Chapter Four: A Caged Gryphon
He woke slowly, a thudding pain just behind his eyes and his torso aching, as if he'd fallen or been hit or maybe taken a Bludger to the ribs. The bed below him was soft, the blanket on top of him warm and comfortable, and he almost fell right back to sleep, but his magic tingled, pushing at him anxiously. He was so muzzy that it took a few minutes to understand what his magic was upset about and when he did understand, panic was muted by pain and the inability to think. His sister…she should have been there…his uncle should have been there…if he'd been hurt, they would come, he knew they would, but they weren't there. Why weren't they there?
A hand rested on his forehead, tender, but unfamiliar. He was still so exhausted that he didn't even have to pretend to be asleep, his body didn't even twitch as the hand expertly checked him for fever. Then unfamiliar lips touched his forehead in a kiss; this time he had to subdue the urge to squirm away.
Though he struggled to stay awake, to throw his magic out to find his sister, find his family, exhaustion and something else abruptly pulled him down into sleep again.
The second time he woke, it was to the sensation of someone stroking his hair, brushing it back in a rhythmic motion that felt like being petted…something he disliked unless he was in his Animagus form. His head still hurt, a throbbing pain that made him wonder, idly, if he was having an aneurysm like his sister had had. It didn't hurt enough for that, he finally decided.
The unfamiliar hand rested on his forehead, a soft tisk reaching his ears. "There, there, Daniel," a woman's voice soothed. "Mommy will take care of you and you'll feel better soon, dear." Another tisk. "Mommy will protect you, darling; you'll never have to be afraid again."
Before he could even try to struggle up, soft words reached his ears and then magic touched him, dragging him down into slumber.
The feel of rope around his wrists greeted him as he struggled up from sleep yet again. One eye cracked open to regard his situation, then closed in an effort to keep the woman from realizing he was awake, though he suspected it was a futile effort. The ropes were long enough that he could move comfortably about the bed, but they would keep him from going any farther, he decided.
When he reached for his magic, it merely 'flopped' in his mental vision, alarming him further. The magic felt limp, weak and weary, as if he'd been using it nonstop for days, but he hadn't. Fear raced though him; there were potions designed to suppress magic, but for some reason, it felt like they were doing much worse to him. He felt weak, as though his magic being suppressed had drained his physical strength as well.
"Good morning, Daniel," the woman remarked, sitting on the edge of the bed and running an affectionate hand down his forehead. "You slept well?" When the boy feigned still being asleep, her voice turned vaguely disapproving. "None of that, my angel," she chided. "Mommy knows when you're playing with her. Now, open those lovely green eyes of yours, sweetie."
Well…there was nothing for it…the teenager opened his eyes, meeting soft brown eyes that studied his own, then narrowed in clear distaste. Her hair was the same brunet shade as his, but hung limp and lank around her face, unwashed and unstyled. Though he couldn't see her well from his prone position, he could tell that her frame was rather slim; her hands looked so soft that he suspected she hadn't worked a day in her life and her clothing looked expensive and professionally tailored. Streaked makeup lined her eyes, as if she'd been crying, but with rope around his wrists, he didn't feel so much as a lick of sympathy for her.
The young man didn't get a chance to speak as she burst out, "What in Merlin's name have you done to your eyes, Daniel?" Her wand rose into view and the teen cringed. "Such lovely green eyes you have, Daniel, and you went and turned them blue? Why would you do that, Daniel; don't you know how much Mommy loves your green eyes? So much like your father, aren't you?" She tisked, shaking her head and changing moods so quickly that the boy in the bed blinked in astonishment. "But all of that is in the past, isn't it, Daniel?" She pulled him into a hug. "I have you back now, my son. Mommy has missed you so much, sweetie."
He stiffened in the hug, refusing to respond, refusing to give his unknown captor the satisfaction of any reply to her absurd statements. He had no idea who this 'Daniel' was, no idea where he was, and even less idea of where his family was. And something about this woman was making him very, very nervous…as if she was right on the edge.
She released him, standing back up. "Now, I know you must be tired, after all of that nonsense, Daniel."
"I'm not," the teenager replied, watching her wand warily. "I'm not tired at all." If he could just stay awake long enough to figure a way out of here…
A smile met his words. "So brave," the woman crooned. "Just like the son I know. But Mommy knows best, Daniel." Before he could protest again, her wand flicked towards him and he felt his eyelids sliding shut without his permission. His body slumped against the bed, sinking down into slumber.
He felt strange, his body felt heavy, too heavy to move, but his mind was awake. Nearby, he heard an argument going on. "You can't just keep a Muggle boy here, Helen; the Muggles will be searching for him in no time!"
"They won't be," the woman who was keeping him captive replied. "I watched after I got him out, you see. They think he's dead."
Dread crawled up his spine; his family thought he was dead? Why would they think that? For some reason, it felt like he was missing something…missing time, missing a memory…but what? And why did the two women think he was a techie?
The newcomer sounded as if she'd thrown up her hands. "You kidnapped a Muggle boy and then you let his family think he was dead? How could you, Helen? I know you miss your son, but this boy isn't him. You have to take him back."
"He's not a Muggle," Helen said suddenly. "I found a wand on him."
Footsteps sounded; the young man on the bed shuddered. How on Earth did that make a difference…she was still keeping him from his family, letting them think he was dead. He strained to shift, to move, but his body didn't even twitch. Frustration rose and he tried to summon his magic, only to have it 'flop' and fall silent. Great…even his magic being kept from him. Panic rose, but did no more good…his body, usually obedient to his every whim, now felt like a cage, imprisoning his soul just as much as the woman, Helen, was.
"Let me get this straight…you kidnap a Muggleborn and you think that's all right? Just fine and dandy…nothing to see here, move along. Helen, what about the poor lad's family? Would you put them through the same pain you had when you lost Daniel?"
"If they cared about him, they wouldn't have let him go out in that Muggle deathtrap in the first place," Helen argued. "He can stay with me…he'll have a much better life…a safer life with me." Silence hung. "He's just like Daniel; you can't take him away from me, Maria." Her voice turned pleading. "Please, Maria, promise me…promise me you won't take my Daniel away from me."
'Maria' sighed heavily. "He's not one of us," she reminded Helen…their listener swallowed hard at the automatic assumption that he was a tech-born and thus lesser than the two purebloods in the next room. "And too many people know what happened to Daniel; you could never reveal him, Helen. It would be too dangerous…for both of you."
A disdainful snort. "As if I would let anything happen to my son, Maria. Now, Daniel will be waking up soon and I'd best be there when he does."
"Why?" Maria asked warily.
Helen's smile was in her voice. "He's most inventive, my Daniel. He hasn't learned yet that Mommy can handle him, oh no he hasn't. He keeps trying to sneak his magic past me, that foolish child." A pause. "Mommy has had to get very stern with his magic, yes she has."
Lion's Mane, she was insane…she thought he was her dead son and she was insane.
"Suppression Potions, sister dear? You know those aren't meant to be used long-term."
"And they won't be," Helen replied tartly. "Just until Daniel understands his place."
Another shiver worked its way up the young man's spine. No wonder his magic was so limp and weak. He had to get out of here. But try as he might, he couldn't move a muscle. He was so busy struggling that he failed to realize he had company.
"See how it is, Maria?" Helen demanded, before her footsteps approached the bed. "Rest now, Daniel," she soothed. "It will be better soon." One hand stroked his cheek. "Soon, you'll forget those nasty Muggles and everything will be perfect. Everything will be just like it was before you went away and left Mommy behind, my baby."
Magic wrapped around him, but now that he knew, now that she'd said it, he fought, with all his might, against it. Inside, the flickering embers of his magic fought too, clinging to who he was with all its might.
"What will you do with his wand?" Maria asked in the background, as the young man fought harder and harder against the magic holding him down and trying to take his memories from him. She sounded utterly unconcerned by what was happening. The teen gritted his teeth, infuriated by the woman's unconcern with his plight, with what her sister was doing.
"Give it back," the teen slurred out, beginning to gain ground against Helen's magic. "It's mine…give it back." He shook his head. "And I'm not Daniel."
"Of course you are," Helen soothed, stroking his forehead. She rose, retrieving his wand and sitting back down on the bed. "But I won't let you get hurt again, Daniel, I won't." She shook her head. "You mustn't fight it, Daniel. Let the magic work, Daniel…you'll feel much better once it's over."
Magic flared, struggling ever harder; it felt like he was trying to use his magic through thick layers of concrete. "I'm not Daniel," the teen repeated, sounding more and more alert. "And that's mine," he managed, trying to reach for the wand.
An instant later, the sound of snapping wood filled the small room. Maria gasped, just as taken aback by Helen's actions as the teen on the bed was. "Sister, was that wise?"
"I won't let Daniel get hurt again, Maria. He can stay with me…forever."
Her magic curled around him, renewing itself and folding in on him, and he felt himself start to lose the fight. "Not Daniel," he mumbled, still straining.
"Then who are you?" Maria asked coldly.
His mouth formed the name, but Helen's magic pulled him down before he could speak it. As he slid down into blackness, he clung to his name, stubborn will and fragments of magic wrapping around it.
Author note: I forgot to put this in Tuesday's chapter, but oh, boy, did I have a rough Sunday. My SUV, loyal, loyal car, refused to start and Roadside Assist took over an hour to show up. (On their list of scrolling excuses: We're sending a second driver 'cause the first guy got pulled over. Did they call me and let me know? Oh, no, let's wait until the upset customer calls asking what's taking so long.) They jumpstarted my car and the computer went nuts: wipers going, rough engine, computer whining that it wasn't in park. Fortunately, the second try (Turn it on and add a little gas) stayed on long enough for me to get to my nearest Firestone for a new battery.
Turns out, my car battery lurks in front of my left front wheel, so to replace (or even check) the battery, they have to take the wheel off! When they finally got to the battery, it was so dead, it wouldn't take a charge. Thank the Lord that I was able to drive safely from my apartment to Firestone - and that the Lord prompted me to turn off as many electronics as possible during the drive.
