Chapter 37
"Alright, James, me mate, just what is the caper this time?"
"Caper? Cecil, what are you talking about?"
"James, stop playing silly buggers, willya? You've got that map in your hand and that means you're up ta somthin'."
"Look, you have to admit, things have gotten a little dull around here. It's half way between Halloween and Christmas, it's months until exams, and to tell you the truth, I'm bored out of my mind. I thought maybe we could have a look at some of these tunnels," James said as he unfolded the map on the table in the back of the library.
"Alright. I'm willin', but it brings up a question. Why?"
"What do you mean, why? It's a map and it's got places on it we haven't been to yet. That's why."
"But why worry about tunnels that lead ta Hogsmeade? If we show up there some Prefect is going ta spot us. Next year we'll be able ta go with no worries," Cecil pointed out.
"What about an invisibility spell?"
"Yeah, right. Try buyin' a bottle of butterbeer bein' invisible."
"Alright, well, maybe we won't need it to sneak into Hogsmeades but we might need it to sneak out of the castle sometime," James ventured.
"Try again. What could happen that would make us want to sneak out of here? You got another girlfriend down in the forest somewhere?"
"No, of course not. But lot's of weird stuff has been going on lately. Who knows? And Ronin told me you should always know a way out as much as a way in."
"Look, mate, I'm willin' to make the effort, but I still think you're punchin' at shadows."
Unfortunately neither of them got the chance to make any headway with their explorations beyond identifying the hidden entries within the castle. Apparently Kai had done some major agitation with the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and there was a rumor floating around the common room that the head of house wasn't happy with the sloppy win against Ravenclaw. As a result James was added to the reserve roster and had to work out with the team, in addition to his time with 'The Kids'.
Cecil was putting in extra time trying to capitalize on his success with Dominique on the dance floor during the Halloween Ball. It was obvious that the girl had enjoyed his attention that evening and subsequent encounters were always amiable but he didn't get the feeling that she found him of any interest beyond that of her cousin's best friend. When he mentioned it to said cousin, the response wasn't particularly encouraging.
"Look, Cecil, I don't think I can offer you any help here. I barely know what's going on with Kai. I have no idea what might be going on inside Domi's head. But I do know that she's not the type of girl that would mess you around. If she's nice to you when you're around her it means she doesn't find you a total oik and you haven't blown your chance."
"Um, well, thanks, mate. I think," Cecil replied.
Fred on the other hand, was having no such issues. In his case he was all too well aware that his dance partner of the Halloween evening was favorably disposed towards him and he was still a bit dazed by the whole situation. And the girl herself, Cressida of Ravenclaw, wasn't making it any easier on him. She was attractive without being intimidating, her smile was warm and friendly without suggesting there was something more to it. She could talk for hours about Quidditch and as it so happened, she was a fan of some of the more pyrotechnic selections from the Weasley Wizards Wheeze catalog. She was very impressed when Fred escorted her to the Hogsmeade store one Saturday and was given VIP treatment, although he was required to pay cash for his selections.
So, as the last few days of the term rolled around, James was feeling a little frustrated. He was discussing the issue with Cecil at the Gryffindor table when Kai sat down next to them and planted a short, soft kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. He turned to look at her and gave her a bit of a half hearted smile.
"Well, I like that. Has the shine worn off my charms already?"
"I'm sorry," James began, "of course not. I'm just feeling a little frustrated. Cecil and I had some plans and we haven't been able to make it happen. And we leave on break in a few days."
"So what's the plan?" Kai asked.
Cecil looked at James with raised eyebrows. James shrugged and said,
"Cecil and I know of some secret ways to get out of the castle."
"How could you possibly know that?" she asked.
"Let's call them family secrets for now. We wanted to start exploring them, but all we've been able to do is find the entrances inside the castle."
Kai looked at James and then shrugged and said,
"The evening is still young, let's go."
"What? You want to go with us?" James asked.
"I believe we had a discussion about this not long ago? You and I, exploring together?"
James looked over at Cecil, who just gave a quick raise of his eyebrows and James said,
"Okay, let's go. This tunnel begins in the third floor corridor, and there's that statue of the one eyed crone."
The three got up from the table and all three did a terrible job of trying to look nonchalant as they left the Great Hall. They quickly made their way up the stairs to the third floor corridor. There against the wall was the ancient statue of the one eyed crone. As James approached it to try and figure out how to get past the statue he tried to think what his father might have done at a time like this. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the map. He found the section with the third floor and looked at the location of the statue. There he was, with Kai next to him and Cecil a few paces away. He saw himself tapping the back of the statue with his wand. He gave it a try. Nothing happened.
"What's the matter, James?" Kai asked.
"I think I need to say something, a spell or whatever. Hang on," he said and took another look at the map, and there he was saying 'dissendium'.
"Dissendium," James muttered and tapped the statue.
Kai gasped as the statue's back opened, revealing a slot that made James glad that neither of his parents was particularly large.
"Okay, I'll go first. When I call up, Kai comes next, Cecil, you bring up the rear."
"Got it, mate," Cecil said, "but get a move on."
With a small smile for Kai he hoisted himself in head first and slid out of view. It was a somewhat long, but relatively quick trip before he landed on a dirt floor. He lit up his wand and called up. He wasn't sure if he was heard until he caught the sound of a muffled scream that got louder as the screamer got closer. He managed to stop her in time so that her landing wasn't too undignified. He got her on her feet and moved a little further down the tunnel. Cecil arrived moments later but he had chosen a feet first approach and when he hit the dirt floor he stayed in a crouch and smiled in the light of two wands.
"Lesson for the day, mate. Always make sure you land on yer feet. And the old lady up there closed herself up good and tight after I went through."
"It'll open again. I'm sure of it. Oh, by the way, we only have three hours to get back."
"No worries, mate. I've got me watch."
"Why would you be wearing a watch up here, Cecil?" Kai asked.
"I've been wearing one since I was five. Many's a time I've had to be off the streets by a certain hour. Guess it's a habit now."
"Alright, keep your eye on it and let me know when an hour's past."
"Only one?" Kai asked.
"We have to climb back up that slide and that'll take a while, so I want to make sure we have time," James replied.
"Good thinking," she offered.
With only the light from their wands they unknowingly retraced the steps of James' father over twenty years earlier. The footing was just as tricky and the only one not to bump their heads was Kai. Cecil tended to be more verbal when he bumped his. When they finally came to the staircase, Cecil said,
"Forty five minutes, mate. Looks like a lotta steps."
"Let's give it a try."
Twenty minutes and many steps later they were at the trap door into Honeydukes cellar. James let his wand wink out.
"Alright, one quick look and then back we go."
"Take your time, sweetheart, I need to catch my breath," Kai wheezed.
Cecil just leaned against the wall puffing. James pushed up the door and saw a number of boxes and crates bearing the name of various confections.
"It's Honeydukes. Cool. I wonder if Uncles Fred and George ever borrowed anything from here. Okay, so we know this passage is still good. Let's get going."
As James led the way down the stairs, both his best friend and his girlfriend wondered what he had been doing the last few years to give him such stamina. The trek back was a bit slower both do to fatigue and the slight uphill grade. By the time they got back to the base of the slide they still had a little more than three quarters of an hour to make the climb.
"Alright, how do we do this, mate?" Cecil asked.
"Let me check something," James said as he crouched at the base of the slide.
With their wands held over his shoulders, Kai and Cecil watched as he felt around the slide and then he said,
"I thought so. On either side of the slide is a curb of sorts. The tops have ridges for foot holds. It won't be comfortable but it is doable. I'll go first."
James took the bottom of his robe and pulled it up and tucked it into the back of his pants to keep it out of the way. In frog fashion he began the climb up the slide, his lit wand held in one hand. When he got about fifty feet up, Cecil gestured for Kai to start up and then he followed at a similar interval. James had been sitting at the top for better than ten minutes by the time Kai finally pushed herself up the last few feet. He took hold of her and helped her wedge against the walls. He pulled out the map and looked at his small image and saw him once more tapping the statue and this time he was saying 'ascendium'. So he tapped the inside of the hump just as Cecil appeared and muttered,
"Ascendium."
The hump slid open and they scrambled out into the corridor. Kai leaned into him and said,
"Oh, dear, apparently Quidditch doesn't get you into any kind of shape for this sort of thing."
Cecil just gave a small wave and headed toward the stairs to make the trek down to the Hufflepuff common room. James and Kai made their way to the stairs leading up to the tower. They made it to the Fat Lady with five minutes to spare.
"Cutting it a little close this time, my dears?" she asked.
"Afraid so, ma'am," James replied. "Marzipan."
She smiled and the painting swung back and the young couple climbed through the entrance and into the common room. Kai took hold of James' hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Thanks for the adventure, sweetie. See you at breakfast, if I can manage to get down to the Hall," she said with a wan smile and brief kiss.
He watched as she disappeared up the stairs, if slowly. Then he made his own way to bed. He considered this trip a scouting mission and it had been successful. He knew there was at least one secret way out of the castle. It was a start.
The break came as it always did, with great anticipation. The students going home thronged the coaches to the train while those who were remaining behind had their invitations to the Burrow for Christmas to keep their spirits high. Even Trevor was looking forward to his first Christmas celebration. The Weasley sisters had been telling him stories of their own experiences but he was still unsure, until Estelle finally closed the deal when she told him in some detail how wonderful her first Christmas experience at the Burrow had been and how everyone had made her feel so welcome, like one of the family.
The full complement of the WCK had opted to take the quick way home and they followed Harry through the gates and toward the house at the edge of Hogsmeade. Kai and James had taken their leave of each other earlier with an invitation to visit Meadow Crest whenever she could. Snow had been falling intermittently since the end of November and their boots crunched on the crust of the latest accumulation. Domi was walking near Harry and she said,
"It would be a great present for Trevor if we could tell him something when he comes for Christmas, Uncle Harry."
"Yes, it would, but I'm afraid that's not likely to happen, Domi. I talked to your Uncle Anthony just a few days ago and they aren't getting very far. At this point our best hope is that as the effects of whatever potion he was being given wears off, he'll be able to remember things for himself," he said.
"Poor thing. What happens if his memories don't come back?" she asked.
"Then we have to find a way to help him live as a normal a life as possible."
When Harry and his little troop arrived at Meadow Crest they were greeted with great enthusiasm from a small army of adults. Of course, it would have been just as easy to have each child delivered directly to their respective homes, but that would have denied a significant portion of the Clan an excuse to gather and what fun would that have been? The sisters were likely to need some help with sore necks after the mutual hug they shared with their mother. Louis simply stood back and smiled, glad that for at least a short time, he would not be the sole focus of his mother's attention.
Fred had apparently made mention of his new friendship with Cressida in one of his letters home and he was now getting the third degree from his mother. The fact that the blonde was a club team chaser seemed to pique Angelina's interest. His sister Roxanne teased him about having a girlfriend and then expressed the opinion that the girl couldn't be too bright if she was interested in Fred. A warning from his father kept Fred from dealing destruction on his sister, or at least attempting to.
James settled for standing still while his mother wrapped him in a hug and seemed uninterested in letting go. He finally said,
"Come on, Mum, you saw me at the Halloween Ball."
Ginny stepped back and held her son by the shoulders and said,
"Well, excuse me for missing my first born while he's away for months at a time," her expression stricken.
James was about to relent and apologize when he saw one corner of her mouth twitch. He gave her a frown that would have looked right at home on his father's face and said,
"That was really cruel, Mum."
At which she laughed and pulled him back into a hug and then made it worse by planting big wet kisses on his cheeks. This sent Lily into hysterics while Albus just shook his head. And all the kids got hugs from Gran Molly and Granddad Arthur. Everyone was expected to stay for lunch of course, with the kids going off to the playroom and the adults to the living room afterwards. As might be expected the adult conversation eventually came around to the subject of Trevor and the outcome of the investigation.
"So, Anthony and his mates have struck a wall. Until some of those muggles start getting their memories back, or Trevor does, we don't know where the boy came from, who is real family might be, or why someone felt it was necessary to go to such elaborate measures to keep him hidden away."
"The dragon couldn't dig any of that up?" George asked.
"No, he's not really able to do that, George," Harry answered. "He can talk to you inside your head and see what you might be thinking at the moment, but he can't go digging into the past like Abagail. And she says she can only pick up what people have stored in their heads. Find a way to suppress or eliminate those memories and she's at a loss as well."
"Harry," Ginny began in that thoughtful tone of voice that Harry had learned to pay attention to, "I've been thinking about what you told us about what the dragon saw about the boy at Halloween."
"Alright, you've got my attention."
"It sounded like he was talking about Trevor having all of this unfulfilled potential. What was it he said? Much that he should be but isn't? Isn't that right?"
"Yes, love, that was pretty much it."
"Well, what if Trevor isn't the one who is supposed to be the one to live up to that potential? What if he's someone like our Abagail's mother or grandmother? What might the dragon have seen if he had had the chance to look at them?"
Harry sat for a moment and pondered what his wife had said. Perhaps that could explain the apparent contradiction of what the dragon thought should be there and what was actually manifested when the boy tried to do the simplest magic. It might also offer some insight into why he was being kept under wraps. Did someone recognize what lay hidden in the boy and was looking to control what might come along in generations to come? That in itself was pretty staggering in terms of the planning involved. Or was it more diabolical and someone was looking to snuff out what might come. But if so, why were they keeping the boy alive?
"That's an interesting line of reasoning, Gin. Although I should probably be screaming in frustration for being presented with another 'what if'. But it does give us another path to look down," he said with a smile.
"Sorry about that, sweetheart, but when I thought about it I was a bit worried how the boy might react if someone was waiting for him to show this great ability or whatever and it never came about. It would be such a terrible way to live."
"I wouldn't worry too much, little sister," Bill offered. "If nothing else he seems to have made a place for himself with Hagrid. I understand the boy is literally charming the birds out of the trees and he seems to be very comfortable with the Centaurs now. Morgotta seems to have taken a particular liking to him."
"That's all to the good, I'm sure," Molly interjected, "but I can't help but imagine that despite his age and isolated upbringing, he has to know that something is wrong, something is missing. That will have to start affecting him at some point."
"I know, Mum, that's why we're trying to find all that out," Harry replied.
The seriousness of these musings did little to dampen the holiday spirits of the Weasley Clan. In fact, it simply spurred them on to make sure that what the boy would experience as a guest would be a truly memorable occasion. This meant that on Christmas day, when yet another youngster with a troubled past arrived at the hearth at the Burrow, he was met with light and cheer and perhaps best of all for a lonely eleven year old, a Molly Weasley hug. This was followed by hugs from Abagail, Victoire and Domi. He got welcoming handshakes from Fred and James, and spent a bewildering few minutes being introduced to the many other members of the family, both official and unofficial.
It was already late morning when the guests from Hogwarts arrived but there was still breakfast to be had to supplement the reduced offerings from Hogwarts. Domi took Trevor by the hand and led him to the table and said,
"Now, I know that this can all be pretty overwhelming, but I just want you to know that you are safe. And you don't have to feel like you need to eat everything in front of you. Also, if you just want to sit quietly in a corner somewhere and watch what's going on, you can do that, too. Alright?"
A nod and a whispered,
"'nk you."
"You're welcome, sweetie."
In truth, Trevor wasn't a big eater. He did try a little bit of this and that and Molly kept a watchful eye, but at a distance. Harry also noticed that beyond the initial introduction and brief hug, Fleur had also maintained her distance. When he made this observation to her later in the morning she laughed as she laid an affectionate arm around his shoulder and said,
"Mon frère, you are more than enough of a concern for me to worry about. The boy 'as our daughters to look after 'im. That weell be more than 'e needs, I theenk."
As had happened in the past, the Hogwarts guests were presented with small, token presents from anonymous family members who drew lots. Trevor was something of a challenge until his affinity for animals was taken into account. So he wound up receiving an autographed copy of the Magical Creatures book that Ginny and the others had written, as well as a signed copy of Charlie's illustrated dragon book, which was a moderate success based in no small part on the drawings that Abagail had done. It had become something of a coffee table book for the magical community.
Abagail had also given him a small watercolor of himself and a wild hippogriff, calling to mind the incident in the forest, although the painting had a much lighter setting than the small dreary clearing. The boy was quite excited and the most animated any of them had seen since his arrival at Hogwarts. Although he still didn't get above a whisper, he was quite effusive with his thanks and after leafing through several chapters of the dragon book he approached Charlie and asked some questions that only the dragon expert could hear.
Later in the afternoon, Harry was sitting across from Ron playing a game of chess, while Audrey was facing off against Angus. Trevor seemed to appear out of nowhere at the end of the table watching the two best friends play. Harry gave a bit of a start and then realized he had felt a bump against his leg. The boy must have crawled under the full length of the table to emerge at this end.
"Well, hello there, young fella. Enjoying yourself?"
A vigorous nod.
"Getting enough to eat?"
Another nod with widened eyes and a bit of a smile.
"Oh, yes. No one's allowed to go hungry around here. Some years we even have to deal with someone exploding all over the kitchen."
A wide eyed stare.
"Oh, Harry, stop teasing the boy," Audrey admonished him. "The worst we've ever had is severe indigestion."
Harry had to laugh and Trevor smiled a bit wider.
"Do you like wizard's chess, Trevor?"
A shrug.
"Have you ever played?"
A headshake and a whispered,
"Like to listen."
"Ah, you like to listen to the chess pieces talking, then."
A nod.
"You should introduce him to your set, mate," Ron suggested.
"Actually, he'll get his chance. We're having a tournament starting the first weekend in February. The last few matches will be played on my set. You and Angus should stop up."
They both nodded at this. Harry returned his attention to Trevor, who wasn't there anymore. Harry looked around and found him standing in front of Molly Weasley in the kitchen, accepting two sugar biscuits. Ron caught his eye and said,
"The kid moves quick and quiet. All the makings of a cat burglar."
"Spoken like a true copper."
"Takes one to know one, mate."
By evening the party had started to wind down and after many hugs and whispered 'nk, you's from Trevor, the Hogwarts contingent took to the Floo Network and were gone. Abagail walked over to where Harry was sitting with Ginny and said,
"Still a complete blank back beyond his arriving at that house, Harry. I was hoping that maybe with him being relaxed and happy here, it might open him up more, but nothing. Whatever they used on him did a really good job."
"Thanks for trying, little one. We can only hope that with time, something will start coming back to him."
Boxing Day saw the Potter's back at Meadow Crest, relaxing and unwinding from the previous day's festivities. The relative quiet was interrupted by unexpected visitors. Kreacher hobbled to the entrance to the living room and announced,
"Miss Luna Lovegood and a friend wish to see Master Harry and Mistress Ginny."
"Of course, Kreacher, by all means," Harry said, as they rose from their chairs.
Ginny kept moving and met Luna, who was also moving rather rapidly, in the corridor just outside the living room. Fortunately one was a redhead and the other a blonde, otherwise it would have been difficult to know where one ended and the other began. As Harry looked into the hallway he saw a man standing there with a bemused smile on his face. He appeared slightly taller and somewhat heavier than Harry with brown hair and eyes. When their eyes met, Harry gestured for him to come forward and he stepped back into the living room. He extended a hand and said,
"That's likely to take a bit. Harry Potter."
"Rolf Scamander. A pleasure to meet you, Professor."
"Have a seat. And under this roof, I'm Harry."
"Alright, Harry. Luna suggested as much, but…" he finished with a shrug.
"Scamander? Are you any relation to Newton Scamander."
"His grandson. And trying to follow in his rather large footsteps," Rolf replied.
Any further conversation was interrupted by the sound as if a small herd of bugbears were thundering down the staircase. Harry knew it meant the arrival of his children to greet one of their very favorite adults. In fact, it was James and Lily that led her into the living room and to a chair she favored.
"I see you've met Harry, dear. This is his wife, Ginny, and their children, James, Albus and Lily. Lily Luna in fact. Everyone, this is my fiancée, Rolf Scamander."
"I'm very pleased to meet you all. I have, of course, heard so much about all of you. This feels more like a reunion than a first meeting."
"Well, I hope it was good things that you heard," Harry said straight faced.
"Harry Potter, how dare you," Luna said, sounding thoroughly scandalized. "I know nothing but good things about all of you, except perhaps for your tendency to make horrible jokes."
"My apologies, dear lady. Please make allowance for the joy of your unexpected presence and that of your truly beloved," Harry said effusively.
As Luna had matured over the years, the wide eyed look of constant astonishment had become more mobile and expressive. At the moment what she was expressing was mild consternation as she looked first at Harry and then her friend and classmate.
"I suppose it was inevitable. All the years of trauma, the emotional toll. His mind is finally starting to unravel," Luna said seriously.
"I'm afraid you're right, Luna," Ginny said plaintively. "It won't be long before we'll have to keep him at home, wrapped in a blanket and fed gruel by hand."
"Alright, alright. Point made. So, Luna, what brings you home?" Harry asked, ignoring the snorts and giggles of his children.
"Well, a few things actually, Harry. One is that Rolf and I have accumulated so much material we need to spend some time getting it organized. The second is that we'd like to talk to Ginny about putting together a book or two with said material."
"Excuse if I'm wrong," Ginny began, "but Rolf, if your grandfather is Newton Scamander, he wrote a number of books, wouldn't he be the logical choice to help you?"
"That's the third reason we're going to be around for a while," Rolf said. "I'm afraid that grandfather isn't doing very well. He's well over a hundred years old and it's really taking its toll on him. I'm afraid he wouldn't be of much help."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Ginny said. "We have several of his books that we got for James and Lily. As to helping you, I'd be only too happy to. As soon as you're ready, come see me."
"Thanks, Gin. When Rolf read the book you edited for Hagrid and your brother he was very impressed. He gave a copy to his grandfather for Christmas a few years ago and the old fella told him he had already read it. Well done you."
Then something caught Luna's eye and she smiled and said,
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I've been neglecting someone. Would you excuse us for a moment," she said as she stood up, held her hand out to James and led him to the far side of the living room where they sat with heads together.
Rolf looked at Harry and said,
"Luna has talked to me a great deal about your oldest. It's really quite remarkable. A boy his age being trained by a Centaur and apparently already quite an expert on the flora and fauna of the Dark Forest, as well. I look forward to having him along on one of our expeditions when he's out of school. I wonder if he'd be able to get us permission to really explore the place."
"He might be able to arrange it, but if you don't mind my asking, Rolf, I don't remember you from school."
"No surprise there, Harry. I was two years ahead of you, but my parents took me to the continent right after my second year, so I missed your years there. I graduated from Beauxbaton. Mum and Dad were very worried about Voldemort. That didn't know what else to do."
Harry simply nodded. He had felt that way any number of times in those days.
His hopes of making some progress with Trevor and his memories were realized during the third week of the second half of the term but not in a way that he would have anticipated or preferred. He was asleep in his room at the castle during one of his 'sleepover' nights when he was startled awake by pounding on his door.
"What is it?" he yelled out.
"Sir, you need to get to the hospital ward, it's Trevor, sir."
Harry threw off his blanket and stumbled into his slippers and robe and hurried out into the corridor. Whoever had delivered the message was already gone. He figured it was around two in the morning. When he arrived at the waiting room there was a small crowd of Hufflepuffs milling around. One of the Prefects said,
"Madame Pomfrey said you were to go right in, Professor."
"Thank you."
When Harry entered the dimly lit ward he saw Madame Pomfrey seated by a bed near the far end of the room. As he got closer he saw that the blanket seemed to be covering an impossibly small shape until he realized the boy was lying on his side, pulled up into a tight ball. He could also see that the boy was anything but still. By watching for a few moments he could see that Trevor was almost constantly shivering, which would increase to a shudder and then a violent shake or start and then the process would begin all over again.
"Is he in some kind of pain?"
"I don't know, Harry. He's completely unresponsive. In the time before you arrived he did seem to shout out a bit a time or two and he has been mumbling something but I can't quite make it out," she replied.
Harry knelt down next to the bed and put his ear close to the boy's mouth and listened. There was a mumbling of sorts, but the words were strange. Then something sounded familiar and he brought his head up and said to seemingly empty air,
"I need some assistance, please."
A house elf popped into place across the bed from Harry and said,
"How may Dipple be of assistance, Professor?"
"I need Liam O'Malley from Slytherin house here at once. Then I need you to go and tell Abagail Westwood she's needed at Hogwarts in the hospital wing."
"At once, sir," and the elf was gone with a pop.
"What are you thinking, Harry?"
"I'm not sure, Poppy, but I thought I heard the boy say something that sounded like Banshee, but it sounded more Gaelic."
Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and her expression darkened. It took about five minutes for the door from the waiting room to open and a disheveled head to poke its way in.
"Come ahead, Mr. O'Malley. I need your help over here," Harry said.
"Yes, sir," the boy replied and hurried over to where Harry knelt.
Liam O'Malley was a fifth year Slytherin who Harry knew to be intelligent, hardworking, and above all, very ambitious to make a name for himself. Harry thought of him as one of the 'good ones' from Slytherin.
"Mr. O'Malley, we're trying to figure out what's wrong with Trevor Osborne. He seems to be mumbling something but I don't understand it. To me it sounded Gaelic. Can you see what you can make of it?"
"I'll try, sir. Me Irish isn't what it should be, as me mum says, but I'll give it a go."
The boy knelt down as Harry moved aside and put his ear close to Trevor's mouth. He could see the boy concentrating, struggling to catch the faint words. After a while the boy leaned back and looked at Harry and said,
"It's certainly sounds like the Irish, Professor, but older somehow. It sounded like he was usin' the older words for the Banshee and the like. I dunno if even me mum would know all of what he's sayin', but it doesn't sound good."
"Alright, thank you for the effort, Mr. O'Malley. Best you be getting back to bed."
"Yes, sir."
Harry sat and watched the boy as he shuddered and shook and was lost in thought when Abagail rushed into the ward.
"What the devil is going on, Harry?"
"Funny you should put it that way, little one. He's been mumbling in what appears to be old Gaelic but we can't make it out. Care to give it a go?"
"Certainly, Harry."
She sat on the edge of the bed and while she was looking at the side of the boy's face the faraway look in her eyes told Harry she was looking much deeper. It was interesting to see how she reacted to what the boy was going through. She was calm while he shivered and shuddered but when he gave a start or made a slightly louder sound she would respond in kind and her body would jerk slightly. She sat there for over a quarter of an hour before her eyes regained their focus and she slumped a little.
"Can I get you something, little one?"
"Some water would be helpful."
Madame Pomfrey brought her a tumbler full of water and the girl drained it in two goes. Harry waited patiently, having been through this a number of times. She finally turned to look at him and said,
"This boy's head is a real mess, Harry. You know I never got much of a grip on what was going on inside your head with all those images but what I did grasp had some order to it. Inside Trevor's head is chaos and I don't mean Angus' fancy muggle maths. It's like there's little explosions of light and images and words happening everywhere inside there. And not everyday images and words. The bits and pieces I could see seemed old, ancient even and dark. And the words remind me of some of the stuff that Angus would bring up from some of his old stories. Who is this kid, Harry?"
"I have no idea, little one. The more pieces we find the less of the puzzle I recognize. He seemed almost normal at Christmas. We wondered what we'd wind up with if his memories started to surface but this?" he just shrugged. "I'm not even sure if 'who' is the right word to use here."
Abagail only nodded as she reached out to brush the slightly damp hair back off the boy's forehead. At least he felt warm, on the outside.