Boy's Magic
Already, a month had passed and Harry was still as clueless about the boy as he had been on that very first night, if not more so. The child was unnaturally quiet. Even Mrs. Weasley had said so. Harry wondered what his mother had been like, because this quiet temperament was unlike the temperament that Sirius had displayed. Sirius had been cocky and self assured to a fault. This child seemed to be in a permanent state of silent shock, polite to a T.
Colby was content to wander around the house alone, played alone with the few small toys he had brought in his bag: two little die-cast cars and two plastic soldier men. Hermione would often come across the boy huddled in a corner, back to the room, his toys carefully placed on the floor before him. He would cringe when Hermione would rest her hand upon his head or back. Hermione wondered if anyone had ever hugged the child.
"You can not ask him that," Harry told her one night while they were resting in Harry's bed. It seemed like it was the only time that either of them had together anymore, Harry taking the night shift opposite of Hermione some nights so that someone was always at home with Colby.
"I know, but it seems odd that he is not welcome to touch," Hermione said as she tucked her arm behind her head. She knew she would have to leave the bed soon and head back to her own bedroom soon.
"No one ever hugged me until I was ten or eleven, and I turned out alright," Harry defended. Hermione touched his check thoughtfully.
"Yes, you are alright, Harry," Hermione said. She kissed him on his mouth, a smile battling at the corners of her mouth. He murmured something and pulled her closer for deeper kisses.
"You are so lovely," Harry smiled as his mouth nipped at her ear.
"You know, I have to go soon," Hermione breathed excitedly. "We have to get up early to enroll him at the public school."
"Just a little while longer," Harry teased as his hand went to the buttons of her shirt, exposing a wider collar. His mouth kissed her neck.
"Maybe just a few more minutes, then," Hermione murmured as warmth spread through out her body.
A shatter of glass and a high scream devastated the otherwise silent house, waking the portrait of the Matriarch of Black. Harry and Hermione rushed out of Harry's room, wands drawn, meeting Ron in the hall. Hermione rushed to silence the portrait while Harry rushed into the room he had given to Colby. The child was screaming hysterically; tear streaming from the blue eyes. The window had been shattered from the inside.
"Colby! What happened?!" Harry shouted as he ran to the window. The cold air blasted through the open window, their breath a visible haze despite the darkness of the room.
The child didn't answer. He continued to scream and cry, backing away from the window, his big blue eyes trained on the destruction. Hermione rushed into the room, unable to silence the portrait with the child carrying on so loudly. Hermione could see that she was going to have to take charge of the situations. She snatched the little boy up and hugged him tightly to her.
"Colby, it is going to be alright," Hermione crooned to the child as she patted his back firmly. The screaming stopped first, then the crying. The child was limp in her arms, sniffling. Ron ran to the portrait and silenced the screaming woman in it, pulling the curtains tight against the portrait.
"I'm sorry," Colby sniffled; his breathing coming in the short little gasps that usually followed hard crying in children.
"What happened to the window?" Harry asked as he came to sit next to Hermione on the giant bed.
"I don't know. I was here," Colby said as he began to pull free of Hermione. "I was listening to the wind and watching the scary shadows on the wall and I kept praying that the curtains would just close. Then the window exploded."
"Hmm," Hermione murmured as she glanced from the boy to the window. "Well, we should move him to another room until we can fix this window."
"Maybe to the one next to mine?" Harry asked as he gathered the boy's blankets and bag.
"Probably a good idea," Hermione said quietly as she gathered the little boy up and carried him into the next room. For six, he was rather small and light.
Once the boy was tucked in, Harry and Hermione left the room and headed back towards Harry's room. Hermione hesitated at the door. She knew she wanted to continue what they had started earlier, but it was getting late and Hermione needed to get some sleep.
"What was that all about?" Harry asked. Hermione glanced at the door.
"That would be the boy's first taste of uncontrolled magic, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "At least we know that Sirius' offspring isn't a squib."
"Small consolation, Hermione," Harry said. "Now I have to get someone in here to fix the window. Couldn't he have turned his teacher's hair blue or something, like I did?"
"Harry, honestly," Hermione said. Harry grinned and kissed her.
"It'll be alright, and I guess I will have the `talk' with Colby tomorrow," Harry said. "You know the one."
"Yeah, yeah, except neither of us got the talk until we were older, but still," Hermione said quietly. "You do need to address it with him. He can't be blowing up windows every night."
"I know. I know, Hermione," Harry said as Hermione kissed his cheek and headed back towards her room. Harry glanced at the door of the room where Colby was now sleeping. He would have to have a talk with the kid in the morning before they left for school about how magic was to be kept a secret.
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