Chapter 4 A Family Heals
Harry winced as he got into the car and buckled himself into the front seat. He had never been allowed in the front seat of a car before now, and he was excited about the experience. He now had hope as he watched the beautiful Black haired woman walk around to the drivers' side of the car and get in.
"I'm sure that you have many unanswered questions, Harry. You can ask me anything that you'd like. I won't lie to you," Charlotte said as she started the car and pulled out into the street.
"Who are you exactly, and how do you know my parents and what they'd want," he asked for once not fearing punishment for asking a simple question? There was just something about Mrs. Charlotte Whitney that made him feel at peace.
"My name is Charlotte Whitney, and I know what your parents would want because your father James, was my favorite cousin. Your mother and father named me your God-mother. You should have been placed into my care after their deaths. I also happen to be the adopted mother of your twin sister Sarah Rose," she said as she turned a corner and parked next to an old looking building that had seen better days.
"I know about my sister, she's been sharing good dreams with me even though we were far apart. Can you tell me what really happened to my parents? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said that they died in a car crash, but I don't believe them," Harry said as he looked down at his feet.
"Harry, first you need to know why I said that you are special and gifted. You belong to a long line of witches and wizards. You and your sister, both have the same magical talents because of this," Charlotte began.
"Wait, but I can't be a wizard! Magic isn't real, is it," he asked as he watched her pull a long slender stick out of her sleeve?
"You are a wizard, and magic is very real," she answered as she flicked her wand transforming her normal-looking clothes into wizarding robes making him gasp in shock. "Don't be afraid Harry, but I need to make you look different so that we are not bothered by the press before we get to the department of national travel," she announced as she turned her wand on him changing his shabby clothes into nice wizarding robes, and changing his eyes from green to blue and his hair to blond.
Harry was now thoroughly impressed and allowed her to lead him into the small phone booth which puzzled him even further. She deposited a few coins and spoke into the receiver, and then two name badges popped out of the coin return. She placed one onto herself, and the other onto him as the phone booth started to lower into the ground like an elevator. "I know that I'm not your real mother, but until we get out of this country I need for you to call me mom. I have papers that say that you are my adopted son, so the wrong people don't find you," she said as she held him close to her.
"Ok, um, mom what do you mean about the wrong people finding me? Have I done anything wrong that would put me into danger," Harry asked as the phone booth finally stopped and opened?
"No sweetie, you haven't done anything wrong, however not all who use magic are good. Some are very evil," she said as she flicked her wand casting a privacy charm to allow them to speak freely without being overheard.
"I've cast a privacy charm so that we can speak freely. Now about your parents. They were not killed in a car crash, Harry. They were murdered by a psychotic wizard, named Voldemort. He even tried to kill you, that's why you have that scar on your forehead. Because I know that you have more than likely never been seen by a proper doctor, or healer to deal with several issues, once we reach the United States, that will be our first stop," she said as she guided him into an elevator that moved so fast that it made him wrap his arms around her waist in shock and to keep his balance.
"That's all the way across the ocean, are we going to take a plane like normal people, or do wizards have a more efficient way to travel," Harry asked as they stepped off of the elevator and down a corridor?
"There are several ways to travel, but the quickest and safest way is via portkey. Before you ask, a portkey is a regular looking object enchanted to take you to a certain location. Ours will take us directly to our home Whitney Manner. Your sister will be so happy to finally see you again after all of this time," Charlotte said as she canceled the privacy charm and presented their travel papers as she addressed the Ministry official.
Harry waited silently while his soon to be adopted mother acquired the port key. She was handed a dainty looking teacup and turned to Harry with a smile on her face. "Alright, son, since this is your first time traveling this way hold my hand with one hand, and place your finger of the other hand onto the cup," she instructed as she held the cup up to him.
The world began to swirl around them and Harry gasped in shock. His finger seemed to be glued to the cup, and he felt reassured by the comforting grip of his God-mother's hand. Minutes later, Harry could hear his God-mother telling him to let go of the cup. Though Harry feared that the cup wouldn't let him go, he willed his finger to let go of the cup and instantly felt himself falling away from it.
The ground came rushing up, and he slammed his eyes shut preparing himself for a hard landing that never came. He looked down in shock as he felt his feet now standing firmly on the ground. Then looked up to survey his surroundings. Whitney Manner was a massive three-story mansion that sat upon one thousand acres of rolling countryside, dotted here and there with colorful sweet-smelling flowers of all kinds, vast orchards of various fruiting trees, as well as several fountains with crystal clear flowing water.
He followed his god-mother up the long circle drive, towards the massive front door, when suddenly there was a shrill neigh and an excited scream of a girl, followed by the sound of thundering hooves. A white horse with black strikes in its main and tail, ridden by a blonde girl wearing a red riding jacket, flew over a fence and hurdled towards Harry and Charlotte. Charlotte stepped back as the horse came thundering up and Sarah leaped from the saddle launching herself at her brother with glee.
"Harry, you're here, you're finally here," she screamed excitedly as they fell to the ground together!
"Ooof, right, um, it's great to finally see you again after all of this time, Sarah," Harry managed to gasp out as he attempted to help himself and his sister up from the ground.
"Harry, I'm so glad to finally be reunited with you, and so very relieved to see you've made it home with mother safely," Sarah, smiled as she hugged him tightly and leaped back onto the horse. "Mom, I know that you want to take Harry to the Healer, so please allow me to put away lightning, and I'll join you if that's alright," she said as she trotted the horse away towards the family stable.
"First, I think that we'll take you inside, allow you to bathe and have something good and filling to eat for lunch," Charlotte said as she led Harry into the mansion. As he followed Charlotte, he thought to himself that it would take him days to clean the entire house. It was so huge and there were many expensive-looking paintings and such that would have to be dusted. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that his god-mother had come to a stop on the third floor until he slammed into her.
"You seem far away, Harry. What were you thinking," Charlotte asked as Sarah came running up the stairs and past them into her rooms to change out of her riding clothes and into something more appropriate?
"I won't have to clean all of this by myself," Harry asked in shock?
"Oh, my no, dear! The only room that you are responsible for keeping tidy is your own. We have servants called house-elves who take care of the rest of the house," she said as she opened the door that was just before the one that Sarah had run into, to reveal a lavishly furnished bedroom suite that was decorated in shades of crimson and gold.
Harry stepped in and gazed around in wonder. There were shelves filled with rows upon rows of books, toys both wizarding and non-magical, as well as a large four-posted bed with large soft fluffy pillows and a warm feather down comforter. There was a comfortable looking sitting area with a fireplace that looked as if it would be very warm in the winter, as well as two doors other than the one that they had entered through.
He opened the door nearest to the bed and dresser to find it was a large closet filled with wizarding robes of all colors as well as many types of shoes. Inside of the dresser was brand new, never worn, underwear and socks, pajamas, t-shirts, shorts, and pants. He looked into the other door that was just off of the sitting area, to find a lavishly adorned bathroom, complete with every amenity that you could ever need.
"God-mother, who does all of this belong to," he asked in clear shock?
"It all belongs to you, Harry. This is the way that you would have been raised had your parents survived. Now, why don't you take yourself a relaxing bath, and then change into some proper clothing? We will burn those ratty old hand-me-downs. No member of my family will ever be forced to wear things that do not fit or make them look less than their best. Since the first part of your life, you were raised by horrid muggles, or as we call them here in the States No-majes, I will tell you it is customary for young witches and wizards to wear regular clothes under their wizarding robes for comfort. You may wear anything that you'd like, though for the time being, don't wear anything on the right side of your closet. The robes hanging there are for more formal occasions. Once you are dressed come down to the dining room and we'll have lunch before we go to see the family healer," she said as she left him to himself.
"Um, before you go, I know that you are not my real parents, but since my sister calls you mom, I was wondering, um," stammered Harry unsure of how to proceed.
"Yes, Harry, I know that I can never replace your real parents, but I'd be delighted if you'd call me your mother, mom, mum, or whatever you are comfortable with. Also, to answer your question, a Muggle is what the British wizarding society Calls non-magical people, and here in America we call them No-majes," Charlotte happily explained.
"How did you know what I was trying to ask," Harry asked in amazement?
"We'll have plenty of time to discuss that later, now go and make yourself a relaxing bath. Tilly will get rid of your old clothes and will help you if you have any questions. Just call out her name and you'll find out what a house-elf is," she smiled as she shut the door behind herself with a gentle click.
Harry kicked off his shoes and socks before heading into the bathroom. He definitely wanted to soak in the large sunken tub but when he looked at it he noticed that it had several different taps and knobs, he started to get confused until he remembered what his new adopted mother had told him. He called out the name that was mentioned and then jumped in shock as a petite looking creature with large green eyes, and large bat-like ears suddenly appeared in front of him with a silent pop.
She was dressed in a miniature maids outfit and curtsied before addressing him. "Welcome home to Whitney Manner, Master Harry Potter. I am Tilly, the house-elf. I am in charge of attending to the needs of Mistress Sarah, as well as you, now! How may Tilly, help you, sir," she asked with a wide smile upon her little face?
"Um, I'd like to take a bath, but, I'm not sure how to work this tub. Can you please show me how," Harry asked the elf? Tilly beamed and set to the task of showing Harry which of the knobs would do what, and then she vanished without a sound taking all of the old clothes that the Dursleys had made him wear away before he even noticed them missing.
An hour later found Harry clean and dressed in his new clothes and robes. He exited his room and headed downstairs to find the dining room. As he set foot onto the first floor a black cat rubs up against his leg and looks up at him, meowing before walking into the dining room. Harry followed the cat and smiled as it ran to his sister. She smiled as she placed down a saucer of milk for the cat.
Harry sat down at the table in front of one of three empty plates. "I thought that we were having lunch, do the house-elves make the food," Harry asked curious about what else the house-elves did?
"Yes, they cook meals. Sometimes we have planned meals, and other times we simply tell the elves what we'd like to eat," Charlotte announced.
"I don't see them, how do I tell them what I'd like," Harry asked?
"You tell them what you want to eat like this," Sarah said as she leaned slightly towards her plate and began to speak to it. "I'd like a cheeseburger, with mustard, no onions, but everything else please along with French fries, and a chocolate milkshake to drink!"
Harry's eyes grew large with shock as the requested food and drink suddenly appeared on the plate from what seemed like out of thin air. He watched as his new adopted mother, placed her order for a spinach salad with cranberries, and walnuts, and a cranberry vinaigrette dressing, along with a hot cup of earl grey tea to drink. He smiled as her food and drink appeared the same as Sarah's and then he smiled as he ordered the same thing as his twin had ordered and smiled even wider as he bit into the burger relishing the taste of it. The Dursleys had never allowed him to eat anything this good and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
After the best lunch that Harry had ever had, his Adopted mother took Harry and his twin sister to the family healer at Saint Luke's Wizarding Hospital. He was greatly comforted by the fact that both his new mother, Charlotte, and his sister Sarah both stayed in the room with him, instead of leaving him alone as he expected them to do. Sarah stood close by his side as the healer entered the room and began his examination.
"Hello, again Mrs. Whitney, it's not yet time for Sarah's next check-up. Is she having any complications, or are we here for another reason today," asked Healer Wilson with a smile as he greeted Sarah and Harry's mother with a warm and welcoming smile?
"Sarah's fine Healer Wilson. Today we are here to tend to my adopted son, who is also Sarah's twin brother by blood. Harry has been neglected by his other relatives in Great Brittan for years, and we were unable to gain guardianship over him until now. He has never been seen by either a no-maj doctor or a healer of any kind until today. I'd like a full exam, and any treatment to help him in his recovery that you deem fit," Charlotte said in a no-nonsense tone that left no room for argument.
Harry glanced at his sister in fear, and she gripped his hand comfortingly. "Don't worry Harry, Healer Wilson is the best! He won't hurt you. If he does have to do anything that may cause you pain, he will attempt to make you as comfortable as possible," Sarah reassured him.
"Well Mr. Potter, according to what I've been told, you've suffered quite a bit of abuse from your other relatives. Let's see what I can do to help you heal. Please have a seat on the bed, so that I can examine you," said the healer as he removed his wand and waved it over the boy.
Harry clenched his eyes shut not knowing what to expect, and then blinked in confusion as he heard the Healer muttering to himself. When he looked, the healer was reading a long strip of paper with a disgruntled expression upon his face. "Well, first we will deal with the physical wounds and bruises. Since most of your wounds were not caused by magic, you should be healed up in a snap," he said as he flicked his wand making a curtain block the ladies in the room from their view.
Harry started to fidget nervously upon being separated from his mother and sister. "It's okay, Harry we're still right here on the other side. The healer just doesn't want you to be embarrassed by having a couple of girls see you in your unmentionables," Sarah, said from the other side of the curtain sensing her brother's fear.
"Please take off your shirt, and pants so that I can heal all of your visible wounds. Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Healer Wilson promised as Harry nervously complied with the request.
Harry stood there and watched the healer's every move, as he ran his wand all over and around his body, and gasped in amazement as all of the bruises and scars instantly vanished as if they never happened at all. The healer was about to work on healing the many broken and wrongly healed bones that his scan had discovered, when Sarah and Charlotte both gasped in shock from the other side of the curtain, making the healer stop and turn his attention to them in curiosity.
"Is there a problem, ladies," Healer Wilson asked as he drew back the curtains after covering Harry with a blanket to spare him from being seen by his mother and sister?
"Healer Wilson, Sarah's bruises and welts, their completely gone," exclaimed Charlotte in shock as Sarah raised her long sleeve to reveal for the first time in her life smooth unblemished skin! Healer Wilson flicked his wand at Sarah and read the strip of paper that came from the tip of his wand in amazement.
"Well, this is a rare case, but not unheard of completely. It is well known that magical twins always share a special bond. Since I know well, of you have a mental bond, with your twin, because of the shared dreams that you've told me of, I strongly suspect that your twin bond goes far deeper than simply mental. Your magical cores are almost identical. I now believe that you can feel each other's pain due to the bond that you share. For that reason, I will have to ensure that you don't feel what I will have to do, in order to heal your brother completely," healer Wilson announced as he summoned Sarah's chart and added notes to it before conjuring another bed beside Harry's and helping her up onto it.
As Sarah took her place on the bed beside her brother he reached out and grasped her hand as the healer waved his wand over both children making their entire bodies go completely numb and tingly. He flicked his wand again at Harry making several bones snap at once. Harry wanted to move in fear from the sound but found that he was unable to move at all. Healer Wilson then spared Harry the horrendous taste of Skela-grow and simply spelled it into his system. Harry and Sarah both felt a warmth spread through their bodies as the healer waved his wand in a complicated pattern hopefully speeding up the intense process.
An hour later found Harry free from pain and feeling better than he had in years. The Healer then noticed the scar above Harry's right eye and upon realizing that it hadn't healed along with the other's, cast a barrage of diagnostic spells directly at it. "This is strange! This scar seems to have been made by dark magic. There's something else there that I didn't pick up in my initial health scan. Something dark is attached to Harry's magical core. I'll have to do some research on this as it is something that I've never encountered before. I'll contact you when I've found a solution to this. Until then please ensure that Harry takes the proscribed potions that I've ordered to help in the healing of his immune system. Both the immune booster and the nutrient potions are to be taken with three meals a day until I see that you are back to full health. I'd also advise that you take him to the optometrist to see what can be done about his eyes. Those glasses that he is wearing are not the proper prescription for him," Healer Wilson announced as he handed over a bag with three months worth of potions to Charlotte.
Next, the family went to the optometrist to see what could be done about Harry's eyes. Harry admitted that he had never been to an eye doctor, and that his Aunt Petunia had pulled the glasses that he wore out of the lost and found bin of a thrift store that she had gone to. After being examined Harry was given three options for what he could do about his vision. He could either have a proper pair of glasses made, could get contact lenses, or could have his vision corrected magically. He thought of how many times his cousin Dudley had beaten him up and had broken his glasses, and decided to not ever suffer that again, so the glasses were out.
He was then shown contact lenses and how they worked and decided that they would be a hassle as they were very small and could be easily lost, and would be an inconvenience if one of them fell out of his eyes. This left the treatment that would heal his eyes completely. He relaxed in the chair and tried not to move as the optometrist carefully used a dropper to administer three drops of a special potion directly into his eyes. He was then ordered to keep his eyes closed for ten minutes to allow the potion to do its work.
When he opened his eyes ten minutes later, he was shocked and pleased with how clear his surroundings looked. It was the first time in his life that he had ever seen clearly without glasses and he was enjoying it. Granted he was ordered to take one drop of the eye healing potion in each eye once a day for the next three months, but it was all worth it. His smile was brilliant as their mother treated both children to ice-cream later for their good behavior that day.
He was later given the full tour of the house and grounds, by his sister, while their mother planned dinner with the head of the house-elves. Then Sarah taught him how to play exploding snap, wizarding chess, and gob-stones while they awaited the arrival of their father and dinner.
"So, Sarah, other than riding horses, what do you like to do," Harry asked curiously as her cards exploded making her jump and laugh?
"Well, other than riding, I like to play games and read about all kinds of magical breeds of horses, as well as other magical animals. I also enjoy potions and reading about transfiguration and charms. Before you ask those are some of the classes that we are too young to take now, but will be taking when we take our place at a magical school after we turn eleven years old," she said as she drew another card.
"So, how many magic schools are there anyway," Harry asked curiously?
"According to mom and dad, there are magical schools all over the world, however, I know for a fact that there are three schools here in the U.S.! Our Uncle Charles, attended Ilvermorney, which was the first wizarding school in America. Our Aunt Merry Ann, attended the Salem institute of Witchcraft. And Dad attended the Horseland Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, while mom attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Great Brittan along with our birth parents James and Lily. More than likely we'll receive invitations from all of them, but, I don't want us to ever be separated again. So I will attend whichever school that you do," Sarah announced as the door opened to reveal their father coming home from a long day at work.
"Well, it looks as if the two of you are getting along well. Welcome to our family Harry, I'm your new adopted father, William. Feel free to call me father, dad, or anything that you are comfortable with. It theirs ever anything that you need, you can come to me at any time. Now, the two of you'd better go and get cleaned up for dinner. It will be on the table soon, I'd expect," William said as he hugged first Sarah and then Harry before leaving the room to go and get out of his work robes and into something more comfortable before dinner.
Later that night, as Harry lay in his comfortable bed in his massive room, he thought back over all that had happened, and all that he had gained in one day. He was no longer in pain of any kind, he no longer had to sleep in a dark tiny cupboard under the stairs, he could now see without glasses, and he now had the love of a complete family that he had never known before. He wondered what adventures he would share with his sister as he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile in her own bedroom next to Harry's, Sarah, smiled contently, as she too drifted off to the first peaceful sleep that she had, had in years. Since she had been able to share Harry's dreams from a young age, she was soothed to finally find that his dreams were peaceful and happy for the first time in years. Her mother and she both had great things planned for Harry that he would greatly enjoy for the rest of the summer holiday starting with their birthday coming up in two days.