Sirius and Remus were out grocery shopping, and Dora had returned to England half a week ago. Heri had been in the kitchen, cutting up some cantaloupe for them to snack on, when some winged beast came crashing through the glass patio door. One look at its snarling, hungry face was enough for her to conclude that a polite request for it to leave would not be enough. Shifting her grip on the kitchen knife, she then ordered Ollie to take Alabaster and hide.
As Ollie plucked up the terrified toddler and bolted up the stairs, Heri had leapt at the monster, aiming for the wings. The beast was a scrappy thing, but it was no match for Heri. A few broken vases, scratched up sofas, and some rips in her blouse later, there was nothing left but dust and a couple of tail feathers.
Now, all there was left to do was to soothe the scared child and tidy up the mess. The Brownie they now employed discreetly took care of the tidying, but it was up to Heri to cajole Alabaster out of hiding.
Ollie came scurrying in with a sippy-cup filled with grape juice.
"Thank you, sweetheart," said Heri, petting Ollie on the head.
The Bogle butted up into the hand, closing her eyes in delight.
"Will Alabaster come out to play now?" Ollie asked, blinking guileless eyes up at Heri. She tilted her head and peeked under the bed. "Playing in the dark is no fun."
"In a moment, pet," Heri replied, shifting so she now sat on her knees. She peered under again. "Come now, sweetheart, I wouldn't be here if the creature was still around. It's been taken care of and it won't be hurting anyone."
Alabaster sniffled, rubbing a fist to his eye.
"Monster hurt gwamma!" he sobbed. "Monster go'n' hurt me too!"
Heri stilled.
"It was . . ." Heri began. "Alabaster! You mean you've seen that thing before?"
"Hurt gwamma," he repeated, his shoulders shaking.
Heri sat back, landing heavily on her bum. In her experience, a normal person, magical or otherwise, either won't see the monsters — the ones that turn to dust upon destruction — at all, or would perceive it as something completely mundane instead. Ernie had told her that this was because of a thing called the Mist, a mystical influence created by Hecate to keep the Divine hidden from everyday Muggles. For Alabaster to not only see it for what it truly was but to have experienced it before as well . . .
Heri peered under the bed again, her eyes noticeably wider.
"Alabaster," she breathed, examining the boy with keener eyes. "Alabaster . . . it's fine now!" Her tone became much more earnest.
This poor boy! Seeing things no one else around him could see and not being old enough to do anything about them! And his family got hurt because of it! Heri didn't like the Dursleys in the least bit, but she still couldn't imagine the guilt she'd feel if one of the monsters that regularly came after her attacked them as well.
She looked at toddler sadly.
"I know the monsters can be very scary, dear. You must be so confused why no one else can see them. But I've dealt with them before! I know how to get rid of them before anyone can get hurt. It's safe to come out now."
Alabaster returned her wide-eyed look.
"You . . . you see 'em too?" he whispered as if scared someone would overhear them.
"I do," Heri told him. "I have other friends that can see them as well. It's because of who our mummies and daddies are. When you get bigger, it won't be as scary any longer."
"I don' want 'em ta hurt me," Alabaster warbled, his eyes filling again.
"Oh, lovey," Heri cooed, extending her hand to him once more. "Nothing's going to hurt you when I'm around to protect you. You don't have to be scared when I'm here."
Sniffling once more, Alabaster finally crawled forward and took Heri's hand. He latched onto the appendage like it was a life-line as Heri hauled him out. Using the momentum, the little boy launched himself into Heri's lap, burrowing into her stomach and clutching at the front of her shirt.
Heri immediately wrapped her arms around the distraught child. One arm around his middle and the other gently rubbing his back, she rocked Alabaster as he cried out his fear, confusion, and relief.
When Ollie joined in on the hug by sidling up and smoothing down the boy's hair, Heri's heart squeezed with almost painful affection. A tingle similar to the ones she experienced when her battle senses went off filled her, but instead of shooting through her limbs to fortify them, this remained in her chest, merely warming her.
As if sharing Heri's sentiment, the two children snuggled harder into her.
Had Heri been paying any attention to anything outside of the two in her arms, she would have noticed that she was glowing with divinity.
Dear Ernie,
You were right about the monsters.
I've found a baby demigod that's had some bird creature put his grandmother in the hospital. I've taken care of the bird creature, but I'm not sure what to do with Alabaster. He's only two and his father — very busy with work — he spends too little time around Alabaster to hide the child's scent with his humanity. With Alabaster's grandmother effectively out of the picture and him now spending the majority of his time with me, I worry about what will happen to him when I leave at the end of the summer.
I'm considering telling his father. Obviously, Mr Torrington must be aware to some extent, but I'm not sure if he understands the danger his son is in. They live out amongst the Muggles; I'm not sure if you understand how much more likely one is to be attacked outside of Magical areas, but I've had contact with monsters well before my tenth birthday, and I've encountered more creatures during the summers I used to spend with my Muggle relatives than I have yet to do amongst wizards.
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