Hogwarts Part 14
Fun With Duo

Heero frowned as he looked to the door for the tenth time. Duo was NOT there yet. He got up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table, satisfied that Wufei and Meiling were also making headway to the Ravenclaw Table.

Quatre looked up. "Something is wrong. Duo... for some reason, Duo is really terrified of something. He's terrified and angry."

Heero growled and turned, only to blink as a girl he recognized as Angel, a Chaser from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, entered with a struggling bundle.

Angel yelped in pain and lost her hold on the bundle, causing it to tumble to the ground. She rubbed her shoulder and tried to restrain whatever it was in the bundle, but a tiny form emerged and bolted away from her.

Heero blinked at the child and caught the boy up in his arms. There was no mistaking who the child was. The long hair and the violet eyes were a dead giveaway. The boy was dressed in nothing more than an undershirt with a necktie for a belt.

"LEGGO!!! GRRR!!! DAMMIT, LEGGO A' ME!!! I AIN'T GOIN BACK!!!"

Heero used all his training to keep his arms around the child. He had to be careful. The child was dangerously thin and his struggles were weak, but enough to cause himself harm. Heero looked to see people crowding around him. "Get back! You'll only frighten him more than he already is!" He shot a look to his comrades and carried the still struggling Duo out of the hall... wondering who had turned the youth into a little boy.

Catherine ran up to them... taking care not to get too close. "Take him outside. He'll calm quicker in the fresh air. Poor kid looks like he's terrified!"

Heero nodded at Trowa's sister and headed for the entryway. As soon as they were in the courtyard, Heero sat on the ground and cradled the still-struggling child. "Shhhh... it's okay. You're safe. No one will harm you." He looked up as the others approached. "Does anyone know how this could have happened?" He rubbed Duo's back until the child quieted. Duo was still trembling, but he was no longer flailing his limbs.

Quatre shook his head and held out a plate. "Hey... are you hungry?"

The boy stilled and turned to look at Quatre. Hunger and wariness filled his eyes as he shot his glance between Quatre and the plate of food. He shrank away and flinched as Quatre raised a hand... as if expecting to be struck. He tried to bury himself in Heero's arms.

Quatre's eyes filled with tears as he caressed the mass of hair on Duo's head. He wondered what had happened to the child as Duo trembled under his touch.

Heero tightened his arms a little and rubbed Duo's back some more as the small child whimpered. "No one will harm you. I won't let them." Heero nodded to Quatre to try again.

Quatre offered the food again. "Come on... eat something." He watched as the child lost his battle with hunger and grabbed the plate then attacked the small portions with his hands. When Duo was done, he licked his fingers clean... as if not wanting to waste a single crumb. He wondered just how long Duo had gone without food. It seemed that the child was on the brink of starvation.

Meiling knelt down and smiled. "Hey there." She blinked as very alert and frightened eyes shot to her. "What's wrong?"

*****

Duo was confused. He looked around at all the strange people. None of them seemed mad at him. Actually... they seemed worried about him. "Where am I?"

The guy holding him made him feel safe for some reason, so he curled closer as the blonde who had given him food approached. He knew it was dangerous to accept food from strangers, but he had been so hungry that he really hadn't cared. He knew that he should have been scared of all these older guys surrounding him. For all he knew, they could've been one of the gangs that preyed upon kids like him... street rats with no homes to go to and no families to care that they're gone.

The blonde smiled gently... in a way that said that he meant no harm. His eyes were open as well. "You're on Earth... at a school."

Duo frowned. A school? On EARTH? "No WAY! Don' lie ta me! How did I git here?"

The funny-looking guy with hair tied back tightly shook his head. "That is a long story. One which you might not believe, even though it is the truth."

Duo tilted his head at the guy. "I'm game! Spill it! If I'm on Earth, like ya say, how'd I git here?"

The guy holding him sighed. The sigh sounded really sad, and it made Duo look up. The deep blue eyes were filled with pain.

"Are ya gonna answer me or not?"

The guy with the funky bangs - that had been quiet before - knelt down and took a breath. "You came here over a year ago, helped win a war and returned to space. You got your letter to attend here, and so here you are. You were hit with some sort of spell that reverted you to the age of 8... in every way, it seems."

Duo frowned in thought. "Okay... I GUESS that fits with yer mentionin that I won't believe ya. BUT... I DO believe ya because there ain't NO way I was gonna be able ta git off L-2 by normal means. I'da remembered the shuttle." He tilted his head and looked around. "So... ya guys're my pals?"

*****

Quatre smiled warmly at Duo's question. "We are more than friends. You're like a brother to us." He didn't miss Heero's wince and gave him an apologetic smile. It would be better if the child saw Heero as a brother rather than an almost-lover that had left him to deal with a broken heart.

The five teens and little boy looked up at the sound of a cry from a bird of prey. Circling about two feet above them was a harrier hawk with a huge wing span.

Wufei let out a low whistle. "Now THAT'S an impressive bird..."

As the bird approached, Heero hunched forward to shield Duo... since it seemed as if the creature was heading straight for the small boy.

The bird squawked and flew over to Angel and landed on her outstretched arm as she approached. "Hey, guys! No need to worry. Barr was just concerned about our Seeker. Heya, kiddo!"

Duo wriggled out of Heero's arms and gazed at the hawk in awe. "C'n I pet 'im?"

Angel grinned a little. "He doesn't like to be pet normally. What do you say, oh great chief!"

Heero blinked as the hawk all but glared at Angel before bobbing its head in a nod. "What was that about?"

Angel held her arm out to Duo. "You may stroke the top of his head or his chest. If you try to pet him anywhere else, he'll bite you."

Heero was tense as Duo gently stroked the bird's chest with a bright smile on his face.

"I never seen a real bird b'fore! They all died on L-2. Not enough water to sustain 'em. Only birds left are pets the swells have, and none of them are as cool as this one is." Duo giggled as the bird straightened as if really flattered. "You're welcome!" The bird blinked at him. "Yup!"

Heero frowned as Duo started having what seemed to be a one-sided chat with the hawk.

Angel noticed the frown and smiled. "Barr can communicate with those he wishes. He wishes to speak with Duo, and so he is. It's actually a good sign that Duo can hear him. It means his memories are intact."

Heero blinked. "What does that mean?"

Angel winced as if she was receiving a scolding. After a moment she sighed. "The vast majority of youthening spells tend to erase all memories past the age the target has been brought to. In short... had one of those spells been the one that Duo was hit with... turning him back into a teenager would do no good. He'd be a child in a teen's body."

Wufei smirked. "Are we so certain that THAT isn't the case now?"

Meiling jabbed Wufei in the side playfully. "Be nice, Wufei."

Angel chuckled. "At any rate... right now, Duo's memories of his older self are locked away, safe and sound, until he's returned to his proper age. Actually, all we have to do is wait. This type of youthening spell isn't permanent."

Heero pulled Duo close as Angel let Barr fly off. "How long will he be like this?"

Angel shrugged. "Hard to say. It won't last longer than a week, though. Now I had better go. Christy is dealing with the creep who cast the spell. I have to go and make sure that she doesn't do anything to get expelled."

Heero smiled as Duo yawned and curled closer. "Who did this to him?"

"Same jerk who took him off the Quidditch list. Seems he's embarrassed that he lost face in front of everyone, and wanted Duo to experience the same. I don't think he realized how hard Duo's childhood was." She gazed at Duo, who was now asleep in Heero's arms. "Poor kid. He had it rough."

Quatre nodded. "He grew up on the streets of L-2. How is the perpetrator being dealt with?"

Angel gave Quatre a sweet smile. "He's getting the worst bits of Duo's childhood ingrained permanently in his memory. He threw up once before I left."

Wufei blinked. "That was fast. You were here almost as soon as we got Duo settled down."

Angel shrugged. "Christy has been filling me in. Now... where is the little guy staying? He can't stay in..."

"I'm staying with him in Gryffindor. I'm in there often enough." Heero rubbed Duo's arm as the child shivered. "I can protect him."

Angel nodded. "Good. The current password is..." She leaned forward and whispered the password into Heero's ear. "I'll dig up some clothes for him. See you later."

Quatre turned to Heero with a frown. "Are you making Duo another mission?"

Heero shook his head. "Never. I just don't want him hurt. He means too much to me, Quatre." He stood and cradled Duo close. The boy unconsciously wrapped his arms around Heero's neck and tried to wrap his legs around Heero's waist, but failed due to their lack of length.

Heero blushed a little. He saw Wufei looking at him funny. "I won't try anything with him, Wufei. I was just thinking how much I'd like it if he did this when he is his true age."

Trowa nodded. "It is an interesting position."

It was Quatre's turn to blush. "Trowa!"

TBC...

 

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