Harry Potter and the New Life
Chapter fifteen – Hedwig isn't a boys name!
Well please read and review. You know the doo dar by now.
Leaving George to light up the room with her wand Harry went and found Kresher sulking in his den.
"What are you doing here, your not welcome?" Kresher mumbled like he always did but Harry still had some patience today.
"I now own this house and everything in it making me your new master so you better behave and as much as I dislike you it seems I am not to set you free. Now I would like you to tell me who has been here in the past month. Please." Kresher looked shocked either at the new information of his master or that Harry was being half polite to him.
"What do you want to know master?" Kresher answered acting like an almost normal house elf. Harry was surprised to see Kresher was looking directly at him and not mumbling to himself as usual.
"I would like to know Kresher, weather Buckbeak the Hippogriff is upstairs still, and who comes to feed him and how often."
"That evil beast is still upstairs and the werewolf comes to feed him every two days except on a full moon when a witch comes." Harry figured he may as well check Kresher on that later he wanted information first.
"A werewolf? James who's that?" George had followed him into the kitchen to listen to Harry's some what rational interrogation.
"Don't worry Lupin's okay, looks a bit half starved though a lot of the time and sometimes smells like a wet dog but okay really when you know him."
"Oh well if you think he's okay then I suppose he must be." George sat down on the empty table.
"Kresher, when was he last here and when will he come next?"
"He came last night and left about two hours ago he won't be here for a while now. Leaving Kresher by himself finally, wizards mean to Kresher like old master."
"Kresher your last master is gone, I am your master now and I will only be mean if you deserve it, do as I say and I won't be mean to you. Now tell me Kresher how often do wizards and witch's come here to meet?"
"Not so much now old master is dead, only the werewolf comes regularly he sometimes stays in the basement to howl, he frightens Kresher and Kresher thinks he wants to eat him."
"Is he there now Kresher?" Harry knew he probably wasn't but had to double check as Kresher had tricked him more than once already, Harry didn't want to let that happen again but he also had no desire to hurt Kresher, as really, Harry pitied him and through experience that was worse.
"No only the beast upstairs with it's food. Who's she?" Kresher lifted a scraggy finger up pointing at George. Harry decided that having two master's might be to much for Kresher at the moment.
"That is Miss Black and she is my guest so you must be nice to her and try to help her in anyway she asks for. I promise she won't be mean to you if you behave." Kresher looked shocked at the idea of having a Miss Black as a guest but the name carried some weight so he bowed then seemed to be looking to Harry for an order of some sort.
"It's still early James for going into London, so why don't you tell me about this Hippogriff and we can have a look around." Harry nodded then called for Kresher to follow him upstairs, but he noticed something missing on the stairs, there was no screaming painting.
"Kresher, tell me what happened to that painting why does it not call out as we pass?"
"The strange eyed wizard took her down and placed her in the basement in a covering, he hits me with his stick if I try to go near." Harry was surprised he thought that painting would never come down no matter what Sirius did, he hated his mother so much and Harry never did find out why and proberbly never would now.
"Kresher I'm sorry the strange eyed wizard hit you but I am telling you that you will not touch that painting unless I tell you to."
"Yes master." Harry continued upstairs to the first floor. Harry and George looked in every room except one all through the house before reaching the Attic.
"Erm have you ever been around a Hippogriff before?"
"Oh yes I think they are one of the most beautiful creatures ever created, except for Dragon's of course." George answered brightly opening the door first.
"Good I agree even though a dragon tried to eat me once, they are very beautiful creatures when viewed at a distance." Through the doors Harry saw just how big the Attic was for the first time and there at the back was Buckbeak staring at them with one huge eye whilst chewing on a very large bone.
They bowed and then Buckbeak stood up and bowed allowing them to walk up and stroke him, Kresher stayed at the door's under orders not to offend Buckbeak.
"So this is Buckbeak is it, he is such a magnificent creature, wish I could see him fly I bet it would be wonderful."
"It is a shame that he's stuck up here but some day I'm going to take him back to Hogwarts to be with Hagrid. I've ridden him and see him fly and your right it is a brilliant feeling."
"You mentioned Hagrid before. Is he the grounds man?" George asked.
"Yes and now he teaches care of magical creatures a lot of the time. He was the one who first came to collect me to go to Hogwarts we have been friends ever since. Look the sun's up we could go in to London soon if you like."
George was looking excessively pretty today Harry thought standing there letting Buckbeak rest his head in her arms, such a soothing effect she had on him, even more than Hagrid seemed to have.
"Only if you are okay, I don't want you overdoing it." She eyed him closely but Harry was feeling okay at the moment.
"I won't, only I want this place looking more like ours before any one comes to visit. Are you any good at magical decorating?" Harry asked rapping his arms around George for a hug.
"Yes I was top of my class." Harry looked puzzled.
"You did magical decorating at school as a subject."
"Yep it was part of the finishing lessons. They used to teach us all sorts of things cooking, decorating, basic medicine, how to behave at dinner party's and balls and house keeping. Only the girls mind you, it was to prepare us for life the boys did similar lessons but I'm not sure in what, we were always kept separate and it was frowned upon to have a friend like you and Hermione."
"That's terrible!" Harry was shocked.
"No it's not James it's just a different way of doing things all the European schools are different, beside where did you think I learnt to speak English so well?" Harry had never thought about George's education much but he supposed it must be very different to his.
At about half nine Harry and George were leaving Grimmauld place and arriving in the Leaky Cauldron although dressed like muggles Harry with his new hat on, they looked quiet normal as they walked into Diagon Ally.
First they visited Gringotts and got two large money bags out of one of Sirius's old current accounts, Harry although quiet tempted decided not to find out the address of his old parents house yet he wanted to fix the Black home a bit first.
Carefully blending into the crowd Harry and George spent a long time in Flourish and Blotts choosing all sorts of books, George picked up servile ones on house improvements and house renovations. Harry however refused any book that was written by Gilderoy Lockhart on the grounds that he was a fraud who tried to make him loose his mind, even if it didn't work.
Bags now considerably heavier they went to the Quidditch shop just to see, Harry didn't want to bye anything because he didn't seem to get the same enjoyment these days out of it. Afterwards they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions as George decided she wanted some dress robes and a handsome reversible black and Dark green travelling cloak for Harry saying.
"You might as well look nice in both wizarding and muggle clothes, I mean it's not as if you can't afford it James." George laughed as she made Harry turn around in it.
"Okay if you think it's nice, but I have to bye you something as well." Now with many bags and boxes George insisted on going to the Apothecary to bye goodness knows what.
She asked for all sorts of things some Harry knew but others he couldn't even guess at what they were, but the assistant seemed very impressed that George knew what she wanted and obviously how to use them. Harry not wanting to feel totally useless reminded her that they she should probably get some more floo powder but George only laughed.
"James I already did but I'm sorry I used it's proper name and not what it's now commonly known as." The attendant joining in with the jest saying.
"This is a knowledgeable young lady I rarely get someone who uses only original Latin terms when asking for potion ingredients." Feeling a bit disheartened Harry and George left and decided to sit for an ice cream in the sun.
Harry however finished his double chocolate Sunday quicker than George so quickly rushed off to get her a surprise while she flicked through a cooking book. He returned with a large cage and in it sat a handsome brown owl.
"This is for you so Hedwig doesn't have to deliver all the time. What do you think?" He said holding it up as she put her book down.
"She's lovely thank-you." George placed the cage on a spare chair and kissed Harry gratefully on the cheek.
"She I thought this was a boy!"
"Silly James! It's very sweet of you to get me an owl, I've never had one before. I think that's everything from Diagon Ally we could carry today. Do you still want to go into the muggle world today or shall we wait till tomorrow?"
Harry thought for a moment looking at all there packages.
"Yes I would, I think I could do with my hair getting cut to be honest, it's getting wild, but with all these bags I couldn't be bothered." George smiled pulling Harry's hat off and rubbing his hair.
"Yep that could do with a good old cut, and I think we should get some food you know for tea."
"Oh yeah, I would never of thought of that until I was hungry." George just laughed.
"Daft but totally understandable with you being male and all."
"Hay!" Harry jokingly outraged at the thought that he wasn't capeable.
"But I think I'll take all this back home then come back, or you go and I'll get some of this turned into muggle money." Harry was glad George took charge of basic things because to be honest he was totally useless.
Harry dumped all the bags on the table and left orders that Kresher was to clean the kitchen and dinning room but not to touch the bags as his case was still dumped on the table too Harry felt he should get back early tonight in case he got to tired.
George was waiting for him in the pub when he got back and they were soon sat in a muggle barbers watching Harry's wild black hair drop to the floor. They walked round London buying clothes and bits of food, a drinks cooler and a frozen pizza's.
George wanted girlie shoe's, several pairs in fact and insisted on buying him a new suit for his court case at the end of August Harry however brightened up more than expected on this topic.
"Okay would be great to ram it down the Dursley's necks if I turned up in an expensive muggle suit, the last thing I said to Mrs Dursley before meeting you was about my mother having a lot of money that she left to me. I know I would rather have an excessively poor mum than lots of money and no mum but still it made me feel slightly better for a while."
George had that caring yet thoughtful look about her now and Harry hoped she agreed with him.
"I agree I would rather be poor with my mum around but I think you would look best in an Armoney suit and dark green shirt, come on we past a big store not long ago and I bet they have plenty in that would look nice."
She half dragged Harry into the biggest muggle shop he had ever seen and spent nearly two hours choosing the perfect suit for him, but George didn't stop there, no chance it seemed. She brought boxers, socks, four shirts and two pairs of comfortable shoes that Harry thought looked very nice once he had them on.
However just when Harry was starting to feel tired George only had one more thing she wanted to get and that was a radio.
As George and Harry walked back to the Leaky Cauldron with a second huge amount of now muggle shopping bags Harry suggested they brought some Pizza for tea at this very tasty looking takeaway place.
Soon they were sat on the now much cleaner kitchen table eating a huge cheese pizza with lots of garlic bread and chilled cola to wash it all down with. Harry looked around then saw Kresher standing in the doorway.
"Kresher come here.' He did as he was told.
'You've done a good job here cleaning up the kitchen, well done. Now are you hungry?" Kresher didn't answer at first.
"I am a little master." Kresher said then hid his face shaking at his own bravery for speaking to his master about something he wanted.
"Come back here Kresher, I'm not angry with you, you've worked hard today and if you are hungry you may eat.' Kresher was so surprised at first he thought it must be as trick but the smell of pizza must have been to much for him because he came to the table and looked at it longingly.
'Would you like a piece of pizza Kresher?"
Harry held out a plate with one slice left on it for Kresher to take. After sniffing it and staring, Kresher eventually took the plate and scuttled off to a corner to eat it by him self.
"You like house elf's don't you, I've never seen a master treat there elf as well as you seam to." George had been watching and was now finishing the last of the garlic bread.
"I pity them even though I hate to be pitied myself. I can't help it, the first house elf I met although got me in a lot of trouble had gone against his master will to try and save me he ironed his hands after and showed me how much it hurt, so, in return I helped set him free. He works at Hogwarts and Dumbledore even agreed to pay him, Dobby is one of a kind and I'm quiet fond of him, I was hoping he will agree to come and work for me here."
"Hermione won't like that will she, Ginny told me about her House elf freedom club." Harry laughed.
"Oh that, well Hermione is very determined and does seam to have a firm set of morals particularly about house elves. It's going to take some convincing but I may end up with three working here."
"Three James?"
"Oh Dobby has a house elf friend that got fired partly because of me named Winkey and I get the feeling he would want her to come here two." She laughed and clearing the boxes away said.
"Well I wonder if it's house elf love, this is your house and you can have who ever you want in it." Harry jumped up behind George and hugged her tightly while she ran some hot water into a bowl.
"I'm going to make this your home too, and Dobby, and Buckbeak and I suppose Kresher as well. And all the other little lost creatures that seem to end up here." He started washing the plates in the water with George.
"Your such a funny creature James, you have such an odd way of looking at things.' She turned around and stroked his now rather short hair, Harry wasn't sure about it at the moment because you could now clearly see his scar.
'I no your not keen on people looking at your scar, it must be a hard reminder to live with, but if people are going to stare at you then I say let them and find something to stare back at." Harry looked at George's eyes then kissed her softly.
"I no what bit to look at on you.' His hand slid round her arse and he grinned.
'I think we should start getting ready for bed because it's been a long day and Lupin might turn up tomorrow night to feed Buckbeak, we should make the most of it just been use." He started walking her to the door.
"I think you have banged your head recently and are trying to seduce me."
"So! What's your point? Now, careful on the stairs, George here let me steady your arse!" Harry went upstairs and pulled his jeans off while George with a flick of her wand changed the sheets to clean ones before being dragged into bed by Harry.
"I'm glad were alone, I was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable around Mrs Weasley." Harry curled up around George resting his head on her chest.
"Yes well never mind we only need to visit now we got somewhere to live." Harry was getting sleepy.
"I wonder how it went with Ginny, us leaving and all before dawn. I hope Mr and Mrs Weasley understood your letter." George was stroking his hair as Harry found his eyes closing.
"Why don't you write a letter to Ginny and find out, she'd be happy to hear from you I'm sure. Have you thought of a name for your owl yet?"
"Okay I will do. I was wondering about that and I know it's a girl and all but what if I was to name her Sirius, seen as Hedwig is a boy's name." Harry sat up.
"Hedwig isn't a boys name!"
"Yes it is James now lay back down." Harry did as he was told.
"I think that would be a good name Sirius as long as you don't say Hedwig is a boy's name." Harry fell asleep not long after that in George's arms and awoke in the same spot many hours later.