Note: Yes, the chase scene in this chapter is much like the first episode of Pokemon. Accuse me of being a rip-off all you want, I couldn't care less.
Chapter Two: A Shocking Beginning
The path to Windward Falls was long but pleasant. Though the terrain rose and sometimes dropped, Harry found it an excellent challenge. Pikachu seemed to enjoy it too, as he would rush ahead a few spaces jump into the air and summersault back onto the grass.
A few hours into his journey, Harry was ready for anything. With his jacket pocket full of ready to use pokeballs, and the babbling Windward River flowing southwards away from Sortingville, the city it was as if he could finally leave the terrible aspects of his life behind him.
"What do you think Pikachu?" He asked, when he caught up to the Electric mouse pokemon. "Does it look like we'll get to Windward City by the end of the day?"
"Pika." Pikachu nodded and smiled.
A group of Poliwags and Woopers were swimming playfully in one of the ponds that branched off of the river. The path lead into the forest beside it, and Harry spotted an opportunity to catch a pokemon and told Pikachu to get ready.
"Water pokemon are weak against electricity," He remembered from the instructional videos. "So we'll weaken them with Thunderwave and catch one of each. Two new pokemon on the first day, that'll be a perfect start."
"Pika, pi pikachu." Pikachu walked up to the edge of the pool and awaited Harry's command.
Harry stood strong and readied his first pokeball. "Pikachu, Thunder-"
Before he could complete the command, a loud screech pierced the serenity of the pond. The Water pokemon, having been forewarned dived back into the pond. Harry looked up to see a Hoothoot, perched on one of the branches nearest the edge of the forest.
"Hey, you scared away all of the Pokemon!" Harry shouted angrily.
Without an actual command, the Pokedex spoke up.
"More than one type of Pokemon will often keep an eye out for one another, usually because of the natural advantages involved. Likewise, the Hoothoot is keeping a watch out for the Poliwags and Woopers, who dig ponds from the river which traps fish and lures rodents out during the night time."
"Well, Hoothoot is still a pokemon." Harry resolved, somewhat stubbornly. "And like any other pokemon it can still be caught. Pikachu, Thundershock."
Pikachu nodded and aimed a thunder shock at Hoothoot. A focused stream of electricity shot across the pond and to the top of the trees. The Hoothoot leapt from the branch only moments before the bolt found its target, and swooped down on Pikachu.
"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu tried to jump out of the way, but was slammed by Hoothoot. The tiny mouse rolled past Harry's legs before landing on his back.
"Pikachu!" Harry cried, rushing to his pokemon's side. "Pikachu are you okay?"
"Hoothoot!" The Hoothoot landed a few feet away, as if to challenge Pikachu.
"Pikachu," Pikachu leapt to its feet and stared the one legged pokemon down. Harry turned to meet the challenge as well.
"Pikachu, stare it down with leer."
Pikachu took an intimidating stance, stepping forward on one hind leg, and crossing his eyes to make himself look more menacing. The Hoothoot growled and widened his own eyes.
"What's it doing?" Harry wondered, holding the Firebolt up so it could scan Hoothoot's move.
"One of Hoothoot's special attacks is Hypnosis. Once caught by this move, a pokemon may sleep for the entire battle."
"What!" Harry watched as Pikachu started teetering. "Pikachu, don't look into its eyes! Pikachu!"
It was too late. Before Pikachu could register the command, he fell to his side, asleep and vulnerable. The Hoothoot crowed in triumph, taking to the air again and swooping down for the finishing move.
Harry thought fast and turned on the flashlight feature on the Firebolt. Though it was still the middle of the day, he was able to find the right level of brightness and shone it in Hoothoot's eyes. The owl like pokemon was normally a nocturnal creature, and therefore it wasn't used to ultra bright lights. Losing its concentration it missed Pikachu and flew towards Harry.
"Bloody hell," He cursed, jumping to the side and just barely missed being hit directly in the stomach. The Hoothoot, still disoriented from being blind flew across the pond and slammed into the tree where it was perched.
Harry picked up Pikachu and walked towards the injured Hoothoot. He wondered if it would be right to capture the flying pokemon, even though Pikachu wasn't the one who weakened it. Whether it was against the rules or not, Harry decided he'd much rather have caught it with Pikachu's help, rather than on his own, and walked past the Hoothoot into the forest. The flying pokemon righted itself and began to screech.
"What the-" Harry turned around as the Hoothoot called towards the trees.
In the surrounding trees several Hoothoots made their nests, but it was the larger flying type that stood perched at the nearest tree that caught Harry's eye. A Noctowl, Hoothoot's evolved form.
"Noctowl," the Pokedex said. "Hoothoot's like to have at least one or two of their evolved forms in the flock, for better protection against predators."
The Noctowl leapt from its tree and dived towards Harry. A hundred or more of the Hoothoots joined in the dive, and Harry ran back towards the river with Pikachu wrapped in his arms.
"Wake up," Harry shouted when he got to the riverbank. "Flying type Pokemon are weak against electricity, you could take them all out easily!"
But Pikachu continued to snooze, oblivious to the combined screeches of the Noctowl and Hoothoots. Unsure of what else to do, Harry held his nose and jumped into the river. The current swept him southward as he tried to keep both his and Pikachu's head above water, but Noctowl continued its relentless pursuit.
"Noctowwwl!" The pokemon screeched. The other Hoothoot's that remained joined him.
Harry kicked his legs and ducked his head just as they began to swoop. The river was deep enough where the backpack wasn't a complete problem, but the current was so strong he couldn't tell where they were going when his head came up.
Much to his disappointment, the river still hadn't discouraged Noctowl, even though its little gang had long since left him alone. Harry tried to make it for the nearest shore. Even though the main path was on the east bank, either one would have been fine at this point.
Spending most of his life running from Dudley and his friends gave Harry strong legs, which helped him to swim through the current. As Noctowl tried to make another swooping blow, Harry made his way to the west bank, fighting gravity as he stood up on the dry rocky bank.
"Pika…" Pikachu was weak and tired, but at least it was alive. Nearly a quart of water poured from their bodies and from the backpack. Fortunately the Firebolt seemed to be waterproof. The woods surrounding the bank were thick, and it seemed to frustrate the Noctowl enough that it gave up and flew away.
Harry wished he had thought to get a map card before leaving Sortingville, but he was so sure everything would go according to plan. He found his way to a clearing and nearly collapsed from the weight of his soaking clothes. Pikachu rested beside him, though whether it would be all right was another question.
"I wish I had a potion to get you better," Harry groaned, sadly. He took off his glasses, which miraculously survived the ordeal, and tossed his backpack to the side as he sat beside Pikachu. "I wish I had figured things out before trying to attack those stupid water pokemon. I wish I had…"
The boy began to sob. Though one could hardly tell the difference between tears and river water, they were there nonetheless. Harry wanted to go back. To just find his way to the other side and return to Sortingville, where his family would inevitably use the rest of his life to remind him of what a failure he was…just like his father. The thought stopped him for a moment. He looked up at the graying sky as clouds began to form.
"No." He said finally. He wiped his glasses down the best he could and put them back on. Then, standing up and facing the forest he said, "No my father wasn't a failure. And I won't be one either. Come on Pikachu, let's try to get to shelter before it rains."
"Is someone there? Hello?"
Harry was startled. He didn't know anyone was there, and he turned around to see a ginger haired boy making his way towards the clearing.
"I thought I heard someone." The boy said. He was about Harry's age, if only a few inches shorter. Freckles adorned his face and he wore faded jeans, a stripped t-shirt and a secondhand jacket. "Are you all right? Oh, what's wrong with your pokemon?"
"We had a little trip down the river." Harry commented, wondering if the boy had heard his little self-motivational speech. "We tried capturing a Hoothoot and got chased by a Noctowl."
"Oh, that's rotten luck. My names Ron by the way, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter."
"No way," Ron's expression moved from concerned to awestruck. "Are you the one with the…the…you know, the scar?"
Harry sighed as he held back the soaking strands of hair, which covered the lightening bolt scar. Ever since he left Ollivander's laboratory he could remember what the professor said about another Pikachu giving him the scar. Was that how his parents died? At the hands of an insane Pokemon trainer who gave his pokemon the order to kill a humans?
Not wanting to upset the boy, he chose to put off thinking about those days, and he lifted Pikachu up from the ground. Both Pokemon and trainer were clearly in need of a bath.
"My mother's a Pokemon nurse," Ron explained. "I'll show you to my house and we'll get you fixed up."
Ron picked up Harry's backpack and led them out of the clearing.
"That's very kind of you." Harry said. "But how do you know about my scar?"
"Oh, everyone knows about that. I don't understand much of it, but all I know is you survived being killed by a very high level pikachu, when many of the other trainers and scientists in the league didn't."
Although Harry pretty much knew this from his talks with Hagrid back home, he didn't realize it was such a widely remembered event. Someone would have to give him all of the answers eventually. The real ones, and not soft peddled, candy coated replies to make him feel less afraid.
Ron's home was located in the middle of a vast field. Outside two older red haired boys, twins Harry guessed were helping a younger girl with her trainer's exams when they looked up to great their brother.
"Harry, this is George and Fred," Ron introduced them as they approached. "Two of my older brothers. And this is Ginny."
The younger girl had long red hair, and for her age was very pretty. She took one look at Pikachu and rushed to help it.
"Oh, you poor thing," Ginny took the pokemon from Harry's arms. "Don't you worry, we'll get you back to health."
"What happened to you, mate?" George asked Harry.
Harry explained the whole story, somehow feeling better for getting it all out in the open.
"Boys, what's going on out there?" An older woman shouted from inside the house.
"That's our mum," Fred explained, indicating the plump woman standing in the doorway. "She's can be a bit overbearing at times, but we love her."
"Come on." Ron said, and the three led Harry to the house.
It was a beautiful home, if somewhat old fashioned in its design. Larger than most of the houses in Sortingville at stood out among the fields of grass that surrounded it. As they got closer Harry could see a few Miltanks munching on the grass near a barn and several Oddishes sleeping comfortably in the shade.
"Cool, did you catch all those pokemon?" Harry asked, amazed.
"Those are Mum's pokemon," Ron explained. "The Miltanks give us milk, and the Oddishes keep the bugs out of our garden."
"Oh dear, what happened to you?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a motherly concern that Harry never experienced in his lifetime. It was almost tear jerking after what he had been through.
"He got attacked and had to jump in the river to escape the Hoothoots."
"Oh, that's too bad, and you must have been only starting out on your Journey too." Mrs. Weasley took Harry by the shoulders and guided him into the living room where a warm fire burned. "Tell you what, while Ginny and I take care of your Pikachu we'll get you warmed up and fed."
"I don't want to be any trouble." Harry said, touched.
"Nonsense. Ron, show him up to the bathroom and bring his wet clothes down to the get dried off. Fred, George, see if you can find something that'll fit him while he waits for his own clothes to dry."
Harry took a nice warm shower, allowing the water to run down his body, removing the dirt from his hair and skin. The water soothed his aching muscles as well and when he turned off the water, a Chansey handed him a towel to dry off with.
"Thanks."
"Chansey," The nurse pokemon smiled, and politely turned way while Harry dressed in the fresh clothes that the twins brought down for him. The pants were a little baggy, but the boxers fit nicely and the sweater was snug cozy. Chansey made him sit down on the toilet while she combed his hair neatly, and without warning, a Clefairy teleported in with his glasses, clean and dry.
"Did you catch all these pokemon?" Harry asked in amazement when he was shown back to the living room.
"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley answered with a warm chuckle. "Chansey was a gift from Mr. Weasley when we were only dating. I had just got my nursing degree and Chansey is a very common pokemon to find in Pokecenters. The five older boys caught all the others."
"Percy is an assistant in Letcherfield Gym." Ron explained, offering Harry a seat on the couch. "Bill is the Gym leader there."
"And you'd do well to learn a thing or two from him," Mrs. Weasley pressed. Ron groaned and Harry could tell this was a lecture he'd heard before. She changed to a softer expression and asked Harry if he'd like to see Pikachu.
The little Pokemon recovery room was furnished with a recover bed, a side room for operations, and advanced equipment for diagnosing and treating sick and injured pokemon.
Pikachu sat upon the recovery bed happily eating the food Ginny made for him. When he saw Harry he leapt up into the boy's chest, nearly knocking him over with kisses.
"Pikachu, you're all right," He said thankfully. "I'm so sorry I didn't think twice before making you attack."
"Pika pi pikachu, pika pi pika," Pikachu seemed to be forgiving Harry. He jumped back down onto the bed and continued eating.
"He'll be right as rain in the morning." Mrs. Weasley assured him. "Supper will be ready in a little while. You boys make Harry feel comfortable now."
The Weasley's did more than make Harry feel comfortable. They made him feel as if he were a part of the family, something the Dursley's would have died before doing. Dinner was better than anything he had ever eaten, and he was sure he'd be thinking about this evening long after now.
Suddenly, the future wasn't as frightening anymore.
Chapter Two: A Shocking Beginning
The path to Windward Falls was long but pleasant. Though the terrain rose and sometimes dropped, Harry found it an excellent challenge. Pikachu seemed to enjoy it too, as he would rush ahead a few spaces jump into the air and summersault back onto the grass.
A few hours into his journey, Harry was ready for anything. With his jacket pocket full of ready to use pokeballs, and the babbling Windward River flowing southwards away from Sortingville, the city it was as if he could finally leave the terrible aspects of his life behind him.
"What do you think Pikachu?" He asked, when he caught up to the Electric mouse pokemon. "Does it look like we'll get to Windward City by the end of the day?"
"Pika." Pikachu nodded and smiled.
A group of Poliwags and Woopers were swimming playfully in one of the ponds that branched off of the river. The path lead into the forest beside it, and Harry spotted an opportunity to catch a pokemon and told Pikachu to get ready.
"Water pokemon are weak against electricity," He remembered from the instructional videos. "So we'll weaken them with Thunderwave and catch one of each. Two new pokemon on the first day, that'll be a perfect start."
"Pika, pi pikachu." Pikachu walked up to the edge of the pool and awaited Harry's command.
Harry stood strong and readied his first pokeball. "Pikachu, Thunder-"
Before he could complete the command, a loud screech pierced the serenity of the pond. The Water pokemon, having been forewarned dived back into the pond. Harry looked up to see a Hoothoot, perched on one of the branches nearest the edge of the forest.
"Hey, you scared away all of the Pokemon!" Harry shouted angrily.
Without an actual command, the Pokedex spoke up.
"More than one type of Pokemon will often keep an eye out for one another, usually because of the natural advantages involved. Likewise, the Hoothoot is keeping a watch out for the Poliwags and Woopers, who dig ponds from the river which traps fish and lures rodents out during the night time."
"Well, Hoothoot is still a pokemon." Harry resolved, somewhat stubbornly. "And like any other pokemon it can still be caught. Pikachu, Thundershock."
Pikachu nodded and aimed a thunder shock at Hoothoot. A focused stream of electricity shot across the pond and to the top of the trees. The Hoothoot leapt from the branch only moments before the bolt found its target, and swooped down on Pikachu.
"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu tried to jump out of the way, but was slammed by Hoothoot. The tiny mouse rolled past Harry's legs before landing on his back.
"Pikachu!" Harry cried, rushing to his pokemon's side. "Pikachu are you okay?"
"Hoothoot!" The Hoothoot landed a few feet away, as if to challenge Pikachu.
"Pikachu," Pikachu leapt to its feet and stared the one legged pokemon down. Harry turned to meet the challenge as well.
"Pikachu, stare it down with leer."
Pikachu took an intimidating stance, stepping forward on one hind leg, and crossing his eyes to make himself look more menacing. The Hoothoot growled and widened his own eyes.
"What's it doing?" Harry wondered, holding the Firebolt up so it could scan Hoothoot's move.
"One of Hoothoot's special attacks is Hypnosis. Once caught by this move, a pokemon may sleep for the entire battle."
"What!" Harry watched as Pikachu started teetering. "Pikachu, don't look into its eyes! Pikachu!"
It was too late. Before Pikachu could register the command, he fell to his side, asleep and vulnerable. The Hoothoot crowed in triumph, taking to the air again and swooping down for the finishing move.
Harry thought fast and turned on the flashlight feature on the Firebolt. Though it was still the middle of the day, he was able to find the right level of brightness and shone it in Hoothoot's eyes. The owl like pokemon was normally a nocturnal creature, and therefore it wasn't used to ultra bright lights. Losing its concentration it missed Pikachu and flew towards Harry.
"Bloody hell," He cursed, jumping to the side and just barely missed being hit directly in the stomach. The Hoothoot, still disoriented from being blind flew across the pond and slammed into the tree where it was perched.
Harry picked up Pikachu and walked towards the injured Hoothoot. He wondered if it would be right to capture the flying pokemon, even though Pikachu wasn't the one who weakened it. Whether it was against the rules or not, Harry decided he'd much rather have caught it with Pikachu's help, rather than on his own, and walked past the Hoothoot into the forest. The flying pokemon righted itself and began to screech.
"What the-" Harry turned around as the Hoothoot called towards the trees.
In the surrounding trees several Hoothoots made their nests, but it was the larger flying type that stood perched at the nearest tree that caught Harry's eye. A Noctowl, Hoothoot's evolved form.
"Noctowl," the Pokedex said. "Hoothoot's like to have at least one or two of their evolved forms in the flock, for better protection against predators."
The Noctowl leapt from its tree and dived towards Harry. A hundred or more of the Hoothoots joined in the dive, and Harry ran back towards the river with Pikachu wrapped in his arms.
"Wake up," Harry shouted when he got to the riverbank. "Flying type Pokemon are weak against electricity, you could take them all out easily!"
But Pikachu continued to snooze, oblivious to the combined screeches of the Noctowl and Hoothoots. Unsure of what else to do, Harry held his nose and jumped into the river. The current swept him southward as he tried to keep both his and Pikachu's head above water, but Noctowl continued its relentless pursuit.
"Noctowwwl!" The pokemon screeched. The other Hoothoot's that remained joined him.
Harry kicked his legs and ducked his head just as they began to swoop. The river was deep enough where the backpack wasn't a complete problem, but the current was so strong he couldn't tell where they were going when his head came up.
Much to his disappointment, the river still hadn't discouraged Noctowl, even though its little gang had long since left him alone. Harry tried to make it for the nearest shore. Even though the main path was on the east bank, either one would have been fine at this point.
Spending most of his life running from Dudley and his friends gave Harry strong legs, which helped him to swim through the current. As Noctowl tried to make another swooping blow, Harry made his way to the west bank, fighting gravity as he stood up on the dry rocky bank.
"Pika…" Pikachu was weak and tired, but at least it was alive. Nearly a quart of water poured from their bodies and from the backpack. Fortunately the Firebolt seemed to be waterproof. The woods surrounding the bank were thick, and it seemed to frustrate the Noctowl enough that it gave up and flew away.
Harry wished he had thought to get a map card before leaving Sortingville, but he was so sure everything would go according to plan. He found his way to a clearing and nearly collapsed from the weight of his soaking clothes. Pikachu rested beside him, though whether it would be all right was another question.
"I wish I had a potion to get you better," Harry groaned, sadly. He took off his glasses, which miraculously survived the ordeal, and tossed his backpack to the side as he sat beside Pikachu. "I wish I had figured things out before trying to attack those stupid water pokemon. I wish I had…"
The boy began to sob. Though one could hardly tell the difference between tears and river water, they were there nonetheless. Harry wanted to go back. To just find his way to the other side and return to Sortingville, where his family would inevitably use the rest of his life to remind him of what a failure he was…just like his father. The thought stopped him for a moment. He looked up at the graying sky as clouds began to form.
"No." He said finally. He wiped his glasses down the best he could and put them back on. Then, standing up and facing the forest he said, "No my father wasn't a failure. And I won't be one either. Come on Pikachu, let's try to get to shelter before it rains."
"Is someone there? Hello?"
Harry was startled. He didn't know anyone was there, and he turned around to see a ginger haired boy making his way towards the clearing.
"I thought I heard someone." The boy said. He was about Harry's age, if only a few inches shorter. Freckles adorned his face and he wore faded jeans, a stripped t-shirt and a secondhand jacket. "Are you all right? Oh, what's wrong with your pokemon?"
"We had a little trip down the river." Harry commented, wondering if the boy had heard his little self-motivational speech. "We tried capturing a Hoothoot and got chased by a Noctowl."
"Oh, that's rotten luck. My names Ron by the way, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter."
"No way," Ron's expression moved from concerned to awestruck. "Are you the one with the…the…you know, the scar?"
Harry sighed as he held back the soaking strands of hair, which covered the lightening bolt scar. Ever since he left Ollivander's laboratory he could remember what the professor said about another Pikachu giving him the scar. Was that how his parents died? At the hands of an insane Pokemon trainer who gave his pokemon the order to kill a humans?
Not wanting to upset the boy, he chose to put off thinking about those days, and he lifted Pikachu up from the ground. Both Pokemon and trainer were clearly in need of a bath.
"My mother's a Pokemon nurse," Ron explained. "I'll show you to my house and we'll get you fixed up."
Ron picked up Harry's backpack and led them out of the clearing.
"That's very kind of you." Harry said. "But how do you know about my scar?"
"Oh, everyone knows about that. I don't understand much of it, but all I know is you survived being killed by a very high level pikachu, when many of the other trainers and scientists in the league didn't."
Although Harry pretty much knew this from his talks with Hagrid back home, he didn't realize it was such a widely remembered event. Someone would have to give him all of the answers eventually. The real ones, and not soft peddled, candy coated replies to make him feel less afraid.
Ron's home was located in the middle of a vast field. Outside two older red haired boys, twins Harry guessed were helping a younger girl with her trainer's exams when they looked up to great their brother.
"Harry, this is George and Fred," Ron introduced them as they approached. "Two of my older brothers. And this is Ginny."
The younger girl had long red hair, and for her age was very pretty. She took one look at Pikachu and rushed to help it.
"Oh, you poor thing," Ginny took the pokemon from Harry's arms. "Don't you worry, we'll get you back to health."
"What happened to you, mate?" George asked Harry.
Harry explained the whole story, somehow feeling better for getting it all out in the open.
"Boys, what's going on out there?" An older woman shouted from inside the house.
"That's our mum," Fred explained, indicating the plump woman standing in the doorway. "She's can be a bit overbearing at times, but we love her."
"Come on." Ron said, and the three led Harry to the house.
It was a beautiful home, if somewhat old fashioned in its design. Larger than most of the houses in Sortingville at stood out among the fields of grass that surrounded it. As they got closer Harry could see a few Miltanks munching on the grass near a barn and several Oddishes sleeping comfortably in the shade.
"Cool, did you catch all those pokemon?" Harry asked, amazed.
"Those are Mum's pokemon," Ron explained. "The Miltanks give us milk, and the Oddishes keep the bugs out of our garden."
"Oh dear, what happened to you?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a motherly concern that Harry never experienced in his lifetime. It was almost tear jerking after what he had been through.
"He got attacked and had to jump in the river to escape the Hoothoots."
"Oh, that's too bad, and you must have been only starting out on your Journey too." Mrs. Weasley took Harry by the shoulders and guided him into the living room where a warm fire burned. "Tell you what, while Ginny and I take care of your Pikachu we'll get you warmed up and fed."
"I don't want to be any trouble." Harry said, touched.
"Nonsense. Ron, show him up to the bathroom and bring his wet clothes down to the get dried off. Fred, George, see if you can find something that'll fit him while he waits for his own clothes to dry."
Harry took a nice warm shower, allowing the water to run down his body, removing the dirt from his hair and skin. The water soothed his aching muscles as well and when he turned off the water, a Chansey handed him a towel to dry off with.
"Thanks."
"Chansey," The nurse pokemon smiled, and politely turned way while Harry dressed in the fresh clothes that the twins brought down for him. The pants were a little baggy, but the boxers fit nicely and the sweater was snug cozy. Chansey made him sit down on the toilet while she combed his hair neatly, and without warning, a Clefairy teleported in with his glasses, clean and dry.
"Did you catch all these pokemon?" Harry asked in amazement when he was shown back to the living room.
"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley answered with a warm chuckle. "Chansey was a gift from Mr. Weasley when we were only dating. I had just got my nursing degree and Chansey is a very common pokemon to find in Pokecenters. The five older boys caught all the others."
"Percy is an assistant in Letcherfield Gym." Ron explained, offering Harry a seat on the couch. "Bill is the Gym leader there."
"And you'd do well to learn a thing or two from him," Mrs. Weasley pressed. Ron groaned and Harry could tell this was a lecture he'd heard before. She changed to a softer expression and asked Harry if he'd like to see Pikachu.
The little Pokemon recovery room was furnished with a recover bed, a side room for operations, and advanced equipment for diagnosing and treating sick and injured pokemon.
Pikachu sat upon the recovery bed happily eating the food Ginny made for him. When he saw Harry he leapt up into the boy's chest, nearly knocking him over with kisses.
"Pikachu, you're all right," He said thankfully. "I'm so sorry I didn't think twice before making you attack."
"Pika pi pikachu, pika pi pika," Pikachu seemed to be forgiving Harry. He jumped back down onto the bed and continued eating.
"He'll be right as rain in the morning." Mrs. Weasley assured him. "Supper will be ready in a little while. You boys make Harry feel comfortable now."
The Weasley's did more than make Harry feel comfortable. They made him feel as if he were a part of the family, something the Dursley's would have died before doing. Dinner was better than anything he had ever eaten, and he was sure he'd be thinking about this evening long after now.
Suddenly, the future wasn't as frightening anymore.