MY PLACE
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his wonderful universe don't belong to me, but to the real wizard, J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 21: The Greatest Sin
"Harry?!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed; "I didn't know you were up! How are you this morning?"
Harry gazed evenly up from his Transfiguration essay at James's mother. Her face was alight at the sight of him up and working.
Harry smiled a bit; "I'm fine."
Or at least he was as fine as he could be...
"You don't need a Healer? I did call one, but..." Mary Potter asked anxiously.
"Like I said: I'm fine. I'm a tad...well, you might say I'm a little prophetic. I was receiving a...a vision after your son...well, after I saw your son. I'm sorry if I scared you."
"A seer?" Mrs. Potter squeaked with an odd look on her face. She seemed surprised and worried, but Harry could sense there was something else wavering behind her eyes as they dimmed. "That's...that's great." she finished blandly.
Harry smirked; "Not really. Rather disturbing really."
James's mother seemed to mentally shake herself, but she still continued tonelessly; "I can imagine. Er...what would you like for breakfast?"
Harry flushed and shyly confessed he didn't usually eat after having visions.
"What?!" she cried and Harry was forcefully reminded of Mrs. Weasley; "Well, you simply must eat. You're underweight already."
Harry jerked his head at that. She knew?
"You come here babbling about how you can't eat meat, and now you tell me you don't eat after your visions? You need food for strength!"
Mary Potter even sounded very much like Molly Weasley in the throes of one of her rants.
"That won't do...that won't do..." Mrs. Potter muttered distractedly. Harry was pleased to see a spark coming back into her eyes though.
He looked down at his watch: 7:36 AM. That was a little over five hours since he'd woken up. He could probably eat something...
"Alright," Harry agreed; "I'd like some toast please."
James's mother perked up immediately; "Great...great..." She smiled and hummed as she summoned Yogo for their breakfasts.
Once they were presented with their respective meals Mrs. Potter struck up conversation again. Although the silence they had previously experienced had not been unpleasant.
"What are you working on?"
"Er...just Transfiguration." Harry shrugged; "I've already done all my Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I'm slowly working through all my other subjects."
"Defense is your favorite?" Mrs. Potter said knowledgably.
Harry shrugged again; "It's my best subject."
They lapsed into gentle silence again.
Eventually, Mary Potter commented; "So what do you think about paying a visit to Mrs. Laskowski?"
"Mrs. Laskowski?" Harry echoed ponderously.
"The councilor," James's mother supplied; "I mentioned her in one of my letters I'm sure."
"Oh..." Harry murmured softly; "Right,"
"You don't have to go, but she would love to see you-we're very close-and I thought you might like to have someone...someone you could confide in." Mrs. Potter quivered on the last few words, and soon excused herself from the table bustling hurriedly around as if it were a very busy morning indeed.
Harry puzzled over the Mary Potter's proposal. It was true he'd like to have someone to talk to, but most of what he'd like to spill wasn't appropriate.
Then again, James's mother seemed quite distraught on the whole issue.
"Well," Harry answered at last; "I guess I could give it a try...?"
Mrs. Potter turned abruptly around with a serious, solemn face; "Really?"
"I'll pay for it of course," Harry assured her, but she waved away his words.
"No, no. You're family. Besides, Mrs. Laskowski always gives me a discount, but...really, are you sure?"
Harry nodded firmly, but a funny feeling was bubbling up inside him.
The feeling only intensified when he suddenly found a pair of loving arms around him.
Stiffening into the embrace Harry could smell what could only be the scent of Mary Potter. The scent only sent him further on edge with his emotions. It was overwhelming him quite abruptly.
Just as the emotions threatened to explode James's mother pulled away.
Harry looked up into her face and unexpectedly had an epiphany of sorts.
The lighting cast her face into a similar look, and the trails of emotional tears gracing her face filled Harry with a parallel face from his lost dream.
The other face looked nearly exactly like Mrs. Potter appeared now. Shadows dancing across a haggard, young face with tears clinging and paving paths.
However, that was all Harry received. Just a quick glimpse before his mind clouded over.
Harry was able to drudge it up over and over again that day though, but he was unable to piece together any other pictures.
"Harry?" a quiet voice startled him from his book and slice of Christmas cake.
It was Mrs. Potter. Her head was peering around his door. Upon further inspection Harry noticed she had chrisom sleeping robe on with a night cap perched upon her head.
She was going to bed.
"I managed to fit you in with Mrs. Laskowski tomorrow afternoon." James's mother informed him.
Harry cast his book aside; "Alright,"
"So you're positive about this right?"
Harry sighed; "I'm certain."
"I just don't want to push you into anything." Mary Potter confessed.
"Don't worry," Harry comforted giving her a tired smile.
Mrs. Potter did not fail to notice this characteristic; "It's been a long day for you. I'm off to bed-you should be too."
Harry grinned some more thinking just how alike Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Potter were; "I'm fine. I'll go to bed soon."
"Okay," James's mother conceded coming to sit beside him.
Harry suddenly felt the emotions stirring again.
It spiked sharply when Mrs. Potter's arm slowly crawled up his back to rest across his shoulders. Then she tugged him closer in a hug goodnight.
Harry very nearly cried out at this as the emotions swarmed to the brink. Hurriedly, Harry tried to calm his hitching respiration.
However, the emotions pushed forward when he felt two soft petal shaped objects softly come to rest against his forehead.
The emotion swallowed him up with a racing heart and sharp gasp-the latter of which he smothered into Mary Potter.
He quivered once and struggled to hold back more.
Luckily, Mrs. Potter drew away.
Then she turned on his lamp and turned off his overhead light. Halfway out the door she turned back with a wish good night upon her lips. When having bid it she left. Leaving Harry to his dim room in the after effects of an emotional blast.
Harry lay flat on his back for what seemed like an endless stretch of time. It did ultimately come to an end, but he had no clue how long he lay.
It was the coo of an owl that startled him from his stupor, and when it did a rush of conclusion came flooding into him.
He felt dirty.
He felt guilty.
He felt terrible for craving more...
There would be no more.
No more hugging or intimate acts between Harry and Mrs. Potter.
It could not happen.
Mary Potter was not his mother. His surrogate mother, yes. However, his biological mother was alive now. He should be getting to know her better and leaving Mrs. Potter alone.
What had he been doing all time? What had he been thinking?
James may not approve of him, but Lily had nothing against him...nothing, yet he had distanced himself from her.
He had not really thought of her as his mother. He had not thought of asking every possible question he could.
He had thought of her as a Charms partner and acquaintance-perhaps even a friend, but never as his mother.
He would have to do something, for he felt like he had committed the greatest sin.