A/N- Do not own. Two chapters, one month? I'm on it! So a few short scenes and one rather long one. And a new boy. He's been stuck in my head for a while now and I thought I'd let him out to play. Enjoy and as always, use your words.
~Case
-x-
Alexis sighed, glancing at the floo when it went off. She had been expecting the other woman nearly an hour ago, it wasn't like she didn't have other things that needed to be done. But the woman who stepped gracefully out of the floo had sent her a note at least. "Jane."
The brunette gave a tense smile, eyeing the woman on the other side of a large desk. She glanced around the office with a raised brow, shaking her head in amusement. "Alex." Jane greeted coolly, studying the shelves of books for a moment. Alexis had risen fast in the ranks of Mindhealers, so fast that she had been concerned at first, and then envious. And now the younger woman was running a school. Position and power, everything she, herself, had ever wanted. But she could also see the toll it was taking on Alexis, if the pale, gaunt woman under the glamours was any measure. She looked like she hadn't slept in days; perhaps she hadn't, to be fair. "I apologize for the delay. One of my patients was in the middle of a crisis." She added, sinking into the armchair her old colleague indicated.
"I understand, it's fine. It comes with our line of work. You had a file you wanted me to look over?" Alexis inquired steadily, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. No one called her 'Alex' anymore. Not since her apprenticing days. But then, Jane had more reason than most to dislike her.
She sighed softly, retrieving a file from the satchel she had carried. "It took a bit of pleading to get consent from the patient for this, but when I heard that Eric was looking into any cases of twelve year-old girls being assaulted at Hogwarts, I immediately thought of one of my patients." Jane held out the file, hoping she was wrong about this. Because if she wasn't, that meant this boy had been actively abusing different girls for the last three years.
Alexis flipped the file open with a frown, furrowing her brow for a moment. She glanced up from the file, rummaging around in her file drawer for a moment before groaning. "Minzi!" She called, glancing back down at the file.
Minzi popped into the room, frowning at her mistress. Miss was too stressed. She should drug Miss' tea tonight. Miss hadn't slept in too long. "Yes Miss?"
"Minzi, I need a file for a Anya Heath. She was either pulled from Hogwarts or dropped out in the last few years." She requested quietly, looking up at her elf for a moment. She bit her lip for a moment, brushing aside the look in Minzi's eyes for later. The damned meddling elf was probably planning something again. She glanced at Jane as Minzi popped back out, she knew the elf would be back in a few minutes, at the most. "What happened when you reported it?" She questioned quietly, glaring at the file for a moment. The girl's assault was detailed and parts of it matched the two current cases of assault they had found.
Jane grimaced, shaking her head. That had made her angry, actually. How the child's rape was handled by the school. "The DMLE was looking into it but she couldn't identify the boy and the Headmaster at the time had said he would do his best to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. But his Deputy said that she didn't believe the girl was raped and her parents finally just decided to pulled her from the school. They didn't want her staying in the same dormitory where she was assaulted." It had been hard getting the child to open up to her after that, after just one person said they didn't believe her. Even though there was proof!
"Dormitory? She wasn't assaulted in a broom closet?" Alexis straighten suddenly, locking eyes with the other woman.
"She was assaulted in her common room after curfew. He told her if she screamed he would hurt her more. She believed him." Jane answered, frowning slightly. "Are you thinking.."She hesitated for a moment, watching those enticing gray eyes turn a fiery silver.
"That she was his first? Yes. It would explain why his pattern changed, he was learning. In her account, she said he was a fourth year, so fourteen. Which means he would still be at Hogwarts, especially if the case was dismissed by the Deputy." She flinched when Minzi suddenly popped in beside her, taking the file the elf offered. She quickly flipped through it before scowling and flipping through it again. "There's nothing here. No mention of the assault, although there should be a report on it as well as the teacher on scene's report and the healer's report. Her grades are here, her house, and her withdrawal but nothing else. No disciplinary actions, no counseling papers, no follow ups." She growled, offering the file to the slightly older woman.
Jane took it, reading through the thin file in a couple of minutes. "I may not know all the paperwork necessary for the care of a student, but shouldn't it be thicker than this? There is barely any medical history at all and I know for a fact that the child had one, she has asthma."
Alexis didn't reply immediately, scrawling down some quick notes of a sheet of parchment before reaching back into her file drawer. She felt around for a moment before pulling out the folder of an average raising third year. Average as in that the child wasn't abused, wasn't in more trouble than usual, wasn't ill often. Just a healthy thirteen year old child. "This is the file of a healthy raising third year. She left at the end of her second year. If she had been completely healthy and not a serious trouble maker, her file should look like this." She slid it back in the drawer before removing a file she knew quite well. "This is the file of an abused raising third year with diabetes." She held up Teddy's file for a moment before putting it back into the drawer as well. "Anya's file should be somewhere between the two. It isn't anywhere near as thick as the first." She bit her lip for a moment, turning something over in her mind. The child's file said she was a Gryffindor. Which means her Head of House was also the Deputy. That would have been quite a blow to any child, to find out that your Head of House didn't believe you. "Jane...do you think that she could identify his voice?" She inquired finally, meeting brown eyes for a long moment. She hated to do that to a girl who, from Jane's notes, was doing so much better. But if it could stop this boy...it was worth a try.
She hesitated, drumming her fingers on the file she still held. She didn't want to force the child to relive it again. She was fifteen, finally seeing someone and doing much better. Anya wasn't the same broken child that had come to her three years before. She saw her twice a month now and the child was healthy. She didn't want to take that away from her. But she knew closure would help and if it caught a rapist... "I would have to discuss it with her. I know she occasionally still has nightmares about it. I am not sure she will agree to it though, Alex. Do you have a suspect?"
"We think so. If she can, let me know. Thanks for this Jane." She responded with an understanding nod. She knew quite well that the girl might not want to identify him. Especially if she made a positive ID and they had to drag those girls through a trial, the one thing she hated about the legal system. It was nearly as cruel to victims as the perpetrator was.
Jane nodded, standing slowly and setting the file back on the desk. "You can keep her file, it's a copy. Owl me if you find something." She replied briskly, turning toward the floo. She grabbed the powder but hesitated for just a moment. "And Alex?"
"Hm?"
"I've missed you." She finished, stepping into the fire with a small, genuine smile.
She grunted, running her hand over her face now that her old colleague was gone. Jane missed her. Jane missed her. She didn't quite believe that. It had been over three years since she broke up with the older woman. Right after she was attacked. She knew the other woman had moved on; she had too. Although, she did occasionally think of the brunette, but they were so not meant to be together. They were polar-opposites and even normal conversations tended to end in fights. Alexis shook her head, brushing away those thoughts and turning back to the files at hand. Oh what a mess she had to fix!
-x-
"Any pain during the last transformation?" Eric questioned, running a final scan over the younger man in front of him.
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "No pain. I kept my mind. I even cuddled with Severus. The potion works Eric." Remus replied boredly. He had answered these same questions after every full moon for the last year and his answers had not changed. And yet the older man still insisted on these check-ups.
"I know it does but if Severus ever wants to publish his research and the altered version of wolfsbane, it has to have at least two years trial run for the Potions community to use his version instead of the weaker one. You are one of forty patients taking the potion and each one has the same set of routine questions by their healers. You have fought me on these assessments for the last twelve months, are you going to fight me for the next twelve as well?" Eric drawled quietly, raising an eyebrow at the younger man.
He grimaced, looking away from the older man for a moment. "No sir."
Eric watched him for a moment longer, turning to put his file back in the special case he kept it in, with the other research studies he was helping with. "Good. I would hate to have to remain you who the head of your pack is." He warned absently, slipping the case back into the locked cabinet where he kept the experimental potions and salves.
Remus bit back a groan, watching the older man move around the room from his spot on the examination table. He knew with Eric that it wasn't an idle threat. The dark skinned healer was getting tired of his behaviour and perhaps he had been acting like a petulant child, but he hated these exams. They made him feel...Other. Different. He was even willing to bet that the thirty-nine other men and women who went through these exams felt the same. Having to ask for the day after the full moon off, when they finally weren't sick during it and having people wonder or treat them differently, only to be poked and prodded by healers who would question them repeatedly on their otherness. He hated it. He had hated it as a child and he still hated it now, even as a thirty-four year old. He was fine with having a wolf inside of him, he had accepted it years ago, it was just times like these that he didn't like. They reminded him of how different he really was, of how much of a monster he could have been, if he had let the wolf run wild. If Eric hadn't taught him control.
"Son? What is going through that head of yours?" He inquired softly, frowning in concern at the young man. The warring emotions in those amber eyes was enough to cause concern, but the pain on his face, pain that he knew wasn't physical, was almost alarming. He hadn't seen his boy like this in several years; the last time being when he had broken up with Severus, to protect the younger and Tim had their hands full then, each trying to put back together a broken young man.
"I hate the otherness." Remus replied quietly, shrugging slightly before slumping his shoulders and fixing his eyes on a distant wall. It was better than seeing the disappointment, or more appropriately, sadness, in Eric's eyes.
He sighed quietly, resting a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "I am sorry, mon fils, if I make you feel other. That was never my goal. Is it the exams or?" Eric questioned, falling silent at the younger man's nod. The boy had never liked examinations, even when he was sick or the time he managed to break his arm...he hated them. He knew that had come from when he was a child and he tried to make them easier on the younger man, but there was only so many ways to do that. He also knew that there was more to it than that and he knew how to nip that in the bud. "You are not a monster. You are different, yes, but you are also kind and caring, and so full of love. You've accepted two children as your own easily; you've formed bonds with them, one of magic and one of pack. You've accepted the responsibilities of being a Head of this family, even if you aren't fully one yet. You are not other. You are Remus John Lupin-Rainwater, a good son and soon to be both a wonderful husband and loving father." He added briskly, catching amber eyes with warm brown.
Remus met his eyes for several long moments in silence, before snorting. He knew the man was right and he also knew he wouldn't let him wallow in depression or negative thinking. "Gods, my children's names! Will they be Snape-Lupin-Rainwater? Or just Snape-Lupin?"
Eric chuckled, shaking his head. His son would change the topic and do so with humour, "Probably Snape-Lupin-Flitwick-Rainwater." He shrugged, smirking when the other man gaped at him. "You will catch flies son." He added quietly, chuckling when he merely stuck his tongue out.
"And dad? Thanks." Remus remarked after a comfortable stretch of silence.
"Thank me after you get your wedding gift." Eric teased, smirking when the boy groaned. His son knew him too well sometimes.
"Just remember that children ruin leather dad." Remus retorted, rolling his eyes and slipping off the table.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't forget Sunday tea!" Eric called after the young man, staring at the door for several moments after his boy had left. It was one of the best decisions he ever made, adopting that boy. A bond from family made was sometimes even stronger than that of family born. A slight smile dancing in his eyes, he moved back to his desk, back to work.
-x-
Harry scowled, glaring up at the older boy. "I'm not a baby!" He snapped, stomping his foot for emphasis. He hated it when they treated him like a little kid! He wasn't a little kid. He would be thirteen in a week and a half. He was a man! Didn't they know that?
"I never said you were a baby, Harry. I just asked if your counselors knew where you were. They might be worried about you." He shrugged, raising an eyebrow at the much smaller boy. Isaac was crouched so that he wouldn't tower over the boy, not that it helped much. Merlin, these children were little! His brother Damian, a first year, was bigger than this boy. And he wouldn't have wanted Damian wandering around alone. Especially out here, in one of the far gardens where no one else happened to be. How this child had found his own little piece of quiet, he didn't know. He didn't really mind either, but if someone was looking for the boy, it would take them forever to find him out here. Which might have been the child's point. But he couldn't hide out here forever. Neither of them could.
Why would they worry about him? He was quite capable of taking care of himself and it wasn't like he was out here alone, not that he had known the older boy would be there, but still. "They won't be worried." Harry retorted, scoffing his foot into the dirt for a moment. He would much rather stay out here than have to deal with talking to his counselor. Tim was so annoying sometimes, all he ever did was ask him questions and press him to tell him what he was thinking about, but he wasn't ever thinking about anything important! He hated those sessions.
Isaac sighed, shaking his head. "I bet they will be. What did you do, sneak out of an activity and run off to here? Avoiding a session?" The dark-skinned boy questioned, frowning when the child merely looked up at him for a moment. Perhaps he should be honest with the child and the boy would be honest back. "I am. Avoiding a session, that is." He added casually, moving to sit on one of the stone benches. He couldn't remain crouched forever, after all.
Harry hesitated for a moment before moving slowly and finally perching carefully on the far end of the stone bench, drawing his feet up on it and turning so that he was able to watch the bigger boy. Isaac had moved so that he was also facing him, straddling the bench, and that made him relax a little bit. Isaac wasn't intimidating to him and they were in the same group sessions, so he felt comfortable sitting here with the teen, or as comfortable as he could be. He didn't know the dark-eyed boy as well as he knew the rest of his group, but Isaac and his brother had just joined the camp a few days ago. It would take time for them to adjust to each other. "I'm skipping too. I don't like it, the talking." Harry shrugged finally, tugging on the hem of his shirt.
He snorted, nodding in agreement. He didn't like talking about it either; he didn't want to have to relive some of those memories, even if it would make it easier to deal with in the future. It wasn't easier now. It was hard and painful. In the four days that he had been at the camp, his group leaders and his mind healer had all tried to get him to talk. But he wouldn't. He couldn't. He frowned, grabbing the boy's hand on instinct when he started pulling threads out of the hem of his shirt. Isaac grimaced when the child flinched, but didn't release the messy haired boy's wrist immediately. "Don't do that, Harry. You'll unravel the stitching." He remarked quietly, biting back a sigh at the blank stare. "You'll make the shirt come apart." He added, releasing the child's hand when realization came into the boy's eyes.
He would ruin the shirt? The shirt Severus and Remus had bought for him? He was bad. He didn't deserve nice things, he knew that. And then to attempt to ruin something nice! Harry smacked his head hard. He flinched when a pair of hands grabbed both of his wrists, fighting to pull away from them. He had been bad? Right? "Bad." He whispered, struggling to get his hands loose from the older boy. Why didn't Isaac understand?
"No." Isaac growled softly, hesitating for a moment before pulling the younger boy onto his lap and wrapping an arm around his torso while his other hand still trapped the boy's wrists. "You are not bad. We have been beaten enough. We do not hit ourselves."
Harry struggled for a moment longer before stilling and slowly relaxing into the older boy's hold. The teen loosen his tight grip but made no move to let him go and he was alright with that. He knew Isaac wouldn't hurt him and he knew, in that moment, that this was the feeling Teddy had tried to explain to him, of when Bain had held him; had stopped him from harming himself further. "Sorry." He murmured, leaning his head back against the older boy's chest.
Isaac released the boy's hands, loosely encircling the child with his arms. "Don't be. It's not your fault that the bastards conditioned you." He responded, moving slightly so that the boy would be more comfortable on his lap, so that neither of them had to move unless they wanted to. He often held his brother like this and it felt natural to him, even if Harry wasn't his blood. He was a child; a hurt, angry child who was hiding. A child that resembled himself so much that all he wanted was to protect the boy, to ease his hurt. Isaac had a feeling he would have this reaction to many of the younger children; it made sense to him why Bain was determined to help with the kids. Although, it did surprise him that Bain was the only other raising Seventh year, even if he wouldn't be seventeen until the middle of August. "Oh, and Harry? Do me a favour and don't repeat that word." He added, grinning when the child merely smirked up at him.
"Yes Isaac." He teased, stretching his legs out against the older boy's. "What were you doing out here, anyway?" Harry questioned finally, tilting his head back again so that he could see his face.
"Well I was planning to read." Isaac shrugged, summoning the book from his bag. "Would you might if I read it to you?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow at the boy.
"Is it scary?" Harry questioned, frowning at the book cover. It looked like a book from the library of his primary school. The pictures didn't move, so he knew it wasn't magical.
"Not too scary. It does have a dragon in it." Isaac smirked when the boy nodded enthusiastically. He flipped the book open to the first page, holding it with one hand while keeping an arm around the preteen. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.."He read, smiling down at the boy. This was one of his favourite books, after all.
-x-
"Now they rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed, with their hearts ready for more adventure, and with a knowledge of the road they must follow over the Misty Mountains to the land beyond." Isaac finished, closing the book and glancing at the man who had been standing at the edge of the courtyard for a few minutes now, waiting on him to finish.
"Ah, come on Isaac! One more chapter?" Harry pleaded, still sprawled across the older boy's lap, head resting on the teen's shoulder.
His heart pinged, the preteen sounded so much like his little brother. "I will read some more this evening. But I think we were missed." Isaac replied quietly, nudging the child and nodding toward the older man.
"Boys." Jake greeted cheerfully, finally moving across the courtyard. He had wanted to let Isaac finish reading, as long as the boy didn't stall by starting another chapter. He did know that book after all, it had been a favourite as a child. But the boys had been gone long enough. He had been looking for Isaac for nearly three hours; his point-me spell had not worked the first several times he tried because the boys had been too far away. They were nearly an hour away from the castle, in the most out of the way courtyard he had seen yet. Actually, they were probably extremely close to the edge of the wards; he wasn't quite sure but he could guess that the wards ended not far past this courtyard. After all, on the other side of those walls was the slope of a mountain. They weren't near the gate or the forest; no, the boys had to go in the opposite direction, far from where anyone else might be. Far from help if they needed it.
Harry gulped, glancing up at the older man. They were in trouble. Weren't they? But Jake didn't look angry. Hopefully Charlie wouldn't be angry either. Or Severus and Remus. He knew he wasn't suppose to take off like that but he hadn't been gone for too long. Even if it had taken him a while to get to the courtyard. They were safe here, though, so perhaps they wouldn't be in any trouble.
Isaac moved slowly, shifting the younger boy so that he was sitting on the bench before trying to maneuver back to his feet. He groaned, biting his lip in pain as long asleep limbs fought to bear his weight. A hand caught his arm, steadying him until he was able to shake feeling back into his legs. "Thanks." He grunted, glancing at the man. He was taller than Jake and yet the man still made him feel like a child. Not even in a bad way. But in the few days he had known the older man, he had learned that feeling of being taken care of, something he wasn't used to. But the other boys told him he would adjust to it eventually. He just wasn't sure when. Or if he would ever adjust to that look in the man's eyes, the one that said he was displeased with him but that still held so much concern. It was just...odd.
Jake nodded, reaching out a hand to help the preteen up. He watched unsure green eyes flick between him and the teenager before a small hand snaked into his and he pulled the child back to his feet. "We are not walking back. It is too far and it grows later by the minute. " He remarked quietly, slipping a band off his wrist. He enlarged it but kept hold of it for a moment. There was a slight flaw in this plan. Harry barely weighed enough to take a normal portkey, let alone a special portkey. Unlike the ones they used to transport children to the hospital wing from bad situations and the ones they used to transport the children to go shopping, this one would travel within the Castle. Which meant it wasn't entering or leaving the wards, but moving from one magic-dense area to another and the Castle's magic would put a slight damper on the portkey, making it a heavier pull on the individuals. Which meant that it would be harder on Harry to hold on to. He hesitated for a moment before crouching in front of the child. "Harry, would it be alright if I picked you up for this trip? It would make it easier on us and the portkey." He inquired calmly. Hopefully the child had come to trust him enough to agree but he wasn't too sure.
Harry hesitated, glancing between the two older men and shuffling his feet for a moment. He didn't need to be carried! He could portkey on his own. Well, the only time he had portkeyed without being carried had been terrible. It had made him feel sick and he had trouble keeping hold of the portkey then. He trusted Jake, he knew the man wouldn't hurt him nor lie to him. Jake had, after all, offered to listen to any member of the group who needed someone to talk to or just didn't want to share in group and the man often led discussions, especially the difficult ones. It was easy to trust Jake, just as easy as it had been to trust Charlie, which scared him a bit, actually. He was so used to not trusting adults and suddenly there were so many that he felt like he could trust, so many that made him feel safe. And it was just odd. "Okay." He shrugged finally, fighting back the urge to flinch when the older man scooped him up and swung him onto his hip. He was twelve, not five! He shouldn't find it so comforting to be held like this.
Jake offered the band to the teenager, shifting the child more securely onto his hip. The boy was way too light but then he knew that many of the students were severely underweight. If only he could make those so called families realize the damage they have done to these children...but Alexis had practically banned all of them from confronting any of the abusers. Apparently she didn't want to have to get any of them out of jail. He waited until the teenager had a tight grip on the band before taking a deep breath and muttering the activation phrase. "Direktorat." Only Alexis would set the phrases in German.
-x-
Alexis glanced up at the sudden appearance of three people in her office, raising an eyebrow for a moment before setting aside the papers she had been working on. She had set the designations on the counselor's portkeys to the infirmary and to her office. Which mean no one was hurt, if they were here, at least. "You found them." She remarked dryly, running her eyes over both boys. Neither appeared anything other than a bit disgruntled. But she would have been too. Inter-school portkeys were not the easiest to travel by.
Jake merely nodded, setting Harry back onto his own feet. "In the farthest courtyard away from the school. I am curious as to why they were both out there, however." He replied, arching a brow at the older of the two boys.
Isaac shrugged, locking his eyes onto the floor. It didn't matter, really. They would make their own snap judgments about it whether or not he told them anything. Besides, what was there to tell them really? Both of them had hid out in that courtyard to avoid talking; why would they start now?
"Harry, we've had discussions about this before. We do not take off to the ends of the earth to escape talking. You have a safe room, I wish you would use it more often. Remus and Severus were worried about you, as were your counselors. " Alexis remarked calmly, watching the younger of the two for a long moment. She knew why he, at least, had disappeared. Harry and Karrie seemed to have taken it in turns to escape their therapy sessions or if one of them was feeling a bit overwhelmed. And occasionally, they would actually run to the safety of their safe spaces but it was still a difficult journey and gaining their trust was not easy.
Harry grimaced, scoffing his foot against the wood floors for a moment. He hated worrying Severus and Remus, not that he understood why they would be worried. He wasn't important, was he? Not important enough to worry about anyway. But the adults seemed to believe differently and it just didn't make sense. No one had cared before. Or at least, he had thought no one had cared. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe they really did care. He just didn't know why they would. "Sorry."He murmured finally, focusing on the grains in the wood.
Alexis bit back a sigh, observing the child before suddenly turning toward the wall behind her and raising an eyebrow. What the hell were her children doing to make her alarms go off? She closed her eyes for a brief moment, focusing on the magic around her before growling softly. She glanced at the door to her quarters, waving a hand at it when a rapid knock came. The door swung up and Elijah stumbled, a billow of dark smoke spilling into the room.
"Alexis! Wasn't my fault!" Elijah stumbled again, trying to regain his balance when a warm hand steadied him. He looked up and blushed furiously. Of course there were people in her office and one of them just happened to be Jake. "Thanks." He mumbled, looking away from the older man toward his guardian. She didn't look happy.
"Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen." She stood calmly, banishing the smoke with a wave of her hand. She stalked into her quarters, raising an eyebrow at the mess that used to be a kitchen table. "What part of 'do not burn down the school' did you miss?" She drawled dryly, turning hard eyes on the oldest of her children.
"Erm...sorry?" Bain grimaced, meeting her eyes for just a moment. "I didn't think it would be that volatile." He added quietly, biting the inside of his cheek. It was just a chemistry set, non-magical but similar to brewing potions. And perhaps he tried to use it like a potions kit. Because he needed to brew, he needed to get rid of the thoughts in his head, even if they were trying to get him to talk about it, and he was still grounded. Still restricted from brewing without Severus present. He wasn't some child who always needed to be watched! Except...he had destroyed half of her kitchen and ignored Minzi's warnings.
She sighed, taking a deep breath and vanishing the mess. "Minzi?" She called, smirking when the elf materialized immediately. "Clearly my sons take after me. Could you do what you do best please?" She requested, knowing quite well that the elf would probably fuss at her later, for something or another. The elf was always fussing. But she was also amazing at what she did and that was taking care of people and fixing disasters. Something she needed, even if she would deny it.
"Yes Miss. I find new table and young masters be needing hugs." Minzi nodded firmly, eyeing the boy for a long moment. He was hurting and there was so little she could do. But she could make tea and biscuits; biscuits would help. She snapped her fingers, vanishing to go find new furnishings and to make two tea trays.
"Bless that elf." Alexis muttered, turning her own eyes to her eldest son. "I'm not angry, Bain. Accidents happen and I know you are tired of being stuck in here. I just ask that the two of you try not to destroy the Castle nor each other. Alright?" She added quietly, resting a gentle hand on the red-head's shoulder.
"Alright. Sorry mum." Bain murmured, blushing slightly. Other people would have been angry at him but not her. No, Alexis was so rarely angry at them. Upset, concerned, worried...but not angry.
"It alright. Just behave. I need to handle this but if you need anything, either of you, just knock. And please, enough with the explosives for one day." She replied, wrapping her arms around the older boy for a moment, biting back a grin. She loved it when he called her mum. It made her feel all warm inside. She turned to the younger of the two, ruffling his hair for a moment. "Be good." She murmured in his ear, hugging him before returning to her office and shutting the door behind her.
She raised an eyebrow at Jake, frowning slightly. Harry was gone.
"Remus came and got him. Apparently the other two children had been worrying about him as well." Jake shrugged, answering the silent question. He figured since they were Harry's guardians it would be alright.
She merely nodded, turning gray eyes to the teenage boy who, even sitting down, looked so closed off. His arms were folded acrossed his chest and his face was a mask, everything about him shouted stay away. " I know why Harry took off but I don't know what caused you to do so. I understand that you don't want to talk about it, Isaac. But I also know that we will get no where by sitting here and staring at each other." She remarked casually, biting back a sigh when the child merely shrugged. She knew the boy wasn't aware that several people had come to her, in the last few days, with concerns for him. He had been there for less than a week and yet, several of the counselors were concerned for him. And not just his own counselors, although she knew that Jake was worried.
"Isaac, we cannot help you if you refuse to work with us." Jake stated quietly, watching the teenaged boy. The teenager refused to speak with any of them, about anything. He couldn't even get the boy to engage in a conversation about something that had clearly interested him. The boy only ever said three sentences: 'yes sir', 'no sir', and 'thanks'. It was frustrating and concerning. He knew the teen spoke with the other boys, but never around adults. Just what was this child afraid of?
Isaac shrugged again, eyes focused on the edge of the desk. They couldn't force him to talk. It wasn't like he had anything to say, after all. He really just wished they would leave him alone.
Alexis leaned back in her chair and arched a brow in question to Jake. The slightly younger man hesitated for a moment before nodding and shifting in his own chair. Although they could out-wait the teen, she knew that wasn't the best way to go about this. Her job was to help these children, not break them. No, the best way to do this would be with honesty and openness. He couldn't trust them if they didn't show him trust. "I ran away when I was thirteen to keep my stepfather from killing me. Didn't stop him from trying." She remarked quietly, running her wand over her forearm, cancelling the concealment charm that hid the scars. Wide, shocked dark eyes jumped up to meet hers for a moment before dropping to her right arm.
He hesitated for a moment before tracing his own wand over his left wrist. "My father chained me to a fence and whipped me to force the magic out." Jake added, turning his wrist so that the scars from the chains showed clearly. It wasn't something he shared easily but he knew that this child would understand. This child would know exactly what he had gone through. He had seen some of Isaac's scars, of course, but he had also read the boy's medical report. How no one had caught on, after six years, was shocking.
Isaac blinked, staring openly between the two adults. He had scars like those, although his were hidden by armbands not spells. He just couldn't imagine anyone trying to kill the Headmistress. That woman was kind to all of them, even when she wasn't happy. She had promised him that he would never go back to his stepfather and that Damien would not be taken away from him. She had promised to protect him, even though she didn't even know him. He had avoided her class, in fear of detection. And Jake...the older man was just as good to them, even when the other boys tested him. He had watched some of the boys test Jake and the older man didn't even blink, didn't even raise his voice. He just dealt with them fairly, more fairly than any of them ever had before. The others told him that he could trust the adults here and while he knew some had asked him questions over the years, he wasn't in their house. So why should they care? His own head of house had never noticed and that had been fine with him. Even if the bitch was now gone. But why would these adults share something so personal with him? Others would try and break him, or get angry at him, or just let him go. But not them. Perhaps he could meet them half way, or at least he could try. "Were you conditioned?" He asked finally, eyes darting between them.
"Yes." They answered as one, both leaning forward slightly.
He snorted, letting a brief smirk appear before hiding it behind his mask once more. That had been amusing though, the twin answers. That was, until their answer sunk in. Both adults had been conditioned. Like Harry, like himself. Neither seemed surprised by his question, although the Headmistress' eyes showed a brief glint of sadness. He wasn't sure if it was because she didn't like thinking about it, he knew he didn't, or if it was something else. He knew that a lot of the children there had been conditioned, it was not unusual to see there. But few were extensively conditioned, few were taught to harm themselves for 'bad' thoughts or conditioned to never ask questions, never speak, never fight back. He just never expected to see it in the adults. Well-adjusted, caring adults that were once just like him. How was that possible? How did they survive? "Me too." Isaac hesitated for a moment, dropping his eyes down to his own wrists and then to his leg. "My stepfather bond my wrists to a hook and then broke my leg with a crow bar." He added quietly, stoically. He waited, glancing up to watch them. But there was no pity in their eyes, no disgust, no fear. Just understanding and a hint of sadness.
"He was wrong, Isaac. No one deserves to be treated like that. No child should be conditioned to fear. But conditioning can be broken. It is easier to fix the damage of negative conditioning on children, as you are still malleable. Teenage minds are still changing, still growing; reconditioning is always difficult at first, but it doesn't take as long with those your age. Adults, especially those older than Jake and I, are much harder to recondition. Most of them are already so set in their ways that they don't even want to try to change." Alexis remarked finally, after several moments of an almost comfortable silence.
"Work with us Isaac, let us help you. You do not have to do this alone. " Jake added softly, meeting those dark eyes. He watched the emotions flit across the boy's face for a moment. The child's mask was down, which was remarkable in itself.
He bit his lip, bouncing his leg for a moment. He wasn't sure if they could help him but he was willing to try. He had been fighting the conditioning, having Damien around helped, and he wasn't sure he could fight against it much longer. Not alone. Perhaps he didn't have to do it alone, isn't that what Bain had told him yesterday? That he wasn't alone now, that the other boys would support him and that the adults would help him, if he would just let them in. Isaac took a deep breath, meeting gray and brown eyes with the tiniest bit of trust. "Okay." He responded slowly, giving off a small smile when the two healers smiled at him. He didn't know agreeing would make them that happy. Huh. "Could you teach me that spell?" He added suddenly, eyes brightening.
Alexis chuckled, withdrawing her wand slowly with a smirk. Of course they could teach it to him. His trust was fragile but it was there and that was all that mattered at the moment. They would work on the rest. The child just needed time, they all did.
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A/N- Just to be clear, I don't own the Hobbit either. The quotes are from pages 1 and 54 respectively.