THE WALKER RANCH

"Young Andrew has learned, undoubtedly from his father, how to hide his pain well. He broke his collarbone in that tree earlier. I'm sure you would have had no way of knowing he was hurt, really, except I detected it in his energy when he got here. Steven--obviously Dennis Diamond was nothing more than a B****. That boy has numerous old, healed broken bones. Dennis must have beaten him. And not just once, either. There are a couple that are normal childhoodl fractures, probably from having to fend for himself. But, most of them are abuse fractures no doubt from his father. I can give him pain potion, but he won't take it. He is one tough little kid. Kids like that are taught that if they show pain, they only get more of it. My guess is you would have never known except for maybe seeing a rare twinge. I can give you the pain potion for him, but my guess is that he won't want it. As he sees it, this is nothing compared to what he's already been through. I'm sure its tough for you, but he doesn't see it as any more difficult than how John would see a scraped knee. Sad, isn't it? This is one side of Andrew you'll have to get used to. He really has seen much more than most adults should ever see. He is one tough little kid. The toughest job you'll have is getting him to wear that sling for 2 days. He'll just see it as a nuisance and want to be rid of it. I don't think he's ever had proper medical attention his whole life. I think you should bring him into St .Mungos while he's on this break and let us get a complete lookover. Just to start a history on him and make sure there isn't something I"m missing now. I know you have questions. What are they?"

Steven could feel his blood boil the more Robert spoke. If the man had been still alive Steven would have gone and throttled him , himself. He was now fuming but he said nothing. For if he did he was afraid to seem unfartherly in front of Robert . His arms folded in front of him but his hands clentched in a fist the knuckles white from anger. Ushualy he would not have felt this way but this was differant this was Andrew , His son now and he was angry at this.Turning to face him he spoke only one sentance " I have to go some where, I'll be back before the days over" he said walking to teh door he opened it but as he walked threw he aperated away with out a second glance at Robert.

Khaat arrived late afternoon, towards evening, for the cookout that her parents were preparing. She knew that Steven and his boys would be there. She didnt see either boy when she apparated into the yard though. She walked out to where her parents were setting up the large wood deck, magically, with furniture, a tablecloth, candles, and other outside gear. "Where is everybody?" she asked.

"Ah, well, the new boy, Andrew, broke his collarbone in a tree climbing accident," Robert said. "The boy has a walking history of physical abuse in his bones. Steven didn't take it well. He went off to be by himself someplace. The boys have taken off down to the creek once I told them where it was."

"You told them to stay on the path, right? We dont need them lost."

"I told them. But I know they'll listen about as well as you did. Don't worry. I won't lose them. Steven is taking this business with Andrew worse than Andrew is. He's gotten pretty possessive over that boy already, and Andrew is a brilliant, very streetwise young man. Steven underestimates him, I'm afraid. That does surprise me a bit. As a law man, I would have presumed he'd have been a bit better prepared for the kind of boy Andrew is than Steven appears to be. I know, and I understand, his fatherly feelings, but he needs to let Andrew be Andrew."

"He will. We'll just give him some space. He'll be back fairly shortly. You want me to walk down and find the boys?"

"No, when I start the steaks, they'll smell them and come running. Let them play. There's a lot to explore. They won't find it all in one day. It will take them several days of exploring to see it al and map out their favorite spots."

Khaat laughed, remembering how she had done the same thing as a little girl, usually with Remus with her. It was full of good memories for her.

Stephen aperated back to the farm "hey those steaks?" he asked walking towards them he smiled "the boys down at the creek?" he asked dipping his finger in the coating that sat next to the steaks "Mumm nice , sorry about earlier Robert needed to sort somthing out , it wasn't what you told me you just reminded me to do somthing is all " he smiled oviously happier licking his finger he looked at both of them " What? " he asked them "ok I set up a trust fund for andrew as I did for jhn when he was born I don't want him when hes older out on the street , yes Robert what you told me did bring up some bad memories for me too but boys , especial andrew cope and hes ok, hes servived this long. " he sighed "call it a future investment , I kinda see a bit of me in him " he said admiting what he had seen.

"Those boys have a lot of creeks, woods, fields, and a pond to map out for themselves,"Robert laughed. "There are hundreds of acres for them to explore. And that's just my place. Don't worry. I can tell when there are presences on the farm. So I always have a general idea where they are. They are between the creek and the backwoods. Just where i would expect them to be. The best places to play are back there."

That made Khaat laugh. She knew that area like she knew the back of her hand. That was where she and Remus spent years and years of Khaat's childhood. She remembered well how he taught her how to duel before she even had a wand. He would pick up sticks of about the right length and diameter and would play-duel with her. He got her interested in exercising--running, climbing, weights, and all sorts of training and toning. He would play tag with her to get her interested in running--tag and hide and go seek. He taught her how to move almost completely noiselessly through the woods. Taught her a lot of Defense Against the Dark Arts before she ever entered school. Khaat had had to simply keep her mouth shut to keep from looking like a "Know It All, " like she had seen Hermoine do so many times. The fact was, Khaat knew far more than Hermoine did, and she knew hers by experience, not by textbooks.

"Khaat," her father's voice, calling sharply brought her back. "Where were you? In the backwoods with Remus again? I called you a couple times and you didn't hear me."

"Oh. Sorry. Yeah. I was," she repllied, "Remus and I spent a lot of time there. That spot on the farm is probably my favorite. It holds nothing but good memories for me. I think I could probably apparate right to them if necessary. "

She saw a flash of Andrew suddenly. Saw he had a huge mansion. Saw inside his Gringott's vault. It was a larger vault, and it was loaded with sickles and galleons. The boy was stinking filthy rich. "Daddy, did Dennis Diamond have any other heirs or survivors other than Andrew? Has his will been sorted out?'

"Don't know, Dear," Robert said, "But that is certainly easy enough to find out. Why? What did you see?"

"Andrew grew up in a huge mansion. I don't think his father kept it up much, as far as cleaning and repairs, but yeah. It's huge. And if it were put to rights, it would be gorgeous. And--the boy is loaded. I mean, he's ridiculously rich. Your trust fund for him is certainly your choice, Steven, but if he didn't have it, I don't think he would miss it. Steven, you need to get that will cleared up and then create a will so that if something happens to Andrew, all that money doesn't revert back to the Ministry. If you're going to be his guardian, you need to help him manage all those millions of sickles he has. And I do mean millions. The boy is a bloody multi-millionaire, even by wizarding standards. And if what I am seeing is correct, money doesn't mean a thing to him. I think he's seen the destructive side of money and doesn't have much regard for it. I think he's turned out to be a good kid simply because he didn't want to be what he saw his father was. I think he must have raised himself."

"He did," Robert said, "That much was obvious to me. Khaat, I told Steven we need to get Andrew to St. Mungos just for a baseline full physical tomorrow. Start a history on him or see if there is one started already. My guess is there is nothing on him, but we can try. And we should see if either of his parents had medical records there. He's entitled to know his family's medical history and so are you, Steven. Khaat, would you go get the chicken pieces and your mother's homemade barbeque sauce, please?"

"Of course. Would either of you like a beer while I'm going?" she asked.

"I would, please," Robert said. "Bring us a couple of those new ales I bought, Khaat. I think Steven will like those."

"Steven?" Khaat asked. "Is that alright with you?"

steven stood feeling a bit foolish over the trust fund as Khaat spoke "ow , yeah" was al he said with a sigh "Robert do you ever have one of those days you just feel an inch tall , thats me right now" he said turning to Khaat again he nodded "sure, i'll get things moving with a lawyer tomorrow in regards his will and mine too" he Looked at him "I so got to get use to this with andrew he keeps suprising me at every turn" he said folding his arms across his chest and giving a light chuckle.

"Steven," Khaat said, "Perhaps, if I can make a suggestion, make his trust in muggle monies. That way, if he needs to, he can function equally well in both worlds. He has plenty of wizarding money, but if that economy ever collapses, a muggle trust would keep him solvent. I plan to do that for Abbey, actually. And we Lupins have accounts in both worlds for that very reason. "

"That boy hasn't had anyone to share anything with--ever. He has his own rules to live by because Dennis Diamond didn;t teach him anything," Robert said. "I would brace myself to never be surprised by anything he tells you. My guess is that he is quite creative and resourceful. What he needs, more than anything else, is just someone who give a rat's backside about him. That's something he's never had--well, until now. I'm sure he doesn't know anything about Christmas or birthdays or cricket or any of the good things in the world. Your job will be, most of all, to create a balance in his life by providing the positive part of the world that Diamond could not be bothered to show his son. My guess is that his fascination about frogs is not just the fact that its normal for a boy, but also because the frog accepts him unconditionally. He needs to know humans will do that too."

Steven looked at Khaat and smiled "sure, I should have though about that " he said but glad she had sujested it "one more thing to discuss with the lawyers tomorow" he turned to face Robert " No Im not now , I'll get use to it eventually but I will do my damdest to show him what he missed out on , like I said he kinda bit like I was , guess I don't want him to go threw what I did as a kid , nether John ether hes blood and the only thing I have left of janet " he looked at both and smiled " thanks both of ya I knew being next door was the right move" he now grined "now , chicken Im famished " he said looking down at the barbaque before moving inside to grab a bowl of checken thighs..

Khaat brought out a platter of other chicken pieces, breasts and drumsticks, along with her mother's barbeque sauce. She motioned for two bottles of beer to follow her from the fridge. They floated along behind her obediantly. Robert took the beers, flicked his finger to get the caps to spring off, and handed one to Steven. "Try that. I think it is a nice light ale for hot weather Might buy more of it for summer. I'm trying several small breweries before I decide on what one I want to stock up on."

Khaat motioned for the chicken to place itself on the grill, and it arranged itself, somehow without seeming to argue for grill space. "Oh, well done," Robert laughed, impressed. "You really are getting your kitchen spells down well, Dear."

Khaat saw a couple of faces off in the distances, peeking at them from behind a couple of bushes. "Don't look now, but we're being stalked by a couple of small soldiers, I think," she said, softly, trying both not to laugh and not to look at them.

"Ah, they smell the steak," Robert laughed. "I knew they'd come back when they smelled it. Well, at least they can find their way back. Andrew must be quite the natureboy to navigate out there and back without help or a map either one. That is extremely difficult for one his age and size. He's an exceptional boy, Steven."

Steven took the beer and took a drink feeling it refreshing as it slipped down his throat "ow thats nice , subtle but nice", he watched as Khaat made the chicken settle on the barbaque its sizaling making his mouth water as she stood , he smiled as he saw out the corner of his eyes Andrew and John " yeap he is that " steven said with a grin taking another drink of beer as he watched out teh corner of his eyes at the two faces.