Hagrid could easily say that he was nervous, even a little scared. The man he owed so much to had vanished into a portal, and there was nothing he could do to help him except to guard the entrance. He felt like he could do more, but if Professor Dumbledore wanted him here, then he'd stay put.
His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of three figures that he didn't expect: a tall lady, a messy-haired boy, and a tiny black kitten.
"Er, 'ello there," Hagrid greeted, waving a giant hand at the group.
Monika stared wide-eyed at the half giant before slowly walking up and poking at him with her index finger. Hagrid looked at her and chuckled. "Oi now, missy, 'aven't ye ever seen a 'alf giant before?" Monika looked up at him before her mouth broke into a huve smile.
"You're real... You're a real person... You're a real person, and right now, we're in the real world! THIS IS THE REAL WORLD! I'M FINALLY REAL!"
Hagrid stared at her. "Erm...Yep, last I checked, this is definitely the real world."
Right behind Monika came Natsuki and Aki, and Dumbledore walked beside Yuri and Sayori behind them, each holding onto the luggage they had brought along. The portal to the Literature Club closed.
"We're... out," Yuri said. "It's real." Hagrid wondered what happened to make them like this, and as subtly as a half-giant could (not very), he directed a loudly whispered 'what?' to Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry, Hagrid, but I won't be able to answer your questions before I answer theirs, and vice versa," Albus said.
"I-but-uh-I-but," Hagrid spluttered. Things couldn't get any more confusing for him if a centaur wandered out of the forest and asked to use a telephone. Eventually he stopped himself, and gave a somewhat resigned sigh. "Alright, Professor Dumbledore. Just, ah, promise I'll know what's happened later?"
Dumbledore nodded his head to Hagrid. "Of course, my friend. All will be explained in good time." Albus turned his attention to the group from the game world. "Ask your questions."
"Okay...Um...So first of all, what country are we in?" Sayori asked before gasping in realization. "Oh! England! Because you have the accents!" Dumbledore chuckled.
"That is correct, my dear."
"Okay, so here's my question... What are we gonna do about living arrangements?" Aki asked as he stepped forward. The girls all deflated at his words. They hadn't even thought of that. So eager were they to reach the world of reality that they had paid no heed to where they would stay once they got there.
"I will see if I can't find a place for you to live permanently," Dumbledore said. "For now, it is summer, and you may live in the castle."
"Castle?!" Natsuki asked. She turned around to look for it, and suddenly wondered how she missed it. "Whoa..."
"Indeed. That is the castle we use to hold classes. This castle is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But for now, it is your summer home."
"School inside a castle... That's amazing..." Yuri whispered.
"There are a few things you must know," Dumbledore said, appropriately sounding like a teacher. "Firstly, no matter how lost you may be, the paintings will never give good directions, so don't bother asking. Secondly, the staircases like to move, be careful of that. Third, the Forbidden Forest has its name for a reason, stay out of it if you wish to keep your body in one piece." His introduction didn't inspire much confidence.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out," Sayori said.
"Don't ask the pictures for directions...?" Natsuki muttered under her breath. "This whole mess just gets weirder and weirder..."
"Ah yes...The wizarding world has much to introduce to you all." Dumbledore said with a nod.
A few hours (and many surprises) later, everyone was set up in a few unused teacher dorm rooms. Harry was with Monika and Sayori, while Yuri would be staying with Natsuki and Aki. Currently, everyone was having dinner in the great hall.
"I'm going to have to get used to the staircases," Yuri said. "I'm glad they move predictably though."
"I just want to find all of the secret passages," Natsuki said. "If we found the one, there's bound to be more."
"I dunno about that..." Sayori said nervously. "I don't wanna go around doing stuff like that... What if it's against the rules?" Natsuki pouted.
"Yeah, but-"
"And there's also the possibility that we'll run into something dangerous." Yuri cut in.
"Dangerous?" Monika asked. "It's a school for eleven to eighteen year olds, what danger could there be? Besides, the secret passages sound like an easier way to get around. I'm with Natsuki here."
The other two thought about it, eventually agreeing with Monika despite their hesitance. Natsuki made the suggestion to go looking for passages after dinner.
"Sounds like a good idea, curfew isn't until ten o' clock," Sayori said. "We... probably won't be breaking rules if we stick to that."
Aki let out a sigh. "Well, better tag along with you kids...Got nothing better to do. Plus I'll be keeping you out of trouble." Nstsuki playfully smacked her dad's shoulder and he chuckled.
"It's settled then," Monika said. She leaned down a little and had Harry climb on her back. "We should split into two groups, Yuri comes with us, and Sayori goes with Natsuki and Aki."
"Why split?" Aki asked.
"Cover more ground, but I think pairs is just asking for trouble. We can meet back in the dorm area at a quarter to ten," Monika explained, and the two groups parted to look for secret passages.
Yuri shivered and hugged herself as she, Monika and Harry explored the corridors. "I...I feel a weird chill in the air, is it just me...?" She asked nervously.
"No, there's definitely something." Monika agreed.
"Weeeell, what's this? Students in school before a new semester?" an annoying voice asked. The three looked around, but couldn't find who was speaking. "Up here, nitwits!" Harry was the first to spot the poltergeist, and he hid behind Monika.
"Hello, who might you be?" She asked, ignoring the insult for the moment. He cackled at them, and gave a mock bow as he zoomed to the floor.
"I'm Peeves, annoyance extroardinaire!"
"Well, Peeves, you were mistaken when you called us students," Monika corrected. "We're visitors, but in a few years Harry here will be attending this school." The see-through midget clasped his hands together and cooed.
"Awwww, ickle Harrikens too small to go to school?" he asked, then blew a rasberry at them. "Pbthh! What a joke! He looks like he'd keel over if Snape so much as walked within twenty paces!"
Harry looked down nervously, feeling reminded of Dudley's cruel teasing by the ghost's nasty comments. Monika noticed and scowled at the ghost.
"Get out of here. You don't know anything about Harry, and you have no right to pick on him like that. Now beat it, before I get mad." Peeves laughed.
"Oooh, I'm shaking in my-"
"You heard the young lady, Peeves." A cold, stern voice sounded out, and the poltergeist froze up on the spot before slowly turning to look at the source of the voice.
"Oh, M-Mr. Bloody Baron, sir! I...I was just talking to the guests! Yes, just talking to them! I did nothing wrong!" The Bloody Baron glared at Peeves, clearly not buying it.
"Eek!" He fled in a hurry, blubbering out excuses that nobody could understand until he went through a wall. The Bloody Baron looked at them apologetically.
"I am sorry if he caused you trouble, he's an embarassment to the other ghosts in the castle," he said. "We've tried everything to get him out of here, but nothing works."
"Well, hopefully he's the only one that Harry will have to worry about when he attends here in six years," Monika said. The baron chuckled at her.
"I like your spark, you'd have fit well in my house," he said. Monika tilted her head at him.
"House? What do you mean?"
"Ah, you see, there are four houses here at Hogwarts. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Students are assigned to these houses based on personal traits."
"Personal traits...? Um...So what personal traits decide what students get into which house?"
"Gryffindor students have incredible courage. Slytherins have great ambition. Ravenclaws are highly intellgent, and Hufflepuffs are known for being pure of heart."
Monika stored this away for later, thinking it might be useful. "Well, thank you very much, Baron for scaring away Peeves and talking with us." Harry then surprised her by speaking up.
"Um... I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Baron, but would you happen to know any secret passages? We were looking for them when Peeves caught us." Harry didn't know the Bloody Baron too well, but he liked what he did know, and felt comfortable enough to talk with him.
The Baron nodded his head. "Indeed I do, dear boy. I have resided here for many years. Perhaps I could guide you through the school's corridors."
"Thank you very much, Bloody Baron," Monika said, smiling at the Slytherin house ghost. He was a perfect gentleman, and indeed knew many of the secret passages on the different floors.
During their explorations, they happened upon Sayori's group. They too were being led by a ghost as well, this one looking like a knight.
"It looks like we all found some help moving about," Aki said with a chuckle. He insticntively raised his hand for a handshake with the Baron, but stopped his hand halfway and put it back at his side, muttering about not making the same mistake twice.
"Any luck finding passages?" Natsuki asked. "We've been shown four or five from dungeon to third floor."
"The Baron has shown us six passages so far," Yuri said. "I'm surprised that there are so many." The Baron chuckled.
"Hogwarts is a castle first and a school second," he explained. "It's helpful to have secret passages in case you have to take it back from an invader. Besides, it feeds the imagination, wondering how many secrets a castle this large holds."
"Yes indeed, Hogwarts is a place of many wonders!" The other ghost agreed. "Oh yes, I forgot my manners... My name is Sir Nicholas! But you may call me Nearly Headless Nick!"
Yuri blinked. "Nearly headless? How can one be nearly headless?"
"Like this." Nick grabbed his hair and pulled to the side, causing his head to nearly come right off his body, held in place only by a shred of 'skin'.
Monika, Natsuki, Sayori, and Harry all let out an "eep!" at the sight of a ghost's head almost coming off, but Yuri seemed more interested than disgusted.
"It wouldn't be too rude of me to ask how that happened, would it?" she asked. Sir Nicholas shook his head.
"Not in the least, my dear," he said, smiling as he flicked his head back into place. He adopted a sad look, and began his tale of woe. "I was to be beheaded, as one might guess. However, the executioner had a dull sword. It took twenty swings to get him this far, and since I am still with an attached head, I may not join the Headless Hunt. It shames me to this day."
Yuri was intrigued. "The headless hunt? What's that?" And so the group continued their exploration of the castle, Yuri listening intently to Nearly Headless Nick's description of the hunt.
"Wow...Amazing...It's just like one of my books..." The girl said in amazement.
As the tour continued, the group of five found themselves encountering a member of Hogwarts' staff, a hook nosed man with greasy black hair, making his way up the stairs.
The man noticed Harry, and for a brief moment, had an expression of rage, before correcting himself. 'He is not his father... He is not his father...'
Thankfully Harry had been distracted and hadn't noticed the slipup. When Harry noticed the man, despite his unease, he introduced himself.
"Hello, sir, my name is Harry Potter," he said. "We're having a tour of the castle, and so far it's great!"
"I'm certain it is. I am Professor Snape, the potions teacher." He squinted at Harry. "You don't look even close to being old enough to attend, just how old are you?"
"He's five, Professor Snape," Monika answered, a warning in her voice and look. "And please adjust your tone with him."
"'Adjust my tone'?" Snape quoted, raising an eyebrow at her. "I was asking a question, and as for tone, I speak no differently to this boy than I do any of my students."
"I only ask because... well, I'll put it lightly and say he's been through a lot," Monika said, and Harry looked down to hide his eyes.
Snape's mouth formed into a thin line. "Yes, so I've been told..." The man looked at Harry. "The boy looks a lot like his father..." He said softly.
Harry perked up. "You knew my daddy...?"
Snape nodded. "Indeed, I had the... 'pleasure' of knowing your father." Snape replied, trying to keep his contempt for James Potter out of his voice.
Monika caught on and frowned. "You don't seem to happy with his dad..."
"James and I...didn't see eye to eye on many things." Snape replied, deciding not to go into detail on what a bastard James Potter was.
"I...see. Well...Let's keep Harry's idealized dad in his head, shall we?" Aki stepped in.
Snape glanced down at the boy, son of the man he despised and the woman he loved. With a short sigh, he made up his mind to see Lily in him instead of James.
"Very well," he said. He didn't realize how tiring it would be to see the boy. Speaking of whom, he turned to look him in the eye. "Don't expect my class to be easy when you attend it, Mr. Potter. I expect nothing but perfection from all of my students."
"I'll do my best, s-sir," Harry said.
Snape nodded his head in satisfaction with the answer. "I would recommend learning the basics early on. I'm sure a...muggle raised child would take interest in studying our world."
"Muggle? What's that? Sounds nasty." Natsuki said with a frown.
"It's what we call non magic folks such as yourself."
"...Couldn't have picked a more demeaning sounding word for it if you tried."
Snape could think of one, but he didn't exactly want to say a near curseword in front of a child. "Many wizards feel that their magic makes them superior, a lot of them in places of power. More than likely you could place blame on them. Excuse me, but I have brewing potions that require my attention." With that, and a lot of dramatic cape flapping, Snape was gone.
"Where can I get a cape like that?" Natsuki asked out loud when he was out of earshot.
Aki crossed his arms and scowls. "If wizards think they're better than us because of some fancy magic, we won't be getting along too well."
"The wizards that Professor Snape speaks of are what's known as Purebloods," the Bloody Baron explained. "They chifly believe that muggle blood weakens magic, and so hate muggles and people that associate with them." Sir Nicholas picked up where he left off.
"Thankfully, that rotten bunch is a comparatively small group," he explained. "Unfortunately, as Snape also said, they are also very political."
"Ah... Politics... Lovely." Monika mumbled with her arms crossed over her chest. The baron chuckled.
"Indeed, they can be a nuisance."
"Shall we continue, Baron?" Nicholas asked. "There are more passages to show these ladies and gentleman, though doubtless there are more secrets for young Harry to find for himself."
The Baron nodded. "Indeed, come along." The tour continued without much trouble, and Harry soaked up everything that was said.
Soon enough, the group had seen almost the entirety of the castle. However, eventually, Harry got sleepy.
"I think Harry is ready for bed, everyone. Would it be alright if we continued tomorrow when he's had some good sleep?" Monika asked. The Baron and Nicholas agreed, and said goodnight to the group after escorting them to their rooms.
"I quite like the lad," Nicholas commented. The Baron and himself were drifting through a corridor near where they'd dropped off Harry and the rest. "His shall be an interesting seven years I'll wager."
"I'm more concerned than anything else, I have to admit," the Baron said. "You must have seen the look in his eyes, Nicholas." The other ghost sighed sadly.
"Indeed I have, though I'm sorry to see young Harry with that look."
Back in the room, Monika was tucking Harry in for bed while Sayori used the shower. She smiled as Inky hopped up onto the bed and curled up on Harry's chest.
"Nice and comfy, Harry?" Monika asked, to which Harry nodded. "Good. Want me to see if I can try to find a bedtime story?" Harry's eyes lit up.
"Yes please." He said eagerly. Monika giggled and then began to think of a story to tell.
"Hmm... I think I've got one," she smiled, then cleared her throat. "In a land far from here, filled with strange people and stranger culture, a child is born to a chief of a small tribe. On his back was the mark of dragons, three white, jagged, scar-like lines. It foretold his greatness, and his power." Her story continued for half an hour, until Harry fell asleep in her arms.
Monika giggled softly and smiled down at the sleeping boy, rocking him back and forth gently before kissing him on the forehead. "Sleep tight." She whispered softly to avoid waking Sayori, who had come in forty five minutes prior and gone to sleep herself. Harry snuggled in closer.
Monika used the quiet moment to reflect on things. Not even two days ago she'd been resigned to living in a video game world forever, and a few months before that she didn't have the best part of her life running about and cheering her up. Now, she was in the real world, she had Harry, and she'd found hope for the future.
She gently pulled Harry to her chest as she closed her eyes, drifting into slumber with a smile on her lips.
However, before she could fall asleep, she heard something... Harry spoke in his sleep, and what he said woke her almost immediately.
"Mama..."
Monika's heart came close to exploding with happiness. A tear ran from her eye as she held him just a little tighter, and smiled.
The next morning dawned slow for the guests of Hogwarts, most of them laying in bed for a long while. Harry and Monika were the exception.
The two of them had woken up early, and Monika was sitting on the bed, fondly watching Harry play with Inky using a small piece of string.
Monika couldn't help but wonder if Harry at all remembered what he said last night.
"Hey, Harry?" Monika said, making Harry turn his head towards her. "Do you... remember what you said last night? Right before you fell asleep?" He screwed up his face in thought, trying to remember. After a moment he went wide-eyed and red.
"I... called you mama," he said, putting his blushing face in his hands. Monika smiled and side-hugged him.
"Do you want to call me that? It won't upset me if you do." Harry peeked at her from behind one of his hands, and she squeezed him encouragingly.
"... Y-Yeah..." he said.
Monika gave him a warm smile and hugged him tightly against her bosom. "Okay then... I guess I'm mama from now on... Or maybe I should say...Momika..." Her joke was diminished by the tearful quake in her voice. She was just...so, so happy that she couldn't help but cry a bit.
"M-Mama..." Harry squeaked out softly.
"Yes, that's right... Mama's here..." Monika whispered, rocking the boy back and forth gently. She felt his tiny form begin to shake and kissed his cheek.
"I...I wanna cry but I'm not sad..."
She laughed a little, and then sniffled. "I'm the same way. It just means you're really happy." They were quiet as they hugged each other after that, Harry content to enjoy a mothers embrace for the first time (that he could remember), and Monika hugging the child that she now saw as her laughed a little, and then sniffled. "I'm the same way. It just means you're really happy." They were quiet as they hugged each other after that, Harry content to enjoy a mothers embrace for the first time (that he could remember), and Monika hugging the child that she now saw as her son.
The mood was promptly ruined, however, when Sayori woke up with a loud, exaggerated yawn. "Morning already...? Shoot..." She muttered before lying back down and closing her eyes.
"Oh no you don't, Sayori. Wake up." Monika said mirthfully.
"Don't wanna..." she mumbled, already drifting back. Harry ripped off the covers, making Sayori shriek at the cold air and send a tooth-chattering glare at the boy. He smiled apologetically.
"She told me to do it," he said. Her glare turned on a smiling Monika, but by then she had already lost all warmth and was wide awake. With a defeated sigh, Sayori got out of bed.
Grumbling under her breath, she made her way to the bathroom. Harry winced. "Um...She seemed a bit mad..." He mumbled softly, somewhat unnerved.
"No, it's fine, she's just not a morning person. She'll be fine once she has some breakfast." Monika replied as she picked her son up and hugged him.
Sayori quickly finished getting ready, and then Monika helped Harry to freshen up. When they were ready, they walked down to the great hall beside Yuri, Natsuki, and Aki.
"Good morning, everyone," Dumbledore greeted from his chair, already enjoying toast, sausage, and bacon. "I trust that your first night in the castle left you well rested?
Monika nodded her head. "Yes, everything was wonderful."
The old wizard smiled. "Splendid! I suggest you find more of those passages after a hearty breakfast, a much easier task in the day." He laughed at their surprised faces. "I knew from the start you would try to find them. Even the teachers' curiosity leads them to find them, though surprisingly nobody has thought to ask the ghosts in all my time here."
Natsuki frowned. "Seems like a pretty obvious solution if you ask me..."
"Ah yes, well, wizards can be quite prideful." Dumbledore replied.
"Mr. Dumbledore, I have a question about the rest of the teachers," Aki said. "Where are they? So far I've only seen you and Professor Snape in the castle."
"It is Summer break, but I'm here to check on the wards, and Snape has potions to prepare for the coming year," Dumbledore explained.
"I see, I see..." Aki nodded his head in understanding. He was silent for a while. "I need to look for a job. I can't sit around doing nothing anymore."
"A very admirable desire, Mr. Aki. I will see to it that you will be a working man very soon." Dumbledore replied with his mysterious smile.
Aki let the confusing statement slide. After everyone had finished breakfast, they found their see-through escorts to finish the tour of the castle.
"Does everyone get the chance to see the castle before school?" Natsuki asked. The ghosts snickered.
"I'll say this, there's a betting pool for which first year figures out their way around last," Sir Nicholas said. "Young Harry here is being given an advantage."
Harry looked down shyly. "Oh... Sorry... I didn't mean to cheat..." He mumbled softly. The Baron laughed in response.
"Oh, no worries, we'll just leave your name out of the betting pool when your time comes."
Harry nodded. It wasn't long before the group had found their way to the dungeons. The others were chilled by the damp air and creeped out by the dark, but Harry was comforted by the cool and close walls. It almost reminded him of the safety he felt in the cupboard back at the Dursley's house.
He blinked when he realized why he felt at home, then quickly felt uncomfortable. Even at his young age, he knew that being used to places like this to the point of comfort was not at all a good thing...
He'd unknowingly squeezed Monika's hand as this ran through his head, and she looked down concernedly.
"Harry, are you okay?" she asked quietly.
"It feels like home," Harry told her, just as quiet. "Nice, but not nice."
"The Dursleys home? The cupboard?" Monika asked, receiving a nod.
Monika frowned and picked him up, hugging him close.
"We can step out if it's making you nervous."
"Um...Yes please..." Harry mumbled.
"Okay. We'll wait outside for the others."
She grabbed the attention of the ghosts. "Harry and I will wait upstairs for everyone else, he's not comfortable down here." The Bloody Baron bowed his head to her.
"My apologies, I didn't notice. Take him upstairs, we won't be long."
Monika nodded and carried the boy back up the stairs of the dungeon, sighing as they reached the top before giving the boy a small smile.
"Well, hopefully there are no classes down there."
"I'm afraid there are, specifically mine," Snape said, appearing with all the sudden silence of a bat flying through a window. Harry jumped, and Monika gave a loud 'eep!' "They are also required, so I suggest you overcome your squeamishness as soon as possible, Mr. Potter."
Harry wasn't listening to him. Being scared like that had done more to Harry than Snape could have imagined was possible, and now he was having a full blown panic attack.
"Oh my god, Harry!" Monika said, catching the seized up boy before he could hit the floor. His breath kept catching in his throat and his wide eyes darted all over the place. Monika told Snape to get help before turning back to her son. "Breathe, Harry, just breathe!"
Snape left in a hurry and came back a few moments later with a potion in his hand.
"Open his mouth, he's about to suffocate," he said, pulling the cork from the vial. He poured the concoction past Harry's teeth and pushed on his throat to force him to swallow it. Immediately, Harry gasped down a breath and relaxed.
"What was that?" Monika asked, hugging Harry.
"Calming draught, good for panic attacks or stress," Snape said, relieved that he'd gotten the potion in time. "I did not intend to cause this, Miss, I apologize."
Monika took a deep breath. "No, it's all right, you didn't know..."
"I will, however, tell you that I highly recommend some sort of therapy. If something as simple as an unexpected entrance can cause this, then the boy needs help."
Monika sighed. "I know..."
Snape nodded his head. "Mr. Potter?" Harry looked at Snape timidly. "...Just as I thought...He has his mother's eyes..." Snape said, smiling fondly.
"My mama?" Harry asked. "You knew my mama?"
"She was a good friend of mine when we went to Hogwarts together," Snape said, eyes focused on the past. "Smartest witch in our year, and a naturally kind woman."
"So... what happened?" Monika asked. "This sounds like the setup to a happily ever after featuring you and Lily." She immediately regretted the question at the flash of pain on Snape's face that Harry hadn't caught.
"I chose my words with her poorly one day, unforgivable words said in a moment of anger," Snape answered. "Predictably, she never forgave me."
Monika frowned and looked down. "I see... I'm sorry..."
"It was my own fault, yet I still can't help but resent that man. He was the one who drove me to my breaking point, and he was the one who took her away."
"My daddy?" Harry asked with a frown.
Snape blinked. He'd honestly forgotten that Harry was there when he began looking back on his school days, but now remembered the agreement he'd made yesterday with Monika... one that he was dangerously close to breaking. A quick glance at the young woman confirmed all of this, and he wracked his brains to think of an answer for the boy that wouldn't paint his father as the bully he'd known.
"Yes. He was a... decent student, but we had our disagreements," Snape said, scoffing at the extraordinary level of understatement. "He had a bad habit of pranking the whole school with his friends, and barely tried in his classes while still succeeding. I never saw the humor in what he did, and focused on my studies. Not to mention the house rivalry that's been ever present in Hogwarts for centuries by now.
"Oh... Okay... I promise, when I start school, I won't have any fun!" Harry vowed.
Snape stared blankly at the boy, searching for any signs of cheek or sarcasm. The boy had said it with such conviction and had such a determined look on his face that it was clear he was being genuine. Clearly he missed the point by just a smidge.
"Harry, no," Monika said, on the verge of laughing. "You can have fun, he's just saying that your dad got into trouble for fun, something you don't do."
"Oh," he replied, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Snape sighed at the boy he'd eventually have to teach, hand squarely over his eyes with exasperation.
"Six years from now is going to be a joy."
Monika waved a hand. "Oh, he's only five. Give him some slack." She said, mirth in her tone.
"The innocence of youth is a funny thing... And I do mean that literally."
"I wouldn't know what you meant if that was figurative," Monika said, brow scrunched. "Anyways, we have things to learn about wizardry, and no doubt you have more important things to do than stand here with us all day." A single eyebrow reared up on Snape's forehead.
"I suppose. Until we meet again." His cloak flapped behind his exit in a fantastically dramatic fashion.
"Now I want a cape like that," Monika mumbled, sitting down next to Harry to continue waiting for everyone else.
Eventually, everyone else came back upstairs. "Gotta question the point of keeping a dungeon in a school... Think they'd've renovated by now." Aki said.
"Renovate how? It's not a castle without a dungeon, and what could you do to it anyways?" Natsuki argued. She got worried when she saw Monika and Harry. "Hey, are you two alright?" Monika smiled sadly while Harry curled up.
"We are now, but Harry got scared pretty bad a while ago," she explained. "Snape came around a corner and he just... shut down." Sayori covered her mouth with her hands, and Yuri walked over to plop Harry in her lap and hold him. Natsuki and Aki looked on sadly from where they stood.
"Tch... Those people..." Aki grumbled, crossing his arms. Monika nodded.
"Those people is right..."
Yuri put a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmm... you know, now that we're in the real world, I don't think it would be all that hard to find them." Everyone turned to look at her with questioning looks. "We all know Harry doesn't have a mean bone in his body and wouldn't ask us to do what I'm thinking in a million years, but I say we pay a visit to the Dursleys."
Aki raised a brow, and Harry craned his neck to look at her. "As a cop I disagree... but I wasn't exactly a real cop, and this seems like a good exception to the law. Those in favor?" Aki didn't hear a no. "It's settled, we'll buy Harry's piece of mind from the Dursleys."
"I may be able to arrange that." The group turned to see Dumbledore approachimg with that familiar merry twinkle in his eye. "How soon would you like to speak with them?"
Everyone was quiet for a moment from sheer surprise. Not only was the professor condoning their plan, he was taking part in it. Aki broke from his state first.
"However soon is convenient I suppose," he said. "How long will that be?"
Dumbledore nodded his head. "Well... I believe we may be able to squeeze in some time for this afternoon." The old man explained. "It is summer vacation you know."
"Excellent." Monika said with a small smirk.
Having spent the last two days indoors, it was decided to explore the grounds until the afternoon. There was the rule about the Forbidden Forest and to not go in there, but it was easy to avoid, and there was a lot of space to explore besides it.
Everyone split off into pairs, to look around, Harry of course with Monika. She talked to him about what he would do when he enrolled while they were walking down by the black lake.
"...And apparently you'll learn to turn objects into different objects! Like, imagine turning a feather into a pen or something." Monika said to Harry.
"Isn't that a quill?" Harry asked.
"Um, y-yeah, I guess it is," Monika said, smiling awkwardly. They were quiet for a while after that, enjoying the Scottish landscape.
Monika took the opportunity to sit down, hugging Harry close to her bosom. The boy nuzzled closer into her embrace, smilimg softly in contentment.
Harry was almost being put to sleep in Monika's arms for how comfortable he was. He bobbed back into consciousness when his mom spoke.
"I never imagined that I would have a future," she said softly, talking to herself. "For so long it was doing the same things over and over like a broken record. I would have stayed there and gladly missed out on the real world if I still got to meet you, Harry." She looked down in shock when Harry sniffed and wrapped his arms around her.
"Nobody has ever wanted me," he said tearfully. His eyes were shut tight and dripping, but he had a smile on his face. "I love you, mommy."
Monika smiled softly and teared up at the boy. "...I love you too, Harry... You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm proud to call you my son..."
The two sat in silence, Monika running her fingers through Harry's hair gently as they looked out at the pond together.