The next morning, Cerebella was awake, sitting in her bed, gently cooing and playing with Harry. The tiny boy giggled as the woman playfully poked his nose before tickling his ribs. Cerebella loved listening to her son's laugh. A happy Harry was what she wanted to see all the time. It was such a far cry from his usual demeanour, and she adored it.
Then, eventually, she smelled breakfast cooking downstairs and stepped out of her bed, stretching slightly with a long grunt. "All right, buddy, let's go eat."
"Hi, guys, I'm making crepes today." The juggler announced. Cerebella gently sat Harry down, then took her own seat at the table with a smile.
"Awesome! Thanks, Feng." She said with a smile, watching as Feng set her plate in front of her. Harry's eyes seemed to sparkle at the food. He had been forced to make these before, and they always looked really good but he was never allowed to have them. Feng smiled at his amazed look and kissed his head.
"Enjoy, sweetie!" She cooed. Harry obediently began to eat his breakfast, savouring the flavours. After breakfast, Cerebella took Harry upstairs to get him dressed for the day.
"All right, kiddo, day two of training with Beatrix! You excited to see what else you can learn today?" Harry nodded his head in affirmation. Cerebella grinned widely, feeling a sense of pride at her son's newfound confidence and acceptance of his gifts. She had to give that one to Beatirx, she had worked wonders in that regard, and it made Cerebella immeasurably happy to see her tiny boy not in the timid, traumatized state she had found him in. Picking him up and hugging him close to her bosom, she stepped outside and made her way to the tent where Beatrix waited, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed, nodding in acknowledgement and smirking when Harry and Cerebella approached.
"Hey there, Harry. You ready for day two of your training?" Harry smiled sincerely and nodded his head, much to the magician's liking. He no longer feared his magic.
"Well, I know you're gonna do great!" Cerebella said with a wide grin. She scooped up her son and twirled around, holding him up in the air. "Maybe someday you'll do magic and I can do acrobats together!"
"Really?!" Harry exclaimed, seeming thrilled at the notion.
Cerebella grinned and nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, you've already got a budding comedy act with Feng, anything's possible at this point!"
"Aww come on, stop bringing up my misery!" Feng exclaimed indignantly, stomping her foot and pouting. Then a dumbbell fell on her head, causing her to stagger about with stars circling her vision, eventually stumbling out the door.
"Sorry!" Hubrecht called out. A muffled thump thump thump could be faintly heard as Cerebella's eyes widened, realizing her friend had probably just fallen down the stairs.
"Miss Feng...?"
"She'll be okay." Cerebella said reassuringly to Harry, smiling down at him. "Okay, have fun with Beatrix, buddy." Beatrix had been laughing hysterically at the scene before her, doubled over and clutching at her stomach, fighting for breath through the laughter.
"Miss Beatrix, Miss Feng being hurt isn't funny... She doesn't deserve to get beat up all the time..." Beatrix laughed harder in response, until Cerebella gave her a light whack on the head.
"Ahem... Right... I needed that. Seriously, though, think that girl would be willing to pull double duty as a clown? Her little pratfalls are just too epic to go to waste!" Harry frowned, but eventually Beatrix collected herself, and patted his tiny head. "Alright buddy, what do you remember from yesterday?" She asked, smiling down at the tiny boy. Harry seemed to be deep in thought, thinking back to his last lesson. First, he created the magical golden sparks. Then he did the fireworks. Then he transported a nearby bucket of water downstairs, where, unbeknownst to him, it all dumped onto Feng. Finally, he used the summoning spell to bring Feng back upstairs.
"Uuuuugh... I just can't stand it..." The juggler grumbled. Harry, feeling bad for his mother's best friend, approached and gave her a hug. "Heh, this makes it better." She said with a smile, patting Harry's back. She gave him a quick hug then sent him back to Beatrix, who still seemed rather entertained.
"Again, you two should start a show."
Harry twiddled his thumbs. "A show where I hurt Miss Feng...? I can't do that... She's family..." Beatrix had to chuckle lightly at that, crossing her arms.
"With how close she is with Cerebella, wouldn't you say she's less 'Miss Feng' and more 'Auntie Feng'? Cerebella's your mom, why not bridge that little gap too?" Harry's eyes widened. Auntie Feng...? Miss Feng...as his auntie? She would certainly be a better auntie than his Aunt Petunia, that much was certain... "Y'know what? We can talk about that later." Beatrix said, trying to bring Harry's focus back to magic. "Okay, I wanna try something new."
For the next hour, Beatrix taught Harry how to levitate small objects. It took him multiple try to figure it out, but eventually he figured it out. However, he accidentally lifted up one of Feng's plates... and proceeded to unknowingly drop it on her head.
"Ow!" Harry covered his eyes and shouted out a profuse string of apologies. Feng sighed, but she really just couldn't bring herself to be mad at him. "It's okay, Har- Ow! OW!" The rest of the plates hit her next. "Ugh... Why is it always me?" She scowled at the laughing Beatrix and even Cerebella was snickering. Harry still seemed saddened that he hurt Feng by accident, but Beatrix put a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"Don't worry kid, you're still figuring this out. Besides, Feng's tough." Feng overheard the two and wanted to say something in protest, but didn't want to upset Harry, so she decided to grin and bear it. The two kept practicing. Beatrix set a ball down and instructed Harry to lift it and move it. Harry nodded his head obediently, then stared at the ball, his face scrunching up in concentration. After a few seconds, the ball began to move around the room.
"Well, hello there, Beatrix! Harry!" Hubrecht's voice distracted Harry, causing him to drop the ball in front of the approaching strong man's foot. "Whoops!" The massive man slipped forward and fell. Right in Feng's direction. Feng watched the giant man's shadow bear down on her, and at this point, the only emotion she could muster up was exasperation at the inevitable crushing.
SMASH!
Hubrecht laughed heartily. Feng's muffled scream could be heard from under the giant as he picked himself up. Slowly Feng peeled herself off the ground, groaning as she did so. "Ow..." She moaned, shaking her head.
Hubrecht hoisted her to her feet, and she stumbled about dizzily. "Sorry about that, Feng! The funniest thing happened! I slipped on something, and landed right on top of ya! I sure hope I didn't hurt you! Hahaha!" The giant clapped a hand across her back in a friendly manner.
"EEEEEP!" Feng shrieked as she flew through the tent and smashed facefirst into a concrete wall outside. Hubrecht rubbed the back of his head, Harry winced and Beatrix laughed.
"Might have to put Hubrecht in your little comedy routine, hmm, Harry?" Hubrecht took interest in what Harry and Beatrix were doing.
"Hey, are you two practicing magic? Can I watch?! Can I?! Can I?! Can I?!" The large man jumped up and down excitedly. Beatrix rolled her eyes, exasperated as ever by Hubrecht's general personality.
"Sure, just don't get in the way." The two practiced for a few hours more. Slowly but surely Harry seemed to be gaining control over levitation spells, and he hadn't accudentally hurt Feng for a bit (that he knew of) and the large man was watching in amazement at the two's display of magic.
"Hey, Harry, try using a spell on me!" The giant exclaimed. "Just gimme anything ya got!" Harry looked unsure, but Beatrix looked thoughtful.
"Harry, we're gonna do a little weight test. You're going to find out just how heavy an object you can transport by transporting it over to Hubrecht here, who's gonna catch it and hold it. We'll start off small and work our way up. Pass him...this apple. Harry nodded, focusing his energy onto the fruit, and extended his hand. Slowly, the fruit lifted off of the table, and Harry slowly turned, moving the fruit across the room. Beatrix smiled, a sense of pride in her face as she watched Harry complete the task.
Hubrecht was ready, and when the fruit arrived, he expertly caught it in one hand. "Haha! Got it!" He took a bite of the apple. "Mmm... Juicy!"
"...Damn it, Hubrecht, that came from MY lunchbox." Beatrix said with a facepalm. Hubrecht held the now half eaten apple back out to her.
"Sorry, Beatrix! Want it back?" She just glared at him, annoyed, before turning back to Harry.
"All right, let's try that bucket next." Harry nodded and focused, using the technique Beatrix had shown him of channeling 'happiness energy' the bucket lifted into the air. Beatrix smiled proudly at the sight as Harry seemed amazed at what he was doing.
"Hey, how's it- oh wow!" Feng remarked, walking up to Harry, not paying attention to where the bucket was... Until Harry got distracted and let go. The bucket bounced off of Feng's head and landed perfectly in Hubrecht's outstretched hand.
"Perfect coordination, guys! We make a great team!"
"S-Sorry, Miss Feng!" Harry exclaimed, running up to hug her leg. Feng knelt down and hugged him back, rubbing his back with her fingers.
"It's okay, little guy, I know you're not doing it on purpose. Everyone here ends up hurting me at some point. I just have really rotten luck."
"Oh..." Harry mumbled, feeling even worse than earlier, and he tried to hug her a bit tighter, making Feng grin.
"Don't feel bad little guy, you're doing amazing! Beatrix must be a really good teacher."
"She is!" Harry replied, his tone so genuine and sincere it surprised Beatrix. She waited for what she felt was an inevitable 'But sometimes she...' but it never came. She rubbed her arm somewhat bashfully, looking in the opposite direction, having no idea how to respond to the little boy's faith in her.
"Beatrix, are you okay? You look all... tomato headed!" Hubrecht exclaimed, taking a closer look at the magician, who was frustrated to realize that she was, in fact, blushing.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." She waved dismissively, looking away to try and hide her embarrassment. Feng caught a glimpse of it, but decided to let it be. She squeezed Harry one last time and let him go, deciding that he probably needed to keep practicing with Beatrix.
"I'll tell Cerebella how things are going, kay?" Feng smiled down at Harry, who nodded in reply.
Beatrix pointed to a stool. "Okay, try teleporting that." Harry did so, and Hubrecht caught it easily. "Okay, now that stepladder." Harry gave it to Hubrecht. This went on for several minutes. Harry had managed to transfer Beatrix herself, a bowling ball, some dumbbells, an anvil, a piano, one of the wagons, a trashed car, and even one of the elephants. Hubrecht was effortlessly holding up all of these things, and Beatrix was amazed. The sheer amount of weight the kid could lift was the same as their resident strong man!
She still wanted to know more about his bloodline, how could one little kid possibly be so powerful?! He was clearly of noble blood, and if that was the case, what was he doing out here? Beatrix frowned, thinking about some of the noble families she had learned about, how they tended to live in lavish mansions, never waiting on anything or anyone... why wasn't Harry living the best life right now?
She reasoned that the most logical reason for this was that his parents had been killed, probably when he was just a baby due to him showing no signs of brattiness. And when they had died, he had probably been sent to live with muggles. That would explain his complete lack of prior knowledge of magic. And the muggles he was with...
Beatrix remembered what she had been somewhat told by Harry, and everything connected. She felt genuine sorrow for what Harry had been through. She knew what it was like, but it was clear Harry didn't come out stronger, defiant, like she did, just the opposite. He was broken. He was clearly a very emotionally fragile little thing. Sensitive to a fault, timid to a disconcerting degree, but with a clear desire to be loved and cherished... Cerebella was clearly fulfilling that role for him, which was good... But she just hoped he'd be able to put his fears behin him completely one day...
If only she knew the full extent of the boy's abuse...
While she wanted to ask him about it, she knew better. He was beginning to trust her, and that was honestly more than she had expected at this rate, and she decided not to push her luck. Fighting Cerebella was one thing, but she had a gut feeling that if she scared him again, he wouldn't trust her.
"Alright, Harry." Beatrix spoke up, getting the little boy's attention. "I want you to try something, I want you to use the levitation spell on yourself."
Harry tilted his head like a confused puppy. "Kinda like...flying?" He asked curiously. Beatrix nodded her affirmation.
"Right. You won't be able to fly completely, just a few feet off the ground, so don't be afraid of floating away or anything like that." She assured him.
"Oh... Okay, I can try that..." He closed his eyes and focused on himself as hard as he could. "Wingardium Leviosa..." He mumbled. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, Harry felt an odd feeling in his tummy, and when he looked down, he realized he was floating! It wasn't too high up, only maybe a foot off the ground, but it was higher than he expected.
"Good job Harry!" Beatrix applauded, knowing he probably had it in him to do it, but was surprised how high he was off the ground. Harry looked down at the floor, then willed himself to move through the air. It took some exertion, but he managed to move forward a few feet.
"Wow..." He said with wonder in his eyes. "I...I can fly! Look at me, I'm flying!" The boy said excitedly, floating back and forth.
Beatrix chuckled at his enthusiasm. "That you are, kid, that you are." She said with what was almost a fond smile.
"Oh my gosh!" Cerebella exclaimed, making her way over to the scene. "That is SO COOL!"
"Hi mommy!" Harry said happily, waving to Cerebella, who's hands were over her mouth in amazement, while Beatrix smirked, looking over to Cerebella, enjoying the amazed look on her face.
Harry, after a couple more minutes of flying, decided he wanted to be held by his mommy, so he floated over to Cerebella, arms ourstretched to convey what he wanted. Chuckling, the greenette reached up and plucked her son out of the air, holding him close against her bosom and patting his back gently. Cerebella laughed gently as she felt Harry snuggle closer to her and she nuzzled the top of his head with her cheek. "Aww, you're a cuddly little guy, aren't you?" She cooed gently. Harry smiled and nuzzled back. Cerebella smiled and looked over at Beatrix. "I gotta admit it Trix, you're doing an amazing job."
Beatrix smirked pridefully and stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph! Naturally." She looked Cerebella in the eyes, then looked away. "And you're...doing an adequate job at being a mom..."
Cerebella blinked, then smirked. "Just can't bring yourself to give a full compliment to me, can ya, Trix?"
"Well, I like your son better." Beatrix shrugged.
"Well, guess I can't blame ya for that." Harry smiled at Cerebella as she patted his head, rocking him for a moment, then set him back down. The weightlifter felt much better with not only how well Harry and Beatrix seemed to be getting along, but with how happy Harry seemed to be in general now. It was such a change from when she found him... She gave her son a proud smile, then opted to take a seat on the nearby bench. "Well, I could use a little break from practice. Think I'll watch you practice a bit." She said with a wink. Harry felt excitement bubbling up inside of him. His mommy was watching him! He had to make her proud! Beatrix smirked slightly at the clear excitement Harry was showing.
"Okay, I want you to try and catch something that's moving." Beatrix instructed, she waited until Harry was ready, then gently tossed an apple towards him. She was being almost paranoidly careful not to hit him or throw it too roughly, but her fears were relieved when Harry briefly caught the apple, but then dropped it.
"Aww..." He mumbled, disappointed.
"That's all right, no one ever gets this one right on the first try. It takes a lot of focus. Here, let's give it another shot..." She tossed the apple again, and he once again only caught it for a second. It seemed that the teacher and student had encountered their first obstacle. Harry was finally struggling to perform a spell properly. He felt disappointment that he was failing while his mother was watching. Cerebella picked up on this and bit her lip, unsure of what to say or do. She felt like if she left, it would make things worse, but being here wasn't helping things either...
"It's okay, buddy." She said soothingly, getting Harry's attention. "You're doing so well so far, don't feel bad about this."
Harry hung his head in shame. "I wanted you to see me do good..." He said softly. Cerebella knelt down and gave him a hug, rubbing his back.
"I already have. And don't worry. Practice makes perfect. Keep at it and you will get the hang of it. And when that happens, come and find me."
"Okay, mama." Harry smiled, his spirits lifted somewhat, as he went back to practicing with Beatrix. It took many, many tries, but Harry eventually got a handle on it. Sort of. He was able to hold the apple for a little bit longer, but Beatrix was curious why this was such a hindrance for him.
She approached the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, does me throwing the apple bring on any...bad memories?" She questioned.
Harry looked down. "Um...Well, my...my cousin used to throw stuff at me a lot..." He admitted. Beatrix nodded.
"That explains it. You're struggling with this because of trauma."
"Oh..." Harry said downcast, looking down at the floor. Beatrix found and slowly put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay kid. You'll get it eventually." She said reassuringly. Harry slowly looked up and gave a timid smile.
"Thank you..." He mumbled. "For... for not being mad.'
Beatrix blinked at that, then shrugged her shoulders. "Eh... No big deal, really. You've been a great student so far. This is just one hangup."
"Okay,.. I'll try really hard to get it right, honest." Beatrix nodded her head.
"Maybe the best way to do this would be to not throw it at you... Here, try it like this." She tossed the apple again, this time upwards. Harry tired to stop it, but he ended up slowing it's decent, however his magic did seem stronger this way, so Beatrix tried again. And again, and again, but eventually, Harry managed to stop the falling fruit, and hold onto it this time.
"I...I did it!" Harry exclaimed, amazed that he had been able to do it.
Beatrix smirked and nodded her head. "Ya sure did, kiddo... Ya sure did." She said as she looked at the floating fruit. "Let's see if you've got it down pat now..." The two repeated the process several more times, and Harry had an easier time with it each time they repeated it. Beatrix was quite pleased with how things turned out. "That's great kid!" She smiled. "Okay, lets try two now."
It took a few tries, but eventually Harry was able to hold one apple sturdily in the air, and briefly hold the second. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. Yes, he was getting the hang of this, slowly, but surely. Soon enough, Beatrix decided to reward him with a pat on the head and a light smile."All right, kiddo, I think that'll do for today. You're doing great so far, so don't be too discouraged over the apples. We'll keep working on it until you've got it down. Practice makes perfect and all that."
"M'kay." Harry nodded, then felt himself being scooped up and hugged by Cerebella.
"Hi sweetie!" She cooed. "How'd it go today?"
"Really good, but I can't do the apples right yet..." Harry replied, a little sheepishly.
Cerebella chuckled and messed up his hair playfully. "Yeah, we all have those areas where we have a tough time. Keep at it, bud, you'll get it sooner or later." Harry felt even better about things after hearing his mother's encouraging words. In fact, he felt his resolve to figure it out strengthen. But for now, his desire for his mama's affection won out, and he snuggled into her embrace. Cerebella laughed gently and kissed his forehead. "You're so adorable, you know that right?" She asked playfully. Harry cooed in response. He loved being complimented, whether it was by his mama, or Miss Feng, or Miss Beatrix, or anyone, really. It made him feel like he was worth something... Harry let out a soft yawn, and Cerebella chuckled and gave him a gentle pat on his tiny back. "All right, little man, looks like it's naptime for you."
"Okay, mama..." Harry mumbled, cuddling in closer. Cerebella kissed his head gently.
"I'll be back in a sec, Regina! Just gonna go put my kid down for a nap!" She called out. The ringleader smiled and nodded as Cerebella left the tent. When she returned to her room, she lifted up that warm blanket she had had for years and tucked Harry under it. She made sure he was comfortable before kissing him on the cheek.
"Okay sweetie, mama's gonna go practice some more, kay?" Cerebella cooed.
"Okay mama..." Harry yawned, making Cerebella 'Aww...' at the sight.
"You just take a nap, and I'll be back when you wake up!" He mumbled his affirmation, and Cerebella left, making sure to turn the light off before she left, sparing her boy one last glance before exiting the room. "Heh... He's such a good little guy... Think I'll bring him a treat of some kind when I'm done work..." She was pulled from her musing when, much to her surprise, Beatrix decided to approach. "Oh, hey, B, uh...what's up?"
"Cerebella, I'm not saying this to scare you, and I'm being completely honest... Harry's way stronger than I imagined." Cerebella was taken aback, somewhat confused as to what the magician was talking about.
"Uh... Okay, and um...that's a good thing, right?" Beatrix nodded her head in affirmation, looking in the direction of Cerebella's apartment.
"It's...a good thing you decided to let me work with him after all... If he'd gone untrained for much longer, someone would have gotten hurt." Cerebella winced at that. Her Harry, hurting someone seriously? He felt bad enough about causing Feng's humorous injuries, there's no way he'd be able to stomach that! "It wouldn't be his fault, don't think that." Beatrix quickly reassured Cerebella. "Untamed magic just sort of... bursts, every now and then among those who don't know how to control it. That's what I meant."
"Oh..." Cerebella sighed in relief. "Okay... that's a relief."
"Honestly I don't think he could ever intentionally hurt anyone, aside from Feng." Beatrix smirked.
Cerebella frowned. "Hey, you know very well he didn't intentionally hurt Feng. It was all an accident." Beatrix nodded in response and the two went silent, not sure what else to say. "You seem a lot...happier ever since you started working with him." Beatrix looked at Cerebella with a raised brow. "I never saw you smile so much before."
"I guess... I guess I don't feel alone the same way, if that makes any sense." Beatrix mumbled. "The kid's really sweet, and I don't see how anyone could hate him, but having another magic user, I dunno. I guess I like the change." Cerebella nodded her head in affirmation. The two stood in silence, now feeling on slightly better terms. It was as though Harry had slightly mended the gaping hole that was their civility with each other.
Cerebella suddenly felt a tang of guilt inside her over their initial argument regarding Harry. Many things had been said, but she still remembered what clearly hurt Beatrix the most... "Hey, uh...Beatrix?" The magician looked at her through the corner of her eye. "About...what I said...about you being a bad mom... I...I know it got to you, and I'm...I'm sorry, all right? After seeing you with Harry, I think that you could pull it off." Beatrix bit her lip, not sure how to respond, but then allowed a small smile to form on her face.
"Thanks... that... thanks." The magician awkwardly replied, clearly not sure how to respond, but she was thankful nonetheless. She had hated Cerebella for the longest time, and the reason for that was simple... She was disgustingly naive and gullible, completely unable to understand that Vitale was just using her. Hell, she didn't even have the backbone to stand up to her most of the time! Or at least she didn't, until the day she first brought Harry home...
"Cerebella, I said some rotten things about your parenting too, but I have to be upfront with you here... You've been a pretty model mom so far."
"Thanks." Cerebella smiled.
"Listen, I know this isn't in my place to say, but... keep an eye on him, will ya?" Beatrix said, sighing slightly. "There's... there's a lot of good in the world. But there's also a lot of bad." Cerebella winced, remembering the day Big Band had stepped in to protect her and Harry from those monsters dressed as human thugs.
"Yeah... Yeah, I know..." The tanned greenette mumbled softly. Beatrix frowned. She really wished Cerebella could take off her rose tinted glasses for Vitale... But she also knew that if she tried to maker her see that... well, that would push things to worse than they had been BEFORE Harry had arrived. Beatrix couldn't explain why, but she had a bad feeling in her gut that one way or another, Cerebella was going to learn the truth very soon. She just hoped it wouldn't hurt her or Harry too much...
The two girls, however, were both rather glad to be on relatively decent terms with one another. "...Y'know, Beatrix... If Harry ever needs a babysitter and Feng's not available... I wouldn't mind letting you be the backup sitter, if you're up for it..."
"Heh, why not." Beatrix smirked. "I don't think the kid's terrified of me now, and I doubt he'd cause any trouble." Cerebella giggled into her hand at that.
"He couldn't, even if he tried too." She laughed. "You saw how he reacted when he hit Feng by mistake!" This did make Beatrix laugh.
"Ah, poor Feng... If the whole juggling thing ends up falling through somehow, she could still kerp her circus career afloat as a clown, right?"
"Heh... Now that is just mean. True, but mean." At that moment, Feng felt a sudden, irresistible urge to 'accidentally' put too much salt in Cerebella's dinner that night.
"Regardless, just keep an eye on the kid." Beatrix said, beginning to walk away. "He loves you, don't forget that." Cerebella was confused as to what Beatrix meant by that, but decided to just be happy with the fact that they were on speaking grounds. She sighed softly, then looked back at the weights she had been lifting. Hoisting them up with Vice-Versa, she had the hat toss the weights up and down, catching them out of the air repeatedly as she contemplated the situation.
Perhaps this could lead to her and Beatrix becoming friends...