Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its associated trademarks are the property of J.K Rowling. The plot and original characters in this fiction are my own. This fictional work is written for recreational purposes only. No copyright is intended.
A good night's sleep is something that Harry Potter craves. After all, being haunted by the dreams of your dying parents, a demented Dark Lord and the murder of your own godfather meant that nightmares were quite constant in Harry's life. He thought that with Hedwig's, no, Mana's presence, he would be able to get a good night's sleep.
He thought wrong.
First of all, Mana tended to move around a lot while she was asleep. For Harry, that meant getting knee'd elbowed by Mana's unseen limbs. What was the point of worrying about nightmares when one couldn't even sleep in the first place? And then there was that particular incident during 2am in the morning, when Harry had awoken because he felt someone move. Harry looked around and saw something that made him almost scream in terror and embarrassment.
He saw Mana, out of the bed and standing on her feet. The invisibility cloak had been wrapped around her waist, so when Harry first took a look at her…
Oh my God! It's a freakin' ghost!!!
When Harry had calmed down (and had removed the invisibility cloak off Mana), he then saw the second part of his predicament.
Mana was hopping from each foot, with her hands covered over her pelvic region.
Yes, that meant that it was time to teach Mana toilet training. Harry had almost fainted from the very idea of doing that.
In the end, he had to drag Mana to the toilet (in the invisibility cloak of course) and taught her the fundamentals of relieving one's self. Poor Harry would've rather faced Voldemort and hundred Dementors then to relive the incident. Let's just say Harry drew on the knowledge from the things he had viewed while Dudley was watching his secret stash, and the things he had heard from older Gryffindors at Hogwarts. To say the least, it was a bit messy and awkward, and had it not been for the fact that Harry had more guts than your average 15 year old, he would've passed out from the shame. Mana herself was a bit embarrassed by the red tinge she had on her cheeks the whole time, but she seemed to be enjoying Harry's discomfort nonetheless. When toilet training was complete (and when Harry was sure that Mana could do it herself from now on), he dragged the oblivious owl-turned-human back to his room, and put her to sleep.
Morning.
Harry woke up, still slightly red-faced from the events during the night. Putting on his glasses, he saw the date from the shabby calendar on the wall of his bedroom. The 10th of July. Exactly ten days after he arrived back in Pivett Drive, and the start of his three weeks of his new found freedom.
Harry left his room and inspected the house. The Dursleys were nowhere to be seen.
Yes! They're gone!
On the kitchen table, however, was a set of the house keys, and a message that contained mostly a list of chores and assorted death threats from his uncle and aunt. Harry grinned to himself. Since he was allowed to do magic, these chores could be accomplished within seconds. Harry took a look at the clock on the kitchen wall. 8:30am.
First, I should make some breakfast for Mana. Then I'll take her out to buy her some clothes. Oh, and I should drop by the Library, it may have some books on how to teach things to babies. Mana may not look like a baby, but she sure acts like one…Nah, better not rush things. Clothes today, Library tomorrow.
Harry set two plates, two pairs of spoons and forks, and two cups on the table. Taking out his wand, he focused on the idea of bacon, made a wand movement and cried out,
"Conjurus!" Immediately, some scrambled eggs appeared on the table. Pleased at his success, Harry then conjured some bacon, a serving of rice and some orange juice. After seeing that all was well, Harry went up to his room to wake up Mana. He went up to Mana's side of the bed, and because she was under the invisibility cloak, he poked at the area where arm would be.
Harry poked at thin air. Mana was gone!
Oh no! Where could she have gone?!
Panicking, Harry ran around the room, with his arms spread out. He desperately tried to grab thin air, hoping that it would be Mana that he would be grabbing. But even after groping his room, Mana was not there. Harry sped out of the bedroom and ran around the house, groping everywhere in his vain hope to find Mana. The lounge room, the toilet, Dudley's game room, Vernon and Petunia's room, she wasn't there. Harry began to sweat, not out of exhaustion, but out of fear.
If anything happened to her…
In his fanatic blind search, Harry left the house through the back door and began to search the back yard. No dice. Harry was grabbing here and there, but could not find anything. Harry, on the verge of giving up, was about to walk back into the house when he tripped over something and landed on the ground. Harry tried to see what he tripped over, but he could not see anything apart form Petunia's prized trimmed lawn. Suddenly, Harry felt something grab his left foot. Harry wasted no time. He pulled out his wand and aimed at his foot.
"Expelliarmus!" he bellowed. Something flew away from his foot, but what caught his attention was the person holding onto his foot.
It was Mana, and she looked miserable.
Harry was at a loss. He had never seen the pretty, golden eyed girl looked so sad, even though he hadn't known her for even 24 hours. Mana, in her baggy grey shirt and black shorts, was sitting on the ground, one arm around her knees and another on Harry's leg. From the marks on her face, he could tell that she had been crying earlier. Harry's frustration from his wild goose chase vanished completely. He got onto his knees, crawled to Mana's side and began to gently stroke her silky brown hair.
"Mana, what's wrong?" he asked gently. Mana did not look at Harry; rather, she was staring at Harry's knees. it appeared that she did want to spill her problems, not that she could do it because she couldn't speak in the first place. Harry, using his wits, crawled around to Mana's back, and wrapped his arms around Mana. Mana let out a short sigh, a sign that said that Mana was feeling a little better now. Again, Harry asked his question,
"Mana, what's wrong?" Mana turned her head to face Harry. She tilted her head to the side.
"Mana." she whispered softly. Harry blinked, then he realised that whenever Mana tilted her head, it means she does not understand. Harry was about to try again when Mana looked up into the sky.
"Mana." she repeated softly. Harry followed her eyes, and understood. Mana had been looking at birds in flight.
I see. She is no longer a bird, but she is sad that she cannot be like one. It must be terrible, to be one thing one day than become something totally different in the next. It's all my fault, first I killed off Sirius with my stupidity, and now I mutated Hed-, no, Mana with my lack of concentration. No matter now, like Barnabas told me, I should not be feeling sorry for myself, but rather, do my best to honour those I have wronged. I swore to become stronger for Sirius, and now I swear to find a way to restore Mana back to Hedwig.
Harry looked at Mana with great determination. He had never felt so…eager to do something in his life.
"Mana." he said quietly, but seriously, "I swear to you that I will make things right. I will find a way to turn you back to normal. I swear to you now." Mana tilted her head to the side, but not in her normally confused way. She almost looked like she was contemplating. Then suddenly, she did something that Harry swore only Hedwig did.
Mana leaned forward, and nibbled on Harry's finger affectionately.
Harry led Mana back to the house, almost in shock. It seemed that no matter how different Mana seemed to be from Hedwig, the Hedwig part of her still lived. He was pleased to see that his conjured breakfast was still there where he left it. Sitting Mana down (it did not take much effort this time around because Mana remembered how to sit down), Harry opted to sit next to her, so he could teach her how to use cutlery. It was a little tough first, because Mana had originally thought that the cutlery was a kind of food, and when Harry gave the spoon to her she tried to eat it enthusiastically. Needless to say, her teeth were quite sore afterwards. But it didn't take long, however, for Harry to teach her the proper ways to eat…
"Mana, you do this…" Harry demonstrated by using a knife to cut a piece of bacon in half, then using a fork to pick it up, then eating it. Mana watched in fascination as Harry did so. True, she did miss a few times and made a few dents in the plate, but she eventually managed to get it right…
"Now, watch, you eat…" Harry demonstrated to Mana how to eat from a spoon. After teaching her to pile some food onto her spoon, Harry slowly brought the spoon to his mouth, devoured the food, and put down the spoon down with a flourish. Mana followed suit. It was almost perfect, but on the first few tries she had tried eat the spoon as well…
After Harry had washed the plates and put them away, he dreaded the inevitable situation he was heading towards. Since he was going to take Mana out to buy some clothes, he had to make her presentable.
Yes, that meant shower time.
Harry almost died of blood loss through his nose as he took off Mana's clothes in the shower room. True, he wasn't going to shower with her, but try as he might, he couldn't help but notice Mana's supple curves; or her long, shapely legs; or her beautiful yet innocent face. Again, he remembered the things he learnt from Dudley and his tapes and the elder Gryffindor boys, in order to help with his task of showering Mana. Firstly, he showed her how to operate the shower knobs. It was little complicated because Mana had tried to eat them. And also, Mana was a little enthusiastic because she turned the hot water on to full blast while Harry was demonstrating. Needless to say, the son of James and Lily Potter had a very colourful vocabulary in reacting to this.
Secondly, once the water was running, Harry stepped out of the shower and ushered Mana into the shower. She smiled blissfully as she did so; obviously she had never experienced the sensation of water running along her body. She sighed happily as she spun around in the shower, letting all parts of her body get wet. Harry watched with both fascination and embarrassment, try as he might, he was still a male and he couldn't help notice some things about Mana's anatomy. After Mana had her fun, Harry set his jaw, picked up the soap and scrubber, and tapped Mana on the shoulder.
"I'm going to soap you, Mana." he said, while staring at his feet. Mana stopped playing in the shower, and turned her golden eyes onto Harry. The poor boy was beet red from embarrassment, although she didn't know that.
"Harry?" Mana inquired. "Soap?"
"Yes Mana," mumbled Harry resolutely, "Soap."
The next five minutes were probably the most embarrassing moments in Harry's life. Although many boys of his age would kill for an opportunity to scrub down a girl as beautiful as Mana, Harry had more self-control and awareness than most boys. After explaining to Mana how apply soap to the scrubber (Mana was very excited at the sight of the foam), he began the arduous task.
"Here we go, Mana."
Harry was shaking terribly as he scrubbed Mana. His face, no, his entire body, was now an intense shade of crimson. He hoped for this torture to end, but he knew that he had a responsibility to take care of Mana. The said girl didn't mind at all; in fact, she was moaning in pleasure when Harry was reaching for her most sensitive spots. The red faced Potter struggled to not get turned on by this, and the fact that he was tempted made him blush all the more.
After soaping Mana down, he let her wash herself. Meanwhile, Harry had his back turned, and one could probably see the steam rising from his body. After giving Mana a few minutes to rinse, he pulled out the shampoo and presented it to Mana.
"Mana, this is shampoo." he said in a quiet voice. To his surprise, she grabbed the shampoo and pulled it towards her mouth.
"Food?" she inquired as she eyed the would-be morsel in her hands. Harry's eyes widened, before he grabbed the bottle from her. He gestured to her head.
"No, Mana. Shampoo. SHAM-POO." he repeated. Mana gave Harry a questioning look, before she began to tap on her head.
"Shampoo?"
Close enough, I guess…
"Yes." replied Harry, and Mana beamed. Harry squirted some of the contents of the bottle into his hand, before applying it to Mana's medium brown hair. She purred happily as Harry worked the shampoo into her hair. Again, he was blushing from the task (and the sounds Mana was making). Once he had finished, Harry pushed Mana back into the stream of water in the shower.
"Rinse." was his simple command. Mana smiled happily as she complied with Harry's order. The boy sighed as he let the girl mess around with the water again.
Oh God, the worst is over. He let a few minutes pass, and then he turned off the shower. Mana, who was having the time of her life, was put off by this. She pouted as she looked at Harry.
"Harry." she whispered in an almost disappointed voice. Harry looked somewhat guilty, but he led Mana out of the shower nonetheless. After drying off Mana with a towel, he once again began the arduous task of putting on Mana's clothes. For the outing he was planning, he had chosen his 'best' out of his collection (which wasn't saying much). He presented her a pair of baggy jeans and, a plain white shirt, briefs and a singlet. To his surprise, however, Mana took the pile of clothes from Harry's hands and placed them to the side. She then put on the briefs, singlet, shirt and jeans without the slightest difficulty, although Harry did up the button and zipper on the jeans for her. Mana looked quite happy with herself.
"Harry?" she asked, as she tilted her head to the side. Harry gave her a small grin.
"You did well today, Mana." Harry wasn't sure she would understand the comment, but he could've sworn he saw a spark of recognition in Mana's golden eyes. He led Mana to the bathroom sink where he brushed her teeth. She was quite scared at first, covering her mouth so the toothbrush wouldn't get in. However, after Harry had demonstrated by brushing his own teeth, she removed her hands and let him brush her teeth. By the was she was closed her eyes lazily, Harry could tell that she enjoyed the experience.
Harry also presented a pair of sandals for Mana to wear. Luckily, she didn't try to eat it. He strapped them on to Mana, before standing back to take a look at her. Apart from her weird coloured eyes, she looked like an ordinary muggle. Harry was satisfied with his work. He led Mana to the lounge room, where he turned on the TV. He then seated Mana onto one of the chairs. Looking into her eyes, he said in a voice that commanded no reply,
"Stay." Mana blinked, but nodded. It seemed that she understood what the word 'stay' meant. Harry then gathered his own clothes, and ran off to the shower room. He emerged out of it 10 minutes later, fresh and wearing brownish-green cargo pants and a black shirt. He was looking at himself in the mirror as he brushed his unruly hair and gasped, with a shock, that he was taller than he was when he finished his fifth year. He ended the fifth year standing at a height of probably 5'7, but now, he was sure he was about 5'10 now. Combined with the fact that the Dursleys were feeding him normally (and three times a day), his history of Quidditch training over the years, the DA meetings and the frantic showdown at the Ministry of Magic, Harry now looked pretty good. He was no athlete or model, but at least now he was slim, maybe slightly skinny instead of the starved form he used to have living with the Dursleys. Beginnings of muscles were also beginning to show on his body. His perpetually ruffled hair and his bright emerald eyes also brought out an aura of good looks, like how the young Sirius (in Snape's Pensieve) as he lounged around in the O.W.L exams. At the thought of his godfather, he no longer felt sorry for himself, but rather felt good that he was beginning to mimic him, in looks at least.
How the hell did I grow three inches in 10 days? No matter, I can't complain. At least I'm not a runt anymore. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. Dudley's training equipment hasn't been thrown away yet. I can train to improve my body, as well as my magic. YEAH! Sirius, I'm going to make you proud of me. Oh, I suppose I can't forget Mana. We'll be both learning, I guess…
Harry left the bathroom in high spirits; upon entering the lounge room, he found Mana's eyes glued onto the TV screen. She was totally entranced by the program on, a ridiculous muggle show called 'Jackass,' where muggles would purposely do crazy stunts, often resulting in pain, humiliation and a big laugh from the audience. Mana was laughing at a particular stunt where a person jumped into a speeding shopping trolley and crashed it into a kerb, causing him to spill out of the trolley. Harry himself chuckled at this, before he turned off the TV. Mana was not pleased. She whipped her head around and stared accusingly at Harry.
"Harry!" she cried in frustration. Harry's gaze held no remorse as he put down the remote. He strode over to Mana and picked her up from the chair, although she was somewhat resistant. Looking into her eyes, he pointed to the front door.
"We're going out, Mana. I'm going to buy you clothes." Mana tilted her head again, not understanding what Harry just said. Harry sighed as he pulled Mana to the door. He opened it, put on his sneakers and locked up the door. He then tucked the money uncle Vernon gave him into his pocket, making sure it was secure. After making sure all was well, he began to walk with Mana.
Harry planned to go to Vauxhall Road Mall, a major shopping centre near the heart of London. To get there from Pivett Drive, he had to catch a bus. So as they walked to the bus station, Harry pointed out all the things around them and named them. Mana was absorbing the information quite well; well, at least she didn't think 'house' or 'trash can' were foods, anyway.
Wow…I'm surprised the Order kept their word. I was thinking that maybe Professor DUMBleDOPE would have convinced them to trail me, but I guess that man has some concern for me, after all. God, why do I feel so angry when I think of Dumbledore? It was for my own good…but I still can't help feel angry. Being sent to live with the Dursleys, keeping the prophecy away from me, turning his back on me last term, keeping me in the dark, making me take occlumency with Snape without a reason…yeah, my anger is justified…
Harry snapped out of his train of thought as he reached the bus stop. Mana was looking quite apprehensive of Harry, and Harry realised she had reason to, because a fierce scowl was on his face. Noticing Mana's expression, he immediately cleared it up. The two of them boarded a bus en route to Vauxhall Road, paid for their fare, and took a seat. Harry gave Mana the window seat. He sat down comfortably while Mana was staring at her surroundings. After a few minutes, the bus lurched forward.
"AIIEEE!!!" shrieked Mana. She grabbed onto Harry's shoulder and buried her face into it. Obviously, she was scared. He wrapped his arms around Mana and spoke to her softly, reassuring her. He didn't know if she would understand, but he had to try.
"There, there, Mana," he said soothingly, "don't be afraid. I'm here, you'll be safe." Surprisingly, Mana looked somewhat relieved at the words. She nodded hesitantly, and turned to look out the window. Harry was about to relax, when some giggles reached his ears. Harry turned around, and found the source from some girls sitting at the back of the bus. He lowered his head and blushed at the words he heard from the giggles.
"…oh, he looks so cute, I love his eyes…"
"He's so sweet; I wish he was my boyfriend…"
Harry wanted to shrivel up and die.
Finally, the bus reached Vauxhall Road mall. He led Mana out, looking very red-faced. She seemed awed at the sight of the mall. She was spinning on the spot, trying to take in all the sights. Harry consulted the map on one of the walls, as Mana was staring at her surroundings.
Hmm…where can I go? Let me see…my first stop will be K-Mart, and if I can't find anything, Myer will do. Myer's quite an expensive though, so that'll be my last resort. I have 300 pounds…hopefully a full wardrobe for Mana won't cost that much…
"C'mon Mana, we're off to K-Mart."
Harry reached K-Mart with very little difficulty, considering that the owl-turned-girl latched onto his hand was totally awed by the mall. Harry pointed out the names of shops, types of people, and other objects during the walk. As they reached K-Mart, he took Mana to the clothes department. Unlike wizarding shops, muggle clothes shops didn't measure their customers. Rather, clothes were arranged into standard sizes. Harry knew that the shirt and pants that Mana wore were size 30, so he picked out clothes of that size. He had some fun, presenting Mana clothes and watching her expression…
"You like this Mana?" Harry picked up a bright blue shirt with a pink heart on it. Mana nodded enthusiastically as she grabbed the shirt and tried to eat it…
"How about this?" Harry pulled out a pair of grey jogging pants. Mana pouted as she swatted the pants out Harry's hands. She growled, and Harry made a mental note that Mana hated the colour grey. In the end, Harry had four shirts, two long sleeve shirts, three pairs of jeans, three pairs of shorts, three pairs of socks, two dressing gowns and a jacket in his hands.
Harry also picked out a pair of shoes for Mana. After measuring her feet (Mana was quite fiddly, but Harry managed to get her feet size), he picked out a pair of shoes that Mana liked (a plain white pair of joggers with blue designs on it).
Ok…now time for the underwear…breathe, Harry. I can do this…
Harry approached the women's underwear section, but was surprised to see that much of it was empty. The only stock left belonged to adults that Mana couldn't possible wear. Well, at least he put off the inevitable, even for a little while.
Oh boy…that can wait; I gotta pay for this lot first…
Harry approached the front counter, his hands full of clothes. In order to direct Mana, he had to nudge her in the right directions. He paid for his purchases, which came to a total of 100 pounds. The assistant stashed the items into three bags, which Harry carried with one hand. It was difficult, but at least he could hold onto Mana now. He left the store and headed to the posh department store, Myer. Again, he took a few deep breaths before he ventured into the underwear section. To his surprise, he recognised some of aunt Petunia's friends in the area. Harry bolted out of the store as quick as he could.
Whew…what if they saw me in the underwear section with a girl…they'll probably flip out, and rat on me to aunt Petunia. Man, I gotta find a store soon…
"Harry?" asked Mana tentatively. Some of Harry's anxiety must've shown on his face. He set his jaw as he spoke to Mana.
"Mana, I swear that the next shop I find that sells underwear, I'll go in and buy your stuff. I'm not going to chicken out anymore!" he said determinedly. Mana blinked her eyes, and shrugged.
Harry would rue his words. He did indeed find a store that sold women's underwear.
Victoria's Secret.
My God…do they sell underwear or lingerie?! It's so…pink! And purple! And all those other erotic colours! This is the raunchiest store I've ever seen!!!"
Harry's body temperature skyrocketed as he took a good look at the store. With trembling hands, he led Mana into the store, who followed with an oblivious smile on her face. Every person in the store was female, and they all turned to look at Harry. Blushing like there was no tomorrow, he stalked over to the counter and mumbled his request to the assistant, a girl probably a few years older than him.
"Hmm? What was that, sir?" the assistant inquired. Harry sighed.
"Err…I need a complete set of underwear." Harry pointed at Mana
"For her? Or for…you?" asked the assistant playfully. Harry flushed.
"Her, of course!" he stuttered. He frantically gestured to the clueless Mana, who blinked her eyes innocently.
"Is that…so?" replied the assistant seductively. Harry looked like he was about to faint.
"Don't worry about it, sir." the assistant said happily, "Just sit down and let us do the rest." She was about to lead Mana away, but Harry stopped her.
"Umm…my friend Mana, she's…err…she's just come out of an accident. She can't speak very well, and she's kinda, well, mentally incapacitated. You might have to resort to simple words, so she can understand." stated Harry. The assistant looked surprised at first, but her shock turned into a warm smile. She led Mana away, muttering something along the lines of 'all the cute and nice ones are always either taken or gay.' Harry strode over to the chairs provided by Victoria's secret, where he sat down to catch his breath (and cool off).
"Potter?" asked a girl's voice
Harry's inside lurched. No muggle knew him, so it must be a magical person. He turned around to face whoever it might be…
"Zabini?!" he asked incredulously. The girl nodded.
"In the flesh, Potter." Harry took a good look at Blaise Zabini. She was a Slytherin student, his year. Unlike other Slytherins, she was pretty quiet; she didn't really play an active role in the Gryffindor versus Slytherin conflicts at Hogwarts. She was about his (old) height of 5'7, maybe 5'6. She had a heart shaped face coloured in the same pale tone as Malfoy's (but that connection brought up many disturbing images), long, silky black hair that reached the small of her back and shimmering, bright blue eyes. Although Harry had never talked to her, he knew that she was shy and often had a neutral expression on her face. Right now, however, her face showed curiosity and suppressed mirth.
"What are you doing here, Zabini?!" exclaimed Harry. Blaise gave him an almost secretive look.
"The question is, Potter, what are you doing here? In a muggle lingerie shop?" Well?" she asked coyly. Harry stuttered and muttered something along the lines of 'mimblewimble' under his breath. Blaise laughed, and Harry once again felt that he was hearing silver rain, like when Mana laughed.
"No need to get a heart attack, Potter, I saw what happened. And I must say, that was very kind of you, to take care of that incapacitated girl." Blaise's eyes showed respect. Harry relaxed somewhat.
"Oh, ok. But what are you doing here, Zabini? I mean, I thought purebloods wouldn't be caught dead in muggle store, and I'm pretty sure the Zabini family is quite a powerful, if not ancient, pureblood family." Blaise's nostrils flared somewhat at the mention of pureblood, but she composed herself,
"Well, that would be true, Potter, if you were talking to Malfoy or Parkinson," she said in a somewhat heated voice, "but just because I'm a pureblood and in Slytherin doesn't mean I go around in masks torturing muggles." Harry was about to protest when she cut him off.
"I'm not finished, Potter. Our family has never persecuted muggles." she whispered, making sure she catch anyone's attention, "In fact, our family is known for trying harmonise relations between magical folk and muggles. The other families don't mess with us because we are quite powerful and have connections." Blaise let the information sink into Harry.
"Oh…sorry, Zabini. I just get a little touchy when I'm around a Slytherin, you know what Malfoy and Snape is like, right?" Blaise nodded.
"So, what's your story, Potter? How's your holidays?"
Harry told Blaise of the story of how he was emancipated, how he made plans, how he fudged up his potion and how Hedwig became Mana. Needless to say, Blaise was impressed.
"Wow, Potter…I must say, that's quite a responsibility you've put on yourself. But let me ask you this, Potter: How do you keep her clean, and how do you deal with her when nature calls?" she asked.
"Umm, err, I mean…uhh…" Harry couldn't form coherent speech. Blaise smiled.
"You worry too much, Potter. I know you're a good guy, and that you would never do such things. I'm impressed, any other guy would've probably taken advantage of Mana by now, but you take care of her like she was your sister. You are truly something else, Potter." she said admiringly. Harry grinned tightly; his face was still red.
Wait…Zabini is a girl. Mana is a girl. That means…
"Umm…Zabini? Could you do me a favour for me?" Harry asked tentatively. Blaise nodded for Harry to continue.
"Could you…could you teach Mana the, uhh, things a girl needs to know at my house?" Blaise certainly looked surprised at this request, but nodded nonetheless.
"Sure, Potter." I'll come with you to your house. My parents will be able to track me down, so it's ok." Harry sighed in relief.
"Thanks."
At this point, the Victoria's Secret assistant returned with Mana, who had a healthy blush on her face. Harry's eyes bulged out at the sight of what Mana was holding.
Lacy pink bras. Silky purple panties. Harry had never seen such suggestive undergarments in his life.
Please God, let me die now…
The assistant saw Harry and beckoned him to the counter. Harry complied. She checked out the items, which came to a grand total of 80 pounds. Harry doled out the money (at the same time mentally complaining about the price) while another assistant packed the garments into bright pink plastic bags with the Victoria's Secret Label clear on it. He turned to Blaise as he picked up the bag and his previous bags.
"What now?" Blaise furrowed her eyebrows.
"Let's eat, Potter."
Harry now had both arms full as he trudged along with Mana's clothes. Luckily for him, Blaise was leading Mana along, so there was no need for Harry to nudge Mana in the right direction. They left Victoria's Secret, exited Vauxhall Road Mall and travelled to a nearby, where Blaise assured Harry that there was an open air café that served the finest sandwiches in the world. Taking a table, Harry ordered some food and drink for all three of them. While waiting for their food, Harry and Blaise began to talk.
"Hey, Zabini, I'm paying for this." To Harry's surprise, she blushed and began to stutter.
"Err…well, if you insist, Potter." she replied shyly. Harry grinned inwardly.
Potter and Zabini tied on one point each
"Why are you so shy, Zabini?" Harry curiously before he could stop himself. Blaise's crimson face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Uhh…this is my first time I've ever hung out with a boy by myself." she whispered. Harry nodded knowingly. He knew the feeling, bitterly remembering his disastrous date with Cho on Valentine's Day.
"Don't give yourself a heart attack, Zabini, it's all good. I won't bite."
"If you say so, Potter." Blaise twiddled with her thumbs and spoke no more. Mana, who had been quiet the whole time, kept changing her glances from Harry to Blaise. She said nothing, although she felt pretty happy with Blaise around.
Once their food arrived, Harry and Blaise tucked into their food. Well, they showed Mana how to eat a sandwich and to drink from a straw. Harry noted with some envy that Blaise managed to teach Mana in such a way that Mana didn't make any mistakes while eating.
Damn, Blaise would've done well in the DA…but misconception of her being a typical Slytherin stopped me from recruiting her, or any other Slytherin.
They talked pleasurably throughout the meal; subjects like potential careers, what they expected from their O.W.Ls, and ways to teach Mana how to be a normal person. It was quite a pleasant conversation, Harry thought, from a person who supposedly part of the enemy. But the conversation went one better when someone interrupted.
"'ello there, 'Arry and Blais'!" Harry, Blaise and Mana turned to look at the voice.
"Hagrid!"
"Professor Hagrid!"
The half giant, dressed in some obviously modified muggle attire, was standing over the group of three. Several of the nearby muggles looked at Hagrid with some curiosity, but his large size must've scared off any questions. Since there was no seat big enough to house Hagrid, he kept standing.
"Wha' in the ruddy 'ell are you doing here, 'Arry?" he exclaimed. Harry sighed, and told him a summarised version of his plans, and Mana. Hagrid cast a critical eye over Mana, and nodded when Harry introduced her.
"Well 'Arry, I gotta say tha' you've put th' entire, err, group of friends in'a mess. Professor Lupin read yer lett'r you gave him, and everyone got real upset over it, tha' they did. No is gonna wri'e to you because you tol' 'em to back off." Harry looked somewhat ashamed at this.
"Well Hagrid, I guess you can tell them that they can write to me now. But as you know, without Hedwig, I can't send any owls to them unless Pig or Errol stay behind for me to write." Hagrid looked thoughtful at this,
"In tha' case 'en, I'll tell 'em tha'. I'll give 'em instructions to let their owls wait for yer response. But I suppos' ye can't tell 'em about yer plans, or Hedwig and Mana, eh?" Harry nodded.
"Tell them that I released Hedwig because she found a mate." Hagrid nodded.
"Will do. Is ther' 'nything you wan' to ask me?" he inquired. Harry hesitated.
Hmm…no, I guess. Unless he can tell me how to teach Mana how to read. Read? Why does that ring a bell? I know! Grawp!
"Hagrid, there is something I'd like to ask you. How did you teach Grawp how to read and write? Because I'd like to do the same with Mana here." Harry gestured to Mana. Unless his eyes were fooling him, Hagrid's eyes were looking shifty.
"Er…well, I didn' teach Grawpy, if ye put i' that way, 'Arry. I kinda…well, used a Literati potion, tha' I did." Harry looked interested.
"What a Literati potion?"
"It's a potion tha' transfers readin' and writin' ability from one person to 'nother. I guess it didn' work on Grawpy to well 'cause he's, ye know, he's fu' blood giant and I'm only half." Harry stood up on his seat.
"How do I get my hands on this Literati potion, Hagrid?" he asked desperately. Hagrid reached into his giant coat, fiddled around with it a bit, and drew a flask with bright orange liquid.
"I've go' some leftov'r potion, ye can have it 'Arry. Since you've got yer grubby hands on Moste Potente Potions, there shoul' be a part tha' talks abou the Literati, tha' it should." Harry beamed as he pocket the flask.
"Thanks a lot, Hagrid!" Hagrid grinned.
"No worries, 'Arry." Blaise chose this time to speak.
"Professor Hagrid, could I ask you what will be featured in N.E.W.T Care of Magical Creatures?" she asked earnestly. Hagrid chuckled.
"I kne' ye were gonna as' tha' question, Blais'. Well' O.W.L Care o' Magical Creatures was supposed to be a warm up to N.E.W.T lev'l. I can' say much, but I can say tha' phoenixes will be the firs' subject we study." Blaise's eyes glowed with anticipation.
"I can't wait, Professor!" Hagrid laughed.
"No nee' to be so formal with me, Blais'. Just 'Hagrid' will do." Harry turned to Hagrid to ask him a question, but Hagrid cut him off.
"Ye wanna know wha' I'm doin' here, eh?" Harry nodded.
"Well, I'm just here to buy summat muggle 'fertiliz'r ' for th' school grounds. No specia' missions this time." Harry relaxed; at least he knew that his giant friend wasn't going to be alone in giant territory with Madam Maxime. Hagrid exchanged goodbyes with the three, giving Mana a special pat on the back which buckled the seat she was sitting on, but she smiled nonetheless. Oblivious to the stares around him, Hagrid went on his way, whistling to himself. Blaise turned to Harry.
"What did he mean by 'special missions?' And 'group of friends?' You don't need to be a Slytherin to pick up the secrecy behind those two terms." Harry looked uncomfortable
"I'm sorry, Blaise, but I'm not in any position to reveal that stuff. Nothing on you, I trust you, but people also trust me." said Harry. Blaise nodded.
"Well, I can understand, Harry." The two exchanged smiles. They knew, by using their first names to address each other, that they were friends.
After finishing and paying for their meal, Harry, Blaise and Mana caught a bus back to Surrey, where Harry escorted the two ladies back to his house. Upon entering back into 4 Pivett Drive, Blaise cast a critical eye over the Dursley residence while Harry set down his bags; apparently she was deep in thought.
"Well Harry." she said slowly, "From what the Slytherins tell me, you're some spoiled brat that lives in a mansion and is doted on by your relatives. But from what I see, this seems like a perfectly normal residence. I guess that many of claims about you are mistaken." Harry's eyes grew sorrowful for a moment.
If you only knew, Blaise, of what my life is really like…
Harry took Mana and Blaise for the tour of the house. She was quite interested in muggle inventions, and seeing that the Dursleys had a state-of-the-art kitchen, lounge and entertainment system, she looked like a child in a candy store.
"Wow!" she squealed enthusiastically when Harry pointed out a black box near the massive Plasma TV, "Is that a PlayStation 2?" Woah! I heard that they're one of the most popular forms of muggle entertainment! Is it true that this…this machine can enable a muggle to explore different worlds?" Harry looked thoughtful,
"In a way, yes. Moving on…"
Harry was quite embarrassed when they reached his tiny bedroom. Blaise looked quite shocked. The Boy-Who-Lived slept in room that was slightly bigger than her walk in wardrobe at home! She was even more appalled when she saw the sizes of Harry's relatives' room and their furnishings; Harry's room contained nothing more than a bed, wardrobe and his school trunk. She was about to ask Harry about the state of his home-life, but his cold look silenced her. She wandered back down to the lower storey of the house with Harry and Mana in a daze; if she didn't know better, than she would have thought that Harry was a neglected child. She didn't say anything, however, until Harry got her attention back in the kitchen.
"Hey, Blaise! Snap out of it!" She blinked.
"Hmm?" Harry looked amused.
"You've been spacing out for the last couple of minutes." he said good-naturedly. Blaise looked almost embarrassed.
"Uhh…just wondering about the marvels of muggle culture, Harry, don't mind me." Harry nodded.
"Well, you can have the kitchen and bathroom to teach Mana stuff. I'll be in my room, reading, if you need me or if you want to go home." Blaise nodded faintly.
"Sure Harry…" she said dreamily. With that, she took Mana's hand and led her towards the bathroom, and used the other hand to pick up one of Harry's Victoria's Secret purchases. After seeing them off, Harry went up to his room, opened his book on transfiguration, and began to read…
Three hours later, Harry was immersed in the secrets of 'transmogrification' in his book when Blaise's voiced echoed through the house.
"Harry? Harry! Where are you?" Harry dropped his book.
"Coming Blaise!" He sprinted down the stairs and ran into Blaise and Mana, who was dressed in the clothes Harry had bought for her. Blaise gave Harry the thumbs up.
"She's a fast learner, Harry. I think she can name all of her clothes, and put them on without difficulty. Heck, I even taught her how to recognise some colours and basic human actions. I put the dirty clothes in your laundry" She said proudly. Harry nodded appreciatively.
"I really want to thank you for this, Blaise. You've been a great help." Blaise shrugged off Harry's thanks.
"No problem, Harry. But I have to go home now; my parents were due to pick me up at 4:00."
"Where? Do you want me to walk you there?" asked Harry in a gentlemanly manner. Blaise shook her head.
"No, its ok, my parents can track me down. I'll just wait in front of your house." she said.
"Then I'll see you off." With that, Harry walked with Blaise and Mana to the front door, Upon opening it, he caught site of a man and woman standing across the street, looking at the Dursley Home. Blaise began to walk towards her parents, but she turned to Harry halfway.
"Harry? Do you mind if I come around tomorrow at one?" she asked shyly, "I…I kind of like Mana. She's becoming a lot like a sister, and I'd really want to play a role in her development." Harry grinned.
"I'd really like that, and you're welcome here anytime, Blaise. See you later!" he waved.
"Bye Harry!"
Harry watched Blaise meet up with her parents, saw them board a car, and sped off with Knight Bus-like speed.
The rest of the day was quite peaceful. Harry, true to the orders of uncle Vernon, had mowed the lawn, pulled out the weeds in the garden, swept and mopped the floors and wiped the walls. With magic, of course, and while no muggle was around. During his errands, he had Mana next to him, who was watching intently. He told her of the tasks he was doing (with simple words), and she seemed to absorb the information. Harry was truly thankful for Blaise's help.
Dinner was normal. Harry conjured two delicious steak meals and cola for him and Mana to eat and drink. He watched, with some satisfaction, that Mana was using her cutlery perfectly, and was eating without choking. She seemed to love the cola; when she finished her cup, she looked at Harry's half-filled cup longingly. Harry laughed at this, and re-filled Mana's cup, much to her delight.
After washing dinner, Harry led Mana to the lounge room, where he turned on the TV. Lo and behold, Jackass was on and it had just started a 2 hour marathon. Mana snuggled onto the sofa with her eyes glued on to the TV screen, while Harry went up to his room to continue his studies.
He was in the middle of chapter 16 of his transfiguration book when a tapping sound on his bedroom window. Opening it, he was surprised to see no less than 3 owls barge into his room, Pig and Errol among them. Harry acquired three letters from Pig, two from Errol and one from the other owl. While the other owl flew away, Pig and Errol waited patiently for Harry to write a response to their letters. He skimmed over the letters; one from Ron, Hermione Ginny, the Twins, Lupin and Percy and one official looking letter. He gasped as he opened it.
His O.W.L results had arrived.
Single asterix: I amusing shops known here in Australia, I apologise for this but I don't know anything about England.
Double asterix: I am using Australia standards of clothes measurement. Again, I apologise for my lack of fashion knowledge.
Triple asterix: Although J.K Rowling has stated that Blaise Zabini is a boy, in my fic Blaise is a girl. I think that because the only two girls that are mentioned in the book that are in Slytherin are Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. Thus, I wanted to bump their numbers up with Blaise.
AN: I'd like to thank the reviewers for their nice reviews, but if there's even the slightest mistake in my fic, please feel free to let me know. In the next chapter, we see Harry training, Mana learning and Blaise becoming a closer friend to Harry. Bear in mind, Mana will not automatically be smart in the next chapter. Put it this way: by September the 1st, Mana will struggle to string a sentence together.