The Boy

Chapter6: Harry Clearwater

"So…are you going to tell me the whole story, Mister Malfoy?" Charlie asked as he watched from the kitchen doorway as Harry sat across from Lord Malfoy, playing with wooden blocks of many colors and sizes, while Isla sat on the one sofa, watching them like a hawk. She didn't quite trust the lord.

Astor looked up from where he sat at the small table in the kitchen, reading the local newspaper. "Are you sure that you are ready for it?"

Charlie frowned. "You are stalling. I'm a cop. I have seen and heard about the worse things. I am sure that I can handle whatever you tell me."

Astor sighed and placed the newspaper on the table. "It is quite a story, Mister Swan. I suggest that you pay full attention because I shall only tell it to you this once."

Charlie moved to the seat across from him. "I am all ears, Mister Malfoy. Start talking."

Astor let out another sigh, thinking of how he can word things as to not breech the Statute of Secrecy. There shall be a time when Charlie Swan gets to know everything, but for now it will be best to keep him in the dark about certain things such as the Magical World.

"Have you seen the news of a few years ago about terrorist attacks in the UK?" he began.

Charlie straightened in his chair, the gears in his head turning at that question. He does remember the terrorist attacks that were on the news daily. People had been quite afraid that it could blow over into other Western countries.

"Yes. I have seen the news. What about it?"

Astor took a deep breath. "The terrorist leader had attended to the same boarding school as your sister and I. I don't know why he turned into the man he had become, but he had a lot of goals at first; good goals. But then he changed, became insane and the killings started. He mostly attacked those who had gone to the same school and their families. He was a lord like my brother and people began calling him the Dark Lord because of how evil he had become."

Astor took another deep breath, wishing that he wasn't the one tasked with spinning an appropriate story. "There was a counter terrorism group that fought against him in the hopes of defeating him and his followers and to stop the terrorism that had started spiraling out of hand. Your sister and her husband were members of that group. On Halloween night in Eighty-One, he attacked them in their house and they fought back. He killed Harry's parents, but for some reason he didn't kill Harry. Some say he had been deathly wounded and had to get away. Others say that he is dead, that the explosion that had happened had killed him. Nobody knows. Many are scared that he might return one day and everything will start all over again. Anyway, we don't know everything, but Harry wasn't safe in Britain. The leader of the counter terrorism group had hidden him away, yes, but…."

Astor swallowed his throat dry from talking. Charlie stood to get him a glass of water when he asked in a hoarse voice for some water. He took a large gulp from the glass, feeling the coolness of the water flowing down his throat.

"So is that why you worked so diligently to help me get custody? You think he is safer here than in Britain?"

Astor nodded. "Yes. And hiding him with the Dursleys had been a stupid mistake. He could've found Harry there any time if he wanted to and of course, if he is alive."

Charlie frowned concernedly. "Are you sure that he isn't clever enough to find Harry here? All he needs is to follow a paper trail and viola."

"That is why Harry's last name had been changed to yours and well, we know how to hide any documents that could lead him here. He will never find Harry so long as Harry is here."

Charlie nodded. "Okay."

Footsteps coming into the kitchen made both of the men look up. It was Lucius, with Harry perched on his hip. "He is hungry."

Charlie stood. "And you? I can order something, but we can go to the diner, if you want. They make delicious steaks and salads."

Lucius looked at the little boy on his hip. "Do they make meals fit for children?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes."

Lucius looked at Astor who shrugged. Lucius looked to Charlie. "Alright, then we shall go to the diner."

"Sure," Charlie said, "Just let me grab some things for Harry."

It was a few minutes before they stepped into a car that Astor had rented when they had come into the country for appearances sake. Charlie after all didn't know about the Magical World. They can't just use magical transportation with him around. Charlie had moved the car-seat from his truck to the backseat of the car and helped Lucius strap Harry in. Charlie didn't ask about Lucius's obviously lack of know how when it came to strapping a child into a car-seat. He figured that Lucius probably had servants that did such a menial task for him.

The drive to the diner was spent conversing about everyday things such as politics. Charlie didn't much care for politics, but he knows a thing or two about it, so he wasn't feeling left out during that conversation. Isla didn't partake in it, playing a game of pat-a-cake with Harry to distract him from his missing plushy that had gone for a swim in the washing machine earlier.

The diner was quite busy when the five of them walked through the entrance. However, they found a booth near the entrance and a chocolate skinned woman with beautiful curls brought them menus to look through. She eyed the two well-dressed blond men curiously for a moment before shifting her attention to Charlie and the little boy, who sat on Charlie's lap.

"Is this Harry I have heard so much about from Oceana?"

Charlie smiled. "Yes, Cora. This is Harry. Could you get me the usual and some chicken pasta salad for him?"

"Of course, Charlie, do you want coffee?"

"Yes please and juice for Harry. Apple if there is, otherwise you can choose."

She nodded. "I'll be right back. Call me when you want to order, gentlemen, Isla."

"I'll just have a veggie burger and fries, Cora, and a coke," Isla said quickly before Cora can walk away.

"And I'll have the stake and chips with a salad," Astor said.

"He means fries, Cora," Charlie clarified when Cora looked confused at the 'chips' part.

"I'll have the same and coffee please," Lucius interjected when Astor opened his mouth to say something.

Cora nodded, writing the orders down before walking away.

Lucius turned to Astor. "We have to remember that Americans has different words for certain things, Astor. Fries might be chips for us, but to them chips are those dry crisps in foil packets."

Astor swallowed a nasty reply, accepting his brother's words. He didn't think that he will ever understand anything about the Americans even if he tried and even if some things are simple enough to understand.

Cora came back fairly soon with some of their orders before going back to get the rest and soon everyone ate their preferred food hungrily while chatting about nonsensical things. By the time they went back to Charlie's house, they were full and the two Malfoys were ready to leave for Port Angeles where they had booked into a hotel. They promised to come by again the day after next because they had some other business to attend to. They didn't say anything much about that, just that it is important business.

Charlie went to work later that day having slept only two hours at most and he wondered if he should rather cancel his and Harry's visit to La Push Reservation the next day. He decided to think on it and see how he felt come morning.

The night was quiet and quite eventless. The only interesting thing that happened was a man flashing his bits at Gita Stanley, a mother of two young children. Gita had been Gita Le Roux when Charlie had been a child. She had married her High School sweetheart Devon Stanley a year or so before Charlie married Renee.

On the other side of town, Oceana put a very tired Harry to bed after watching some movies that she had rented from the local video rental shop. They were mostly animation and suitable for someone as young as Harry. Though, Harry didn't seem to like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves much. Oceana didn't like it much either. Her mother used to tell her and Isla a scarier version of the old fairytale. It made this one pretty much lame.

She watched the non-child appropriate movies after Harry was tucked away safely in his bed with Tom, now clean, clutched in his bed. She also made a call to her boyfriend from the phone in the kitchen as she warmed up some leftovers she'd brought from home. Her boyfriend didn't like her job, complaining about it as they spoke for a few minutes. She told him that she had to make money somehow because he had gotten her fired from the grocery store because he'd bothered her in her work there.

By morning Oceana was asleep on the couch when Charlie stumbled into the house. He left her to sleep and walked up the stairs to check on Harry before he walked back downstairs to start up a pot of coffee. He had decided that he would dose himself with coffee and take Harry to La Push to meet Sue and Harry Clearwater; he will sleep when they come back home later that day. It was his day off after all.

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La Push Reservation was a beautiful place with nice beaches and lush forest.

Charlie had grown up with many of the natives. Harry Clearwater had been his friend since childhood. They both had, had a crush on Sue when they were young, Harry winning the heart of the beautiful woman easily. That didn't change the friendship between the two men, however. Charlie is oftentimes a visitor at their house and their eldest child Leah likes him very much.

Sue came out of the house to greet him and the little boy when Charlie parked the truck in the driveway beside Harry's truck. She was dressed in her nurse's attire, having come from work also. She was a nurse at La Push's small general hospital.

"Harry's in the kitchen making his homemade fish fry," she told Charlie. "This must be little Harry. My, aren't he such a cutie. Hello, little man, I'm Sue." She held out a hand to the little boy on Charlie's hip, a smile on her lips. It brightened when the little boy placed a hand in hers, however briefly.

"Do you want Sue to carry you, Kid?"

The little boy hid his head in Charlie's neck, indicating that no, he did not want Sue to carry him. She is a stranger to him, even if she seemed friendly.

Sue pouted slightly at the boy's actions, though she understood perfectly because her Leah was sometimes like that too, even with familiar people. She led them inside the white painted one story house. A dog lay lazily on the front porch, thumping her tail as they passed her.

"Unca, doggy," Harry pointed her out.

"That's Maxie," Charlie said. "You can visit her later."

The smell of fish and hot cooking oil hung strongly in the house as they followed Sue to the back of the house where the kitchen is situated. There they found Harry Clearwater busy by the stove, humming merrily to himself, his oil sleek black hair flopping around as he did a little dance.

Sue cleared her throat, startling him. He had to quickly scramble to keep the heavy pan from sliding off the stove. He shot a glare at his wife before smiling pleasantly at his friend.

"Hey, Charlie," he greeted Charlie and then looked at the little boy, his smile widening. "This must be my namesake. Hello there, Harry. My name is Harry too."

The little boy eyed the stranger with the same name as him. He didn't know what to make of him.

"He's a little shy," Charlie made an excuse for the little boy when he didn't greet the stranger back.

Harry Clearwater waved a hand in dismissal. "It's fine, Charlie. I'm sure that we'll be great friends in no time."

Charlie took a seat at a yellow kitchen table, shifting the boy to his lap. "Now don't become too name sick and spoil him. I want him to have good manners when he's all grown up."

Harry Clearwater snorted, but didn't say anything. He continued his self-assigned task of frying the fish. Charlie began talking to Sue, asking about her work and her children. She told him that baby Seth are teething and that Leah would be going to the local kindergarten come September.

"Are you going to send Harry to kindergarten?" she asked, watching the little boy from where she leaned against a kitchen counter.

"I have to. He is old enough. Even if he is so small."

Sue nodded and pushed away from the counter. She held her hands out to the little boy. "Want to go play with Leah?"

"Who Leah?"

"A little girl who would love to play with you."

"Otay." The little boy held his hands out to her and she picked him up.

Charlie watched Sue walk away with his nephew. It was strange how easily he becomes at ease around other people.

"She has a way with the little ones," Harry Clearwater commented as if he read Charlie's mind, which was ridiculous.

Charlie didn't reply. Harry Clearwater clearly understood his wife way better than he Charlie can ever understand any other woman on Mother Earth.

Sue came back a moment later without Harry, carrying baby Seth in her arms. "They seem to like each other well enough," she reported.

"That's great," Harry Clearwater said. "Maybe you should enroll Harry in the kindergarten here on the Rez. Having one friend might to him good. How old is he again?"

"Four, he'll be five in July."

Harry Clearwater nodded thoughtfully. "That makes him our Leah's age. Bella's also around their age if I am not mistaken."

"Bella will be five in September. She'll be starting Elementary next year in the fall. Harry will have to also."

"Leah also. Anyway, let's not think of next year yet. Let's think about this one," Sue said handing Seth to Charlie before walking over to the kettle; she needed a cup of coffee to keep her going.

Harry Clearwater finished frying the fish before taking a seat by the table also. He struck up a conversation with Charlie about sports and whatnot to pass the time. Sue poured a cup of coffee for both of them before leaving the kitchen to go check up on Leah and Harry. She took Seth with her.

The men moved to the living room, Harry Clearwater switching on the television. They watched old reruns of football games and basketball. Charlie eventually dose off with the sound of the television in his ears. He slept until lunchtime.

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Well….I hope you like this one. Hope it isn't boring.