Chapter 2
"Coming Harry?" asked a voice from behind. Harry quickly turned around and walked towards his aunt who was still smiling. "We've got a lot to do this afternoon," she said happily and off they go towards her car.
The whole of rest of the afternoon was committed to shopping. Harry forgot about the worn out clothes he was wearing that were given to him by the Dursleys. Harry was still wearing Uncle Vernon's old shirt (as he had grown bigger now) and trousers. Aunt Theresa pointed out that he is not going to wear those for the whole summer and thus she dragged him to all sorts of shops to get more decent clothes for him. Harry felt a little embarrassed as Aunt Theresa thrust some new clothes to him off the shelves and not knowing what to do with them as he had never done clothes shopping before.
Near the end of the shopping spree, the backseat of Aunt Theresa's car was piled with bags and bags of new stuff she brought for Harry and there seem to be no room left for anything else. Harry suddenly felt a bit guilty for having Aunt Theresa spending so much money on him.
"Ok, one more stop then we're ready to go home," Aunt Theresa said cheerfully.
"Um, Aunt Theresa?" Harry asked quietly (Aunt Theresa has made him call her that instead of ma'am in which he had used instead for the first 15 minutes of them together).
"Yes sweetie?" replied Aunt Theresa.
"Um, I'm really grateful for you to do all these for me but I don't think you should spend any more money on me because I don't know how I'm going to pay back," said Harry nervously. The car suddenly came to a halt and Aunt Theresa turned her face towards him.
"Harry, there's no such thing as paying back. You are my family, I have the right to take care of you. Now, I don't want to hear anything of that sort again from you or else you are making me feel like a stranger and how am I going to be responsible for this if you don't let me take care of you?" replied Aunt Theresa firmly. So firm that Harry felt frightened for a bit and kept quiet for the rest of the journey.
At around 9 o'clock at night, Aunt Theresa's car stopped outside a small house.
"Ok Harry, we're here. This is your house Harry." Said Aunt Theresa all of a sudden. Harry was surprised. His house? Did she mean that the house belong to him?
As if she was reading his mind, Aunt Theresa said, "Yes Harry, this is your house. Your parents once lived here. Now it's yours."
"But…the house…it was gone…wasn't it? I mean, wasn't it burnt down by Voldemort?" said Harry, not knowing what to think now. Everything has become so confusing and blurred all of sudden.
"You're right Harry. It was destroyed. But everyone chipped in to help rebuilt this place because you sure need to have a place you belong to don't you?" answered Aunt Theresa, still smiling. "C'mon, let's go in, everyone's waiting." From the first time they meet until now, Aunt Theresa kept using words like "everyone" and "we" and "others" which made Harry think that there are a whole lot more people than he expected.
He was right as soon as he walked into the house that was supposed to be his. The house has a strange familiarity in it in which Harry felt somewhere in him. He looked around at the walls and the ceilings and felt as if it was only yesterday he had left this place. Sitting in the middle of the room were 5 people, none of whom he recognized at all. They all stood up and walked towards him, each smiling broadly from ear to ear.
"Oh Harry! How you've grown! You have become a very handsome young boy now!" said one lady.
"Harry, my my, you're in better conditions than I've thought!" said an old man.
"Harry! My boy!" said a younger man.
"Oh my goodness! It's James' son! Oh how he resembles him!" cried out a much elder lady than the first but younger than Aunt Theresa. Only one person didn't speak, and he was a young boy looking a little older than Harry, who only stood but smiled at Harry. Being very confused, Harry just smiled stupidly at the people and wasn't sure how to react.
"Come now, our Harry needs some rest. I've taken him shopping for new things this afternoon he doesn't need all these for the moment. C'mon Harry, let me take you to your room." Aunt Theresa led him upstairs. Harry walked the nicely polished wood staircase that led up to the second floor and he noticed there were five rooms. The first room to the left of the corridor was decorated with all sorts of postcards and pictures and looks like it could've belonged to the young boy. The second room facing towards the staircase was slightly opened and looks kind of messy. As Harry walked past two other rooms whose doors were open, he took a sneak peek at each and noticed how interestingly decorated they all were. Before reaching his own room, Harry noticed another small corridor leading towards another room whose door was closed. There was no light other than a small light bulb hanging a few inches away from the closed door. Strange, he thought. Then Harry felt a sudden fear gushing into him and he quickly looked away. He gasped a little as he fought back the fear inside.
"Are you ok my dear?" asked Aunt Theresa who heard him gasp.
"I—I'm fine…" Harry stammered back. What was that, he thought.
"Here's your room Harry," Aunt Theresa said, opening a door to a room that was located at another hallway. The room was lightly decorated with some posters of the Hogwarts' Quidditch teams posted randomly across the walls, a bed big enough for two people to sleep in, a desk next to the bed, a built-in closet to the left of the bed and a table situated at the end of the bed. Aunt Theresa turned on the lights and walked over and turned on the lamp on the night table.
"You're things will be brought up to you later, now come join us downstairs after you have made yourself comfortable and get to know everyone," she smiled and walked back out of the room. Harry stood around for a while, staring at everything. It kind of bring back the feel of the dormitory at Hogwarts. He suddenly felt like being at home already. It was an entirely different feeling, a whole new feeling.
"Coming Harry?" asked a voice from behind. Harry quickly turned around and walked towards his aunt who was still smiling. "We've got a lot to do this afternoon," she said happily and off they go towards her car.
The whole of rest of the afternoon was committed to shopping. Harry forgot about the worn out clothes he was wearing that were given to him by the Dursleys. Harry was still wearing Uncle Vernon's old shirt (as he had grown bigger now) and trousers. Aunt Theresa pointed out that he is not going to wear those for the whole summer and thus she dragged him to all sorts of shops to get more decent clothes for him. Harry felt a little embarrassed as Aunt Theresa thrust some new clothes to him off the shelves and not knowing what to do with them as he had never done clothes shopping before.
Near the end of the shopping spree, the backseat of Aunt Theresa's car was piled with bags and bags of new stuff she brought for Harry and there seem to be no room left for anything else. Harry suddenly felt a bit guilty for having Aunt Theresa spending so much money on him.
"Ok, one more stop then we're ready to go home," Aunt Theresa said cheerfully.
"Um, Aunt Theresa?" Harry asked quietly (Aunt Theresa has made him call her that instead of ma'am in which he had used instead for the first 15 minutes of them together).
"Yes sweetie?" replied Aunt Theresa.
"Um, I'm really grateful for you to do all these for me but I don't think you should spend any more money on me because I don't know how I'm going to pay back," said Harry nervously. The car suddenly came to a halt and Aunt Theresa turned her face towards him.
"Harry, there's no such thing as paying back. You are my family, I have the right to take care of you. Now, I don't want to hear anything of that sort again from you or else you are making me feel like a stranger and how am I going to be responsible for this if you don't let me take care of you?" replied Aunt Theresa firmly. So firm that Harry felt frightened for a bit and kept quiet for the rest of the journey.
At around 9 o'clock at night, Aunt Theresa's car stopped outside a small house.
"Ok Harry, we're here. This is your house Harry." Said Aunt Theresa all of a sudden. Harry was surprised. His house? Did she mean that the house belong to him?
As if she was reading his mind, Aunt Theresa said, "Yes Harry, this is your house. Your parents once lived here. Now it's yours."
"But…the house…it was gone…wasn't it? I mean, wasn't it burnt down by Voldemort?" said Harry, not knowing what to think now. Everything has become so confusing and blurred all of sudden.
"You're right Harry. It was destroyed. But everyone chipped in to help rebuilt this place because you sure need to have a place you belong to don't you?" answered Aunt Theresa, still smiling. "C'mon, let's go in, everyone's waiting." From the first time they meet until now, Aunt Theresa kept using words like "everyone" and "we" and "others" which made Harry think that there are a whole lot more people than he expected.
He was right as soon as he walked into the house that was supposed to be his. The house has a strange familiarity in it in which Harry felt somewhere in him. He looked around at the walls and the ceilings and felt as if it was only yesterday he had left this place. Sitting in the middle of the room were 5 people, none of whom he recognized at all. They all stood up and walked towards him, each smiling broadly from ear to ear.
"Oh Harry! How you've grown! You have become a very handsome young boy now!" said one lady.
"Harry, my my, you're in better conditions than I've thought!" said an old man.
"Harry! My boy!" said a younger man.
"Oh my goodness! It's James' son! Oh how he resembles him!" cried out a much elder lady than the first but younger than Aunt Theresa. Only one person didn't speak, and he was a young boy looking a little older than Harry, who only stood but smiled at Harry. Being very confused, Harry just smiled stupidly at the people and wasn't sure how to react.
"Come now, our Harry needs some rest. I've taken him shopping for new things this afternoon he doesn't need all these for the moment. C'mon Harry, let me take you to your room." Aunt Theresa led him upstairs. Harry walked the nicely polished wood staircase that led up to the second floor and he noticed there were five rooms. The first room to the left of the corridor was decorated with all sorts of postcards and pictures and looks like it could've belonged to the young boy. The second room facing towards the staircase was slightly opened and looks kind of messy. As Harry walked past two other rooms whose doors were open, he took a sneak peek at each and noticed how interestingly decorated they all were. Before reaching his own room, Harry noticed another small corridor leading towards another room whose door was closed. There was no light other than a small light bulb hanging a few inches away from the closed door. Strange, he thought. Then Harry felt a sudden fear gushing into him and he quickly looked away. He gasped a little as he fought back the fear inside.
"Are you ok my dear?" asked Aunt Theresa who heard him gasp.
"I—I'm fine…" Harry stammered back. What was that, he thought.
"Here's your room Harry," Aunt Theresa said, opening a door to a room that was located at another hallway. The room was lightly decorated with some posters of the Hogwarts' Quidditch teams posted randomly across the walls, a bed big enough for two people to sleep in, a desk next to the bed, a built-in closet to the left of the bed and a table situated at the end of the bed. Aunt Theresa turned on the lights and walked over and turned on the lamp on the night table.
"You're things will be brought up to you later, now come join us downstairs after you have made yourself comfortable and get to know everyone," she smiled and walked back out of the room. Harry stood around for a while, staring at everything. It kind of bring back the feel of the dormitory at Hogwarts. He suddenly felt like being at home already. It was an entirely different feeling, a whole new feeling.