Acceptance
"You're what?!" echoed Harry.
"A witch", said Aerie shrugging her shoulders. "You know, what you are except the opposite sex."
"I know what a witch is, I just didn't know you where one!" said Harry a bit irritated.
They didn't speak more about Aerie being a witch, but they talked about almost everything else. And as Aerie was a witch, Harry could talk about Quiddich, how much he missed it, and about Sirius' death.
'She'd understand' thought Harry before revealing his heart to Aerie.
And so the topic came to families and they ended up talking a whole lot about Aeries parents and her family. Harry found out that Aerie was a year younger than he would be in a week.
As aunt Petunia called then down for dinner an hour later, Harry wondered if he should warn Dudley that they had a guest. But the more Harry thought about it, the more attractive the thought about Dudley being humiliated became, and he couldn't resist smiling cruelly to himself.
"Mum, why's there five chairs at the table?" Harry heard Dudley ask aunt Petunia. He placed a finger over his lips to say to Aerie to be quiet.
"Oh, we have a guest, Dudleyboy", hummed aunt Petunia and Harry could hear Aerie choke a giggle at the nickname.
"Who is it?" demanded Dudley.
"You'll see her soon, sweetums", said aunt Petunia still humming.
Dudley fell silent and Harry could almost swear that Dudley was thinking of a way of impressing Aerie. Harry smiled content and waved to Aerie to follow him.
". and this is the kitchen", said Harry as if he had showed Aerie around the house. Aerie was quick to play along.
"You have a wonderful home, Mrs. Dursley", flattered Aerie and smiled beautifully. And to Harry's joy, Dudley stared at Aerie with his jaw halfway to the floor.
"Why thank you!" said aunt Petunia and blushed a little. "And you can call me aunt Petunia."
Aerie smiled her sweetest smile and turned to Dudley with a glimpse of cruel joyfulness in her eyes.
"Hello cousin", she said and held out a slim hand towards Dudley. "I'm Aerie Tooper."
Dudley was not able to pull himself together enough to close his mouth until aunt Petunia poked her son with a bony elbow.
"I'm. I'm. I'm Dudley", said Dudley with an unnatural dark voice.
"Well, have you both washed your hands?" asked aunt Petunia Harry and Aerie. They both nodded and aunt Petunia announced that the chicken was ready. Uncle Vernon walked through the door as aunt Petunia placed the salad and the chicken on the table.
The dinner past pretty quick under a strict conversation about uncle Vernon's drill company.
Harry found that he enjoyed Aeries company more and more for every day and swoosh, four days had gone by. Harry made a mental note to himself that he should write to someone in the Order so they didn't worry about him, but every time Harry sat down to write, Aerie interrupted with one brilliant idea after another.
"Can't we play Quiddich?" asked Aerie bored as Harry sat down at his desk, ready to write a letter to Lupin.
"No, we can't", said Harry. "For one thing, you don't have a broom."
"Yes I do!" interrupted Aerie and shrugged. "I just haven't shown it to you yet."
"Well", said Harry, a bit irritated for being interrupted. "There's another problem. We can't fly here, what if the Muggles see us?"
"Oh, you're one of those", said Aerie with a sigh.
"One of those?" asked Harry angry. "What does that mean?"
But it meant was never sorted out as Hedwig crashed against Harry's closed bedroom window. Harry hurried to open the window so Hedwig could fly in. She had a letter tied to her leg.
"I'm sorry, Hedwig. I wasn't expecting you", said Harry regretfully. Harry's snow-white owl gave him a hurt look but bit him playfully and they were OK again. Harry quickly released Hedwig from the letter and opened it. But before Harry had the chance to read it, a brown barn owl flew in through the open window. The barn owl held out its leg and Harry took the two letters it had been carrying. The owl flew quickly out again and Harry grinned at Aerie.
"There's a letter for you too!"
"Really?" said Aerie and looked very much like a child on Christmas Eve.
A silence fell between them as they read the letters. A minute later, Aerie let out a small scream of happiness and threw herself in Harry's arms.
"I'm going to Hogwarts!"
Harry ginned. Ha had known since there was a Hogwarts letter to Aerie. And none other than Dumbledore could know where she was!
"Congratulations!"
Aerie beamed at Harry and looked over the list of things she would need.
"Wow, you're going to need a lot of stuff!" said Aerie and brightened. "And there's only one place where you can get them!"
"Diagon Alley!" smiled Harry. "You know about it?"
"Of course I do!" smiled Aerie. "Now read that letter you got from your owl!"
Harry unfolded the letter and saw Hermione's neat handwriting.
Dear Harry!
Well, it's nice to hear that you're all right and that your aunt and uncle are treating you well. And hopefully you're not thinking too much about Sirius. I'm sorry if you got upset about me writing about him!
I got the letter from Hogwarts today, and I thought that we (you, me and the Weasleys) could get together sometime soon to get all of our stuff! I've already owled Ron and asked him when it's a good time.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Love
Hermione
"Who's Hermione?" asked Aerie who had leant over Harry's shoulder to take a peek at the letter.
"Remember I told you about my best friends?"
"Oh yeah! That's her!" smiled Aerie and smacked a hand on her forehead. "You know, me and my memory!"
They got a bit of a chuckle at that, and then Harry quickly scribbled down an answer to Hermione.
Hi Hermione!
That'll be great! Looking forward to seeing you lot again!
I actually didn't get sad to see Sirius' name, but please try not to write about him so much.
Write back and tell me what Ron said, will you? Oh, and by the way, do you think it's OK if I bring someone along?
Treat Hedwig with something nice, would you, dear.
Harry
"Hey, why don't you write my name too?" smiled Aerie. "So she'll have something to wonder about."
"That's a really good plan", grinned Harry and quickly added "and Aerie" to the letter and tied it to Hedwig's leg.
"Find Hermione, would you?" said Harry friendly to his half sleeping owl. Hedwig opened her eyes and gave him a look that said: "Don't I always" and with a last hoot she had flied off again.
"You're what?!" echoed Harry.
"A witch", said Aerie shrugging her shoulders. "You know, what you are except the opposite sex."
"I know what a witch is, I just didn't know you where one!" said Harry a bit irritated.
They didn't speak more about Aerie being a witch, but they talked about almost everything else. And as Aerie was a witch, Harry could talk about Quiddich, how much he missed it, and about Sirius' death.
'She'd understand' thought Harry before revealing his heart to Aerie.
And so the topic came to families and they ended up talking a whole lot about Aeries parents and her family. Harry found out that Aerie was a year younger than he would be in a week.
As aunt Petunia called then down for dinner an hour later, Harry wondered if he should warn Dudley that they had a guest. But the more Harry thought about it, the more attractive the thought about Dudley being humiliated became, and he couldn't resist smiling cruelly to himself.
"Mum, why's there five chairs at the table?" Harry heard Dudley ask aunt Petunia. He placed a finger over his lips to say to Aerie to be quiet.
"Oh, we have a guest, Dudleyboy", hummed aunt Petunia and Harry could hear Aerie choke a giggle at the nickname.
"Who is it?" demanded Dudley.
"You'll see her soon, sweetums", said aunt Petunia still humming.
Dudley fell silent and Harry could almost swear that Dudley was thinking of a way of impressing Aerie. Harry smiled content and waved to Aerie to follow him.
". and this is the kitchen", said Harry as if he had showed Aerie around the house. Aerie was quick to play along.
"You have a wonderful home, Mrs. Dursley", flattered Aerie and smiled beautifully. And to Harry's joy, Dudley stared at Aerie with his jaw halfway to the floor.
"Why thank you!" said aunt Petunia and blushed a little. "And you can call me aunt Petunia."
Aerie smiled her sweetest smile and turned to Dudley with a glimpse of cruel joyfulness in her eyes.
"Hello cousin", she said and held out a slim hand towards Dudley. "I'm Aerie Tooper."
Dudley was not able to pull himself together enough to close his mouth until aunt Petunia poked her son with a bony elbow.
"I'm. I'm. I'm Dudley", said Dudley with an unnatural dark voice.
"Well, have you both washed your hands?" asked aunt Petunia Harry and Aerie. They both nodded and aunt Petunia announced that the chicken was ready. Uncle Vernon walked through the door as aunt Petunia placed the salad and the chicken on the table.
The dinner past pretty quick under a strict conversation about uncle Vernon's drill company.
Harry found that he enjoyed Aeries company more and more for every day and swoosh, four days had gone by. Harry made a mental note to himself that he should write to someone in the Order so they didn't worry about him, but every time Harry sat down to write, Aerie interrupted with one brilliant idea after another.
"Can't we play Quiddich?" asked Aerie bored as Harry sat down at his desk, ready to write a letter to Lupin.
"No, we can't", said Harry. "For one thing, you don't have a broom."
"Yes I do!" interrupted Aerie and shrugged. "I just haven't shown it to you yet."
"Well", said Harry, a bit irritated for being interrupted. "There's another problem. We can't fly here, what if the Muggles see us?"
"Oh, you're one of those", said Aerie with a sigh.
"One of those?" asked Harry angry. "What does that mean?"
But it meant was never sorted out as Hedwig crashed against Harry's closed bedroom window. Harry hurried to open the window so Hedwig could fly in. She had a letter tied to her leg.
"I'm sorry, Hedwig. I wasn't expecting you", said Harry regretfully. Harry's snow-white owl gave him a hurt look but bit him playfully and they were OK again. Harry quickly released Hedwig from the letter and opened it. But before Harry had the chance to read it, a brown barn owl flew in through the open window. The barn owl held out its leg and Harry took the two letters it had been carrying. The owl flew quickly out again and Harry grinned at Aerie.
"There's a letter for you too!"
"Really?" said Aerie and looked very much like a child on Christmas Eve.
A silence fell between them as they read the letters. A minute later, Aerie let out a small scream of happiness and threw herself in Harry's arms.
"I'm going to Hogwarts!"
Harry ginned. Ha had known since there was a Hogwarts letter to Aerie. And none other than Dumbledore could know where she was!
"Congratulations!"
Aerie beamed at Harry and looked over the list of things she would need.
"Wow, you're going to need a lot of stuff!" said Aerie and brightened. "And there's only one place where you can get them!"
"Diagon Alley!" smiled Harry. "You know about it?"
"Of course I do!" smiled Aerie. "Now read that letter you got from your owl!"
Harry unfolded the letter and saw Hermione's neat handwriting.
Dear Harry!
Well, it's nice to hear that you're all right and that your aunt and uncle are treating you well. And hopefully you're not thinking too much about Sirius. I'm sorry if you got upset about me writing about him!
I got the letter from Hogwarts today, and I thought that we (you, me and the Weasleys) could get together sometime soon to get all of our stuff! I've already owled Ron and asked him when it's a good time.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Love
Hermione
"Who's Hermione?" asked Aerie who had leant over Harry's shoulder to take a peek at the letter.
"Remember I told you about my best friends?"
"Oh yeah! That's her!" smiled Aerie and smacked a hand on her forehead. "You know, me and my memory!"
They got a bit of a chuckle at that, and then Harry quickly scribbled down an answer to Hermione.
Hi Hermione!
That'll be great! Looking forward to seeing you lot again!
I actually didn't get sad to see Sirius' name, but please try not to write about him so much.
Write back and tell me what Ron said, will you? Oh, and by the way, do you think it's OK if I bring someone along?
Treat Hedwig with something nice, would you, dear.
Harry
"Hey, why don't you write my name too?" smiled Aerie. "So she'll have something to wonder about."
"That's a really good plan", grinned Harry and quickly added "and Aerie" to the letter and tied it to Hedwig's leg.
"Find Hermione, would you?" said Harry friendly to his half sleeping owl. Hedwig opened her eyes and gave him a look that said: "Don't I always" and with a last hoot she had flied off again.