Chapter 8 of 30
Mom and dad
Leo watched as Chris looked around, licked his lips several times, opened his mouth like he’d ask something and closed again without uttering a word and looked back at his hands. That movement was done several times before Leo decided to break the ice.
“Your godfather left you a package here. He intended to give it to you but- er- you left abruptly.”
“Oh,” Chris said awkwardly and Leo took the brown parcel from the coffee table and leaned forward to hand it to Chris. Chris nodded jerkily and took it quickly. He rested his hand, that now held the small parcel, on his lap and looked at the other three nervously again.
“Sirius and Remus seem to love you very much,” Piper said softly.
“I guess,” Chris shrugged fidgeting with the loose corner of the parcel’s brown paper.
“Do you know what it is?” Leo asked wanting to keep Chris talking. Chris shook his head and opened it carefully. He took a mirror out and frowned confused, until he looked at a note that was taped to the back of the mirror.
“Oh, it’s a two-way-mirror. Sirius said he has the other and we can talk with each other. I guess this works like a phone or something. So he can know how I am,” he explained nervously.
“That’s nice,” Piper smiled tightly.
“Yeah,” Chris whispered and looked at the mirror and then suddenly asked, “Didn’t you want to?”
“Talk to Sirius?” Leo asked bewildered.
“No, know how I was,” Chris said looking up. “All these years.”
“Yes,” Piper breathed out desperately. “But we were afraid the Elders were watching. And we thought James and Lily were with you. We didn’t know.”
“Aren’t you afraid of what the Elders will do when they find out?” Chris asked wanting to understand why he had lived with Durselys when he had a family. Wanting to believe Wyatt when he said that Leo and Piper wanted him.
“After 14 years there isn’t much they can do,” Leo answered. “You would have interacted with too many people for them to change all their memories. Too many details.”
Chris nodded but then he asked, “Then why didn’t you come earlier?”
Leo looked at him sadly, “I chose James and Lily because of their magic. Because they would be the best choice for you to be with. Where you would adapt the best. They had features that were similar to the ones we knew you’d have too. But that also meant you’d be raised as a Wizard, and a child of the Wizarding world has pretty much a secluded life before Hogwarts. To make sure that the Cleaners wouldn’t be a able to erase you we needed for you to have interacted with as many people as possible, so that meant that we needed you to have at least a few years of Hogwarts. We never knew what happened. We never knew you were the Boy-Who-Lived and that you weren’t with James and Lily or we would have come for you earlier.”
Chris nodded fidgeting with the brown paper again.
“I don’t know what to do. I- I don’t know what to do. I always wanted parents but now- I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“You’re not supposed to do anything,” Leo said firmly. “Just, just get to know us. Just like you did with Sirius and Remus. I know it’s not the same. It’s easier to accept a godfather you didn’t know you had than to realize your parents are someone different than you thought. But for now. Let’s just get to know each other.”
Chris nodded tensely.
“So,” Piper started. “What do you like to eat?” she asked, easing into her area of expertise and wanting to file away all she’d cook for him. She knew there would be times where there would be heart tearing talks, but for now she wanted to start something with her son. Even if it was just scraping the surface.
“Mom’s a chef,” Wyatt spoke for the first time. “Just let her know what you like and you’re set for life,” he smiled and was rewarded by a shy smile from Chris.
“I like treacle tart,” he said softly.
Hermione stared at Chris who looked uncomfortable at her staring.
“Wow.”
Chris nodded.
“That’s- that’s… wow.”
“Yeah,” Chris shrugged his eyebrows in an awkward way.
“You have parents- I mean- of course you have parents, you always had parents, everyone has parents but now you actually have parents,” Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple. “I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Never thought the day would come- ouch!” he rubbed his arm where Hermione just smacked him. Chris had taken her to the Room of Requirements to tell her everything. Normally he, Ron and Hermione would have just closed themselves in his dormitory when the other three had left. But now Ron wasn’t with them and Chris didn’t want to have to remind himself of that fact because he had wanted to tell Ron too that he had parents, and a brother and apparently cousins and the works. Because Ron had been his family first. But Ron wasn’t there, only Hermione was here and Chris decided that he wanted to tell her away from everybody. So he brought her to his new found Room for whenever one wanted privacy. And the room had turned into a replica of the lake, and Chris couldn’t help but notice that they were seated in the exact same position he and Wyatt had been.
“So, how are they?” she asked.
Chris shrugged, “Dunno, just met them.”
“Yes, but you’re excited right?”
Chris looked at her and opened his mouth. He closed it, thought a little and then said, “I don’t know. I mean, my parents, my adoptive parent. They died for me. I can’t just pretend they didn’t exist- but at the same time. Mrs. Halliwell, she said she wanted me- do you understand?”
“I think the Potters wanted you too, Chris. And you’re not pretending they didn’t exist just because you are acknowledging that the Halliwells or are they the Wyatts? Well doesn’t matter- that Leo and Piper are your parents too.”
“I guess,” Chris shrugged tearing some of the grass from the ground. Not really knowing how to feel.
“Why don’t you just get to know them first?”
“That’s what Mr. Wyatt- Leo said. He told me to call them Leo and Piper.”
Hermione nodded looking at her friend, her brain working on possible ways to help him adjust. She just needed to check something in the library.
“Mrs. Halliwell!” Piper heard the call from behind her. She turned around and saw Hermione Granger run towards her with a bunch of books.
“Hi, er-“ the girl bit her lip. “I read that your younger sister wasn’t raised with you.”
Piper frowned, what the hell did she bring that up for?
“Yes, my mother and Paige’s father were afraid of the Elders reaction to a half-Whitelighter child and had to give her away for adoption.”
“Yes, I read that. That she only met you later. I bet she had a hard time accepting her new parents without feeling like she was betraying her adoptive ones,” Hermione mused.
“Oh, yes,” Piper chuckled. “Sam would tell you the stories. Mom didn’t have much trouble but I think it’s because she was dead but Sam- oh my. Took a while for her to call him da- oh,” realization dawned on Piper and she smiled at the girl. “Thank you,” she said nodding and Hermione turned around satisfied walking to her next class.
Piper ran to her quarters pulling her cell phone out and dialing Paige’s number. She should have thought of that. Who better than Paige to help Chris?
Paige upturned every paper on her living room table not finding her phone; well the ringing was coming from here. After lifting another folder she finally found it.
“Ha! Gotcha! Hello!”
“Paige! I need you!” Piper’s frantic voice came from the phone.
“There’s a demon attack,” Paige was suddenly alert. Even after all these years of relative peace the sisters still had those years of constant fight ingrained into them.
“What? No, I need you to bond with Chris. Help him.”
“Okay,” Paige said slowly. She was dying to see her nephew but this sudden request from Piper was at least weird. She, just as Phoebe, had thought that Piper and Leo would have wanted to be able to bond with Chris before the rest of the family came barging in, in their not very subtle way. “Why?”
“Because you can relate with him. He- he isn’t fairing very well with the news. He keeps calling me Mrs. Halliwell,” Paige smiled. She could hear the frown her sister was sporting from her in her voice, and not only that, she was also reminded of calling Grams Mrs. Halliwell when she first met her and refusing to call her differently because of her grandmother.
“I get it. What do you say I meet him this Friday when I orb there to get the students assignments?”
“Yes, please, please. Can’t you come earlier?”
“Only if you want Magic School to blow up,” she said and then she frowned at her “baby-sitter” who was being climbed on like a mountain by her ten-year old-son and seven-year-old twin daughters. Up until now she had focused on her Whitelighter duties which truth be told had allowed her to be home for the kids a lot. But having to take over Leo she had to ask for help with the children, but the problem was, this baby-sitter had a lot of trouble being stern and not caving to the children. “Your dad is spoiling my children!” she whined and Piper laughed. “Hey! I’m serious here!”
“How’s Chris?” Victor asked as he submerged from under the kids.
“She hasn’t said yet,” Paige told him. “I’m passing the phone to your dad. Bye,” and she handed the phone before Piper could protest.
“How’s my grandson? How are you?”
That was all Piper needed to start telling her father everything that had happened since they arrived.
Chris decided that uncomfortable with his new parents or not he was going to talk to his new father about training to block his empathy. The first day of classes after the Goblet spit his name was a nightmare. If it wasn’t enough that three quarters of the school were being openly hostile with him he also had to endure reading their hostile feelings. He got a little mollified by the Gryffindors at least, who were either cheering him up or staying quiet. Even though Chris knew from their feelings that many suspected him, at least they didn’t attack him. Just ignored him. Like Ron, who was exuding jealousy and resentment. Unfortunately Hermione said he couldn’t give Ron a good kick in the butt.
So, that is why on his free period Chris decided to take the chance and attend one of the Magic School classes. After all, it was his heritage too. He quietly got into the classroom and listened as Leo explained the history behind Greek mythology. He sat at a desk in the back and was quickly enthralled by the whole tale. He wished Binns class was this interesting. He didn’t understand why Dumbledore kept Binns, even Snape teaching that class would be better. Chris had to admit, that Snape might be horrible, but his lectures weren’t dull.
And neither was Leo’s. And to hear at the end of how his new mother and aunts defeated the Titans just fifteen years previously left him gobsmacked. Especially as Leo explained to the class his role in the matter, or better Future Chris’s role. But unfortunately the class did end. And when the students started to get up to leave one of the Magic School students noticed him seated in the back.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” the boy asked aggressively approaching Chris’s desk.
“We were invited to watch your classes just like you were invited to watch ours,” a blond girl Chris had seen a few times with Ginny Weasley answered with a dreamy expression from a seat in front of Chris.
“I wasn’t speaking to you squirt,” the boy sneered at the girl. “I was talking to the little cheater brat over the-“
“Is there a problem here?” Leo’s voice asked sternly. “I trust you did not forget that the whole purpose of this Tournament is to promote better understanding between both worlds Mr. Smith. Which is why the Hogwarts students such as Ms.-“ Leo nodded his head towards the girl.
“Lovegood,” she answered as though she had no idea that tempers were rising.
“Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Potter are more than welcome to listen into our classes, as well as you theirs. I hope you will.”
“Of course Leo,” the boy said with a tight smile not wanting to get in trouble. He turned around and glared at Chris letting it clear that no matter what he was not welcome there.
“I really enjoyed this class Professor,” Ms. Lovegood said as she picked her bag. “Keeps the Nargles away,” and with that she left leaving a bewildered Leo and Chris behind.
“The what now?”
“I have no idea,” Chris said and as he noticed the last student leave he asked Leo. “Uhm, you know how you said you could teach me to block my empathy out. I really need that now.”
Leo looked at Chris and smiled, “Sure, I’ll talk to Phoebe. With all that’s happened I kind of forgot but I’ll see if she can pop by.”
“Isn’t she in San Francisco?” Chris asked frowning.
“Yes, but she does have a sister, a husband, nephews, nieces and daughters who can all orb in one way or another,” Leo smirked. “You’ll find out that distance isn’t much of an issue in our family.”
Chris nodded awkwardly and tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. Leo didn’t mind. He knew Chris would need time to get used to them. Right now he’d just bask in the great feeling that his son came for him for help.
Chris licked his lips nervously. He had closed the dorm door just in case, even though he had checked that all the other boys were engrossed in the Common Room. He was sitting cross legged on his bed and looking nervously at the mirror in his hand.
“Sirius,” he whispered but at first nothing happened. Disappointed he was about to put the mirror away when Sirius’s voice came from the mirror.
“You know, you gotta speak up! Lucky for you that I’ve been waiting for you to call and had it out of my pocket or I’d never hear you.”
Chris smiled widely and looked at the mirror to see Sirius’s grinning face.
“Hi.”
“Hi pup. So, what’s up?”
“Er- I wanted to apologize for yesterday. To you and Remus, I mean. I shouldn’t have bolted like that. It was rude of me.”
“Don’t worry. We understand. I guess that if you have this than you talked to them. Say you did.”
“Yeah- I mean- at first I talked to Wyatt. He’s my brother you know?” Sirius nodded and Chris felt stupid. Of course he knew, “Yeah, well, then I went with him to talk to Mrs. Halliwell and Mr. Wyatt.”
“I’m glad you did,” Sirius said. “You deserve a family,” he said even though he had wanted to be that family to Chris.
“But, you’re my family right. I mean- you’re still my godfather and Remus- unless you don’t want to- of course I understand,” Chris nodded sadly.
“Hey, hey, hey! Stop that! Of course we are! Nothing changed, you just got more family! Don’t think you can get rid of us that easily! Moony is very clingy!” Sirius rushed to assure Chris admitting silently to himself that Chris’s words did wonders to appease his own doubts. The relieved smile Chris gave him just added to his own smile.
“So, how have things been going? Any clue at what the First Task might be?”
“No,” Chris shook his head. “And everything is horrible. Ron still hates me, he’s being a stupid prat, and everyone hates me, even Professor Sprout, and she was always nice to me, now she hates me. And the only thing that was good was that I found a way to block out the empathy thing-“
“Empathy?” Sirius asked.
“Oh, yeah, I didn’t tell you,” and Chris proceeded to explain how he had been able to tell what people were feeling ever since he was little and had thought that it was common for wizards to do that until he met Olivia, and how Olivia had taken him to Leo who promised to talk to Phoebe Halliwell and that after a whole day of dealing with the student population and Ron hating him and being a stupid prat, Chris went to talk to Leo again.
“It’s okay I asked him for help right? I didn’t ask you because I didn’t know it wasn’t normal before-‘
“Chris, Chris, you did right. And it is normal. You’re birth mother was a Wiccan witch. After centuries of separation our magic has developed differently which is why we don’t develop active powers that don’t require a wand to focus. But your genes come from Piper and Leo. You’ll probably have more than one active power and they can help you in ways I can’t with that.” Truth be told it cost Sirius to admit that but he wouldn’t let Chris think he couldn’t go for any of them for help because he would hurt someone. “Anything else happened?”
“Yeah, Ron hates me- he’s being a stupid prat.”
“You’ve mentioned it one or two hundred times,” Sirius chuckled.