Prophecy Child

After breakfast, in which the boy again didn’t touch his plate, Lucius led him back upstairs. Lucius considered the merits of an appetite stimulant for the boy – that was now two meals he had been unable to eat in the company of others. At least he’d had something last ni- Lucius paused. Had he asked an elf to bring the boy food last night? He’d certainly had a lot on his mind. Barty had taken the boy back to his room, but he probably hadn’t realised the boy didn’t eat dinner. Lucius frowned, looking down at the boy hurrying along beside him.

Lucius slowed his pace, realising he’d been almost dragging the child along. They made their way at a more reasonable pace to the boy’s new room.

‘As I said earlier, it was an oversight on our behalf not to consider your need for a washroom. This is your new room, Potter. Through there are the amenities.’ Lucius paused, again thinking of his own son. ‘The toilet and the bath are in there.’ He clarified. He glanced down when he felt a shudder run through the boy, but the boy said nothing. ‘Through here is a walk-in closet. Again, regrettably we did not consider that you came here in your gardening clothes. There are new clothes in here for you to wear.’

The boy’s hand tugged slightly in his grip, as the boy stopped to look down at his clothes in confusion, then stared at the clean clothes on the shelves. Lucius cleared his throat gently.

‘Clearly you are in need of a wash, so-‘ Lucius paused when the boy tried to pull out of his grip. He’d tightened his grip reflexively, and the boy stopped pulling, but still tried to shrink away, looking fearful. Lucius wasn’t sure what to make of this, watching the boy in confusion.

‘Ah,’ he said after a moment. ‘Stranger danger, is it? Never mind that, I shall leave you with a house elf. I’m sure there will be no objections to that?’ he asked kindly. Potter was a little boy after all, no doubt he’d been instructed not to undress in front of strangers. Prophecy Child or no, Lucius would not subject a child to that kind of treatment. A house elf was considered acceptable to assist in such matters, regardless of whether the child belonged to a different family.

‘Miggy!’ he called, not seeing the boy flinch at his raised voice. An elf popped up beside him.

‘Master calls Miggy?’ the elf said politely.

‘The boy needs a wash and some fresh clothes, Miggy. Come and fetch me when you are done.’ Lucius turned to leave, but then caught sight of the boy.

Potter was pressed hard into the corner of the room, eyes wide and filled with fear. Lucius stopped in his tracks.

‘Potter? Child, what is the matter?’

The boy didn’t move, frozen in fear as he stared at the elf.

Lucius frowned. ‘Pot- child, have you never seen a house elf?’ he asked slowly.

The boy shook his head frantically. Lucius blinked. That was… unexpected. Although, the boy had been found in a muggle neighbourhood, so perhaps it wasn’t so unlikely… even for a family as rich as the Potters, a house elf in a muggle neighbourhood was probably asking for trouble.

It took a moment longer for Lucius to realise that this was perhaps the most direct response the boy had given since he’d arrived. Perhaps his fear overrode his training on stranger danger? He certainly seemed rattled, and between a human and an elf, the human no doubt seemed less like a stranger.

Lucius crouched down beside the boy. ‘Miggy is a house elf. House elves care for the household in many ways – cooking, cleaning, gardening, and often with care of children. Miggy will assist you in the bath. It would not be appropriate for me to assist you, as we are not family.’ Lucius said, gentle but firm. ‘Now, listen to Miggy, and I shall be back when you are clean and dressed.’

Lucius straightened and left the room, leaving the boy in the care of the elf. Miggy had plenty of experience with children, Lucius was confident the boy would be fine.

***

Miggy popped into the study a while later, where Lucius was going over some documents.

‘Master, Miggy is trying her best, but she can’t get little mister in the bath!’ the elf cried, wringing her hands.

Lucius looked incredulous. ‘You can’t get him in the bath? He is a small child, Miggy! Just pick him up and put him in the water!’

‘Miggy can’t do it, Master. Little mister is too fearful, Miggy’s magic won’t let her do it!’

‘Your magic won’t let you do it? What on earth are you talking about?’

Miggy’s hands twisted tighter together. ‘Elvsies magic can’t be hurting their masters! Too much pain or too much fear, and elvsies magic makes them stop. Miggy can’t get little mister in the bath, he has too much fear.’

Lucius stared at the elf. He’d never heard of such a thing. Then again, he’d never instructed an elf to do something that would bring pain or fear to a guest. ‘Is the boy afraid of water?’ he asked, confused.

‘Miggy isn’t sure, just that little mister’s fear is so strong Miggy can’t even get close to him!’

Lucius stood from behind his desk. ‘Take me to his room, Miggy.’

The elf grasped his hand and popped him into the doorway of the bathroom, but the boy wasn’t there.

‘In the closet, Master.’ said Miggy quietly, staying back.

Lucius turned to the large closet, trying to find the boy. ‘Where?’ he asked, unable to see him.

‘Under that shelf, Master.’

Lucius crouched down, peering into the shadow beneath a low shelf. The child had tucked himself right to the back of the tiny space, and Lucius could hear his ragged breathing, now that he knew where he was.

‘Come out here, Po- child.’ Lucius said gently. ‘Come out from under there.’

The boy didn’t move. If anything, he seemed to shrink back further.

‘Come out, child, or I shall summon you out.’ Lucius said, thinking that perhaps a more stern voice might have some effect. He heard a gasp behind him, and turned to look at Miggy. The elf had her eyes scrunched tightly shut, pain twisting her features.

‘Miggy?’

‘He is terrified, Master. Please, Master, it hurts Miggy! May she step back a little?’

Lucius stared in surprise for a long moment. ‘You may, Miggy.’

Miggy shuffled back further into the bedroom with a gasp of relief, and Lucius turned back to the boy hiding under the shelf. After a moment of consideration, he flicked his wand into his hand and summoned the boy to him. A pained gasp was the only sound from the boy, as Lucius gripped his upper arm and gently tugged him to his feet. He led the boy into the bathroom, noting the half-filled bath and assortment of soaps and hair products laid out.

‘Come now, child, you cannot stay in such filthy clothes. You must take a bath.’

The boy tried to struggle from his grasp, but Lucius held firm. ‘Enough!’ he said firmly, and the boy abruptly froze, then sagged, like all the fight had gone out of him.  At leasthis guardians have instilled some discipline into the boy, enough to know when to stop arguing, thought Lucius grimly.

He pulled the boy’s filthy shoes off, then the socks which might have been white at some point, but were now a dingy grey, with fresh streaks of dirt on them. Lucius paused before removing the boy’s clothes. It wasn’t usually considered appropriate to bathe someone else’s child, but needs must. If the boy wouldn’t let the elf do it, then Lucius would. He had his own child, after all. He knew what he was doing, more so than probably anyone else in the Manor right now. He mentally snorted at the thought of one of the Le Strange brothers trying to bathe a child. That would no doubt end up in a flood at the very least.

Steeling himself, he tugged at the boy’s grubby trousers, staring in confusion at the piece of string tied through the belt loops to hold them up. He continued on, only to stop in confusion when he realised the boy wasn’t wearing underwear. How indecent! What sort of guardian lets a child run around outside without underwear!

Shaking his head slightly, Lucius reached for the boy’s ragged t-shirt. It seemed many sizes too large to fit, but Lucius ignored this, thinking that the boy’s guardians no doubt had given him old clothes for playing in the garden. The sight that met his eyes when the shirt was removed, however, made Lucius freeze.

The boy was littered with welts and bruises, small cuts and older scars. Lucius paled at the sight, gaping openly at the child. What on earth had happened to the boy?! It didn’t look like an accident – the bruising was different colours, indicating they were different ages. Some of the cuts looked fresh, while some were nearly healed, or in early stages of scarring.

It took a moment longer to notice the way the boy’s ribs stuck out sharply, his belly sunken in and hollow. Lucius looked back up at his face, noting the too-sharp cheekbones, the overly defined jaw. Not just sharp featured – no, a child who had been starved.  

Tears prickled at Lucius’ eyes as he took in the state of the child. His chest felt tight as he looked the child over, then dragged his eyes up to look at the boy’s face again. He was still holding the boy’s arm, and he realised with a sharp clarity that that was the only thing stopping the child from bolting.

Lucius looked down sharply, trying to pull himself together. Whatever had happened to this child, Lucius was sure some sort of emotional outburst from him wouldn’t help. He took a deep breath and looked up again into the child’s face.

‘Po – Harry. Darling, we will talk about this later. For now, we need to get you clean, into some nice clothes, and something to eat.’

The boy tried to pull away again, a fresh surge of fear on his too-thin face. Tears shone in the boy’s eyes, and Lucius felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

‘Come now, child, calm yourself. One step at a time. we must get you clean, and a charm is not nearly as effective as a proper bath. Are you afraid of water?’ Lucius tried to keep his voice gentle but firm.

The boy nodded hesitantly, eyes avoiding Lucius’, but still watching him intently.

‘What frightens you about the water? It is shallow in this bath, you need not know how to swim, if that frightens you?’

The child shook his head slightly, and Lucius gave him an encouraging look. The boy twitched, watching Lucius carefully. Then he slowly raised his hand and laid in on his own head.

Lucius blinked. ‘I don’t- what does that mean, child?’

The boy hesitated, then pushed his hand down, making his head dip lower. Lucius’ eyes widened.

‘Are you afraid of your head going underwater?’

The boy shuddered, nodding slightly.

‘As I said, the water is shallow. You head won’t be underwater.’ Lucius said gently.

The child gave him a strange look, then pointed at Lucius. When Lucius only blinked at him, the boy pointed again, then raised his hand to push his head down.

Lucius felt bile rising in his throat. ‘Merlin’s teeth,’ he gasped, before trying desperately to compose himself. ‘No, child, I will not push your head underwater. Whoever has done that to you in the past is wrong, darling, very wrong.’

The boy gave him an unreadable look – well, gave his chin an unreadable look. Lucius swallowed roughly.

‘I swear to you, child, that I will not harm you in this bathtub. I only intend to help you to get clean. I will let you do as much as you can for yourself, I can stay out of reach if you prefer.’ Lucius didn’t think the boy was old enough to know that there were spells that could do that sort of thing from a distance – not that Lucius would use one on the child. ‘Are you able to climb in the bath by yourself, or would you like help?’

The boy shrank back, so Lucius moved a little further away, sitting against the wall. The boy watched him suspiciously for a moment, before turning to the side and eyeing the water. He took a deep breath, and Lucius’ heart squeezed again in his chest at the thought of such a small child trying to calm himself.

He clambered over the side of the bath, then stood in the shallow water, a look of utter shock on his face. He hesitantly sat down in the water, then turned his wide, surprised eyes onto Lucius’s chin. The child ran his hand through the water, watching the ripples spreading out, before a hint of a smile settled on his face.

Lucius watched the child for a few minutes, as he ran his hands through the water, before gently clearing his throat. ‘Don’t forget to wash, child. There is a cloth and soap beside you.’

The boy startled, then reached for the cloth and soap, holding them uncertainly. His eyes flicked to Lucius, then back down.

Lucius cleared his throat again, suddenly tight. ‘Do you know – er, rub the soap onto the cloth, child, then rub the cloth over yourself to get the dirt off.’

The boy did a reasonable job following his instruction, but clearly had never done this before. Lucius tamped down the burning rage in his chest and caught the boy’s attention again.

‘Child, you are doing well, but there are a few spots you have missed. Would you let me help you?’

The boy tensed, twisting to face Lucius and press his back against the far side of the bath, watching warily. Lucius held still, waiting for the boy to think and respond. After a long minute, the boy held up the cloth, then pressed it to his arm and scrubbed, vigorous and rough, then pointed to Lucius, a question in his expression.

Lucius felt the rage in his chest spark again, but he pushed it down, trying to keep his voice light. ‘That looks like you’re being too rough, child. We don’t need to scrub at your skin like you’re a dirty cauldron.’

Lucius wasn’t sure if the flicker on the boy’s face might have been that hint of a smile again, but he slowly inched forward until he was crouched beside the bath and took the cloth from the boy’s hand. Slowly, projecting his movements, he began to wash along the tops of the child’s shoulders, and over the back of his neck. He gently nudged the boy to move away from the side of the bath, and washed over his back. He was careful over the many scrapes and bruises and welts, but the boy flinched and grimaced and gasped quietly as he worked, though he didn’t pull away. Lucius felt tears threatening again, as he ran the cloth over each notch of the child’s spine, each rib, the sharp jut of his hips. He avoided the child’s groin, thinking perhaps that was a step too far for both of them.

He looked up at the mess on the boy’s head, and said quietly, ‘Shall we wash your hair next?’

He was not prepared for the boy’s reaction. He threw himself to the far end of the tub whipping around to face Lucius defensively, then slipped and fell face first into the water. The boy scrambled to get his hands under him, but Lucius was quicker, flicking his wand from his wrist holster and levitating the child from the water. He wrapped him in a towel and pulled him to his chest without thinking, hugging the poor child close.

The child had made it clear how afraid he was of having his head underwater, and Lucius had just mentioned washing his hair without really thinking about how the boy would take it. And then his head had ended up underwater, even if by accident. Lucius had him out again in a flash, but the poor child was shaking like a leaf, coughing harshly and sucking in great gulps of air.

‘It’s alright, child, you’re safe. No more water, look, I’ll empty the bath. See, all gone. Calm yourself, child, it was just an accident. Let’s come out of here.’

Lucius carried the boy out into the large closet, setting him carefully on his feet, the towel still wrapped snugly around him. He wasn’t sure what else to do for now, other than just keep moving. He pulled out a set of clothes, helping the child to dress. The boy was still coughing occasionally, sucking in ragged breaths and trembling slightly. He didn’t seem to realise what Lucius was dressing him in until he was done.

The boy looked down at himself and blinked, then looked up fearfully at Lucius’ chin. He shook his head, trying to pull the clothes off.

‘No, no- stop, child, what are you doing?’

The boy shook his head, tugging on the clothes to emphasize his meaning, waving a pinky finger and shaking his head. He glanced fearfully at the bedroom door, like he was worried someone would come in and see him wearing these clothes.

‘Calm, now, child. These clothes are for you. The clothes you arrived in were in a pitiful state, even if they were just for gardening.’

The boy gave him a strange glance, before looking back down at his new outfit. He brushed a hand gently over the shirt, marvelling at its softness. He looked up at Lucius again, a question in his expression.

‘Yes, child, they are for you. Come now, after all this time it must be nearly lunchtime.’

Lucius held his hand out to the boy, who pressed his fingers to his chin, before reaching for Lucius’ hand.