I hate computers! My stupid laptop won't let me update A Hogwarts Tale! I'm really sorry, but you'll all have to wait until we get it fixed for another update. The good news is that this has given me plenty of time to work on Au Pair, and I now have the whole story line plotted out. All I will say is this:
I've gotten a few reviews for this story from people who don't understand why Dumbledore let James die and Lily live. I'll just say this: everything makes sense in the end. And it's one hell of an end, I'll say that much. But no more…
Just a note to avoid confusion: whenever Lily is referred to as "Tabitha", it is Harry's POV. When it switches to "Lily", it's back to her POV. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Disclaimer: It's not mine. But, oh, how I wish…
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Lily ran down the staircase and into the kitchen. A note was sitting neatly on the countertop, a piece of tape attached to it so as to hold it in place. She picked it up and read.
Ms. Royce-We've gone to Petunia's doctor. Not to worry, she has to have a check-up every week. We're taking Dudley for a drive while we're out, we we'll be back in a few hours. The boy stays in his room. No food.
Vernon Dursley
Lily exhaled. Dumbledore's constant warnings of Death Eaters coming to Privet Drive had obviously shaken her. She didn't want the Dursleys hurt, no matter how vile they were.
She raced over to Harry's cupboard and latched open the door.
"Harry," She shook his sleeping form, trying to wake him. He mumbled something incoherent and rolled over. She shook him again, and he swatted at the air and pulled his pillow over his ears. "Harry, wake up. The Dursleys are gone." This had the impact she had been hoping for. Harry rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly.
"What did you say?"
Lily sat down on the edge of his bed. "They Dursleys left for the doctor's. I thought you might want to come out for some fresh air." She picked up a tee shirt from his floor. "Here, why don't you change and meet me in the kitchen in five minutes? I'll make us something we can eat while we're walking."
For a second, Harry looked unsure about leave the house, but he got up anyway and picked up a pair of rumpled, baggy jeans that Lily assumed once belonged to Dudley. "Where are we going?"
Lily smiled mischievously. "You'll see." She exited the cupboard and left behind an eye-rolling Harry.
o-o
Ten minutes later, Harry was dressed and holding a pile of dry toast wrapped in a checkered cloth. He and Tabitha were strolling silently down Wisteria Walk, breathing in the warm, breezy summer air and looking around at the rich green lawns. Harry had not immediately wanted to go when she brought up the idea of a walk. He supposed that the events of the previous year had had a negative effect on him, pushing him away from people and human contact in general. He had spent most of the summer in his room, only leaving it to go downstairs for meals. Until Tabitha arrived, Harry had only spoken to his uncle during fights. Other than that, he stayed as silent, the only one at Number Four, Privet Drive who wasn't screaming and throwing tantrums 24/7. That was why he was hesitant to make any journeys longer than the distance between his room and the bathroom. So when they reached the corner of Wisteria and Shrine Road, he decided to ask again.
"So can you tell me where we're going now?" He whined in a fine impression of his cousin.
Tabitha laughed. "I suppose so. It's no big secret, really. I found this little park when I was on my way here. I thought you'd like to see it."
"Oh, Shrine Park?" Harry remembered.
Tabitha's face fell slightly. "Have you been there?" She asked, biting her lip. It was obvious to Harry that she had been trying to treat him to something fun and new, and she was disappointed that he had already visited the park. Harry couldn't understand why she was trying so hard to get him to like her, but decided to cover his mistake anyway. "Only once." He fumbled quickly. "But I didn't really get to walk around or anything, and it was a rainy day and all, so I couldn't see much…"
Tabitha looked happier at this. "Did the Dursleys take you?" She asked.
Harry looked at the ground and cleared his throat. "Not exactly. Dudley and his friends were chasing me and I hid out in the park to avoid them." He coughed, embarrassed. "It was a long time ago, I mean."
Tabitha was silent for a minute. She shuffled her heels on the pavement. "That's horrible, Harry." She croaked out. "Did they…do they do that a lot?" She asked quietly.
He shook his head. "No, not anymore. We went off to separate schools and…Dudley found his little gang, so he's usually pretty occupied during the summer when I see him."
Tabitha shook her head, almost as if she were disappointed in herself, though Harry couldn't see why. She didn't have anything to do with the ten years of torture Dudley had put him through. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Harry." A hard voice muttered.
"Why? It's not your fault."
Tabitha bit her lip. "No. No, it's not my fault…" She echoed emptily. The two walked quietly the rest of the way, with only the crunching of Harry's toast being eaten and the dull thud of their feet on the sidewalk to keep them from going dizzy from the silence.
o-o
"Oh, here we are!" Tabitha said cheerily when they reached the rusty iron sign labeled "Shrine Park". The park was small, but very pretty on nice weathered days like that one. The dogwoods were in full bloom by that mid-July and flaunted their buddy blossoms with great spirit. The trees carried the greenest leaves Harry had ever seen there and the grass was crisp and emerald. The whole park smelled like its freshly mowed and watered lawns. In the far right corner of the park, there was a little playground for mothers to put their restless children while they caught up and gossiped about the latest neighborhood secrets. Tabitha gave a squeal of delight when she saw the swings and grabbed Harry's hand. He laughed and followed her, jogging towards the playground.
Tabitha hopped onto a rickety blue swing and kicked off. She flew higher in the air, swinging her feet to get to the maximum altitude. "Come on Harry!" Harry stood in shock and amusement for another moment, then got on a swing and started to push himself. In a matter of seconds, he was as high up as Tabitha.
"Woooo hoooo!" Harry looked towards Tabitha and saw a crazy glint in her eye. Oh no. Harry looked again. She's not-
Tabitha jumped. Harry watched her soar through the air with wide eyes. She landed surprisingly neatly on a patch of grass six feet away from the swing set. Tabitha stood up immediately and brushed her skirt off. "Jump, Harry!"
Harry grinned and complied. He flew into the air and landed, although not quite as gracefully as Tabitha. She gave him her hand and helped him stand, breathless with laughter.
"Wow!" Tabitha exclaimed after another spout of laughter. "I haven't done that in years!"
Harry was laughing as well. "Why don't we walk a little?"
"Sure." They followed the paved pathway that circled Shrine Park. In the distance, Harry could see a group of children with their grandparents, huddled around a white truck. He sighed enviously when he saw their towering sweet cones. Tabitha noticed his desire. "Would you like some ice cream, Harry?"
Harry blinked at her. "I haven't got any Mug- er, I haven't any money."
"I could buy it for you," Tabitha shrugged.
Harry's eyes widened. "Oh, no, you don't have to do that!"
Lily bit her lip. She was dying to do something for her son, buy him something nice after al the abuse the Dursleys had given him. "Honestly Harry, I want to." She flashed him a smile and walked up to the pearly truck. "Two fudge pops, please." The hairy man inside handed over the goods and Lily laid a few Muggle pounds on his aluminum counter.
Harry looked at the ice cream guiltily. "I'll pay you back," he said weakly, and took the treat from her.
Lily rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Se ripped off the brown paper packaging and bit into the fudge pop. "I take it you don't get a lot of special attention from the Dursleys, eh?"
Harry considered this while he licked his own pop. "I guess you could say that. They never really liked me from the start."
Lily almost laughed at this. It was clear that the Dursleys held more than "dislike" for Harry. More like enmity. "Why's that?" She asked casually.
She could see Harry getting nervous, and slightly regretted her question. Still, she did want to know more about Harry's life at Privet Drive. Maybe there was another reason, a detail that Arabella Figg neglected to inform Dumbledore of, a glitch in Harry's angelic behavior? Something other than him simply being what he was? "Well…" Harry said slowly. "They hated my parents."
Once again, Lily wanted to slap herself. Stupid! She had to stop mentioning James and herself to Harry! She should have known that they played into Petunia and Vernon's hatred of him! Lily bit her tongue in punishment and imagined Dumbledore's expression if he found out that Harry discovered her true identity. Lily offered Harry a small, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Harry. Your parents keep coming into our conversations. I really have to stop prying."
Harry smiled back but said nothing. They licked their cones and walked in silence again. Lily observed the people they passed. By then, many neighborhood families had piled into the park for a relaxing afternoon. Lily could see single mothers playing with toddlers on the slides, older grandparents sitting on benches with teenagers. However, the groups that caught her attention more than the others were the young parents playing with babies in the sand pits. It was déjà vu of a time long ago, when she and James would take baby Harry out on a nice day. While he was kicking and rolling in the sand, they would talk peacefully and share a kiss. Then James would take Harry in his arms and twirl him around, protesting that his son needed to get used to the open air so that he would be ready for his Quidditch days. She, Lily, would laugh and roll her eyes as Harry tried to pull James' hair out.
Lily watched the families again. It was such a peaceful scene, one she wished she could be a part of. It was her dream to have a family again. Remembering, Lily looked to her left. Harry stood there, ice cream in one hand, staring off into the distance.
It would take gradual steps, Lily knew this. But maybe she had found her family again.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Okay, not a terribly important chapter, just a little bonding for Lily and Harry. Next chapter will be Harry's OWL results. Should be interesting, nay?
Thanks to magicgirl45852, who was reviewer #100 before I deleted those (cough) other reviews.
Review! Come on, you know you love me!
Au revior, mon amors!
LaRohaZeta