The backlog of paper work created by Reena's dedication to LAV gave
her plenty to do. On the outside, she looked like the hard working woman
she was. On the inside, however, she felt like every fiber of her being was
fading into oblivion. Reena felt less human and more mechanical. She hated
it and wanted to break free, but everywhere she turned, she couldn't
escape.
In early June, Reena put down her work for a few hours. She went to her parents' graves and sat down in front of the headstones. Reena liked to visit her parent on their wedding anniversary, but she didn't share this with anyone because they might think she was crazy.
The one sided conversation Reena had with her mom and dad relieved her. She could talk freely to them without worrying about how they would react. When she left, she felt renewed and alive.
That night when Reena went to bed, she found a piece of scrap paper on the empty pillow next to her. The handwriting was unmistakably Sirius'. I'll come back someday soon was all that was written. Nothing more, nothing less. Reena held the piece of paper for a long time, secretly hoping it was a port key to Sirius. It wasn't a port key, but Reena didn't let go of the paper.
The workload didn't decrease and June melted into July. One evening when the office was deserted, Reena decided she couldn't be in the office anymore. She wanted to do something different, so she apparated home and began to concoct a plan.
Reena opened her closet and tried to find something a Muggle professional would wear. She settled on a gray pleated skirt and a light blue cardigan set. The light blue was the fist colorful thing she had worn in a long time.
From her flat, Reena apparated to a small woods in a suburb. She walked in the neighborhood until she came to Number 4 Privet Drive. Reena rang the bell and waited. A thin, yet quite unpleasant looking woman answerd the door.
"What?" she snapped at Reena.
"My name is Jane Elton, and I'm from the Department of Family Services of Surrey. May I come in?" Reena lied.
The change of expression on Petunia's face was priceless. The superior look on her bony face dropped and turned a light shade of ash.
"P-p-please come in," Petunia said as she practically dragged Reena in the house. "How may I help you?" Petunia asked as they sat in the living room.
"I was searching through some old files when I stumbled upon one in particular. You overtook legal guardianship over your nephew almost 15 years ago. I was doing some research, and I couldn't find him registered in any school. May I ask why?" Reena said, enjoying the tension that she was creating in the room.
"He goes to a privet school in Bristol," Petunia lied. She would never let someone find out about Harry's "abnormality".
"Bristol? What's wrong with the public schools around here?" Reena interrogated.
"My husband found the school that was better suited for Harry," Petunia answered timidly.
"May I see the young Mr. Potter?" Reena asked.
"Of course Ms Elton, one moment please." Petunia left the room, and a few seconds later she heard some horrible screaming.
"Harry! Get down here now!" Petunia shrieked.
Petunia walked into the living room with Harry. Harry looked surprised to see Reena in the Dursley's house. He didn't say anything, but gave Reena a puzzled look.
"Hello, my name is Jane Elton from Family Services. You must be Harry," Reena said as she put out her hand. Harry nodded and shook her hand. Reena turned to Mrs. Dursley.
"If you don't mind, I need to speak with Harry in private. May I take him out for a few hours?" Reena asked.
"Whatever you have to do," Petunia answered.
Harry and Reena left and walked in the direction of a bus stop. They continued to walk until they reached the small woods. Harry followed Reena in, until they were well hidden by the trees.
"Harry, take hold of my hand. I'm going to apparate us out of here," Reena instructed.
"I thought I had to be certified before I could learn to apparate," Harry said warily.
"You do, but it's possible for a person to apparate more people along with themselves," Reena explained.
"Okay. I just have to hold your hand, right?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Only for a minute," Reena said gently.
Harry took her hand and the woods around them faded. The next moment, they were inside a small flat.
"Welcome to my home," Reena greeted. "I though you could get away from the Muggles for a little bit. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. I thought it was great how you posed as a social worker. Thanks for thinking of me," Harry said happily.
"Make yourself at home. I'm just going to get dinner started," Reena called from the kitchen.
Harry looked around the tiny living room. There were piles of paperwork all around. There was a television, a stereo, and some photo albums on the entertainment center. He looked through Reena's impressive CD collection. He found a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD and put it in the stereo. They were his favorite Muggle band. He walked into the kitchen and found Reena softly singing along with the music.
"Excellent choice. I didn't know you were into Muggle music," Reena commented.
"Yeah, Dudley watches a lot of MTV. They sometimes play music that is actually good. It's kinda surprising. What's for dinner?" Harry asked, suddenly interested at what Reena was cooking.
"You'll see. I just hope you're hungry," Reena said warmly.
Harry nodded and his mouth watered as the good smells came out of the kitchen. Dinner was soon served. Harry ate several servings of the wonderfully prepared chicken, bread pudding, and boiled potatoes. This was soon followed by warm cookies and ice cream. Reena entertained Harry with stories of her school days and dinner was soon over.
"Do you want to see some pictures?" Reena asked.
Harry was intrigued and was presented with a stack of albums. This was the first time he had seen photographs from his parents' youth. Most of the pictures made Harry laugh very hard. The animated pictures all had stories behind them.
"What happened in this one?" Harry asked, pointing to a picture where his father, Sirius, and Remus were laughing at another young man in the picture whose hair was on fire.
"That one with the flames in his hair is Snape. He was on the wrong end of a fight when someone took out their wand. His hair was so greasy that a small spark turned his hair into the inferno pictured," Reena said as she caught her breath from laughing.
The evening was full of stories. Harry got a better glimpse of what his parents were like with each story Reena told. There were only 3 albums left when Reena saw the time.
"Damn it! It's almost 11. Harry, your relatives are probably worried about you. We have to get you back."
"Their probably relieved that someone 'kidnapped' me," Harry replied dryly.
"Well, in that case, I'll try to 'kidnap' you more often. How about that?" Reena offered.
"How soon?" Harry asked as he broadly grinned.
Reena apparated them to a dark street a few blocks away from the Dursley's. The walked to the house and rang the bell. Vernon Dursley opened the door and appeared to be intoxicated.
"Where were you boy?" Venon barked at Harry.
"Excuse me Mr. Dursley, is this how you treat your nephew?" Reena asked in her social worker mode.
"Who the hell you?" Vernon asked, his speech slurred.
"Jane Elton, Family Services," Reena answered. "At Family Services, we do not approve of drunken behavior towards minors. You can expect me back."
Harry gave Reena a smile before Vernon slammed the door. Reena went back home and continued working on her paperwork. * Reena did not go back to Harry's house for a few weeks. She wanted to be sure that the intelligence around Number 4 wasn't too suspicious of her. On July 31, she finished her work early and apparted to Number 4 Privet Drive. Reena found Harry working in the front flowerbeds.
"Hi Harry. Are your relatives home?" Reena asked curiously.
"Yeah, but not for long. Uncle Vernon has a big company dinner, Dudley and Aunt Petunia are going too," Harry said.
"Good. Let's go inside. Get cleaned up. I'm going to talk to your aunt," Reena said.
Harry let Reena inside and went to his room. Reena found Dudley watching television in the kitchen.
"Get your mother," Reena instructed Dudley in a no nonsense manner.
"Who're you?" Dudley said, not used to having people order him around.
"Jane Elton. I want to have a word with your mother," Reena said curtly.
Dudley grumbled and went to get Petunia. Petunia came down a few minutes later dressed in a garish chartreuse dress.
"Ms. Elton, I was not expecting you tonight," Petunia said in a sickly sweet voice.
"No? I expect you wouldn't. Your husband was visibly drunk when I dropped Harry off a few weeks ago. I decided to make a random check. I see you are laving for the evening, so I'm going to take Harry with me," Reena told Petunia sharply.
Reena walked out of kitchen and to the foot of the stairs.
"Are you ready Harry?" she asked politely.
Harry came downstairs, dressed in a pair of baggy khaki's and his favorite Rugby shirt.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"To London," Reena said as she grabbed his hand and apparated out of the house. The last image they saw before it faded was Petunia's horrified face.
They reappeared in an alley in the Westend.
"Happy birthday Harry! Where do you want to go for dinner?" Reena congratulated/asked.
"Dinner? I don't care," Harry said uncertainly.
"It's your 16th Birthday, choose something. There are a lot of restaurants around here. There's Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Indian, French, fish&chips, choose one. It's my gift to you," Reena said warmly.
"I don't know. What do you like?" harry asked, boggled at how this woman was trying to give him a happy birthday.
"How about Italian? There's a little restaurant down the street," Reena suggested.
"Sure. It sounds good," Harry said.
At the restaurant, Harry continued to notice how much effort Reena was putting forth for his birthday celebration. There were so many choices on the menu, Harry ended up ordering the same thing as Reena, 3-chese tortillini. During the meal, Reena told Harry that they would go find a good gift after they ate.
"Why are you doing this?" Harry asked as their food was being served.
"It's your birthday. The only time I really celebrated your birthday was on your first. I guess I'm trying to make up 15 years of missed birthdays," Reena said honestly.
"You sound just like Sirius," Harry said, amused at how much Sirius and Reena could act alike.
"What do you mean?"
"Sirius said something like that when he gave me a Firebolt for my 13th birthday."
"A Firebolt? I don't think I would ever think of giving something like that. But Sirius was always able to know what people would really like."
They are for a few minutes with nothing to talk about. Then Harry suddenly had a question to ask.
"Reena, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Does Sirius have a house?" When I first met him, he said I could live with him after he was cleared."
Reena paused for a moment to think of an answer. She wasn't quite sure how to word her answer.
"Technically he does. His parents lived in a very nice house in a small wizard community in Windsor."
"What do you mean 'technically'? Where are his parents now? And I thought Hogsmeade was the last wizarding community," Harry asked curiously.
"Sirius' father died when he was 7. His mother continued to live in the house. She died 2 years after Sirius was put in Azkaban. Mrs. Black hadn't updated her will since Sirius was 10, so the house and estate were left to Sirius. The house has been abandoned since. Oh, and Hogsmeade is the last wizarding community, but there are pockets in the country where many wizards have settled outside of Muggle communities," Reena explained.
""Did he always live in the house in Windsor?" Harry asked.
"He grew up in it, but after Sirius graduated, he moved to London," Reena answered.
"Have you always lived in London?" Harry asked, as if they were playing 20 questions.
"No. I grew up in Bath. I moved to London after I graduated," Reena answered.
Harry was about to ask another question, but the waiter brought a piece of tirimisu with a candle for Harry. Harry ate the cake and resumed to his questions.
"Where did Sirius live in London?"
Reena didn't want to answer the question, but did anyway because Harry wasn't a child.
"In the flat."
"Where you live now?" Harry asked.
"Yes. He lived there for a few years. It's the only place in London where I've lived," Reena said answering his next question.
"Can I ask you some more stuff?" Harry asked as they left after Reena paid the bill.
"Go ahead," Reena encouraged.
"How do you fit in as a Muggle so well?"
"My grandmother married a wizard. She convinced my parents to raise my siblings and me so that we could blend in with Muggles. It wasn't too hard. My mother was a Muggle-born. I attended public schools until I was 11, then I went to Hogwarts."
"That's cool. How did Sirius fit in as a Muggle?"
"Really well. It was part of his job to. Do you want anything specific for a present?"
"No. I'm happy with anything."
"So you won't mind some Muggle stuff? I prefer to stay away from Diagon Alley."
"Why?" Harry asked, for what seemed to be the thousandth question of the evening.
"Remember what I said about my connection? People still generally don't trust me. You know what people say about Sirius?" Reena asked seriously.
Harry nodded his head.
"Some people think I'm also involved with that," Reena said sadly.
"But you took the Verteserum and they didn't find anything," Harry protested.
"That may be so, but some people still don't want to believe it," Reena explained.
They had stopped in front of a camera shop and Reena walked in. Harry followed her and watched her examine several cameras.
"Do you have a camera?" Reena asked.
"No," Harry answered.
"Cameras are really good for capturing memories. You ever wish you could capture something and hold on to it forever?"
"Yeah, sure. But how would I develop the film? I don't think my school has a dark room," Harry said cautiously as the store keeper loomed around them.
'That's not a problem. Do you want a camera or should we go elsewhere?"
"A camera would be great."
Reena picked up a sleek 35 mm and bought it. As they walked out of the store, Reena explained how to develop pictures.
"All you have to do is take the film out of the camera and place it in a tray. Then pour some developing potion and let it sit over night. The pictures will be perfect the next morning."
"I don't think I know how to make that potion," Harry reminded Reena.
"It's an easy one. They even sell it bottled. I have a spare bottle at home. And I'm sure Hermione knows how to brew it, the point of a camera isn't worrying about how to develop the film," Reena calmed him.
Reena apparated them to the Dursley's house around 10. No one was home.
"I hope I didn't shock your aunt too much," Reena said maliciously.
"I doubt it. They hate magic," Harry commented grimly.
"Oh dear. I hope it won't get you into trouble," Reena said.
"Don't worry about it. They barely spoke to me for 3 weeks after I told them my godfather was an escaped convict," Harry said with a bright smile.
"You can say whatever you want about me. I can come here very easily and scare the Muggles out of their wits," Reena said with a childish laugh.
Reena left soon afterwards. Harry fell asleep thinking about the best birthday he'd ever had.
In early June, Reena put down her work for a few hours. She went to her parents' graves and sat down in front of the headstones. Reena liked to visit her parent on their wedding anniversary, but she didn't share this with anyone because they might think she was crazy.
The one sided conversation Reena had with her mom and dad relieved her. She could talk freely to them without worrying about how they would react. When she left, she felt renewed and alive.
That night when Reena went to bed, she found a piece of scrap paper on the empty pillow next to her. The handwriting was unmistakably Sirius'. I'll come back someday soon was all that was written. Nothing more, nothing less. Reena held the piece of paper for a long time, secretly hoping it was a port key to Sirius. It wasn't a port key, but Reena didn't let go of the paper.
The workload didn't decrease and June melted into July. One evening when the office was deserted, Reena decided she couldn't be in the office anymore. She wanted to do something different, so she apparated home and began to concoct a plan.
Reena opened her closet and tried to find something a Muggle professional would wear. She settled on a gray pleated skirt and a light blue cardigan set. The light blue was the fist colorful thing she had worn in a long time.
From her flat, Reena apparated to a small woods in a suburb. She walked in the neighborhood until she came to Number 4 Privet Drive. Reena rang the bell and waited. A thin, yet quite unpleasant looking woman answerd the door.
"What?" she snapped at Reena.
"My name is Jane Elton, and I'm from the Department of Family Services of Surrey. May I come in?" Reena lied.
The change of expression on Petunia's face was priceless. The superior look on her bony face dropped and turned a light shade of ash.
"P-p-please come in," Petunia said as she practically dragged Reena in the house. "How may I help you?" Petunia asked as they sat in the living room.
"I was searching through some old files when I stumbled upon one in particular. You overtook legal guardianship over your nephew almost 15 years ago. I was doing some research, and I couldn't find him registered in any school. May I ask why?" Reena said, enjoying the tension that she was creating in the room.
"He goes to a privet school in Bristol," Petunia lied. She would never let someone find out about Harry's "abnormality".
"Bristol? What's wrong with the public schools around here?" Reena interrogated.
"My husband found the school that was better suited for Harry," Petunia answered timidly.
"May I see the young Mr. Potter?" Reena asked.
"Of course Ms Elton, one moment please." Petunia left the room, and a few seconds later she heard some horrible screaming.
"Harry! Get down here now!" Petunia shrieked.
Petunia walked into the living room with Harry. Harry looked surprised to see Reena in the Dursley's house. He didn't say anything, but gave Reena a puzzled look.
"Hello, my name is Jane Elton from Family Services. You must be Harry," Reena said as she put out her hand. Harry nodded and shook her hand. Reena turned to Mrs. Dursley.
"If you don't mind, I need to speak with Harry in private. May I take him out for a few hours?" Reena asked.
"Whatever you have to do," Petunia answered.
Harry and Reena left and walked in the direction of a bus stop. They continued to walk until they reached the small woods. Harry followed Reena in, until they were well hidden by the trees.
"Harry, take hold of my hand. I'm going to apparate us out of here," Reena instructed.
"I thought I had to be certified before I could learn to apparate," Harry said warily.
"You do, but it's possible for a person to apparate more people along with themselves," Reena explained.
"Okay. I just have to hold your hand, right?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Only for a minute," Reena said gently.
Harry took her hand and the woods around them faded. The next moment, they were inside a small flat.
"Welcome to my home," Reena greeted. "I though you could get away from the Muggles for a little bit. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. I thought it was great how you posed as a social worker. Thanks for thinking of me," Harry said happily.
"Make yourself at home. I'm just going to get dinner started," Reena called from the kitchen.
Harry looked around the tiny living room. There were piles of paperwork all around. There was a television, a stereo, and some photo albums on the entertainment center. He looked through Reena's impressive CD collection. He found a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD and put it in the stereo. They were his favorite Muggle band. He walked into the kitchen and found Reena softly singing along with the music.
"Excellent choice. I didn't know you were into Muggle music," Reena commented.
"Yeah, Dudley watches a lot of MTV. They sometimes play music that is actually good. It's kinda surprising. What's for dinner?" Harry asked, suddenly interested at what Reena was cooking.
"You'll see. I just hope you're hungry," Reena said warmly.
Harry nodded and his mouth watered as the good smells came out of the kitchen. Dinner was soon served. Harry ate several servings of the wonderfully prepared chicken, bread pudding, and boiled potatoes. This was soon followed by warm cookies and ice cream. Reena entertained Harry with stories of her school days and dinner was soon over.
"Do you want to see some pictures?" Reena asked.
Harry was intrigued and was presented with a stack of albums. This was the first time he had seen photographs from his parents' youth. Most of the pictures made Harry laugh very hard. The animated pictures all had stories behind them.
"What happened in this one?" Harry asked, pointing to a picture where his father, Sirius, and Remus were laughing at another young man in the picture whose hair was on fire.
"That one with the flames in his hair is Snape. He was on the wrong end of a fight when someone took out their wand. His hair was so greasy that a small spark turned his hair into the inferno pictured," Reena said as she caught her breath from laughing.
The evening was full of stories. Harry got a better glimpse of what his parents were like with each story Reena told. There were only 3 albums left when Reena saw the time.
"Damn it! It's almost 11. Harry, your relatives are probably worried about you. We have to get you back."
"Their probably relieved that someone 'kidnapped' me," Harry replied dryly.
"Well, in that case, I'll try to 'kidnap' you more often. How about that?" Reena offered.
"How soon?" Harry asked as he broadly grinned.
Reena apparated them to a dark street a few blocks away from the Dursley's. The walked to the house and rang the bell. Vernon Dursley opened the door and appeared to be intoxicated.
"Where were you boy?" Venon barked at Harry.
"Excuse me Mr. Dursley, is this how you treat your nephew?" Reena asked in her social worker mode.
"Who the hell you?" Vernon asked, his speech slurred.
"Jane Elton, Family Services," Reena answered. "At Family Services, we do not approve of drunken behavior towards minors. You can expect me back."
Harry gave Reena a smile before Vernon slammed the door. Reena went back home and continued working on her paperwork. * Reena did not go back to Harry's house for a few weeks. She wanted to be sure that the intelligence around Number 4 wasn't too suspicious of her. On July 31, she finished her work early and apparted to Number 4 Privet Drive. Reena found Harry working in the front flowerbeds.
"Hi Harry. Are your relatives home?" Reena asked curiously.
"Yeah, but not for long. Uncle Vernon has a big company dinner, Dudley and Aunt Petunia are going too," Harry said.
"Good. Let's go inside. Get cleaned up. I'm going to talk to your aunt," Reena said.
Harry let Reena inside and went to his room. Reena found Dudley watching television in the kitchen.
"Get your mother," Reena instructed Dudley in a no nonsense manner.
"Who're you?" Dudley said, not used to having people order him around.
"Jane Elton. I want to have a word with your mother," Reena said curtly.
Dudley grumbled and went to get Petunia. Petunia came down a few minutes later dressed in a garish chartreuse dress.
"Ms. Elton, I was not expecting you tonight," Petunia said in a sickly sweet voice.
"No? I expect you wouldn't. Your husband was visibly drunk when I dropped Harry off a few weeks ago. I decided to make a random check. I see you are laving for the evening, so I'm going to take Harry with me," Reena told Petunia sharply.
Reena walked out of kitchen and to the foot of the stairs.
"Are you ready Harry?" she asked politely.
Harry came downstairs, dressed in a pair of baggy khaki's and his favorite Rugby shirt.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"To London," Reena said as she grabbed his hand and apparated out of the house. The last image they saw before it faded was Petunia's horrified face.
They reappeared in an alley in the Westend.
"Happy birthday Harry! Where do you want to go for dinner?" Reena congratulated/asked.
"Dinner? I don't care," Harry said uncertainly.
"It's your 16th Birthday, choose something. There are a lot of restaurants around here. There's Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Indian, French, fish&chips, choose one. It's my gift to you," Reena said warmly.
"I don't know. What do you like?" harry asked, boggled at how this woman was trying to give him a happy birthday.
"How about Italian? There's a little restaurant down the street," Reena suggested.
"Sure. It sounds good," Harry said.
At the restaurant, Harry continued to notice how much effort Reena was putting forth for his birthday celebration. There were so many choices on the menu, Harry ended up ordering the same thing as Reena, 3-chese tortillini. During the meal, Reena told Harry that they would go find a good gift after they ate.
"Why are you doing this?" Harry asked as their food was being served.
"It's your birthday. The only time I really celebrated your birthday was on your first. I guess I'm trying to make up 15 years of missed birthdays," Reena said honestly.
"You sound just like Sirius," Harry said, amused at how much Sirius and Reena could act alike.
"What do you mean?"
"Sirius said something like that when he gave me a Firebolt for my 13th birthday."
"A Firebolt? I don't think I would ever think of giving something like that. But Sirius was always able to know what people would really like."
They are for a few minutes with nothing to talk about. Then Harry suddenly had a question to ask.
"Reena, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Does Sirius have a house?" When I first met him, he said I could live with him after he was cleared."
Reena paused for a moment to think of an answer. She wasn't quite sure how to word her answer.
"Technically he does. His parents lived in a very nice house in a small wizard community in Windsor."
"What do you mean 'technically'? Where are his parents now? And I thought Hogsmeade was the last wizarding community," Harry asked curiously.
"Sirius' father died when he was 7. His mother continued to live in the house. She died 2 years after Sirius was put in Azkaban. Mrs. Black hadn't updated her will since Sirius was 10, so the house and estate were left to Sirius. The house has been abandoned since. Oh, and Hogsmeade is the last wizarding community, but there are pockets in the country where many wizards have settled outside of Muggle communities," Reena explained.
""Did he always live in the house in Windsor?" Harry asked.
"He grew up in it, but after Sirius graduated, he moved to London," Reena answered.
"Have you always lived in London?" Harry asked, as if they were playing 20 questions.
"No. I grew up in Bath. I moved to London after I graduated," Reena answered.
Harry was about to ask another question, but the waiter brought a piece of tirimisu with a candle for Harry. Harry ate the cake and resumed to his questions.
"Where did Sirius live in London?"
Reena didn't want to answer the question, but did anyway because Harry wasn't a child.
"In the flat."
"Where you live now?" Harry asked.
"Yes. He lived there for a few years. It's the only place in London where I've lived," Reena said answering his next question.
"Can I ask you some more stuff?" Harry asked as they left after Reena paid the bill.
"Go ahead," Reena encouraged.
"How do you fit in as a Muggle so well?"
"My grandmother married a wizard. She convinced my parents to raise my siblings and me so that we could blend in with Muggles. It wasn't too hard. My mother was a Muggle-born. I attended public schools until I was 11, then I went to Hogwarts."
"That's cool. How did Sirius fit in as a Muggle?"
"Really well. It was part of his job to. Do you want anything specific for a present?"
"No. I'm happy with anything."
"So you won't mind some Muggle stuff? I prefer to stay away from Diagon Alley."
"Why?" Harry asked, for what seemed to be the thousandth question of the evening.
"Remember what I said about my connection? People still generally don't trust me. You know what people say about Sirius?" Reena asked seriously.
Harry nodded his head.
"Some people think I'm also involved with that," Reena said sadly.
"But you took the Verteserum and they didn't find anything," Harry protested.
"That may be so, but some people still don't want to believe it," Reena explained.
They had stopped in front of a camera shop and Reena walked in. Harry followed her and watched her examine several cameras.
"Do you have a camera?" Reena asked.
"No," Harry answered.
"Cameras are really good for capturing memories. You ever wish you could capture something and hold on to it forever?"
"Yeah, sure. But how would I develop the film? I don't think my school has a dark room," Harry said cautiously as the store keeper loomed around them.
'That's not a problem. Do you want a camera or should we go elsewhere?"
"A camera would be great."
Reena picked up a sleek 35 mm and bought it. As they walked out of the store, Reena explained how to develop pictures.
"All you have to do is take the film out of the camera and place it in a tray. Then pour some developing potion and let it sit over night. The pictures will be perfect the next morning."
"I don't think I know how to make that potion," Harry reminded Reena.
"It's an easy one. They even sell it bottled. I have a spare bottle at home. And I'm sure Hermione knows how to brew it, the point of a camera isn't worrying about how to develop the film," Reena calmed him.
Reena apparated them to the Dursley's house around 10. No one was home.
"I hope I didn't shock your aunt too much," Reena said maliciously.
"I doubt it. They hate magic," Harry commented grimly.
"Oh dear. I hope it won't get you into trouble," Reena said.
"Don't worry about it. They barely spoke to me for 3 weeks after I told them my godfather was an escaped convict," Harry said with a bright smile.
"You can say whatever you want about me. I can come here very easily and scare the Muggles out of their wits," Reena said with a childish laugh.
Reena left soon afterwards. Harry fell asleep thinking about the best birthday he'd ever had.