A/N: Characters and world property of JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended.
Beta Love: ambiguousgoldfish, the best beta in the world
Of Blacks and Boarhounds
By Zorak23
Severus draped one arm over her and Summoned the blankets to cover them. "Good night, sweet witch," he said softly.
"'Night, Lou," she replied, then closed her eyes.
He watched her until her breathing evened out, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I am so glad I found you in that pub," he whispered, then closed his eyes as well.
Chapter Thirty Eight
July 4, 1992
At seven o'clock on the dot, Poppy flooed into the parlor of number twelve Grimmauld Place and was greeted by a scowling Kreature.
"Madam Pomfrey is welcome to join the others in the kitchen," the elderly house elf sneered, bowing low before her and holding out his arm in their direction.
Curious, Poppy asked, "Is everything alright, Kreature? You seem out of sorts this morning."
He sniffed haughtily at her. "Kreature was not allowed to cook breakfast, madam. Kreature was asked to sit at the table and… dine."
Pressing her lips tightly together to avoid laughing at his scandalized tone, Poppy took a moment to school her expression before stating, "I see. Well, best show me in, then."
"Yes, madam. Right this way," he replied, and led her to the kitchen.
Walking in behind the elf, Poppy took in the sight of the laughing boy with relish. It made her heart happy to see Harry relaxed and content, so much so that she almost missed Lulabelle's greeting.
"Poppy! Welcome back! I'm so glad ya could make it. Come on in and sit a spell, breakfast is almost ready."
Grinning, Harry added, "Yeah, we're having biscuits for breakfast!"
"Biscuits?" Poppy questioned, surprised.
Lulabelle rolled her eyes. "Not like y'all's biscuits. We're not havin' chocolate chip cookies for breakfast." She brought a plate of hot biscuits to the table, along with a bowl of sausage gravy. "These are biscuits."
"These are scones," Severus said dryly, nodding towards Poppy in greeting. "One eats them with jam and clotted cream."
"These are biscuits, and one eats 'em with gravy," Lulabelle corrected, mimicking his tone but not quite mimicking his accent. "Just try it, Lou, I bet ya like it," she cajoled. "Kritter said she knew my Granny Comer's biscuit recipe. Granny makes the best biscuits this side of the Mississippi. Or that side, I guess now…" she trailed off, and Severus stood from his place at the table to wrap her in his arms; he'd noticed her smile dim when she was reminded of just how far from home she was once again.
"I would be happy to try some of Madam Comer's biscuits, sweet witch," Severus told her, and just like that her smile returned.
"Oh my sweet baby Jesus, I'd give everything in my vault to hear ya call her Madam Comer to her face, Lou," Lulabelle laughed.
Confused, Severus raised a questioning brow at her. "And why is that?" he asked, noticing that Poppy and Harry were just as interested in her answer.
"She'd chase ya right outta the house and make ya go cut a switch. Back home, bein' a madam means ya run a whorehouse," she replied, snickering at the tall man. "Granny Comer's a devout Southern Baptist; she'd have your hide for that!"
"What's a switch?" Harry asked as Poppy covered her smile with her hand.
"It's… well, she'd make him go cut a branch off a tree and then whack him with it," Lulabelle said cautiously.
"A whole tree branch?" Harry asked, and Severus winced, wishing they didn't have to explain this to a boy who had so recently been removed from an abusive home.
"Just a lil' skinny one," Lulabelle replied. "And really it was more of a threat than somethin' that actually happened. Mama says she only made Uncle Jerry cut one the once."
"What did he do?" Harry wanted to know.
Lulabelle snorted. "Snuck into the barn to smoke pot and ended up settin' the hayloft on fire," she replied. "And that was way before marijuana was legal in Oklahoma, too."
Harry grinned at her. "I'd probably be mad, too," he admitted. "What's a whor—"
"Breakfast looks lovely, Lulabelle," Poppy interrupted loudly as she swiftly moved to the table to take a seat.
"Thank ya kindly, Poppy," Lulabelle said with wide eyes and a grateful smile. "Lou made me a full English last week; I figured y'all could try a breakfast from back home."
As everyone settled into their places at the kitchen table and began passing plates around, Harry asked, "Is this porridge? It doesn't quite look the same…"
Lulabelle laughed. "Those are grits, sugar. Just plain this time; I wasn't sure if y'all would like 'em sweet or savory. Mama likes 'em with way too much sugar and butter, and Daddy likes 'em with salt and pepper. I like 'em both ways, but cheese grits are good, too."
"And what are grits made of, sweet witch?" Severus wanted to know.
"Corn. There's hominy grits, too, but I like these better."
Before he could ask what hominy was, Poppy said, "Could you pass the streaky bacon, please?"
"Streaky bacon?" Lulabelle questioned as Harry handed the healer the plate.
Severus snorted. "What you called 'ham' when I cooked is what we call bacon, sweet witch. This is streaky bacon."
"Y'all are weird," was her reply.
"At least we don't taste produce in stores," Severus grumbled.
"Well if ya used the right name…"
"Children," Poppy said pointedly, making Harry giggle.
"Sorry," they both mumbled at the same time, then grinned at each other.
The sounds of silverware clinking on plates were heard as the group ate in comfortable silence for a time, until Severus commented, "I am rather surprised you eat pork, sweet witch."
Lulabelle looked at him. "Whatever for, Lou?" she said, mildly confused.
"You keep pigs as pets, Lulabelle."
She shrugged at him. "Ya don't make friends with your food. It's not like I'm eatin' Killer or Richard," she said, biting into a piece of bacon for emphasis.
Harry giggled as Severus gaped at her. "That's a rather pragmatic approach, Lulabelle," Poppy said, offering the woman a grin. "My mother kept chickens, and refused to name them for just that reason."
Once breakfast was finished, and once Kritter had chased Lulabelle and her attempts to clean up away from the kitchen, the group traipsed into the sitting room.
"I still don't understand why Kreature and Kritter wouldn't eat with us," Harry said to the adults.
"Well, Kritter said it wouldn't be proper with guests, but Kreature was horrified that I even offered at all," Lulabelle replied. "It's gonna take some work to make him see that he's family," she sighed.
Poppy grinned inwardly when she caught the way Severus' eyes softened at the tiny witch's words. 'That boy is completely taken with her. He best not muck it up when her brother comes home,' she thought to herself.
Clapping her hands together to clear her thoughts, Poppy said to Harry, "Well, little lamb, shall we have a look at you?"
"Alright," Harry replied, smiling at the pet name. "Should we go to my room again, or, er…"
"Your room would be fine, Harry. Lead the way, please," the healer replied.
"Sugar, do ya want us to come with ya or to stay here?" Lulabelle asked.
With a wide-eyed look towards Severus, Harry replied, "N-no, no need to come, we'll be fine," and rushed up the stairs.
"What in the world was that about?" Poppy asked.
Shoulders shaking in mirth, Severus said, "He is not aware that Lulabelle knows I helped him 'sneak' the beast's bed into his room last night."
"Go on up, Poppy. We'll be fine here," Lulabelle said with a laugh and waved the older woman on. Muttering about boys and their shenanigans, Poppy headed for the stairs.
Severus and Lulabelle sat on the couch, still snickering at Harry's attempts at keeping Sinaka's sleeping arrangements secret, when they were startled by the sight of a box of magical dog treats zooming past the sitting room and up the stairs.
"Did that really just happen?" Lulabelle asked, turning to look at Severus. Before he could rely, however, Kritter popped into the room.
"My young master be wanting Master Lou," she said. "Just Master Lou."
Severus immediately stood up and started for the stairs, concern evident on his face. Lulabelle was worried as well. "Is Harry alright?" she asked Kritter.
The elf grinned at her. "He be fine, Little Miss. He just needing help to get Sin outta his bed."
With a laugh and a roll of her eyes, Lulabelle got up to follow. "Of course he does," she snickered.
Once up the stairs, she paused just outside of Harry's room to listen to what was going on within.
"Please get up, Sinaka!" Muffled movements could be heard after Harry's entreaty. "Come—on—Sin—oof!"
Lulabelle chanced a peek around the door. Harry was pulling on Sinaka's front legs to no avail, Severus was trying to push from the other side, Poppy was holding the dog treats while shaking with laughter, and Sinaka was languidly stretching himself on the bed, groaning with each stretch, apparently immune to their efforts.
Lulabelle stepped into the room, coming up next to Poppy, when Harry said with frustration, "Why won't you move? And why do you sound like Chewbacca?"
"He speaks fluent Wookie," Lulabelle stated dryly, causing Harry, Severus, and Sinaka to freeze. Three heads turned as one towards the tiny witch. Sinaka slowly stood up and stepped off the bed, then, with his tail between his legs, went to stand behind Severus. The tall man scoffed at the dog's cowardice.
"Don't be mad I tried to keep him in his bed but he just got into bed with me and I didn't ask him to but he did and it was okay and I like him and he makes me feel safe and please don't be mad!" Harry said, all in one breath.
Lulabelle crossed the room to give Harry a hug. "Oh sugar, I'm not mad. And if he makes ya feel safe, he can sleep wherever ya want him to. But," she added in a stern tone, "Ya can't keep my dog."
Harry giggled into her shoulder. "Thank you, Lulabelle," he said.
"Anytime, sugar. As for you," she said, releasing the boy and turning towards the dog who was still doing an abysmal job of hiding behind Severus, "Come here, ya big goof." Sinaka slowly walked towards his mistress, who fell to her knees in front of him. Lulabelle wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Ya always know just where you're needed, doncha? You're such a good dog, buddy."
Sinaka's tail started wagging madly and he licked her cheek, slobbering all over her face. "Yeah yeah, I love ya too," Lulabelle laughed. Standing up to escape his ministrations, she accepted the handkerchief Severus was holding out to her. "Thanks, Lou," she said with a grin.
"No need. I remember what that feels like. Vividly," he said dryly.
"Well now that that's settled," Poppy said while trying to smother her laughter, "Let's get you checked out. Up on the bed, little lamb."
Harry removed his shirt and clamored up on the bed, still giggling.
"Oh sugar, your back looks so much better!" Lulabelle exclaimed.
Harry grinned into his pillow as Poppy said, "Yes, it's coming along nicely. We'll see about the scars on Monday or Tuesday."
"And once that's done, we'll go swimmin' to celebrate. England is an island, surely there's a beach around somewhere?" Lulabelle asked Severus.
The man nodded, but before he could speak Harry said, "Er, I don't swim all that well…"
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well, we'll just hafta get ya in some swim lessons. Or we could just toss ya in the water. That's how Daddy taught me," she replied.
"Or we could go to the beach and I could cast charms to prevent drowning, and then put him in lessons after," Severus intoned. "No need to toss a child into the water." The last was said with a slight sneer, making Lulabelle laugh.
"Wait. Do ya even want to go swimmin'? I'm sorry, sugar, I shoulda asked first," Lulabelle said with chagrin.
"Yeah," Harry said softly. "I really do. I've always wanted to…"
"Well there ya go, then. You'll hafta invite some friends to come, too. Ya don't hafta tell 'em why we're celebratin' if ya don't want to, either. Just tell 'em we're goin' to the beach."
Harry grinned at her, glad she'd addressed his unspoken concern. "Thank you, Lulabelle," he said, his expression echoing his words.
"Best walk me out, little lamb," Poppy stated. "It's nearly nine o'clock and you have a busy day planned."
"Quite right, Poppy," Severus said. "Between all we must do at Diagon Alley and driving to Devon…"
"I thought the Weasleys lived in Ottery St Catchpole?" Lulabelle questioned.
"Yes, sweet witch. Which happens to be in Devon."
"Right, right. So Devon's like a state."
"It's a county," Harry said with a snicker.
Severus pinched the bridge of his long nose. "Yes, it is a county, but it is probably comparable to a state. The districts within would be what you call counties," he explained.
"Really?" Harry said skeptically. "Some districts are entire cities."
Lulabelle snorted at him. "Oklahoma City's so big it has four counties."
"Must be small counties," Harry replied, still not willing to concede his point.
The tiny witch shrugged at the boy. "It's bigger than London. Area-wise, at least."
The other people in the room stared at her. "It's got like seven percent of the population of London, but it covers more land," she stated. When they continued to stare at her, she added, "I think it's only like ten or twelve square miles bigger…"
"Is it the largest city in America?" Poppy wanted to know.
Lulabelle laughed at her. "Heaven's sake no," she replied. "Sitka, Alaska is the biggest; it's over twelve thousand square miles. With a population of less than nine thousand, too. Jacksonville, Florida is the biggest in the continental US, but I don't remember their statistics. It's got a lot of people, too, but New York City has the biggest population. Pretty sure it's about the same as London, but like half the size. City folk are crazy, livin' all on top of each other like that."
"Er, Lulabelle…" Harry started to say, but Severus quieted him with a look.
"Sweet witch, you live in London," he told her cautiously, mildly concerned about her reaction, knowing that she hadn't fully accepted that she wasn't going home; that she was home.
"Oh, right…" Lulabelle said quietly. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and said, "Well, I guess I'm city now. Okay. That'll take some gettin' used to. We better head out if we wanna get to the pet store and the bank before we need to get on the road."
Severus took her hand and brought it to his lips. "You know, it is okay to miss your home, Lulabelle," he said softly.
With a smile that belied her suspiciously bright eyes, she said, "I know, Lou. I'm fine, really. Let's get a move on."
Once Poppy had left, Lulabelle turned to Severus. "I don't suppose ya just happen to have some Polyjuice layin' around, do ya?"
"No," he drawled. "And even if I did, I am not certain we should use it. If Harry isn't supposed to floo or apparate yet…"
"…then he probably shouldn't be changin' that much just yet. Right." Lulabelle heaved a sigh. "Well, what kinda glamors can ya do?"
"Er, what?" Harry asked.
"Oh! Did we forget to tell ya? King Ragnuk suggested usin' a glamor if we take ya to Diagon Alley. At least until the custody hearin's finished."
"Brilliant," Harry said with a grin. "Can I be taller?"
"I dunno," Lulabelle said with a shrug. "Can he, Lou?"
Severus sighed and ran his hand down his face. "It would probably be best if he appeared older, so yes. And maybe less… Potter-like, as well." He raised his wand as if to begin, but Lulabelle stopped him.
"Let's go to that mirror in the hall. That way Harry can see what you're doin' to him."
Harry flashed her a grateful look as Severus replied, "Very well."
Soon, a taller (but still average height) young man was standing before them. His hair was still messy, only now it was a medium brown, and it matched his eyes. His face was filled out, and he had lost the child-like visage that once had been there.
"This is bizarre. I like it, but it's bizarre," Harry said in a much deeper voice, startling himself when he heard his own words.
"If anyone asks, you're Harry Smith, and you're an old friend just here visitin'," Lulabelle told him. "That way ya don't hafta remember a new first name."
"Alright," Harry said, poking at his face and inspecting it closely in the mirror. Severus snorted at him.
"Lemme just go tell Kreature and Kritter where we're goin'," Lulabelle said as she walked out of the hall, calling for the elves.
"Do stop poking at yourself, Mister Potter," Severus said. "If you bruise your face now, it will still hurt when I change you back."
"Mister Smith," Harry corrected with a grin, although he did stop poking.
Severus rolled his eyes at the boy, no, at the young man next to him. Suddenly, a sly smirk crossed his face. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would be so kind as to point out that you are now taller than Lulabelle, Mister Smith."
"I shall see what I can do, Mister Snape," Harry joked back to him with the same smirk.