Chapter 49: A Nighttime Introduction
{A/N: Here's Another Update...Are you lot satisfied with twisting my arm?...well I suppose Dramatic Irony will have to suffice then...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Prince Residence, Modest Flat, London, England, Muggle World...
Harry James Potter found himself wakening in the middle of the night quite parched and rather inquisitive of the noises coming from the sitting room. He heard the front door open and close briefly and the voice of his aunt from his rather comfortable position on the second bunk bed in the bedroom of his two younger twin cousins. At first he felt rather protective of his newly acquainted Aunt Petunia and felt it was his duty to check on her. It made sense given that he was the eldest boy in the household and his uncle had been away on business.
{"You weren't suppose to be back until Monday."} said the voice of his Aunt sounding a bit surprised.
{"As if I needed another day to convince those idiots to sign the latest shipping contracts."} said the voice of a man he had not recognized. {"Where are my boys?"}
{"Sleeping."} replied Aunt Petunia with something of fondness in her tone. {"They've spent all day participating in horse play with their cousins and it wore them out."}
{"Cousins?"} asked the man in a curious tone. {"Your sister's children are here?"}
{"Indeed."} replied Harry's Aunt. {"They are quite rambunctious but nothing one wouldn't expect from boys."}
{"I shall like to meet them come morning."} said the man sounding pleased at the notion. {"For now I have pressing matters to attend to..."}
Harry briefly heard his Aunt let out a loud squeal followed by a fit of giggles before she and the man moved toward what Harry believed to have been her bedroom slamming the door behind them drowning out the sound of their shuffling feet.
The green eyed wizard lied there for a while drifting back to sleep until the urge to use the loo had gotten the better of him and forced him awake.
Unable to resist the urge for long, Harry sat up finding himself surrounded by darkness and climbed out of the top bunk bed, he moved slowly down the ladder in a bid not to waken his sleeping younger brother and twin cousins as he fumbled his way through their foreign bedroom and out into the darkened hall.
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The Loo, The Prince Residence, Modest Flat, London England, Muggle World...
Harry had barely managed to recall where the loo had been fumbling around in the dark and careful not to knock over a series of figurines that were along a shelf near the door to the bathroom. He fumbled with his sleeping trousers as he aimed at the loo. Once he had finally settled and began to relieve his aching bladder, the green eyed wizard noted the rather constant pounding that seemed to be coming from the far wall.
The wall was apparently connected to his Aunt's bedroom and thus he was privy to the constant beating of what he deduced to have been a headboard by the sound. There were a few muffled voices and then a bit of shouting followed by a scream and then everything ceased.
The green eyed young wizard had been more than a little nervous when he finally finished his business in the loo and made his way back toward the hall. The sound of Aunt Petunia's door opening prompted young Harry to move toward the kitchen. He was still parched and wanted to check on her, citing his being the eldest of the boys in the household with her husband gone.
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The Kitchen, The Prince Residence, Modest Flat, London England, Muggle World...
Darkened shadows loomed in the kitchen as Harry stepped inside finding himself greeted by the sight of a tall shirtless man wearing only a pair of dark trousers. His pale skin seemed to be glistening from sweat and he moved as if he'd been exhausted.
"You must be...Harry." said the voice of the man cutting through the darkness of the kitchen. "What are you doing out of bed?"
Harry froze not knowing if he should speak with the strange man in the darkness.
"Not to worry boy, I'm not a home invader." he said as if he had read Harry's mind. "I'm your Aunt Petunia's husband."
The green eyed wizard seemed to relax a bit.
"I-I thought you weren't coming home until Monday." he said.
The man standing in the darkened kitchen seemed amused by this.
"So did your Aunt." he replied not at all hiding the amusement in his tone. "Of course I surprised her...she's a bit worn out I'm afraid...is there a reason you are prowling the halls this late?"
"I-I was thirsty." said Harry noting how his voice trembled due to thirst and fear.
The man in the darkness of the kitchen waved his hand and produced a glass of ice cold juice. Harry's eyes widened when he noticed this man, his apparent uncle through marriage had been magically gifted much like his mother and father.
"WOW!" said Harry rather impressed. "You can do magic!"
"I should hope so...of course I wouldn't be much of a wizard if I couldn't." replied Harry's Uncle.
"I can do magic too." replied Harry excited about being at his Aunt's house once more. "But Mum says I'm not allowed to because I'm underage."
"Your mother is a very wise woman to caution you on that...but you have only a few months left before you are permitted to go to Hogwarts so don't be too down about that." replied Harry's Uncle. "But for tonight...you may cast one spell before returning to bed...with my permission."
Harry's eyes widened.
"Really?" he asked stunned.
His mother never let him do magic in the house for fear of it alerting the Ministry Of Magic.
"Choose wisely, you are only allowed one free spell." said Harry's Uncle.
The green eyed wizard thought for a moment. He had been so excited about getting to practice magic that he had not realized that he didn't know a single spell.
"Something the matter Harry?" asked his uncle.
"I-I just realized that I don't know a spell." said the boy disheartened.
"Not to worry." replied his uncle.
The man moved toward the boy pulling a large black wand from his pocket and handing it to his young nephew.
"W-What's this?" asked Harry in confusion.
"This is my wand, you will get one and whenever you feel ready...you can wave it and say Lumos."
Harry smiled looking at the wand in his hand, he waved it and did as his uncle said.
"Lumos." he said.
The green eyed wizard's eyes filled with delight when he made a white glow burst from the tip of the rather average looking black wand.
"Uncle I made it work." he said pleased with himself for performing a bit of magic.
"Indeed you have." said his Uncle with a hint of pride in his tone. "I want you to remember this moment Harry, even when you return to school and that red head bloke gives you trouble...you have performed your first official magical spell outside of Hogwarts...not an easy feat might I add, so the words and less than savory antics of a Primary school brat pales in comparison, does it not?"
Harry had been amazed by his uncle's knowledge of what was happening to him.
"Yes." replied the green eyed wizard not taking his eyes off the wand.
He could see his uncle for the first time since entering the darkened kitchen. Aunt Petunia's husband had indeed been a tall man, thin in build with lengthy hair the same raven color as the hair of the twins and eyes of obsidian. He looked a bit pale even in the darkness of the kitchen and more so in the glow of the wand's light. The most interesting feature about him had been his abnormally large nose which from Harry's perspective seemed to suite his face.
"Drink your juice and then off to bed with you...tomorrow we will all embark on a little adventure." said Harry's uncle.
"Okay Uncle." replied the green eyed wizard delighted to see what sort of adventure awaited him in the morning.
He finished off his juice handing the glass to his uncle as well as the wand. For a moment, he didn't feel so out of sorts or angry in the least. The green eyed boy was rather grateful for it and showed his appreciation for his Uncle's kindness by hugging him before trotting off to bed.
"Nox." said Severus Snape as the soft white glow of light from the tip of his wand faded.
He resumed consuming his own drink before making his way back toward his bedroom where his wife had been fast asleep following their late hour coupling. He thought a good deal about the son of Lily Evans and James Potter, remarking to himself how the boy had been nearly the spitting image of the arrogant Gryffindor prat whom had made his life a living hell, but then he also had the same emerald green eyes of his mother and an innocence that made him tolerable.
"It was interesting to finally meet you Harry Potter." said Severus in a low tone that only he could hear.
