So, for a while now, I've been thinking about where I'm going with this story. I know, it's pretty early on, but I think its good for all writers to have a rough plan of their work. During my though process, I came to several conclusions:
A) I'm seriously considering putting A Hogwarts Tale back on the shelf. I'm just not that excited about it anymore; it's taking time away from Au Pair and I don't really see myself seriously working on it. Before you all plunge stakes into my heart, you should know that I might start it up again when Au Pair is finished. But that brings me to my next point:
B) I've thought of a lot of roads this story could take, and I realized that I like them all too much to cut back. So, after Au Pair is finished, I might do a sequel. I think Au Pair will end on Harry's birthday, July 31st, and the sequel will go through August until September 1st. I have an awesome finale for this fic and I already have a KILLER ending for the sequel (it's making me excited just think about it!). Review with your thoughts!
C) Should I answer review responses? I think it encourages the reader to review when they feel that the author cares about their opinion. Which I do. Greatly. 8-D
Thanks to IamSiriusgrl for reviewing and guessing first! Yes, Aunt Marge exploded. And to Neurotica, for going very in depth (LOL) and to everyone else who reviewed! Here are your pickles: (do those even look like pickles?)
Disclaimer: It' not mine!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"So, I heard about your little episode with Dudley last night." Harry stated humorously. He and Tabitha were setting the kitchen table the next morning, waiting for the Dursleys to come down to breakfast.
"How did you hear about that?" Tabitha asked, shocked. She was moving swiftly around the table, an arm full of forks, and setting them down next to the plates Harry had already put out. She looked up when Harry spoke.
"I, er, heard the whole thing." Harry said with a small smile. Tabitha reddened and looked down. Harry knew she felt sorry for taking his room. That was just the kind of person Tabitha was. "It's no big deal. I don't mind. Really." He assured her, taking a stack of glasses from her arms.
"Thanks." Tabitha seemed to understand. She continued to unload the cupboards, pulling out bowls and platters. She heaved them onto the counter, where Harry took them and dragged them over to the kitchen table. He slammed this load down a bit too hard, however. One chinaware soup dish teetered dangerously and smashed to the floor.
"Oh damn." Harry moaned softly, and hurried back to the table to pick up the pieces. When he looked up at Tabitha, he was surprised to find a stern and disapproving expression on her face, as if she didn't approve of his language. But Harry couldn't imagine why.
Tabitha seemed to recover. "Let me help you." For one wild second, it looked to Harry as though Tabitha made a motion similar to reaching into her pocket and using a wand to fix the soup dish. But that couldn't be… No, Tabitha recovered and swooped down upon the tiny fragments of clay, gathering the duller, larger pieces in her palm and leaving the rest on the floor. "Be a dear, and get the vacuum, Harry." Harry retrieved the vacuum from the store closet across from his 'bedroom' and brought it back to her. Tabitha plugged it in and cleaned up the mess in about ten seconds while Harry blubbered his apologies. Tabitha waved them off and placed the vacuum back into the closet. Together, Harry and Tabitha finished preparing breakfast for the Dursleys. Harry had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before the unmistakable thundering on the stairs announced the Dursleys' inevitable arrival. Harry ducked into his cupboard and shut the door quietly. He was able to hear the Dursleys eating through the thin walls. Vernon was talking to Tabitha, and she was answering him in that same flat voice she always addressed the Dursleys with.
Uncle Vernon: "I apologize for our late return last night."
Tabitha: "Not a problem. How did you sleep?"
Vernon: "Fine. Petty here has a bit of a backache, though."
(Moaning and groans from Petunia)
Tabitha: "If you'd like, Mrs. Dursley, I can show you my mother's old remedy for aches and sores."
Petunia: "Please do."
Tabitha: "You need to take a freezing cold wash cloth and wrap it over a slice of lemon-"
Petunia: "My mother had a remedy just like that one!"
Tabitha: "You don't say? (Pause…) Mr. Dursley, would you like some more tea?"
Vernon: "Yes. Did the boy stay in his room all night?"
Tabitha: "I believe so. I wouldn't know; I stayed upstairs."
Vernon: "And he didn't sneak any food?"
Tabitha: "I don't think so."
Vernon: "Good."
Tabitha: "And where is young Dudley?"
Vernon: "Still asleep, I imagine. Just let him rest for a while."
Tabitha: "Very well."
Vernon: "Well, I'm off to work. Oh, Ms. Royce, I'm stopping by at around one o'clock to take little Dudders to his boxing match. I'd like you to make me a pot of coffee with cream and put some of it in a mug, so I can take it to go."
Tabitha: "Er, sure…"
Vernon: "And do the laundry. The garden also needs weeding, if you don't mind. And of course, start cleaning the upstairs. I believe the toilet is clogged, so if you could just fix that, that would be great."
Tabitha: "…"
Vernon: "Well, goodbye now."
Harry heard the front door slam and the car tires scratch on the pavement. Uncle Vernon seemed to have left; Dudley was in his room. That only left Petunia in the kitchen, and as soon as she went upstairs to take her daily medication, Harry was going to grab a snack from the leftovers and head for the backyard.
Sure enough, Harry heard Petunia's footsteps from above him as she climbed the stairs. He undid the latch on the outside of his door (a trick he had learned during one of his imprisonments), and crept silently through the kitchen and out of the screen door. Once he was outside, he took out a rusty old lawn chair from the Dursleys' garage, hauled it over to the farthest corner of the backyard, and sat down. There, up against the white wicker fence, was a small area shaded by a late-blooming juniper tree. Some of its pale blossoms were spread around in the grass where they had fallen, and the quiet breeze was making them dance on the ground. It was quite a beautiful scene, and Harry would have noticed this if he hadn't been so focused on what he was about to do.
Harry fully believed that continuing his learning of Occlumency was both pointless and a waste of time. It had not helped him a month ago when he received that fatal dream from Voldemort, and he didn't see how it could help him anymore. If anyone tried to invade his mind again, he would just ignore it. No big deal. Simple as that. But Dumbledore wanted him to continue practicing Occlumency during the summer and when he went back to Hogwarts. And what Dumbledore wanted, Dumbledore got.
When Harry had come back to the Dursleys' on the first day of summer holidays, he was surprised to find a letter waiting for him in his bedroom. He only had to glance at the small curvy handwriting on the front to see that it was from the Headmaster.
Harry,
You have seen a tremendous amount of pain and pressure this past year, and I do not want to add another burden upon you. However, I must request that you continue your practice of Occlumency over the holiday break. I understand that you may not ever want to touch upon the subject again, but I feel it is completely necessary for you to be able to protect your mind from outside penetration. You will also be continuing your Occlumency lesson on your return to Hogwarts, however I think you will be somewhat relieved to know that I personally will be instructing you in place of Professor Snape. And, please- think of the lives that could be saved if you do this, and not the ones already lost.
Albus Dumbledore
After some creative cursing and throwing around of various pieces of furniture, Harry agreed to Dumbledore's wishes and wrote him back saying he would go on with his studies. But it didn't mean that he would enjoy it.
Now, nearly three weeks later, Harry was still obeying the Headmaster and practicing his Occlumency. It had been difficult for the first few weeks, mainly because with Aunt Petunia's constant tantrums, Dudley's whining, and Uncle Vernon's stomping around after Petunias, there was hardly ever any quiet at Number Four. But there were those few precious days like today where Uncle Vernon was out and Dudley and his mother were still sleeping. Harry was quite thankful for these.
Harry sat in the corroded lawn chair in a relaxed position with his hands in his lap and his feet stretched out in front of him, trying to clear his mind of all thought. This was a difficult task for someone such as The-Boy-Who-Lived, for thoughts were continuously swirling around in his much-too-stressed mind. It was a cool, breezy day- a nice break from the heat wave that had swept across southern England for the past week. A bit of cloud coverage passed by as well, allowing Harry to tilt his head back and close his eyes without having to squint out the light. The headaches he had received after practicing Occlumency in the sun had not helped him in the slightest.
In the swinging juniper tree above, a bird twittered softly. Another gust swept through the branches, making the leaves rustle and spin. Harry took a deep breath. The last few flowers from the tree gave off a sweet fragrance. It was a very rare, very peaceful scene. Harry was already tired from being kept up the previous night by Tabitha and Dudley, and the calm panorama was not helping. He relaxed his muscles and drifted off into a brief siesta.
o-o
Lily finished hurling the last few articles of sopping wet clothing into the dryer and shut the small door. She tapped a few buttons on the bottom of the machine and watched them spin around while a gentle buzzing noise filled the laundry room. She had finished the first of her day's tasks in only a few minutes. Lily smiled to herself. This whole cleaning thing wasn't so bad. She might even have a few extra minutes to spy on Harry. It had only been a few days since she'd met her son, but she was already turning into an over concerned mother.
She took the empty hamper into her arms and back into the kitchen. Resting it on the floor for a while, Lily decided to take a short break. She scavenged in the Dursleys' refrigerator and pulled out a few lemons, sugar, and water. She mixed equal parts of everything and poured the contents into a large glass pitcher filled with ice. Taking out a clean glass from the cupboard, wiped the inside on the sleeve of her uniform, and filled it with some of the drink. Lily brought the glass up to her lips tank took a swig. Aahh. There's nothing like a glass of cold lemonade on a summer's day. Lily had always loved the drink. She had tried to convert James onto it, but he always preferred to take it with a few flaming shots of Odgen's Firewhiskey and some salt. Lily assumed that that was Sirius' doing.
She smiled to herself at this memory, and looked out the window above the sink. The sky was a bluish-gray with a couple of stratus clouds lingering overhead. It looked to Lily that a summer storm was coming over. There was a very lovely tree in the corner of the backyard, which she had never noticed before. A few last white blossoms were still clinging to the olive-colored branches. And underneath the tree, resting peacefully on a lawn chair was- Harry? How did he get out there? Lily was surprised. He must have inherited James' sneakiness.
She took another glass from the cabinet and filled it with lemonade and ice for Harry. Carrying it outside carefully, she pushed the screen door open with her hip and walked across the lawn. She realized quickly when she was in close enough range that Harry was, in fact, sleeping. Lily tapped gently on his shoulder and he stirred. "Mmmph...what…?" He yawned hugely, and ruffled his hair.
Biting her lip to hold back laughter and feeling the sadness and nostalgia sink in her stomach again, Lily fought her emotions and won. She pulled on a smile for her son. "Sorry. I wanted to know if you'd like some lemonade."
Harry rubbed his eyes and grinned at her. "Yeah, that'd be nice. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep."
"Please. I'm glad you did. Dudley and I must have kept you awake last night." Lily handed him the glass of lemonade.
"Thanks." Harry put a hand out to take the glass, but stopped himself. "Actually, maybe I'll take a cup. I don't think I trust myself with glass anymore."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Those author's notes at the beginning took up a lot of room, so this chapter is longer than usual.
To people who reviewed telling me to hurry up and have Harry discover Lily quickly: I'm taking my time!Au Pairis not an action fic as of now, and I don't think it will turn into one. I'm trying to make each chapter interesting and different without giving too much information away to either side. Bear with me, and just enjoy it while it lasts. I know I am!
Never mind part C of my author's notes above. I'm posting review replies on my profile page. Look for them from now on!
Godspeed,
LaRohaZeta