Call Me Clark Kent

[Frederick Mensah]

Perhaps it was true when people say you really don't really miss what you have until it is gone. Frederick had spent the better part of his first year at Hogwarts homesick and trying to figure out where he fit in this new magical world. Now, as the end of the year was approaching, he felt a slight feeling of uneasiness about going back home. The holidays were enough to distract his worries during the last school break, but with nothing but free time what was he supposed to do with himself? What was he supposed to tell the neighbors? Was he just supposed to outright lie about he had been up to for the last nine months? Of course the answer was yes. The thought was completely crazy to the twelve year old. It was like he had to create a whole secret identity to just go home and be with his family. He found himself suddenly empathizing with the heros of the comic books he grew up with. Superman would understand his pain. Sometimes having super powers and being different blows.

Feeling confused and exhausted from exams and packing, the muggle-born wandered out to the great lawn for some fresh air. It seemed like some other students had the same idea. Freddy glanced at the assorted groups of students as he past them. He didn't mean become such a hermit this past year, but he figure he might as well just focus on his classes and everything would fall into place. It turned out he was half right. He managed to do really well in all of his course and got to know his roommate, but making friends outside of classroom or his dorm room proved to be a difficult task. Maybe next year would be his year. After all getting use to classes wouldn't be a legitimate excuse anymore (if it ever really was). Sighing, he plopped down on a hill over looking the quidditch pitch and flipped to the last story in The Tales of Beedle and the Bard. He wanted to read the book one last time before returning it the library.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond Mandy was ready for winter break. His first year did not go as easily as he had planned. Surprisingly, he had found out a lot about himself. He had gotten lazy once second semester started. He already promised himself that he would not let it happen again. There was just never enough time away from school. He had six more years to go now. He was determined to make something of those years. He was not going to waste his time. He made his way towards the lawn and sighed. He regretted not participating in any of the Quidditch games. Ray Ray believed that he would enjoy playing, but it had not been so. He was better off watching, and he did not like the captain anyway. He was only two years older than him! It was completely ridiculous to him. However, Styx would have not put him there if he did not deserve it. The thought of his Head of House made him sigh once more. Styx was just so, there was not even a word to describe the man.

Raymond began to walk up a hill, and he realized how out of shape he was. He sat down panting lightly. He was close to feeling like his heart would explode. He decided to let his back fall to the ground. He felt like he could breath better. He did not pay attention to the person next to him. The person was reading anyway. It did not really matter. He was just on the ground realizing how much he loved oxygen.
​

 

[Frederick Mensah]

Frederick knew the book he was reading was considered a children's book, but he found it to be an informative read. All fairy tales and bed time stories were analogies. And analogies were meant to teach you things. Since the muggle-born didn't get to learn the meaning of the stories when he was growing up like the majority of his classmates had, he figured that it was never to late. The Tales of Beedle the Bard proved to be a good enough place to start.

Freddy was three pages away from finishing the book, when he heard a soft thud come from something falling next to him. He waited until he finished his current paragraph before looking over to satisfying his curiosity. The Ravenclaw stared wide eyed at the boy laying next to him, not sure what had just happened. Did he faint? Was he dead? Nope, definitely not dead. he thought to himself as he continued to examine the situation. The curly haired kid's chest was moving up and down. He was breathing that was a positive vital sign. He was tempted to let the boy be, but the story of "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" floated into his head. What if he needed help? He couldn't go home for break knowing that his failure to help cause his schoolmate harm. The first year crawled a couple of feet and kneeled next to his seemingly injured comrade. "Hey are you ok?" he said he poked at the side of the boy's shoe. "Do you want me to get the school nurse or a professor or something? I am sure they would be a lot more help than I would be. I mean, I think I kind of know CPR, but you probably wouldn't want me to try that..." The young wizard quickly shut his mouth when he realized that his rambling wasn't really helping matters either and sat back on his heels as he hoped for a response.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond looked over to the boy talking to him. He kept rambling. Raymond sat up. "Do I look like I need CPR? What is that anyway?" he asked. He had never heard of such a term. He glanced at the book in the boy's hand and laughed. Why was he reading a child's book? What child had not heard any of those stories? It was like someone saying that they never heard of Harry Potter, which was insane. "Are you muggleborn or something? I used to get that read to be at bedtime." he said. He was not trying to make the boy feel like a dofus, but that was what he looked like reading a child's book. He could let it slide since the kid looked his age. "I am Raymond Mandy. Slytherin is my house." he held out his hand as he introduced himself. Even if this kid was a muggleborn, Raymond could get a lot of his questions about muggles answered. He had never really met one in his life, like most magical folk. He did not know how muggles survived without magic. Magic had been Ray Ray's calling since he was born. What would he be without it?
​

 

[Frederick Mensah]

Frederick let out a small sigh of relief that there wasn't any medical emergency. He was no doctor and it might have been a bit hard to track down a professor this time of day. "CPR...cardiopulmonary resuscitation." he said slowly, hoping he got the acronym right. If he was pretty sure he did, but a pang of doubt gnawed in the back of his mind. He would have to look it up and make sure whenever he got the chance. "You know like first aid?" It took him a moment to process the other boy's confusion. Perhaps first aid was a muggle thing. Wizards probably had spells that they could cast on each other to clear airways and help blood circulation. Or maybe a few potions even. The first year smiled a little when the boy noticed the book he had been reading. He turned it over in he hands and looked down to reexamine the detailed front cover, but looked back up when he was asked if he was a muggleborn. His face remained calm, but his awkward adjusting of his black rimmed glasses revealed his slight unease with the question. From what the twelve year had gathered over his first year, there were lots of different opinions on muggleborns within the magical world, and since you could never tell ones intentions, it was best just to approach the topic with a degree of caution. "I am. And I take it you are not." he said waving the book slightly. Freddy glanced down at the Ranymond's extended hand. There seemed to be no malice there. "Frederick Mensah, Ravenclaw." he said as returned the handshake. "It's a good book isn't it?" he said turning his attention back to the book. "Do you have any recommendations for any others like it?"

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond looked at the boy like he was crazy. He still did not understand what CPR was. He understood that it was an acronym, but for what? For all he knew it could be when a person was cut open and their kidneys were taken. Raymond had no clue about what this kid was talking about. He hoped that he would explain further. He shook his head. "Put it in dumb language? Maybe that will help." he said. He wanted to know what it was, and he was determined to find out what it was. Raymond shook his head. I am a half-blood. My father was a muggleborn, and my mother was pureblood." he told Frederick. He had no problem talking about his parents or his blood status. He did not even know his parents, so he felt no emotions whenever he mentioned them. He only thanked them for giving birth to an intelligent male. Raymond nodded. Isaiah was in Ravenclaw. He seemed to attract Ravenclaws, and Ray Ray thought it was funny. He guessed he naturally surrounded himself around smart people. He shrugged. "I never really liked it. My sister did. She would be a better person to ask." he told Frederick. Raymond shook his head. "I recently started getting interested in reading. When I come across something, I will tell you, okay?" he said and smiled. He had no problem sharing. He had to share everything with his sister.
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[Frederick Mensah]

Frederick found himself chuckling lightly at the Raymond's response. The Slytherin's curiosity took him by surprise, but the muggleborn was more than happy to indulge him. "Basically CPR brings people back to life by banging on their chest to start their heart and breathing into their mouth to fill their lungs and get them breathing. I am not a doctor, but think that is basics of it." The Ravenclaw nodded in understanding when the other boy mentioned that reading wasn't really his thing. His mother was a muggle school teacher and she always said that the biggest issue in getting his boys her son's age to read was for them to see themselves in stories. Frederick hadn't ever really appreciated how true that was until he went away to Hogwarts this year. He held up a finger indicting that he needed a moment and he reached behind his back to pull out a comic book from his waistband. He always kept one on hand if he found himself bored, but that never seemed to happen at Hogwarts, but old habits die hard. "Here...for the train ride back. I know the pictures don't move like some of the books around here, but I think you might like this one." he said as he offered the comic to Raymond. "Just be sure to give it back next year. It is one of my favorites!"

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond looked at Frederick with a face of horror. That sounded absolutely awful! "I'm glad you did not do that to me. That sounds barbaric!" he exclaimed. He did not think of the possibility that that Ravenclaw was exaggerating. It just gave Raymond a few more reasons to be weary of muggles and their children. The first year waited as Frederick reached for something. He did not know what it could possibly be, and he was surprised when he was handed a thin book. Raymond looked at his peer questionably. The pictures did not even move. Why was he giving this to him? He carefully took the thin book. He flipped through it. It was mainly pictures! Ray Ray chuckled. This would be an easy read. He could finish this on the way to Slytherin. But, he was going to wait until he was on the train. He did not want to disappoint Frederick by finishing it early. "Thanks. But, why are you letting me borrow this?"
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[Frederick Mensah]

Frederick chuckled at Raymond's response. "But it could save your life though." He adjusted his black rimmed glasses as he settled back on the grass of the Great Lawn. He was going to miss it out here. The "other worldly-ness" of his whole first year at Hogwarts was something that the muggle-born had never expected and he had come to appreciate the little moments of peace that he was able to find around the castle and all the new information he had gained in his classes. Freddy looked back at the other boy and smiled when he inquired about the comic. "I dunno. I've read like 1,001 times and who doesn't like a good super hero?" he told him with shrug. The never needed an excuse to read a new book. Getting lost in the pages of a book and a story was something that came natural to him. "Maybe it will inspire you or something over break. Or at least get you reading." he added with a smile. Raymond seemed nice. Perhaps he lacked a little focus, but Frederick didn't really mind that too much. The Slytherin's questions were more amusing than anything else.