It took Phillip and Eleanor a few minutes to explain to the Potters what "Not being in Kansas anymore." meant.
Eleanor couldn't believe that wizards didn't watch films, and insisted that Lily "just had to see" about a half a dozen before they started school in the fall. By the time the group was halfway to Gringotts to exchange some pounds for galleons, Lily and Eleanor were deep into plans for a "film night" at Eleanor's.
"You'll have to tell your grandad all about it." laughed Ginny fondly.
"Will the Royal Bank of Wizards or whatever it is have a ATM?" asked Phillip, "Otherwise I'll have to go to the one I saw up the street outside."
Ginny looked confused, but Harry said, "Yes, they've got one. Put it in last year." The Ministry had spent the better part of a decade debating whether to allow the Goblins to install computers to integrate with the muggle financial world. Fortunately for the goblins, enough wizards had holdings in muggle banks, which were all run by computers, that the Ministry had had to allow it, "They'll let you into the room they keep it in, since you won't make it crash."
"Now, that's confusing me," said Dudley, "Eleanor doesn't make the telly or the DVD blow up, just her mobile."
"No, there was also the laptop." Phillip turned to Harry, "Caught fire on her. I got her a new one by threatening to take the buggers to court. To be fair, I thought it was a defective battery at the time."
"I think," said Harry slowly, "It's got to do with how often she uses something and how close she is to it. The bank machine in Gringott's is in a shielded room. If a wizard needs to use it, one of the goblins goes in and does it."
Phillip shivered exaggeratedly, "What, you give them your card and your PIN? I don't think I want to do that..."
"You can use it yourself since you're a muggle." assured Harry.
"Oh, that's all right then." said Phillip relieved.
"Why don't the rest of you go on up to Fortescue's and meet Ron and Hermione?" said Ginny, "I'll take Phillip to the bank and we'll catch up."
"I hope your wife doesn't like shopping as much as Phillip does." Dudley said to Harry, "Or we've lost them for the afternoon."
Lily was explaining to Eleanor and Tim that Fortescue sold amazing ice cream. Tim whispered something to Lily, but it was Eleanor who replied softly, "I'm sure Uncle Harry will let you have one. My Dad wouldn't bring you to stay with anyone who would be mean."
Harry and Dudley exchanged a pained glance, "You've got your work cut out for you with him." Dudley shook his head, "Eleanor was a lot younger when we got her."
"You adopted her? I'd wondered if you had or if one of you had been married previously." said Harry.
"Yes, her mum was a crack addict. We thought she was going to be a special needs kid, but she surprised everyone. I guess it's because she's a witch?"
Harry nodded, "Do you know who her father was?"
Dudley shrugged, "Could have been anyone. Her mum didn't give a name and then she went and gave up the child because she couldn't look after her. So I suppose her biological dad could have been a wizard." Dudley seemed to hesitate a moment, "Eleanor's not going to have any trouble because of who her parents are, is she?"
"Oh, these days muggle-borns don't have much difficulty. Since the war, there's been a huge change in sentiment about it." Harry shrugged, "And if anyone gives her problems they'll have all the Weasleys and the Potters to answer to."
"That wasn't quite what I meant," Dudley half smiled, "I just wondered if wizard society had trouble with same sex couples."
"Oh. Sorry. Right." Harry blinked, "Never occurred to me." he replied honestly.
"I think you just answered that question." Dudley grinned, slung an arm over Harry's shoulder, "Bloody hell, why did I take so long to find you?"
Harry grinned too.
Tim suddenly stopped. He had seen something in a shop window and he let go of Lily's hand to walk over and touch the glass. He looked fascinated.
Harry was surprised, the shop was not one likely to catch the eye of a seven year old. It wasn't a display of magical toys or sweets, but an apothecary. The window displayed cauldrons, herbs and a collection of brown wrinkled stones.
Harry crouched down next to Tim, making sure not to crowd him, "What do you see?" he asked.
"Mr Potter, if I wanted a bezoar, where could I get one?" Tim asked seriously.
Something about the way the child asked the question made the hair on the back of Harry's neck stand up, it reminded him of...something...but he couldn't think what, "Why do you want one?" he asked, feeling a thrill of foreboding.
Tim turned to look at him and pointed to the display of bezoars which were labeled "Assorted Bezoars; Cure almost any poison".
"Well, they come from a stomach of a goat." the moment of uncanniness passed. Harry shook off his unease, "But why would you want one?" he repeated.
Tim gave him an appraising look, then whispered, "My mum says she's been poisoned. That's why she needs her medicine. That's why she gets sick with the shakes if she doesn't have it. I thought maybe that could fix her."
Harry sighed, "I'm sorry, but that's not the kind of poison a bezoar can cure." he'd wondered what the boy's mother had told him about her drug habit, "I know the hospital is doing their best to take care of her."
Tim nodded, looking rather resigned.
"You know, you don't have to keep calling me Mr. Potter. You could call me Uncle Harry, if you like." Harry said quietly. The girls were absorbed in their own conversation which Dudley had joined in.
Tim's expression turned hard, making him look much older than seven "I've had 'uncles' Mr. Potter. They were right buggering bastards." Tim stopped and clapped his hand over his mouth, obviously he hadn't meant to say that.
Harry couldn't find it in him to correct Tim on his language, "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that last bit." he winked at Tim, "I had a not-so-great uncle, come to think of it. Do you think you could manage just 'Harry'?"
Tim's mouth curved upward in a smile behind his hand. He nodded, a little sheepishly.
"Do you want to visit your mum? Once she's feeling better?" Harry asked carefully. This had been something they'd talked over with the healers, the official position of both muggle and wizard child services was family reunification. However, unless Tim's mum was completely off the heroine, it was unlikely that she'd ever get custody of Tim back, but visitation (assuming both of them wanted it) was encouraged.
Tim just shrugged, "I don't know if she wants to see me. She..." he trailed off, turning red and swallowing hard, "Never mind."
Harry nodded, he didn't like to give the child empty reassurances. He remembered all too well how it had felt to get his own hopes up as a child, only to have them dashed, "Okay. We'll talk later." He stood up and offered Tim his hand, "What kind of ice cream do you like?"
"Um. Chocolate?" Tim tentatively took Harry's hand as they went to join Dudley and the girls.
"Okay, I think we can manage that." smiled Harry, grateful for such an easy distraction. He made a mental note to ask Hermione if she'd heard anything about the boy's mother, since she officially had his case. In the muggle world, it would be a conflict of interest he supposed, but there were only three witches in the whole Ministry who handled muggle-born children.
"All right?" asked Dudley as they joined he and the girls again. Harry grinned at himself, it was amazing how quickly Eleanor and Lily had bonded, becoming "the girls".
"We're fine." said Harry.
Dudley rolled his eyes, "That good, eh?" he shook his head, sighed, "Nice to hear you both have a heartbeat."
Before Harry could reply he heard someone calling him across the street. Hermione, Ron and their youngest, Hugo were sitting outside of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.
"Harry! Dudley! Over here!" called Hermione, waving.
Lily took Eleanor's hand, and pulled her along "That's Uncle Ron and Auntie Hermione!" she told her, "And Cousin Hugo. Come on."
"Hello, Lily!" said Ron, "Is this our just-discovered cousin then?" Eleanor nodded uncertainly.
"Ms. Granger, it's good to see you again." said Dudley, coming up behind the girls. Harry hung back a little with Tim.
Hermione laughed, "I only go by Granger in the muggle world. It's Mrs. Weasley in the wizarding world. And Hermione to you. This is Ron and that's Hugo." She indicated them and they smiled. Harry didn't miss the skeptical look Ron gave Dudley, the one time he'd met Dudley hadn't gone well.
"So where's Ginny?" asked Ron.
"Off with Dudley's partner." said Harry, "Changing money."
"Hopefully, Phillip won't spend all afternoon gawping at the shops." said Dudley pulling up a chair.
The girls both sat, as did Harry, but Tim didn't seem to know what to do until Harry pulled an empty chair over by him. Tim sat quietly, looking around.
Fortescue came out to take their order when he saw them sit down. After a bit of dithering, Eleanor decided to try the pumpkin flavor, Dudley stuck with vanilla, "Papa's going to get here and want to try the ice mice, you watch." remarked Dudley to Eleanor who giggled, "Phillip's the adventurous one." Dudley went on to explain to the other adults. "I'd never so much as eaten a Chinese dinner before I met him."
"Why does that not surprise me?" commented Harry, amused, handing over the dish of chocolate ice cream to Tim.
Eleanor turned to look at Dudley, "But your parents must have brought Uncle Harry here when he got his letter!" she exclaimed.
Dudley and Harry exchanged glances.
"Well, your grandparents didn't like magic. My dad went a bit mad when Harry's letter came. Dragged us halfway across the country to avoid them." Dudley said.
"Why?" asked Ron.
"Oh, I know I've told you this, Ron." sighed Harry, "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hated anything that wasn't normal."
Dudley nodded, "You should have seen the day I came out to them. You remember how Dad was when you got your letters? He was just like that. Going on about how it wasn't enough that he'd had to put up with one freak in the family." Dudley shrugged, "And Mum there wailing that Harry had cursed me."
"No way." said Ron, "Where'd she get the idea that was even possible?"
Dudley shrugged again, "No idea."
"Thanks for waiting to break it to them until I was gone." said Harry shuddering, "That would have gone really badly."
Dudley snorted in agreement.
There was a momentary silence until Ginny and Phillip came strolling up. Greetings were exchanged between the adults. Hugo pulled his chair over closer to the girls and Lily urged Eleanor to tell him all about there plans to see films at Eleanor's.
Harry sensed that Tim was feeling a little overwhelmed. He had actually scooted his chair a little closer to Harry.
"All right?" he asked the boy.
"Fine." Tim whispered back. Harry was beginning to see what Dudley meant about that word.
"Let's head over to Ollivander and Lovegood's and get this lot set up with wands." said Harry to Ginny who was sitting on his other side now, "I think Tim here is starting to flag a bit. If you like, after that, I'll take him home and you can stay out with Lily."
"You sure?" asked Ginny, "I could take him home." then she saw how Tim had moved closer to Harry. He had even taken hold of Harry's robe. Ginny smiled, "All right, sounds like a good idea."
