Reader and Stellanova lived in a lovely old renovated marble-front home with a sizeable bit of land in the back. Lucy greeted them at the door herself, their housekeeper being busy cooking the evening meal.

"Welcome to Offhand Manor, Harry!", Lucy said, giving Harry a friendly hug. "My, you look spiffy! Has Dr. Reader taken you shopping?" she asked as she studied his new clothing, her blue eyes dancing in amusement. She had changed into formal evening wear, a gorgeous coral gown with a narrow yet plunging neckline. Harry had to force himself to look at her eyes, and only at her eyes, for the sake of his untried adolescent self-control.

"He certainly did," replied Harry, grinning embarrassedly. "And that's not all."

"Lucy, things at the Dursley household were worse than even we suspected," said Dr. Reader as they went inside into a dark-panelled, high-ceilinged foyer. "They were, in fact, so bad that I took it upon myself to extricate Harry from the situation."

"What did you do now, Marcus?" Lucy said, with equal parts exasperation and good humor.

"I made him our ward for the time being, dear heart. It was either that or let the Dursleys put him in the Hotel De Silly for life."

Lucy stared disbelievingly at him as she and Harry followed Reader onwards into the oak-panelled, book-filled study. "I don't believe it," she said at last. "Could even Vernon and Petunia Dursley be so stupid and evil at the same time?"

"Indeed they could, my love, " replied Dr. Reader. "And would have, had I not intervened. They were hell-bent on getting him committed, through me or through anyone they thought they could bend to their will. Instead, their little trap backfired. Not only is Young Master Potter now out of their clutches, so, my dear, are we."

The evening sunlight, streaming through the tall study windows, framed Lucy and further burnished her already-golden beauty. "Oh, how wonderful! Tell me everything," she said, clapping her hands together. Suddenly, her face darkened. "I certainly hope you didn't do anything outré, Marcus."

Reader leaned over to kiss her full on the lips. "Not at all, darling. Nothing that Vernon Dursley can trace to me. And the guardianship is all perfectly legal," he said, pulling out a sheaf of documents from his briefcase and handing them to her.

Lucy read the legal papers, then looked at Harry, her face aglow. Then she suddenly took Harry in her arms again, much to his chagrin, and spun him around the room three times. "Welcome to Offhand Manor, Harry! You'll love it here!"

Dr. Reader chuckled and cuffed Harry on the shoulder. "Come on, lad, and let's get those garment bags out of the car. Your evening clothes are in one of them. You and I will both need to change clothes for dinner."




Dinner at Dr. Reader's passed in a haze for Harry. He still couldn't believe what was happening to him. It had all happened so very, very fast.

Barely eight hours earlier, he was shouting at Uncle Vernon in Reader's office, fighting an empty stomach whilst wearing Dudley's hand-me-downs; now, he was attired in white tie, sitting in a spacious chandeliered dining room eating the most delicious meal he had ever had, living with the most fascinating Muggles he could ever imagine, and freed of the Dursleys forever.

Dr. Reader had put Harry's things upstairs in a large guest bedroom for the nonce, then helped Harry with the evening wear. The shirt and vest fit him like a second skin, and the white tie itself wasn't as difficult as it looked; Harry knotted it properly on the third try.

Then it was downstairs again to the study for the "pre-prandial refreshment", as Dr. Reader called it. Harry had never had Lillet before; it tasted like liquid honeyed velvet and felt fresh like springtime. He held himself to one glass, with Dr. Reader's silent approval, as they discussed his future at "Offhand Manor".

"Will Hedwig be able to find you?", asked Dr. Reader, sipping his own glass of Lillet as he and Harry sat in the large red leather chairs of the study.

"Oh, yes. I reckon Dumbledore will figure out where I am rather easily, he has before. This isn't the first time I've had to leave Privet Drive in a hurry."

"It will be the last time you ever have to do so, Harry," replied Dr. Reader. "I promise you that."

Dinner was Boeuf Roti a la Vielle Anglaise, Dr. Reader's own twist on "Roast Beef of Old England". And what a twist it was!

Aunt Petunia's roast beef was dry and tough. The Hogwarts version was much better, but still not his favorite dish. But this... this was so scrumptious Harry made himself eat it slowly, the better to savor every bite. Plus, he wasn't used to eating very much while on summer vacation -- the Dursleys tended to half-starve him much of the time -- and he'd already eaten one very rich meal that day. Best to let his stomach have a chance to adjust.

Dr. Reader and Lucy told Harry a little about themselves. As he had guessed, they were not originally from England; Dr. Reader was born in Lithuania, but spent most of his adult life in America, where he changed his name from the original Slavic version to something most Americans could pronounce. Lucy, on the other hand, was a Kentucky girl; she was born and raised in America's southern mountains, living there nearly her whole life until meeting up with Dr. Reader in Baltimore some years ago.

"She's the best thing that ever happened to me, Harry," Reader said as Lucy blushed prettily. "I was a wild man back in the day. She took me and straightened me out but good, as she might say if she were still in Kentucky." Lucy's response was to stick out her tongue at Dr. Reader, which made Harry laugh uncontrollably.

After dinner, the three of them went upstairs to figure out where Harry should sleep. They decided on the very room into which Dr. Reader had initially moved his things: a large, airy room with a capacious closet, a very large chest of drawers, and a king-sized bed, big enough for Harry to sprawl on surrounded by his school books.

Both Dr. Reader and Lucy were fascinated by Harry's personal effects, especially his Firebolt.

"I wonder if Muggles can ride broomsticks, or if you have to be a witch to do so," said Dr. Reader, admiring the beautiful broom.

"I don't know," said Harry, stifling a yawn; it had been a long and eventful day. "I've never seen a Muggle try it."

"We'll give it a try tomorrow, Harry," replied Dr. Reader. "It's time for you to go to bed. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Doctor. Goodnight, Lucy."

The doctor and Lucy left the room.