Awakening, book 4

9.

Sebastian's pov

30 years ago

"I don't know about this...." Little Eleazar looked over the edge at the small jump between the two rocks. "I don't think I'll make it,"

I stood on the opposite rock with my arms out, ready to catch him. We had been going back home when I decided to take a new way home...

I may have gotten us lost.

There was a beautiful waterfall behind us which made the rocks a bit slippery.

Eleazar was now ten. He would get sick easily but pretty much lived a completely normal life. He was even starting Hogwarts next year.

"El, I think you'll be fine. And if anything at all goes wrong I'll be right here to catch you." I smiled. Even though I've never given him reason not to he didn't seem like he trusted me with that statement. "Cross my heart,"

That seemed to calm him a bit. It was something his mother used to say to me.

"...okay," he took a few steps back. "Here I come,"

He ran a couple steps and jumped to maybe two feet jump. As his foot touched the other side it slipped a tiny bit. I quickly caught him and pulled him close while he yelped.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay. I got you." I dusted his shirt off and smiled. "Maybe we won't tell Aunt Poppy,"

He smiled, still a bit scared. "I did it,"

"You did! Let's head home and get some dinner going," I patted him on the shoulder.

"Dad, are we lost?"

"Shut your mouth," I said over him making him giggle.

The next day he was suddenly sick. He had a fever he hadn't had in months and a bad cough. It reminded me too much of Anne.

Poppy leaned over and felt his forehead as he slept. I was pacing the room as quietly as I could but it definitely seemed to bother her.

"Sebastian... shut it," I froze in my place as she finished assessing Eleazar. She stood up and places a cool wet rag on his forehead. "The fever isn't breaking... but he doesn't seem to be getting worse. So that could be a good sign." She moved me in to the hall way and shut the door behind her.

""What if I pissed someone off and it's a curse like Anne's?" I asked her.

"Oh nonsense. What has he done lately?"  She asked as she walked to the stove and started making tea.

"He's been actually glued to my hip lately. He's still struggling to make friends so he doesn't go out much.. just reads,"

She pours herself a cup, "well.. what have you been doing then?"

I thought back to the past week, "nothing crazy, and I don't do keeper stuff with him around, the only time he'd be alone is when he sleeps at night. But if I have to leave the lady who owns that spells cart in town sets up in front of the house and checks in on him regularly for me,"

The lady's name was Jill. She was a very kind old woman who had lived in Feldcroft since I was a El's age.

"Then it's probably just a cold," she began to say as someone knocked on the door.

It was a girl with her hood up so I couldn't see her face. Her cape she wore had the Hogwarts crest stitched on the chest.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Apologies for the late hour, the head master at Hogwarts heard your son had fallen ill." She held her hand up and a basket full of food appeared.  "He had the house elves ready a 'get well soon' basket."