I own next to nothing, which doesn't include the billion dollar market that includes harry potter
The date was July 20th. Outside the weather was rather windy. The trees from the forest bordering the property danced in the wind. It was rather warm, if not for the wind it might have been uncomfortably so. The sound of the wind drowned out most of the other noises from the fields and forests alike. The wind was rather constant but not violent in its speeds.
From his perch on the Patio outside the Ballroom Harry could see the gardens. Harry often came here to relax. None of the others came there and the scents coming off the garden and sounds from around the pond and in the forest combined for a peaceful place to be alone. The wind was coming from another direction and so he smelled the sweet fruit from the fields on the other side of the home rather than the floral scents from the garden. The scents were teasing him almost as if he could taste the raspberries and strawberries in the air itself. He could almost taste the sweet nectar of the Orange, Lemon, Lime and Pomegranate trees and it left him somewhat peaceful.
Harry was 7, soon to be 8 years old. Even though he was almost 8, he looked physically older, and could pass for a 10 or 11. He was on the thin side for his height but seemed to be filling out already. His hair was raven colored which was messy. His eyes were a brilliant green that if you looked into them, you felt like you could get lost in them.
His father was a famous quidditch player. He played for the Irish National team. At first his career for them seemed to be failing. It was in the playoffs of his second year though that he seemingly came into his own there. He changed from the player people grumbled about and wished they could trade to being the player all the other teams wanted seemingly overnight. He went from missing passes and goals to stealing and hammering goals home. His father is Internationally famous for his quidditch skills he is often away for practices, games, endorsements, various celebrity events, and the occasional help at a training seminar. Even when his father is home, hes not available mentally or emotionally.
Harry's mother died before he can really remember. Actually Harry had 1 memory of her, but he would be better off if he didn't remember his mother given the only memory he has of her manifests itself in nightmares about the night she died. All he remembers when he wakes up from his nightmares is her begging the man who killed her to spare his own life and a brilliant green flash, like the color of his eyes. He always wakes up when his vision is flooded with the green light, so he doesn't know what happened next. He once asked his father what happened but he was too busy to really answer, as always.
The only real company Harry has his own age is with Neville. He is a boy who lives in the home with his mother. His own Father was killed around the time that Harry's mother was. He was slightly pudgy with dark hair and eyes. Nothing on him really stuck out as anything besides average except for his eyes. His eyes spoke of a hidden strength. Harry knew the boy had potential, but would never live up to it if he followed his mothers footsteps and went into healing like he wanted to do. While it was a noble profession, and Harry would never speak ill of it, he could sense that Neville could be so much more. Harry knew until Neville stopped trying to follow someone else and stepped into his own that he would never earn anyones respect, but he wasn't going to be the one to stomp on his dreams.
Nevilles mother, Alice, is the one who teaches them. When she is not teaching, she studies the extensive library on healing, most of which she has read. She also brews various potions which she sells to the Aurors, St. Mungo's and a few apothecary's. She always is researching and studying and trying to find new ways to cure old and new maladies. Lately her research has been geared towards a dreamless sleep potion that wouldn't risk addiction. While the ones currently available have a cure for the addiction was worse than if you didn't take the potion in the first place. It made one hurt all over, and then kept you up for at least 24 hours as your body flushed the remnants of the potion out of your system.
Neville often followed his mother like the "mama's boy" he was, trying to learn as much as he could about the ingrediants and the effects and why what does what. Harry was often left alone with just a house elf watching him. Camile was the elf that helped his mother with him. She now just watched from afar until he was old enough to follow the Potter tradition of selecting a personal elf. The selecting was traditionally done at age 10 as a sort of coming of age ceremony. It was thought that his magical core would be matured enough by that time one fully matured physically the wand would still be used without any harm. A wand was needed to do the bonding ritual.
Alice used to take Harry and Neville on walks out of the property and sometimes through the muggle town around a mile away. While in the town they came upon a field where the town kids were playing a game they called football. Harry was intrigued by the game that the kids were playing and nearly asked Alice if he could join the game, but before they had left she had threatened if they weren't going to be good and stay with her the next time she wouldn't bring them at all.
As a child, Harry's only male role model was Remus, but he didn't come over often. Sometimes he came just before and after the full moon because Alice helped him with the wolfsbane potion. She also helped him heal the effects of his transformation. Remus was kind and patient, everything a father should be, 'and anfortunately a little more' Harry sometimes thought to himself.
When James, Harry's father, is home he is usually overseeing the families businesses and investment. Harry at one time had tried to learn from his father in a similar fashion as Neville learns potions from Alice. James just brushed him off though. Harry threw himself into learning the basics of business and investing which a section of the library was dedicated to. It was located right next to the law section, which given how closely business and law are interwoven is quite appropriate. Harry forced himself to learn a bit everyday about these subjects, but he found himself looking in the dictionary more and more often as the language used is sometimes archaic at best, and foreign at worst. He has even come across a few words that weren't even in any of the dictionaries including both new and old editions.
While Neville was learning about healing from Alice, Harry explored the library looking for anything that sounded interesting. It was there that sometime earlier this year he had found a book titled: "Mind Magic for Amateurs". It was from this book he learned some of the basics for Organizing ones mind using an art called Occlumency. It clearly stated a few of the reasons why such an act would be helpful as an organized mind can better recall data, spells, and also help keep one from losing ones self to their emotions. Something he failed to do earlier today. He saw Neville breakdown and cry to his mother over some spilled potion, and his mother just hugged him and told him he would be fine. Harry lost it and ran, part of him disgusted by his weakness, another part envious of Neville who had someone there for him. He knew he shouldn't have been jealous, as Neville had lost a father and Alice a husband, but, at least they still had eachother. Thats more that Harry could say about himself and his pathetic excuse for a parent.
He was still on the patio maintaining his calm facade and trying to force it to go deeper than his skin deep when a house elf greeted him and told him dinner would be ready in a few minutes and that he was expected. Harry understood that message, His father was home. Alice asked Harry to come. His father expected Harry to be at the meals when he was home. Like a little lap dog he expected his son to jump through the hoops of his every wish and worship the chair he sits on when hes home. James seemed to expect Harry to drop everything and run to see his father. Something Harry felt rather disinclined to do when his father never took time to see Harry, yet Harry was always expected to make time for him. He took a couple deep breaths and calmed enough to decide he was hungry enough to sit with that person who claimed to be his father.
I figured I would post this and let you see a bit of the direction this story is going... I can't guarantee timely updates as I'm taking a class and starting a new job soon... once I get settled in the job you should get updates regularly, but, until then, it could be a while.