Chapter 3: Preparing for the future

"Thanks for the great time today," I said, giving a smile to the seven redheads who'd been there for me all day. The sun was starting to set, dusk brushing itself over the hills and dales of rural England.

"No problem, Eddy," Fred (or maybe it was George?) said, slapping my shoulder.

"Yeah. We'll be sure to try and get mom to use some manner of tact when she approaches your family tomorrow," George (or maybe Fred?) assured me. I flinched, a grimace crinkling across my face, and the Weasleys all gave my sympathetic looks. Not because of my dead dad, but because they too knew how overbearing Hurricane Molly could be.

In a way, that was a comfort all of its own, and as we went back to our homes, I felt confident in tackling whatever came in the future.

As I got closer to Lumpkin's Patch, I saw a light on in the window that connected to the living room. The curtains were drawn, but I could see shadows moving about within.

'Seems like mom brought home a guest,' I guessed when I saw a pair of adult silhouettes pass by.

I steeled myself, and went to the front door. It opened at my touch, the magic within the doorknob sensing my bloodline, and I called out, "I'm home!" to announce my return.

As expected, mother rushed into the front hall, her expression tired but welcoming.

"Edward! You're back!" she crooned, giving me a hug. "Did you… did you have a good day?"

"I did. I played with the Weasleys," I informed her. "Uh, heads up, Mrs. Weasley may be coming over with sympathy pies tomorrow."

Her smile faltered a bit at that tidbit, but she rallied and nodded at my warning her about Hurricane Molly's imminent approach.

"Edward, I'd like you to meet someone," she said, ushering me into the living room. My guess was confirmed, there was indeed another man in there, standing in the middle of the room, waiting for us.

He was a short gentleman, with a bit of a paunch, and a head of greying brown hair. His green eyes looked me up and down, and he nodded to himself after a moment.

"Hello there. Edward, was it? My name is Archibald Tarsworth, attorney at law. And, a Squib, like yourself."

"Hello there, sir," I greeted politely, giving him a hand to shake. He took it, and gave me a firm squeeze before letting go.

"Strong grip. Excellent," he said with a pleased nod. "Now, I'm sure you are wondering why I am here."

"Not really," I said with a shrug. "Father is dead, I assume there is some need for a lawyer or legal representative to handle the will and so on."

"Hmm, that is correct, but sadly I do not practice magical law, rather, my office deals with Muggle law. The reason I came by is because I heard on the grapevine from one of my family members – who is, in fact, handling your father's passing – that your mother is looking for a way to get you set up in London as a Muggle."

"That was fast," I muttered under my breath.

"Ever since it was known I was a Squib, I've made it something of a duty of mine to help people in similar situations as my own," Archibald informed me. "My family is old and well established in the magical side of things, and they pass along certain tidbits of information to me. In this case, they let me know whenever someone is looking to set up a young Squib in the Muggle world."

"Well, I guess that means you're going to help me do that," I hummed, to which Archibald nodded.

"Yes. It's not exactly an easy thing, though. If there is one thing our governments share, it's a love of paperwork. I can help there, but there are some things not even I can make happen. Birth certificates? ID's and passports? Simple enough. But you are a bit younger than most Squibs I've helped before, and while I could fake a degree or two, legally, as a Muggle, you'd have to go to school."

I grimaced at that thought. The idea of going out and having to learn in school all over again sounded like a pain in my rear, but if that was the price to pay, I'd do it.

"Fine," I groaned. "I can do that."

"Wonderful, I'll have some math and history booklets brought over so you can study them. In a week, I will give you a placement test. Muggle schools start around the same time as Hogwarts, thankfully, so that doesn't give us a lot of wiggle room," Archibald said, pleased. "There is another problem, though. Again, with your age."

"Is it my living arrangements?" I guessed, and the older Squib nodded.

"Yes, I'm afraid that is the case," he said, sounding apologetic. "Even for magical children, they need to live with a guardian of sorts, be it parents, god-parents, close relatives, or someone trusted and given legal rights over you."

"That doesn't sound fun," I grumbled. Privately, I thought, 'They'd stifle me, treat me condescendingly if I had to live with them until I came of age!'

"I suppose it wouldn't," he said, chuckling. "And to be honest, I fully understand where you are coming from. Most magical families wouldn't want to have a Squib around, and it can be tiresome living in a place where you feel unwanted. Trying to find a magical family in London who would treat you well while you rented a room from them would be difficult, and in all honestly not worth our time. However, there is a loophole for this matter. House Elves."

"House Elves?" I asked at the same time my mother said it.

"Yes, House Elves. Legally, a Squib cannot own a House Elf. This is because a Squib lacks the magic to maintain the bond. But, a House Elf can be appointed as a Keeper of sorts over a child. Many House Elves serve as nannies and raised children who'd been orphaned, so there is precedent, and as long as your mother gives your House Elf permission to watch over you, it would be possible for you to live on your own, Edward."

"Oh, wow, that's…" I stammered, surprised by this turn of events. This felt too good to be true! 'Where was this luck when I was growing up?'

"What would this entail, exactly?" my mother inquired, speaking for the first time.

"Nothing complex. You just buy or rent some property, then tell your House Elf to treat that space as an extension of this home. Additionally, tell them they are going to be Edward's custodian until he comes of age, and then sign a couple papers affirming this is what you want to happen. Oh, and a name change wouldn't hurt. I find that helps ease things through if the Squibs have a less magical sounding name."

"That seems quite easy-going, and not at all what I was expecting," my mother said, and I nodded alongside her, thinking over that last suggestion with interest.

"It is as easy as it seems, ma'am," Archibald assured her. "I think you are both forgetting one thing, which is making you overly suspicious."

"And what's that?" Wisteria Hunch demanded, raising an eyebrow at the attorney.

"Young Edward here is a Squib," Archibald said, his expression stern, but also empathetic. "The magical world doesn't care about him."

"Take that back!" my mother snapped, and he raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I'm not wrong," he replied evenly. "Legally, he has few rights. He can't inherit anything from you or the family, he cannot be employed by the Ministry, he cannot own property without permission from his head of household, and there are a hundred different rules and petty laws that shut him out of the magical world. The fact he's still allowed to use the Hunch name is a courtesy extended to him by you alone right now, as you are technically head of the household. But when his brother grows up and becomes the head of the household, he can cast young Edward out, taking his name back, so to speak."

Archibald sighed, and leaned back, while my mother's face turned pale. "It's cruel to say it, ma'am, but it's the truth. The magical side of things has decided they do not want Squibs, and so they honestly do not care what happens to him. Most parents would have obliviated him and dumped him at the nearest orphanage by now. That you haven't shows you are a better person than most witches and wizards. The small amount of paperwork on your side of things is just a symptom of that reality."

"I-Is it really that bad out there for Squibs?" My mother asked, and both Archibald and I grimaced at her naivety.

'How has she not seen this before?' I wondered, feeling a hint of disgust and betrayal at her blindness well up within me. 'Did she think father's beatings were just because he was a drunk, and not to do with my lack of magic? She cannot be this oblivious, can she?'

But, then again, that summed up magical folk in a nutshell. Blind to what was right in front of them.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid it is," Archibald said with a shake of his head. "It's getting late. I'll have the paperwork owled to you tomorrow morning Mrs. Hunch, along with some of the workbooks I want Edward to go over so I can see what his educational level is."

"Yes, of course, thank you for all your help," my mother said. She went over to the fireplace and tossed a handful of dark green powder into the crackling flames, which immediately turned a vivid, emerald green.

Archibald stood up, thanked her, and then whispered his destination into the flames before stepping in and vanishing in a whoosh of hot, displaced air.

'Floo travel is always such a weird thing to see,' I mused. It was like watching a person fall down into a trapdoor that was surrounded by a green blaze. Very odd.

Immediately after Archibald had departed, Wisteria Hunch staggered over to a rocking chair, her expression painfully blank as she sat down. I remained standing, shifting nervously from foot to foot, waiting for something – anything! – to happen.

Eventually, mother finally looked up at me, and bit her lip before calling out for Inky. With a pop, the elderly House Elf appeared, and she looked from me over to him.

"Inky, Edward here might be moving out soon," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Would you be willing to keep looking after him, even after he leaves?"

"Inky would be happy to keep serving Young Master Eddy," Inky said with a firm nod.

"You would be willing to be his custodian until he turns seventeen years old?" mother pressed, and again, Inky nodded in acceptance.

"Then so be it. No matter where my son my be, you will always look after him, and answer his summons to the best of your ability," Wisteria instructed Inky, who bowed at the waist. She then gestured for the two of us to approach, and she made me hold Inky's hand.

She then took out her wand, and waved it over us, muttering something that sounded like 'Manumissus' or something along those lines.

"There, that should do it," she murmured under her breath, before giving me a strained smile. "Don't make too much trouble for Inky, okay? He's not as spry as he used to be."

Inky let out an overly exaggerated gasp at that, and I snorted in amusement.

"I promise, mother," I told her.

She nodded, her expression melancholic, before getting up from the rocking chair. "Inky, help me make dinner tonight, okay?"

The two of them left for the kitchen, leaving me alone. I was content to let them be, ideas already swirling through my mind about how to take advantage of this situation.

'This works out perfectly,' I thought to myself. 'I could have lived without Inky's assistance, but having a magical butler like him is beyond useful. Several of my plans can actually be moved up with his magic at my disposal.'

I grinned to myself. It'd taken eleven years, but things in this new life were finally looking up!