The Boy

Chapter 7: The Boy Goes To Kindergarten

"Are you ready to go, Harry?"

The little boy nodded, looking quite smart in his new clothes. He had grown some during the months before September. He wasn't quite as tall as he should be for his age, but that didn't bother Charlie as long as he grew. He had needed new clothes as he grew like any other child and Charlie had been so very happy to provide them. It was definitely a reward for his hard work in getting the child on the road to being a healthy growing child.

The Malfoy brothers had come that next day months ago and hadn't stayed as long. Of course they phoned now and then during the months that had passed and Lord Malfoy had asked if he could sent his son Draco to visit during the summer for a few weeks so that he and Harry may get acquainted with each other. It was actually Astor Malfoy's idea; Lucius reluctantly agreed to it, thinking that when his son takes over the family business one day, he should know about the mundane side of it also, mundane meaning, non-magical.

Charlie of course knows nothing of that; he just thought that Lucius would want his son to know his however many times removed cousin ergo getting to know Harry during summer for a few weeks. Charlie agreed to it, thinking that Harry should know of his heritage and who else would be better than someone from his father's family?

"Have your lunch?"

"Yes, Unca."

"Tom?'

"No, he in wash, Unca." Harry had become used to seeing poor Tom in the washing machine very often and so didn't seem to care much about it anymore.

"Pafoo?" Isla had brought the boy a stuffed black dog and Harry had given it the questionable name of Pafoo.

"In bag, Unca." The boy tapped the backpack slung over his back.

"That's good. Anything else? No? Well then, let's get going."

The little boy giggled and skipped alongside his uncle outside to the truck. He would be going to the school on the Reservation because of his friend Leah, and that afternoon, he will be staying with Sarah and Billy because Sue and Harry Clearwater had to work and Sarah and Billy had two daughters in the same school as Leah and the little boy, so it wasn't a hardship for them to pick up two extra children from school.

Charlie appreciated that because he didn't know what he would've done with his nephew during the afternoons when he was still at work. Of course he could hire Oceana and Isla again, but the two girls are in school also now and had other extra-curricular activities going on and wouldn't be able to babysit. So Billy and Sarah are the best even if they both work some days during the week. They will be rotating the children between themselves and the Clearwater couple if need be.

Charlie smiled when he strapped the boy into the car-seat. The boy had been quite happy when he heard that he would be going to school. Many children don't like school. Charlie himself used to hide under his bed when it was time to leave for school. Marie had let him stay home twice before forcing him to go to school. That was the only time Charlie didn't like having a stepmother.

The drive to La Push was mostly quiet apart from the radio that played songs and some news report about rainstorms. The little boy watched the pretty trees and the grey overcast sky as they drove while humming to this song and that song. To Charlie it was remarkable how kids could recover from past traumatic experiences. Harry might not truly forget everything that had happened to him in his young life, but he was a happier child now than he had been at the Dursleys. The child humming at a song was just one of those instances where it showed that Charlie did the right thing in taking him in when Petunia asked.

The small school where Harry would be going was just beside the Elementary school. It was already busy with parents dropping off their little ones. The same went for the Elementary school next-door. Sarah was at the passenger side door when Charlie parked next to Billy's truck. The twins, Rachel and Rebecca and Leah were with her.

"I'll take them inside, Charlie. I know you are running late to work," Sarah said as she unclipped Harry's seatbelt. "I'll see you tonight when you pick up Harry."

Charlie didn't protest when she helped Harry out of the truck and then shut the door. She was of course right, he was already running late to work and old Graves will be reprimanding him until kingdom come if he don't get to work quickly. He pouted. He so would've liked to see his little sunshine to class first.

Sarah smiled as she herded the little ones to the class that were mainly for four to five year olds. She knows the teacher, who had gone to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her. The woman was a No-Maj-born while Sarah was a half-blood. Not that anyone cared in the US. No those stupid notions about blood purity were only in the British Isles and the rest of Europe.

Nita Etsiddy had studied hard to become a kindergarten teacher when she couldn't find an apprenticeship with her Master of choice. The Master was one of those stuck-up old country fools who don't like No-Maj-born. He even called Nita a Mudblood which was quite rude of him and unoriginal, really.

Sarah and Nita aren't the only witches from La Push, though. Tiffany Call, who ran a small apothecary are one also. There are more, but in Sarah's age group there are only fourteen witches and a few wizards.

Many of them didn't attend Ilvermorny. There are other schools in the US that aren't boarding schools. One would have to take portkeys and use the floo to get there, but it was sometimes better suited for those that cannot afford the fees Picquery Academy and Ilvermorny.

Sarah had, had an unnamed sponsor to help with the costs of her schooling. She was one of the lucky ones.

When she met little Harry, she knew from that moment, that he is a young wizard child because she is sensitive to feeling others magic and him hissing to his stuffed snake might have been a shock for a moment, but she had gotten over it. She had only ever met one other who could speak to snakes when she was a young girl. The girl who had spoken the language had moved from India when she was a baby. The girl's father had been the only other one in the family who could speak it.

She had told Billy about Harry and his hissing and Billy had at first not believed it, but when they visited Charlie and Harry again, Billy had observed the child and had believed Sarah. He had informed old Quil and the rest of the Elders about the child and they had decided that it will be best for the boy to attend his first years of school on the Rez. Billy and Sarah had agreed to it and had gone to speak with Charlie, who told them that the Clearwater couple had also brought up that idea for Leah's sake.

The girl had taken quite the shine to the little boy and so had her twins when they met him. It took Charlie no time at all to agree to send Harry to school with the three girls knowing that he won't have to be alone. Now here they are, both her little girls and Leah and Harry going to kindergarten together.

"Sarah! Hi, I didn't expect to see you here today," Nita greeted as Sarah led the four children into the small classroom.

"Hello, Nita. Yeah, I have the week off, so…"

Nita nodded in understanding, her attention going to the little ones. "Oh my," she said as her eyes landed on the little boy. "Why, it's Harry Potter."

Sarah frowned at that. Charlie had enrolled the child as Harry James Charles Swan instead of Potter for the last name. She of course know about that foolishness of everyone in magical Britain believing that an infant had saved the magical community of Britain while the parents of the infant had died on the same night as a dark lord and quite possibly are the true heroes because of their sacrifice. She hadn't even thought of this Harry Potter being said infant. Not even the famous scar had clued her in. She mentally shook her head at herself for that.

"Yeah, well… it isn't common knowledge, so please don't go telling anyone else. We don't know if any of that man's people are looking for him."

Nita swallowed and nodded. She knows how to keep her mouth shut. "So it's the girls' last year with us, eh?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. Um…you know some kids start earlier than normal. Six is old enough, don't you think?"

Nita only nodded at that and Sarah knelt by the four children. "Be good for Miss Nita, alright?"

"Yes, Mama," the twins said together.

"Yes, Aunty Sarah," Leah echoed while Harry only nodded before hugging Sarah who gently hugged him back.

"Good. I'll see you later. Have fun." She straightened and said a quick goodbye to Nita then she left the classroom, forcing herself to think about the shopping list in her purse as opposed to thinking of what she had learned today and how she was to tell Billy about who their daughters' little friend truly are.

Nita couldn't quite change her own thought process; however, as the class became full of little children being dropped off by parents that were in a hurry to get to work or whatever else they needed to get to. Her eyes kept straying to the small child, with the famous mark upon his forehead, who seemed quite happy to just stay with the three girls and not approach any of the other children on his own.

She began class and kept watching the child throughout the day. He made one friend out of all the boys. The boy's name was Jared Cameron and he was a happy child that laughed a lot more than Harry. By lunchtime the two were as thick as thieves and Nita couldn't help but smile at how they seemed to do everything together.

Little Leah didn't seem to like that at all and proclaimed loudly that Harry is her 'bestest friend' and that Jared should go play with Benson Coleman, a boy that sat alone in a corner playing by himself. In the end, long before the end of the school day, Harry and Jared both went to sit with him, dragging the three very unwilling girls with them. Benson looked much happier then and it made Nita feel better because she wanted her little ones to get along.

When the last bell rang for the day, she still watched Harry and couldn't wait to have him back in her class for the rest of the first school semester. She really looked forward to seeing him each and every day.

"Bye, Miss Nita," Harry and his friends said before they left the class to go wait outside for whoever is supposed to pick them up.

"See you tomorrow, kiddos." She smiled and waved at them, making sure to go watch over them while they waited. She wasn't going to let some weirdo come along and take one of them from under her nose. It was her turn to stay and wait with them, anyway; school policy and all.

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Billy came to pick the children up instead of Sarah. He was all smiles and jokes as he led the children to his truck where he had to force them in sitting still as he drove to his house. It didn't work much as the children were all babbling about their day, Harry telling him, while dangerously standing upright on the seat, about Jared, Benson, Miss Nita and the drawings they had made and everything that he could think of and could remember. Some things were irrelevant, but Harry told him about it anyway and Billy enjoyed hearing about it.

The Black residence was a one story house that reminded of a classically red painted barn. It had a garage in the back of the property, near the forest that resembled a large shed more than anything else. A couple of old fishing boats could be seen from the entrance. Billy clearly had started repairing them. Harry wanted to ask about them, but didn't get the chance because the girls were telling Billy about their day now.

Billy parked the truck before the open doors, not really able to park it inside of the shed because of the boats. Then he hurried the kids out of the truck and towards the backdoor.

Sarah was in the kitchen as Billy and the four kids trooped inside, a very unhappy two year old Jacob on her hip. His little face were all blotchy and everything as he cried bloody murder so loudly in a way that could've woken up the dead.

"Why he crying?" Harry asked Billy.

"He's a little sick, Harry."

"Oh. You give him menacine?"

"Yeah, Kiddo."

"Otay. He be better soon." Harry skipped over to Sarah's side. "Hi."

"Hi, Harry." Sarah looked to Billy, motioning to him to take Jacob before she leaned down to scoop up Harry for a quick hug. "Hungry?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head. "I go play with Leah an' Becca an' Chel."

Sarah smiled and placed him down on the floor. She watched him toddle off to join the girls. Her smile widened. He is so very precious to her.

"Do you think Charlie knows what he is?"

She looked at Billy. "No. But come his letter at eleven, Charlie will know."

"Think Charlie will accept it?"

Sarah shrugged as she bustled around the kitchen to make homemade milkshakes for the children. "I don't know. Though, I believe he will. Look how much he cares for the boy. I only wish that I could take the boy to see a proper healer." She paused and then came to a conclusion swiftly enough. "Oh! But I can, can't I? Whenever Harry is with us, right?"

Billy nodded, smiling. A healer will be able to heal the hurts that the No-Maj doctors can't see. Not even with their X-rays.

"I'll take him day after tomorrow when it's our turn to watch him again. Healer Alberty will be the best one for it. He takes his vows of secrecy seriously, after all."

"You do that and I'll watch the girls and Jacob."

Sarah said nothing to that, instead she made the milkshakes and carried the clear sippy-cups full of milkshake to where the four kids sat in the twins' room, the girls ruffling through a crate full of Barbie dolls and Ken dolls. In the one corner of the small bedroom there were two small wooden doll houses that Billy had built for the girls the previous year. Sarah had made the furniture from scrap such as plastic bottles and stuff. It looked quite nice when she had finished. No one would've said that they were made from things that belonged in the trash.

Harry sat on Rachel's bed with Pafoo in his arms, stroking the soft synthetic fur that the stuffy were made of. He spoke softly to the toy as if it could understand him and Sarah felt all warm and fuzzy inside at witnessing that.

"Milkshake, kiddos," she said. She handed the sippy-cups out to the children before leaving them to play in peace.

Back in the kitchen she found Billy talking over the phone to someone, with Jacob hanging on his arm awkwardly. She took him from Billy and went to sit on a chair at the kitchen table, while giving Billy a questioning look.

"Hold on for a moment, Sis," Billy said to the person on the other side before looking at Sarah. "It's Connie. She wants to know what to bring for the bonfire on Saturday."

"What she wants to, Billy. Sue might bring salads. So…."

Billy nodded and went back to his conversation with his sister. Sarah sighed, bouncing Jacob on her knee. She briefly wondered if she should invite Charlie to the bonfire or not. Then she remembered that Charlie wouldn't be able to make it because he would be working the weekend shift at the Forks PD.

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So….the times will be flying a bit now. Hope you enjoyed this chap. Thanks for all the support.