Chapter Three – Matt Bentley
Harry let out a tiny sigh of relief when Jack left the room. His heart had been pounding a mile a minute ever since the man had asked him questions. He bit his lip nervously as he recalled Jack’s seemingly innocent question; maybe the man knew what a freak he was. This thought made his eyes burn with unbidden tears. The Dursleys leaving him here at this orphanage hurt; they had given up on him and knew him to be unworthy of love. But, here, they had no clue. A part of Harry felt bad for tricking such nice people into believing that he was a perfectly normal person, especially when he was anything but, but another, more desperate, part of him craved the affection these people were unconditionally giving to him. If they knew what he really was, then they would abandon him as well. No, Harry wouldn’t let them find out. If Jack asked him questions about the ‘m’ word again, he would deny everything. He would not let himself be tricked into telling anyone about the freakish happenings prior to his being left at the orphanage. If it was the last thing he’d do, Harry would make sure that he really was a completely normal boy before the really nice people at the orphanage could find out what he was.
Sam gave Harry a slight frown. “Are you okay?” the boy asked, cocking his head to the side.
Harry blushed slightly and nodded his head. “Yes,” he said softly. “I’m okay. Just thinking.”
Sam seemed to accept this answer. “Are you sure you don’t wanna play anymore?” he asked as he and Dean kept tossing the ball to each other. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Harry bit his lip slightly, not wanting to make Sam sad or mad, but not really wanting to play catch and then shook his head. “No, thank you,” he replied. “I just want to look at the pictures in this book.”
Sam sighed and nodded his head. “If you’re sure.” Sam sounded dubious, as if he couldn’t believe a boy wouldn’t want to play catch.
“Yes, I am.” Harry flipped through the pages of the book. “It looks good. And I like to read.”
Dean glanced at Harry with interest. “Me, too,” he said, beaming at Harry. “But, Sam over here doesn’t like to much.”
Sam let out a huff and pouted. “Reading is boring,” he whined. “I don’t like to read myself.”
“No, Sam likes it when Lydia or Jack reads to him.” Dean rolled his eyes before putting the ball down and walking over to the bookshelf that resided next to the door of the room. He tapped his foot as he carefully scanned the books with a sort of critical eye. “Aha!”
Harry looked at Dean curiously. “What is it?”
Sam saw the title and jumped up and down in delight. “Oh, oh, I’ll go get Lydia!” he practically squealed, running out of the room.
Dean grinned at a confused Harry. “It’s the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Have you ever read this?” he asked.
Harry shook his head. “No; I haven’t even heard of it.”
Dean looked a bit surprised before he shrugged his shoulders. “Well, Lydia normally reads this book to us when we ask. It’s so cool! I think you’ll like it!”
At that moment, Sam walked back into the room with a small pout. “Lydia can’t,” he said mournfully. “She’s on the phone and whispering and acting weird and she shooed me out.”
Dean and Sam appeared crestfallen by this news. Harry nervously wrung his hands on his shirt and bit his lip before stammering out, “Well, I can read it to you if you want.”
The other two boys looked pensively at one another. “We could try it,” Dean said softly.
Sam grinned and nodded his head rapidly. “Alright, but you have to act it out, too!”
Harry flushed slightly before agreeing. Dean handed him the book and all three boys settled on the floor against a wall. Harry licked his lips slightly and began to read, “This is a story about a boy called Charlie Bucket. There were six people in his family, but none of them were Charlie’s brothers or sisters.”
Soon, the time flew by. The boys got lost in the delightful world that is fiction and were thrust into Charlie Bucket’s life. Time was forgotten as well as the real world and the three boys sat for what seemed like hours. Harry flushed every time he had to take on a female voice whenever a woman spoke, but it made Dean and Sam giggle happily, so he continued to do it. Before he knew it, Harry found himself smiling and laughing without a care in the world. By the time they had made it to the twelfth chapter, Lydia and Jack had been staying at the doorway for five minutes. The boys hadn’t noticed, too absorbed into the book and new world.
Lydia cleared her throat, smiling warmly when the boys jumped slightly. “It’s time for lunch,” she said gently, her smile widening when the boys groaned.
“But, Lydia, Charlie found the golden ticket!” Sam protested.
“And Grandpa Joe is going to go with him to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory!” Dean exclaimed.
“Boys, you already know what happens,” Lydia said softly, grinning at the groans of disappointment. She loved it when children took such an interest in a book. “Oh, you can return to your book when you’ve finished eating. You know how important it is to eat your meals.”
Sam and Dean sighed in unison before nodding their heads. “Okay,” they grumbled with a slight pout. “Come on, Harry.”
“Actually,” Jack cut in, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder only to remove it when he noticed the young boy tense up, “Harry will be coming with me.”
Sam frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Why can’t Harry come with us?” he asked, looking back and forth between Lydia and Jack.
Lydia let out a small chuckle. “Sam, surely you remember your first meeting,” she said, looking at him with an eyebrow cocked.
Sam’s eyes widened and his mouth made a small ‘o’. “Oh,” he muttered, looking very sad before perking up. “Good luck, Harry!” He quickly whirled around and practically dragged an uneasy Dean.
Harry swallowed thickly before shyly and nervously asking, “What meeting?”
Lydia smiled down at Harry. “Well, Harry, here at the orphanage, there are meetings for children looking for families. The children and families meet, get to know each other over time, and then they decide if they like each other. If they do, then the children will get adopted. And if they don’t, then the process will start all over.”
Harry’s heart jumped in his throat. “You want me to leave?” he whispered softly, lip trembling.
Lydia leaned down and lifted Harry’s chin so he could look her in the eye. “No,” she said gently. “At the orphanage, we want the children to be happy. We want them to have families and to be loved.”
“But, I can stay here!” Harry protested, wringing his shirt in his hands. “I don’t want to get adopted!”
Lydia gave him a small smile. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to,” she said softly, using her finger to gently lift Harry’s head so he could look her in the eye. “This first meeting happens to everybody in the orphanage; it’s kind of like an experiment. Do you know what an experiment is, Harry?”
Harry bit his lip and shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
“An experiment is like a test or an investigation. When you want to find something out, you can perform an experiment. We would like to see how the children in the orphanage respond and act when meeting a potential, or possible, family. Do you understand?”
Harry frowned before slowly nodding his head. “You want to see how I…am around families?” he asked more than stated.
Lydia smiled and nodded her head. “Yes.”
“Will I have to be adopted after that?” he whispered.
“No,” Lydia replied. “You don’t have to get adopted, though most children want to.”
Harry wrung his shirt in his hands again. “Do Sam and Dean want to? Get adopted, I mean.”
Lydia gave him a contemplative look. “I think,” she said slowly, “that they wouldn’t mind getting adopted. They’re perfectly happy here in the orphanage, but I believe deep down everybody wants a family.”
Something flashed in Harry’s eyes and he sighed slightly. “So…what happens when the family and little boy or girl like each other?”
Lydia gave a small chuckle. “If they like each other, they’ll have more meetings until they decide if they want to be a new, bigger family.”
“And I don’t have to get adopted, right?” Harry asked again, looking up at her with wide, curious eyes.
“That’s exactly right,” Lydia said softly.
“Okay,” Harry said. “I’ll go to the meeting.”
Lydia beamed at the small boy and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush. “You’ll enjoy this meeting, Harry,” she promised gently. “Jack’s parents are very nice.”
Harry froze. “Jack’s parents?” he asked uncertainly, twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands. What if Jack told them about his freakiness? What would he do then?
“Yes,” Lydia continued, seemingly unaware of his plight though in reality she was watching his movements carefully. “They adore all the children at the orphanage. If you ask Sam and Dean, they’ll tell you about her infamous chocolate chip cookies. One bit and they melt in your mouth.”
Harry smiled nervously at Lydia who stood up from when she had knelt to talk to her and held out her hand. He grabbed it without hesitation and offered Jack, who had been standing at the doorway the entire time, a wary look. When Jack smiled warmly at him, he very slowly returned a fraction of it, still unsure of his opinion of Jack. The man certainly seemed nice enough, but he could expose Harry. He could tell everyone in the orphanage that he was a freak and they’d give up on him like the Dursleys did. The thought of Sam and Dean hating him for being a freak almost made Harry cry, but he quickly shook his head with new resolve. They would never find out.
Lydia led Harry out of the orphanage while Jack placed someone else in charge during their time away. She smiled as she noticed the car already waiting for them. “It’s been ages,” she said as she hugged the man that turned off and stepped out of the car. “How’ve you been, Matt?”
“As good as can be,” Matt replied with a smile. He noticed Harry and offered the boy a warm grin. “Hello there. I’m Matt Bentley; what’s your name?”
Harry hid behind Lydia and offered him a shy smile. “Harry Potter,” he mumbled.
Matt’s smile widened, his mind filled with thoughts on how cute and adorable the young Potter was. “How old are you?”
Harry scrunched up his nose slightly. “My birthday passed so I’m seven.”
“Seven?” Matt asked in surprise. “I thought you were older, little man. You seem like such a big boy.”
Harry flushed heavily and muttered his thanks. His heart was pounding fast, not used to someone complimenting him or even taking him into consideration. There was something about Matt that drew him in and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat comfortable around him.
“Alright Lydia, Harry. Jamie is going to take care of everything while we’re gone and we should leave now if we wa—oh! Matt…” Jack had been walking down the steps of the orphanage, flipping through the open backpack he currently had in his hands when he looked up and saw Matt. The color drained from his face and his emotions flashed in his eyes, telling all of his surprise, hurt, and uncertainty. Matt offered Jack a soft, almost wistful smile.
“Hello Jack,” he murmured gently, causing Jack to shiver slightly as his name came rolling off his ex-fiancée’s lips.
“Um, what are you doing here?” Jack managed weakly.
“Your mother invited me to lunch,” Matt replied with a tiny grin. “And then Lydia just so happened to call and ask for a ride to the very lunch I was attending.”
Jack glanced at Lydia, who had on her best angel face, and frowned at her before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Sounds like a conspiracy,” he muttered to himself.
“What was that?” Matt asked.
“Oh nothing,” was the immediate response. “So, how’s this going to work out?”
Lydia smiled widely though her eyes were tinted with some underlying emotion. “I call backseat with Harry. I’m pretty sure Matt brought the book I asked, right?”
Matt nodded his head and Jack looked like he’d been slapped. He swallowed thickly before nodding his consent and taking in deep breathes to control his wild emotions. His mother and Lydia were definitely conspiring against him and he couldn’t help but pout. Why didn’t they understand that Matt was just a touchy subject that he didn’t really feel like approaching now that he had such a huge responsibility fall into his lap? The world was just cruel and unfair.
Harry seemed to notice the tension in the air. “When will we go to Jack’s parents’ house?” he asked quietly, hoping he wasn’t yelled at for breaking the silence.
Matt offered him another smile. “Right now, as a matter of fact,” he said to Harry.
As soon as everyone loaded into the car and Matt started driving, an awkward silence once again fell upon them. Harry looked anxious, wringing his hands together and glancing between Matt and Jack. Lydia noticed this and quickly grabbed the book Matt had conveniently left in the backseat. She smiled at the cover, running her hands over it lovingly before speaking to Harry.
“Would you like me to read a story to you, Harry?” she asked.
Harry looked at her nervously. “I don’t want to be a bother,” he whispered.
Lydia smiled widely at him. “You’d never be a bother, silly,” she said as she poked his nose, seemingly admonishing him. Harry flushed. “This story, Harry, is called Matilda. You know the book you were reading? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?”
Harry nodded his head happily. “I really like that book,” he said as his eyes sparked with excitement.
“The man who wrote that book also wrote this one,” she said as she showed him the cover. “Do you want to know what Matilda is about?”
Harry nodded his head. “Yes, please.”
“Well, Matilda is the story of a girl whose parents were very mean to her.” Harry froze, his eyes widening slightly. Lydia continued, “To her parents, her brother Michael was perfectly normal and better than she was. But, one day, she discovers that she can move things with her mind. Matilda gets tired of the way her parents treat her and so she decides to teach them a lesson.”
“A lesson?” Harry asked, looking at the book with interest. From what Lydia told him, it seemed like this book was practically his life.
“Yes,” Lydia said, fully aware that she had captivated him. She opened the book to the first page and began to read.
As Harry paid very close attention to the book, Jack squirmed in his seat up front. He knew what Lydia had done and felt it was a fairly good strategy. Reading Matilda, the story of a neglected girl discovering how truly wonderful she was and deciding to not put up with her parents’ unfair treatment of her anymore, was an excellent idea. He knew how parallel Harry’s and Matilda’s lives were and wondered how much the story would affect Harry.
Matt gave Jack a sideways glance. “How’ve you been lately?” he asked softly, offering Jack a small smile.
Jack swallowed thickly, feeling as if his rib cage was the reason for both his breath being stolen and his heart beating wildly. “Oh, fine,” he said calmly as he stared out the window. “And yourself?”
“Great,” Matt replied, smiling wryly. “Lydia told me the situation with Harry.”
Jack barely caught the whispered sentence. “They have no idea what they’ve done to him,” he whispered back sadly, shaking his head. “No idea the damage they’ve caused.”
Matt knew Jack was referring to Harry’s relatives. He placed his hand over Jack’s, offering him comfort. Silently he marveled at how Jack’s hand still fit perfectly under his own, warm and soft with a small scar near his middle finger. His heart missed a beat as Jack hesitantly flipped over his hand and held onto Matt’s, accepting his gesture. Lydia noticed this from the back and said nothing, though a smile did bloom across her face as she continued to read to Harry.
“You’re capable of helping him, you know,” Matt murmured, easily driving one-handedly as he enjoyed the way his and Jack’s hands were clasped.
“Matt, don’t,” Jack began only to be cut off.
“You have a gift,” Matt continued as if Jack hadn’t spoken. “The only one who doesn’t realize it is you. You let your insecurities about parenthood cloud over your natural instincts as a parent.”
Jack’s lip trembled slightly. “He hates me. I touched his shoulder today and he stiffened up as if I was going to break his arm or something.”
Matt turned to face him as soon as he stopped at the red light. “From what Lydia told me, the only reason why he’s acting weird around you is because you unknowingly mentioned something that’s taboo to him. That’s not your fault—it’s his relatives’.”
Jack felt the corners of his mouth tilt a little. Trust Matt to always make him feel better whenever he doubted himself or went into a self-deprecating mood. He shivered slightly as he truly felt Matt’s masculine hand over his and had to close the car window to hide that little fact. Matt’s knowing grin told him that he knew it wasn’t the cool air that made him shiver, but he didn’t call Jack on it.
“We’re here,” Matt announced, taking his hand off Jack’s and turning off the car. Jack couldn’t help but notice how cold his hand was now.
“It’s so big,” Harry said as he hid behind Lydia again. “And pretty.”
“Come, Harry. Let’s go inside.” Lydia took his hand and began to lead him away.
“And can we finish Matilda later?” Harry asked, looking up at her. She smiled.
“Of course.”
Jack made to follow when Matt grabbed his hand and held him back. “Yes?”
“Have you given some thought as to what I said?” Matt asked softly.
“I…I don’t know, Matt,” Jack confessed, not looking at ex-lover’s face. “There’re a lot of things to consider.”
Matt grabbed Jack’s chin gently and brought it up so he could look in his eyes. “I love you,” he said clearly, shaking Jack with the amount of emotion in his voice. “And you know I’ll wait for you. I’ll always wait for you.”
“Don’t,” Jack murmured. “Time waits for no one and neither should you.”
Matt snorted. “I’ll wait for you,” he repeated. “Until you’re ready to look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you don’t love me anymore, I will wait.”
Jack watched as he walked into his parents’ house, his emotions swirling inside of him in a way he couldn’t comprehend. With a sigh, he followed, his mind and heart warring within, each attempting to make the decision he’d pondered for weeks.
