Challenge: Fire the Canon's Character of the Week Drabble Competition (week 5) on HPFC; Cheeky Slytherin Lass' Fanfiction Scavenger Hunt Competition on HPFC.
Character: Cuthbert Binns, OC (father - Wyatt Binns)
Prompt: Familial relationshipl; 23. A childhood fic
Word count: 200
A/N: Wyatt is Cuthberts' (Professor Binns) father. His mother is unnamed, died when he was young.
Wyatt Binns died two weeks after his son graduated from Hogwarts. The old wizard had been a genius, the only family that Cuthbert had ever known. His mother had died so long ago, he now had nothing but a vague impression of eyes as dark as his own.
That was how the seventeen-year-old Cuthbert Binns came to be alone. Wyatt had not been young, and Cuthbert knew that he'd lived a full life. It was with content resignation that he recalled a conversation he'd had with the older man, having just gotten into trouble for the first time ever.
"Did you offer to fix the window?" Wyatt, old even then, asked.
"Yes," Cuthbert sniffed.
"And what did she say?"
"She said - she said to go home."
"So you did offer."
"Yes, but - "
"Son, let me give you some advice about helping people. You offered her your help, which is really all you can do. You owe her a favour, as you inconvenienced her, but otherwise that's fine. The important thing is that you remain willing to be inconvenienced, to help others. It's character building."
Standing at his graveside years later, Cuthbert knew he'd never forget the advice.
