"I'm already doing that," shouted a young Harry Potter as he hefted the garbage free from the bin. "I swear, sometimes…" It was far from the first time he had to perform the chore for his aunt, and hardly the last, he figured.

He strode from the house with his stash, as unsightly as the bag may have been. "One trash, taken out," he muttered to himself as he swung it around in a grand arc that sent it sailing the last few feet to crash into the bin it belonged in. "Yes."

With a clap of his hands, he pivoted in place to head back inside. Unseen by him, a dark presence scowled even as they worked their fingers. "Now."

Harry had a powerful charm that should have kept him quite safe until he had come of age, but a loophole had been found. Just as he opened the door, his aunt's house was not beyond it. A strange swirling maelstrom yawned before the startled boy.

He turned to flee, but the ground gave away, or so it felt. His foot had left it and he was falling forward into the chaotic swirls before him. The door shut gently behind him, the muggle world entirely unaware anything had happened, save for one missing boy.

Harry landed just as suddenly in plush green grass. The air was fresh and gentle, wafting around him even as his heart thundered. He scrambled to his feet, looking around, but he was not anywhere he could immediately recognize. He was in the middle of the countryside. There were trees, and a brisk breeze.

It was cooler than he had started, but it was still the same time of day, early to mid evening, the sun in the sky working towards setting. "Where am I?" he asked the world, but the world had no replies to give him.

"You look lost," came a gentle female voice.

Harry turned in place so quickly he almost fell over, but what he saw was enough enough to tip the scales, and his balance, crashing down on his bottom as he peered dazedly at the strange creature in front of him.

Like a bipedal hippo covered in sleek white fur, she reached out a hand towards him. "I didn't mean to frighten you." She wore an apron-like skirt around her midsection, red and white vertical stripes leading to bells around her feet. In her other hand was held a black purse. "Are you alright?"

"W-what are you?" Harry stammered in perhaps not his fine moment. "Where am I?!"

"I am Momminmomma," she introduced herself gently as if nothing was at all wrong. "You are in Moominvalley. I am a mommintroll."

"Troll?" The curious creature before him was not what he heard trolls look like. It was neither a small creature with wild hair or a huge lumbering brute with a club. It was a rounded hippo with a purse. "Pardon me… but you don't look like a troll to me." He pushed off the ground, regaining his footing. Whatever Moominmomma was, she felt pretty harmless after the surprise ran its course."

She shook her head. "But I am. We moomins are trolls. It's just what we are, and you look like a lost boy. Are you lost?"

"No! I…" Where was he? "-might be a little. You said this was 'Moominvalley'? Does that mean there are more of… you?"

"Oh, yes." She pointed into the distance where a round house could be seen, like a little tower of three floors, though he couldn't make out too many details in the distance. "That's moominhouse right there, where I live with moonminpappa and our children and their friends."

"Is… everything around here moominsomething?"

She pointed directly at him. "I imagine your name doesn't have moomin in it. There are others too."

"That's...nice… Tell me, do you have a phone? My aunt's likely to get terribly sore at me not being home in time for supper." He didn't mention his own desire to get back to a sense of normalcy rather than oddly friendly hippo trolls.

"Afraid I don't." She turned towards her house and took a step. "Come along. No little boy is going to be left outside while I can do something about it. You're welcome to have some dinner and warm yourself while we figure out where you need to be."

Part of him wanted to flee straight away, but the offer of food and warmth felt more pressing than any lingering fear of the strange creature. "Al...right…" He wouldn't find a phone in the middle of the wilderness, he reasoned silently. Perhaps one of their friends had one he could use. "Lead the way."

The maternal moomin did just that, walking along peacefully with her new ward behind her. "We'll make up a room for you, dear. Poor thing, so very lost. You just put your worries away and let the adults fuss about such things. You're safe now."

Harry was still young, close to 14, but old enough to be certain he didn't need to be talked down to quite that much, even if the creature seemed to be trying her best to comfort him. "I'll be fine," he assured, holding up a hand. "Do… you even know what a human is?"

"Well, you, my dear, and a few other of our friends." She nodded gently without turning. "We have a number of human friends, dear things. I gather I'm the first moomintroll you've met."

"Yes, Ma'am. Um, are there others? Outside of your family, I mean?" He advanced, just slightly behind her, more to her right side.

"Oh, yes, of course. They visit sometimes, but here it's mostly just our family." She reached out a hand that had a purse dangling on it and seemed to be holding the purse just in front of him. "Are you hungry?"

"Mostly confused… What do you have?" Curiosity won over caution, peering at the bag.

"I always carry the essentials, like snacks and-" Her explanation was cut off by a new voice.

"Momma, is that you?!" called a young male voice, not terribly different in age than Harry. "There you are." Cresting a small hill in front of them was another hippo, shorter and even more brightly white in colored fur and waving a hand excitedly. He wore nothing and seemed to have no shame in it. "Who's that with you?"

The larger one drew her purse-wielding arm back just to gently wave at Harry. "I haven't asked his name yet. What is your name?"

"Harry Potter," he admitted, not seeing many reasons to not say his name. "Nice to… meet you?"

"Oh it's lovely to meet you." The smaller moomin rushed up towards Harry. His round nose prevented seeing any smile he may or may not have had, but the rest of his face seemed clear that he was happy. "I'm Moomintroll. She's my mother." He pointed at Moominmamma. "And you're Harry Potter, a human. Humans have funny names, but it's a nice, funny, name."

"You have a nice, funny, name too, Moomintroll." He offered a hand and it was taken quickly, the two shaking on it, skin to fur.

Moominmamma seemed pleased with the interaction. "I knew you were a nice little boy. Harry here will be staying with us a while until we find out where he should be."

"Oh! You're a guest? I'll get your room together." He turned in place and went scurrying back towards the house, shouting as he went, though the words were rapidly lost with distance.

"Everyone in the house will know you're coming," explained Momma. "Depending on who's home right now, you may even have another human to say hello to. Now, dear, you look cold." She gently pat the back of his back. "So let's get inside."

He hadn't thought of it terribly much, but it was colder wherever they were. Not by a huge margin, but enough that he could feel the goosebumps spreading and a shivering building. "Your, um, fur, is doing a good job."

"It's always been enough," she calmly accepted, reaching for the door and gently nudging it open. "I'm home."

"Welcome home," came a chorus of voices from the warm interior of the quaint house that looked like a tower.

"Where is he?" demanded a small female voice, a girl with a scowl emerging with a red dress frilled out, her orange hair done up in bun. "He wasn't lying." She was peering at Potter directly, but didn't come closer than the door.

"Why would Moomintroll lie?" asked Momma as she moved to walk in, casually passing the small female. "Be nice. He'll be staying with us a little while."

"The name's Little My." She hiked a thumb at her chest. "And you're Harry Potter. Moomintroll's making up the guest room right now."

That potentially aggressive little girl was human, Harry felt certain. "Nice to meet you, Little."

"Little My." She emphasized each word with a slap of her hands together.

"You can call me Harry if you rather." He glanced beyond her to the inside of the house. It was… charmingly quaint. Welcoming and warm, it seemed nicer than the chilly evening air by far. "Do you live here too?"

"Yeah?" She stepped back half a step. "You too, it sounds like. Are you a wanderer too?"

"Me? No. I really should get home." He walked past her and she pulled the door shut suddenly, slipping under an arm to reach the knob and slamming it shut.

"Thank you," spoke a male voice. A large, the largest, hippo troll sat at the table, a paper unfolded in front of him that he was reading. "We can't go letting all the heat out. Welcome, young Harry Potter, to Moominhouse. The missus mentioned you were in need, and if we can help, I see no reason not to be. Warm yourself and make yourself at home."

"All done!" came Moomintroll's excited voice, thumping down the stairs and towards them with his hands out to either side. "The room's ready! Oh, you're already here. Hello again." He bowed suddenly, but briefly, towards Harry.

Little My hiked a thumb at Harry as she walked away. "He isn't human."

Harry and Moomin both looked at her oddly, but she provided no further answers. Moomin closed with Harry. "Don't mind her, she's funny sometimes. I'm really excited." He reached for Harry's hand and soon held it between his warm hands. "Come this way. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Play nicely," advised Poppa as he read his paper calmly, pausing a moment to adjust the big black tophat on his head. "We'll call."

Call! Harry Potter suddenly turned to Poppa. "Do you know of any phones around here I could make a quick call from?"

"I'm afraid I don't." He shook his head as he let the paper fall over backwards, folding and revealing his round face. "I'll ask around, but that won't be today."

"Are you worried?" Moomin gently pulled Harry's still held hand. "We'll figure it out, I promise."

Harry was led away to idle the time away with Moomin doing harmless things. Momma sat down across from Poppa. "What a curious boy," she mused. "Where do you suppose he came from?"

"He could have come from anywhere… His accent makes me think of England. I've been there before, have I told you the story?"

"No!" Little My appeared as if from nowhere. "Tell us!"

Momma held up her hands. "As much as I would love to hear any tale you have to share, we should focus. He sounds like an Englandhuman?"

Poppa nodded with confidence as he set his paper down on the table. "He's dressed like it too. I'd wager my cane on it."

"Not a human," piped up Little My with a wicked smirk.

"What do you mean by that?" Poppa regarded her with a curious look, but no urgency in his words. "You seem to know something. Share?"