Barry Potter - Chapter 1

Barry woke up in a cold sweat. He searched for his glasses on his bedside table. Putting them on, he swung his legs out of the bed and stumbled down the stairs. Coren woke with a start as Barry clattered above him. He sighed. Something had gotten into Barry lately. Coren lay down again, resting a hand on Spyke's shaggy head. The shepherd sighed in her sleep, warm and comfortable on Coren's bed.
Barry poured water into the kettle and placed it on the stove. Then he pulled down some tea and a few stale crumpets from the week before. As he watched the kettle he tried to remember his dream. There had been lots of people in long, swirling cloaks talking and laughing. He had been a baby, swaddled in his mother's arms.... his mother.... Barry closed his eyes, trying to picture her again. Barry had never known his mother. His father Coren never talked about her, except to tell Barry he looked just like her. Barry furrowed his brow in concentration. If he could just call back her face....
And suddenly it was there. A woman's face swam before him, a bright happy face, laughing with joy as she tucked him in. There was another, a man he couldn't place, standing tall behind the woman and beaming down on him. They spoke in soft voices, then the woman leaned over him. "Good night, children," she cooed. Barry frowned. Children? The woman leaned over toward another child he couldn't see, though he could hear it now. The other baby was dozing, snoring lightly. The woman kissed the baby, then leaned over Barry, about to kiss his forehead...
"Huh? Fluffy, yuck!" Barry pushed the sheep dog away from his face. Fluffy jumped up on his hind feet, landing on Barry's knees, and continued to lick his master's chin. Barry laughed and pushed the pup away. "You're bloody crazy, Fluff."
The kettle whistled, and Barry rose to get it. He poured out the boiling water, feeling the hot steam lick gently at his face. He heard noises from Coren's room, and heard his father's muffled voice call, "Is there tea on, then, Barry?"
"Yes, would you like some?" A grunt and the creak as Coren rolled from bed told him yes, and he pulled down another cup and more crumpets.
Spyke bounded into the room, followed more slowly by Coren. Fluffy yipped when Spyke trotted toward him, waking up the third dog, Fang the St. Bernard. Fang yawned and arose, lopping over to where Coren sat at the little kitchen table. Coren reached down and gently pet the old dog's balding head while Spyke and Fluffy amused themselves trying to trip Barry and the tea.
Barry managed to maneuver his way to the table and set down the tea beside the cakes. Coren stiffly reached over and took his cup, raising it slowly to his lips. He glanced over the top of the cup at Barry, whose bright green eyes watched him lovingly. Finally he set his mug down and, reaching for a crumpet, said, "Well, out with it then. What's bothering you?"
Barry sighed, reaching down to scratch Spyke behind the ear. After a moment he said, "Father, where's Mum?"
Coren spit some of his tea back into the cup. "Barry, you know I don't like to talk-"
"She ran away, didn't she?"
"What?"
"It's okay, I had a dream about it," Barry's green eyes glimmered as he pushed his unruly hair out of them, "She was there, but she wasn't with you, she was with someone else. And there was another baby. What happened? Did you fight, and she took the other one and left me with you? Is that it?"
Coren looked deeply into the boy's eyes. 'He really thinks he's struck on something this time,' he told himself, "He's old enough. I should tell him the truth.'
He cleared his throat and said, "Barry, you're 17 years old. Quite ready for what I have to tell you." The boy sat still, every muscle focused on hearing Coren's words. "You see, my boy, I'm not really your father. I adopted you."
Barry frowned. That was not what he had expected. Then his face lit up, and he said, "Well, that explains why there aren't any photographs. Are you still in touch with them? Does my brother know who I am?"
Coren hesitated. That was not what he had expected. He tried to think of the best way to put things, which was: "Barry, I have know idea who your parents were or if you had a brother. Fact is, I found you, or rather, you found me. There weren't any parents to speak of."
Barry sat silently, no longer watching Coren but staring into his mug. He looked up as if to say something, but Coren raised his hand, saying, "No, Barry, this is it. It's time you knew the truth. Now don't interrupt me , or I'll get confused, alright? Now, here we go." He took a deep breath, a bite of his crumpet and a sip of his tea, then began.