As ever, standard disclaimers apply.
Harry woke up with a start. Had he been dreaming? He reached over for his wife and found, instead, the too close edge of the bed and a wall just beyond it. A gentle but unfamiliar wheezing snore snagged him by the edges and he remembered where he was and why he was there and with whom. He smiled to himself. For such a little kid, he had quite the snore! He rolled onto his other side and stared out at the darkness. Should a little kid even be snoring? Was that what woke him?
He felt his face crinkle at the idea. No. That uneasy breathing was not the culprit.
Voldemort. He'd been dreaming of the last battle, of Severus Snape's death in the arms of... In the arms of the dead Albus Dumbledore. He frowned and squinted at the memory that wasn't at all clear. Battle, death. He'd fainted at some point and when he'd awakened in the Hospital Wing a healer had said something about shock. Dumbledore had died in a battle with Death Eaters nowhere near where Harry (and Snape) had been. Other side of the castle...
He heard a sharp intake of breath and then a long wheezing sigh from the other small bed. Curious, and his earlier ruminations of the past forgotten, he rolled over to grab the antique pocket watch Ginny had gotten him and his wand from the bedside table. "Lumos," he whispered softly, and held the dim wand-light over the face of the watch. Seven o'clock in the morning. So it was time to rise, anyway. He held the wand up and called out the spell to light up the lamps in their room. As soon as they flared he heard the rustling of bedclothes as Octavius was awakened.
He turned and smiled as the boy rubbed his eyes and fought to gain his bearings. "Good morning Octavius," he greeted more cheerfully than anyone ought in an early morning.
"Good morning, sir," the boy replied with no hint of the bleariness that resided on his face. He slid out from the warmth of the blankets, shivering at the cold that his torn nightshirt did nothing to protect him against.
Harry murmured another charm and the room seemed to warm up suddenly. "That's better. Now let's get washed up, dressed and we can have a nice big breakfast."
Octavius nodded. Steeling himself for the cold hall and toilet, he scurried out of the room on the older wizard's heels. "Oh!" He said rather more loudly than he intended. He shrank back as Mr Potter turned to him with a questioning look on his face. "Erm..."
Harry chuckled. "I cast the charm on us to stay warm, Octavius, not the room." He grinned.
"I'd like to learn that one, sir."
"Comes in handy when the landlord is too cheap to put in modern heating." He laughed.
Octavius nodded, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
A half hour later found the pair at a table dining on eggs, sausages, toast with marmalade, tea and honey glazed buns. "Breakfast is one of my favorite meals," Harry sighed. "But it doesn't seem to be yours."
"I don't eat very much, sir. Father says too much food will ruin me."
"Yes? What about too little? Please eat at least another sweet bun and some more eggs."
"But you've finished, sir."
Harry shook his head. "I'm still having my tea. Besides, we must still plan out our day."
"We must?"
"Well, you could use another school robe and uniform. Do you only have the one set?"
"Yes. Father says that I'm not handsome enough to tart up like a Malfoy and --" He stopped as the Counselor started laughing loudly. "Sir?"
"Sorry. It's not funny, really. Did he really say that?"
"Yes, sir. I don't lie." He sat up stiff-backed and crossed his arms over his chest in a manner frighteningly like someone from the depths of Harry's own sad past.
Harry bit at his lower lip as a ghostly image of a long dead -- adult -- wizard was superimposed over the image of the insulted boy across from him. He caught himself and blinked hard and then saw once more only the too small child. "I did not mean to imply any such thing. But that's not exactly a phrase I'd have thought your father would apply to the Malfoy family. Anyway, it's mean. You are a fine looking lad and even if you weren't you deserve warm clothing without the air conditioning!" He very nearly banged his teacup on its saucer.
"Sir?" The small body cringed, losing the faux haughtiness and pulling nervously away from the adult.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Octavius. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm not upset with you, don't worry." He took a deep mind clearing breath. "Back to planning then. Another school robe and uniform -- don't worry, we can buy second hand if that makes you feel better. Some quills and parchment and fresh ink. Fresh potions kit." He observed the fear filled black eyes and stopped. "I think that's all you need, actually."
The boy looked relieved at this, though he gnawed at his bottom lip as if to hold back his thoughts from being spoken.
"Right. If you're finished, I think we can get to our shopping."
They went first to the second hand shop where the robes, artfully reconditioned by the proprietress, were in much better shape than the one Octavius had. They were, at least, still black and relatively unfrayed. As he was an unusually small child, the proprietress had offered (for a small fee) to cut and restitch the hem and sleeves of two of the robes Harry had chosen. He also found a third one in thick heavy velveteen, quite old fashioned but exceedingly fine, that he managed to hide from the boy. This one he would have (ok, he'd ask Mrs Weasley for the favor) recut to fit and present it as a gift for the next holiday feast. Then they picked out the shirts, ties and trousers that were worn beneath the robes. Used, of course. there was no way that he'd convince the boy to let the school buy anything new. Well, he'd outgrow them soon enough anyway, if they could get and keep him eating as he should.
Harry paid for the purchases and shrank them down to fit in his pocket with the overnight bags. They then went on to the stationers where Harry purchased the promised quills, ink and parchment, and some papyrus for Ginny as she'd taken a fondness for the stuff.
Once again in the Ally, they paused and looked about. Octavius with curiosity, Harry with a goal. "Ah," Harry purred, "There's the place we want next." A wide grin crinkled his eyes and Octavius turned to look to where the man pointed.
"Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour," Octavius read. "What is that?"
"An ice cream parlor. A place to sit and enjoy a bowl of ice cream, or even a sundae, and watch the world scurry about you."
Octavius gave him a look of incredulity. "Are you ill sir?"
"No I'm not ill. Have you never had ice cream?" He didn't wait for the answer he already knew. "No, of course not. It figures. Come then, a treat you will never forget." He guided his young charge to one of the outdoor tables and they sat beneath the shade of a large umbrella.
Almost immediately a grinning, florid wizard came out to attend them, his smile one of genuine cheer. "Well, well, Mr Harry Potter and friend. How are you this fine and glorious day?"
Octavius gave the bubbling wizard a sour look. But Harry answered graciously and with a wide smile. "It is a fine day, sir and we are both well and ready for dishes of ice cream."
"Of course! And what flavors will you try today?"
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh I think just raspberry for me. Octavius, what fruit do you like?"
The boy shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know sir. Might I have what you are having?"
Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion but all he did was nod. "Very well then, two simple dishes of raspberry ice cream." Fortescue nodded and hurried back inside his emporium. "Octavius, exactly how limited is your experience with fruit?"
"I don't know sir, we don't have much. Father never told me the names of everything we eat."
"How do you decide what to eat at Hogwarts?"
"Oh I don't worry overmuch about it, sir. I doubt the Headmistress is going to poison her students."
Harry was beginning to wonder what passed for conversation in the Lestrange household.
But not for long because the ice cream showed up very quickly and he tucked in without hesitation. Octavius watched him for a moment then tentatively stuck his spoon in the frozen treat. He sniffed it, wrinkled his nose, then finally took the leap of faith. His eyes widened in surprise and delight and he devoured the ice cream with a gusto approaching that of his companion. In fact he practically inhaled the stuff and was scraping out the bowl while Mr Potter was still only two thirds through his portion.
He then sat still and watched his elder eat with unusually wide eyes.
"All right!" Harry got the hint and gave in to it. "Would you like another serving? Maybe strawberry this time? Or chocolate?"
"Please could I have more raspberry?"
Harry laughed and got him another dish.
They next paid a visit to Gringotts (Octavius was shocked, frightened, then elated by the cart ride and never noticed anything more until they were back outside in the sunshine). Harry then led them out of the Ally, through the Leaky Cauldron and into a tall narrow box in a grubby side street. He felt the boy's gaze observing as he dialed the number and then the child jumped as the lovely voice greeted them.
"I'm here to see Mr Ron Weasley," Harry replied to the greeting that filled the box, a smile directed at the small, wide eyed boy at his side. "Hold on," he whispered "We'll be going straight down."
And then they did, Octavius barely able to keep from screaming. Once they were deposited at the Atrium, Harry pinned on his and Octavius' visitors' badges and they went to the end of the short line that lead to the security guard checking all the wands. The person in front of them was a harried looking witch with her hat on askew. She had purple hair and an angry look. She practically snarled at the guard when he wanted to check her wand, but he wasn't budging and she gave it up with merely a snarled harumph when he handed it back and passed her through.
Then it was Harry and Octavius' turn. The man seemed friendly enough, smiling at the boy and complimenting him on his new wand.
Just then a redheaded someone emerged from one of the fireplaces along the Atrium hallway and started to trot toward them, limping slightly. "Oi!" He called out, waving, "Harry, mate!"
The guard passed them through and the two visitors hurried forward. The two men greeted each other with sound thumps on their backs. Then Harry stepped back and brought Octavius to stand in front of him. "Ron, I'd like you to meet Octavius Lestrange."