15 years later
Harry smiled as he helped his dad unload boxes from the car into their new house. For the past ten or so years, he and his family had been moving around the European countryside and finally they were settling down in the town of Surrey. His mother and father were Aurors for the Ministry of Magic and had been on many assignments in many different places. Although Harry was due to start his education as a wizard four years earlier, his parents had home schooled him to avoid the drama of having to change schools so many times. It hadn't been bad, but it was annoying when your own parents gave you homework. Nevertheless, learning from Aurors had been fantastic. Harry was well ahead with his Defence Against the Dark Arts work and enjoyed every minute of it.
But now it was all over.
The Ministry had decided to let the Bartlett family settle down. Harry had been even more excited when he'd received a letter informing him that he'd been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Where do you want this one mum?" he asked when he got inside, where his mother Mary-Grace was sorting out odd piles of objects from the numerous boxes around her.
"Oh Merlin! Not more of them! I'll never have this lot sorted out by dinner," she groaned
Smiling, Harry put down the box.
"Thanks dear, can you sort out your room? I'm sure you're old enough to do that by yourself" Mary-Grace asked pleadingly
"Sure" said Harry, going upstairs.
His bedroom was fairly large compared to the others he'd had in Europe. The walls were painted a light shade of blue and dark blue curtains hung from the window. His bed was in one corner, his desk along the opposite wall in front of the window, his dad had set up a few shelves for him to stack his books and belongings, and an old wooden wardrobe stood proudly on the wall next to his window.
He opened a small box and began unloading his things. Apart from clothes, which he had plenty of due to the odd conditions in many countries, he had very little things. Moving around every month meant that the family couldn't afford to spend a lot on luggage. Harry hoped that now they were settling down, he could finally get a broomstick. He loved playing Quidditch, and the best thing was it was played the same way in every country, so he didn't have to know much Bulgarian or Russian or French to be able to play with the other kids.
He got to the bottom of the box and smiled as he brought out his most treasured possession. It was a small snow globe given to him by his parents for his tenth birthday. A miniature broomstick hovered and soared around inside the globe. Harry shook it and different coloured sparks shot everywhere inside it and a tiny Snitch began hovering around the broom. He placed the globe carefully on his bedside table and went on unpacking.
It was after six before he'd finished. There was a tiny knock at the door and his father walked in, carrying a large cage with a very familiar bird twittering inside. Hedwig, his white snowy owl. She'd been his only long-term companion ever since his father had bought her for him. It had been his parent's way of saying sorry for having to move him all over the country all the time. Harry had been ever so grateful.
"I think someone's annoyed about being left in the lounge all this time" laughed Joseph
"Thanks dad. Sorry Hedwig, I totally forgot about you" Harry smiled, taking the cage from his dad and opening it, letting Hedwig flying onto the top of the wardrobe.
"Your mother's fixed us something to eat if you want to join us," added Joseph before he left
"Be right there," said Harry, setting the cage down on the desk and opening his window to let Hedwig out.
He walked downstairs to find his parents digging into corn on the cob on the dinner table.
He sat down and helped himself hungrily.
"I hope you get enough sleep tonight, you boys, I want to leave bright and early tomorrow. We've no idea what the crowds will be like," said Mary-Grace
"What's the place called again mum?" asked Harry
"Diagon Alley" replied his father through a mouthful of corn
"Joe!" reprimanded Mary-Grace
Harry chuckled at the two of them.
"As I was saying, up and early before six tomorrow so we can get you sorted," Mary-Grace said, glaring at both Harry and Joseph.
"Easy dear, we'll be fine, and if we get stuck, we can always ask for help. It's not like we haven't been there before," said Joseph
"You've been to Diagon Alley? What's it like?" asked Harry
"Ages ago. You must've been about five the last time we went," said Joseph
"Alright, that's enough, Harry, finish you dinner and get to bed," said Mary-Grace firmly. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear in a nervous way.
Harry noticed, and he quickly excused himself and went up to his room. Hedwig was out on her hunt, so without any waiting, Harry got into his pyjamas and climbed into bed.
He'd seen the look on his mother's face when his dad had mentioned the last time they had been here. His mum didn't like talking about when Harry was young. She didn't seem very comfortable about it for some reason. Harry knew he'd been adopted and he had been okay with that, but he didn't understand why his mum was so edgy every time they came close to mentioning anything about it.
Sighing, Harry looked across to his mirror on the wardrobe and pulled back the fringe of his jet-black hair to reveal the lightning bolt shaped scar that ran down his forehead. His parents had said he'd had it when they'd adopted him, so even he didn't know why it was there or how he got it. It had puzzled him for years.
Realising how tired he was, Harry took off his glasses and lay them on his bedside table, turned off the lamp and lay down to sleep, watching his globe glow faintly in the darkness.