Mom had once again stormed from the room, leaving me to handle the slumbering brute on the floor. I crouched next to him, watching his breath rise and fall. I slapped his cheeks a couple of times and then proceeded to shove his head and shoulders. My eyes searched the room for whatever she had struck him with, but couldn't seem to find anything. Whatever it was, she had him out cold...

Sighing, I stood again. It was just as well. I'd leave it to the police to deal with removing him. I strolled over to the rotary phone sitting on a small table next to the couch, keeping my eye on him the entire time. As I was mid-way through dialing the number for the sheriff's department, I hesitated...did I really want cops involved? I looked back to where Delilah had disappeared and slowly set the phone back down.

"Why don't we just tell a police man? Aren't they supposed to help people in trouble?" little Gerald asked innocently.

The woman let out a long breath, "Some things the police can't help with. In fact...bringing them into things is more likely to cause trouble than to solve anyone's problems."

"How would it hurt more to have people trying help?" the young boy didn't understand.

"Because people are judgmental," his mother snapped, "They don't understand and blame you for having problems in the first place. They told me it was my own fault to get mixed up in all of this!"

The confused child backed away from his mother, wondering why she had gotten so angry this time. He glanced from her to the bottle of whiskey sitting next to her...and then the glass that had been thrice emptied in her shaking hand. Was everyone really bad people?

"I'm sorry, Mama..." the boy offered. "I won't talk to the police."

Delilah removed glossy eyes from the boy and reached to fill her glass once more, "They're strangers. Never talk to strangers, Gerald. It's dangerous. To stay safe, you just stick with me because you know me...I'll protect you from them...from everyone. You're safe as long as you're with me. It's best we handle things on our own."

Putting my attention back on Rick momentarily, I thought about what I should do. Surely if I could get him up, he wouldn't be stupid enough to try and keep fighting. Now, how to wake him...the spell book. Tom had wished for me to practice on something called 'the stunning spell' this week. I remembered the incantation for it, stupefy, but the reviving spell that counter-acted it had a more difficult word of power. Skipping over to the door where I had dropped my bag on the way in, I retrieved the book and returned to where I could easily watch the man.

I quickly flipped to the appropriate page. Rennervate... If it could wake someone from being knocked out with the other charm, then it should wake someone with a concussion, right? I re-read the brief motion to make use of the spell, giving one quick look to the empty hallway where Mom had gone to close herself inside her room. As I listened carefully, I heard nothing. Okay, quickly, Gerald... I pointed two fingers at the man's chest and spoke the incantation.

Nothing.

"Rennervate," I repeated and still nothing happened. "Fuck!"

I immediately ducked after growling, as if it would aid in retracting the curse; my eyes once more glued to the direction of the bedrooms. No movement and no sound. Good. If she heard me, she was ignoring it. "Rennervate," I spoke once more, my aggravation fueling the spell, and successfully summoning red energy that shot to the body on the floor, causing him to rouse.

"Ugh...what the hell?" Rick slowly began to sit up, rubbing his head.

I waited for him to wake enough that he could glare up at me, his rage becoming confused shock as his mind caught up to the event, "Get the fuck out of my house and leave me alone. I won't be so nice next time."

The man scrambled to his feet, yelling at me as he made his way out of the house, slamming the screen door behind him, "You're a freak! YOU'RE ALL FUCKING FREAKS!"

I wasn't going to lie...seeing the bulky redneck squirm was delightful. Following after, once he was out of sight, I peered out the door just to be sure he was keeping on his path away from my property. He was already a good distance from by the time I went and looked. I fell back inside, strolling towards my mother's room and lifting a fist to knock on the closed entry...but I stopped...letting my arm drop back to the side. My eyes stayed on the wooden block in front of me for a few moments longer before I finally sighed and left.

Taking a seat on the couch, I picked up Tom's book and began committing the new spells to memory. I should have gone and actually practiced them. However, I wasn't about to leave her alone...not after what just happened. I won't be so nice next time. My own threat repeated in my head and I scoffed at myself. What would I actually do if they tried to show their asses again? It wasn't like I could just kill them...could I?

Avada kedavra. I'm not of mind to harm anyone unprovoked, but yes, I've used it...in the name of protecting myself and wizard kind. The conversation with my teacher concerning the killing curse played back. It was so simple...just point and utter the words and they'd be dead... And I had most definitely been provoked. Surely Tom would understand that...see it that way.

I shook my head from the thought. I wasn't just going to kill someone because they were an inconvenience...however, if they did try to hurt my mom or me again, I wouldn't hold back. If that meant using more magic on them...if it meant killing them to be sure they didn't reveal that I was a wizard... But no, I couldn't do it then either. Even if I got rid of their bodies properly, wouldn't it be suspicious that after our little quarrels, they just happened to turn up missing?

Think, Gerald, think it through... No, this wasn't an option at present. Besides, I was still entirely new to this. I probably couldn't even make use of such advanced magic...

I returned to my studies, eventually falling asleep in my spot until my mom happened by and shoved me awake, "Gerald? Gerald, are you alright?"

"Huh?" my eyes shot open and I nearly dropped the book still sitting in my lap.

"I didn't want to bother you, but..." she pulled something up into view- my alarm clock, "Your alarm was going off."

"Oh...right..." I took the machine out of her hand and set it on the cushion next to me before slowly rising from my seat, "Thanks."

"Gerald?" the woman's voice was soft, "I'm sorry."

I turned and stared at her quizzically.

"I...I shouldn't have gone off on you like that...I was just..."

"It's ok," I reassured her, not really knowing if it was or not, "I should have been more careful, more considerate of your safety...but I don't take back what I said."

The woman nodded with a weak smile, making it impossible for me to tell her true thoughts...whether she simply didn't want to antagonize the situation or she knew there had been at least some truth in what I had barked at her last night. "I love you," she finally said.

I offered the same small grin, "I love you too."

Following the start of it, the day had been ordinary. I got ready for work and headed out as I normally did, still uneasy about seeing my coworkers again, yet somehow more confident than the first time. Although I didn't want Delilah to be home alone, even after she assured me she would be fine, I didn't have much choice other than to go to the factory for my shift. It actually came as a relief to see Allan, Rick, and Casper all at their regular posts. That meant they hadn't skipped out in favor of tormenting my mother.

The next several weeks came and went as usual with no further distress from the trio other than to shoot me dirty looks at work or do other petty things like try and trip me and not delivering messages from the supervisor to me. I paid them no heed, just thankful that there had been no more actual fighting and no visits to my home. However, as a Friday came around again, I noticed that they weren't the only ones acting differently towards me. It didn't fully register until I had approached someone at the factory who I had often had to ask for different tools or such to complete my task. Instead of their usual kindness and helping me get the equipment I needed, they were very...stand-offish. Not aggressive and not overtly rude, but...like they were iffy about associating with me. It was then that my mind picked up that others had been acting the same way and more continued to do so afterward...

"You believe these men are poisoning others against you?" Tom observed during our regular meeting.

I had told him about the incident with the men following me home and the uneasy feelings I had at work, "It seems that way..." my thoughts returned to my contemplation of their murders...thoughts I hadn't shared with Tom, "This memory charm might have come in handy if I could have known it to use on them before any rumors spread."

A devious grin crept onto the wizard's face, "A grand idea, but yes, it would be unwise to attempt to obliviate so many muggles at this point...especially when your true secret isn't at risk."

I nodded, continuing to gaze upon the lake in silence.

"This isn't the only way you've thought about ending your problem with them, is it, Gerald?" Tom poked.

I swallowed, cutting my eyes at him, "I won't lie and say other options haven't entered my mind."

"Mmm..." the man hummed, "You have a good reason for not altering memories at this point...what is your reasoning for not pursuing these other options?"

I exhaled sharply, "The same...more or less. Threat of exposure."

"Good man," Tom complimented though I felt another thought coming.

When he didn't immediately speak it, I prompted him by saying, "What would you do in my place?"

"I remember a time," his voice shifted to an amused tone, "When a fellow student at Hogwarts threatened my well-being. He was a wild one, always putting the rest of us in danger because of his obsession with different animals and other magical creatures. His attention eventually fell to me. You see, I had been trying to further my magical knowledge and entered an area of the school that was forbidden. The Chamber of Secrets, they called it," Tom paused, as if lost in a memory.

"And what happened with him?"

"He threatened to...seal the chamber forever, once he had found out about my venture," Tom continued, "I couldn't let that happen. There was too much to be gained from this cavern," he looked over at me, "Knowledge should never be kept secret, Gerald." He waited for me to nod in agreement before finishing, "At that point, it was known that the chamber had been opened, just not who had done it. So, I captured his pet and set it free in the dungeons. He, of course, went after it and I used this scenario to pin him as the one who opened it."

Much as I suspected, Tom was of the mind to do what needed to be done. Acting in favor of your convictions of what was honorable instead of simply following the rules...the laws. If what was best meant the use of dark means, then it was justified. This student had crossed Tom, tried to stop his him from achieving his convictions so he kept that from happening. If it should come down to it, I would simply have to weave a plausible defense just as Tom had. "What was his name?" I wondered, "This fellow student of yours?"

The wizard tilted his head and smiled at me, "Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Refresher: In the books, Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets upon learning he was the heir to Slytherin, and set the Basilisk loose to attack several muggle-born students, even killing one. If it had remained unknown who was behind this, Hogwarts would have been closed. To prevent this so that the Chamber could be opened years later and release his soul from inside with use of his diary, Tom framed Hagrid after hearing him speak to his pet acromantula, Eragog, in the area, claiming that it was the spider and not the basilisk that attacked the students. In that way, the school remained open and Hagrid was expelled, his wand snapped in two.