Me and Miss Bones

by Olafr

Harry Potter is rescued by Amelia Bones and spends the summer with her niece, Susan. Harry learns to appreciate Hufflepuff. [Ch.3 new at last!]

2. Chapter Two

Me and Miss Bones
Chapter 2

by Olafr - Harry Potter and associated milieu, characters, and situations are owned by J.K. Rowling and her licensees. This is a work of fan fiction, produced solely for enjoyment. No infringement of rights is intended.

Rating: PG-13

Last updated: 10 February 2005

Author's Notes: This work was heavily inspired by a work by DrT on Astronomy Tower, Scenes from October – in other words, I read it and got the idea for this story. Many of the plot elements used in this story are referenced in that story, although this is my own take on the basic idea, not a simple recasting of DrT's work.

In this chapter, Harry and Susan run into each other in a rather unexpected way and begin to get to know each other.

oOoOoOo

Harry woke the next morning feeling refreshed and relaxed. He had slept dreamlessly for the first time since the start of the summer. Interestingly, he hadn't had a problem with his scar – visions or implanted dreams – since the night of the battle at the Ministry. Idly he wondered why, even as he wriggled beneath the deliciously light but warm covers. It felt like sleeping beneath a cloud.

At length Harry yielded to an increasingly urgent need and sat up. He looked around. He didn't remember falling asleep, and the ever-burn candle that had lit the room earlier was still lit. Licking his fingers, he quickly doused it by briefly squeezing the lit wick (they couldn't be blown out) and stood up, stretching luxuriously. He then picked up the empty potion phial which was lying on the floor and put it on the bedside table before stepping out of his room, heading for the bathroom.

The bathroom door flung itself open before he could grasp the knob and a blonde-haired somebody collided with him, sending them both to the floor. There was a brief feminine squeal of surprise, then Harry's breath whooshed out of him as whomever-it-was' shoulder drove into his diaphraghm. After a long, awkward moment the weight was gone, and Harry fought to get his breathing working again. Finally taking a juddering breath, he heard a voice say, 'Harry! Are you alright?'

Looking up, squinting to focus with his glasses dislodged and almost dangling off the end of his nose, Harry eventually realised that it was Susan Bones kneeling above him wearing what looked like light summer pyjamas. She had changed her hair, though, and he had taken a long moment to recognise her. Then, too, her PJ's highlighted a figure that was normally concealed beneath the uniform robes of Hogwarts – she was solid-limbed and her breasts were high and large. His eyes went wide as he felt her looking at him, catching him staring at her well-developed breasts, and he desperately jerked his eyes to her face. Her light blue eyes, as clear as the morning sky, were crinkled in amusement.

'Hello, Susan,' he said shyly. He felt his ears and cheeks go hot with embarrassment. 'I'm...' He couldn't quite bring himself to say he was fine.

'Fine?' she finished for him with a gamine smile. The light thudding of someone climbing the steps in a hurry made her look over her shoulder. A pause, then, 'Mother?'

'Is everything all right? I thought I heard someone fall.' With his glasses repositioned properly, Harry saw her look over her daughter, struck by both their similarities and differences. They were similarly built, but Susan's hair was more reddish than her mother's, which was a solidly wheaten colour, almost yellow, in fact. Her lips were fuller and her jaw slightly wider than Brigitta, and comparing the two Harry could see that her lightly tanned skin was paler and very slightly freckled. But overall the two were very similar.

'I'm fine,' said Harry with a smile. 'I ran into Susan-'

'Harry,' interrupted Susan. 'I charged out of the bathroom and knocked you to the floor then fell on top of you. Are you sure you're not hurt?'

Harry shrugged. 'Just the wind knocked out of me. I'm fine.' He looked up at Brigitta. 'Thank you,' he added with a smile.

'Did you sleep well, Harry?' Brigitta asked. He nodded.

'Yes, I slept wonderfully, thank you.' He saw Susan's eyes drop to his pyjamas in surprise, and after a lightning self-inspection which verified that nothing untoward was showing, Harry struggled to his feet. Susan rose with him, smoothly, supporting him with a hand around his upper arm. He smiled his thanks to her, nodded, and said, 'Thanks, Susan. Please excuse me,' before scurrying into the bathroom.

Susan turned to her mother. 'What's going on?' she asked quietly over the hollow splashing sound of Harry urinating into the toilet on the other side of the door. 'How long is Harry here for?' She could not suppress the excitement in her voice. Her mother smiled at her.

'Amelia brought him last night, after you'd gone up to bed,' she said, equally quietly. 'I don't know the full story but he was locked up by his relatives without food and with water only once per day. He lasted five days and almost decided to allow himself to die of starvation before something changed his mind and he used magic to defend himself against his family. I don't know why but Amelia went to investigate, saw his conditions, and brought him back here. He'll be staying here for the rest of the summer.'

The toilet flushed, and Susan practically jumped up and down on the spot, clapping her hands with glee. 'Oh, wonderful!' Brigitta smiled at her daughter.

'Oh, I see,' she said archly, her eyes joyful. 'And how long has this been going on?'

Susan stomped her foot. 'Mother!' Brigitta laughed at Susan's antics, just smiling at her as she waited for Harry to open the door. A moment later, he did.

'Feeling better, Harry?' Brigitta asked with a smile, her eyes dancing. Harry blushed, but he smiled back rather tentatively.

'Yes, thank you.'

'Well, why don't you two get dressed and come down for breakfast? It'll be on the table in five minutes.'

oOoOoOo

Dressed for the day, Harry slipped out of his room and down the stairs, heading for the kitchen which he had been in last night. In the daytime, the room was flooded with light, the reflection of the sunlight off a white-painted window seat. The pale yellow of the kitchen with light blue accents, with colourful dishes and items scattered here and there made the kitchen a bright, happy, welcoming place.

'Ah, Harry, take a seat,' said Brigitta from her place on the side of the table that faced the kitchen. Amelia, dressed in severe business robes, was sipping from a hefty mug at the head of the table, and Susan, now wearing a blouse and skirt, turned to smile at him and pulled out the chair next to her.

'Sit here, Harry.'

Nervous and uncertain despite the welcoming smiles from all three females, Harry sat gingerly on the wooden chair. On the table in front of him there was a load of bread with a number of spreads and butter, and a large bowl of fruit. He glanced to one side and saw that Susan had a bowl of something pale. It was mushy but not porridge; there were what looked like pieces of dried fruit in it, and other things he couldn't identify.

'So, Harry,' said Brigitta, jerking his attention back across the table, 'what would you like for breakfast?' She smiled at him winningly, waiting for his reply.

Harry was struck dumb, paralysed by the situation – he wanted to make a good impression, didn't want to impose – and by the choice. He had no idea what to ask for – there was no sign of the frypans that he would expect to see in the Weasley kitchen, so he didn't want to ask for his normal breakfast, and yet eating untoasted bread for breakfast seemed far too odd. He had fixed his gaze on the fruit and was just about to reach for it, a negative phrase on his lips, when Susan interrupted. 'Why don't you try some museli, Harry? I guess you haven't had it before but I'm sure you'll like it.'

'Museli?' repeated Harry dumbly, tasting the shape of the unfamiliar word in his mouth. Susan nodded, smiling winningly.

'Sure! You have it with honey.' With that she reached forward to what Harry now recognised as a honeypot and used the dipper to drizzle a couple of teaspoons of honey over the top of the stiff paste in her bowl.

'Er,' stammered Harry, 'yes, please, that would be nice. Thank you,' he finished lamely, and acutely aware of the three pairs of eyes upon him, he blushed heavily. He was pleased, though, to see Brigitta nodding happily as she stood and retrieved a bowl from a large cupboard nearby. A glance at the contents showed Harry it was a cool cupboard, the wizarding equivalent of a refrigerator. Susan's mother withdrew a large, ceramic bowl. Taking a smaller bowl just like Susan's she put two huge spoonfuls inside before returning the main bowl to its home, then placed the smaller bowl before Harry by reaching casually over the table. With a 'thank you' and a glance at Susan, who had taken her spoon and was now scooping some of the sludgy mess out of her bowl, he reached for the honey to duplicate Susan's actions.

Taking a mouthful, Harry was surprised at the taste. Chewing thoughtfully, he realised that what at first seemed bland was actually really nice, milky and nutty with sharp accents from the dried fruit and the sweetness of the honey.

'This is delicious,' he said once he had swallowed and licked his lips. 'It's so different. It's called museli?'

'It's actually Swiss museli, not Swedish museli,' replied Susan with a teasing smile for her mother. Harry frowned in puzzlement.

'Swiss? Swedish?'

'My family is from Sweden,' said Brigitta. 'I married an Englishman and moved here.'

The rest of breakfast was filled with pleasant conversation as Harry learned about the various Bones family members. As the rather happy gathering about the table was winding up, though, Amelia Bones stood.

'Harry, I have to go to the Ministry soon, but I hope you don't mind if I ask Brigitta to take you shopping. I'll be sending an escort for you at about ten thirty. I hope that's okay with you, Gitte?'

'Of course,' said Brigitta.

'What's happening?' asked Susan.

'Just a moment, dear,' replied her mother as she got up and walked with Amelia out the back door into the kitchen yard. Through the window, Harry saw Brigitta kiss Amelia on the cheek, a brief holding of hands, and a smile that transformed the usually stern visage of the new Minister before she apparated away.

'Isn't that just lovely?' said Susan pensively, briefly placing her hand on Harry's forearm. He didn't answer her, his attention siezed by the lingering, warm feeling of his forearm where Susan had so briefly touched him. It felt odd, almost tingly, and something about it made his insides clench nervously. He tried to put it out of his mind by taking an early peach from the bowl.

Brigitta returned to the kitchen and sat down opposite the two teens. 'Harry, I suppose I should apologise for Amelia, she's so assertive sometimes that she can appear rude.'

Harry looked up in utter confusion. 'I'm very sorry, but I don't understand?' he said politely.

'I couldn't help but notice when I was unpacking... you don't seem to have any clothes that fit you?' she said softly. 'And, except for your school robes and some pullovers you can't wear now anyway because it's summer and too warm, nothing that's actually in good condition?'

Blushing furiously, Harry looked down in utter shame. He began to feel a little resentful of the question. What would they think? Would they assume he was as poor as a church mouse and would have to be supported? He couldn't bear the thought that a family as nice as the Bones would feel they had to pay for the clothes of a perfect stranger.

'I've got plenty of money!' he blurted, still staring at his lap in misery.

A warm arm laid itself across his shoulders, accompanied by the scent of apple blossom. Susan, he noticed out of the corner of his eye. A hurrying noise, and then Brigitta was kneeling next to him, one hand gently pressing on his cheek to turn his head to face her. 'I'm not trying to embarrass you, Harry. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Why don't you tell me what you're feeling, and why?'

And so, with a halting start and many hesitations, the story came out about how the Dursleys only ever gave him Dudley's old clothes, how Dudley was approximately the size of a small whale, how he had inherited a vault from his parents but he had only ever bought school things out of that, and hadn't even been able to do that recently as he hadn't been allowed to visit his vault since third year, or Diagon Alley for that matter, and in fact right now he didn't even have his vault key and didn't know where it was as Mrs Weasley had never returned it after last summer.

When he finally wound down, Brigitta said, 'So, can I assume that you'd like to get yourself some new clothes if you had the chance? Or do you like your clothes as they are now?'

'No!' ejaculated Harry. 'I hate them!' Unspoken was his hate for the Dursleys.

'Well then, we'll take you shopping. Get you a whole new wardrobe, from top to bottom, and then we'll burn all this old stuff. How does that sound?'

Harry looked up for the first time in over ten minutes, staring into Brigitta's face in surprise and hope. 'May I? May I really?'

'Yes, Harry, not only may you, but you will. So, Susan, why don't you show Harry the house and outside for a little while, and I'll clean up in here while we wait for the Aurors that Amelia's going to send.' She flicked a glance at Harry's scar, adding, 'After all, we can't have Harry mobbed or abducted, can we?'

Puzzled by the wicked smile on her face and the twinkling of her eyes, Harry returned Brigitta's smile. 'Thank you very much.'

The warm arm across his shoulders, which Harry had almost forgotten, turned into a gentle thump. 'Come on Harry, I'll show you around,' said Susan. Harry looked to her, she was still smiling, she had hardly stopped smiling whenever he had seen her today. To his surprise she took his hand and pulled him to his feet. Letting go once he was standing on his own, she led the way outside.

oOoOoOo

Harry and Susan stood at the top of a gentle slope leading down to a small lake or large pond that looked as though it was about a hundred metres wide. At one point it abutted an old-looking wood, and a small stream trickled into the lake from within the wood. About halfway out to the centre, a wooden platform about three metres square bobbed on the water. Susan gave Harry a chance to take all this in before leading him down to the only other sign of development near the lake, a decked area which protruded out over the lake a short way from which a short jetty protruded. A rowboat was tied up to the jetty, two oars lying untidily across the thwarts.

The sun was warm but not hot, the air still. The sun blazed down from its location about halfway above the horizon, meaning it was about mid-morning by the sun. At a guess, he would say it was about half past nine by the clock. All around him, there was the scent of growing things, most especially the scent of the loam and the grass that they walked over to reach the lake. The yellow scent of wildflowers tickled his nose, and every so often he'd get a scent of apple blossoms from Susan.

'This is our lake,' she said at last. Her words somehow dropped into the limpid air, making it feel as though they were in a separate, private world. She led him onto the deck out to the edge suspended over the water, sat down, slipped off the sandals she wore, and dangled her feet in the dark green water. Following her, Harry sat down near her and tucked his knees up under his chin. He looked out across the lake pensively, soaking in the warmth of the sun; the silence broken by birds, a splash as a fish briefly surfaced, and the sound of Susan's feet parting the water gently and her quiet breathing; the lovely dank water smell overlaid by wet wood, the loamy smell from before, the scent of the forest, and Susan's apple blossom hair.

'Do you like it?' she asked, all of a sudden. Her voice was very close, and Harry jerked to see that she was sitting right next to him. He swallowed but did not move away. His imagination told him he could feel the warmth of her near his side.

'Yes,' he replied at length. 'It's lovely.' He looked around at the decking, which appeared as though it was rather worn in places. 'It looks like it gets used quite a bit. Is it all yours?'

'Oh, yes, we have a hundred acres here. I haven't shown you the farm manager's house and the farmhands' quarters. We grow potions ingredients, mostly. It's all handled by the manager; I don't really know the details. Mother tells me I'll have to learn, though, once I finish my NEWTs.' She snorted, then added, 'I come down here every day to swim.' Another pause, then, 'I usually swim mid-afternoon, when the lake's at its warmest. Would you like to come too?'

Harry hesitated, then started to answer her but stopped himself. Blushing at his awkwardness, he turned his head to see that she was watching him with interest. 'I'd like to, but I'm afraid I can't swim, not very well, anyway. I never really learned.'

'I thought you knew how to swim, I mean, the Second Task...?'

With a shrug, Harry replied, 'Gillyweed.' His thoughts returned to the Triwizard Tournament and the happiness that had quietly come to him fled before memories of Cedric, and Cho, and the Inquisitors, and-

His thoughts were interrupted by Susan's warm hand on his arm. 'Harry? Are you okay?' He looked up again to see her looking at him, a concerned expression on her face. He felt warm.

'I'm fine,' he said automatically, then smiled weakly. 'Really.'

oOoOoOo

Excerpts from the Desk Log of Minister Amelia Bones:

Saturday, July 6, 1996

8:49am: Minister (M) arrives.

8:52am: Secretarial: Summons records of: Harry James Potter, born 31 July 1980.

9:07am: Secretarial:

Memorandum to: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head – DMLE

Kingsley,

Please ensure that the Dursleys are processed with all dispatch and back in place by tomorrow evening if no actual charges are warranted. Use of Veritaserum is authorised with the usual requirements for witnesses and transcription.

I noticed something when they were apprehended, and Harry says they've been acting oddly over the past day or two. Please ensure that all checks for the Imperius and other influencing methods are carried out fully.

(signed)

9:09am: Secreterial:

Memorandum to: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head – DMLE

Kingsley,

Please investigate whether there's any kind of measure in place influencing owls at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Anecdotal evidence exists that a normal stream of six owls per day suddenly stopped, and Harry Potter's owl Hedwig – a Snowy – has been missing since dispatched to Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts.

(signed)

9:20am: Secretarial: Temporary change of guardian notice entered for Harry James Potter, born 31 July, 1980.

9:21am: Secretarial: Official change of residence notice entered for Harry James Potter, born 31 July 1980.

10:33am: Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore (AD) arrives.

M: Ah, Albus, please come in. What can I do for you?

AD: Thank you for seeing me on a Saturday, Minister. I must say that one would never find Cornelius here on a Saturday. (laughs)

M: I am not Cornelius, Albus. I suppose you have a point. But I have quite a bit to learn, having just started, as you can well imagine. I have to do it sometime.

AD: Oh, yes, I remember when I was made Headmaster, it took me weeks to find out what was going on.

M: Quite. Well, as you can imagine, I have quite a bit to do, Albus, so to repeat myself, what can I do for you?

AD: Yes, quite, I'm sorry. Hogwarts received notification of a change of address for Harry Potter this morning. I believe his new home is... yours?

M: That's right.

AD: You must understand, Amelia, how important it is that Harry resides in the home of his blood relatives. It is vital to his well-being and continuing protection.

M: I see. Am I to assume, then, that you would like him returned to his previous residence?

AD: Yes, please, Amelia. I could take him with me immediately if it would be convenient for you.

M: Over my dead body.

AD: Excuse me?

M: An official investigation will commence on Monday into the question of Harry's guardianship, Headmaster Dumbledore. It was by chance that I accompanied an Auror team to his home last night, only to find him a prisoner in his own home, under actual immediate threat of severe injury or death from his soi-distant guardians, and in so bad a condition from starvation and dehydration that were he any worse I would have taken him to St. Mungo's instead of simply rescuing him from durance vile and taking his relatives into custody. I can assure you, Headmaster, that we will also be investigating the cirucmstances of how it was that he came into the care of those people.

AD: I was aware that he disliked his aunt and uncle, but I assure you I had no idea that-

M: That is immaterial, and if true, utterly reprehensible. I do not wish to further discuss the subject, Albus, until the results of the investigation come back, as you yourself might be investigated in this matter and I don't want to prejudice the investigation. For the mean time, Harry will be safe at my family home, guarded as it is by a detachment of Aurors.

AD: I really do wonder whether that will be sufficient to protect him from Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Amelia. (sigh) The manner of his mother's death conferred strong protection onto him, for as long as he resides in the home of his mother's blood. He must stay there for a certain amount of time every year to, um, recharge the protection, both for himself and for his family.

M: Well, that may be, Albus, but I assure you that had he not been rescued he would be either dead, severely ill or injured, or have run away in a blaze of magic by now. At least at my home he is guarded.

AD: Perhaps I might suggest that Harry be permitted to take an active part in his own defense, Minister.

M: Do you mean an exemption from the restriction against underage magic?

AD: Yes, in addition to active training. He is, after all, Voldemort's primary target, and actively sought by those who would curry his favour. If he cannot be hidden, then he must be trained against the possibility that he might be found.

M: Perhaps. I will take it under advisement, Albus. Well, if there was nothing else?

AD: Since we are here, perhaps I might take a few minutes to discuss some other matters regarding Hogwarts in advance of the usual post-term meeting late next week.

M: Please go ahead.

oOoOoOo

From the Diary of Susan Bones:

Saturday, 6th July

Dear Diary,

Oh, what a day! What an amazing, wonderful, and terrible day! So much has happened, I just can't describe it all.

First of all, Harry's here! I literally stumbled over him on the way out of the bathroom this morning. Poor guy looks like death warmed over. Mother told me he'd been imprisoned by his aunt and uncle, whom he used to live with.

Used to! Harry lives here now! It's like a dream come true – how can I not take advantage of it to get to know him better and, who knows, maybe something more?

Even today, though, I found out things about him that I had never suspected. I'd always thought he was really poor, but he's actually enormously wealthy but has never been allowed to access his money. He was dressed in rags by his despicable relatives. He can't stand the thought that he might need charity. He doesn't know how to swim, yet he still dove into the lake at school for the second task. And, as I found out today, he's never been shopping. Mother and I had a great time, selecting clothes that actually make him look like he should.

All he needs now is a little more muscle on him. Mother said something about him recovering fairly quickly with the potions she was feeding him, so I'm not to worried, and once he fills out again I think he'll look much better.

I caught something in his eyes a few times today, though. He looks as though the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He certainly never looked like that at DA – and I would have noticed, I think – so something's happened since then. I think it might even have been after OWL exams, since the few times I saw him after exams he looked like he was really dragging.

I can't wait to find out more about him. I'm going to teach him to swim, to help him recover his muscle tone. Mother recommended it to me; she said the potion restores muscle but doesn't tone it much. Maybe I can get him to open up to me.

Oh, I can't wait.

oOoOoOo

From the Journal of Harry James Potter:

6 July 1996 – Saturday

I can hardly believe it, but it seems I've finally escaped the Dursleys for good.

Today was wonderful. Susan seems glad to see me, and she's nice. She didn't laugh at me or pity me for the stuff I had to tell them about the Dursleys, which is a good sign.

Brigitta and Susan took me shopping today, for clothes. I've never been so exhausted in my life, and do they make shop floors out of something especially hard, because my feet hurt. It was worth it, though. I drew out a thousand after Brigitta showed me a spell that would summon my Gringotts key from wherever it had got to (and confided in me that the wards around the house would prevent detection of underage magic). So I did the charm ("Apercæg", with a right inward diminishing spiral ending in a hook) and four keys appeared. One of them I recognised, and Brigitta's lips got awfully thin when I told her I hadn't seen the others before at all. We bought all kinds of clothes and when we got back they held a ceremonial burning of my old clothes, Dudley's hand-me-downs.

It felt good, like I was symbolically divorcing the Dursleys.

Amelia was back when we returned from shopping. After we'd finished dessert she said she had some things to tell me and did I want to discuss them privately or would it be okay to do it at the kitchen table over a tea? Brigitta immediately got up and put on the kettle, so with that hint I said I had nothing to hide and the four of us sat at the kitchen table and Amelia told me what she'd been up to that day.

Basically, making Dumbledore's life hell. It feels odd to write his name like that, but I'm still not at all happy with him, and after Amelia finished telling me what she'd found out, I was even less happy with him. She told me that I now officially lived at the farm, and Brigitta was my official – if temporary – guardian, and it would stay that way until she rescinded it herself. Boy, it's nice having the Minister on your side for once.

But the main thing she said, which didn't really surprise me, was that it was looking like the stuff at Privet Drive was the work of Umbridge and Fudge, mainly. Traces of a compulsion potion had been found in the Dursleys, and the sudden lack of owls (except for Hopkirk's) was the work of a ward that had been ordered by Umbridge and put up by a team of people whose job it is to set up and maintain wards. Amelia noted that she had even filed the paperwork properly, and it was that compulsion that would no doubt lead to arrests early in the coming week.

Okay, no surprises there, but what had her really steamed was that Dumbledore hadn't known about the actions being taken against me, and because he didn't believe it would happen, hadn't bothered to check. Thinking about it, I'm really angry about that too. Who the hell does he think he is? He throws me at the Dursleys, and doesn't bother to check on me? Or do I assume he knew about how I was treated and did nothing about it? Either way, however good his intentions, it would seem that he is careless and therefore not to be trusted. Bastard.

Calm thoughts, cool thoughts.

But if I can't depend on Dumbledore, I'll have to depend on myself, and I guess my friends. Hermione, Luna, Ginny, Ron, Neville, and maybe even Susan and I suppose the rest of the DA. The thing is, what the hell do I do? Where do I start? How do I approach this?

I realised earlier that I hadn't thought of Sirius at all today once we got started. Just too busy, I guess, but does that mean I'm going to forget him? I can't bear that thought. I have to try and keep him alive, even if it's only in my memories.

Huh, I just realised I can write to Luna now and ask her some more about that stuff we talked about before the end of term. Or I would if I had Hedwig. Where are you, girl? I'm starting to worry about you.