A/n: Do not own. Sorry for the very long wait. My computer decided to die and I've been dealing with some serious health problems. Enjoy and as always, use your words. -Case
-x-
Alexis sighed, checking the letter again. So this would be four students enrolled as day students. She had added that option for a reason, after all. Not only did it make Hogwarts more accessible, it made Hogwarts more competitive. Several other wizarding schools had day programs, so students didn't have to board if their families chose not to for whatever reasons. Alexis made a note next to little Suma Bakir's file, Filius would need to visit the little girl's family again. She was magic raised, so she had a healer already on file. Her family had recently just moved from Egypt for her parents job and they wanted to keep her at home, at least the first semester and she understood that. According to Filius, there hadn't been a student at Hogwarts with cerebral palsy in at least thirty years, that he knew of. It wasn't as common in the magical world as the mundane but it did still happen often enough. Unlike Mia's spinal cord injury, healers still hadn't found a way to heal cerebral palsy. Most children with cerebral palsy ended up at Beauxbatons. Which had been Suma's parents first choice but she would had to been a boarder, as it would have been a daily international floo. "We will have four day students in total enrolled as first years and all of them are medically fragile in one way or another."
"Mia?"
"She's boarding, Sev. Her parents thought that might be best with how her treatments are going right now." She sighed, shaking her head. Mia's mom had made that decision this morning. The treatments for the little wheelchair-bound girl were causing her an increasing amount of pain and nothing they tried was making it any better. Her nerves were regenerating too fast.
"The two little diabetics and the hearing impaired girl I know about. So the fourth?"
"Cerebral Palsy. Her name is Suma. All four will be coming for a tour the week before school and I have to get going in an hour to get Kylie from the reserve." She answered, setting the paperwork to the side for a moment and stretching.
He shook his head, sighing softly. He had a budget to finish and a potion to tweak, plus there were three little girls and a counselor still in the medical wing who needed a fifth dose of a follow potion to get the rest of a poison of of their system. He wasn't really sure how he felt about his child going to a dragon reserve.
"Are you sure you want to take Harry too?"
"Oh yes. Bain is purely coming along to keep track of Teddy and Harry. Elijah happily offered to stay behind so Harry could come along. Besides, Chris is one of my closest friends. Nothing will happen to the boys." She stated for what felt like the twentieth time. She had honestly thought Remus would kill her when she first brought it up but Severus had quickly brought him around. Now, however, it seemed he was the reluctant one.
"If I remember correctly, you used to get into a lot of trouble with Chris. " He drawled, groaning. He wanted his children to be safe and he couldn't go with them, one of them had to be here. Which made him nervous. Anything could happen, it was a dragon reserve and they were preteen boys.
She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. "And you used to get into a lot of trouble with Lucius." She started another stack of paperwork, glancing at him before sighing softly. She knew that look well. "He will be safe, Severus. I won't let any harm come to him." She had been aware that his PTSD was getting bad, she had seen the moments. The look in his eyes, the fear, the confusion, the uncertainty. She even knew he was no longer carrying his wand, even though she also knew he didn't want her to know that. He didn't want to be seen as weak. But needing help wasn't weak. She had been meaning to speak to Eric about it, as she knew Eric knew more about what was going on than she did, but she just hadn't had the time.
"I know that." He snapped, glancing at her before looking away. She was looking at him the same way Remus had this morning. The same way Lucius had when he had floo'd during the full moon and he had been completely alone. He hated it. He hated the understanding in their eyes. Absolutely hated it.
She shook her head, watching him for a long moment. There was nothing she could say or do that would make it any better right now, she knew that. "I'm going to go get the boys ready so I can go pick up Kylie." She stated finally, setting aside her paperwork before standing and stretching. She did have two preteen boys to track down and a few rules to set before they could take an international floo, after all.
-x-
"Are you sure you are alright?"
She sighed. Kate had only asked her this five times in the last several minutes. Perhaps she had left the medical wing without Eric's knowledge, but she had been up there for almost three days and she didn't want to leave Kate alone with the girls for that long, even if she was down four. The three little girls who got poisoned were still in the medical wing and they were recovering quite well. Karrie was also in her guardians quarters, since they decided it would be best to ground her and Jessica to separate areas. She also just couldn't stand being stuck up there any longer, even if being back at the camp meant she would have to talk to Mary. "Yes, I'm fine." Rani repeated.
"If you're sure." Kate shrugged. She could honestly use the help. Mary, Melody, and the older girls had been helping, as had Phil and Charlie, but it wasn't the same without Rani. It had been terrifying to think that she could lose three of her little girls and her best friend. She turned back to watch her girls. Lexie, Hannah, and Jasmine were trying to teach the younger girls how to play football and some of her girls really seemed to enjoy it, especially little Lucy.
"Rani? What are you doing out here?"
"Mary! Hi." She grimaced, realizing how idiotic that sounded. She also noticed how the slightly older woman was looking at her.
She frowned, raising an eyebrow at the two younger women for a long moment. The dark-skinned young woman did not look good. Her color was off, her lips were dry and cracked, her eyes were blood shot. The hand of her bandaged arm trembled. She was well aware that she was not suppose to be out here, or outside the medical wing at all. "Let's get you back inside, Rani." She stated firmly, meeting dark eyes for a long moment.
"I'm fine." She growled, glaring at the older woman. She was fine. Plus, she was an adult and a healer. She could take care of herself.
She sighed, shaking her head. Was recklessness a requirement to work here? Charlie, Jake, Rani, even Alexis, the Headmistress! And every single one of them saw nothing wrong with their disregard for their own well-being. Gods help her. "You are sick, Rani, even if you don't realize it yet." Those potions had to be given at an exact time, they couldn't be missed. If she missed a dose, it would negate the whole process and it could kill her. Kate, bless her, had decided to give them a sense of privacy and had gone to play with the girls. "If you miss a potion, you will become deathly ill again. Does Eric even know that you left?"
The fact the Rani wouldn't meet her eyes was answer enough.
Eric was going to kill her. Maybe she could sneak back in before he noticed she was gone and she could convince Mary not to tell him. Perhaps she could get Mary to just let her go back to medical wing on her own, so Eric would have no idea and she could skip the lecture she was sure she was about to hear. She had pretended to be asleep the few times Mary had come up to the medical wing to check on her, after all. "I guess I should head back then." She responded finally, glancing at the slightly older woman.
"I'll walk up with you. I wanted to check on the little ones anyway." Mary responded, raising an eyebrow at the glare she received. Did Rani really think she was going to fall for that? She worked with teenagers for gods sake.
She sighed, finally starting to slowly head back toward the school. She wasn't going to get out of this lecture after all. "About the other day..."
The more she had thought about it, the more irritated she had been, because so much of it could have been prevented. She knew there was no way that they could have reasonably prevented the three little girls from getting sick. But they could have kept Rani from getting poisoned and Karrie's leg from getting severely re-broken."You should have told me what was going on before you started getting your girls ready. I could have sent a few of my early risers to help you."
She hadn't thought that she would need help. After all, without little Melody and Megan, there was only ten little girls. She knew Kate was handling it without her, so she should have been able to. "I had everything under control." Until she didn't.
She stopped walking, turning to stare at the younger woman. The entrance hall was probably not the place where she needed to have this conversation because she was quite sure she was about to go off on her. "You call that under control? Really?" She took a deep breath, forcing her mind to calm for a minute. "How many girls do you care for?"
"Twelve." She frowned, raising an eyebrow. Mary knew how many girls she had, just as she knew how many boys Charlie and Phil had; how many boys Jake and Henry had. They all knew exactly how many kids were in each group and who was in each group, so if they just happened to find a child wandering somewhere they weren't suppose to be, they knew which counselors would be worrying about that child. That, and by now they all knew every child anyway.
"Without the two sick little girls, you had ten to get up, dressed, and ready for the day. Ten little girls between the ages of ten and thirteen, most of whom are still learning self-care skills, most of whom have to be reminded or helped with dressing and grooming. And one who has to either be dressed or needs serious help to dress. Plus, one had a mildly broken leg. It takes two of you thirty minutes to get twelve little girls dressed. Two of you. And you thought you could do it alone, with almost no sleep. I didn't walk into a well-controlled situation, Rani." She wasn't even sure Rani was aware of everything that had been going on it that room. She had walked into screaming, crying, flailing limbs, girls jumping on their beds, Rani swearing...it had been chaos. One of the younger girls had literally been sitting on her bed in her underwear holding her shirt just staring at the wrestling girls, terrified. Thankfully, as soon as her girls had swept into the room, the little ones had started to calm down and one of her girls had picked up the terrified younger girl and just held her. She honestly wasn't sure if Lexie had put the little girl down that day. Her girls had plunked jumping girls off of beds and started braiding their hair, had hugged crying little ones and finished dressing them, even though they could dress themselves, just to get them out of that room. Her teenage girls had hustled to get the younger girls calm, dressed, and out of there just in case something in that room was making them sick, on her orders once, she had sent Rani up with Karrie, and Rani had no idea. One person couldn't do it alone. It wasn't that simple.
She huffed, shaking her head. "Kate's doing it just fine." If Kate could do it, she should be able to do it too.
"Kate's not doing it alone. The three teenagers with her aren't there by chance. We've been rotating the older girls with Kate in groups of two and three every few hours. There is a group that helps her get them ready and a group that helps her get them in bed. She has plenty of help." She could only guess at what was going on in the dark-skinned woman's head. Did she really think they expected her to do it alone? Because they didn't and Mary knew for a fact how upset Alexis had been that Rani hadn't even thought to inform anyone that she was by herself.
She opened her mouth to respond before grimacing as her pendant heated up. She touched it, flinching at Eric's message. Oh, he was pissed. She didn't realize she had taken a few steps away from Mary, and back toward the entrance hall, until a hand gently grasp her elbow.
"Running away will only make it worse. Plus, you need those potions and soon." The younger woman was starting to feel clammy as well. It was time to get her back up to the medical wing. "Come Rani." She ordered, placing a firm hand on her shoulder and gently guiding her up the staircase. It was going to be a long day.
-x-
"Go back where you came from! Stupid!"
"Shut up!"
Damien ducked the fist flying at him before kicking the other boy. "Weirdo."
"Baby." As soon as he said it, Louis regretted it. He knew it was a low blow. He would have liked comfort too if it had been offered to him, so he understood why the dark-skinned boy would wear the same unwashed healer's robes over and over again. Even if they were getting smelly.
"UAGH!" He screamed, launching himself at the other boy. He knocked him down, growling angrily as they started to wrestle back and forth, fighting to stay on top.
He had turned away for two seconds. Two seconds! "Charlie." Phil called calmly, catching his friend's eyes and jerking his head toward the wrestling boys. They reached the boys at the same time, each reaching down and seizing hold of the waist of one small eleven-year-old boy before pulling the struggling boys apart.
"Enough!"
"What on earth is going on here?" Charlie added, frowning at the two. While the two rising first years were not friends, they didn't usually fight, they just tended to avoid each other. Most of the kids Louis' age avoided him, usually.
"Nothing." Damien answered, giving the two men his most innocence expression. "We were just playing."
The blue-haired man raised an eyebrow, turning to the silent, smoldering child. "Is that true Louis?" He had stopped enough fights this summer to know one when he saw one. He was also aware that there would be plenty more fights when school started back. He was becoming a pro at this.
He shrugged. It wouldn't mattered what he said, they weren't going to believe him anyway. Adults never did.
"We were just rough-housing, that's all. We're sorry." The dark-skinned child added, glancing at the other boy before shrugging. If he stayed quiet, he could talk their way out of this and Eric and Tim would never have to know. Nor would Isaac. Isaac would kill him for fighting. But it wasn't his fault. Louis was a jerk.
Charlie sighed, shaking his head. He honestly doubted that. Damien was acting too innocent and Louis was completely shutting down, like two children who were both using their own methods to avoid a beating. They had seen that a lot this summer, with all of the children, even when they hadn't don't anything wrong. But he was well aware that they hadn't been playing. He could see the quiet anger in Louis' eyes after all. He crouched down in front of the silent child, meeting his eyes for a moment. "Can you tell me what happened, Louis? Using your words?" The child was silent for so long, he thought he was going to refuse before small hands made a single sign that it took a moment for him to recognize. It was in that moment he was glad Jake had been teaching all of the counselors sign language.
:Names:
"He was calling you names?"
He hesitated before finally nodding. "Yes. So we started fighting and then I called him a name and we ended up on the ground." He knew they were in trouble, but he had known that they were going to be in trouble from the moment he had started swinging. He always got in trouble for fighting, so he knew this time would not be any different. It didn't matter what Damien had said, he'd be the one in trouble.
The other children had called Louis names before and he hadn't reacted. It made Phil wounder what exactly Damien had been saying. "What kind of names?"
"He called me a baby!" Damien protested, glaring at the other boy in an attempt to distract the older men. Isaac would kill him. He wasn't suppose to use words like those, even if his brother did.
So Damien tackled him for calling him a baby? Really? Gods help them. He was afraid that when school started back, the dark-skinned child's classmates might call him worse things because of his robes and he'd send someone to the infirmary. He would have to talk to Eric or Tim about it before then. School would start back in less than two weeks, hopefully that would be enough time to convince Damien to at least let them wash the healers robes "I see. And what did he call you, Louis?"Charlie questioned after several minutes of silence, watching the silent child carefully.
"I'd rather not say."
"Okay. Is there a reason why?"
"Phil told me he'd wash my mouth out if he heard me say words like that again."Louis answered finally, grimacing at the glare Damien shot him. But it wasn't like Damien was going to get in trouble, he never seemed to get in trouble. Or maybe he just never got caught.
The blue-haired man forced down a snort, shaking his head. He had an idea what words the boy had used then, and that didn't make him happy. He could even imagine that it might be a bit worse than that, as Damien had a bit of a mean streak when he wanted to. He met Charlie's eyes for a moment, waiting until the other man nodded before turning back to the boys. They would have the exact same punishment, because they were both equally guilty here and they wanted Louis to understand that every action had consequences, that they would not just single him out. "Alright boys, you are both going to be grounded for two days for fighting."
"That's stupid!"
Charlie raised an eyebrow, crouching in front of the small boy in dirty healer robes. He locked eyes with him until dark eyes looked away. "And why is that, Damien?"
"Because!"
"Damien." He warned quietly, tilting his head.
"If we are both grounded, we will be all alone in our bunk room for two whole days. Imagine how many fights we could have!" He answered after a moment, trying to keep from grinning. They would have to agree with him and then no one would ever know that he had been involved. They would just think Louis had gotten in trouble again
He'd swear one day that child was going to be a politician if he didn't get himself killed first by pure stupidity. "That's a very good point, Damien. I guess you can spend your time grounded in your guardians quarters just like Rose does." He responded, sighing when the child paled. But it wasn't the dark-skinned child that surprised him.
"They won't hurt him, will they?" Louis asked quietly, grimacing when they all looked at him. He didn't want Damien to get beaten because they got in a fight; he would have been after all.
Phil smiled softly, crouching down beside Louis. "No, they will not harm him. Neither Eric or Tim would ever beat a child." Even if their stinging spells hurt. He now knew where Alexis had learned it from.
Charlie couldn't hide a smile when the two boys looked at each other and locked eyes for several moments before nodding in syc. Apparently, that worked for them. "Alright boys, lets go." He touched his pendant, letting Tim and Eric know that Damien would be in their quarters before sending a message to the counselor on duty for the grounded ones that he was bring Louis to camp quarters. He would take the boys in, while Phil stayed out here with the rest of their lot. The other man had already left, going back to supervising the running little boys.
-x-
Alexis stepped out of the floo in the main lobby, holding onto Teddy's hand. Merlin, she hated international floos! She quickly pulled the preteen to the side as the floo flared again and Bain stumbled out with Harry.
"Never again." He grumbled, steadying Harry so that the smaller boy wouldn't fall. He had a feeling he was dizzy. Hell, he had been afraid he would drop him. No wonder Alexis said they had to travel in pairs and the man at the gate had stated that children under sixteen couldn't use international floos alone.
She snorted, shaking her head. "And how do you plan for us to get home, Bain?"
"Portkey?"
"You cannot portkey on or off any of the islands, and I ask that you please do not try it. Those who do end up with a nasty surprise." Luka stated firmly, walking over toward them. Christopher had told him how bad Alexis looked, how she looked almost worst than when she had first ran away from home and joined the dragon reserve but it hadn't occurred to him how exhausted the young woman must be.
She smiled, turning toward him before hesitating for a moment. He had that look in his eyes like he was about to scold her for something but it had quickly vanished. "Master Luka. These are my boys, Bain and Teddy, and Teddy's good friend Harry."
"Welcome Bain, Teddy, and Harry. I am Master Luka Saos, the director of this reserve. I hear one of you is interested in dragons, eh?" He would bet it was the brown-haired child with wide eyes who was looking around in wonder. Granted, the main lobby was a hub of activity. It was the only civilian entry point onto any of the islands: no one entered or left, legally, without them knowing about it. Merchants, diplomats, visiting relatives, children home from school, visiting healers, researchers, scientists...anyone who did not live on the islands full time and could not fly in on a dragon came in through here. Visiting dragon-riders had their own entrance and pens of course.
Bain grinned, glancing at his little brother before turning toward the older man. The two younger boys were gazing around, Teddy had even slid closer to Alexis without letting go of her hand. He was willing to bet both of the preteen were overwhelmed. If Alexis hadn't warned him, he would have been too. There was a lot going on in that lobby. "That'd be Teddy, sir. He loves dragons." He answered politely, nudging Harry so that he, at least, would turn his attention to the older man.
He smiled at the red-headed teenager, nodding. "Let's get visitor passes for you three and I will give you a personal tour of the islands, while Alexis takes care of some business." He stated, gesturing toward the main desk before catching the young healer's eye.
"I take it Chris is busy?" She inquired softly, falling into step beside him. She bit back a sigh, feeling Teddy's hand tighten in hers before raising an eyebrow when he started bouncing on the balls of his feet. Unless the child had to go to the bathroom, she wasn't quite sure what was going on.
He saw a dragon! A real one! Out the window, of course. But it was a dragon! That was a Welsh Green! How many different breeds did they have? Would he be able to get near one? Like really near one? Were there any dragonlets on the islands? What about Ironbellies? What about-
"Teddy, son, take a deep breath please." She moved so that she was on eye level with him, lifting his chin so his eyes met hers. "I need you to calm your mind. Slow it down. Take a deep breath in. Pull those thoughts in with it. And breathe out. In. Out. There we go." She kept breathing with him until she could no longer hear his thoughts. It wasn't just that he had been projecting, which was how she was able to hear his thoughts. She glanced around the room to assess the damage before sighing, there was one dragon rider and a few apprentices clutching their heads, but it could be worse.
Luka turned sharp eyes to the muttering dragon- rider. Did the young man think he was deaf? "If a thirteen year old boy did that to you, imagine what a dragon will do if you aren't paying attention. You just earned yourself cleaning duty. Go. The rest of you, report to the healers for a headache potion. Remember, neither children nor dragons have control of their thoughts. If you do not fortify your shields now, linking with a dragon can kill you. Work on it. Or the headache this child gave you will feel like a stinging spell to the brain." He ordered, addressing the room at large. The groaning apprentices were quick to obey and the young rider followed not long after.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone. "Teddy whispered, biting his lip. They've been here ten minutes and he was already messing it up.
"It's not your fault, Teddy. You got excited. It happens. Dragon-riders are trained to link with their dragons, that is the only way they can safely ride them. To do that, apprentices are taught to drop the barriers around their minds and rebuild them, so that they link with their dragon without it overwhelming their mind and without hearing all the other dragons. It can take years to learn and not everyone can do it." She explained quietly, meeting brown eyes when they flew to hers.
A child who could take out four apprentices and a dragon-rider with a couple of rapid thoughts already showed promise; he was willing to bet he could hold a link when he was older. He had seen the look in the child's eyes when he had returned to the small group, after all. "I have the boys visitor passes. They have the same charm on them that all of our children wear on their medallions, to shield their minds. They are your entry to the islands. You cannot leave this building without them on, the wards will not allow it." Luka explained, offering one to each child. It took a moment before the oldest boy placed his around his neck and the younger two quickly followed.
"Doesn't Alexis need one?" Harry asked, tugging on his lanyard. It was a bit itchy.
She sighed, shaking her head. "My robes grant me access." She still had privileges on the islands, after all, and they still called her in emergencies. She would have thought Teddy would have noticed the dragons embroidered on the hem of her sleeves, the same dragons on every set of robes on this island, but since they were healer robes and she didn't wear them unless she was coming here, it wasn't that shocking. The dragon-riders, keepers, and breeders had dragons on the main part of their robes but every one who worked on the islands had dragons on the edge of their robes, it keyed them to the wards.
Because of the magic in them? The robes she usually wore didn't have magic dancing on the edges. Everyone here had robes with magic on them. It was overwhelming, the sheer amount of magic. He was glad Karrie had stayed at home, she would have been in serious pain if the magic was making his head hurt. "Because of the magic, Alexis?" He asked quietly, rubbing his forehead again with a grimace.
She was an idiot. It hadn't occurred to her that the magic would affect Harry. It had affected her when she first stepped into this building years ago but as an adult the magic no longer bothered her. Harry wasn't a trained adult who could put shields around his mind and easily lock in his own magic, he was a child who was just learning emphatic magic. She quickly reached in her robe pocket, searching for a moment before finding a headache potion and handing it to the child.
"That will help. Once we are out of this building, the magic shouldn't overwhelm you anymore. Here the magic is so overwhelming because this is the focal point of the wards and this is where most of the main offices and classrooms are. Harry is in Empath, Master Luka." She explained, waiting for the child to take the potion before glancing at the older man.
"And you just forgot this important fact?" He inquired, frowning.
She grimaced at the reproach in his voice, barely refraining from shrugging. He always made her feel like a teenager again. "I- yes. Sorry."
Well, there would be a few places they wouldn't be going then but otherwise, it shouldn't change much. "Then, we should get moving so young Harry doesn't have to be in here any longer than necessary. I remember the headaches it use to give you to come to my office." He responded, heading toward the entry way.
That wasn't what gave her the headaches but she wasn't going to remind him of that. She gave a soft smile when a small hand slipped into hers, glancing down at the brown-haired child, before leading the boys toward the two large metal doors that made up the entrance to the islands.
"Why are they metal?" Bain asked curiously, frowning slightly. The doors were bigger than any he had ever seen before and looked big enough that a dragon could come inside.
"So that they can withstand dragon-fire if necessary. This building is the main stronghold of the islands. There are tunnels attached to the barracks, to the infirmary, to important strategic locations. In case of an attack, the civilians would seek refuge inside of here, while our riders and keepers protect the islands." Luka explained, opening the door with the wave of his hand.
"Who would be stupid enough to attack dragons?" Teddy asked, stepping outside into the warm sun. He stopped suddenly, feeling Harry run into him. This was awesome!
"Not humans, Teddy. Wyverns. Sometimes they feel brave enough to try and attack the islands. Usually we post warning when they are sighted in the area, not that those warning are always heeded." The young headmistress had the decency to blush, at least, not that any of her wide-eyed boys would have noticed.
He well remembered his first glimpse of these islands, years ago, and they were indeed spectacular. But they could not keep standing in the middle of the pathway. They had to move to one of the steel bridges, toward one of the islands. This was where they would part ways.
"Alright boys. I will be heading toward the village. Master Luka is going to take you on a tour of the islands. Remember the rules we went over before we left home. Listen to Master Luka and to Bain. I will see you lot in a little while." Alexis stated after a moment, squeezing Teddy's hand before letting go. She met each boy's eyes, silently scanning Harry to make sure the headache potion had taken hold, before turning to Master Luka. "Contact you the usual way when we are ready?"She inquired.
"Yes. The same if you run into trouble. You know where to find her? Do you mind checking on the issue I asked you about on your way?" He responded, glancing at the three children.
"I do, it shouldn't be a problem." She nodded, turning toward the bridge that would lead her to the village. She hated leaving her children but she also knew that they were in the best care possible.
Was it just him, or were they talking in code? Bain wasn't sure if it was something they were trying not to say because of the younger boys or if they were actually talking in some sort of code.
"Come boys, let me show you some of the best views of the islands."
-x-
"Do you want to tell me what on earth you were thinking?" Remus questioned quietly, observing the seething preteen girl. She still refused to look at him, staring daggers into the floor. He had left her sitting on the couch in silence for the last fifteen minutes, to think about what exactly she had done. He knew the black-haired child was tired of being grounded and that her brother was currently gone on a trip while she was stuck in their quarters. But that did not mean the she should throw one of her crutches through the glass on the china cabinet. She could have been seriously injured. And then, when he reprimanded her, she threw the other crutch at him! She wasn't even suppose to be standing without those crutches, her leg had been re-broken that badly. So he had picked the little girl up, swatted her once and deposited her on the couch. The child had been seething since. He was just thankful Severus wasn't home for this. He wasn't sure how his partner would handle him disciplining either of their children in his current state of mind.
She bit her lip, fighting back the urge to cry. It didn't matter! They wouldn't keep her anyway! She had messed up! They wouldn't want her now. No one would. "It doesn't matter!"
"Why is that?"
She blinked, glancing up briefly before finding the floor again. That was the sort of question Jake and Mary asked, that Alexis asked. That Tim and Eric asked. But she didn't want to stop and think about why it didn't matter, it just didn't! "It just doesn't!"
"I understand that, Karrie. But can you tell me why you think it doesn't matter?" Remus asked again, sighing softly at the tearful glare he received. He had a feeling he knew the answer; they had been expecting Harry and Karrie to start acting out eventually, to start testing them sooner or later. Harry tested them a bit here and there but Karrie had never tested them. Of course she would be the one who was all in.
What if they decided that they didn't want either of them? She knew her magic and Harry's were connected, she could feel it. What if they didn't want one child, let alone two? What if they were too much trouble? Maybe she had ruined it for them both? Maybe-
"Karrie! Take a deep breath, sweetheart. That's it. Let it out. You are safe here. Whatever you are worrying about, it will be okay. Whatever you are afraid of, let's talk about it, alright? I just want to talk to you, but you have to talk to me. Okay?" While he couldn't naturally see magic, he could see the swirl of paper, pens, and toys Harry had forgotten to pick up surrounding her. He released a breath when the objects dropped, knowing that the magic must had calmed somewhat. From what his father said, too much magic actually caused Karrie pain and the child didn't need any more pain than she was already in.
She knew the magic was trying to comfort her and it had helped a little before she forced herself to calm back down. "I...it...you're just going to get rid of me!"
"What?! No! Karrie, we would never get rid of you! Or Harry. You both belong to us. And we plan to legally and magically adopt both of you as soon as we can. Magic has already started bonding you and Harry to Severus and I. We love you, nothing you do could possibly change that." He sat down on the couch beside the preteen, meeting her eyes for a long moment.
They wouldn't get rid of her? But she had purposefully broken the cabinet? She had destroyed their property. Sure, she was angry, but she had also tried to hurt Remus. He had said they loved her. They loved her. No one had ever loved her before. No one. And she had tried to hurt him. To make them get rid of her, because she had known it was coming. But if it wasn't coming? Then what was she even doing? She couldn't fight the tears that were running down her face any longer or the emotions welling up inside of her. She couldn't fight the pain she felt deep inside. She met his eyes for a moment before letting out a sob and lunging onto his lap, into his arms.
"Shh, love, I got you. I got you." He caught hold of the little girl, tightening his arms around her, mindful of her cast as he carefully pulled her the rest of the way on to his lap. The heartbreaking sobs weren't unexpected but they made the wolf in him want to hunt down every single person who caused his daughter to sob so brokenly and rip them to pieces.
She buried her face into his shoulder, no longer fighting the tears. She couldn't control them, even if she tried. She just felt too much pain inside.
He kept rubbing her back until the sobbing lessened to sniffling. "It's alright, sweetheart. I got you. You are safe here. You aren't going nowhere. We would never get rid of you. You are ours. You are our child."
She sniffled, lifting her head just enough that he would be able to understand her. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"I know you are. Do you want to tell me why you were so angry? "
"I'm in a lot of trouble?"
"You are in a bit of trouble, yes. You could have been hurt. When the glass shattered, it could have hit you. You could have been seriously injured. And when I tried to explain that to you, you decided to have a fit and throw your other crutch, which you needed to stand, at me. So yes, you are in a bit of trouble. But that doesn't answer my question, young lady. Good try." He raised an eyebrow, shifting her enough that he could lift her chin so she had to meet his eyes.
She huffed, biting her lip for a moment. She was tired, her eyes hurt, and her heart was achy. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't know how much Eric and Lucas had told her guardians and she didn't want them to think she was a freak. But then, they didn't think Harry was a freak. Maybe Remus would understand. "I was angry. Harry got to go to the dragon reserve but I was suppose to go to Paris yesterday was Millie and I couldn't. It wasn't fair." She tried, which was partly true.
"You are grounded, Karrie. Harry is not. You also have a severely broken leg. I hate to tell you this, but we would have put that trip off anyway. You wouldn't have been able to walk to all those shops just yet." He shook his head. While there might be truth there, that wasn't it. They had been planing on letting Karrie go over to Millie's next week, if she stayed out of trouble, but he would have to see if she could stay out of trouble before he told the child that. "Do you want to tell me the real reason?"
She grimaced, staring at the floor for a long moment. "I knew I had messed up when I got into a fight with Jessica, so I figured you were going to get rid of me anyway, that it wouldn't matter if I did something bad. It's too much. It hurts. It hurts so bad."
He felt hurt for a moment, not quite sure what the child meant until it suddenly clicked. She didn't mean that being with them hurt. She meant being stuck inside hurt. "Do you mean that the magic is hurting you?"
"Usually I can go outside, get away from the castle for a little bit. It surrounds me, flocks to me. It hurts so much. And without Rose to draw it out, it hurts so bad. It makes my leg hurt worse." She looked up, meeting his eyes. Maybe he didn't think she was a freak after all. Maybe he believed her like Eric and Lucas had.
He needed to get her upstairs to the medical wing. He knew Eric had found a way of drawing some of the magic off of her. They still didn't really understand what was causing it, but his father had explained that the way magic was drawn to her overwhelmed her body to the point that it undid some of the healing spells they had used. Which was way it took longer for her leg to heal, they had to heal it much slower than they normally would. " Okay, sweetheart. Let's go up to the medical wing and get some of this magic off of you. And then, if you feel up to it, I know of a small garden we can take a very short walk in before I teach you how to repair that cabinet." He stated after a moment, hugging her close.
She blinked, staring up at him. She hated going up the medical wing, even if it made her feel better. It felt like she lived there! "I'm going to fix the cabinet?" She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Merlin, she was tired!
"Oh yes. We have a rule in this house. If you break it, you fix it. I'm going to help you, but yes. That is part of your punishment for that spectacular fit." He had, of course, already vanished the shards of glass. "As for the rest of your punishment, you are going to write an essay on what you could have done differently." He added, feeling her relax at that, even as she groaned. He knew he needed to move her so that he could take her upstairs but he was just content to hold the preteen for as long as she would allow him to.
-x-
"I don't need a mind healer!"
"You jumped into a nesting mother's den, Heather! Twice! Nothing I've tried has worked. You won't talk to me, you won't talk to your master, you won't even talk to Master Luka. " He tried again. He couldn't keep the young woman on suicide watch forever but when they took her off of it, she jumped into a dragon's den again. He had hired Alexis' years before because of her ability to reach people who didn't want to be reached, which was one of the reasons they still contacted her in emergency situations. Since she was going to be on the islands today, anyway, he had thought, and Master Luka had agreed, that Alexis might be able to reach this young apprentice before she succeeded in harming herself.
She had been watching the young woman pace for several minutes, frowning slightly. When Karl had first floo'd, she had suggested that while the girl might be suicidal, that there might be something else going on. Now, she was almost certain of it. The way she carried herself, the way she held her body, one hand cradling her lower stomach...This teenager had something else going on. She was only eighteen, a first year apprentice and one who was carrying around trauma so heavy that she tried to kill herself. "Karl, can you give us a minute?"
"Sure, Alexis. I'll be down the hall in Kino's office if either of you need me." He stood from his armchair slowly, meeting her eyes before locking eyes with Heather. "I'll be right back." He knew she would be safe with Alexis but he also knew that she was basically a stranger to the younger woman.
She waited until he was gone for a couple of minutes before turning to the woman with dark hair. "Look, I'm fine. I don't need a healer. Really."
"How far along are you, Heather?"
"Wha- how? I ...I'm not I...It's...I don't.. I..."She ran a hand through red hair, pulling at it for a moment, trying hard to force down the sudden tears. No! She would not think about it! She didn't want to think about it!
"It's okay. It is okay. Take a deep breath. And another. Good. Deep breath. You are safe here. Whatever happens, you are safe in this room. I am not here to judge you, alright? I'm here to help, but you got to talk to me." Alexis soothed quietly moving to stand near the young woman. She looked like she was about to collapse.
"Six weeks."
She had jumped into the dragon pen about a week and a half ago. "You sure? Have you seen a-"
"I'm sure." She interrupted, shaking her head. She knew the exact time and date she became pregnant. She would never forget it. "When I missed my period, I figured out what had happened so I...I tried...I well...yeah."
Which didn't make sense. There were potions and spells that were absolutely painless. She wasn't so far along that she couldn't have use them, she just would have had to go to a healer and there was a female healer on the islands, if she wasn't comfortable going to Karl or Kino for the potion. "There are potions and spells that could have terminated an unwanted pregnancy, Heather. Why did you try to kill yourself?" She questioned finally, raising an eyebrow when the young woman started to shake.
"I...I couldn't kill a baby, I couldn't hurt it, even if I hadn't wanted it. But if I killed myself, the baby wouldn't feel anything. It just...it didn't go as I wanted. I didn't expect the dragon to protect me. I was afraid they'd hurt her. When I jumped, the wards went off. I guess they thought I was a poacher, they came running, wands out. But she pulled me under her wing to keep me safe. She told me that she would protect me, that no one would hurt me again. That I could come to her when I was feeling upset and she would protect me." Heather ran a hand across her eyes, brushing the tears away. She hadn't meant to say all of that, she hadn't told anyone that. She shouldn't have even been able to hear the mother dragon, she wasn't yet connected to a dragon, but she could hear her loud and clear.
Gods help her. Comprehensive sex education needed to be the law of all schools but that did explain a couple of things. "It isn't a baby yet, it doesn't even have a heartbeat. It is just a fetus, Heather. Just a bunch of cells. It wouldn't feel anything. So if you want to terminate, we can help you do it safely, so you don't harm yourself." When the red head shook her head, she nodded. She had expected that actually and she had a feeling she knew why. "Is that why you went back to the nesting dragon? Not because you wanted to die, but because you didn't feel safe?"
"Yeah. I had just seen the guy that...the reason...the...the baby's father. And I just wanted to feel safe. She makes me feel safe."
So she was right. The young woman had been raped. Which meant even if she had the child, would she be able to keep it? "Heather, I need to ask you a very important question and I need you to answer me honestly, alright? Were you raped?"
She hesitated, staring at the floor for a long moment. It had been her fault though. That's what he had said. He said he would hurt her again if she told anyone. But the mother dragon said she would eat him if he touched her again. She believed the dragon. "Yes." As liberating as that felt, she could feel the tears trying to force their way out. And this time, she didn't bother to fight them.
She opened her arms, catching an armful of sobbing young woman. She let the tiniest bit of magic drop into the young woman, mostly to check on the fetus. So far, it was healthy. If Heather was determined to keep it, they would have to get her on a regiment of prenatal potions. She would also have to see about getting her privileges to see the nesting dragon that she had linked to. If she was linking to a dragon, it would be safe for her to be with her, at least until the eggs hatched anyway. That was going to be a fun one to explain. Perhaps if they stipulated that she could see the dragon if she also saw a regular mind healer. The girl clearly knew who had raped her, so she also needed to try to get a name from her. As well as convince her to report it. It was going to be a long afternoon and she still had to pick up Kylie.
-x-
"Don't run boys!" He was getting too old for this. He hadn't realized how old he was getting until he offered to take the two preteens and the teenager around the reserve. Apprentices he could handle all day long, they quivered in their boots with just a look from him. But two preteen boys who didn't know him and who were exceedingly excited? Well, there was a reason he didn't spend a lot of time with the reserves children.
Bain shook his head, snorting. Like that would work. When Teddy got excited, his common sense went out the window and Harry loved to explore. "Is there anything dangerous up that hill?"
It was more of a steep ravine than a hill. Which the two boys were racing up, although they had slowed down the closer they got to the top, as it got steeper.
He lead Bain up the actual path, without as many roots and rocks, sighing. "Besides a sheer drop? No. There's no dragons penned on this part of the islands and no riders land here without good reason." The red-headed teenager nodded before letting out a sharp whistle. From up ahead, two heads turned to look down on them.
"Boys! There is a sharp drop. Mind your feet. When you get to the top, stay there and don't move! Heard?" Bain called out, raising an eyebrow at the two children.
"Heard!" They chorused.
Master Luka blinked, pausing for a moment to glance at the younger man walking beside him. Those boys had responded more in-sync than some of his trained dragon riders would. Men and women who were the first line of defense for the islands, and these children responded more like soldiers than his riders did.
"It's how Alexis runs the camp. The counselors call it 'call and response'. They needed something to keep sixty kids organized. It works for us." He shrugged, answering the unasked question.
"Master Luka!" Harry came tumbling back over the ledge, glancing over his shoulder at Teddy. He hoped his friend wouldn't touch it, but Teddy seemed to be able to talk to it, which was the only reason it hadn't eaten them. At least, that's what he thought. He wasn't sure. He didn't speak dragon. But Teddy had started giggling and his head was hurting and now his leg hurt and-
"Harry? What's wrong?"
"There was something up there!"
Bain caught hold of the younger boy when he tripped again, frowning slightly. "Where's Teddy?"
"He's talking to it." He rubbed his forehead, leaning against Bain for a moment. He would have laughed if he wasn't in pain. He didn't think Master Luka could run that fast.
Luka crested the top of the hill, his wand in one hand, already summoning wandless magic with the other before freezing. There was a full-grown dragon nuzzling a preteen boy and he knew that look on the boy's face very well. He let his wandless magic fizzle back down, although he didn't sheaf his wand, slowing his steps so the dragon would know he wasn't a threat. :Where is your handler?:
Barios snorted at the mind gently brushing his, not moving away from the little kit. The kit's mind was raw and loud, completely untrained, but he felt the pull toward the little one. It had been so long since he had a rider, so very long. :I do not keep track of the movements of humans.: Useless humans anyway. He had always known where to find his former rider, decades before. He gently pushed the older rider's mind out, turning his attention back to the little kit. :You are too little just yet. When you are bigger, perhaps.:
:Please? I'll be careful? I won't hurt you.:
Teddy rested his hand against the dragon's lowered head, eyes closed.
:You cannot hurt me little kit. Ask the Master Rider. You are too little.:
"Master Luka, I'm not little, right?" Teddy asked, frowning deeply.
He sighed, knowing that since the dragon, Barios, had pushed him out, he had to be talking to the child. Which meant he was hearing half of a conversation.
"What does Barios think you are too little for?"
"He says I'm too little to ride him but-"
"Absolutely not." Luka stated firmly, meeting the child's eyes. "Dragon riders do not get on to a dragon for the first time for six months into their apprenticeship. They don't ride alone until their minds form a connection with a dragon and they can hold that connection for a substantial time. It can take years of hard work. You will not be riding a dragon for quite a while." The stubborn glint in the child's eyes looked so much like Alexis, he had to fight back a groan. He was glad the preteens were going home at the end of the day or he was sure they would end up in a dragon's pen. Because if they were anything like Alexis and Chris had been, where one went the other would follow.
He knew he could do it. He liked Barios, talking to the dragon felt natural, it felt safe. But Teddy also knew that Alexis would get upset if he disobeyed Master Luka, she had told them that listening and obeying was important here. So maybe he wouldn't get to ride Barios today. Maybe he would wait until the next time they came back. He would be big enough soon. :Maybe next time?:
:I will still be here when you are bigger.:
He reassured, snorting. He nuzzled the kit for a moment longer before huffing softly and slowly backing up. He knew what would make the little kits happy and he knew the master rider would make sure his young kit was safe. He kept backing up until he had enough room to safely turn around, keeping one eye on the human kit.
Luka kept a firm hand on Teddy's shoulder, taking a step back with the child. He had an idea about what the dragon was planning and he knew the boys would enjoy it, he just had to keep the brown-haired child at his side and away from the dragon's wingspan. He glanced at Bain, gesturing for him to take a few steps back with Harry. "We need to be clear. Barios is going to take off for us." He explained, smiling when the younger two boys eyes lit up.
Bain nodded, pulling Harry tighter to him. Harry had sprained his ankle when he fell and the younger boy was complaining that his head was hurting him, so the green-eyed child had not left his side when they had made it back up the ravine. He blinked suddenly, watching the large beast back toward them for a moment before taking off at a run for the edge of the drop. No wonder Teddy loved these creatures. They were beautiful, even if he still found the dragon terrifying.
He beat his wings for several moments, getting the wind under him before diving down the cliff. He flew around the island, circling back up and above the small kit. He beat his wings for a moment, letting the air hold him as he let out a small roar. The delightful sound from below was music to his ears. He missed having a human partner. Now to wait until the human kit was big enough. What was one more decade to him, really? He gave off another little roar before taking off again, turning his head to watching the small kit as he flew away. He would see him again, he was sure.
Teddy laughed, waving at the dragon as he took off again. "Wow." That had been amazing. He couldn't wait to be an apprentice.
Gods help him. Did a dragon really just call a thirteen year old? A thirteen year old?! The child's reaction of pure happiness had told him everything he needed to know. He knew that call just as he knew the look the child had earlier. This would be a headache he would figure out later. The dragon had not bonded to the child, thankfully, or that would had been an entirely different mess. He had a different headache he needed to handle now. Literally. "Is your head still hurting, Harry?"
He grimaced, nodding. It wasn't so bad now that the dragon had left. But his head did still hurt.
"And I bet your ankle hurts too. Let's get you a pain potion and check your ankle before we move on." He decided, sighing softly. He was getting too old for this.
-x-
He closed his eyes, taking another sip of the bourbon he had ordered. As much as he had wanted it three drinks ago, it wasn't helping. He could still see the teenager's hands, still see his own reaction. The alcohol wasn't erasing what happened, it wasn't making him doubt his actions any less. It wasn't making him over-analyze all of their previous interactions. Paul knew he needed to leave the bar but he also knew he couldn't go back up to the school drunk. The children couldn't see him drunk, it might scare they. And Eric would have his head. He was screwed. He fucked up, he knew it. He just didn't know what do to next.
Perhaps he should had made some noise before placing a heavy hand on the young man's shoulder; as it was, he made him jump. Hagrid raised an eyebrow when the young counselor turned to him, uncertain for a moment if the emotion in his eyes was from the alcohol or not. "Let's go, Paul." He stated calmly, jerking his head toward the door. He had been at the Three Broomsticks to get the daily special anyway when Rosemerta had pointed out the drinking young man to him. So he got his dinner to go and sent a message to Eric and Alexis, if she was back, to let them know that Paul would be staying at his cabin to sober up. It wouldn't be the first time a drunk counselor or teacher ended up sleeping on a mat in his hut.
"I'm fine."
"How much have you drank?"
"I'm fine."
He was a recovering alcoholic. He was staring at his glass like it was the only thing keeping him from drowning. The younger man was far from fine. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night. "Stay right there." Hagrid ordered, going to ordered another box of food to go. He had a feeling the younger man hadn't eaten and food would help him sober up faster.
Paul groaned, turning back to his drink. He took another gulp of it, glancing at the half full glass before raising his hand to order another. He glared at the bartender when the man merely snorted at him.
"You've been cut off, man. " He shrugged, setting a glass of water in front of the younger wizard before moving to another patron. He thought the healers at the school had a two-drink limit any way, which was why he had called Rosemerta's attention to the younger man. He didn't like serving any healers more than three drinks because at that point, he knew they were struggling with something that drinking wasn't going to help and would probably make much worse.
"Ughh." He grunted, reaching for his drinking before grimacing at the light smack to his hand.
"What part o' cut off did ya miss?" Hagrid ask, raising an eyebrow at the younger man. He didn't trust flooing with a drunk, so they would have to walk back and hopefully Paul could hold his liquor well.
He hadn't even had that much to drink! He usually drank more than that! Granted it had been a while, but still! "Not going." He mumbled when the firm hand on his shoulders pulled him to his feet.
"Well, Rosemerta wouldn't let you stay here. So you don't got a choice. Come on. Now." Hagrid ordered briskly, keeping a hand on the man's shoulder to steady him.
He didn't really want to go with the half-giant. He couldn't go back to the castle drunk. But he couldn't get thrown out of here for being drunk either. That was all he needed. Eric would kill him. Plus, this place had good food and he didn't want to get barred from here. Ugh. He hated being just drunk enough to feel light-headed but still being logical. Paul nodded, grimacing at the flash of pain in his head and finally followed the older man out of the bar. It was a bit annoying that the bigger man didn't trust him enough to take his hand off his shoulder. He was helping him stay steady though, so he didn't care too much.
Hagrid lead the way back toward the school, moving at a slower pace so that the young man could keep up. Hopefully he could convince him to tell him what had caused this, if not tonight then after he sobered up. Because something had clearly caused this.
-x-
"Lexie?"
"Go away!"
"Lexie, it's Mary. Can you turn around please? Let me see your hands." She stated calmly, making sure not to block the child in. She had gotten a message from the girl's mind-healer to keep an eye on her, that she was upset, but not why. Two of her other girls had just come to get her because they had found Lexie and they were worried. This teenager had been okay just a few hours ago but she did know that their moods could change in an instant.
She hesitated, not removing her hands from the hot, running water, although she did turn her head. "I'm fine."
"You're not. That must hurt, Lexie. How long have your hands been in the water?" Every fiber in her being wanted to spell the water off, the child's hands were an angry, bright red and she knew it hurt. At this point, her hands were probably numb to the water.
She shrugged, turning her attention back to the sink. Mary would either get the hint and leave, or stay and keep her company. She really wasn't sure which she preferred. She didn't know if she wanted to be alone with the awful thoughts in her head.
Why must her girls always end up in bathrooms? Melting down in bathrooms, hurting themselves in bathrooms, throwing fits in bathrooms, crying in bathrooms...it was always in the bathroom. It couldn't be somewhere nice and comfortable like the lounge or the bunks. No, it had to be the bathroom. "You don't know?" A shrug was her only answer. "Okay. Do you know why you are running hot water over your hands until they blister? Yeah? Do you want to talk about it?"
She hesitated, meeting the older woman's eyes in the mirror for a long moment before dropping them back to her hands. "I'm dirty."She whispered.
"No child. You are not. You are not dirty. You do not have to scrub your skin until it bleeds and blisters. You are not dirty." Mary stated firmly, meeting scared eyes when they flew to hers.
"But I fucked up!" She shouted, closing her eyes against the tears she wasn't going to let fall. She still couldn't believe she did that. And she didn't know what she was going to do now.
Usually the counselors didn't let the teenagers leave their offices in this kind of mindset and they always had a charm set so they couldn't bolt out of a session. So unless she had shut down all emotion, Paul wouldn't have let her leave like this. He was good with the older teens. "Why do you think you messed up?" Mary asked finally, watching the dark-skinned teenager carefully. She still hadn't taken her hands out of the water. While she normally wouldn't intervene, wouldn't break that trust, she knew that if she couldn't get the girl to stop soon, she would have to. Drops of blood were staring to form on the tops of the child's hands.
"Because I did!"
"Okay. Can you tell me about it?"
"No!"
"Alright, take a breath. Lexie, I need you to turn the water off or I am going to have to turn it off. You are hurting yourself and you are starting to do serious damage to your hands. We need to turn the water off or we are going to have to go see Eric to tend to your hands." While she could treat the wounds, she knew that the thought of having to go to the medical wing might help get through to the girl. It usually worked with the camp kids. They all loved Eric and Lucas but they also knew that if they hurt themselves, both men would get them to talk about it while they were treating their wounds. They were just that good.
She grimaced, biting her lip for a moment, and glaring at Mary in the mirror. But she knew Eric would convince her to talk about it. Mary would too. Both of them would hate her. Maybe even as much as she hated herself, as much as Paul must hate her. She glared down at her hands, wincing at the flash of pain before slowly moving to turn the sink off. She fought down a hiss, blinking at the sight of blood. She hadn't realized her hands were bleeding. But she still felt so dirty. She had felt dirty for so long, she didn't think she'd ever feel clean again. She hadn't meant to be bad and Paul had seemed more worried about her than upset, so maybe he didn't hate her? She didn't know. Her thoughts were too loud. "I messed up."
"We all mess up some times. Do you want to tell me about it?" She asked quietly, catching brown eyes when they darted to hers.
She hesitated, grimacing at the slamming of the door as one of the littler girls darted into the bathroom. "Not in here?"
That worked for her. "How about mine and Melody's room?" It would give the girl the privacy she needed to talk. Unfortunately, except for the meeting room for the E group, which her and Jake did use from time to time for situations like this, they didn't have their own offices. The mind healers all had their own office but not the camp counselors. Which made it hard since she was technically a mind healer, just on a much broader scale and in a subtle way.
"Sure." She shrugged, following the blond-haired woman through the door that led to that room. That was what she loved about the camp bathroom. All the rooms were connected to one bathroom. Not that she had access to the counselors rooms, one of the other girls had tried it and the doors shocked you if you weren't a counselor, but it was still cool.
Mary gestured to her bed, giving the teenager a small smile when she finally sat down. "May I check your hands?" She grabbed her med kit at the nod, knowing she was going to need more than salve for those wounds. "So, what happened?"
It was easier with her backed turned, when Mary was digging through a bag of medical supplies. It was so much easier to talk. "Paul hates me."
She stopped her movements, glancing over her shoulder at the girl. "Why on earth do you think that?" Why would she think her mind-healer hated her? Usually if it was a complaint about a mind-healer it was the opposite, the child said they hated the mind-healer and that was normally because they didn't want to talk.
"I did something bad."
"Okay."
"I did something bad to Paul." She add in a hurry dropping her eyes to the floor. She didn't want to see the disgust in the older woman's eyes. She didn't want her to hate her too.
Mary stopped pretending to find the supplies she had found minutes before, moving instantly to the teenager's side. What? Did the child mean what she thought she meant? "Lexie? I need you to look at me for a minute please and I need you to be honest with me. Did Paul hurt you?" Because if he did, she would kill him. But she trusted Paul, Alexis trusted Paul. Paul was just as outraged as she had been about the torment Lexie had gone through.
"What? No! Paul never touched me! He wouldn't do that. It was me."
"Lexie-"
"No! I was stuck in my head and he said something, I don't know what and my mind went there and he said something else and then he said the word and my brain reacted. It was me! I was bad! I was trying to service him! He was so shocked he swatted my hands away but I didn't stop because he said the word. So then he grabbed my hands and he kept talking to me until I came out of it. He even apologized for smacking my hands. He said he wasn't thinking when he did that. But I was bad. Not Paul. He'd never hurt us." She retorted, jumping up and pacing the room. She didn't see the wand flash out or the spell fly past her, but she already knew she wasn't leaving the room until Mary felt she was safe to be on her own.
She stashed her wand, sighing softly as her eyes tracked the pacing teenager. She had strengthen the locking charm she placed earlier. She had a feeling that Lexie had managed to break through the one on Paul's office, that Paul hadn't let her leave, and Paul had been so shaken up he hadn't chased her down. Not that it would have done any good. She probably would have shut down on Paul. "What word did he say Lexie?"
"Please don't make me tell you."
"Okay. It's alright. Take a deep breath." The fear in the teen's eyes told her more than it didn't. They had known that Lexie's abusers had either programmed her or were using something to control her, so finding out that it was a bit of both didn't surprise her. Lexie was one of her girls and a member of her and Jake's group; she had read her medical file. Mary was well aware of the type of abuse she had suffered from and the severity of it. There was a reason none of the "E" kids touched Lexie without letting her know and getting her expressed permission first. Hell, none of the counselors or healers would touch Lexie without her verbal consent first. They were trying to give her voice back and teach her that she was in control of her own body, that no one was allowed to touch her without consent.
She took several deep breaths, the way Mary had been teaching her, trying to calm the turmoil in her mind. It wasn't really working. "I didn't mean to be bad." But they wouldn't have thought she was bad. Only here was it bad. She didn't even know any more what she was suppose to be. Who she was suppose to be. It was easier when school started. She could just be a normal student. But summers and winters were working times not lazy times. She wasn't earning her keep. "I can't think!"
"You aren't bad Lexie. It's loud in your head with all those voices yelling, isn't it?" She asked quietly, remembering something one of the younger kids had said in group a few nights ago. She had seen the faces of the teenagers, after all. Sometimes in took a preteen to express something in such a simple way that they were all feeling but didn't quite have words for. But the young preteens weren't afraid of looking like kids because they were kids.
She closed her eyes, before nodding. It was loud in her head. She knew she wasn't crazy, that the voices she was hearing was their voices, and the other voice in her head, the one shouting to be heard was hers. She felt like she was drowning.
"I know it seems hard right now, but you will get through this. You are not alone. I'm going to be here with you through this." Mary stated finally, after several minutes. She knew the teenager might not want to talk about it now, but that was alright. They would just stay there until the girl was in a better state a mind, until she was calmer. She would keep talking to her until she could get her to calm down enough that she wasn't a threat to herself anymore. And then she would have to tell Alexis what had happened. She wasn't looking forward to that.
-x-
"He's with Hagrid."
She sighed, running a hand over her eyes for a moment. International flooing was exhausting and she had just floo'd with two kids. Then to come back to this, an upset teenager and probably a shaken counselor that they had just located. "I taken it if he is spending the night with Hagrid, he's drunk?"
Severus nodded, catching her eyes. "I'm not quite sure what he was feeling, but I can guess. If Karrie had done something like that toward Remus or I...don't be too hard on him, Alexis. He is probably beating himself up as it is."
Alexis was pretty sure he was and probably over-analyzing his every actions. "I'll talk to Eric tomorrow. For tonight, I think he will probably feel safest sleeping it off at Hagrid's. Speaking of sleep..."
He snorted, shaking his head. She must be past exhausted, if she was willingly going to bed. "We both should do that." He admitted, nodding pointedly toward her bedroom. He ignored the eye-roll, waiting to make sure his younger sister actually went into her room before stepping into the floo. He did have a bed calling his name, after all, and a partner waiting up for him.
-x-