-Chapter 5: The Manor and the Alley
Xander Greengrass sighed. Form what he had heard about his daughter's friend, the young boy had really lived a terrible life. "I'm sure I still don't know everything…" he mused, recounting the visit from McGonagall and Arthur Weasley. "I really do hope he and my princes are good for each other. She could really use someone and Merlin knows he can as well."
His thoughts continued along a similar while he watched the exchange between the boy and the Professor. He was stirred out of his pondering by something Harry said: "Okay, I have two more questions: One, I can talk to snakes, will that be a problem?"
His face showed some serious anxiety -at asking this question, obviously very concerned about showing this particular "freakishness" to the world. Xander deeply agreed with McGonagall's answer to the matter.
"Calming honesty, what a clever one we have here. "He would see right through a lie," he thought, while pondering the other thing he had on his mind, the thing that could either make or break the boy and possibly by extension his daughter. Xander was again awoken out of his thoughts by Harry, this time the question was directed at him: "Mr. Greengrass was there something else you wanted to discuss with me? Or did you just want to meet your daughter's new friend?"
Now, Xander was really taken aback. "Appears I was right about his observation skills" he determined and followed aloud: "Mr. Potter, I don't know where you are currently staying, but I would like to offer you to come to the Greengrass home with me and my family. I talked about this with my wife and I'm quite certain Daphne will be very happy too…" at this he let his gaze drift towards his oldest child, her face almost split in half by the big grin she now wore "You would be very safe there, from both your family and any other people who wish you harm." His tone and face left it completely open who considered those people to be.
Xander could tell how much Harry liked the idea, but the look on his face was one of such disbelieving and even fear it nearly made the experienced auror cry a little, equally from grief for the boy as from anger over his supposed family's treatment of him.
"I really don't want to impose on you I'm sure you have enough to do, you don't have to" Harry mumbled, his voice becoming ever more quiet the longer he talked.
"Damn those wretched muggles, these poor excuses for human beings…" an extremely irate Xander Greengrass now nearly shouted inside his head. He also noticed the mixed hopeful and pained expression his daughter wore.
"Nonsense, you would not impose on us. Since I'm offering, you can assume you are doing us a favour by coming to stay with us. You could spend a lot more time with Daphne; we could tell you all about the wizarding world. It will be great to have you" Xander assured him, not at all at ease watching the boy who was still in disbelief. However, out of the corner of his eye he saw Daphne make a move that shocked and delighted him equally. She moved over and hugged him.
Sure, Xander had hugged his daughter before and she was not against the idea in itself, but it was rare for her due to how reserved she often was and to see a hug so readily given and received between the two of them really amazed him. The auror could not prevent himself from detecting Daphne whisper something in Harry's ear brightening the boy's still sombre mood.
Harry now turned his head away from Daphne, who was still holding on to him tightly, and towards her father.
"We'll try it, as long as it is no inconvenience to you. And I would like to bring my pet, if that's okay."
It was well past midnight and sleep eluded Daphne. It was not for a lack of trying, rather because she just could not sleep. The conversation with Harry and the adults was replaying in her mind over and over again. She just could not fathom, why such a great kid as Harry would think of himself as a burden. In the end, they had convinced him to accompany them to Greengrass Manor the next day, but it was a hard piece of work to convince him they actually wanted him there.
Unable to sleep, the girl got up with the vague idea to get a glass of water, or maybe milk to calm her nerves and finally get some sleep. Being especially silent so as not to wake the other inhabitants she made her way to the kitchen.
"Hello princess can't sleep?" her father's voice came from the shadowed kitchen table, startling Daphne to no end.
"Hey Dad you scared me there… And yes, I just can't get to sleep" she answered him with a sad smile followed by a yawn.
"Thinking about Harry" he asked her and only received a nod in return. It had been a trying day for Daphne considering how scared she was for Harry and their continued friendship should all this not go well for the boy.
"Yes" she sighed. "I just can't understand why he doesn't get how great he is. He is such a nice guy and he thinks he is a burden, even after you offered him to stay with us" she finished with a pained expression and looked at her father's thoughtful face. She really did hope he would have an answer for her.
"Well, princess. Think about it this way. Imagine, just for a moment your mother and I were gone" at her shocked look he added, consolingly "just for a moment. And you had to live with your great aunt Amalda."
At that thought, Daphne cringed. Amalda was quite a horrible person, definitely one of the darker members of the Greengrass Family and a declared pureblood-supremacist. Moreover, she loathed the entirety of Daphne's immediate family for their relaxed stance towards blood-purity. Or as she put it "for being filthy, muggle-loving blood-traitors".
"Now imagine, again just for a second, you had to live with her as your guardian now. She would constantly tell you how worthless and unwanted you are, how freakish. At some point, we start to believe anything, especially as a child and when our only attachment figure tells us. We really are glad Harry turned out the way he did, it could be way worse."
A very sad and scared Daphne, hardly able to even perceive the emotions flowing through her, now stared at her father. She realized that she could only begin to perceive what her friend had lived through, what he had endured. Suddenly, she became angry. Her father, obviously mistaking the anger to be directed at him and not the Dursleys, tried to placate her.
"I'm not saying this to hurt you. I just want you to understand him a little better. I don't want either of you hurt because you have no real chance to interpret what he does, because to him it will all be instinctual."
Again, she nodded, all the anger gone from her face as her father indicated his belief that he was the target. The conversation actually started to interest her, as understanding Harry better seemed like a worthwhile endeavour.
"Okay dad, sorry I go angry. Wasn't about you, though, but about that family," she said. "Can you tell me more? I'd really like to understand him better, there are just weird things I've noticed," she asked, still a little fearful about what the answers might be.
"Sure, princess. I'm guessing he tenses up at physical contact?" upon her affirmative nod he continued, "He never really learned to trust physical contact to be anything but hurtful I guess. Never learned trust in any way. Consider yourself honoured that you are allowed to touch him. If I tried, he would fight me tooth and claw, I'm sure of it."
"Never thought about it like that," she mumbled sadly, now actually feeling honoured like her father had said.
"Okay, one last question, then a warm milk and bed. You can stay with me and your mother tonight, if you want of course."
"Dad, can I help him?"
"I don't know, princess."
Daphne awoke to a ray of sun hitting her face. For a moment she thought she had fallen asleep with Harry again, but then she remembered who the warm body was that embraced her now. She was lying in her parents' bed, embraced by her mother, still a little tired but also very giddy at the thought of returning to the manor and taking Harry with her. The plan her family had come up with was such, that first the Greengrass family would take the considerable amount of belongings they had brought to the muggle-house back to the manor and then she and her father would go back to the library and meet Harry there. They would then sidealong-apparate back to the manor, Harry first and then Daphne.
All parts of the plan went reasonably well, although Astoria was a little put out to have to pack all her stuff again after having just gotten into the "feel of the house", as she put it.
At four o' clock, just as agreed they met Harry at the same place as the day before. He had put all his belongings into a small suitcase Daphne had brought him after seeing the bag he had initially planned to use for transporting his stuff. His snake had perched itself comfortably around his shoulders.
Only after an encouraging nod from Daphne did Harry take Xander's hand for the apparition that would take him to Greengrass Manor.
Harry came out of the feeling of being squeezed through a tube and doubled over. Barely keeping in the contents of his stomach, he turned at the imposing figure of Mr. Greengrass with a questioning look.
"Apparition" the auror explained "not exactly comfortable, but very fast. I'm a little surprised you did not throw up most people do at their first time. I'll just be gone a few seconds to get Daphne, will you be okay?"
After Harry's weak nod the man vanished, spinning in place with a small "pop".
Now alone, Harry started to take in his environment: There was a large iron gate and behind that, he could make out inviting gardens around a small manor. The design of everything was grand but not overly so. It portrayed luxury and wealth while not being overly pompous.
Harry immediately loved it.
After some time a little "pop" announced the return of Xander Greengrass with Daphne in toe. She smiled at him inquisitively, as if her eyes were asking the question "Do you like it?"
"Yes Daphne, I like it" he told a bemused Daphne the answer to her unuttered question. In response, her smile grew wide and she hurried past him and her father, obviously excited.
"You coming, Harry? I wanna show you around!" She exclaimed and without awaiting an answer, she hurried inside.
Greengrass Manor was an average country house consisting of a central area and two wings arranged in a north-south orientation. The main part of the central area was the stately entrance hall with the grand staircase. The whole thing was designed as an atrium and adorned in warm wood. Behind the staircase and the doors on the second floor was the great dining room, the table easily seating 20 guests. Under the dining room were the kitchens, accessible through a secret door inside the panelling next to the staircase. As Daphne told Harry, most family meals were taken in the kitchen at the smaller, more homely table.
The south wing contained all the "non-living" rooms, the library that Harry could not wait to check out, an office he really had no interest in, a potions lab he was anxious to try out and the former gunroom. Harry learned it was now a training room for Mr. Greengrass' work as an auror and therefore heavily fortified with enchantments.
The library, which Harry was really looking forward to exploring spanned two floors, the higher parts of the shelves only reachable by using a small platform, somehow enchanted to bring the person standing on them to where they wanted to go. Within reason, of course and only inside the library.
The potions lab was a room in the basement under the south wing, a large space only partly occupied by potions equipment. The rest was taken by rows of shelves with ingredients and potions, and with a small number of tables on which something that looked like mushrooms grew.
The training room Harry did not think to be anything special, as it only held bare walls and a few dummies. Extremely, disconcertingly lifelike dummies, but still just dummies. Rather boring, Harry thought.
Following Daphne to the North wing, as they were not allowed in the office, they started at the ground floor where they found a cosy sitting room and a small drawing room, both adorned with inviting armchairs and fireplaces. The next floor held several guest rooms, one of which Harry would stay in, two of the others occupied by Daphne and her sister Astoria.
"I'll be just across the hall from you, isn't that great" she smiled at him, obviously enjoying the idea of having all the time she wanted with Harry. He nodded in response and smiled at her. He liked it too, having someone he knew close to him in this completely new environment.
"Upstairs is my parents' bedroom, they have their own floor. No idea why they need a whole floor to themselves" she finished with a puzzled expression at the riddle she had been unable to solve for as long as she could remember.
"I know, it's a little much sometimes, but it's home," she added, looking at him expectantly and a little nervously.
"I love it!"
Harry's room, or rather rooms, were quite the transition for him after a cupboard and a small, hidden apartment. He had a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom, both furnished in warm wood and light grey stone. Unpacking his small suitcase after being shown to his rooms by Daphne ended up taking most of the time until supper.
Having put away the last of his meagre belongings in the large wardrobe, certainly not full, with what little he owned, he sat down on the full-sized bed with the emerald green bed sheets to catch his breath. It had been a long day for him, very tiring indeed. He was anxious at the prospect of having dinner with this new family of which he only knew two members, although he really liked these two members. The young boy really had no idea how to deal with this situation, but before he could come to a conclusion, he was interrupted by a knock on his door.
"Come in" he answered not sure who to expect, hoping it would be Daphne. He was disappointed though, at least partly. It was indeed Daphne, but she was accompanied by a younger girl who could only be Daphne's sister Astoria, at least judging from their hair.
Harry looked at Daphne expectantly, waiting for an introduction: "Harry, this is my little sister Astoria, Astoria this is Harry." Besides her small sneer at her sister's exaggerated pronunciation, Astoria had a winning smile and Harry immediately adored her. In a way very different from how he liked Daphne, but still a lot.
"Hi Harry" the petite blonde started "Daphne told me you like potions, it will be so great to have someone else here who likes potions, Daphne doesn't like them at all, but I like them, and I bet you like Herbology too, it works really well with potions, did you see the mushrooms growing in the potions lab, they're mine and I'm growing them, maybe you can help…"
"Tori, hold on, take a breath" she was interrupted by her older sister when she started to get a little from talking without breathing "leave the poor guy some time to settle in before you try to take him away to the basement." Without her smile, the words would have seemed much harsher than with it, yet the message was clear: My friend, little sis, back off.
When it was time for supper the three children were called to the kitchen by the family's old house elf Nibbles. The sight of the creature startled Harry a little, but he had it under control quickly and was now more interested than anything else.
As Daphne observed her friend, she was happy beyond belief that she and her father had gotten him to accompany them to Greengrass manor. Not only did she like the prospect of having someone to spend time with that was not of the usual Slytherin crowd but also she was also sure he was far better off with her family than hiding in the library or, Merlin forbid, being forced to stay at the home of the evil muggles. To Daphne, it was a situation everyone could only gain from.
Out of the shadows, she saw Harry's pet snake slither, following them to the kitchen. Daphne really had no idea whether Nibbles, or her mother for that matter, would react to a snake at the dinner table but suspected if it weren't okay, they would say so and not make a scene.
Reaching the kitchen, they met her father and her mother. This was another important moment she realized, as Harry had never met her mother before and he would certainly leave if he felt unwelcome.
"Hello Mrs. Greengrass. I am Harry, Harry Potter., nice to meet you" he introduced himself a little timidly.
"Hello Harry, it's nice to meet you too. I hope you like out house so far and Astoria hasn't already dragged you to the lab or the library to talk about potions" she greeted and joked.
Eleanor Greengrass was rewarded with something one could only hear very rarely: Harry Potter laughed, loudly and without inhibition. Having cooled of he answered her "She tried to, but Daphne stopped that from happening. Although I don't think it would have been that bad…"
Their friendly banter was interrupted by a huff from both of the Greengrass girls.
"Okay, let's eat, before we get into more trouble. What do you say, Harry?"
"Great idea."
They sat down to eat, Harry next to Daphne, and enjoyed a hearty meal of bangers with mash, followed by treacle tart to which Harry took an immediate liking. Subsequently they adjourned to the sitting room.
"Harry, I would like to talk with you about the next few days," Mr. Greengrass started and then, after getting the boy's attention away from his conversation with Daphne, he continued, "we'll have to go to the Ministry of Magic to file for a change of guardianship. I'm sure you have no desire to return to Privet Drive" receiving an affirmative nod he elaborated further "That means you'll have to tell them about everything that has happened to you, you understand me? That's very important. In addition, you'll also have to be examined by a ministry healer, if only for us to be sure you are okay. Is that alright with you?"
Was that alright with him? Harry really had no idea. He certainly disliked the idea of going back to the Dursleys, but telling the whole story of what had happened to him through the years held very little appeal to him, either. In the end, and he was quite surprised at this, it hinged on one simple thing:
"Can Daphne come?" turning his head towards her he continued "You won't have to listen or anything; I just want you there waiting for me outside, if that's okay for you. You don't have to, of course, I wouldn't wanna burden you."
"Of course Harry, if dad says it's okay, then I'll be there. Is it okay dad?"
"Yes princess, it is" he answered his daughter's pleading, puppy-eye look. "Turning back to Harry he added "Then we will do just that the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, though we have to get you some clothes."
It was early morning when Harry awoke, the sun just barely above the horizon. He started recounting the events of the previous evening, although there really wasn't that much to recount.
After dinner and their little planning session in the sitting room, the children had retreated to Daphne's room and the girls had shown him wizard's chess. While Harry found it to be very entertaining, he could not help but feel sorry for the little chess pieces, locked in an eternal cycle of war and destroying each other. Not that the figurines did not enjoy destruction.
Today was a day that filled Harry with delight and anxiety in equal measures: He would get new clothes. Even though he really did not want Mr. Greengrass to pay for him, it wasn't like he had another way to pay for new clothes. Also, he was certainly looking forward to having his very own clothes for the first time, not something formerly worn by his cousin and three sizes too big for him.
Deciding he would not be able to sleep anymore he instead rose from the bed and started changing into his best and still horrible clothes.
Adorned in baggy jeans and a shirt with rolled up sleeves he made his way towards the library, intending to have a look at some potions book before breakfast to calm his nerves. His choice landed on something called Common and Uncommon Healing Potions and Draughts. While reading a section about valerian root he was interrupted by Daphne who called him to breakfast.
After finishing a hearty English breakfast the whole family plus Harry walked towards the sitting room and the fireplace it contained. Noticing his quizzical expression Mrs. Greengrass explained "It's called floo. You take some of this powder, throw it into the flames, step in to the fireplace and call out the name of the place you want to go to. When you call it out, be really precise in your enunciation. You need neither be loud nor fast, just precise, okay. Now, I will go first, then Daphne and Astoria, so you see it a few times. Do you have any questions?"
Upon Harry shaking his head she took a handful of the weird powder, threw it into the fireplace and vanished in a gust of green flames, exclaiming "Diagon Alley", quickly followed by Daphne and Astoria in the same manner. This left Harry to go next.
Taking a handful of the glittering powder and throwing it into the fire he stepped inside the fireplace and slowly, more calmly than he felt said "Diagon Alley".
It was a unique sensation but not particularly bad, he decided. The flames tingled a little and the travel was confusing, spinning him around until he landed and immediately fell to the ground. Maybe it was bad after all.
He fell out of the fireplace in a rather empty pub seeing as it was way before noon and was greeted by a grinning Daphne and a giggling Astoria, both of them receiving angry glares from both Harry and their mother.
"What are you laughing at?" he grumbled, unable to completely keep his own amusement at his less than grateful entry out of his voice.
"Just how you looked, falling out of that fireplace, very funny" Daphne answered, now giggling like mad.
"How amusing" he grumbled but grinned a little too.
"Calm down you three, and Harry get away from that fireplace before my husband comes through and steps on you. We would not want that, would we?" Mrs. Greengrass commanded.
Just as Harry vacated the spot in front of the fire it roared to life again and out stepped Xander Greengrass, quite elegantly leaving the fire, especially in comparison to Harry's earlier ungraceful attempt.
They left the pub which Harry learned was called The Leaky Cauldron and entered a small yard where Mr. Greengrass drew his wand and tapped a few of the bricks and the wall formed an arch, allowing them into Diagon Alley.
It was a narrow, winding street filled with various witches and wizards wearing colourful robes of all sizes and cuts. There were also some normal outfits strewn in between, but these were few and rarely worn by the older magic folk and instead adorned the teens Harry could see between the older people.
The next thing Harry noticed was the high amount of older people in general and how healthy they seemed. This left him wondering whether magic increased one's lifespan beyond what was normal and he resolved to ask Mr. Greengrass later.
"We'll just get you some clothes and pick up some things for the household. No sense I going to Gringotts before you're eleven, your education fund won't be open until then so we won't take long" Mr. Greengrass explained their plans for the foreseeable future to the still awe-struck Harry who only managed a mumbled "okay" in response.
They quickly maneuvered through the crowds to a shop called Madam Malkin's and entered it. Inside they were greeted by a friendly woman who seemed to immediately size up Harry, Daphne and Astoria.
"Hogwarts robes, dears?" she asked them in a warm tone and looked at them expectantly. This time Mrs. Greengrass took charge.
"Yes perhaps that would be a good idea. Why wait until later when this store is all filled to the brim. Hogwarts robes for my daughter and her friend and for him some muggle clothes as well. The ones he has are certainly insufficient," she proclaimed with a smile towards Harry that completely took the bite out of her words.
Daphne dropped out of the fireplace in the sitting room and gracefully rose to her feet. It had been an altogether enjoyable morning, topped off by ice cream at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour. Not even Harry's slight panic and the rigidity of his posture through the whole process of measuring his robes had been able to sour her mood; she just enjoyed their time too much.
After getting their robes measured, they had gone to a wizarding general goods store to get some new floo powder and to the apothecary for some potions ingredients to practice with for Harry and her sister. While she was not happy to share Harry with Astoria, she was incredibly glad the two of them got along so well.
Ambling up to her room, she started making her plans for the rest of the day, knowing Harry and Astoria were probably going to be occupied in the lab brewing some beginner's potion. Seeing that she was on her own, she decided to spend the time with her mother and whatever she had lined up for the afternoon. Maybe she could extract some information about Hogwarts from her, possibly even about the sorting. Not that she was in any way hopeful about that, but there was always hope.
When she reached her room, she dropped off her new robes and started the search for her mother. She found Eleanor in the kitchen, working on some pastries she had been trying to perfect or a long time with her family as unwitting but quite delighted test subjects.
"Hello Daphne, what are you doing here?" her mother asked without having to finish the sentence for both of them to know she had expected Daphne to want to spend the time with Harry instead of her mother.
"Harry and Tori are in the lab, making some potion. Really not interested in that" Daphne answered, still not completely sure if she liked sharing Harry with her sister.
"Ah, I'm sure she won't steel your friend. Your sister is just happy to have someone else interested in potions around here for a change. Let's face it, we're both horrible at potions," she told her daughter, leading Daphne to once again believe her mother to be at least a little psychic.
"I didn't think that" Daphne answered with indignation, although she had at least thought it a little. "I'm really happy they get along that well, but I thought Harry would spend the time with me, you know?"
"Little one, would you really want him to hog all your time. Also, you get him for the whole school year; Astoria won't be going to Hogwarts for two more years. She's just really enjoying having someone who shares her interest. Be honest, would you want to share that particular interest with Harry or your sister? Didn't think so" a now smiling Eleanor commented her daughter's slightly anxious expression.
No, Daphne had no interest to share her sister's passion in Potioneering. Viewed from this perspective she was actually glad Harry could vent all his passion for potions with her sister.
The following morning, Daphne awoke early. She was agitated about the appointment at the Ministry and how Harry would feel afterwards. And while she was incredibly pleased to be asked to tag along, she was also worried about how she would feel when the day was over, all due to her feelingnof impending misery.
Recognizing any further attempts at sleep to be fruitless endeavours she instead got up and went to the library, a vague plan about reading to calm her nerves in her mind.
When Daphne reached the lilbrary she found that she had not been the only one with that plan, only she had made it at another time. There, in one of the armcairs lay Harry, glasses still on his nose and a The Rise ynd Fall of the Dark Arts still on his lap. He was squirming around in his sleep, mumbling things Daphne could not understand and seemed to be in a lot of pain. Whether his pain was a pain of the mind or the remembrance of bodily harm, she could not discern. As if she were compelled she reached out with her hand to lightly touch his shoulder.
Harry awoke with a scream of panic and immediately his squirming body curled up as small as possible, like one would to give as little room to an attacker as possible.
When he finally turned his eyes at Daphne, his look held so much pain she could have cried right then and there. Instead, she just took another step forward and enveloped her friend in a hug. After initially tensing up, he relaxed into her embrace and now she let her tears flow.
AN: Hello guys,
Sorry this one took so long, was not easy to write. It underwent several changes in title as what I had planned to occupy a few paragraphs turned out to be way more. The upside is, I have a lot more lined up to finish up on my train ride to the family Christmas celebration.
Happy Ho-Ho-holidays