Chapter One: History�s Evolution

The cries of an infant woke the sleeping house. Madam Keren tied her bathrobe tight as she descended the stairs to the lowest level of her grand house. Children young and old poked their heads out of their doors and asked their foster mother what was going on. Madam Keren fostered no infants, they never staid in the system long enough.

Hushing her children, Madam Keren continued her investigation of the house. Upon reaching the den, she was confronted with a frightening sight. A young boy laid at the foot of the fire place covered in soot.

“Dear me,” she gasped and hurried to the startled infant. Lifting the boy into her arms, she hushed him gently and surveyed his body for any injuries. She was shocked and relieved to find nothing wrong with the boy.

“Good boy, you’re okay now,” Madam Keren cooed as she bounced him in his sleep. It was then that she noticed the ever changing of hair. From blue, blonde, red, brown, and back to blue again it cycled as if it matched the infant’s mood.

Now it was no surprise to Madam Keren as she had raised magical children in her fifty-eight year-old life. In fact she had an eleven year-old foster son and a sixteen year-old foster daughter that was magical and lived under her roof right now. In the Americas Muggles knew of the wizard existence. It was just harder to get magical children adopted.

Taking the now silent child back to her sleeping quarters, Madam Keren bathed him and settled in for the night. She’d make the proper arrangements in the morning. This child had been abandoned once and she wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

“I shall call you Gavino little one,” Madam Keren whispered to the sleeping child as she too drifted away.

--~Seven Years Later~--

 

Gavino ran the streets with his foster brothers and sisters. Growing up in the middle of New York, New York was difficult and there were only two choices, gang up or get killed. Madam Keren didn’t allow any of her “children” to follow any life of crime, so the foster children stuck together. They formed their own gang, not allowing anyone to mess with their own.

Gun shots fired a street down followed by tires squealing. Another drive by, Gavino had no doubt about that. The question was which way they were heading. Grabbing his charge’s hand, Gavino ducked down an alley and led his group away from the gun fire. Being the eldest, he was in charge of keeping the other’s alive.

“Gav,” one of the five year olds called his name in fear, latching onto his older brother. Gavino smiled at his brother, letting the kid know he was here.

“Quiet David, it’s okay.” Gavino spoke softly and patted the brunettes head. He had yet to lose one of his brothers or sisters and, if he had anything to say about it, he never would.

The group of five stood silently in the alleyway as the gun fire faded away. Determining that is was safe, Gavino put the gun away and led the group home. They were already late for dinner.

--~Three Years Later~--

 

Gavino’s tenth birthday was three days away and he couldn’t be happier. In addition to his birthday a couple had begun to show interest in adopting him. He didn’t want to leave his family but the idea of getting real parents was frightening and exciting all at once.

Dressed in his finest, Gavino stopped at the mirror and shifted his hair to the normal brown. The couple knew he was magical, but they didn’t know all that he could do. Satisfied, he skipped out of his room and hurried to the den.

Gavino took a moment to survey his perspective parents. Jason and Julia Freeman was a loving Muggle couple. Infertility problems kept them from having children of their own, so they decided to adopt. Jason was typical white collar. He took on the family oil business and traveled the world. Julia was less normal than her husband. She’d come from a gypsy heritage and migrated to the Americas when her home land was invaded. They met at a restaurant when Julia’s table had been given to someone else and asked to sit with Jason.

Happy with Madam Keren’s choice, Gavino walked into the room with his back straight and a smile on his face.

--~Five Years Later~--

 

“Gavino, I think its time we had a talk.” Jason blushed slightly as he entered his adoptive son’s room.

Gavino looked up from his homework and frowned. He’d never seen Jason so embarrassed in the five years he’d lived with him. Gavino loved his adoptive parent’s. They took him out of gang riddled New York and moved to Virginia, where the ten year-old boy was able to reinvent himself.

“What is it Jason?” Gavino asked with concern and closed his chemistry book. He’d been given the choice on how he could address his adoptive parents and never been able to call the mom and dad. There was just something buried deep inside him that wouldn’t allow that bridge to be built.

“Well,” Jason procrastinated and pulled his son’s computer chair closer to the bed. Settling into the wheeled chair, Jason gulped and tried to gather his words. Gavino was getting older and it was time. “Well son, there comes a time in every man’s life…”

Gavino’s eyes widened in horror as realization hit him. Jason was trying to give him the bird and the bees talk. Blushing himself, he lowered his head trying to hide his embarrassment. It did no good, though, as his hair shifted to the same bright red of his cheeks. “Um… Jason, you don’t need to do this. Ah… well…”

He coughed to clear his throat. Both men fell silent as they tried to get over the awkwardness.

“Jason… the school…. They…”

“Oh right, right,” Jason sighed with relief. Of course Gavino already knew, the private school he sent him too would have taken care of it long ago. “Um…. Look, can you just tell Julia that I gave you this conversation?”

Gavino smirked, happy to have that conversation nipped in the bud. There was a difference between joking around with your father and having THAT conversation. “Sure,” he reassured the old man and reopened his chemistry book.

Jason watched the boy with pride for a moment before exiting the room. The ten year-old street smart kid was growing into a responsible man.

--~Three Years Later~--

 

“Now it’s my pleasure to introduce this year’s valedictorian, Gavino Freeman.” The principal announced from the podium and ushered Gavino from the shadows.

Gavino walked proudly across the stage, his valedictorian cape bellowing behind him. Clearing his throat, Gavino looked out at his fellow classmates. “If you had told me eight years ago that I’d be standing here giving my valedictorian speech, I would have probably shot you.”

He waited for the chuckles to quiet down as he smiled. “There is one thing I learned over my years, hope and trust. As long as you hope and trust in yourself you can go anywhere in life…”

His speech continued on, describing how he went from a throw away baby to a loving son. It didn’t leave a single dry eye in the stadium. When the ceremony was finished, Gavino met up with his parent’s and baby sister. Matilda had been a surprise and gift when she was born three years ago.

“Gav!” The three year old yelled and ran into her elder brother’s waiting arms. “I wanna see your wand!”

Gavino grinned and pulled his brand new wand from his pocket. Though he had been taught magic his entire middle school and high school years, he didn’t receive his own wand until graduation. Instead he used school issued wands that were taken away at the end of the day.

“Pretty,” the little girl reached out to touch but Gavino held it out of her reach. They were still waiting on test results, but, until they were sure Matilda was a Muggle like her parents, she wasn’t allowed to get her hands on the wooden shaft.

“Congratulations son,” Julia was still crying as she hugged her son. He was a man now, but that still didn’t make him hers.

Jason added his own congrats and patted the man on his back. “Wonderful speech, you have a way with words.”

“Reason I’m going to be a teacher Da,” Gavino grinned. Over the last couple years Gavino had found that comfortable middle. He could still remember the tears Julia had spilled when he called her Ma the first time.

--~Four Years Later~--

 

The news had been his worst nightmare. He could still remember the call.

Gavino had just finished the last of his college finals when his cell rang. Thinking it was his sister, he didn’t even look at the caller id before answering the phone. “Hey sweetheart,” Gavino said cheerfully with a smile on his face.

“Mister Freeman, this is the Virginia State Police. There’s been an accident. I’m sorry but your parents and sister..”

The voice on the phone faded away as Gavino blanked out. Slowly he collapsed, wanting to cry out in anguish but no sound would utter from his mouth.

Tears clouded his vision as he watched the coffins being lowered. Everything had been taken away from him in one second. Jason had been driving when they hit a slick patch of road. The car flipped ten times before landing upside down, all the passengers were dead before it even ended.

Lost in his sorrow, Gavino barely registered the other mourners that circled his family’s graves. Truthfully he didn’t want to see that he wasn’t alone. In the young wizard’s mind there was nothing left.

Turning away from the dark holes, Gavino walked across the cemetery to the car waiting for him. He didn’t trust himself to drive, let alone apparate.

Gavino hated the god that cursed his life. He, she, it, what ever it was took everything he could possibly love away from him. It was time to cut all ties to this world and this life. Patting the plane tickets that sat in his pocket, Gavino entered the cab. There was a teaching position waiting for him in Scotland for a school named Hogwarts.

The past was just that, the past.