Ezekiel woke up at what he assumed was the morning being gently shaken by someone sitting in the border of his bed. He squinted opened one eye to see Dora sitting on the bed, her hand on his shoulder. Ezekiel could hear his aunt on the other side of the curtain talking to Harry but he wasn't sure if he was responding. He hoped that he hadn't made things worst last night and that the poor boy had a semblance of a good night sleep.
"I know you're awake, we need to talk." Dora said softly.
"Two more hours, please."
"We need to talk about this" She said, holding something that Ezekiel couldn't see.
He got up groaning, the affected arm wasn't responding quite as it should. It felt as if one of his muscles, literally one, had grown a bit and was trying to compensate for the rest. It hurt.
"What time is it?"
"Almost eleven, you had quite a nap." Dora whispered.
"And we're whispering...because?"
"Because I want answers and don't want Mom to give you a way out." She held a vial on her hand that had some drops of a dark purple liquid on it. "What is this?"
"It's medicine that the goblin gave to me yesterday, must have left it around"
"No, this one was the one Mom gave you after your little nightmare." She said while showing an identical vial on her other hand. "This one is the one that the goblin forgot."
"Oh" was the only thing that Ezekiel managed to say.
"I could ask around, you know? We both know that I'll find out sooner or later, but I need you to tell me. I need you to be honest with me, because we both have heard this story before and I need to believe that this is a mistake." She held the vials in front of him. "What is this?"
"Medicine."
"That's all you've got to say?
"I don't have a substance issue, Dora." Ezekiel whispered angry.
"Oh, you don't?" She whispered disbelievingly " Do you know how many time have I hear that at work from addicts?"
"I'm not an addict, Nymphadora. Trust me, if I could stop drinking that thing I'd have done it already."
"Why?" Dora always got angry when someone used her full name. "Why do you need it? Tell me what's wrong, Ezekiel!"
He was about to respond when Andi showed her head from the other side of the curtain.
"What in Merlin's name are you screaming about, Nymphadora?"
"It's okay Andi, we're just talking. How are you? "
"Fine" She sighted as she walked to them. "Getting used to this whole unemployed thing."
"I'm sure we can get you back your job, Andi, they didn't have any grounds to fire you."
"Now you sound like Ted." She smiled "It's fine, at least I get a full night sleep now." She shrugged with a smile "I saw the book by the way. Beedle the Bard? I used to read that to you two all the time, remember? Couldn't get enough of it."
"Had to try something, figured he might need to get his mind out of all that was happening. Don't think he liked it much, though."
"Nonsense, he loved it. Couldn't stop telling me all about the stories you read him."
"He can talk now?" Ezekiel asked surprised.
Dora got up the bed as her hair turned changed to a dark red.
"I'll talk to Harry, no use talking to any of you."
"Wait" Ezekiel pleaded. "Andi, could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Dora."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, yes. We just need to clear the air, that's all."
Andi nodded as she left for Harry, who was almost forgotten. Ezekiel frowned upon realizing this. Harry was family a new member that was facing dynamics already setup after years of interactions among each other. He needed to find a way for him to be a part of the family, more than in a piece of paper.
"Well?" Dora brought his train of thought.
"Well...the truth?"
"It'd be nice, for once." She said sarcastically, her hair turning into a red-ish brown.
"I'm trying to be civil here, Dora"
"Good, try honest now."
"For the last time... I'm. NOT. an. addict."
"Then what is this, then?"
"Medicine"
"That's BULL-"
"I have... a condition" Ezezkiel interrupted.
"...What condition? I thought that the only thing you had was that medicine thing."
"Not every illness comes from the flesh." He said as he hanged his head.
Dora's eyes widened. She looked at him intensely before asking.
"Is because of the Black Magic?"
"Maybe, maybe it's because of the fact that I come from a large line of inbreed psychopaths or it could be the centuries of dark magic finally taking its toll. With my luck, it's all of them." He admitted. "Doesn't matter. The medicine helps, yes, it is medicine. Gringotts created a lighter version of the potion for Dreamless Sleep. Even if the Black Magic removes the magic from it, the effects of the ingredients will continue."
"But why? You could've gone to a pharmacy and get a pill or something."
"It's not about my day-to-day, it's only during the night. Pills will still make me dream."
"And what do you dream of?" She said concerned, as she sat besides him.
"That's not for you to know and before you even start, neither of your parents know as well."
"But Mom had one of those vials."
"She's a medi-witch "He reminded her " She came with me to Gringotts to have me checked. I gave her some extras that I requested in case of an emergency.
"But can't you talk with someone, a Mind-Healer? Anyone?"
"That would require me to explain the nature of the Black Magic. I've got enough problems as it is, besides, if word got out things will be even worst for me."
"You think I'd sell you out to a tabloid?" Dora asked a bit hurt.
"No, it's not you. I was worried about that damn Skeeter. She's doesn't give me a rest."
It did make sense, Dora thought. Rita Skeeter was like a bloodhound when it came to stories. If those stories were about someone as hated as her cousin, she had no mercy.
"So what, you were going to keep this hidden from me and dad?
"Yes, the least people know about it, the better."
"Even if it's us?"
"How am I supposed to bring that up, eh? It's not like I can drop it at lunch. Hey Dora, hey Ted, there's a chance that I'm going bonkers. Could you pass the salt? Honestly."
"You were afraid" she said looking at him. "Why, did you think that we'd cast your out? That we'd be embarrassed of you?"
"That's not it." He whispered annoyed. "Look, things were difficult at the time, they always are. I just didn't want to add more. I got my medication and every month I get tested to check that I don't develop any resistance or whatever. I'm fine."
"I see...so how much exactly did my mother knew?" She looked at him suspiciously. "Back at the house she was as shocked as we were."
"She didn't knew much. That was a one-off, won't happen again. Happy now?"
"Why?" Dora continued. "You said it, she's a medi-witch, if you really wanted her help you should have told her everything."
"It was a worst case scenario, I never thought it would happen."
"Still, pretty dumb for a man that thinks of contingencies like this one. Why the half-truth?"
"She'd just needed to give me the medicine and leave, you saw it already. Not exactly a pretty view."
"She already saw worst. Her mother kicking her out, her sister joining the Dark Lord." Ezekiel flinched at that point and Dora looked at him. "That's it, isn't it? You fear that you might turn out like B"
"I will not turn like the Zealot!" Ezekiel barely stopped himself from raising his voice. He looked at the curtain as if he expected Andi to come out again. "I'll take my own life rather than to end like that maniac."
"Don't say that." Dora said softly as she hugged him. "Don't say that, I'm sorry. You're not like her, you're nothing like her. I'm sorry." She kept trying reassuring him. She could hear his heavy breathing relax after a while but she didn't let him go.
"I'm fine -sniff-, I'm fine."
"Really?" Dora asked him concerned.
"...No" Ezekiel finally said, dejectedly.
"I'm sorry. I thought... I don't know what I thought." Dora apologized. "With all that happened, and then you were on the ground... I was scared something else could happen to you."
"Trust me, it will. The universe seems to think of me as it's personal punching bag or something." Ezekiel wiped some tears that were fighting to come out. "Alright, enough of the hugging. I don't want people to think that I'm following the family tradition and marry a relative"
"And marry my big brother? Merlin's left bullock, no" Dora said with mocked horror.
"Right,I'm starving. What do you say we get over there to Harry and Andi, get a goblin down here and get a five course meal? I'm starving!" Ezekiel smiled kindly to her.
"I'm in, but please wash your teeth. That morning breath of you it's atrocious." Dora said to Ezekiel, who breathed on his hand and realized that she was very right on the money. He quickly fixed that and walked with Dora to greet Harry.
What he found on the other side of it, in retrospect, was the first sign that Harry was by no account a normal wizard.
Sitting in amazement next to an equally astonished Andi was a halfway healed Harry Potter,
I don't own Harry Potter, all characters except OC belong to J. K. Rowling.