The Contract

Chapter 26

Flitwick unsurprisingly made a prompt appearance at the due time for the meeting Corvus had set up. Both curious and worried, he hadn't heard anything over the holidays, not that he'd had a chance to worry overly much due to his intense gruelling duelling tournament he'd participated in. Normally he couldn't participate due to the fact his Ravenclaw's might need him during the winter holidays, but to his delight, for once, each of his Ravenclaw's had elected to return home. Thus, he had no obligation to remain at Hogwarts, its partly why he'd been quick to ask Harry if anything had happened.

"Lord Lestrange, thank you for inviting me into your home," Flitwick said politely, before turning to face Harry, looking up at the wizard, "How are you feeling?" genuinely concerned for the young boy, his start at Hogwarts hadn't been a good one.

Corvus let the rudeness go, he had been polite even if he hadn't waited for an answer before talking to Harry. "Would you like some refreshments while we talk or must you hasten back to Hogwarts?" he was aware that they had meetings and such to get through.

Harry immediately glanced at Corvus, waiting for an answer, not interrupting the proceedings.

"I certainly wouldn't be against a cuppa!" Flitwick said, "There is nothing that requires my immediate attention until my presence is required at the feast tonight."

"Then please sit, I shall be back momentarily," Corvus said graciously, giving them a few minutes to talk alone. Harry was quite correct, Flitwick didn't trust him, but he sure as hell trusted him more than he had when they had their initial meeting. How could he not when he could clearly see the progress Harry was making? With that he vacated his office, leaving them to talk, making his way to the kitchen to inform the House-elves to make something for them.

"How are you doing?" Filius asked, his tone changing completely from professional to truly concerned.

"I love it here!" Harry positively beamed, "You don't have to worry about me! Promise!"

"What do you normally do?" Filius asked, curiously.

"Read, of course!" Harry said, a fond smile on his face, "Corvus lets me tend to all the animals with him, it's a lot of fun. He's teaching me all about things I'll need to know when I become Lord Potter when I'm older. He'd teaching me how to play chess and other fun games, like Gobstones!" not a single pout came to his face even while telling Filius about his boring lessons on being Lord Potter.

"And the prison visits?" Filius asked, glancing at the door unobtrusively.

"What about them?" Harry asked frowning, perplexed as to why Filius was acting squirrely.

"Are you treated well there? Does Rabastan treat you right?" Filius asked, well, they were prisoners, had been in prison for a decade. That sort of thing did a lot to the mind, whether they meant it or not, they could be mentally scarring Harry or worse physically. Harry had been abused his whole life, he might not see it the way an outsider does.

"Oh! Well, Rabastan helps me learn Ancient Runes, he loves it himself, I've bought him dozens of books on the subject. His dad even more! I've Owl Ordered a trunk that will allow him to put them away safely instead of them lining up his...room. The amount that's been bought well, they're piling up." Harry explained, he loved buying things for Rabastan, for anyone really, it hadn't been easy to buy for Corvus but he'd done it.

"You like him," Filius observed, not sure how he felt about that, an eleven-year-old boy who couldn't conceive the horror of what the boys had done.

"Not everything is as it seems, Professor," Harry said softly, "Nobody really knows what happened that night except them. They were tried together, something that is illegal, three of the perpetrators weren't given trials, they were condemned due to Bellatrix Lestrange's insanity. I'm not saying they're innocent, far from it, but...well, it's just not what you think. Now it's too late for one of them." Barty Crouch had died, and it had devasted the brothers who had liked him, mostly Rabastan who had been good friends with him.