Chapter 14 of 30
Girls
“Are you okay?” Wyatt asked Chris softly.
“Yeah,” Chris nodded. “It was weird,” he shuddered. “It just felt wrong you know? From that locket, the vibe it gave? I’m glad it’s over.” He looked over to where Leo and Piper were talking to Sirius and Remus. “Do you think they’ll find the others?”
Wyatt looked at them too and nodded, “I know they will.”
The adults had explained what Voldemort had done to make sure he stayed alive and how Chris had already destroyed one of the Horcruxes. Chris couldn’t fathom being that desperate to live forever. Destroying ones soul. He wondered what that did to Voldemort. He remembered the wreck he met his first year and wondered if Voldemort still thought it had been worth it. If he wouldn’t have preferred that he hadn’t done it and had moved on.
He probably didn’t, sick the way he was. Chris remembered how cold and cruel he already was at sixteen and then he remembered the distorted images of his adoptive parents and a young boy who resembled Sirius a lot telling him it was all his fault. That he’d bailed on them. Failed to protect them and where still shrieking at Sirius when Remus cast the Fiendfyre that burned in a circle consuming the locket, and which Piper contained by freezing the air around the circle.
No Voldemort was too twisted to regret it, but somehow he knew this strange family he seemed to have gained in the last few months would win for a simple reason. Voldemort was sick and greedy. He wanted nothing but power, but the people who were gathered in that room wanted nothing but to protect each other. As Piper did by not letting the fire spread, as Remus did by shutting Riddle up.
He nodded and stood and walked towards the couch. He sat down next to Sirius and hugged him awkwardly. He’d never comforted anyone with a hug before but somehow he knew he was doing it right.
“He was wrong. You didn’t abandon them. You did your best to protect mom, dad and me and you never stopped trying to help your brother. Or you wouldn’t have finished what he started.”
He felt Sirius nod against his head and they just sat there in silence. He never saw Wyatt closing his eyes and concentrating on his Whitelighter senses. And he was so preoccupied with calming Sirius up that he didn’t realize that the sad and worried feelings came from Wyatt too, not just the adults. Nor did he see Wyatt’s eyes linger suspiciously on his parents.
“And we went to see Dobby and Winky. Hermione was little miffed I hadn’t told her before that I knew Dobby was here. But honestly I’d completely forgotten,” Chris was telling Leo how his week had gone while they waited for Phoebe to arrive for his weekly session. It had been a few days since they destroyed the locket and he hadn’t seen either boy alone. As a matter of fact he had the distinct impression that Wyatt was avoiding him. “She said Bagman was a bad man,” Chris shrugged. “I thought him odd. He kept trying to help him, but I refused. I mean, the judges aren’t supposed to help the champions are they?”
“No,” Leo smiled filing the comment about Bagman away for further inquiry. “They aren’t. Though as we’ve seen there is always a little cheating.”
“Yeah, but you were fair with me and Olivia. You deducted points and all for our mistakes and you were fair with the others too. Karkaroff wasn’t,” Chris huffed. Now that the elation of being friends with Ron again had subsided, the four Karkaroff had given him was hard to swallow. Chris looked at Leo and bit his lip. “Uhm, Leo?”
“Yes,” Leo said calmly noting Chris’s change in posture.
“You know the Ball?”
“Yes.”
“Well, McGonagall says I have to have a partner,” Chris fidgeted with his robe. “I have to open the dance.”
“Yes, all champions have too,” he said sympathizing with Chris. Being the center of attention was never easy. And while Wyatt had no problem when he was the center of attention, he had always been a popular kid in school, much like Leo, Leo had the impression Chris took after his mother in that department. Piper glared at him every time she remembered he had been popular in school. Said he didn’t understand her.
“Yeah, well. She said I have to ask someone to come with me- like a girl. And I asked Sirius how to but, well, he just stared at me,” Chris said raising his hands helplessly. “And then I tried to ask Cho out, cause well- she’s pretty and all, but she said she already has a date and, well I don’t know what to do.”
Leo squelched the jealousy that tried to surface at the fact that he was the second choice and concentrated in helping his son instead. “As you pointed out, you will be the center of attention. You’ll already be nervous so you shouldn’t take someone who will make you even more nervous. Why don’t you ask Hermione?”
“She said she already has a date but she wouldn’t tell me who,” Chris shrugged. “And they like- they all walk in groups, and giggle! You have no idea how hard it was to get Cho alone. How am I supposed to find another girl?”
Leo tried to bite back his smile at Chris’s desperate look, “You could ask one of the younger girls too. They won’t be able to go otherwise and maybe you’ll be more comfortable than with someone you want to impress. Doesn’t Ron have a younger sister? Isn’t she your friend?”
“She is going with Neville but-“ Chris looked pensively and then smiled. “Thanks. I know just who to ask!” he said happily and then his face fell. “Er- can you teach me to dance.”
And that was how the evening morphed from an Empath training session to dancing lessons, with all three sisters giving both brothers input on how to waltz, which Wyatt had no idea how to do either. And as it turned out, Leo knew quite well how to waltz and properly disgusted both his sons by having a long all gooey eyed dance with his wife while they tried to mimic his steps with their aunts.
“So?” Piper asked that night when they were in bed.
“Hum, let’s see. Apparently one of our boys drooled over the Veela and she turned him down for being zust a little boy even if ‘e is ze Twice-Blessed!”
“She can’t be much more than a year older than him the stuck up b-“
“Piper! Doesn’t matter, Wyatt wasn’t the only boy to make a fool of himself because of her Veela powers. Good thing was that as soon as she left, he was himself again and remembered who he wanted to ask in the first place and did so.”
“Oh, who?” Piper asked interestedly.
“You’ll see,” Leo said mysteriously. He had talked to Wyatt after the dancing lessons. Wanting to know if there was something wrong. Wyatt had been evasive. He had asked pointedly:
“No dad. Is there something wrong?” and Leo was afraid Wyatt might have started realizing that they were holding back and promptly changed the subject to the ball.
At Magic School Wyatt had had tons of friends and Leo had been worried that he’d feel out of place at an event where none of his friends would be, but Wyatt had been quite happy with who he had asked to the ball and the friends he was making. “Let him have his secrets. I’m happy for him. I was worried about how he was adapting.”
“Well, he is missing his friends. All our kids here are a year older than him and you know teenagers, they don’t mix ages,” Piper wrinkled her nose, “That’s a big no no. I think he made friends with the Diggory boy and the twins and likes to stick with them.”
“Yes, well our other son, apparently tried to also ask an older girl out. They must get that from you,” Piper smacked him.
“Better than being a cradle robber,” she stuck her tong out at him. “And we already knew that, Bianca was like six when we saw her younger self and Chris wasn’t even conceived.”
“Yeah, hopefully this time there will be no Phoenix assassins in his life. Anyway, he got politely turned down and then I told him to ask someone his age, or maybe one of the younger girls who can’t go to the ball unless they’re invited.”
Piper smiled cuddling more into Leo’s chest, “It’s so funny to see him awkward around girls. I remember how he seduced those three blond bimbos so easily. He was so confident. It’s nice to know he also had a time of doubts.”
“I think he always was insecure, but by when we met him he didn’t show weakness. I can understand, the world he came from, showing weakness might get you killed. So Chris made sure he looked confident even if he didn’t feel confident,” Leo said and the he frowned.
“What?”
“He asked Sirius for help first. With the mirror they left here. He came to me because apparently Sirius choked at the thought of how to seduce a girl. I don’t think he ever tried to.”
Piper chuckled thinking of the expression Sirius must have had.
“Well, it’s understandable,” she said calmly even though she understood Leo’s jealousy. “He’s known him longer.”
“A few months longer.”
“I know, but give him a break. We turned his world upside down. He needs time to adjust.”
“Humph.” Le huffed and pouted and Piper tried to break the pout with a quick kiss. All that dancing had left her feeling very giddy. Leo smiled at her and turning her around on the bed kissed her soundly.
The next day Wyatt walked resolutely to the Gryffindor Common Room. He had been talking about the Yule Ball with the twins yesterday when they mentioned the subject. Well he hadn’t known, and the twins of course where just mentioning how they had already done it, they had no clue Wyatt had to do it too. But Wyatt knew he had too. So he had been thinking hard since yesterday and had gotten everything ready. He spotted Chris studying and approached him pulling him away from the Common Room to the Room of Requirement which had turned into what looked like a nice teenager’s room.
“It’s my room back home,” Wyatt said pulling one of those chairs with wheels away from a cluttered desk and in front of the messy bed where Wyatt made Chris sit. He took the chair and then added, “Well, it’s my room before mom makes me clean it.”
“Oh,” Chris said nodding. Yes, he really couldn’t see Piper abiding by this mess.
“So young Christopher,” Wyatt started and Chris looked at him strangely. “The Yule Ball is coming and new experiences will be happening and as your big brother it is my duty to prepare you,” he said seriously.
“Ah-what now?” Chris spluttered.
“Now,” Wyatt said pulling a shoe box from under his bed. “Pay attention”.
Hours later Ron found Chris in their dorm room rocking back and forth with his knees drawn up to his chest. He immediately got worried.
“Chris, are you okay? What happened?”
“Wyatt,” Chris squeaked.
“Is he hurt?”
Chris shakily shook his head.
“Then what?”
“He came here…and then he…and it was horrible,” and somehow by the expression on Chris’s face Ron understood and he sat down next to his friend and sympathetically patted his back.
“He gave you the big brother talk didn’t he?”
“How did you know?” Chris looked shocked.
“I had it five times,” Ron wrinkled his nose. “And Percy’s involved a diagram and rules. Did you have the dad talk too?”
“There’s a dad talk?” Chris asked aghast.
“Of course, the dad talk is all about safe sex and why you shouldn’t be doing it while the brother talk assumes you will.” Ron said simply and Chris’ eyes widened at the thought of having that talk with Leo. Asking him about asking a girl out had already been embarrassing enough. He almost hadn’t. He asked him out of sheer desperation. Chris groaned dropping on the bed and burying his face in the pillow. Ron just patted his back sympathetically.
The Yule Ball had approached and he didn’t know if he was more nervous about the Ball or about what was expecting him before it. Since they wouldn’t be able to have Christmas dinner with their family Phoebe had let Piper know that Christmas brunch would be ready at the manor and they were expected, as were Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus.
Paige orbed to Remus cottage to pick up the duo earlier and then orbed to the Hogwarts gate to help Wyatt with the others. Wyatt, Chris, Hermione, Ron and the twins and Ginny were meeting Leo and Piper at the doors so they could meet Paige at the gates. Piper had personally orbed with Paige to the Weasleys and the Grangers to ask if they could have a special consent to attend. Piper wasn’t comfortable telling more people yet about who Chris really was but Chris had vouched for the twins and Ginny. And since they were telling Dumbledore that Wyatt wanted to invite some of the friends he made here not inviting the twins and inviting Ron would be a dead giveaway. And leaving just Ginny behind would be just plain rude. Though Piper did not have a choice and to convince the Weasley and Granger parents she did have to disclose the truth so they’d allow the overseas orbing. As long as they didn’t tell Dumbledore, she wasn’t worried. Which is what had her hesitant to tell the Weasley parents the most. The Grangers didn’t have any relationship with Dumbledore but Piper had heard that the Weasleys were big Dumbledore supporters. But Molly surprised her by hugging her tightly and smiling.
“Family comes first. We trust Dumbledore, but if had treated one of ours that way, believe me we’d be doing the same. And no one deserves someone to protect him more than Chris does. Oh, and if the twins misbehave, feel free to send their sorry butts right back here.”
She had been surprised with the lack of resistance but apparently Remus had talked to Arthur Weasley previously vouching for the Halliwells. He hadn’t said Chris was their son but had mentioned that Leo had been Lily’s Whitelighter. Still though Molly and Arthur had been reluctant to let their kids go. But Piper wanted very much to show Chris they didn’t just want to welcome him to their life but all about him. And she had realized that Ron and Hermione were practically an extension of Chris.
To Wyatt’s luck Cedric had gone home for the holidays to his parents only flooing back for the Ball, so inviting him wasn’t even an issue and any awkward situation was avoided.
Chris was nervous about meeting the family and even more nervous because his parents had decided that the manor would be a good place to unbind his powers. Since it was warded against magical eavesdropping any magical surge that happened would go unnoticed.
So, after almost being killed by a heart attack from Dobby waking him up and giving Dobby his gift, which Piper had reminded him was a good idea to get, he picked up the presents he had bought and the present from Hagrid and from Mrs. Weasley that was waiting for him at the bottom of his bed. Put it all in a bag and went down to meet the others. He had no idea what was waiting for him.