"Who're you? Where's Justin?" The boy scooted back the few inches left on the bed, until his back hit the wall. Then he started edging along that, moving back and away, into the far corner. Mouse came into the room and pushed his way through the small group until he could see the child. The boy startled at the giant dog, his eyes growing wide and frightened in his face. He tucked his legs up in closer to himself.
"Harry?" The boy looked away from Mouse, focusing back on Charity. "Harry, I'm Charity, and this is Karrin. Justin had an emergency and had to leave for a while. He asked us to come take care of you."
His eyes narrowed and he looked from Charity to Murphy and then back.
"You don't look like any of Justin's friends. And who's he?" Harry pointed at Butters.
"I'm Waldo. Waldo Butters. But most people just call me Butters."
"Waldo? That's not a real name. You made that up. Waldo." In spite of herself and the situation, Murphy felt a laugh building up in her chest. She could hear the echoes of Harry's humour, his attitude. But hearing it come out of such a small kid, in that child's voice. She turned her head so he wouldn't think she was laughing at him.
"Honey-"
"Don't call me that. My name's Harry."
"Right, of course. I'm sorry. Harry. You're right, we're not friends of Justin." Murphy could have been imagining it, but she thought Charity's tone got harder on the name, as if she had to force herself to say it. "He didn't have any notice when he had to leave, so he called us. We take care of kids when things like this happen."
"I don't think so. I want to talk to Justin. Why didn't he wake me up? I think you're lying." If it was possible, he would have pressed farther back away from them.
"I don't know why Justin didn't wake you up. Maybe he tried and couldn't? He said you were very tired last night." Harry snorted.
"No I wasn't. The *tea* makes me sleepy." Murphy's hand clenched and she forced it to relax.
"Harry, look. I'm a police officer. Would I be here if we weren't telling the truth?"
"Prove it." She pulled out her badge and handed it over to him. Harry snatched it out of her hand and brought it up close to study it in the bad lighting. After a few seconds he sighed and something seemed to go out of him. He slumped and a look of hurt and resignation twisted his features before he obviously pushed them away and forced himself to smile at them.
"Okay. You should have just said he was sending me back. It's nice you were trying to make it easy, but I've been sent back before." He handed Murphy's badge back to her. "I guess you're the foster mom?" Harry turned his smile on Charity, who tensed, something angry in her posture before she too pushed it all away and rose to smile down at Harry.
"Yes. You're going to come live with me and my family for a while. Would that be okay?"
"Sure." He shrugged, a tiny movement of the shoulders. It clearly said, 'I don't have a choice, do I?'
"Wonderful. I have some clothes here. Why don't we let you get dressed and when you're done you can come on out to the living room."
"Clothes? Justin didn't- he didn't leave any of my stuff here?" Disbelief, and more pain that was obviously shoved down hard and fast.
"No, I'm sorry, sweetie. But these are-"
"Fine. No. It's. I'll- I'll get dressed." His voice was thick and Murphy could see Butters flinch at the tone. Harry pulled himself toward the edge of the bed, moving away from Mouse as he did so. "Could you guys..."
"We'll be just out this door. The bathroom's over there." Murphy pointed to the second small door in the room. At her nod the four of them stepped out of the room and she closed the door behind them. She thought she heard the heavy wet sound of a muffled sniffle behind her as she did so.
"Mom? What's going on?"
"Did you find anything Molly?" Murphy interrupted before Charity could answer her daughter.
"No. Nothing. It all looks the same as it always does. I don't see anything, I'm sorry."
"Crap."
"Honey, get the animals' things. Anything we might need. Does he have a carrier for Mister?" Charity was already moving around the kitchen, cleaning the few dishes in the sink and then rummaging through the ice box.
"Mister's carrier is in Harry's room. The food is-"
"I see it over here. Take it out to the car. Then come back and dump the litter pan. The bag of litter is back here in the pantry too. Once Harry's dressed you can go get the carrier and catch the cat."
"Wait, wait. You weren't serious about having him go to your house? It's not safe. He needs to stay here, behind his wards until we find out who did this." Murphy stepped into Charity's path, stopping her for a minute. Butters, wisely decided to help Molly pack things up and Mouse ignored them all to stare at the closed door to Harry's bedroom.
"He cannot stay here. Are you going to move in for the duration? He's a *child*, Ms. Murphy. He's vulnerable right now, scared and alone. He thinks his caretaker abandoned him in the middle of the night, leaving him with strangers and nothing of his own. I am *not* leaving him here."
"Yes, dammit I will move in here. Harry wouldn't want you putting your family in any danger for him."
"Harry doesn't get a vote right now. All the magical protection he's got won't do a damn bit of good. Whoever did this got to him *through* the wards. Our house has a real threshold, and we have protection of our own." She pointed up, her eyebrows quirked significantly. Murphy fought the urge to make a smart-ass comment. The woman had a point.
"Plus," Molly piped up, "I can set up wards around our house. They won't be as heavy duty as what Harry's got around here, but they'll give us some warning at least." As they both focused on her, Molly ducked her head and got back to hauling out the bucket of Mouse's food.
"That's a good idea, dear." Molly glanced up at her mother and smiled, nodding shyly.
Then Charity turned back to face Murphy.
"Karrin. I told him he was coming to stay with me. I will not be made a liar. I promise you, he will be safe with us." Something shifted in the air between them. What did Harry call it, the weight of faith. Murphy thought she could feel the weight of the other woman's faith, her certainty that what she said was true. And there was something about her that made it mean more than it might for someone else.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I'm coming too. Angels are all well and good, but I'll feel better if I'm there."
Oh god, for some reason, I really want sympathetic!Michael. Micheal & Harry's interactions in the stories was one of my favorite, and always made me wish there was more of him. Bruise on his thigh and drugged tea (oh god, don't let it be what I think this is). And I can't wait for Marcone.
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timeasmymeasure
Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-02-21 04:25 pm (UTC)"Harry?" The boy looked away from Mouse, focusing back on Charity. "Harry, I'm Charity, and this is Karrin. Justin had an emergency and had to leave for a while. He asked us to come take care of you."
His eyes narrowed and he looked from Charity to Murphy and then back.
"You don't look like any of Justin's friends. And who's he?" Harry pointed at Butters.
"I'm Waldo. Waldo Butters. But most people just call me Butters."
"Waldo? That's not a real name. You made that up. Waldo." In spite of herself and the situation, Murphy felt a laugh building up in her chest. She could hear the echoes of Harry's humour, his attitude. But hearing it come out of such a small kid, in that child's voice. She turned her head so he wouldn't think she was laughing at him.
"Honey-"
"Don't call me that. My name's Harry."
"Right, of course. I'm sorry. Harry. You're right, we're not friends of Justin." Murphy could have been imagining it, but she thought Charity's tone got harder on the name, as if she had to force herself to say it. "He didn't have any notice when he had to leave, so he called us. We take care of kids when things like this happen."
"I don't think so. I want to talk to Justin. Why didn't he wake me up? I think you're lying." If it was possible, he would have pressed farther back away from them.
"I don't know why Justin didn't wake you up. Maybe he tried and couldn't? He said you were very tired last night." Harry snorted.
"No I wasn't. The *tea* makes me sleepy." Murphy's hand clenched and she forced it to relax.
"Harry, look. I'm a police officer. Would I be here if we weren't telling the truth?"
"Prove it." She pulled out her badge and handed it over to him. Harry snatched it out of her hand and brought it up close to study it in the bad lighting. After a few seconds he sighed and something seemed to go out of him. He slumped and a look of hurt and resignation twisted his features before he obviously pushed them away and forced himself to smile at them.
"Okay. You should have just said he was sending me back. It's nice you were trying to make it easy, but I've been sent back before." He handed Murphy's badge back to her. "I guess you're the foster mom?" Harry turned his smile on Charity, who tensed, something angry in her posture before she too pushed it all away and rose to smile down at Harry.
"Yes. You're going to come live with me and my family for a while. Would that be okay?"
"Sure." He shrugged, a tiny movement of the shoulders. It clearly said, 'I don't have a choice, do I?'
"Wonderful. I have some clothes here. Why don't we let you get dressed and when you're done you can come on out to the living room."
"Clothes? Justin didn't- he didn't leave any of my stuff here?" Disbelief, and more pain that was obviously shoved down hard and fast.
"No, I'm sorry, sweetie. But these are-"
"Fine. No. It's. I'll- I'll get dressed." His voice was thick and Murphy could see Butters flinch at the tone. Harry pulled himself toward the edge of the bed, moving away from Mouse as he did so. "Could you guys..."
"We'll be just out this door. The bathroom's over there." Murphy pointed to the second small door in the room. At her nod the four of them stepped out of the room and she closed the door behind them. She thought she heard the heavy wet sound of a muffled sniffle behind her as she did so.
"Mom? What's going on?"
"Did you find anything Molly?" Murphy interrupted before Charity could answer her daughter.
"No. Nothing. It all looks the same as it always does. I don't see anything, I'm sorry."
"Crap."
"Honey, get the animals' things. Anything we might need. Does he have a carrier for Mister?" Charity was already moving around the kitchen, cleaning the few dishes in the sink and then rummaging through the ice box.
"Mister's carrier is in Harry's room. The food is-"
"I see it over here. Take it out to the car. Then come back and dump the litter pan. The bag of litter is back here in the pantry too. Once Harry's dressed you can go get the carrier and catch the cat."
"Wait, wait. You weren't serious about having him go to your house? It's not safe. He needs to stay here, behind his wards until we find out who did this." Murphy stepped into Charity's path, stopping her for a minute. Butters, wisely decided to help Molly pack things up and Mouse ignored them all to stare at the closed door to Harry's bedroom.
"He cannot stay here. Are you going to move in for the duration? He's a *child*, Ms. Murphy. He's vulnerable right now, scared and alone. He thinks his caretaker abandoned him in the middle of the night, leaving him with strangers and nothing of his own. I am *not* leaving him here."
"Yes, dammit I will move in here. Harry wouldn't want you putting your family in any danger for him."
"Harry doesn't get a vote right now. All the magical protection he's got won't do a damn bit of good. Whoever did this got to him *through* the wards. Our house has a real threshold, and we have protection of our own." She pointed up, her eyebrows quirked significantly. Murphy fought the urge to make a smart-ass comment. The woman had a point.
"Plus," Molly piped up, "I can set up wards around our house. They won't be as heavy duty as what Harry's got around here, but they'll give us some warning at least." As they both focused on her, Molly ducked her head and got back to hauling out the bucket of Mouse's food.
"That's a good idea, dear." Molly glanced up at her mother and smiled, nodding shyly.
Then Charity turned back to face Murphy.
"Karrin. I told him he was coming to stay with me. I will not be made a liar. I promise you, he will be safe with us." Something shifted in the air between them. What did Harry call it, the weight of faith. Murphy thought she could feel the weight of the other woman's faith, her certainty that what she said was true. And there was something about her that made it mean more than it might for someone else.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I'm coming too. Angels are all well and good, but I'll feel better if I'm there."
"Of course."
Re: Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-02-22 05:44 am (UTC)Re: Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-02-27 11:49 am (UTC)Re: Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-04 11:47 am (UTC)Re: Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-06 09:02 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: 4/? scrappy!Harry prompt
Date: 2011-03-06 11:15 pm (UTC)I was writing it at work and my boss has been out sick the past two weeks so I've been too busy to screw around! Sorry!