I liked the way the sky looked down here. It looked like a van Gogh painting. I always wondered what was and wasn't perfect. I wanted to know everything about how the sky formed. I wanted to waste forever looking at the sky.

"Having a good day?" Dad asked as he sat beside me. "We kept you out of school cause you know last night."

I nodded.

"You sure nothing out of the ordinary happened?"

I was going to lie. I was going to tell him no and I was going to tell him to please stop asking me. "Can snakes talk?" Was all I asked.

"What?" He chuckled. "The only snakes here are the ones on Madam Medusas head... And they are rather tame... A bit funny but rather tame. There are monsters with small snakes for fingers, but snakes aren't big here... They died out after they ate all of the rats.." He chuckled. "Why?"

"Have you seen a green and black snake with blue eyes?"

"What?" He asked carefully. He knew that I wouldn't ask unless this was something of mass importance.

"A snake with green and black scales and blue eyes. Bright blue eyes... Eyes that sink into you."

"My dear boy... I don't think one of those exists." He wrapped his arms around me and looked at me. "But if you saw it then it must be something of the world... And not this one."

I nodded. "So am I in trouble?"

"Are you in trouble?" He added pressure to the hug. "Harry heroes are always in trouble. No matter what you think. No matter how you feel. You're someone's hero. And they always get into something they had no business doing, or trying to change something that no one says needs changing, but the do it anyway."

"Am I a hero?"

"Do you want to be?"

"Yes." I sighed. "I want to be like you dad. I want to be brave I want you to be proud of me."

"Harry I am... But if for a second you think you can do this you need to let us know this is a choice that you need to make and we need to make the choice of what to do after that together."

I smiled. "You're proud of me?"

"You've excelled at all of what you've done. You're top of your class you're experiencing things. You're becoming such an amazing person. I am just so proud to be your father."

I was proud to, but what would that do if I had to go back to a place where I could never be with them every day. "What if I do go back?"

"You'll be a hero to all."

"Can I come back here?"

"Of course... You can go anywhere when you have a bit of magic." He said with a smile that seemed to be well coy.

"Can I do this?"

"I think that you can. I think that you can do anything you want." He said, "Be who you want you to deserve all the good that comes to you."

I smiled. "Thank you, dad."

"You're welcome son." He said and stood. "I'm going to go and help Sally with dinner. Scream bean soup?"

Sounds delightful." I smiled and hugged him. "See you later."

"See you later." He said and walked

I lay on the soft ground and I watched the sky. For once I kind of felt at peace. All the questions all the fear it melted away for once in just a few moments where the air smelled like warm candy apples and burning wood I wanted to stay here forever. I knew that, but that is one thing uncle vernon said that stuck with me. 'Sometimes the best choice isn't ever the easiest.' I suppose he meant taking me in wasn't an easy choice but it was better than letting me grow up alone. Although I always felt well alone.

As I thought deeply about what it truly meant to be a hero, what it meant to make my family proud. Stuff an eleven year old boy shouldn't have to think about. I thought about tremendously. I wanted to know, but my eyes and the rest of my brain had other plans and off to sleep I went.

"Harry." I heard her. Her voice soft and pleasant like something that would be considered soft and pleasant. "Harry..." She nudged me this time and I opened my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"Thinking is indeed a dangerous thing."

"A quote from your mother?"

"A quote from my father." She corrected as she sat beside me. "Papa Juice always said that thinking rots the mind. Mother says it helps."

"And you?"

"Well, I'd like to imagine that it's a bit of both."

I smiled at her. "Only you would think that."

"Are you okay?" She asked switching the subject. "You weren't in school today."

"Oh.. Yeah I had... I had something happen to me last night and mom and dad thought it best to keep me home." I looked at her. Her eyes were almost the same blue as the snake. "I didn't think you'd notice."

"Of course I'd notice... Everyone notices."

"What?"

"You're a prince Harry you're rather noticiable." She smiled and looked at me. "Or did you forget?"

"No, I didn't... I... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course?"

"Can I be a hero?"

"I'm sorry?"

"A hero... Everything everyone has said do you think I could be a hero?"

"Harry... Being a hero is a choice you'd have to make for yourself, but if you don't make this choice soon someone is going to have to pay for it."

I sat up "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Your choice is going to influence a lot of people... Say you stay here. Say you chose not to go and do what you were meant to do. There will be children who will never see their families again because they will be down here... Think of Emily and think of your parents you so hold dear. They will be streched so thin. There won't be enough of them to go around. Your mother will take those children and tend to them. The world you're so afriad of above us will crash below us with no chance of recovery. All of your friends will not be your friends. You will ruin the very place you love." She sighed. "Sometimes being a hero means doing the things you're most afraid of." She stood.

"Do you think I can?"

"I think a lot of things Harry... But I do know you can live the life you want if you do the thing you don't." She looked at the large tower with the glowing clock. "Meet me tonight under the oak tree with the blue leaves. I've got a present for you."

I nodded.

"Until then Sir Potter." She said and walked away. I watched her and allowed her words to mariniate in my head. She was, as always, right.

I walked home and I looked out of the window inside. I couldn't do that to them. They were so happy. I watched Sally set the table and leave a place for me. She stood at the chair for a moment and Dad wrapped his arm around her. "He should be coming home soon." He told her. I watched for all of five minuets and the pang in my chest grew. I could do this one thing and lose them for a moment. Or save that moment and lose them forever. I sighed. Forever was so long either way.