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Feral goes back to school. Bella goes to Charlie's house for the rest of the summer. She studies her textbooks and does her summer projects and owls her friends.
She thinks about Dementors.
occluminous
A few weeks after the visit to the Starks, Feral decides to visit Bella again.
There's a tree in the way of tapping on her bedroom window, so he knocks on the back door instead, as quietly as his hoof can manage, after peering in to make sure that there aren't any adults immediately visible.
There's a tree in the way of tapping on her bedroom window, so he knocks on the back door instead, as quietly as his hoof can manage, after peering in to make sure that there aren't any adults immediately visible.
There is apparently an adult not immediately visible.
Bella's dad opens the door.
He can, apparently, see Feral. His hand goes for his gun at his belt.
Bella's dad opens the door.
He can, apparently, see Feral. His hand goes for his gun at his belt.
Feral—freezes.
Charlie draws, and aims, and stares Feral down, waiting for him to make a move.
Feral shuts his ghostly white eyes and ducks his dragonlike head and folds his dragonlike wings, shivering uncontrollably.
Charlie doesn't fire.
He says, projecting enough to be heard through the house: "Bells. Magic thing. Back door. Don't come too close."
He says, projecting enough to be heard through the house: "Bells. Magic thing. Back door. Don't come too close."
occluminous
Bella's footsteps come down the stairs, and -
"Dad - Dad don't shoot - Dad put the gun down -"
"Dad - Dad don't shoot - Dad put the gun down -"
"What is it, Bells, do you know?" Charlie asks, not lowering the gun.
"You said you had a friend turned into something invisible, Renée said -"
occluminous
"Some people can see them, Dad - but he's my friend - put the gun down, now!"
Feral continues to shiver.
He shakes his head rapidly back and forth.
occluminous
"Are you stuck or someth- Dad for crying out loud stop pointing a gun at my friend!"
Slowly, Charlie lowers, and holsters, his gun.
Feral hears it. He blinks his eyes open, and takes a few steps back, still tense and shivering and with his wings tightly folded.
occluminous
Bella pushes past Charlie and hugs Feral round the neck. "Are you okay?" she murmurs.
He unfolds a wing and drapes it around her, nuzzling her shoulder. Slowly, the shivering fades.
And then he turns back, and he's a fourteen-year-old boy in slightly old-fashioned and very beat-up clothes, clinging to Bella and crying.
And then he turns back, and he's a fourteen-year-old boy in slightly old-fashioned and very beat-up clothes, clinging to Bella and crying.
Charlie goes.
"I didn't think," Feral mumbles into her shoulder, "I didn't think he was there, I didn't think he'd see me, I didn't think he'd - and then I was just afraid I was gonna set him on fire - that's why I didn't turn back, I didn't know if it was just being a Thestral that was stopping me. Last time I was that scared I lit up my broom."
occluminous
"I'm sorry," says Bella, hugging him tight. "If I thought you were going to come here I would've warned you he might be able to see you - I'm sorry."
Feral clings some more.