Family Matters

Ron had awoken Hari in the middle of the night, much to Hari's dismay. "How’d you do it?" Ron demanded.

"Do what?" A cranky Hari rubbed his eyes. What time was it?

"Put your name in the Goblet? And have your family here overnight?" Ron grunted.

"I didn’t put my name in, and I didn’t know they would just show up." Hari rolled over. "Goodnight."

"Piss off."

That kept Hari awake. It kept him awake until he heard Ron’s snores, kept him awake until he crept over to the ginger’s bed, cautiously so as not to wake another soul. It kept him awake as he raised his wand, muttering a spell Sirius had taught him, "Nightmares Fortnightus."

Hari slept soundly after he placed a silencing spell on Ron’s bed. He slept soundly as the other thrashed in his sleep and would for the next two weeks.

---

Dick had Tim tucked into his side at breakfast. "Morning, boys."

Tim was enjoying the back scratches he was receiving. "Good morning."

Jason, Hari, and Hermione all sat down, mildly groggy. "Morning."

"Hari, my boy, we have some bad news." Sirius said as he plopped down. "I’ve tried everything I could think of to stop them from making you compete, but Barty is holding firm that you must."

"I’m still suing him," Bruce muttered next to Dick. "This is ridiculous."

On cue, all the Wayne boys chimed, "Ridiculously utterly ridiculous!"

Hari smiled at Sirius’s confused face. "Continue, Uncle."

Sirius’s megawatt smile warmed a corner of Hari’s chest. "But I am your appointed mentor. You are underage, so you don’t know as much, but legally I am allowed to help. So I’ll be staying here with you since Brucie here must return to Gotham. Something about the city falling apart if he is gone too long."

Dick smiled a knowing smile. "More like he falls apart."

His response was a light slap on the back of his head. "We will be leaving after breakfast. You boys continue to stay close, you hear me? This whole thing is a sham, I can feel it."

"Can you feel it in your bones, Mr. Wayne?" Hari joked, wiggling his fingers.

The flat face and response killed the children. "Yes, deep in my bones, I can sense this is a sham."

Sirius smiled at the laughter filling the hall. His gaze drifted to a slow-moving redhead. "Ronny didn’t get much sleep, did he?"

"And he won’t for the next two weeks," Hari muttered while eating his eggs.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I didn’t say anything." Hari’s green eyes shined brightly up at his godfather, the picture of innocence.

"Bruce, tell them about Charlie," Dick cut in, adding more food to Tim’s plate.

"Right, Charlie—" Bruce looked at Jason. "Remember how Charlie is special?"

"She’s a child of Hecate, isn’t she?" The mouthful of sausage only fazed Hermione, who whacked Jason’s hand with a spoon. "Ow!"

"What’s a child of Hecate?" Hari asked, picking at a roll of bread.

"Remember the night your name was pulled? I did research in the library, something to find a way to help Charlie. It turns out, that night we were attacked, it changed something in her, magically." Jason’s eyes were filled with rage and guilt. "Because of me, she was cursed or blessed. The days following with Raj, the Lazarus Pit juice... All of it combined in her, not only making her a child of Hecate but probably the most powerful blessed witch in a century. Seeing dead people, communicating with them so casually? It isn’t possible, but because of the blessing and the Lazarus Pit—" Jason’s breathing quickened. "All my—" He fell backward onto the floor, curling on his knees, gasping for breath as he held his chest.

Bruce cautiously approached. "Jason. Can you hear me?"

Jason curled into himself, holding his head.

"Dick, what’s going on?" Hari asked, crouching next to his brothers. "Jason?"

"He’s having a panic attack. Jason, if you can hear me, can you tell me five things you can see?"

Jason’s eyes looked around, glazed with fear. "Y-you, H-Hari, the ta-ble—"

"Good, give us two more."

"Sirius, b-bench."

"Four things you can touch?"

"Pants, st-one, hair, s-shoes."

"Three things you can hear?"

"You, silverware, muttering."

"Two things you can smell?"

"C-cologne, fo-od."

"One thing you can taste?"

"Sausage."

Slowly, Jason pulled himself up again, breathing heavier than usual but more controlled than before.

"Be cautious today, Hari. Jason should take the day off to deal with his panic attack. Stick with Hermione and Draco. I’ve been talking to Cissy about finding a place of safety for her and Draco." Sirius pulled Hari’s attention back. "I’m sorry you have to deal with real adult things at your age, so make sure to have some laughs along the way this year, okay?"

It was time for the students to venture off, leaving the guests and Jason behind.

"Come on, Nephew, let’s get you to the med bay. Poppy has wonderful sleeping potions."