Chapter 7: A Most Potent Potion
David had not made a conscious decision to start a fight when he got up that day. He had things he needed to do on his day off, like grocery shopping and getting an oil change in his car. He didn't need the aggravation of a fight. He'd had several feisty clients this past week, and didn't need another human being yelling at him.
It had, however, started when he came down the stairs, dressed and ready to grab his grocery list. Fern had her Barbies all over the family room, playing but Daisy was uncharacteristically not playing with her, as she often did when there were dolls out. Instead, she was curled up on the couch with Hyacinth, Tod in between the two of them, holding a newspaper.
"But how do they get the pictures to move?" Hyacinth asked, looking at her nanny.
"Magic of course. Our cameras are different."
"Magic…" Daisy whispered, her small hands grasping at the yellowing pages.
"Are there any pictures of mom in there?" The elder girl asked, drawing the attention of even Fern, who paused in making her one doll fix what David assumed was dinner in the doll house.
"There might be. This paper is old enough. Though if you ever want to snoop around in my trunk again your best bet would be grabbing one of the books. They'll tell you more than the Wizarding Times. Let's see if she's in the blotter…"
"Why would my wife be in a police blotter?" David found himself asking, his hand feeling for the pendant in his pocket.
Tod looked up, startled, having clearly not noticed that David was there. There were bags under his eyes as if he hadn't been getting enough sleep, or was under some sort of stress. He looked unsurely at his employer, and David got the sense of being read again.
Taking a deep breath, Tod began, "I suppose you would have to be told sooner, rather than later." He paused, looked at Fern, and then back to David. "You have to understand David, that the only reason I had not revealed this to you immediately, was because your wife hadn't."
"My wife hadn't what? What are you talking about?" he asked, fearing something terrible. Was his wife alive? No, he had seen her die horrendously at St. Ignasious'. Had she… could she have had an affair…?
"This might be a lot to take in David, but your wife was a witch."
David felt his brain shut down. "A what?"
"A witch. And a rather talented one at that. And just like her, your daughters have magic too."
Had he taken too many blood pressure pills? He suddenly felt dizzy, and wobbled on his feet. Taking a curious stick from his pocket, Tod made a small gesture with it and one of the kitchen chairs zoomed from its place at the table to catch him as he sat down. He looked around at it, wondering how it had gotten there.
Tod stood up from the couch and crouched in front of him, and spoke to him as if he were giving a terminal diagnosis. "I know this is going to be a lot for you to take in David but, there is a world behind your world, and your wife was very much a part of it."
David looked at him. "Did you know her?"
Tod frowned, "For a short while."
"Did you…?" he couldn't finish the sentence, but Tod seemed to read his mind just the same.
"No. Very much no. That was not the nature of our relationship. Besides, I know she loved you and her daughters very much. You were always at the front of her thoughts."
An anger rose in him. This was absurd. "This isn't real," he said, very determinedly getting up. "And you are a very cruel man to play such an awful prank on a widower and his daughters!" he sputtered, retreating to the kitchen for what he originally came for: the grocery list. Coming back to the living room, he looked the slight man straight in the eyes. "I'm ending our contract. Please have your things packed in 24 hours."
Amid the gasps of shock and wails from the girls, Tod's face remained unflinching and unreadable. Squirming under the gaze, David exited and marched to the roomy Dodge down the steps of the front lawn. Driving the familiar streets in the rain, all he could think of was how the chair got to him so quickly. Had he really been blind to everything about his wife? And why hadn't she trusted him?
No, it couldn't be real, he decided as he parked the car and grabbed a shopping cart. Idly he wove the aisles, trying to focus on his list. Why had he hired Tod? Could his inability to remember be chalked up to 'magic' too? He felt the pendant in his pocket. Had this all been some elaborate plot to steal from his family? That seemed so much more logical, and yet…and yet his demeanor with his daughters, how attached they had become sewed doubt in that theory. What sort of thief made friends with the person he was stealing from? A con artist perhaps, but why wait so long? He could have made off with so many valuable things in one night while everyone slept.
Looking at his list he glanced back up. Ice cream. He needed ice cream, but not just any ice cream. He needed this exact carton here, he thought as he pulled out the carton of rocky road. Ramen. He could use some ramen too. Why did he need it? He just did, he decided.
How was he going to find a new nanny? The process had been grueling for him in the first place. If only he could remember how or why he had even hired Tod.
Rain pattered down as he loaded the groceries into the car and drove the foggy streets home. Making up his mind to press Tod for answers, he was unprepared for what met him at the door.
Instead of his girls playing inside on the rainy Saturday, only Hyacinth met him at the door, and she didn't look happy.
"Are you going to help me bring in the groceries?" he asked, wondering why she was just standing there.
"Daddy you can't get rid of Mr. Fischer!" she erupted, her hands balled into fists. Clearly she had been waiting for him to come home to announce her loyalty.
"Honey this isn't-"
"No!" She interrupted him. "You think he's lying but he's not! I can do things! Things nobody else can do! Mom always knew, and Mr. Fischer does too! If you get rid of him I'll…I'll run away! I'll run away and I'll never talk to you again!"
David frowned at her. "Cinth, I know you think you can do things. Your mom had a good imagination too-"
"It's not my imagination! I can light sticks on fire just using my eyes! I can fall without getting hurt! It's not my imagination! It's not…" She paused, her face red and beginning to scrunch as a child's does prior to crying. "I don't know why you don't believe me," she choked out and turned, disappearing into the kitchen.
Intent on stopping all this nonsense, David followed her, but just as the name was on the tip of his tongue he was forced to stop in shock. The cutlery and tablecloth seemed to be floating along in midair before arranging themselves appropriately onto the table. Fern placed a small vase of lilacs that appeared to be twice the size of normal ones onto the table now set. David had never touched LSD in his life, but was this what it was like? Had someone slipped him something?
"Hands washed?" Tod asked the girls lightly as he appeared to conduct an orchestra made of food as it flew from the pantry and fridge to meet in the air. Chicken thighs swam in teriyaki sauce before being caught on skewers that sprang from the utility drawer. Rice tumbled into a pot of water on the stove, which then levitated to the table with a spoon, fluffy and steaming by the time it reached there. A knife chased carrots and peas, cornering and dicing the former, and then rounding them up like a cattle dog to evenly divide upon the plates with grace. Feeling the plastic bag in his hand rattle, David saw the bottle of soy sauce released from it, uncap itself in the air, and then add a few drops to each person's chicken, which arranged itself nicely onto the rice that the spoon was serving each plate with some sort of invisible hand.
The girls had arranged themselves at the table, Daisy giggling and trying to grab at the spoon that danced away from her as it donated some rice. Hyacinth was scrubbing at her face, scowling at her food, while Fern watched him, as if willing him to believe that which he could not.
"This is so much easier than doing all this no-maj style," Tod drawled. With a flick of his wand a chair pulled out for David to sit. "Really it's a wonder you even advanced with all the work you have to do to even eat!"
David was sure his mouth had been open the entire performance. He shut it, only to open it again and ask very softly, "You…you're doing magic, aren't you?"
Tod smirked, "What clued you in?"
"Told you he wasn't lying," Hyacinth sniffed.
David composed himself, grabbing his fork as the girls began to eat, waiting with obvious hope for the conversation to come.
"This…this magic…how does one, acquire it?"
Tod picked off a piece of chicken. "You don't. You're born with it, or you're not. It's a bit funny really. A lot of it runs in families, but two no-maj's can still produce a magical kid, and vice-versa. Your wife came from one of the most powerful magical families in America, which partly got her the job as an Auror."
Lory had told David that her parents had died when she was young. Had she lied? "What's an Auror?"
"They're like a magical police force. I'm sure your wife had to take 'business trips' and stuff right? Probably seemed tired after them too I'm betting." He was right. "She was off catching some dark wizard probably, and obliviating no-maj's that saw too much."
"You keep using the word no-maj-"
"That just stands for folks like you. No Magic."
"And how do you know my girls have it…?"
"Little things. The way Fern's gifted at plants," he said, fingering the lilacs, "how I caught Hyacinth lighting things on fire, and Daisy is so sensitive to dementors."
"Demen-wha…?"
"I know," Tod said, taking a deep breath, "It's a lot to take in."
"How many of you are out there?" David asked, picking at his rice and finding it surprisingly delicious.
Tod shrugged. "A lot, I suppose. Enough to fill a school."
"And my wife went to this school?"
Tod nodded.
"Did she go with you?"
Tod shook his head, "No, I'm younger than you and your wife. We were in different years. She graduated before I started."
"Then how did she know you?"
Tod frowned, pausing at the question. "We crossed paths, on occasion. I was the only one to ever know that she was married and had children though."
David's mouth felt dry, and he blurted out the question that had burned in him from that morning. "Why didn't she tell me…us? And she didn't tell anyone else? Why?"
Setting his chicken down, Tod sat back in his chair and met David's gaze. "It is two-fold I expect. The first is because she loved you very much, and I think she was afraid that you would reject her, even with Rappaport's law being repealed-"
"What's that?"
"It's an old law repealed 18 years ago that states that there is to be no contact between the magical and non-magical community in America. We couldn't marry no-maj's, have children with them, or have any contact whatsoever. Anyway, I think she was afraid of it, the stigma from it, and her fear of losing you over it. The other reason is due to her career as an Auror. She was the head of the department, and she made a lot of enemies in that time, powerful as she was. Enemies that would have loved to use anything she had against her, including all of you."
"Mom was bad-ass," Hyacinth murmured.
"Hyacinth!" David hissed at her. He then peered at Tod, and the lines began to connect. "She didn't die of cancer, did she?"
With the same inscrutable expression on his face as the day he had caught David crying, Tod shook his head. "No. No, she was cursed. I suspect it was by the very pendant that's in your pocket now."
Surprised, David pulled it from his pocket and help it helplessly in the palm of his hand. "How did you know-"
"When it disappeared from my room a few weeks ago, I figured you had found it, but was surprised you never confronted me on it."
"But how did-"
"Dark magic like that leaves traces. It's easy to recognize if you know what you're looking for. I bet you felt compelled to buy it, right?"
David nodded, feeling a chill wash over him. "Are you saying…that I-"
"No. You had no control over it. That's how the Imperius curse works. Even the most powerful witches and wizards have fallen prey to it. You did nothing wrong David."
Silence fell onto the table.
Before David let himself feel too guilty for buying his wife the likely cursed pendant, Fern asked, "Are you an Auror then? Did you used to work for Mom?"
"No, unfortunately not. Like I said, your mother and I crossed paths occasionally, and she chose me because of my particular skill set with charms and the like. She knew I would be able to protect your home and your daughters," Tod explained, without giving away too much. He had a feeling they would not be as welcoming if they knew he was one of the dark wizards she had hunted.
"You mean someone's trying to get us?" Hyacinth asked excitedly. Daisy squealed in delight.
David looked at them. "Girls I think Mr. Fischer would have told us we were being hunted by some crazy witch."
"Not really…" Tod drawled, levitating the dirty dishes to the sink and then murmuring, "Scourgify".
"You mean that the people who cursed the pendant might still be out there?" David asked harshly.
"There is no 'might' to it. They are very much out there. I don't think you're in particular trouble David, but your wife seemed to think that the girls might be. And since none of her department know you exist, she sent me to protect them until they could each go to Ilvermorny at age 11."
David did not know what Ilvermorny was, but he needed more answers. "You mean to tell me that there is someone out there that could be plotting to kill my children at this moment?"
"I don't just think they are, I know they are. I have two friends who are observing their movements. They'll let me know if they make a move. Until then, I've been making sure there's lots of protective charms on the house, and nothing can sneak in."
David did not look reassured. "Can't we ask the policemen- I mean the Auror's for help?"
Tod looked uncomfortable, "Mallory's agreement with me stipulated I was not to tell them. I am unsure of her exact reasoning, but I suspect it is that they are not typically subtle, and she may have been afraid that they would give up the position, or be too wary of you since you're a no-maj. Rappaport's Law still carries stigma, even though it's been repealed."
David swallowed and picked up his groceries from where they sat on the floor. Some ice cream sounded good right about now.
"I'll go get the rest of the groceries," Tod offered, trying to give him a bit of time to digest everything they had discussed. "Feel free to have desert without me."
Despite the excitement of the day, the girls were yawning early, and David felt exhausted as well. The emotional marathon earlier had truly taken it out of him. He still had a lot of questions, but they could wait till the next day, he decided as he crawled into bed that night.
At first, he didn't know what woke him from the nightmare he had been having, but David rolled over and quickly stumbled to the bathroom to expel whatever he had eaten in the last 12 hours. There was something red in there too. He felt hot and shaky, and the room seemed to be moving on his own. His brain felt as though it wes moving through sludge, and he had a hard time holding onto thoughts. Kneeling in front of the toilet, he took deep breaths, trying to compose himself. It felt as though he had the flu. As he raised himself, rinsing his mouth and flushing, a gentle knock from the door startled him.
The slim silhouette of Tod in his undershirt and boxers was revealed at he opened the door. Blinking away his blurry vision, he could see Tod frowning. "You've caught it too I see. I just got the girls settled with some dittany. Let's get you back to bed and I'll get some for you as well."
Tod helped him back to the bed, his long fingers cold upon David's arm. "You've splattered on yourself. Let me get you a fresh pair," he said softly, letting David sit before rummaging around in the dressers for a clean pair of pajamas. With the flick of his wand, David was out of his soiled clothes and into his clean ones before he even had time to feel embarrassed. Tod let him lay down and disappeared momentarily to come back with some sort of warm tea, which he sipped slowly with help. Tod lay a cool cloth on his forehead, which felt heavenly compared to the pounding that was currently thrumming in his head. David drifted off.
When he came to, David felt marginally better. Clearly some amount of time had passed, as there was sun streaming in through the curtains, and given its position, David supposed it was about mid-day. He only meant to close his eye for a moment, but a hand at his shoulder brought him back to consciousness that he had not realized he'd lost.
Tod was sitting on the dressing stool which had been drawn close to the bed. "I brought you up some more drink, and thought you might like to try some soup," he said. "Which would you like first?"
Thinking briefly about it, he reached for the mug. His mouth felt like sand paper. Tod helped him to sit up and quench his thirst. With each swallow he felt better, the pounding in his head lessening. Whatever the herbal wetness was, it was good. Tod watched him expectantly, and David could see the dark circles under his eyes, his clothes no longer creaseless and clean. "How long did I sleep?" he asked, his voice croaking.
Taking the mug and handing him the mug of warm beef soup left over from Tod's first attempt at a recipe, the young man answered, "The better part of two days. Don't worry though, I let your boss know you were quite sick. You and the girls have been getting better since I figured out it was the ice cream she put the potion in. Potions was never my strong subject, so it took a little bit. I'm sorry for that."
David's brain felt like it was trying to walk through water. Potions? Right- magical world. Of course there were potions. "Was it some sort of illness in a bottle?" David asked, half joking.
"No. It was supposed to make your insides bleed out. Thankfully Fern has been growing Dittany in the backyard, so I was able to counteract the bleeding. It wasn't until I figured out you brought it home with you in the ice cream that I could brew the antidote. You just drank the last of it. The girls are already on the mend."
David frowned. "Do you think it was that person who killed Mallory?"
"I'm fairly certain," Tod sighed and sat back. "I've already sent word to my friends to come back. We need to think of some other strategy, because being on the defense all the time isn't working."
"I'm sorry I brought it home," David blurted, feeling guilty yet again. That was twice he had been tricked into bringing something potentially deadly home to loved ones. At least this time Tod was here to catch it and help.
"Don't be. I should have checked all the bags. I should have thought of it."
"You look tired. And hungry."
"That's because I haven't stopped taking care of you all in 72 hours."
"You haven't slept? Or eaten anything?" David asked incredulously.
"Thankfully the one thing I can brew is Wide-eye potion," Tod tried to joke.
David silently offered him some soup.
"Naw, you enjoy the last of it. I'll go grab some ramen and take a nap before my friends get here," he said, standing and stretching.
Feeling nearly better, David said, "If your friends get here before you wake back up I'll have them wait in the living room until you're up."
"Thanks," Tod yawned and slipped from the room.
A short cat nap later found David refreshed and hungry. Standing and dressing, he met his eldest in the hallway. She greeted him with a hug.
"Mr. Fischer said you're the hero of the day with your plants, Fern," David inquired with interest, taking her hand as they descended the steps.
She smiled shyly. "Mr. Fischer says I'm going to be really great at something called herbology when I go to Ilvermorny."
The other two girls were already downstairs, digging through the pantry. "Well I'm not magician, but I think I can rustle up some waffles. Who wants to help me?"
All three girls eagerly grabbed the ingredients. When Mallory had been out of town, waffles had been a favorite of all three for dinners when David came home late and was too tired to bake a hunk of meat or do anything too involved.
Multiple waffles and slices of bacon later, Fern set aside a plate for Tod when he woke up, and David cleaned up the kitchen. "Remember that Mr. Fischer is sleeping, girls, so try to keep the noise level down to a dull roar," he said as the girls disappeared into the living room to play. Wiping off the cupboards one last time, David pondered how quick it would be to clean up if he had magic too.
A knock on the front door brought him out of his reverie. Hyacinth peered around his leg as he opened it to find a young man of Japanese origin who looked as though he were about to go on stage at some rock show.
"One of Tod's friends?" he inquired. Had Tod ever told him what his friend looked like?
"That would be me," he grinned, his square teeth immaculate. "My brother is standing guard around the corner. Daisuke Watanabe," he introduced himself.
"Come on in. Tod is sleeping at the moment, so you can wait in the living room here if you like. I'm David and these are my three girls, Fern, Hyacinth, and Daisy."
"Tod's told me all about you three and what trouble makers you are."
Hyacinth boldly asked, "Are you a wizard too? Like Mr. Fischer?"
"Ah so he's told you then has he?" Daisuke smirked, whipping out a shining cherry wood wand and shooting a few red sparks from its tip.
"Please don't explode anything in the house," David said, trying to curb the enthusiasm of the room.
"Don't worry man, I was just joking. Listen, I know he's sleeping, but I really need to talk to him, so I'm just going to run upstairs and get him up. I'm sure he'd want to be awake if he knew what I was going to tell him."
Remembering how exhausted Tod had been, David followed Daisuke up, the girls on his heels, mildly protesting the stranger's actions. "He's really exhausted Daisuke. He's been up at all hours the last few days taking care of us, and…"
He fell silent as Daisuke opened the nanny's door with the lazy flick of his wand. It was nothing like David remembered. There was a real, live owl sitting atop a bird cage, head under wing, asleep. Knick-knacks and all sorts of odd looking objects covered nearly every inch of the dresser. A large bin sat in the center, swirling with a misty-looking material, while an orb sat next to it, shadowy figures moving here and there within it. Books cluttered the top of the trunk, and one even appeared to be snoring.
"Wow," Fern said, looking at all the things. She had to grab her youngest sister from running into the room and grabbing things.
"Don't touch anything," David murmured, looking about in wonder. For all they knew, touching one of these would turn that person into a pumpkin!
Meanwhile, Daisuke had wandered over to the lump in the bed, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, man. I have some bad news for you." He paused and tried again. "Tod?" No response. "Tarian?" he asked in a whisper.
David and the girls gathered around the bed in curiosity. Turning his friend toward them, Daisuke swore under his breath. Tod was white as a sheet, perspiration moistening his hair, his breathing bordering on tachypnic, and his face a general picture of discomfort. Daisuke rounded on David, "You said Tod had been taking care of you guys for the past few days. What was he taking care of you with?"
David tried to recall something, anything Tod had said when he had been sick. "Something about a potion, and ice cream."
"Did he say what he had been treating it with? The antidote?" David shook his head. He could not recall.
"Dittany!" Fern chimed in. "He gave us Dittany until he made the medicine to make us better!" she exclaimed, and David could feel pride swelling in his chest.
"You have some here?" Daisuke asked, words rushing from his mouth.
"Uh-huh. Mr. Fischer and I are growing some in the backyard," she explained.
"Ok, you need to take me to it. As for you," he commanded, looking determined, "Run a cool bath for him and change his clothes and sheets. These are soaked through. If he throws up, tell me if there's blood in it."
Without waiting for a response, Daisuke rushed out the small bedroom with Fern. Gathering his wits, David rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and saw a terrified Hyacinth and Daisy, waiting to help him. "You girls go turn on the bathtub for Daddy ok? Make sure the water is luke-warm."
Hyacinth nodded mutely, taking Daisy, who was on the verge of crying, to the bathroom with her. David uncovered the young man, who looked now so young, and undressed him. He did not stir, the only sound he gave being the rattling of his breath. David wasn't sure he would be able to lift him, but Tod was lighter than he supposed, though he was sure being too busy and worried to eat the last few days must have helped his case. A fatherly urge ran through him to make sure that Tod at 3 square meals a day when he was feeling better.
The bath cooled the overheated body, and David sat with him, while his younger girls changed the damp sheets on the bed. David rinsed the boy's dark locks, and marveled at some of the scars that were littered here and there on his bare body. What had been Tod's job before looking after him and the girls? Perhaps something dangerous? And if Tod had known that the poisonous potion was in the ice cream, how had he gotten sick?
Shortly after dressing the boy and tucking him into bed, Daisuke and Fern returned with a warm mug of what David recognized as the first drink Tod had given him when he'd fallen ill. Cradling the boy's head, he coaxed him to drink it until it was gone, the others watching with eager, bated breath. Letting his head rest back onto the pillow, David tucked the sheet that had slid down back up, and lay a damp cloth on his forehead to help with the fever. Light blue eyes opened a sliver, not fully focused.
"Mother…?" a feeble voice whispered up to him.
David didn't have the heart to correct him. Instead he adjusted the cloth and assured him, "You'll be ok. Just hang in there." The eyes closed with a soft sigh.
"When did you buy the ice cream?" Daisuke asked.
"The other day…" David frowned. "I'm sure Tod threw it out though."
"What other food did you buy that day?" he pressed, agitation in his eyes, despite his patient demeanor.
"A lot. I don't know. Tod said he hadn't eat the last few days because he was so busy taking care of us. The last thing he told me was that he was going to take a nap and eat…the RAMEN! It must be the ramen! I never buy that stuff, but I bought it this past time and I can't remember why! Just like the ice cream!"
"Perfect!" Daisuke exclaimed. In a flurry of movement, he looked through Tod's books to find the one he wanted just on top. "Fern, I'm going to need your help again, because you know where everything is," he said, looking to her from the door frame. She raced after him.
David resumed his vigil, Hyacinth and Daisy coming to sit on his lap. After a moment, Hyacinth asked, "Daddy, is Mr. Fischer going to die?"
David shook his head. "No, we're going to take care of him, just like he took care of us."
It took longer than David thought it should. Apparently, the antidote needed 12 hours to brew, so all they could do in the mean time was keep giving Tod the Dittany, and do their best to keep him cool. He would moan and shake sometimes, and then quiet after David talked to him.
The vigil was long and lonely that night, especially after putting Daisy, Fern and Hyacinth to bed. At one of the quiet moments, David looked about the room. The owl had long since disappeared out the window. Daisuke had explained that the magic community used owls for delivering the mail. How anyone had trained owls to do this, David didn't want to know. The gadgets about the room were intriguing. The musty shapes in the crystal ball seemed to be getting clearer, but David couldn't be sure. It was the stone bowl with strange markings on it that truly piqued his curiosity. It glowed faintly in the dim light of the evening, and every now and again, David was sure he could hear voices coming from it.
It was at one of those instances in the wee hours of the morning that he finally gave in and looked at it. Large Italian nose hanging over the bowl, he looked in. Was that… a person in there…?
Suddenly he was falling in, the smoke and silver threads corrugating together to form a large rotunda, filled with natural light. Four large statues towered around him of fantastic creatures that David did not recognize. How had he gotten here? Was that bowl some sort of portal? Children of varying age flanked the overlooking balcony above him, but before he could call out, a voice sounded, "Fischer, Tarian Wilhelm!"
A thin, sallow boy with fine black hair and bright blue eyes shuffled to the center of the Gordian knot at the center of the floor. After looking at him for a moment, David recognized the boy as Tod. Why were they calling him Tarian?
The boy was facing the large cat-like statue, as if expecting something to happen with it. Instead, the statue to the boy's right, a large snake-like creature, seemed to react to his presence, the large jewel upon it's forehead glowed, surprising the boy and nearly everyone else in the crowd.
Like a great wind moving through the place, the scene changed, blowing away the rotunda and replacing it with a large orchard that sat in front of a grey, castle-like house. It was clearly hot out, the summer cicadas singing in the mid-afternoon heat. The boy from before was tucked up in a large tree hanging with Spanish moss, now older and closer to the dapper young man David recognized. His nose was in a book, but it was clear he was ignoring the other young man below. This one was thicker, with blond, wavy hair, and the same bright blue eyes as the boy in the tree.
"Excuse me," David said, "I think I'm lost. Can you tell me-"
"Tarian, come down," the older man called, clearly not hearing David.
The book snapped shut. "Why? So you can bully me into becoming an Auror?"
"You have the marks!" The man on the ground exclaimed. "I don't understand why you- you'd be perfect at it! Mom and Dad and me…we just want what's best for you."
"No, you don't," Tarian countered, leaping from the tree and landing nimbly on the ground. "You haven't looked at me the same since I sorted into Horned Serpent. You just want me to be like all of you! You don't want me to be the only Fischer to never join your little gang, Wyatt! Look at me! I'm not a warrior! I like books and puzzles, not beating people up!"
"You're smart Tarian, use it for something good! We do good in the community! We keep everyone safe!"
"Yeah? Tell that to Gertrude James. I'm sure she feels really safe."
The man named Wyatt whipped out his handsome wand. "Take that back! You know we had no choice!"
"Or what? You're going to blast me? Go ahead. Prove how hot-headed you are, picking on your unarmed brother. Prove how you are exactly right to carry on the Fischer name. Prove how you're mommy and daddy's perfect little-"
There was a sharp bang, and David flinched, dust from the orchard coming up in a cloud. When it cleared, Tarian was on the ground, though slowly rising back up. He winced, and looked at his left arm, which was clearly burned.
"Tod, are you ok?" David rushed to him, but was shocked, when his hand went right through the boy, as if her were a ghost. Tarian looked up at his brother and slowly rose to his feet.
For his part, Wyatt looked properly ashamed and horrified by his own actions. "Brother…Tarian. Hold on, let me heal it."
"Get away from me," Tarian growled, a loathsome expression on his face as he turned away back into the orchard.
"Tarian wait!" he called desperately.
But Tarian did not, instead disappearing into the trees, nursing his one arm.
Suddenly, David felt and hand on his arm, and he was pulled out of the scene, back into the little pink room in his own home. Bewildered as to how he had gotten back, he looked about and saw Daisuke looking up at him with a firm frown. "Dude, don't you know it's rude to look at somebody else's memories without asking?"
"Is that what I saw?"
"Yeah, that's what a pensieve does. You take out your memories or thoughts and store them in here sometimes. Tod says it helps him think. Now, help me get this in him," Daisuke commanded, holding up a mug of steaming bright pink liquid.
Slipping a hand underneath Tod's sweat-soaked locks, they coaxed the liquid into him. After setting his head back down, dark eye-lashes fluttered against pale skin, and blue eyes opened in a bit of confusion. "Dai…?"
"That stuffs going to take a little bit to work," the other wizard explained.
With a small nod, Tod closed his eyes again, evidently preparing to sleep off the rest of his illness. Looking out the window, David realized that morning had come.
By the afternoon Tod was up, showered and able to clean his owl's cage, which Daisy found fascinating. Thus David found them curled on Tod's bed together, reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Seeing the two of them, he felt confused. This Tod was nothing like the boy in the pensieve, with the exception of looks and his obvious bookishness. But that other Tod was fierce, callous, and ultimately alone. This one seemed much more balanced and domestic. "How are you feeling?" he found himself asking over Daisy's excited giggles.
"Better. I heard you stayed and took care of me. Thank-you. No one's done that for me in a very long time," he answered, his voice soft and containing a certain warmth that had not been there before.
Before David could respond, Daisuke walked in to check on Tod as well. "Hey man, how are you-" He stopped abruptly and looked out the window. From seemingly no where a silvery monkey leapt through the window, landed on the floor in the middle of the room and opened its mouth.
"Madison Ruthway is coming. Run."