better he liked it.
"Gentlemen, why don't we try something? How about we set up a school wide tournament? If we get enough interest we can do the first few rounds on standard boards and then perhaps the quarters, semis, and final on my set. But I leave it to you to organize it. What do you think?"
"Sounds brilliant, sir. We'll work something up and come see you," the youngster playing white said.
Harry nodded and then drifted over towards the Hufflepuffs and he saw Trevor still sitting in the same spot but now he was looking at a copy of the Care of Magical Creatures text book, apparently borrowed from the library. It was more like he was skimming the pictures, actually Abagail's illustrations, and something occurred to him but he thought he wasn't the one to investigate so he walked over to the Gryffindor table.
"Domi, I need your help."
"Of course, Uncle..I mean, sir," she said with a small smile.
"We were so worried about Trevor's physical condition, I didn't think to look into his academic capabilities. In fact, I have no idea if the boy can even read. I noticed he was just sitting there leafing through the Magical Creatures book, looking at the pictures. Would you mind going over and talking to him and finding out what you can about that? You seem to be able to talk to him pretty well."
"Yes, sir. I'd be happy to," she replied.
Domi rose and walked nonchalantly over to the Hufflepuff table and quietly sat down across from Trevor and smiled at him. He looked up from his book and while he didn't smile he didn't flinch or look away which was a good sign.
"Hi, Trevor."
"'lo."
"How are doing tonight?"
"'kay."
"Did you enjoy your time at Professor Hagrid's today?"
A nod.
"And how about meeting Morgotta, that must have been pretty special," she said softly.
A nod.
"I understand that you're going back tomorrow to hear some of her stories about the Centaurs."
A nod and then a barely heard string of words while he looked down at his book.
"What was that again?"
"Come with me, please," he said just above a whisper.
"You want me to come with you to see Morgotta tomorrow? I'd be happy to, thank you for inviting me, sweetie."
Another nod.
"I see your looking at the Magical Creatures textbook. Aren't the pictures amazing? They're so lifelike."
A nod.
"Did you see who drew the illustrations, it's on the cover?"
Trevor closed the book and looked at the cover and the names of the authors, editor and illustrator. He looked up at Domi with his eyebrows raised.
"Recognize any of the names?"
"Professor Hagrid, Abagail."
Domi smiled knowing now at least he could read names.
"That's my uncle," she said pointing to Charlie Weasley's name, "and that's my Aunt Ginny, Professor Potter's wife."
Another nod.
"Do you like to read about animals, Trevor?"
A nod and a shrug.
"Did you get to read much before coming to Hogwarts?"
A head down shrug and a barely audible
"Not much, long time."
"So it's been a while, well, you'll get a chance to read all kinds of things here at school. And learn lots of amazing things," Domi said with a smile as she reached across and took his hand for a moment and squeezed it. "And Trevor, if you need help, all you have to do is ask. Lots of people will be glad to help you."
A nod.
"Okay, well, I have to get back to my homework and let you do your reading. So, I'll see you tomorrow and we'll go down and see Morgotta, alright?"
Dominique stood up and as she turned to walk away she heard,
"Domi?"
She turned and saw that Trevor had slid off the bench and was standing less than an arms length away from her.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"'nk you," he said quietly.
"What's that, oh, well, of course you're very welcome, Trevor. I'm glad I was able to help."
And then to her surprise he stepped up and hugged her. She put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him back, resting her cheek on his head.
"It's alright, sweetie. We'll make it all better, I promise."
It might have made the boy feel even better if he knew he was now the envy of every boy in the Great Hall who wasn't related to Dominique.