Jamea sat in his room, the hangover long gone. His dad had made a glass blow up…it was scary. He didn't think that was a normal scenario. But he supposed some wizards could do some weird talents, so maybe it wasn't a weird thing after all.
Sighing he reached into his trunk and pulled out his History of Magic book. Binns has assigned a terrible essay about Merlin over the summer. He found the index and thumbed through it.
Merlin…………………….page 501
Life story…………….….page 501
Greatest Achievements….page 540
Heir……………………...page 545
Jamea groaned. He did not want to read 44 pages about some dead wizard. Maybe his mother knew something about him…it'd be better than actually DOING work. He sat up and headed down the stairs to ask her.
"Mum?" He sat down next to her. She looked up.
"Yes Jamea?" She said stiffly.
"Can you help me with my homework?" He asked sweetly.
Katherine smiled. Was he reforming? "Of course. What's the assignment?"
"It's an essay for professor Binns. About Merlin."
"WHAT?"
"I know. Boring isn't it?"
"Uh- uh huh."
"Mum, what's wrong?" Jamea asked, buttering her up with a puppy dog face.
"Nothing." Katherine muttered. "Professor Binns assigned that?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Nothing, nothing. Jamea, doesn't your book have sufficient information?"
"Well you make it so much more interesting!" Jamea said, his eyes pleading.
"What do you need to know?"
"Anything."
"Well, he was born and raised in Wales, as a bastard."
"Really?" Jamea said. "Kind of like me?"
"Not the same at all." Kat said stiffly. "He never really knew his father. You know your father, and we're married."
"Yeah, but you weren't when I was conceived." Jamea pointed out.
"I believe we're talking about MERLIN?"
"Whatever."
"It's not whatever, Jamea!" Kat snapped, losing her patience.
"What's with you?"
"Why don't you go ask your father, he knows much more about Merlin than I do."
"How d'you reckon?"
"Just- go." Jamea left and Kat rested her head on the table. The masquerade was going to be over soon and she knew it.
~* ~* ~*
"Uh- dad?" Jamea said. Harry's eyes lifted up sharply from the newspaper.
"Why are you down here Jamea?" Harry asked. "I thought I told you to stay in your room?"
"You did." Jamea assured. "But now I need help with my homework."
"What kind of homework?" Harry asked, taking this as a valid excuse.
"An essay. About Merlin."
He had Harry's full attention now.
"Merlin, eh?" Harry said and bit his lip. "Well yes, I do know a lot about him. What d'you need to know?"
Jamea thrust the assignment sheet at him.
"Okay." Harry said. "You need a little bit about his early life, how he was discovered as a magician, his later life, his greatest accomplishments and"- Harry nearly choked - "His heir."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Jamea said, not making eye contact with him.
"Um- well lets get started." Harry said and sat down at his desk. He rambled off information to his son for about a half an hour. "That's all you needed, right?"
Jamea studied the notes he had just taken and looked up. "You skipped Merlin's heir."
"Oh…" Harry said. "Um-okay. Merlin's heir…. Where to start? Where to start… Well the heir is connected to Merlin through a - no, no, no."
"Okay, can you just tell me what's so special about this 'heir' thing?"
"Yeah." Harry said and sighed. "The heir can throw fire with his eyes, no wand needed. He doesn't even have to look at the thing he wants burned if he's rushed." Harry added as an afterthought.
"Is that all? I mean that is pretty cool…" Jamea looked bored.
"No. The heir can also reach into people's minds and hear their thoughts. And he can have telepathic conversations with a- the few people that can hear it."
Jamea stood when Harry had finished. "Thanks." He said shortly and left.
~* ~* ~*
Jamea went to his room and took open his history book. What his father had said down there had only been boring because Harry seemed a little frightened about Jamea's asking for help- or just the topic he needed to speak on scared him, whatever came first. But the story- was amazing. How a poor bastard in Wales could grow to be a rich, powerful Prince in Britain was amazing. Now he decided he wanted to read about him.
~* ~* ~*
It was late at night and Jamea was sitting in his room, lamp still on, reading one of the books in his parent's small library. Harry and Katherine had been quite pleased with this sudden desire, a little cautious at first but they let him have a large book on Merlin to read. Jamea was content too. His parents weren't nearly as mad now so maybe they might even un-ground him soon. What a lovely thought.
"Psst! Jamea!"
Jamea jumped and put a finger in his book to save his place when he saw Lindsay in the window.
"Get away from here, Lindsay!" Jamea said. "I can't go anywhere. I'm grounded and if I got caught sneaking out my dad might hit me again."
"You won't get caught."
"Yes I will. Leave, before somebody finds you out."
Lindsay snorted. "You used to be cool." And then, before Jamea could retort anything back to her, she had disappeared.
~* ~* ~*
Katherine was reading in bed when Harry finally trudged up the stairs.
"Hey." He said and collapsed on the bed. "I remembered something today."
"Oh?" Kat replied, never looking up. "What?"
"I remembered we can hear people's thoughts. If they're open, that is."
Kat looked up now. "You're right! I nearly forgot that. It's been ages since-"
"We've needed or used our powers. I agree." Harry said.
"So?" Katherine said. "Why bring this up now?"
"I don't know." Harry admitted. "I just think- maybe we should-"
"Tell him?" Kat said. "Tell him and scare him to death? Tell him and risk losing more of his trust?"
Harry said solemnly, "He deserves the truth."
"Yes I know that, but- but…"
"He's going to figure it out sooner or later, if he keeps reading those Merlin books. I know at least one of them has my name in there somewhere."
"Then why bother telling him?"
"Never you mind, Kat." Harry said and yawned. "I shouldn't have brought it up." He kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The reading lamp flicked off.
~* ~* ~*
"It moved again." Harry told Sirius. "I just went to the grave, last week, and it moved! I have a pretty good memory! The ground above the- coffin- is at least half a foot higher than the other grass!"
Sirius sipped his coffee, thinking. "What do you plan to do?"
Harry put his head in his hands. "I just don't know." He said.
"How about killing the ground he's in. You know stick your wand in the grass and say - Avada Kedavra. You know you have the power to do it."
"Yes, but the Ministry has me watched. No matter what good I did, if I use that curse, their locking me away."
"Oh that blows."
"Yeah I know." Harry said and shook his head. "I just have too sit here, waiting for him to come after me and my family."
Sirius, seeing the melancholy in him reached across the table and gripped his shoulder. "You've thrown him off before, Harry. You can do it again."
"Easier said than done. I'm trying to figure out how to tell Kat."
"You haven't told your own god damn wife?"
"Hey!" Harry said. "I'm just- waiting for the right time you know? I almost told her last night, but then Jamea walked in."
"You should tell Jamea the truth." Sirius said. "Especially now."
"That's what I told Kat. She wouldn't hear of it." Harry said. "She said he'd be figuring it out eventually anyways."
"I agree with her on that. I've been staying with you for almost two weeks now. Weird things happen at your house."
"Oh, such as what? Enlighten me."
"You made that glass explode."
"He was drunk Sirius. He was completely out of it. Would you rather I made him explode?"
"Of course not!" Sirius said. "I'm glad you have some control on your powers."
Jamea walked into the room.
"Where's the Advil?" He asked. "My head hurts."
"Your head hurts?" Sirius asked, giving Harry a look like 'he feels Voldemort too.' Harry scoffed.
"Yeah, Sirius. It's called a headache on Earth." Harry said. "It's under the sink in my bathroom, Jamea."
"Thanks." Jamea said and turned away from the kitchen.
"I think Voldemort affects him too, Harry."
"That's shit." Harry said with a yawn. "Voldemort never tried to kill him and he didn't ever survive Avada Kedavra. He's in no way connected with Voldemort."
"Since when did you become the expert on these matters?"
Harry looked at him piercingly. Sirius shuddered. The coldness in his looks now made it very easy to believe he had been turned evil for a year. "Since when did you?" Harry said with icy expression.
~* ~* ~*
"I'm going to tell him." Harry said flatly that night to his wife. She gaped at him.
"WHY?" She said. "No! Don't! There isn't a reason for you too!"
"Yes there is."
"Oh sure. DO YOU CARE TO ENLIGHTEN ME?"
"It's a valid thing."
"Jesus, Harry! Tell me."
"Okay." Harry took a breath.
Katherine massaged his tense shoulders for a moment and then said, "Come on, we've been married almost 15 years. There shouldn't be anything you can't tell me."
"You're right, I'm being stupid. No I'm not." Harry grabbed her hands and looked deep into her eyes. "Voldemort's alive."
"Harry?" Katherine said faintly.
"Yes?"
"Catch me." She said and fainted.
~* ~* ~*
"Jamea!" Harry cried. His son skidded out of his room, dressed to go to bed.
"What is it?" Jamea said. "Who died?"
"Nobody- your mum fainted." Harry said. "Go in there and make sure she's okay whilst I get some water."
"Okay." They both went in separate directions.
When Harry got back into the room with a large glass of water, he found Jamea smirking.
"You must have done SOMETHING right." He said, choking back laughter.
Harry glanced at him, to see if he meant something nasty. "Jamea, you can go to bed now."
"Thanks for the permission." Jamea said and left.
Harry splashed water on her and she awoke. "Welcome back." They kissed. ((A/N: the spark is still in their relationship after 14 ¾ of a year! How cute!))
"Thank you."
~* ~* ~*
"However so slightly, but he's here." Harry told Katherine later. "Alive."
And so after much discussion they decided it was for the best that they tell Jamea about his early childhood.
~* ~* ~*
"Psst! Jamea!"
"Lindsay! Jesus! Get away!" Jamea said automatically. "I'm in enough trouble as it is! My dad'll freak if I sneak out again."
"Jamea!" Lindsay whispered. "Just go with him. It's for the best. Please?"
"Go with who?" Jamea asked, confused. "Lindsay? What's wrong?"
Lindsay opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out just a gurgling noise. She crumpled to the floor, dead, with blood spilling out her mouth and nose.
Sighing he reached into his trunk and pulled out his History of Magic book. Binns has assigned a terrible essay about Merlin over the summer. He found the index and thumbed through it.
Merlin…………………….page 501
Life story…………….….page 501
Greatest Achievements….page 540
Heir……………………...page 545
Jamea groaned. He did not want to read 44 pages about some dead wizard. Maybe his mother knew something about him…it'd be better than actually DOING work. He sat up and headed down the stairs to ask her.
"Mum?" He sat down next to her. She looked up.
"Yes Jamea?" She said stiffly.
"Can you help me with my homework?" He asked sweetly.
Katherine smiled. Was he reforming? "Of course. What's the assignment?"
"It's an essay for professor Binns. About Merlin."
"WHAT?"
"I know. Boring isn't it?"
"Uh- uh huh."
"Mum, what's wrong?" Jamea asked, buttering her up with a puppy dog face.
"Nothing." Katherine muttered. "Professor Binns assigned that?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Nothing, nothing. Jamea, doesn't your book have sufficient information?"
"Well you make it so much more interesting!" Jamea said, his eyes pleading.
"What do you need to know?"
"Anything."
"Well, he was born and raised in Wales, as a bastard."
"Really?" Jamea said. "Kind of like me?"
"Not the same at all." Kat said stiffly. "He never really knew his father. You know your father, and we're married."
"Yeah, but you weren't when I was conceived." Jamea pointed out.
"I believe we're talking about MERLIN?"
"Whatever."
"It's not whatever, Jamea!" Kat snapped, losing her patience.
"What's with you?"
"Why don't you go ask your father, he knows much more about Merlin than I do."
"How d'you reckon?"
"Just- go." Jamea left and Kat rested her head on the table. The masquerade was going to be over soon and she knew it.
~* ~* ~*
"Uh- dad?" Jamea said. Harry's eyes lifted up sharply from the newspaper.
"Why are you down here Jamea?" Harry asked. "I thought I told you to stay in your room?"
"You did." Jamea assured. "But now I need help with my homework."
"What kind of homework?" Harry asked, taking this as a valid excuse.
"An essay. About Merlin."
He had Harry's full attention now.
"Merlin, eh?" Harry said and bit his lip. "Well yes, I do know a lot about him. What d'you need to know?"
Jamea thrust the assignment sheet at him.
"Okay." Harry said. "You need a little bit about his early life, how he was discovered as a magician, his later life, his greatest accomplishments and"- Harry nearly choked - "His heir."
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Jamea said, not making eye contact with him.
"Um- well lets get started." Harry said and sat down at his desk. He rambled off information to his son for about a half an hour. "That's all you needed, right?"
Jamea studied the notes he had just taken and looked up. "You skipped Merlin's heir."
"Oh…" Harry said. "Um-okay. Merlin's heir…. Where to start? Where to start… Well the heir is connected to Merlin through a - no, no, no."
"Okay, can you just tell me what's so special about this 'heir' thing?"
"Yeah." Harry said and sighed. "The heir can throw fire with his eyes, no wand needed. He doesn't even have to look at the thing he wants burned if he's rushed." Harry added as an afterthought.
"Is that all? I mean that is pretty cool…" Jamea looked bored.
"No. The heir can also reach into people's minds and hear their thoughts. And he can have telepathic conversations with a- the few people that can hear it."
Jamea stood when Harry had finished. "Thanks." He said shortly and left.
~* ~* ~*
Jamea went to his room and took open his history book. What his father had said down there had only been boring because Harry seemed a little frightened about Jamea's asking for help- or just the topic he needed to speak on scared him, whatever came first. But the story- was amazing. How a poor bastard in Wales could grow to be a rich, powerful Prince in Britain was amazing. Now he decided he wanted to read about him.
~* ~* ~*
It was late at night and Jamea was sitting in his room, lamp still on, reading one of the books in his parent's small library. Harry and Katherine had been quite pleased with this sudden desire, a little cautious at first but they let him have a large book on Merlin to read. Jamea was content too. His parents weren't nearly as mad now so maybe they might even un-ground him soon. What a lovely thought.
"Psst! Jamea!"
Jamea jumped and put a finger in his book to save his place when he saw Lindsay in the window.
"Get away from here, Lindsay!" Jamea said. "I can't go anywhere. I'm grounded and if I got caught sneaking out my dad might hit me again."
"You won't get caught."
"Yes I will. Leave, before somebody finds you out."
Lindsay snorted. "You used to be cool." And then, before Jamea could retort anything back to her, she had disappeared.
~* ~* ~*
Katherine was reading in bed when Harry finally trudged up the stairs.
"Hey." He said and collapsed on the bed. "I remembered something today."
"Oh?" Kat replied, never looking up. "What?"
"I remembered we can hear people's thoughts. If they're open, that is."
Kat looked up now. "You're right! I nearly forgot that. It's been ages since-"
"We've needed or used our powers. I agree." Harry said.
"So?" Katherine said. "Why bring this up now?"
"I don't know." Harry admitted. "I just think- maybe we should-"
"Tell him?" Kat said. "Tell him and scare him to death? Tell him and risk losing more of his trust?"
Harry said solemnly, "He deserves the truth."
"Yes I know that, but- but…"
"He's going to figure it out sooner or later, if he keeps reading those Merlin books. I know at least one of them has my name in there somewhere."
"Then why bother telling him?"
"Never you mind, Kat." Harry said and yawned. "I shouldn't have brought it up." He kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The reading lamp flicked off.
~* ~* ~*
"It moved again." Harry told Sirius. "I just went to the grave, last week, and it moved! I have a pretty good memory! The ground above the- coffin- is at least half a foot higher than the other grass!"
Sirius sipped his coffee, thinking. "What do you plan to do?"
Harry put his head in his hands. "I just don't know." He said.
"How about killing the ground he's in. You know stick your wand in the grass and say - Avada Kedavra. You know you have the power to do it."
"Yes, but the Ministry has me watched. No matter what good I did, if I use that curse, their locking me away."
"Oh that blows."
"Yeah I know." Harry said and shook his head. "I just have too sit here, waiting for him to come after me and my family."
Sirius, seeing the melancholy in him reached across the table and gripped his shoulder. "You've thrown him off before, Harry. You can do it again."
"Easier said than done. I'm trying to figure out how to tell Kat."
"You haven't told your own god damn wife?"
"Hey!" Harry said. "I'm just- waiting for the right time you know? I almost told her last night, but then Jamea walked in."
"You should tell Jamea the truth." Sirius said. "Especially now."
"That's what I told Kat. She wouldn't hear of it." Harry said. "She said he'd be figuring it out eventually anyways."
"I agree with her on that. I've been staying with you for almost two weeks now. Weird things happen at your house."
"Oh, such as what? Enlighten me."
"You made that glass explode."
"He was drunk Sirius. He was completely out of it. Would you rather I made him explode?"
"Of course not!" Sirius said. "I'm glad you have some control on your powers."
Jamea walked into the room.
"Where's the Advil?" He asked. "My head hurts."
"Your head hurts?" Sirius asked, giving Harry a look like 'he feels Voldemort too.' Harry scoffed.
"Yeah, Sirius. It's called a headache on Earth." Harry said. "It's under the sink in my bathroom, Jamea."
"Thanks." Jamea said and turned away from the kitchen.
"I think Voldemort affects him too, Harry."
"That's shit." Harry said with a yawn. "Voldemort never tried to kill him and he didn't ever survive Avada Kedavra. He's in no way connected with Voldemort."
"Since when did you become the expert on these matters?"
Harry looked at him piercingly. Sirius shuddered. The coldness in his looks now made it very easy to believe he had been turned evil for a year. "Since when did you?" Harry said with icy expression.
~* ~* ~*
"I'm going to tell him." Harry said flatly that night to his wife. She gaped at him.
"WHY?" She said. "No! Don't! There isn't a reason for you too!"
"Yes there is."
"Oh sure. DO YOU CARE TO ENLIGHTEN ME?"
"It's a valid thing."
"Jesus, Harry! Tell me."
"Okay." Harry took a breath.
Katherine massaged his tense shoulders for a moment and then said, "Come on, we've been married almost 15 years. There shouldn't be anything you can't tell me."
"You're right, I'm being stupid. No I'm not." Harry grabbed her hands and looked deep into her eyes. "Voldemort's alive."
"Harry?" Katherine said faintly.
"Yes?"
"Catch me." She said and fainted.
~* ~* ~*
"Jamea!" Harry cried. His son skidded out of his room, dressed to go to bed.
"What is it?" Jamea said. "Who died?"
"Nobody- your mum fainted." Harry said. "Go in there and make sure she's okay whilst I get some water."
"Okay." They both went in separate directions.
When Harry got back into the room with a large glass of water, he found Jamea smirking.
"You must have done SOMETHING right." He said, choking back laughter.
Harry glanced at him, to see if he meant something nasty. "Jamea, you can go to bed now."
"Thanks for the permission." Jamea said and left.
Harry splashed water on her and she awoke. "Welcome back." They kissed. ((A/N: the spark is still in their relationship after 14 ¾ of a year! How cute!))
"Thank you."
~* ~* ~*
"However so slightly, but he's here." Harry told Katherine later. "Alive."
And so after much discussion they decided it was for the best that they tell Jamea about his early childhood.
~* ~* ~*
"Psst! Jamea!"
"Lindsay! Jesus! Get away!" Jamea said automatically. "I'm in enough trouble as it is! My dad'll freak if I sneak out again."
"Jamea!" Lindsay whispered. "Just go with him. It's for the best. Please?"
"Go with who?" Jamea asked, confused. "Lindsay? What's wrong?"
Lindsay opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out just a gurgling noise. She crumpled to the floor, dead, with blood spilling out her mouth and nose.