Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Beta'd by The Carnivorous Muffin
Magical Walmart
I can tell that I'm going to have a shit day before it's even dawn. First of all, Harry had a nightmare and clung to me all night.
"They're going to lock me away and forget about me." He sobs softly into my shirt.
"No one is going to lock you away. You got me kid." I tilt his head up and try to calm him down but he just cries even harder.
"I can scare away anyone. It's what I did at my job." I rub the back of his neck and shush him quietly.
"They don't care. He's scarier than anyone." He? When was there a guy in his past? I couldn't exactly question him in this state so I just focused on getting him back to sleep.
It seemed like I couldn't do anything to make him feel better. I would rock him in my arms, then pace, and even sing Kalinka softly under my breath. I couldn't help but think about all the times my mother must have done this to me. Jesus, I have new respect to all parents everywhere.
Harry would just whimper for a few minutes then try and meld his body into my arms. Sometimes, he would get pretty close to choking me and I would have to push him away slightly which would freak him out and then it'd start the cycle over again.
This lasted for an hour and there was no way I was going back to sleep so I just continued to rock him on my hip even after he was quiet. Honestly, it soothed me just as much as it did him. I had to jerk myself awake every few minutes but I managed to make it two hours before I gave up.
The sun was shining stubbornly through the drapes and I decided to just get dressed because the day was starting, with or without me.
I tuck Harry back into bed, taking great care to not wake him. His eyes are still pink from his crying and he'll definitely have a headache today.
I think back on the scars, both emotional and physical ones that he has. I probably know him better than anyone and even I don't know about everything he's been through.
I sigh heavily and get dressed.
Wow, this is probably the worst outfit they gave me yet. I have to shake my head and laugh a little. Damn, I've worn some pretty shitty clothes but I still don't want to be caught dead in this.
The entire outfit looks like it's made out of really fine material. The button down long sleeve shirt is made out of maroon cotton. The pants are black and look pretty business savvy, probably also made out of cotton. The only problem with this is it looks really worn out. Not quite hobo but definitely not well cared for. There's places on the fabric that have worn down from use and appear almost shiny in the light, especially around the knees and the elbows.
Well at least it doesn't fit too badly. I pull on the shirt and only have to grunt a little to button it. The pants were an inch too short and I had to suck in my stomach to get it on but hey, it works. I turn and look at myself in the mirror.
I have to make a face. I look like I'm at least thirty years old maybe even mid-thirties. Jesus I actually look close to James and Lily's age. It's the fancy but grungy clothes that look like something a business man would wear on his off days. The scruff on my face totally does not help my appearance.
You know what? I'd probably look older than my age anyway even if I was dressed normally. I've always be assumed to be older because of my height and brawn. Not only that but, my crooked nose, dark expression, and sharp jawline have always had me pegged as older. Before I looked like a man that would take your wallet, now I look like someone that you would call daddy in the bedroom.
Ugh, I'm so disgusted by myself.
I sigh and just sit down on the bathroom floor.
Ok, going to some magical mall where we can get some clothes and the wands that James mentioned then we go home. Sounds simple enough except we are both sleep deprived, Harry hates being around his family, I'm going to be around some wand wielding maniacs, and I literally have no idea how they're going to react to me.
I place my head in my hands.
Ok, it's going to be ok. I mean James thinks this is a good idea and Lily isn't stopping it so it can't be too bad. Except James is a little fuck that can't even keep track of his kid and Lily basically just goes along with everything.
Ok Nico, at least they are also worried about their lives and would probably not do something to endanger them. At least they will protect you because they don't want to get fried by The Ministry.
Yeah, and it's not like I'll let Harry out of my sight. I'll just calm him down. Just don't die.
I get up with a groan and head to the bedroom.
Ok, it's show time.
Harry is still snoring softly under the covers when I enter the room. He startles a little when I close the door and I curse myself for being so heavy footed. Jesus, I just wanted to give the kid a few extra minutes. One of us has to be somewhat well rested or this day is going to end in a bloodbath.
He whines about being woken and I decided that it's better to just get it over with so I walk over to him and pick him up. He's burying his head into the crook of my neck and whining in a higher pitch.
Yeah, this is going to be a shitty day if we already feel like crap.
"Come on kid. It's time to go shopping."
"No." He bashes his head into my shoulder repeatedly while groaning, "No, go away."
Ugh, come on child. I end up placing him on the bathroom floor. He flops down on his back like the little diva he truly is. I just sigh for the fiftieth time today and get his clothes from the dresser. Lily places them there every day and I can't help but be creepied out about the thought of her coming in the room while we're not there.
I plop them next to Harry and reach over to pull him into an upright position. I've been doing this for a week now and am pretty much an expert. Once I've wrestled him into his clothes, I look and cringe a little when I see what he has on.
The shirt he's wearing is worn down and has much lighter patches. Since it was originally navy blue, the sky blue patches make it look really awful. His pants are beige and the knees almost have holes in them.
These clothes are probably three years old. Mason is pretty tall for his age and has a least a foot on Harry. They're probably reaching the end of the barrel at this point.
Ok, we both gonna look ratchet today.
We get downstairs to the living room where everyone is gathered. Harry is basically hanging in my arms like a limp noodle but hey, we're here.
Ginger Fuck's eyes are shining as he bounces obnoxiously around the room. James just looks like he's dreading this trip and Lily is smiling forcibly. Yay, the party is complete now.
"We'll be using floo travel today." Seeing my confusion, she continues, "Floo travel is throwing the floo powder," points to a little pot on the mantle that seems to be filled with soot, "into the fireplace and yelling out your location. So you'll stand in the fireplace and say 'Diagon Alley' then throw the floo powder and the flames will take you to the location."
…
The fuck is this shit? I'm going back to bed.
I start to turn around and just go upstairs but Lily quickly adds, "I'll go first and show you how it's done!" I'm so going to regret turning around but I do it anyway and watch Lily crouch in the fireplace.
She clears her throat and clearly says, "Diagon Alley." Green flames engulf her and I jump back and turn around to position Harry away from the fire. You know, when she said the flames carry you to the place, I thought you were gonna like be going through a portal not being set on fire!
I'm out. No way, I ain't gonna risk my life just to be wedgie free.
"It's your turn. Go on, we have a lot to do today." James sighs irritably. Oh you little fuck, don't you dare act like I'm being irrational here.
I glare venomously but step into the fireplace, being careful not to hit Harry's head on the corner. He sits up straight and wraps his arms around my neck.
We share a look.
Yeah kid, me too.
I grab the soot like material and cough when some of it goes in my mouth. Magic shit or not, it doesn't taste any different than dirt to me. I'm still coughing when I shout, "Diagonally." Shit I fucked up.
Good job Nico, you had literally one job. Now we might end up in someone else's home and we're going to be completely screwed. I'm sweating bullets by time the flames surround us and I feel like when we first teleported here. A hook was attached to my stomach and it jerked me around as we spun in place. I could see the living rooms of many homes flash as we were engulfed with poisonous green light.
Then, we're pushed out of the fireplace and I have to reach out a hand to steady myself while holding Harry. His grip tightens around my neck and I almost choke from the force of it. Jesus kid, suffocating me will not help this situation.
I catch my breath and try to stop the floor from swaying. I look around and instantly know that I'm screwed.
The entire place looked like that creepy basement your estranged uncle hides his blow up dolls in. It's dark and smells of mildew. The floor is made of dark wood but looked like it should have rotted away years ago. A thick layer of dust was on every surface and floated in the air, creating a fog.
Oh God, that looks like a motherfucking hand on that pillow.
Fuck this, I whirl around and try to find the nearest exit.
"Welcome to Borgin and Burkes, how can I help you gentleman today?" A rattling disembodied voice whispers and I have to fight from screaming. I turn around and see a decrepit hunched over old man who seems to be wearing a gray dress. His eyes are an eerie electric blue and it locks onto me.
No, I did not sign up for this shit. Ok, just play along with him and we can leave without ending up with our hands for sale.
"Just looking for a," Shit, what's a witchy sounding thing, "cauldron?" Harry is practically choking me so the last part comes out a little wheezy but the man seems to be excited by my request.
"Excellent choice. Come with me." He gestures to a back room and I can't help but think that all the horror movies tell me that this is a bad idea. Still I'm not getting serial killer vibes from the man and I really don't want to piss him off so I reluctantly enter the dingy poorly lit room.
There are pots everywhere like piled on top of each other from the floor to the ceiling. This place was pretty small about as big as our bedroom but it managed to bulge with the items. All the pots are gleaming like they've been freshly polished and they shine in what little light the room provides.
Ok Nico, pretend to browse and then leave.
Harry stirs in my arms. I look down and see his cat like eyes staring up at me. Oh, I know that look, he wants something.
I cautiously let him down on the dirty floor and he immediately runs over to this medium sized bronze colored cauldron. It had strange characters around the rim of it that seemed to glow blue. There was even more figures around the entire surface of it that glowed in different hues. I look closer and it almost seems like the thing is made up of sections. Each piece had an image on it and it looked almost like a puzzle.
"Ah, I don't think he'd want that." The man shifts his eyes nervously, "It's a very temperamental instrument."
"What is it like cursed or something?" Get that thing away from him if it has some freaky voodoo shit. I reach to grab the cauldron away from him but the man speaks up again.
"No, No. It's just not a lot of people have the patience to learn the art of the Romani potions." I look at him with my brows raised, "This is a Romani cauldron. Every part of it is made up of runes that can change the composition of it. So right now it looks like bronze, with the right combination it can turn to gold and so on and so forth."
He chuckles, "It can even bolster the effects of potions. The only problem is, no one knows the language of the cauldron except the Romani. The wrong combination can spoil potions or even blow them up."
While he was explaining, Harry was pressing the sections seemingly randomly but with a look of intense concentration on his face. Kid, he just said it could blow things up. I reach to grab it out of his hands but the pot starts to glow brightly. It seemed to fold in on itself and a new layer of metal melded its way on top of the previous bronze layer. It looked like some type of black material and once it set in, the runes stopped glowing as brightly.
Harry smiles cutely, "See now it looks like a real witch's pot!" He chirps.
The old man is just gaping at the kid. His eyes are bulging and I'm kinda worried he's having a heart attack.
"How…?" He gasps.
The kid tilts his head to the side, "I just asked it to look different and the letters started glowing like they wanted me to press those one first. So I did and this happened."
I clear my throat, "So, can we get a discount on that?" It works and the kid seems to really like it so I'm going to try to leave with it.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the man seems to come back to his senses and smiles tightly at us, "Regardless that is a rare item, the last wizard that owned it was renowned in his field. A hundred galleons will suffice." Hell no.
"You just said that no one is able to use it before." I raise my eyebrows at him and lean in, "I don't care about it being famous or nothing. I just need it to work besides, the kid just turned it into any old cauldron. Who would buy that? You can't even turn it back can you? How are you going to prove to anyone that it's a rare item?" Looking at the thing, it looked even more dingy than before. It was pitch black and had a rough bumpy texture. Besides the characters on it, it just looks like a rusty old pot.
He seems to get nervous and his forehead starts to gleam with sweat, "Then that means you have caused damaged to this item and I must ask for compensation."
I laugh, "You said that being able to change was what was so special about this thing. Someone tests it and you say we ruined it? No level with me here." I step closer towards him and he leans back despite himself.
"You said that thing is temperamental. Let me guess, it fucked up a lot of people's potions and they kept on returning it. You've been trying to get rid of this thing for years." Why else would he have warned us it wouldn't work? A guy like him doesn't care if we get fucked over. Unless he was yelled at before and doesn't want to deal with that.
"Look, it works for the kid, we aren't going to return it or yell to the world that your cauldrons are shit. Just get rid of it and we'll be on our way." Now he's really sweating. I can so tell he'll do anything to get rid of this thing but he also wants to make money. I decide to push it a little further.
"How many people are going to come here and ask for this cauldron? When's the last time you sold it? I bet a lot of people heard about this thing and just assumed that every cauldron here is shit. Not a lot of people come here anymore looking for them. Get rid of it and then your sales will boost." I'm making shit up but it's one of my only talents. After a few seconds, he finally succumbs.
"Fine, take it." He mumbles as he disappears into the back.
Huh, apparently wizards have a level of bullshit that they can't tolerate either.
As he leaves, I feel like someone is watching us. I felt it before when Harry was playing around with the cauldron but now it feels more intense like something woke up. I shiver and ignore the sensation.
I need to get out of here.
I grab the cauldron and hold it in one hand while picking up Harry with the other. The kid wraps his arms around my neck and nuzzles his nose into me. Ok, just find James and Lily.
A door with a yellowing glass window seems to be our exit so I creak it open and head to the streets.
Jesus Christ, this is a circus show and I've seen some weird stuff in New York. There were people walking around that didn't even look human. An old woman wearing a brown cloak was selling teeth on the side of the street. A man with glowing gold eyes and scales was buying some red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood from a vendor. And people with fur all over were just walking casually around.
I just put on my ultimate fuck-with-me-and-you're-dead look and just barreled down the street. Every time someone looked at us strangely, I gave them the darkest look I could muster. They practically ran away from us.
Good, run bitches.
One shop catches my eye; it's a small brown stone building with viridian tiles on the roof. There was one large window that displayed numerous multicolored bottles lining the shelves. The sign declared, Esmerelda's Potions, in dark gold letters on the door. It was the cleanest store around and it really stood out with its warm atmosphere. I shake my head and try to focus on escaping this place.
I speed my way through the bustling streets. The crowd seems to get my message and parted like the Red Sea. I managed to steer us into a much brighter looking area and I could see a plaque that read, Diagon Alley. Sweet, so I didn't completely fuck things up.
There was an enormous rabble of people that seemed to be focused on one thing. I try and get a closer look. The noise seemed to be freaking Harry out as he grips me tighter.
Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I almost turn around to head in another direction when I hear, "Mr. Potter! Are you excited for school?" Oh shit, I spin around and try to weave my way through the people. Bright flashes nearly blinded me and I looked over to see huge camera that looked ancient, just being aimed into the center of the chaos.
Harry whines and rubs his eyes. I can feel him shaking and his breathing is picking up. I try and turn him away from the flashes but it seems like a wall of light. Everywhere I turn there is another reporter pushing his way towards the center. They push us around and seem to want to eject us from the crowd.
Ok, go time. I roll my shoulders back and basically muscle my way through the crowd. People protest but I ignore them and finally make it to the center.
Sure enough, the Potters are standing there. Ginger Fuck seems to be in his element and is answering the questions like a seasoned veteran. Lily and James are looking around anxiously and manage to lock on to us.
"Oh thank Merlin you're ok!" Lily rushes over to us and starts fussing, "I should have made sure you knew what to do. You're not injured are you?"
James mutters under his breath, "He was the one that messed up. He just had to say two words." Fuck you, I'm still learning this kind of thing. I glare at him but decide not to pick a fight with this many onlookers.
The paparazzi all turn their attention to me.
"Who are you and why are you here with the Potters?" A curly blonde haired woman with red horned glasses points her enormous quill at me.
I give Lily a desperate look and she just gives me a somewhat guilty look on her face. Judging by the way her and James are looking at each other, this lady is bad news. Really? I'm on my own on this?
I clear my throat, "Nico Yates, a cousin of Lily's." My voice sounds rough but they don't seem to care as they edge closer to us like a pack of wolves. I back off a little but quickly realize we're surrounded and decide to just stand close to Lily.
"I didn't know Mrs. Potter had a cousin!" The same woman raves, "Would you mind giving us an interview? We would love to get an inside look." Her fingernails claw into my arm as she tries to physically drag me away.
"No thank you." I growl and yank my arm away from her. She looks scandalized and her photographer snaps a few pictures of my disgruntled face. Her quill is now moving on its own and is writing something on a floating notepad. I peek at what it's writing.
"The Potters are letting a mentally damaged cousin live with them? Child is in cousin's arms. Maybe Lily is trying to cover up an affair and is trying to mask the man as a relative?" The quill scrawled on the paper and I can't help but get even more pissed off.
No Nico, don't freak out. That'll just feed more rumors. Just deal with this and move on. I stand there stiffly and gently cradle Harry in order to distract myself. He has a strange cold expression on his face. His eyes slowly begin to glow and his mouth upturns in a mischievous smile.
"We're going school shopping!" He chirps and jumps down to stand next to me. He looks positively angelic as he pulls us right over to the cameras. I try to get the kid to stand away from these vultures but he still strongholds me over to them. I keep on forgetting about this kid's strength.
"What is your name?" The same bitch croons patronizingly at him.
His sweet smile widens and his eyes take on a puppy dog like look, "I'm Harry! Nico is taking me shopping today. We're going to get some books."
"I see, do you like books?" She smiles sickly sweet at him. I can't help but push him away from her. I don't like the predatory look in her eyes and I don't want her to tear into the kid in the newspapers.
Harry just smiles at her cutely and tilts his head, "Nico reads to me every night and I can't wait to go to school." He nods enthusiastically.
Suddenly, his eyes gleam, "It's nice being with his cousins." The woman's face changes at that statement completely. Her smile becomes more genuine as her quill goes crazy writing at a nauseating rate.
"Oh please tell us more about your experiences." Her glasses glint sharply. Before he can say anything else, James butts in and I sigh with relief.
"We really need to go get our school supplies." He smiles woodenly.
The reporters begin to surround us closer and try to get in last minute questions but James just barrels his way past them and steers us towards a dusty old shop named, Ollivander's. It may not look very welcoming but it's an oasis compared to Borgin and Burkes. The bell tinkles cheerfully as we enter the room and I can hear the rabble of voices fade as the door closes.
The first thing that catches my eye is the piles and piles of small thin black boxes that are strewn around the room. More boxes are placed every which way on the shelves and there almost seems to be an endless supply. It's pretty small, almost the size of the living room in the manor but damn, the boxes are making it feel like the size of our closet. There is a desk with a register that looks older than my grandma with papers are scattered across it.
The dim lighting in here was already making me creepied out but then, "How can I help you young Mr. Potter?" whispers behind me. I jump and turn around to see a tall man that looks to be in his early seventies. His silver eyes gleam in the sunlight and I can't help but shiver at the sight of them. He manages to make the old man from Borgin and Burkes look friendly.
"Mr. Potter, Mahogany, 11 inches, and the heart string of a particularly fiery dragon I see." He turns to Lily and smiles even wider, "10 inches and a quarter, willow, and the hair of a very friendly unicorn. I remember it like it was yesterday." His eyes soften with treasured memories.
Ok, so this guy is a little off his rocker.
I clear my throat loudly, "Umm," they all turn to me, "So getting Harry his wand?" I draw out the last word awkwardly.
The man perks up and holds out his hand for me, "Garret Ollivander and your name?" I shake his spidery cold hand and can't help but scream little on the inside. I hate touching old people hands. It's all soft and putty like.
"Nico Yates." I smile tightly, "So, wand?" I need to get out of here.
James seems to be really off put from my hurried attitude but honestly, I just want to get everything done and get out of here. Being around this many wizards is really creeping me out. I feel a little safer with James and Lily but that doesn't mean I want to stick around here.
Ollivander doesn't appear to be put off by my attitude and starts bustling around the shop. He climbs up a ladder by the shelves and picks out a box.
Ginger Fuck starts throwing a little bitch fit, "Why does he get to go first?!" he blurts out. His face turns red and he looks like he's going to throw himself to the floor.
Lily rushes to reassure him, "Mason, we'll have more time to pick out your wand." Oh, so that's his name. I like Ginger Fuck better. She looks like she's going to actually going to cave and let the brat go ahead of Harry. Not on my watch.
I nudge Harry forward to Ollivander. The man smiles and opens the box to reveal a black wand that looks to be about nine inches.
He places it in Harry's hands, "Now give it a wave." He looks positively giddy and is almost dancing with anticipation in place.
Harry does the motion with the cautiousness of defusing a bomb. Rightly so because the wand actually bursts into flames and turned into ash. Harry's hands are covered in the charred remains. He yelps and runs over to me. I quickly scoop him up and hold him.
"Oi, what the fuck happened?" I yell at the old man.
James and Lily look just as freaked out as I am so I know this is not typical magic bullshit. Mason looks shocked but is quickly turning smug. His expression makes me nervous about what Ollivander is about to say.
The man's eyebrows are raised but otherwise he is unaffected, "I see," he walks over to where Harry and I are standing. I make sure to take a step back. I don't want his exploding sticks anywhere near me.
"Mr. Potter appears to not need a wand today." He says solemnly, "His core is much too broad. He needs a much more focused medium." What the fuck does that mean?
Upon seeing our confusion he chuckles merrily, "My, what are they teaching you in Hogwarts now a days?" He chuckles again but continues, "The magical core is, of course, where magic originates located by the navel. Now there are channels where magic flows through and they tend to follow the veins and arteries. However it looks like Mr. Potter lacks these channels."
"Wait does that mean he doesn't have any magic?" Lily looks positively horrified and I can't help but be offended on Harry's behalf. So what if the kid might not have magic?
Ollivander rushes to console the Potters, "No, Mr. Potter most certainly has magic for he has a magical core, he just doesn't have channels. One in three magical children don't have channels and they get by just fine."
The Potters look like their getting a headache so he tries to elaborate, "The channels are only common in Europe and the US. Do you know why we have channels?" We all shake our heads.
He seems to go into full lecture mode, "Before the time of Merlin, wands were not common at all. Many people used other mediums such as dance, martial arts, and runes. They didn't need to have such a focused medium to do magic."
"What do you mean?" Lily murmurs.
He smiles at her, "Channels concentrate the magic. The hands are a prominent area that the channels run through. Previous wizards just used ambient magic or magic that surrounds them because they were able to sense magic as a whole. Channel wizards are not able to and were unable to use the magic at the time. They were considered squibs and were often exiled by the general public."
James and Lily didn't look surprised or repulsed about the idea that some people were exiled due to not having magic so I can only guess that's how they're treated today. Would they have done that to Harry if he didn't have magic? Mason's earlier words in the kitchen ring in my ears.
Ollivander continues, "It was only until the invention of the wand that channel wizards were able to enter magical society and they ended up dominating in duels. They were able to last longer in stamina though their spells were a lot more specific." Seeing my confusion he elaborates.
"One spell is able to turn a match into a needle and another has to be made to change objects colors, Mr. Yates. There can't be one spell that just changes objects. Even though this is a drawback, it requires a lot less magic output as well as less training. Wizards with channels were able to compete with others." He smiles softly at me, his eyes are gleaming softly.
"As channel wizards began to integrate back into European wizard society, more channel wizards were found and trained and they eventually formed the society we know today. Wands are actually purely a European invention that's why trained channel wizards are more concentrated in Europe. Which is why most people around here will not be trained in ambient magic and will instead lean towards academic." I wait for him to finish before I raise my hand.
"What's academic magic?" I mumble awkwardly.
He laughs self depreciatingly, "Oh yes, I forgot. It's spells that require theory to work. You'll see this in school Mr. Potter but academic wizards tend to have to learn everything about the spell before they are able to use it. It's different than ambient magic where mages just know their magical core well enough to execute spells."
"How will he be able to go to Hogwarts?" James' forehead is furrowed. He shifts back and forth anxiously.
The old man rushes to reassure him, "No, no. You don't need to use a wand for the Hogwarts curriculum. Ambient magic is mostly self-taught anyway. He'll just learn to do the spells required of him in an ambient way. So when it's time for a cheering charm, he'll just have to focus his core and channel his magic through another medium. It's pretty common actually. Many in India do the same."
What the fuck is happening here?
My head spins as I try to process all that he's thrown at me.
So, the wizard world is way bigger than I expected. I thought that it was just centered on the UK but apparently they are in every country and they all have different ways to do magic. So even if I manage to leave this place, I can be hunted down on every continent.
Ok Nico, you already knew this just don't freak out because you are now forever trapped. Jesus, I might have a stroke right here and now. Don't think about it. Focus on the other problem.
Harry is going to be behind his classmates. Not only in reading but all other subjects. We need to figure something out, maybe I can get him a tutor.
The wand maker sighs, "This all used to be common knowledge in my time, it seems that since the education reformation, things have been a little lacking in the Hogwarts curriculum." Before I could question what he meant by that, James decided to be an ass and reassert himself in the conversation.
"How will he use magic?" James sputters, he's obviously at his limit for today.
Ollivander just smiles and points to the cauldron still dangling in my free hand, "It seems that you already have one medium."
He practically whisks the cauldron out of my hand and examines it with admiration, "Such a well-made Romani Cauldron. Such an array of runes and it was well taken care of. Oh, the mage must have wanted to pass this down." He places it back in my limp hand.
"What?" I stare at him like the loon he is. Who the fuck treats a pot like it's a baby?
He turns to me, "Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Yates. It's just that it's rare to see such a beautiful craft. Being an artisan myself, I can't help but admire another ones work."
"Why does it work for him? The owner said the others couldn't get it to work." I shift Harry in my arms a little.
"Ah yes. You see Romani people use cauldrons similarly to how we use wands. They need to be specially made for the mage because they need to interact well with the core. Wands do choose the wizard you know! This cauldron has a similar consciousness. It seems Mr. Potter has a similar enough core to use this particular cauldron." He finishes with a flourish.
"So it just happened?" I say slowly.
"Of course, some wizards are able to reuse wands. They tend to be kept in the family and given to descendants. It's not unusual that Mr. Potter is able to use this cauldron." He smiles at me.
Ok, so Harry will be able to use magic through the cauldron but don't they have other subjects?
"What else can he use for school?" I cup Harry's head as I say this.
"He's doing so well with the cauldron that I suggest using runes for him. Romani tend to express their magic through runes. Their magic is rather interesting in that they use a wide variety of runes from other cultures. He can just start with Celtic runes and branch out." He reassures me.
"Ok but how does he like use them?" Like how do you use letters from another language?
He seems to become more excited about my questions and clasps his hands together, "Through great meditation, he should be able to manipulate his core outside his body and connect it with the runes. It could take years to master." Years, we only got nine months!
I'm freaking out and I can tell that the Potters are as well. They just look incredibly confused and lost. Mason seems to be smug and when he opens his mouth, I know it isn't going to be good.
"So he's too stupid for a wand?" He sneers.
Oh shit. I can feel something snap in Harry as the smell of ozone trickles its way into the room. The windows begin rattling and cracks form around the edges of the frame. The boxes are thrown off the walls and some of the candles lighting the room blow out.
I just run out the door with Harry in my arms without looking back. I can hear the Potters call out after me but I ignore them. I stop in a nearby alley way and plop him on the floor. His eyes are still glazed over with rage but I snap my fingers in front of his face.
"No, you do not get to freak out." I say in a low clear voice. He jerks and stares at me with betrayed eyes.
"No. We talked about this ok? They could lock you up and take me to ministry. Don't hurt them." He stops glaring once I finish but now his eyes well with tears. I feel a sharp pain in my heart when he starts to cry. His little hands reach to cover his reddening face.
I lift him up and cradle him in my arms. He wraps his arms around my neck and continues to sob. Not knowing what else to do, I rock him gently while shushing him.
"I won't be able to do magic." He whimpers.
"Oi, kid. You're going to catch up with the other kids. We have nine months. We'll get you a tutor." I reassure him.
"But I'm stupid." I tilt his head up when he said that so he's looking me right in the eyes.
"You're not stupid. I should know, I've been teaching you haven't I?" I wipe away the tears streaming down his face, "You're way smarter than I am kid. Trust me, you'll do fine."
He just buries his head in the crook of my neck and cries softly. I don't know what to do to make him feel better. When I sang last night, it seemed to soothe him. I continue to rock him for a few minutes and start to sing in a rough voice.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound." I can feel the intensity of his sobs lessen and continue despite my atrocious voice.
"That saved a wretch like me." I can see that same paparazzi woman taking notes while staring at me but pointedly ignore her.
"I once was lost, but now am found." Lily peeks her head into the alley way. Her mouth open to presumably scold me but she quiets when she sees us.
"Twas blind but now I see." I decide to stop because one, I didn't know the rest of the lyrics and two, I was so embarrassed about two women seeing me sing. I know I have a terrible voice, just don't rub it in my face.
Lily had a strange contemplating expression on her face. Her eyes are shining with tears as well and I'm worried we're about to have a cry fest. After a few seconds, she turns to walk back in the direction of the store.
I sigh with relief and look down at Harry. He stopped crying but is still hiccupping softly. I just pat him on his back rhythmically and try to calm him. It takes a few minutes but I can tell he's feeling a lot better.
Suddenly, he gasps, "Bunny." I whirl around and sure enough, see a rabbit standing in the middle of the alley. How the fuck did it get there? There's only on entrance and we're blocking it. Was it already there and I just didn't see?
I stare at the thing suspiciously but honestly, it looked pretty innocent.
It was only about the size of my hand and had light gold fur with a little white cotton tail. Its dark brown eyes glared at me and I couldn't help but shiver slightly. I don't know why that thing really creeps me out. It looks normal but it's almost like a caricature of a rabbit.
Maybe it's the way it just stands there watching us with cold calculation or why it doesn't run away from us.
Harry wiggles his way out of grasp and runs over to the rabbit. I run after him but he already picked the thing up.
"Oi kid, you can get diseases from that thing." I try and take it from his hands but Harry just glares at me and snuggles his face in its fur.
"Your name is Rabi and we'll be best friends." Oh hell no.
"Look kid, you can't just steal the rabbit. I mean, what if it has a home?" I try and scramble for more excuses not to take it, "Your parents won't like it."
"They aren't my parents!" He snaps at me while clutching the rabbit even tighter. I'm worried he'll actually kill the thing.
I raise my hands defensively, "Ok, they aren't your parents, but we live at their house."
His eyes tear up with crocodile tears, his little lip juts out and he starts whimpering. Oh God, I don't want to deal with this. You know what? It might be good for him to have a pet even if it's creepy. I mean what can it do?
Just as I rationalized that, the shit bites Harry on his right hand.
Harry yelps, "No, don't bite me." I prepare to rip the creature out of his hands but Harry starts crying more and holding it.
"No, I want him. I always wanted a bunny like him! It's my birthday!" At the last part, I have to pause. It can't be his birthday. James and Lily didn't say anything.
Upon seeing my incredulous face, Harry explains, "It's January 15th. Mommy gave me that birthday because I didn't know mine."
What the fuck kind of person doesn't celebrate a kid's birthday? Shit, his psycho mother had to give him a date. I can't imagine not knowing my birthday. Why does this kid have so many messed up things in his life?
I already know I'm defeated when I see the kid's watery emerald eyes look up at me pleadingly. Lily and James can deal with it. I pick up the kid and the newly christened Rabi. I could have sworn that the kid's hand was black for a second but when I look at it again, it's just normal. Doesn't even look like he was bitten. I shrug it off and keep going.
I stand outside Ollivander's. I look through the window and see the Potters ringing up what I assume to be Mason's wand. The little fucker looks to be extremely pleased about this. I don't know if I'm imagining it but he looks even smugger than before. You little shit, it ain't that special that you got your stick. Everyone has them here.
I pointedly ignore them when they come out. Lily seems to be still mulling over what she saw before. James just looks annoyed by my very presence and Mason is staring at Harry with the I'm-better-than-you look on his face.
"Hey, why does he have a rabbit?" Mason points at Rabi obnoxiously.
"Because he wanted it." I snap at the kid, already annoyed by his grating presence.
"We should take it back. Harry can't handle a pet right now." James makes a move to grab the creature but I take a step back.
"Oi, I'll help him take care of the thing." I protest and James' face turns a strange color. What is that again? I know it's красновато-коричневый but I forgot.
James starts sputtering.
Red? No it's like a deep red. It starts with a P.
James starts yelling at me incoherently, "You have no right!" Was what I was getting from him.
Puce? Puce!
Lily steps in before James can self-destruct, "What's wrong James? We gave Mason Ares on his 8th birthday." She sighs heavily at the end and stares at him like he's an idiot. I know the feeling girl.
James goes even redder but quiets down and it's a few seconds of awkward silence.
I clear my throat, "So, where are we going next?"
"Madame Malkins, it's a clothing store." Lily adds when I glance at her. Aww yes, finally I can get some underwear.
I practically sprint behind her as she leads us to a maroon bricked store that has grey roof tiles. The shop is larger than any other I've seen, at least the size of the first floor of the manor. The bell tinkles cheerfully as we enter the building.
I'm floored by how many clothes there are. There's piles of shirts on the tables, rows of dresses and pants are hung up on the racks. I can see rolls of fabric that are at least a foot thick near the back. There are different sections for women, men, and children. The bright colors almost blind me.
A middle aged curly brown haired woman walk over to where we are, "Welcome, how can we help you today?" She chirps. Her face is initially stern but softens when she sees Harry in my arms. I'm guessing she really likes little kids. Harry buries his head in the crook of my neck when he notices her smiling at him.
Her smile widens as she croons at him, "I can see he's in need of a new wardrobe. You can take your little friend and place him on the floor. What a beautiful child you have sir." She gives me an admirable look. Wait what? Harry ignores her suggestion to put Rabi on the floor and just holds him tighter.
I had no idea how to respond to that so I just shrugged awkwardly. James open his mouth to loudly deny that statement but Lily stomps on his foot. She doesn't want him to have a bitch fit any more than I do. Her face does tighten painfully though so I know there's going to be a discussion later.
The curly haired woman ends up being a whirlwind of energy. She first takes us to the children's section where she gestures for Harry to stand on a stool. I place him feet first on it and watch in amazement as some measuring tape flies around on its own. It seems to have a mind of its own but the lady isn't put off by this and just writes down the measurements. It even measures Rabi.
She coos at Harry, "What do you want today?" Strangely, he doesn't seem to mind the patronizing way the woman is speaking to him and just flashes his dimples at her. He points to a light gold shirt with green stitches on the edges of the sleeves. It looks almost renaissance style, the sleeves are looser but the waist is tight. It would reach a little past his waist. I think it'd look ok, it'd bring out his eyes.
"That's a girl's shirt!" Mason sneers with disdain clear in his voice.
Oh, I blink. I guess it does look pretty feminine but it's not like it matters. I mean, this world has everyone wearing a dress so it's not like he's going to stand out.
I just shrug and say, "He'll just pick out what he wants." I don't think Lily seems to care about Harry's choice though she does have her eyebrows raised. Seeing my significant look, she nods. James doesn't appear to be too put off either and just gives a thumbs up. I guess gender stereotypes don't really matter to them.
The woman smiles widely, "Aww, he'd look so cute in that." Yep, it doesn't really matter here. Mason is pouting and begins to whine again. I glare at him to shut him up.
Harry seems to become more enthusiastic and hops off the stool to point at the items he wants. His eyes are shining with quiet contentment as he picks up more clothing. He tends to pick more feminine shirts but seems to like pants. His clothes range from short sleeved, long sleeved, gold, green, blue, white, or gray. He picks out clothes for every season. Sweaters pile up along with a long black button up coat with silver buttons. Little lace up black boots join it. Rabi bounces around in his arms but seems to put up with it.
I smile softly at the kid. He just looks to finally be in his element. Occasionally, he picks up a long floral skirt but most of it is just jean like pants in various shades. He tends to stick to flowing designs. It kinda reminds me of the hippies that I'd run to in New York. What did they call it? Bohemian?
The tops had drawstrings near the neck line. That's going to be a bitch to dress the kid in.
He finally stops with a pile that was as tall as he was. The woman seems to get more and more excited with each item he added. She's probably going to get a big percent of the sales. The Potters are rich but are they going to be willing to buy this. It seems almost excessive but then again I tend to only have a few shorts and pants.
I turn to Lily. She's smiling softly and her eyes are shimmering. A small smile tugs at James' lips. Ok, so money is no object with them. That's good to know because I'm probably going to blow a hole in their budget by being here. I'll try not to spend too much but I literally don't have anything.
I rub the back of my neck but smile and lift Harry up when he bounces over to where I am. I balance him on my hip. The woman coos at us and says she'll have the clothes altered by next week if we'd like to pick it up or they can floo it.
Lily walks over with her to the nearby register and pulls out a pocket book that has a small quill in it. Its tip looks ominously sharp and red ink spills across the paper. I can see the letters carve onto her hand as she writes it and I almost scream a little when I realize that the ink might actually be blood.
Sweet Jesus, why the fuck does these people need to make everything so creepy? I make a face but try in ignore the satanic shit that's going on there.
I check out the final price and am floored. It's five hundred galleons. Didn't Lily say that a Galleon is five pounds? That's about seven dollars each in America so Harry just picked out over three thousand dollars of clothes. Are you kidding me? How the fuck am I going to afford to buy anything here? Every shirt is like fifty dollars.
Lily notices my panic and reaches for my arm, "We will take care of your clothing expenses here. Don't worry." She pulls her arm back and smiles. I sigh with relief, thank God.
The woman bustles over to where I am and gestures to the store dramatically, "Pick out anything you'd like or we can make something for you." I browse and don't see anything I'd actually wear. I mean a lot of it is dress shirts or robes that I'd like to avoid.
"Do you have any sweat pants?" She brightens with recognition at my request.
"Of course we can make them. It's rather popular with the muggleborns." She dimples at me.
I nod and specify, "I just want them to be black and have pockets. I also want t-shirts in different colors. Just make it dark. I only need about seven of the shirts and three of the pants. Can you make some underwear?"
I decide to add a pair of black hide boots. They come up half way to my knee and remind me of my old pair at home.
Lily pipes up, "You can have more Mr. Yates."
Nah, I don't need a lot of clothes. It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone. I just shrug and shift Harry to my other arm. The woman twirls around me and the tape follows her like a pair of dancers. It measures me and I'm struggling not to just swat it out of the air. It's kinda freaking me out.
It manages to finish and the woman is just kinda staring at me with some trepidation. Yeah, I know, I'm a big guy. Lily buys my clothes and the woman says she'll have it by tonight. She waves at us excitedly as we leave.
Ok, that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be.
Lily stops and faces me in the middle of the street, "We'll be going to Gringotts to open your account." She wrings her hands but steels her expression. Ok, is it like super weird or dangerous or something?
We walk down the cobblestone street. A shop with a broom on its sign catches James and Mason's attention.
"Come on, can we go there mum?" Mason whines in a high pitch tone. It grates on my ears and I'm just praying that he leaves. He and James are really starting to get on my nerves and we should separate before I go insane. I'm practically going to fall on my knees for a Hail Mary when Lily just shoos them away. They sprint to the store with childish glee.
I don't know why they want to buy a broom so bad but whatever floats their boat. Harry and I exchange looks. Wizards.
The remaining group continues down the cobblestone street until we reach an imposing marble building. It's easily the biggest building in the district. It dominated the entire place and overshadowed every building. The doors itself were at least ten feet tall and I could see stone lions guarding the entrance.
I gulp but steel myself as I enter the doors.
It looks like any other bank or library. There are teller stations and the floor is made out of various shades of marble. Then I catch what one of the tellers looks like.
Jesus, he looks like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. They are like three feet tall at most and has hooked noses and bulbous heads. Their skin is wrinkled and seems to have the texture of leather. Many of them were balding and I tried my best not to gape at them. Oh my God, so there are different species here.
I try not to offend the race as we trot up to the nearest stall. This thing looked at us with great annoyance and disdain. His maw of a mouth opens into a mockery of a smile.
"How can we help you Mrs. Potter?" He croaks with a voice that reminds me of sandpaper.
Lily isn't repulsed at all and just gets down to business, "We would like to open an account for Mr. Yates. Also, I'd like to set up an automatic payment for fifteen galleons a week for him." She reaches into her purse and pulls out a key. The creature picks it up and examines it with great scrutiny. He looks up and me and sneers.
Ok, so he already hates me.
I clear my throat and hold out my free hand, "Nico Yates and you are?" I try and be as polite as I can be because this thing looks like he can tear out my throat with his teeth.
He leans back and his eyebrows go up, "I am Griphook." He grasps my hand with great strength and shakes it. I kinda bring Harry forward but make sure to keep him from getting to close to him. Rabi gives an indignant squeak but I ignore him.
"Say hello to Mr. Griphook Harry." Please don't eat the kid.
Harry hesitantly reaches out and shakes the creature's hand. He gives him a soft slightly nervous smile, "Hello." He says in a small voice. I can tell that he charmed the thing because his entire face becomes less stern and he turns to Lily.
"That can be done today with a fee of ten galleons." He croaks at her. Lily has just been staring at me with awe for the last few minutes. What? Did I do something wrong? Am I breaking like social rules here?
She snaps out of trance and hurriedly takes out ten coins that are twice the size of a quarter. It has a giant G on it and has the picture of a wreath on the back of it.
He takes the coins and brings out a small pile of paper.
"What is your full name Mr. Yates?" He is all business now.
I rub the back of my neck with my free hand, "Nikolai Christopher Yates."
"Wait, do I have to sign it with my blood?" Get that shit away from me. My face must have been pretty epic because he laughs roughly.
"Yes, Mr. Yates, it's how we prevent anyone from using your account." Ok, but I really don't want to do this. Can't you just send me like a summary of my spending every month and I just tell you guys I bought all that? Then again, I guess that would be a hassle and I think these guys are like excessively through.
I accept the book with the mini quill reluctantly. Ok, it's just like a regular quill but it's a lot creepier. Just go along with it Nico. It's not like anything here makes sense.
I put it in my back pocket and Griphook take out a small bronze bowl that has a bunch of characters on it. It seems to be filled with some kind of oil. The air around it hums silently and I really don't like where this is going. There's a thorn like protrusion on the rim of it.
"Now Mr. Yates. You have to place some of your blood in here to activate the account." He smiles when I squirm a little.
"Will my blood be used for some freaky bullshit?" I say brusquely.
His smile becomes almost approving, "No. We will only use it for your account. There will only be enough blood for this ritual."
I decide to get it over with and close my eyes. I jam my thumb into the spike and feel my blood drain into the container. I open my eyes and stare at my digit but it seems to have been healed. At least they're polite like that.
The oil glowed a soft gold and disappeared. It was almost like a hole opened up at the bottom and drained somewhere below. A key gleams in place of it. It just seemed to materialize out of nothing. Griphook places it in my outstretched hand and I put it in my back pocket along with the checkbook.
He puts his hands together on the counter and adopts a solemn look on his face, "Now, this establishment will give you five percent interest for the first six months and afterwards you will receive two percent." I nod my understanding so he continues.
"This bank is guarded by numerous wards and your account will be extremely well cared for." He reassures, his smile turns bloodthirsty and I don't doubt his statement.
"Do you have any questions?" Hell yes I do.
"When will the money be placed in my account?" I shift Harry to my other arm.
"Every Monday morning at eight." Ok, so at least I know when to expect it.
"So I'll have a physical account like a vault?"
"Yes, yours will be six thousand and eighty eight." He nods primly.
"Can I get a job here?" After seeing the prices, I might need to get more money.
He looks taken aback a little, "You can but you'll need approval from the ministry." Damn, ok I'm stuck with fifteen Galleons a week. I'll just have to save up.
"And the checkbook will be automatically paid? Like how much time will be in between the payment and when I signed it?" I rub my forehead.
"As soon as the person brings it here and processes it." He leans forward, "We process it very quickly Mr. Yates."
I nod, Ok but I don't know what else to ask the guy. A pit forms in my stomach, what if I have more questions?
He seems to notice and adds, "You can come in with more questions at any time." Thank God, they're actually kinda friendly. Maybe I can get some more info out of them when Lily isn't here. I want to ask about how extensive this world is. I know about the population size but I'm wondering if they have different economies and currency. I want to know just how unified this place is.
We leave after that. Harry turns around in my arms and looks over my shoulder. He waves innocently at all the tellers. They just appear shocked and wave distractedly back. At least he's making friends.
Lily bustles us into a nearby book store. This place is really freaking me out. First of all, it's seriously dark in here. Next, some of the books seem to be moving and making grunting noises. Finally, everything is stacked haphazardly. I mean there are piles of books that reach the ceiling and make me think they are going to be knocked over and kill us all. It's at least as big as the bank and it's designed like a maze.
"I'm going to run and get their school books." She smiles nervously and directs the next words at Harry, "You can pick out any book you want." Harry just stares at her stonily and she withers a little but resolutely turns around and heads towards the bookshelves.
"Come on kid, be nice to her. She's buying you all these things." I place him on the ground. He whirls around and glares at me harshly.
"I still hate her." He growls softly.
I sigh, I may not like her that much but I think she really is trying. I may not trust her to tell me the full truth but I trust her to protect me and help me financially. Honestly, she's the only one I trust even a little right now. Maybe Griphook but no one has really been that informative here. I wish Harry wouldn't be so hostile to them. Then I wouldn't worry about him murdering them and could leave him with them sometimes.
Taking care of the kid is kinda tough. I mean I have to make sure he's fed, bathe him, dress him, entertain him, teach him, and rock him to sleep most nights. I imagine this is what taking care of a toddler is like.
The kid kinda reminds me of a much younger child too. He just doesn't get the danger we are in. He is stubborn and doesn't have a lot of empathy towards others. He's childishly cruel and relies on me all the time to take care of him. He just doesn't have any desire to be independent from me. It kinda reminds me of a baby duckling that imprinted on me. Now he won't stop following me and expects me to teach him how to fly.
I think I replaced his mother as some kind of parent figure for the kid. He just latched on to the nearest adult.
I'm not a parent. I can barely take care of myself. How am I going to take care of this kid? He violently hates his family and pushing them together will only end in blood. So that just leaves me to take care of the kid.
Don't get me wrong. I care about the kid and I want to keep him safe but I just don't know if I'm cut out to be a bigger figure in his life. I feel like I'm just bumbling around and winging taking care of him. What if he wants me to be more than a temporary caretaker? What if this lasts for years? I'll just disappoint him when I go back to the real world. Should I let him down gently now?
No.
That would destroy him. He can't survive on his own and he'll be damned before he chooses the Potters. He's already been abandoned by everyone in his life. I can't be another one to add to his list. I don't know what I'm doing but I'll stay until he gets used to his family or when I leave, whichever comes first.
"Come on, pick something out." I ruffle his hair and he reaches his arms up at me. I sigh and pick him up once again. That's another thing about the kid, he always wants to be within a foot of me. He seems to have separation anxiety and I can't help but wonder what development he's really at.
I walk over to the section titled, "Beginner Subjects" perfect. I browse and am floored when I realize how extensive magic really is. There's alchemy, magical creatures and plants, potions, seeing the future, charms, hexes, and that's only just scratching the surface. So these people are able to use magic to do pretty much anything. Oh God, if they come after me, they'll definitely catch me.
Sweat drips down my back as I just got how doomed I really am. There's no way I can leave alive. These people can look into the future and find me. I have wait until I'm released and that seems like it's going to be a long time.
"Nico, I want those books." Harry whines in my ear. I look over and see him pointing a book that is titled, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." It was really thick at least a thousand pages and it's priced at fifty Galleons but then again Lily was willing to buy five hundred Galleons worth of clothes. I pick it up and flip through it. There's an extensive array of illustrations about the creatures. This might actually help me not get killed so I guess we're going to read this from now on.
Harry points to another titled, "Introduction to Celtic Runes." Oh, I guess he already wants to get ahead on magic. It's about four hundred pages and is only eight Galleons so I pick it up along with the other book. I have to place it in the cauldron. Rabi gives me a reproachful look when I accidently jostle him a little.
"Those ones too." Are you kidding me kid? I can barely hold you as is.
I look over and see that it's a guide of introductory potions the one next to it seems to be a magical plants guide. Ok, that sounds useful.
I pile the books into the pot when I see something catch my eye. It was a small book that had a black cover with gold edges titled, "Ministry of Magic and Its Development." Yes! Score! It was ten Galleons. I can't exactly just tell Lily that Harry was interested in their government so I'll just buy it.
I nearly trip over the books on the floor but I make it to the register where Lily is standing with a pile of books at least two feet tall. I look at the subjects curiously, I wonder what Harry will be learning.
Something called Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and Herbology. What the fuck? They are supposed to learn all that? Oh my God, Harry is going to be behind. I feel my breathing become shallower as I start to realize how insane this is.
I had no idea that magic was this extensive. If this is what they have to learn at eleven, I can only imagine what full grown wizards can do.
I rock Harry a little to calm myself and just place his books on the counter along with the others. Be cool Nico, don't show them your fear.
"It's nice to have another bookworm in this family." Lily turns her attention to Harry. He just buries his head in the crook of my neck and I can tell that that killed her a little inside.
I watch her ring everything up and then it's my turn. I place my book on the surface and pull out the checkbook. Basically, it had a space to write the amount you want to pay and a signature. The back had a place for the recipient to sign. Ok, like a normal check. I sign it one handed with Harry still almost choking me with his clinginess. I feel the bite of some kind of blade as I sign my name. Oh God, it actually feels like a knife is carving my name into my hand.
I steel myself and look down only to see my skin being cut into my name. I watch slightly fascinated. Well, that's one way to ensure that I spend wisely.
I write a ten in the Galleon box and just give it to the man behind the counter. He smiles and wishes me a good day. I nod and pick up the book. I just decide to hold it in the cauldron because I have no room.
Lily waves her wand and the books are shrunk until they are only about one fourth of their original size. She places them in a shopping bag that she had in her purse.
We walk outside and I watch Lily bite her lip before she faces us, "You can wait here while I get something. I need to also get parchment and quills for the boys." She tries to give Harry a friendly look, "I'll see you soon Harry." Harry just stares at her and I can tell that Lily was on the verge of tears when she leaves.
Harry pokes me on my cheek when she's out of sight. I look down and he's pouting at me.
"What?" I narrow my eyes.
"Ice cream." He points at a nearby shop called Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour.
Oh damn. Well I was hungry anyway.
The entire store was a powder blue and a middle aged man with wispy hair greeted us cheerfully.
"What would you like gentlemen?" He beams at us.
I stare at the menu and am slightly grossed out. I mean they had blood flavored and that's just disgusting but they also had every other flavor under the sun including butter pecan. Thank God, I haven't had any in a week.
I ask for butter pecan and Harry got chocolate fudge. All of this amounted to two galleons and I couldn't help but be relieved about the prices. Maybe only books and clothes are expensive in this world.
We eat in one of the booths and I stare out the window while he makes a mess of himself. I sigh and wipe his face with a napkin but I can tell he's going to need a bath later. I fuss over him a little but he seems to be more concerned over Rabi.
I just give up and look out the window again. I can see that reporter woman taking notes outside by Madame Malkin's. Her quill is just going crazy and she seems to be whispering to her photographer. I decide to stay here until I know she's gone.
I turn to the kid, "Look, you need to get along with the Potters at least pretend like you tolerate them." He whips his head towards me and glares at me. Rabi gives a sympathetic huffing noise.
"I don't want to. I hate them." He growls softly.
I sigh, "Look kid, we don't have anything. If we didn't have the Potters then we'd be trapped here and on the streets. Don't give them a reason to do that." I doubt the Potters would actually kick us to the curb but I need the kid to chill a little.
I add, "And it's alright to hate them. Trust me, they are pretty shitty. Just don't show that you hate them."
He seems to consider my words. I try to push it a little more.
"We'll get through this together kid." His attitude will hopefully change over time but I'm not going to push it too hard today. He's already over stressed.
I take a new napkin and rub away the chocolate on his face. He even managed to get some on Rabi. Well, I guess I'm giving them both a bath tonight.
He finally seems to get it but I can tell he doesn't like it. I feel relieved knowing he won't make any more death threats around them.
I check and see if the coast is clear and then we leave.
We end up back at the bank and the Potters are waiting for us. Mason is proudly holding a sleek looking broom but he looks angry about something. James is also holding one and he ends up extending it to Harry.
"We can play Quidditch together." He runs his hand through his wild hair, "Mason and I can teach you all about it."
Harry looks unenthused and tries to just focus on Rabi. I nudge him with my hand and give him a look. Be nicer.
He mumbles, "Ok, thank you," before he reaches up his free arm and I hold him with Rabi. Jesus, it's staring into my soul.
James looks really upset about Harry's attitude but seems to accept that that's as good as it's going to get. I see the ratty old dime on the floor and immediately get a flashback to how we came here. I have to admit, I froze up and stared at the thing bug eyed for a few seconds.
Lily notices, "We can take the floo through the Leaky Cauldron."
Yeah, I'd rather die than take that thing again. I shiver a little, I'm never gonna look at a dime the same way again.
We walk down the street and end up in front of a red brick wall. Ok, so what now? Lily taps the wall in a strange pattern with her wand. It opens up from the middle and arranges the bricks until we can see a dingy old pub.
Yeah, this seems legit.
I try and ignore the weird vibes I'm getting when we enter through the back door. Wow, this place is packed. Every booth is filled and the dining tables are also full. Again, some of the people don't look entirely human but it has a warm if grungy atmosphere. That is, until everyone gasped and stared at us.
Not this shit again.
Every person jumps to their feet and tries to shake Mason's hand, "Mr. Potter it's amazing to finally meet you!" One of them yells over the noise. Jesus, they just keep on coming in droves. Mason is smiling cordially and acting like the celebrity he is, happy to meet his fans but feeling superior as well.
Why the fuck is everyone freaking out about this kid? I mean, James and Lily said something about him playing a role in a dark wizard's death but I mean, come on. How big of a deal is this shit? I end up losing it when someone bumps into me and squishes Harry in their haste to get to Mason.
"So sorry but we need to get going." I say loudly above the people's rabble. I really don't have time for this shit. Mason pouts at me again but I honestly couldn't care less.
I turn to Lily, "Where do we need to go?" She silently points at the nearby fireplace and for once, I'm actually relieved to see it. We hustle over and Lily starts to explain it to me.
"Now, you're keyed to the wards so just do what you did before and say, 'Potter Manor'. Then you should be fine." She twirls her hair, "Are you going to be ok?"
I shrug and give her a smirk. I just jump into the fireplace with Harry in tow and hope to go that I won't mess this up. Ok Nico, don't get lost.
"Potter Manor!" I intone and throw the floo into the floor of the fireplace. Green flames engulf us and I'm relieved to see the living room of the home when we stumble out. Ugh, I feel sick. Being spun like that does not do well with my stomach.
I place Harry on the ground but he fights me by clinging to my neck tighter. He whines and whimpers until I finally manage to free myself. Then, he glares at me and starts crying. I can totally tell that those are fake tears but that doesn't mean I want him to do that. I just sigh and hold him again. The cauldron with the book is in my right hand and he and Rabi are in my left. I feel like a pack mule.
Flames roar to life in the fireplace and Lily pops out with a grateful smile. She obviously didn't expect me to make it. Her expression fades when she sees Harry glaring at her with murder in his eyes. He obviously done with these people for today.
"I got you something." She whispers. Her hand goes into her pocket and a trunk the size of a quarter comes out. What the fuck? She waves her wand over it and it expands until it's about two feet tall and four feet long.
It appeared to be made out of leather covered cherry wood. The covering was black and it had a gold buckle. The lock was also gold and it actually looked really fancy. It actually reminds me of more of an old fashioned brief case than anything. She continues to wave her wand over the thing and sweat gathers on her brow as she puts the final touches on it.
"Now you'll be able to shrink it when you touch the lock. It's keyed to you and Harry only." She looks at me hopefully, "There's more." She gestures for me to open it.
I do so by setting down the cauldron and leaning over awkwardly with Harry. The lock appears to be a dial, there's a button in the middle so if I press that it will shrink. I turn it clockwise until something snaps and the lid pops open. There are stairs leading to a lighted room. I stare at Lily incredulously and she smiles again.
"Go on." She says.
I walk down cautiously. For all I know this could be something creepy.
Instead I'm lead into a spacious living room. There are no windows but the lighting coming from an unknown source makes it appear open and friendly. I can see a gray stone large fireplace that has a mantle. This place could easily fit two of our bedrooms in it. A stairway is behind me leading up into the outside world but I can see another stairwell to the right of it. I see an open archway to the left and it leads into a dining room. Two doors branch off from the room.
I take a peek into the one on the left and it's a spacious kitchen that reminds me a lot of the Potter's. The walls are a dark stone and the counters are white marble. There is a black stove that while it doesn't look like it runs on wood, it's still pretty vintage. There is counter space to put some stools and have somewhere to eat on the island. A gray metal fridge sat on the right by the door.
I can see that the room was attached to a family room. It had an open floor design and you can clearly see the room. I can tell that the other door in the dining room lead to this.
All the walls are pristine white and the floors are made of light wood. I can see that there are stairs leading down to the basement to the left of the entrance. I follow them down and am greeted with a completely dark gray stone room. It's very large and even has shelf space carved into the walls.
"This is a potion room." Lily chirps out, "Upstairs has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The walls change colors all you have to do is tell them. There's a library room connecting to this one." To the left I can see an open entrance leading into a room the size of the rest of the house.
The walls were at least fifteen feet tall and were lined with cherry colored bookshelves that were carved into the building. The room extended back about thirty feet and I can see a bunch of ladders that allowed people to reach the highest shelves. The floor was a light beige wood and the walls between the book cases was also white. Chandeliers gave the room a very welcoming feeling. I almost had to pick my jaw off the floor.
Harry jumped off me ran to the back of the room with Rabi bouncing in his arms. He twirled around the room giggling softly.
"Ok, what's the deal?" I level with her. There's no way she's just giving us this house.
She turns to me startled but quickly recovers, "Harry is better when he's with you." She admits quietly with her eyes downturned.
"I don't want to push him away," she sighs heavily, "but I also don't want to push him until he hates us. A little space will do him some good."
"Why this much though? You didn't need to give us a house." I scratch the back of my head awkwardly.
The lines around her eyes tighten, "I know that Harry is not open to becoming part of the family right now and living in our home has made him even more hostile lately."
I don't know what else to say so I just nod.
She continues, "He probably feels like he doesn't have any say or power in our home and I don't want to make him feel like he's in a prison. You'll still be living in our home but this will give you both a little more freedom and privacy."
"How's James going to deal with this?" I snort. I can only imagine him accusing me of whisking Harry away again.
She wrings her hands and looks down, "He'll probably throw a fit." She deadpans to me. Well, at least you know your husband.
"But I know he loves Harry and only wants the best for him." She turns to me again, "He'll see that this will improve things and he'll come around but I need your help." Umm, not sure if I should be the one to convince James.
She notices my expression and shakes her head, "No, not persuading him directly." She sighs through her nose, "Just try and get Harry to spend time with him, just a few hours a week. Play Quidditch with him."
What the fuck is Quidditch?
Well, it can't be too bad and it shouldn't be too hard to get Harry to hang out with James if I'm there.
I take the opportunity to really look at her. I didn't get a chance the other day when everything went to hell.
I'm struck by how young she seems. I mean, I knew that she was probably only ten years older than me before but I think it just hit me that she had Harry and Mason around my age. '
Look how much I'm struggling now with Harry. She said that some crazy wizard was after them and trying to kill their entire family. I can definitely sympathize with that due to being in the same situation now.
Dumbledore seems to be the one that suggested abandoning Harry. He's a big deal around here. It's like the president walked up to me and gave me advice.
Would I have listened to him if I was in the same position? Better to have the kid hate me then be dead.
She did something really shitty but her heart seems to be in the right place.
And what am I even going to do with Harry? I can't just raise him and take care of him forever. I'll fuck things up so bad. He needs to figure out how to survive in this new world and I don't have the resources to help him do that. I need to at least help them get along if only for the kid's future.
She turns back to Harry pleased as he continues to run around. He sets Rabi on the floor and the bunny hops after him as he dances excitedly.
This might actually work.