Who would like to fight a dragon?
Sky doesn't have school today, so Saul gives in to his begging and takes him to the Specialists training. Well, actually, he's only pretending Sky has to beg him. In fact, Silva knows very well how much the kid likes observing these training sessions. He is happy about it, too, because although he knows that it's mainly because Sky dreams of following in his father's footsteps, it also means that in a few years the boy will be spending long hours with Saul learning how to fight. And this in turn is a chance that they will still have something in common even after the boy grows out of this Harry Potter stage. Besides, Saul has already started teaching him some basics, and it seems Sky has real talent. No wonder, he's Andreas' son after all...
Sky sits down on a bench and opens a book on his lap. Saul smiles to himself, knowing well that the kid is not going to read. The book is there only so that Sky can pretend that he isn't intently watching every move of the pair of second year Specialists practicing right next to his bench. The boy meets his gaze and raises his eyebrows, so Saul just nods at him and turns to the students. He knows Sky won't be a problem — not like Sam and Terra, who once pranked their father by replacing a completely harmless mullein with some exotic variant of the plant that gave both Ben and his students a twenty-four-hour hiccup fit. No, with Sky, Saul knows he can trust the boy and just focus on his work.
"Oh, Harry Potter, I've read that too!" exclaims someone behind him, and Saul is about to react when he recognizes the student's voice and closes his mouth.
Marco is one of the best students he has ever taught. Talented and hard-working, he always gives all he's got. Plus, Sky clearly likes him, so in the end Silva decides it won't harm anyone to pretend he doesn't see Marco talking instead of practicing, just this once.
"Who is your favorite character?" he hears Sky ask.
"Tonks. She's fuck… fantastic," Marco finishes awkwardly, and Saul smirks under his breath.
"Oh," says Sky, either unaware of Marco's slip or unwilling to acknowledge it, especially with Silva so close to them. "I don't think I got to her yet. Mine is Sirius."
Saul's smile grows wider and much less sarcastic. Fortunately, he is standing with his back to the bench, and the two students in front of him are focused on each other and their swords, so nobody can see him beam.
"At what point in the plot are you, actually?" asks Marco meanwhile.
"The Triwizard Tournament. Right before the first task."
"Do you already know what it is?"
"Dragons!" The excitement in Sky's voice reminds Saul why their turtle is named Toothless. A ridiculous name for both a dragon and any other reptile, but Silva had nothing to say in the matter, so he just has to accept it. After all, Sky has been taking great care of his pet so far.
"Marco, how would you defeat a dragon?"
"With a bow, I suppose. An arrow straight to the eye, that should do the trick. It'd be hard to get close enough to use a sword, wouldn't it?"
Saul can see a fundamental flaw in Marco's reasoning — as far as he remembers, the point of this task in the book wasn't to kill the dragon, but to outsmart it. At this moment however, one of his students, Artie, performs an absolutely idiotic parry that costs him his balance and makes him land hard on his butt, thus drawing the teacher's full attention. When Silva remembers Marco and Sky again and glances over his shoulder, the bench is empty.
Saul shrugs slightly. Sky is no longer a baby, he knows Alfea like his own pocket, and Marco is probably smart enough not to let the kid get too close to the fighters. He'll be fine, says Saul to himself, and he believes it until about forty-five minutes later, when he sees Noura running towards him with a worried expression on her face.
"Mr. Silva!"
Saul feels an instantaneous surge of anxiety. He knows Noura and Marco are close. It may not necessarily mean anything but...
"Something's wrong with Sky?"
Noura nods, catching her breath, and Saul can feel his own freeze in his lungs.
"He's fine, he's only hurt his hand a bit," adds the girl quickly.
She has probably noticed his panicked look, but Saul doesn't care.
"Where?" he asks curtly, starting to run in the direction from which Noura came a few seconds ago.
"The shooting range."
When Saul reaches the scene, with Noura on his heels, Sky is sitting on a bench, a bit pale but definitely alive, and Marco is kneeling next to him, bandaging his hand. Only then does Saul's gaze fall on the bloodstain on the trouser leg where Sky is resting his elbow, and the man draws in a loud breath.
Marco glances up and gives him a sheepish look.
"It's not very deep, Mr. Silva, I swear. It doesn't look bad at all. Though he may need some stitches. I'm sorry."
"We'll talk about it later," Saul replies coldly, as he kneels down on the other side of Sky.
Marco nods and immediately steps away from the boy.
"It's not his fault, Silva, it's mine!" Sky assures him hastily. "All practice swords are blunt, even the steel ones, so I thought the arrows would be too."
"Arrows must be sharp, Sky. Otherwise, they would end up on the ground instead of in the target." Saul reaches for the boy's hand, grabbing it gently by the wrist above the bandage. He would like to see the wound, but the dressing applied by Marco looks fine, so he figures he'd better wait until they get to Ben's.
"Can you walk?" he asks softly, studying the boy's pale face.
"Silva, I hurt my hand, not my leg!" Sky rolls his eyes and smiles slightly, and Saul breathes out in relief. If the kid can joke, he's probably going to be fine.
"Mr. Silva, I'm really…" Marco takes a step forward, his face looking almost just as unhealthy as Sky's.
"I know." Saul doesn't want to waste time on unnecessary discussions. "But next time before you let a child handle a weapon, ask me first."
"I'm not a child anymore!" Sky pouts, but no one pays attention to his protests.
"Is there any way we can help?" asks Noura meanwhile.
At first, Saul wants to decline, but then he notices that her eyes are still filled with worry and he remembers that the girl is not to blame for anything.
"Make sure the first years don't kill each other until I get back. Both of you."
Noura nods, and Marco smiles faintly at the last part of his teacher's command.
Saul takes Sky by the arm, as if afraid that the kid could run away again, and heads towards the greenhouse, knowing that this is where Ben Harvey can probably be found at this time of day.
"Silva, don't be mad at Marco," Sky pleads after a few moments of silence, and he looks up at Saul. "It really was my idea. I begged him to let me try to kill the dra… I mean, to take a shot at the target," he corrects himself quickly.
"Marco is older than you, he should know better." But Saul's anger is mostly gone, and now the man's resentment is mostly directed at himself. He's the one responsible for Sky, he should make sure the kid is safe, instead of trusting a teenager, even the most responsible one, to do his job and then blaming him for being who he is — another kid, even if older than Sky. It's just that Sky has been acting so maturely recently that Saul has forgotten for a moment that his foster son is still just a child.
"But you should know better too. How many times did I tell you that any weapon should be treated with respect?" he adds after a moment. "Even if it seems harmless enough, even if you think it's blunt. A weapon is not a toy."
"I know, Silva, I'm sorry." Sky lowers his head and looks down at his bandage, which is already soaking with blood. "I suppose I'll remember now," he finishes with a bit of dark humor and gives Saul a crooked smile.
Two days later, Sky's hand looks much better, and the boy doesn't wince with its every movement anymore, although he still cannot learn to stop picking at the edge of the bandage. Just in case, Saul made him stay at home, worried that the kid could damage his stitches while playing. Sky is delighted, of course, that he can read his book all day instead of being at school, which in turn forces Saul to read it late in the evenings, when the boy is already asleep. Silva isn't even sure if he likes 'The Goblet of Fire' so much or if reading it somehow helps him process his thoughts and prepare for the conversation he has to have with Sky. So far, in some strange way, seemingly innocent conversations about Harry Potter have helped them deal with other, more serious topics, so maybe it's worth trying now as well?
"Sky, what do you think of the Triwizard Tournament?" he asks casually, sitting down on the sofa next to the boy.
Sky puts his finger inside the book to mark the page he's been reading and looks up.
"Would you put your name in the goblet if you were in Harry's place?" Saul clarifies.
"Harry didn't put it there," Sky points out. "Have you paid any attention to the book at all?"
Saul snorts softly.
"I know, I know. But I'm asking if you would." Congratulations, Saul. You were supposed to pretend this was an innocent conversation, and the kid's already looking at you as if you were crazy.
Sky thinks for a moment.
"In Harry's place, I don't think so. It's a bit like tracking down a Burned One with a wooden practice sword, isn't it? I mean, I'd rather be better prepared. At times, Harry totally doesn't know what he's doing, don't you think? It's a miracle he made it this far," he laughs.
Saul smiles back and breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe he was worried unnecessarily. Sky is not Andreas after all. However, once he has started, he decides to say what's on his mind, just in case.
"That's a very smart decision, Sky. Being a hero isn't all about bravery. Courage without skill and common sense is recklessness. Your dad was brave and you are too. I am glad that you are not reckless, because after this arrow accident, I must admit that I had some doubts."
Sky automatically reaches with the fingers of his good hand to the already fraying bandage, but meeting Silva's gaze, he hastily lowers his hand, slightly embarrassed.
"But sometimes skill and common sense aren't enough, are they?"
Sky surprises him with this question and Saul blinks several times, wondering what it could mean.
"There are times when you have to take a risk, right?" Sky continues. "For example, if the Burned Ones attacked… I don't know, a kindergarten or something. Then you would step in, even if you were alone against a few of them, wouldn't you? My point is, Silva, you said yourself a Specialist should always defend the weaker, defend the civilians, no matter what."
Defend the civilians at all costs, repeats Saul in his mind, his thoughts involuntarily going back to Aster Dell all over again. He did just that, didn't he? He feels a tiny, microscopic glimmer of hope that maybe Sky would understand, that he somehow would be able forgive. A moment later, however, the boy adds:
"And I think Dad believed that too, you know? That he died fighting for a cause he believed in."
Saul swallows loudly, shudders invisibly, and replies in a hollow voice:
"Yes, Sky. I think he did."
