How Difficult Could They Be?

July 22, 2000 | Aylesford, Kent, England

POV Peter Collins

Peter looked down at the letter he had just received from his probation officer.

A letter from Mill Grove.

He had spent six years in prison. For six years, he had imagined the day when he could finally keep his promise.

──── ✉ ────

Dear Mr Collins,

I received your letter and have spent a long time thinking about how I should respond.

First, I want to assure you that Oliver is doing well. He will be spending the remainder of his summer holidays here at Mill Grove before returning to Oxford. He wants for nothing, and he has found his path.

You wrote that you wish to face Oliver and apologise to him. However, I believe you should know that Oliver has never blamed you for the death of his parents. He does not expect an apology from you, and as far as I know him, he does not need one either.

You have spent nearly six years in prison and served your sentence. Neither you nor Oliver can undo what happened. Oliver has learned to live with his past and focus on the life still ahead of him. I hope that you will now try to do the same.

You write of your guilt and of not knowing whether you could ever deserve forgiveness. All I can tell you is what my faith has taught me: God's forgiveness is not something we have to earn. It is open to anyone who sincerely repents of their wrongs and is willing to choose a different path. Perhaps your most difficult task, then, is not asking Oliver for forgiveness, but one day accepting that you, too, are allowed to keep living.

Should you still find that you cannot put the past behind you without facing Oliver once, I will not deny you that conversation. The doors of Mill Grove are open to you.

Sister Margaret

P.S."The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."— Psalm 34:18

──── ✉ ────

Peter stared at the words that meant more to him than anyone could possibly imagine.

"Oliver has never blamed you for the death of his parents."

But he didn't want to see Oliver just to apologise. He had made him a promise that day. A promise that he wouldn't leave him alone.

And Peter had every intention of keeping that promise.

I'm going to London!

To Mill Grove!

***

July 22, 2000 | Nottingham, England

POV Bea

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Silence — the absence of sound.

Beatrice understood the meaning of that word better than most people. Until the age of seven, after all, she had known nothing else.

And now, ironically, it was the thing she feared most — silence.

"Bea, is everything alright?" her mother asked.

"It's quiet," she said softly, thinking of Oliver.

Only a few hours ago, he had still been here, and everything had been loud and hectic. But with his departure, the silence had returned. Not the same silence as before, when she hadn't been able to hear anything.

But it had become noticeably quieter.

Her mother's laughter, which had echoed through the house again and again over the past week. Oliver's voice complaining because Bea now expected him to learn the violin as well.

Helen looked at her with concern and pulled her into a hug.

"We'll see him again at Christmas. He even promised to learn the violin by then," her mother said.

Beatrice had to laugh. Oliver had vehemently resisted learning yet another instrument. More than anything, he hadn't found her reason particularly convincing.

"Just because you liked the film Whisper of the Heart, I have to learn the violin now? Are you insane?"

She had spent the entire week trying to convince him. But it wasn't until he was saying goodbye and she had started crying that he had finally promised her.

Ding-Dong

Helen released Beatrice from her arms and looked towards the hallway. "Are you expecting someone?"

Bea shook her head.

"Neither am I," Helen said before getting up and leaving the living room.

A few moments later, Bea heard the front door open, followed by several muffled words she couldn't quite make out. She wasn't paying much attention to them until she suddenly heard her mother greet someone in surprise.

"Dr Foster?" her mother greeted him, clearly surprised to see him.

Bea immediately looked up.

She knew that name all too well. Dr Foster had looked after her during the study and continued to follow her progress after the implantation. Him suddenly appearing at their front door without warning was unusual enough that Bea got up from the sofa.

When Helen returned to the living room a short while later, she wasn't alone. Dr Foster followed her inside, accompanied by a man Bea had never seen before.

"Beatrice," Dr Foster greeted her with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

Bea smiled back, though her attention quickly shifted to the stranger standing beside him.

"Mrs Hartley, Beatrice—this is Dr Nathan Reed," Foster introduced him. "He arrived from the United States yesterday."

"The United States?" Helen asked in surprise before her eyes immediately moved to Bea. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Dr Foster assured her. "Quite the opposite."

He exchanged a brief glance with Dr Reed before looking back at Bea.

"We're here because of her results."

Helen frowned. "What about them?"

Dr Foster hesitated for a moment before answering.

"They're extraordinary."

***

July 22, 2000 | Mill Grove, London, England

POV Chris Columbus

Chris looked out of the window in surprise as the car came to a stop in front of a building. During the drive, Joanne had told him more than enough about Oliver Bennett, but she hadn't mentioned where exactly they were going.

He got out with her and followed her towards the entrance when his eyes fell on the sign.

Mill Grove.

Chris stopped and looked at the building again. Only then did he realise what kind of place it was.

"This is a children's home?" he asked in surprise.

Joanne turned towards him. "Yes."

Chris looked at her for a moment. "Oliver lives in a children's home?"

"Since he was four," Joanne replied before continuing towards the entrance.

Chris followed her, his gaze wandering over the building once more. By now, Joanne had probably given him every argument she could think of for why Oliver Bennett was the perfect Harry Potter.

The fact that the boy himself had lost his parents and grown up in a children's home, however, she hadn't mentioned once.

"And you didn't think it was important to tell me that beforehand?" Chris asked accusingly.

Joanne stopped and turned towards him. "Chris, listen to me carefully. When we meet Oliver, it would be best if you forgot whatever you think you know about him right now." She gave him a stern look before continuing. "He's not some helpless orphan we can do whatever we want with."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Harry and Oliver have more in common than you think. But if I had to name one difference, it would be this: Harry Potter wants to belong, while Oliver Bennett wants to be independent." She paused briefly. "He refuses to rely on anyone."

Chris looked back at Mill Grove and shook his head slightly.

How difficult could a ten-year-old boy and a nun possibly be?