A/N: I wrote two completely original chapters in one day and both are a bit longer than normal so there might be a little gap before the next chapter upload or I might surprise us all and get it up before the end of the week. This is the second of those two chapters.
Chapter 12: Trapped with ResponsibilityJennifer didn't let him carry his own bag or Marigold's bag, as he was carrying Marigold, as they left the school and headed to her car. Detective Lestrade remained with them in the car, while Georgina and Greystone followed behind them in a separate vehicle.
In order to distract Marigold from the fact that she was strapped into a car seat, Haydon told her a story while tweaking her fingers and toes. It wasn't very often that either of them were in cars and it wasn't something that either of them particularly like which was one of the reasons that she had been crying so much when she'd been picked up. Marigold didn't like strangers and she didn't like cars.
"What's the name of the foster family?"
"The Stanford's. Julian and Danial Stanford. They've been a first contact foster family for the last ten years. They adopted one of their foster children four years ago, a three-year-old girl named Lily, but they stayed on as a foster family." Jennifer explained.
Haydon nodded before turning his complete attention back to Marigold.
It was a thirty-minute drive from the school to the foster family's home but as they arrived it was to a family waiting for them on the lawn. The couple were in their forties, both with black hair and kind faces. The man had a strong jaw, and strong shoulders but he stood with a cane for support. The woman had laughter and smile lines around her mouth and eyes. Between them, the five-year-old girl was a red-head who was missing her left arm but had a wild smile on her face as she watched the car pull up.
Haydon unbuckled himself before beginning the process of undoing the straps keeping Marigold in her chair. by the time he'd done that, Jennifer had gotten out of the car and opened the door. Haydon slipped out, leaning over Marigold as he did so, before leaning back into the car and lifting Marigold out. He wasn't going to let anyone else hold her – trust anyone else with her – especially not when she didn't like strangers anyway. She would offer a small trust if Haydon was the one to pass her to them – which was why she didn't initially kick up a fuss when starting nursery.
Straightening his shoulders, Haydon approached the foster family with Marigold on his hip.
"Julian, Danial this is Haydon and Marigold." Jennifer started the introductions.
"Thank you for taking us in," Haydon nodded his head politely.
"It's our pleasure, sweetheart." Julian smiled gentle.
"Are these their only things?" Danial asked Jennifer, accepting the two bags and a file.
"I'm afraid. It was an emergency pull." Jennifer said apologetically.
"There are three changes of clothes for Marigold in that bag, and she uses reusable nappies. And her wolf is in there to, but apparently there was an accident after school today." Haydon smiled at Marigold so she wouldn't think that she was in trouble as she could recognise her name when spoken.
"Well, we can get him washed before bedtime. And we can get you some clothes as well. You aren't the first young lad to come into our care, so we keep clothes of all sizes." Julian assured him, picking up on the clear fact that he didn't have any clothes but what he was wearing.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Can I show them to their room now?" Lily asked excitedly.
"Why do we show them together?" Danial smiled indulgently down at his daughter.
"I hear your name is Lily?" Haydon asked as he followed the child into the house, Danial falling into step next to him.
"That's right." Lily nodded proudly as they paused in the doorway in order to take off their shoes.
"I think Lily is a very pretty name, just like the flower and the girl who owns it." Haydon smiled as Lily smiled brightly at him and skipped ahead of him and Danial. The house didn't have the staircase straight after entering as most did, instead they had to go passed the living room and turning and the staircase was then there.
"You're a solider." Haydon observed, spying some of the pictures on the wall of the man besides him in uniform. Most of the pictures lining the walls were of Danial and Julian either alone or together, and then there was also more recent images which included Lily. But there were also pictures with other children which Haydon assumed were the other foster children they'd taken in.
"Army, medical discharge." Danial agreed. "That was a life time ago."
"This is your room." Lily announced brightly, pointing to the second room at the top of the staircase. She was the one who opened the door, but then she stepped back to allow Haydon to go in first. That was definitely something her parents had taught her to do, not running in before the new foster child had entered the room that they'd be calling their own.
Haydon entered the room and looked round. There was a freshly made single bed under the window, an open clothes rail and dresser. There was a table and chairs set up for homework to be done. The walls were painted a light blue and the carpet was a soft creamy yellow. Despite not having anything personal in the room, it was still warm and welcoming.
"It's perfect, thank you." Haydon said gratefully to Danial even as he smiled at Lily to make it seem like he was thanking her. "Marigold will be in a different room?"
"Yes, the nursery is directly opposite mine and Julian's." Danial led the way this time.
Directly next to Haydon's room, the first room at the top of the staircase, was the nursery. It was a bright, fun yellow with animals painted on the walls as well as trees. There was soft play areas and seating, a wrong chair by the window and a crib.
Spying a painted wolf on the wall, Marigold clapped and started reaching for it. Haydon approached and allowed Marigold to place her hands onto the painted wolf.
"Wof, wof." Marigold cheered. "Dadda, wof, wof."
"Yes, Marigold it's a wolf. Just like you're wolf. He's got the same grey fur coat that your wolf has." Haydon smiled, taking her hand and gentle guiding it to patting the wall. "But he's not as soft."
"Pat, pat. Wof, wofy pat."
"Well, we clearly know which animal is Marigolds favourite." Danial spoke, clearly amused. "Lily, why don't you go and let your mum know we'll be down in a little while? We're just going to see if we can find some clothes that fit Haydon."
"Kay," Lily said happily before skipping out the room.
"She calls you dadda?" Danial questioned as he watched Hayden and Marigold interact, going through the room and allowing Marigold to explore her knew environment.
"I'm her primary carer and have been since before she could talk. I'm not sure if she can remember anyone else ever caring for her." Haydon explained. "Until her vocabulary is bigger and her understanding, I didn't want to encourage her to call me anything else since she decided on calling me dad on her own. She's been abandoned once before and I don't want her thinking I'm living her."
"Haydon, are you going to be comfortable with Julian and I looking after Marigold. You shouldn't have to be the one feeding Marigold, changing her dippers, telling her bedtime stories or anything else a grown-up should be doing." Danial asked gentle.
"I…" Haydon sighed. "I'm sorry. It's going to take me time to trust you with Marigold. I would prefer to continue changing and cleaning her for now, and I like telling Marigold bedtime stories, but I'll try and share care duties."
Danial nodded thoughtfully. "We can compromise until you trust us. I know this is going to be a big change for you and Marigold."
"Danial, honey, Haydon, dinner is on the table. Come and wash up." Julian's voice called up the stairs.
Haydon followed Danial's careful steps down the stairs and into the dinning room. There was a high chair already set up for Marigold to sit at, as well as place settings for everyone else. Julian and Lily were already seated, but had not touched their food. Julian was sat next to the high chair. the table was round, so there was no head of the table or position of authority for someone to sit at.
"Haydon, I've made palao with tomato soup for Marigold. Do you know if she is at the feeding herself stage yet?" Julian asked as Haydon placed Marigold into the high chair. Once she was settled, the two bowls – one of yellow rice with thinned sliced vegetables and the other with tomato soup – was placed on the little table of her chair.
"She'll struggle with the soup but will have fun with the rice." Haydon smiled, remembering the fond memories of helping her hold the spoon and guiding it to the mouth and then her taking the spoon out of his hand. He'd only been on the mushed-up food for four months before she'd got her first two teeth grown in and so moved onto soft but solid foods. "Do you mind her making a mess?"
"Of course not, I knew there would be mess when I cooked rice and soup for a toddler."
The moment Julian had finished speaking Marigold had realised what was in front of her and she picked up the plastic spoon that she had been given. the spoon dived straight into the rice before making the somewhat accurate travel to her mouth. Marigold was patient enough to lick and chew on the spoon, before pulling it back out but cleaning the spoon completely in her mouth didn't mean much when she'd lost half the rice on the way to her mouth.
With the rice tried, the spoon was then put into the soup and tried. Even less made it to her mouth this time, but Marigold didn't seem to mind as she sucked happily on it. when the spoon was clean, Marigold had a tough choose to make – did she eat the soup first or the rice? Knowing his charge well enough to know she didn't like cold soup, Haydon moved that bowl slightly closer to her and Marigold happily continued eating her dinner.
"You're a very good cook," Haydon complimented as he began eating his own dinner while keeping a sharp eye on Marigold. She wouldn't be able to eat all the soup in her bowl, so he'd have to soup the bowls over so she could eat the rice instead.
"Thank you," Julian smiled across the table.
"Lily, what school do you go to?" Haydon asked not wanting the table to fall into uncomfortable silence.
"I go to St. Mary's. It was my first day today." Lily said brightly.
"So, you're in year 1?" Haydon purposefully got it wrong.
"No silly. I'm only five. I'm in reception." Lily giggled.
"Really, are you sure? You seem smart enough to be in year 1." Haydon asked seriously.
"I'm sure." Lily nodded.
"Well alright then, if you're sure." Haydon winked.
"I am."
"You're in year one, aren't you Haydon?" Julian asked.
"Yes ma'am." Haydon confirmed as he moved the rice bowl closer to Marigold as she'd finally gotten to the point in the soup bowl that she couldn't finish it on her own.
"Well, tomorrow morning will be interesting working out our timings as we have to get all three of you to school on time." Danial joined the conversation.
"Being late is normal for me, and considering the change in circumstance I am sure my teachers will be understanding if I miss register." Haydon shrugged lightly.
"How does your school structure their days?" Danial asked.
"Gates open at 8:30 and close at 8:45. Register finished by 8:55, Assemble begins at 9:00. Its whole school assembles every day except for Tuesday when it's in class. Assemble ends at 9:15. First lesson is maths from 9:20 till 10:30 then it's break till 10:45. Then it's English until 11:45. Lunch is split so we eat from 11:45 until 12:10 then we play until 12:30. Afternoon lessons change daily and is split into two periods: 12:30 till 13:30 then 13:45 till 15:30. Friday is an exception in that we celebration assemble from 15:00 until 15:20." Haydon rattled off the timetable. he had memories what afternoon classes he had went, but Danial and Julian didn't need to know it.
"Do you know Marigold's timetable?" Danial made the educated guess that he would be as informed of Marigolds' timetable as he was his own based off the way they'd interacted so far.
"She's in early years nursery, their timetable isn't as structured. I drop her off as the gates open at 8:30 even though they stay open until 9:00. They have mate-play until around 10:00, then it's snack time until 10:30. After that it's outside play until 11:00, unless it's raining in which case, they only keep them out for 15 minutes under shelter. The remaining time until lunch is spent with encouraging key developmental skills like speech or grip depending on the child. For Marigold, she normally spends that time working on movement and grip. Lunch is 12:00 till 12:45, then the afternoon is quiet play and nap time. Marigold hasn't napped in the afternoon since just before summer holiday started so she'll normally use that time to play with the soft blocks and or the paints."
Haydon did his best to explain the changing timetable of an early year's child, but that wasn't easy. He was sure that in the coming months as Marigold got better and better at walking and running and her minor motor skills improved along with her speech, those chosen activities would change. He was just grateful the staff kept him up to date on how Marigold's had been.
"Does she sleep through the night?" Julian asked, smiling amused as Marigold gave up on the spoon and decided to use her fingers to get to the rest of the rice.
"Unless she's upset, sick or startled about something." Haydon confirmed. "She'll probably wake tonight, since she's used to me being in the same room as her when she is asleep."
"And you, will you be able to sleep separated from her?" Julian asked.
"I don't sleep well anymore," Haydon shrugged. "I haven't done since I was placed with the Dursleys."
"How old were you when you were placed in your last home?" Danial asked.
"I was fifteen months old." Haydon smiled sadly at Marigold who lost his parents younger than he did even though they were still alive. "My mum's name was Lily."
"Like me." Lily said brightly.
"Just like you," Haydon agreed.
"Danial, you're on bath duty tonight. I've got kitchen duty." Julian informed her husband.
"Are you sure? I thought kitchen duty was mine tonight?" Danial eyed Marigold's hands which where now covered in both rice and tomato soup. Once she'd finished eating as much as she wanted, she put her hands in the tomato soup and started drawing images on her little table. Haydon hadn't interfered because the Stanford's didn't seem to have a problem with Marigold playing with her food and Marigold deserved the chance to express herself in a safe place with other people.
"Marigold loves baths, she'll play in the water and then fall asleep soon after. She's had a long day." Haydon laughed softly at the teasing between the two grown-ups.
"Well, that's a relief. Lily, why don't you go and do some of your drawings for a little while until it's your time for a shower." Danial encouraged Lily to leave the table first and go upstairs.
"Haydon, the wolf teddy has been washed and is just being dried." Julian informed him before she picked up the plates to take into the kitchen.
"Thank you," Haydon said gratefully as he lifted Marigold up. As he pulled her close, he made a face at her. "You didn't tell me you'd been potty. It's a good thing we're going to have a bath." Haydon looked up. "Do you have nappies or should I grab her bag?"
"We've got nappies in the airing cupboard upstairs. Which is also where we store the spare clothes." Danial assured as he led the way up the stairs. Although Haydon had said he wasn't comfortable letting Danial do the washing, he wasn't going to let Haydon wash Marigold alone.
Danial grabbed everything they would need while Haydon got Marigold out of her clothes and dirty nappy while running the bath. The moment she heard the water, Marigold was clapping and cheering, not even paying attention to the fact that Haydon was removing the wet nappy.
"Wow, she really does love the water." Danial laughed softly when he entered the bathroom with the new nappy and change of clothes to find that Marigold was standing on Haydon's knees trying to reach into the bath tub but Haydon was holding securing onto her hips to keep her in place.
"I'd love to take her to a toddler pool one day," Haydon admitted as he tested the temperature of the water before turning off the taps. Marigold clapped and cheered, her bottom wiggling happily as Haydon lifted her up and then lowered her into the water.
Once she was in the tab, she started moving her hands back and forward to feel the flow of water through her fingers. While she was enjoying the sensations, Haydon moved so he was sat on his knees while removing his shirt. He knew from experience that Marigold was a splasher and he didn't want to destroy his school shirt by drenching it in bathwater. He heard Danial draw in a sharp breath, but he ignored the adult for the time being – focusing completely on Marigold.
"There are some toys to the side, she is free to play with them." Danial encouraged. "The bottles with the pink labels are the soap and shampoos safe for the under threes."
"Is there a cup or something I could use to help with washing her hair?" Haydon questioned as he picked up the rubber duck to give to Marigold.
Marigold grabbed the duck, examining it closely before deciding to put it in the water and letting go. When it didn't sink, she clapped excitedly.
"What do ducks do?" Haydon asked as he pushed the duck forwards in the water.
"Quack, quack." Marigold cheered, pushing the duck to see if she could achieve the same result that he had done.
"That's right, ducks go quack." Haydon agreed.
Haydon accepted the cup he was given by Danial with a slight quirk of his lips. He carefully titled Marigold's head back slightly – making sure not to disrupt her play – and started pouring the water over the back of her head. He was experienced enough with this task that he could do this without having to shield Marigold's eyes.
"Are you the one who keeps Marigold's hair short?" Danial asked as he watched the process with sharp eyes.
"If her hair gets longer then her shoulders, she draws unwanted attention from my aunt. I think that it reminds her too much of my mother. The older Marigold gets, the more her hair goes from auburn to red. I was worried if her hair got to long, my aunt would try and punish her and I wouldn't allow that." Haydon smiled gentle at Marigold before he put the shampoo in her hair, rubbing it in and sticking her hair to her head.
"You took her punishments." Danial stated plainly. Haydon shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, which caused him to continue. "There is not a single mark on her body."
"Yes, I took her punishments." Haydon put the body soap on a soft cloth and start gentle putting it Marigold's body. Immediately, she was distracted from her duck as she took hold of the cloth and tried to help him.
"Round and round we go, under arm and over elbow to make us all sparkling clean…"
"Toe… toe…" Marigold demanded, dropping her hands into the water so she could grab her feet and lift them into the air.
Haydon chuckled and adjusted his little cleaning song.
"Down from the point of our chinny chin to the tips of tinny toe all to make us sparkling clean…"
He made sure to name all the body parts several times as he sang his cleaning song while making sure he covered everything but her face with soap. He always cleaned Marigold's face separate to everything else.
Washing the soap off the cloth, he then used it and the cup to was the soap off her body before carefully getting the soap out of her hair. While washing the soap away, Marigold grew disinterested once more and went back to playing with her duck. She'd discovered that when the duck was placed under the water and she let go, it would pop up and spout water from its beak.
"Eyes closed." Haydon gentle danced his fingers over her lids, encouraging Marigold to close her eyes. With her eyes closed, he washed her face – making sure to get all the tomato soup stains from dinner that had been lift around her mouth. Before he lifted her from the water, which she knew meant it was okay to open her eyes again, he returned the duck to his home.
Danial was ready with a soft towel in hand when Haydon lifted Marigold out of the water, so he reluctantly handed the her over. Marigold blinked up at the adult who had been around her all afternoon as he dried her of.
Haydon grabbed his own towel to dry the water from his arms and the splashes from his chest before slipping his shirt back on. When Marigold started fussing, Haydon took over.
"It's the hair," Haydon explained, pulling a funny face at Marigold as he rubbed the side of Marigold's head in order to dry her hair. "She doesn't like her hair being dried."
As he moved the towel towards the top of her head, he leaned down so his nose was touching hers and then he rubbed his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss. This distracted her long enough to finish drying her hair.
"Are we all dry, from fingers to toes?" Haydon asked as he placed the towel on the floor and allowed Marigold to lye on top of it.
"Nappy powder, just encase." Danial announced, holding out the white bottle.
"Thank you," Haydon checked the brand since Marigold had sensitive skin and reactive to the first brand Petunia had brought. Fortunately, this was powder for skin sensitive and of the same brand that he'd used before. Quickly and efficiently, Haydon had Marigold in a nappy and then in a sleep dress.
"That's a yawn and a half," Danial chuckled as the dress went over his head and he saw the great yawn that Marigold was giving and her eyes drooping now that the fun of playing in the water was over.
"I think it's bedtime." Haydon stood and took Marigold to the nursery.
He didn't even get a chance to tell her a bedtime story that night as she'd fallen asleep before he even got a chance to put her into the crib where her wolf teddy was waiting. Instinctively, her hands clutched at the wolf despite being asleep. Haydon chuckled softly as he kissed her on the forehead.
"Sleep well, cub." Haydon whispered the words that his uncle Moony and Padfoot had said to him when they put him to bed. Sirius would sometimes slip and say pup, but most often they would use cub.
"Danial, you stay with Haydon for a little while. Lily has decided to have a bath tonight instead of a shower and you can't lift her out, so I'll stay up here while she's bathing." Julian appeared in the doorway.
"But it's my night on wash duty," Danial pouted theatrically. "Why did she choose today to have a bath?"
"Something about Marigold having so much fun." Julian shrugged. "Apparently, she could hear the laughter."
"Sorry sir," Haydon smiled sheepishly.
"It's fine kid." Danial dropped his pout. "Come on, you haven't seen the living room yet."
Danial led the way down the stairs and into the living room which had two sofas and an arm chair set up around a TV. In the middle of one wall there was a bay window, on either side there was two rather packed bookcases. The other wall was full of photos above a long thin cabinet which had a radio/stereo and vase on top.
At Danial's urging, Haydon took a seat on the sofa which looked like it had the least amount of cushion in dentation and so was likely not a family favourite. Danial chose to sit close, but not directly next to him. From his new seating point Haydon spotted his and Marigolds bags. Briefly getting up, he retrieved both of them.
"The only things taken out would be the wolf teddy and anything perishable." Danial assured when he saw Haydon opening Marigolds bag and going through it.
"She sometimes gets her clothes dirty during the day or wet. Normally the staff members tell me when that happens, but I didn't pick Marigold up today so I just want to check." Haydon looked up very briefly.
"Haydon, the scars on your upper body, do the police know about them?" Danial asked once the bags were put to the side.
"I showed them my arms, and sent them a few pictures." Haydon answered. "But they haven't done a full medical exam yet, which I assume will be necessary considering the charges I will be bringing against my uncle."
"He was the one who did all that to you?"
"Vernon Dursley liked to be in control and he was an angry man. Causing pain to me was the perfect storm." Haydon shrugged.
"Haydon, something like this, I'll book you in to see a therapist at the same office I go to. Despite how well you appear to be handling this, seeing a professional will be a good idea."
Haydon's jaw tightened for a moment before he nodded tightly. He might be able to talk about the physical abuse, the neglect and emotional abuse but there was still one thing that he struggled to write in his diaries and couldn't say aloud. He knew that for that at least he needed a therapist if for nothing else. For the sake of his emotional stability and for Marigold, he would see a therapist. He couldn't keep on top of it himself forever, despite all the self-help books that he'd consumed alongside the psychology texts.
Eventually, something would crack.
"I'm six, but I feel like I've lived a life time." Haydon sighed tired. "Seeing a therapist might would be a good idea, I can't keep writing everything down. I've been more open in the last day then I normally would be, because I knew honesty was important. But honesty is difficult when secrecy is all I've known for five years."
"We'll get you through it. Considering your age and the fact that you have Marigold with you, we'll be able to apply to keep you with us for at least eight months before re-assignment. At that point, you'll either stay with us until you are off age or a permanent home would be found for you both." Danial said seriously. He knew that the stress and uncertainty of being taken out of one home and placed into another would make Haydon uneasy and distrustful. Giving him some assurance as to his future would help settle him, at least a little.
"And Marigold won't be taken from me? That's why I waited so long to reach out. I can't be separated from her." Haydon looked at Danial with shinning green eyes.
"If you don't stay with us, we help in the vetting process of your permanent home since we will have the best understanding of you and Marigold. So, we can make sure that you and Marigold stay together," Danial confirmed. "British child protective services are quite good at trying their absolute best at keeping siblings and family together. Considering your relationship to Marigold, you'd be considered siblings instead of cousins."
Haydon was stopped from responding by Lily bouncing down the stairs. When she came into the room and threw herself at Danial who caught her with a soft 'oomh', she was wearing bright pink pyjamas and her hair was still damp from her shower. Julian followed her into the room.
"Can I stay up late with Haydon?" Lily asked with a pout.
"No. Your bedtime is eight and that doesn't change just because Haydon is here." Danial was swift to turn her down. "Which your mother has already told you."
Lily sighed dramatically.
"You look like you're about to fall asleep on your dad, and I still have to shower." Haydon pointed out softly. "We have weeks to get to know each other, you don't have to spend tonight awake."
A soft cry from up the staircase had Haydon moving before Julian or Danial even registered what the sound was. Hayden entered the nursery to find Marigold stood up in her crip, clutching at her wolf and looking around scared.
"Hey, it's okay." Haydon picked her up.
"Dadda," Marigold cried.
"I'm here. You're not alone. I'm here." Haydon turned to the doorway and found Julian had followed him up the stairs. "She isn't going to go back to sleep for a little while. The new surroundings upset her and she woke up without me being there."
"Bring her down stairs. I'm warming up some milk for Lily to have before bed, would you like some?" Julian offered.
"No thank you; I'm lactose intolerant." Haydon had tried to increase his dairy intake alongside his food, but had ended up being quite sick as a consequence. "I get my calcium from leafy greens and the occasional sardine and pilchard, instead."
"Are there any other dietary needs I need to know about?" Julian asked as they returned down the stairs with the whimpering toddler.
"Just the typical food avoidances for children Marigolds' age." Haydon shrugged as they returned to the living room. Lily already had her glass of warm milk and was carefully holding it while sitting next to Danial.
"That sounded important." Danial blinked.
"Haydon is lactose intolerant but no other dietary problems." Julian filled him in.
"So, no allergies." Danial nodded. "Good to know the file is mostly corrected. Although it didn't know about your intolerance."
"I didn't tell my teachers about that nor have I seen a doctor." Haydon stopped the humming he'd taken to in order to calm Marigold down. She'd stopped crying and was now just snuffling as she rested her head on Haydon's shoulder.
"Then how do you know?"
"Eating diary products – milk, yogurt, cheese – even in small quantities causes my stomach to become very upset. The more I eat, the worse the symptoms. A whole glass of milk is enough to make me sick." Haydon explained.
"We'll have to get you into the doctors soon then, make sure that you've been getting enough calcium to support your bone growth. You are tall for your age which suggests that you are, but it's always best to be safe." Danial carefully kept his concern hidden since Lily was in the room with them. "And get Marigold checked as well, to be safe."
A lot crack, like a gun shot or a back firing car had Haydon and Danial on their feet and in defensive positions before their conscious minds could process what was going on. Danial due to the association with gun fire and Haydon because he remembered the sound of Apparation. Stood at the entrance to the living room was two men in ropes and they were blocking the only exit to the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Danial demanded, moving protectively in front of his family.
"You've taken something that doesn't belong to you, we've come to return him." one of the men answer.
Haydon placed Marigold into Julian's arms and pushed her back to Lily as he moved next to Danial.
"How did you know?" Haydon asked.
"Did you think we weren't watching you?" the elected spokesperson snorted. "That we wouldn't notice your name appearing in the government database and you disappearing from your home?"
"Clearly you weren't watching close enough. I chose to leave that house because it wasn't safe for me and it wasn't safe for my cousin. Who do you work for? the ones who murdered my parents or the ones who abandoned me on their death?" Haydon demanded even as Danial placed a protective hand on his shoulder.
"We aren't Death Eaters kid; if we were, you'd be gone and the little family you're hiding with would be dead." He gave Danial a disgusted look.
"I'm not going back. I'm safe here."
"We found you in under three hours. You aren't safe here. There are only four people who know where you live, so you need to go back." the spokesperson tightened his grip on his wand.
"Like hell I'm letting you take him back to that place." Danial snapped sharply; he went to take a step forward but the silent person's wand snapped up.
"Incarcerous!"
Ropes shout of his wand and instantly bound Danial, sending him tumbling to the floor. Lily and Julian scream and Haydon stepped protectively in front of the little family.
"Stop, don't hurt them. If I go back, what will you do to them?" Haydon asked.
"The same thing we did the social services people and the police officers – take their memories of you. They will wake up tomorrow morning without ever knowing they met a child called Haydon Potter." The spokesperson explained.
"And my cousin, what about her? She's an infant, what will you do to her?" Haydon narrowed his eyes, not liking how casually they proposed the idea of using a memory charm on a child. His mum's books said it was dangerous enough to do on an adult but on someone Lily's age… that would be worse.
"Nothing. She'll go back with you. The Dursleys memories have already been handled. As far as they are concerned nothing out of the normal happened this afternoon." The spokesperson explained.
"I want your vow that you won't hurt them," Haydon demanded. "I won't go with you willingly if I don't get that vow."
Word Count: 5,786