Chapter 6 – Safe Room

AN:

Oni: *Sadly stabs a cake with her fork*

Garry: What wrong Oni?

Oni: *Looks up at him*

Garry: *Notices a glint in her eye, an eye that is blue*

Garry: You're… not… Oni…

Oni?: *Takes disguise off to reveal Mary*

Mary: GIVE ME YOUR ROSE!

Harry: *pops head in*

Harry* Oni does not own Harry Potter, Ib, or the first ten chapters, just tidbits that she's put in here and there. Now if you excuse me, I have to go save a friend.

Breathing hard, Harry continued on, fear pumping through his veins. The banging of the door echoed as he walked backwards. As he searched for a way out, his eyes fell onto a door. Running through, he continued going through identical rooms. Room after room, endlessly searching. He reached out to another door and turned its handle like all the ones before it. However, this door would not open. Harry heart pumped all the faster as he heard the heavy, pounding footsteps echoing from behind him.

Harry was too terrified to speak. His mind wracked with terror and fear. 'Please, oh please, open up! Oh no, please god, Merlin please...' he kept thinking, over and over again. The doorknob just wouldn't twist. The footsteps drew nearer and Harry began to get even more desperate. He willed with all his heart to escape. There, a sound came from behind him. Turning around, he discovered that the door was opened.

He gratefully ran through.

What he saw made him cry out. Tears streamed down his face as he shook his head side to side. Why...? Why did this have to happen to him? His heart sunk and his legs collapsed from underneath him. He was surrounded by a Lady in Red, a headless statue, and a mannequin head. With one last surge of bravery he looked back up at his enemies. Suddenly, the figures warped and turned into something else. They all turned into people he knew: Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Uncle Vernon. The figures moved in and Harry screwed his eyes shut.

"...Help... Someone... Please... Garry, where are you...? ... GARRY!"

Harry sat up, his hand over his mouth. Breathing heavily, his senses slowly returned. It was a nightmare.

He had a nightmare. Harry slowly took his hand away from his mouth and felt slightly relieved. It had become a habit of his to cover his mouth when he had a nightmare, a habit he earned from living with the Dursley's, after all, if he woke up his relatives in the middle of the night from a nightmare, instead of being comforted, he would be punished for ruining their "beauty sleep". Glancing around the room, he took in his surroundings. He was in a small room with a few bookshelves and a large painting. Harry was currently lying on the ground with a nice warm blanket on top of him. The blanket, Harry realized, wasn't a blanket at all; it was a navy blue tattered jacket. It was Garry's jacket. Looking up, Harry guessed that the older teen must have heard him wake up.

"... Ah," Garry said as he walked out from behind a bookshelf, setting down a book that he had been reading. "Morning, Harry. How are you feeling?" Garry went over to him and kneeled down to look Harry in the eyes.

Harry turned his gaze down to his lap. "I... I had a nightmare..."

Glancing upward shyly, Harry saw Garry's face immediately change to one of concern. "I see... You poor thing... I can't say I'm surprised... Being exposed to such frightful sights... you know?"

"I guess it's good you woke up," Garry told him. Garry then looked a little ashamed and said, "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier..."

Harry looked back down. He wanted to tell Garry that it was all fine, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. There was a lump in his throat it seemed.

Garry thought deeply before his expression brightened a little. "... Harry, would you take a look in the pocket of that coat?" Confused, Harry reached inside one of the pockets and felt his hand brush against something hard and round. Pulling it out, Harry glanced into his hand and looked at the object. It was a piece of candy. A lemon drop to be exact. The familiar looking candy eased his nerves a bit just by looking at it.

Shocked, Harry looked up at Garry. Garry was smiling at him.

"You can have that. Feel free to eat it."

Harry's eyes filled up with many different emotions; shock, happiness, sadness, wonder.

"... G-Garry... I..." Harry began, not knowing what to say. "... T-thank you, Garry..."

Garry's smile only widened. "No problem. Let's rest a while longer before we set out again." With that, Garry got up, turned, and went over to the bookshelves. Harry pulled himself up and picked up Garry's coat. He wrapped the large coat around his shoulders and went up to look the painting. It was called "Untitled". Harry couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. A notice on the wall read, "Rules of the Art Gallery." "No loud conversation, No photography, No food or drink, No touching the displays, No fountain pens, No leaving ever." The last one made Harry feel trapped. But when he looked over at Garry, he felt that maybe being trapped with the older teen wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Looking at the books lining the bookshelves, he pulled out a book called "Fun Pictures" that had a lot of drawings in it. Harry put the book back. It was only a waste of time to look at the pointless drawings.

Looking over, Harry saw a vase sitting on top of a table. He quickly headed over to it and took out his rose. Staring down at it, Harry realized that he had been hit much more than he originally thought; there was only two petals left. Putting the rose in the vase, the beautiful white rose grew back five petals and

Harry felt greatly refreshed.

Harry took off Garry's coat and headed over to the teen.

"Here. You can have your coat back."

"Oh, my coat... Thanks, Harry," Garry said with a nod of thanks. He took the ragged coat and slid it back on.

Unable to stop himself, Harry spoke. "Garry... Your coat is all torn and ragged..."

"Hm? My coat's all torn and ragged?" Garry flashed him a smile and whimsically said, "No, no, that's on purpose! That's just the design!" His expression turned serious again and he said, "... Though to be sure, I have been wearing it for many years now as well..."

Harry chuckled in response. "How long have you had it?"

Garry thought back deeply and responded, "I've had this coat for three years at least..."

"Hey, Harry. Not to be rude but... Your clothes," Garry hesitantly pointed out. "... Your clothes look too

big and seem old..."

Harry sighed softly; he should have seen this coming. However, Harry trusted Garry enough to tell him the truth.

"Well... My relatives don't like me very much and they don't like spending any money on me, so they give me my cousin's old clothes."

Garry's expression darkened. "Just because they don't like you doesn't mean they can just give you hand-me-downs... Harry how much money do they have?"

Confused, Harry replied, "I'm not exactly sure, but they have enough money to buy my cousin about thirty presents each year for his birthday..."

Garry looked shocked before his expression darkened once more. "They definitely have more than enough to buy you clothes..."

Garry shook his head before speaking once more, changing the subject. "Oh, Harry. How old are you?"

"I just turned thirteen a few days ago."

"... Thirteen? Wow, you look much younger than thirteen, the height I guess." Garry said with astonishment.

Harry just shrugged. He was rather small and his clothes didn't help. It only made sense that Garry would think that he is younger than he really is.

"Hey, Garry. How old are you?

"I'm sixteen."

This time it was Harry who was astonished. "Really? Wow, you look older than sixteen. I thought you were eighteen or nineteen."

Garry chuckled. "I think the height factors in once more."

"Well, you are really tall..."

Garry's lips turned up into a grin. "That, or you are just really short." Harry rolled his eyes at that but didn't try to argue, he was pretty short after all. It was a fact.

"Now that I think about it, you were traveling alone until you met me," Garry said as he went over to Harry and patted him on the back. "That's nothing to sneeze at. I mean it, that's brave." 'I... I guess I was brave...' Harry thought.

Noting Harry's condition, Garry asked, "Harry, can you walk? If you're tired, make sure to tell me right away, okay? Don't be shy about it! I'll completely understand!" Harry nodded. He felt like he could truly trust Garry. Garry was his friend, maybe even his best friend. Yet Harry felt a connection to the older teen that was different from friend, stronger than friendship. He didn't say anything about it though.

Garry's expression turned to one of guilt as he said, "I was so focused on getting out of here... I didn't really look out for you. Sorry, Harry."

"It's alright. We both want to get out of here so it only makes sense. From now on, let's look after each other and make it out of here!" Harry assured him, smiling. Garry smiled back. They were going to get out of here and they were going to do it together.

Garry's smile turned into a frown as he turned to Harry and asked, "Harry, do you remember how you got here from the gallery? I'm having trouble remembering exactly..." He scratched his head and continued. "I was about to leave... But then I looked around, and didn't see a soul... I panicked when I saw the entrance locked, but found stairs where there had been a wall... Then I was in a red passageway... ... You know the rest." Harry was reminded of his own experience and how he dove into the depths of the fish painting. He also remembered finding Garry lying on the ground. Thank Merlin Harry had found him.

Garry sighed and said, "... I got up early today, so I'm feeling a bit sleepy now. I was looking forward to going to a gallery... and then this." Yawning exasperatedly, he said, "Honestly, I think I've had enough of art galleries at this point..."

Harry nodded in agreement, "Me too. I was excited about going to an art gallery, but now..." He sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be able to go to an art gallery again..."

To lighten up the situation, Garry made a joke. "Ah, I'm a little thirsty... Think I should drink from the vase?" When Harry kept his expression serious, he quietly said, "... I'm just kidding." At least Garry tried to humor him.

Harry felt really guilty. Garry was only trying to lighten the situation and instead, Harry had been rude to him.

"... Sorry for troubling you, Garry. I'll try not to be such a burden..."

"Harry, you are NOT a burden, don't ever think you are. I don't know who told you that you are one, but whoever they are, they're wrong. You will never be a burden." Garry said with a little sternness. Garry turned around and said, "I mean, no one could have predicted that things would end up like this." He turned back to Harry and said with a happy disposition, "Come on, be cheery! It's a disservice to your cute face to do anything else." Harry laughed a little and his face turned a bright red.

Garry turned around the room and said, "This place... It must be connected to the art gallery, don't you think? I wonder where everyone else in the gallery went..." He seemed a little hopeful when he suggested, "For all we know, there might be others lost in this place. If there are, I hope we can find each other..."

Harry smiled. "If there is anyone else here, we WILL find them. I just know that we will."

Garry grinned, "Yeah, we will." Then his face turned serious again. "Harry... You're British, right?"

Harry nodded, confused. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

"Well, I'm just wondering why you came to the gallery, we are in America after all."

Harry swallowed hard as he remembered what had happened.

~~~Flashback~~~

Harry ran from the house, carrying his trunk with him. He needed to escape. He had just blown up Aunt Marge like she was a balloon. Sure, it was accidental magic but his relatives didn't care about that. If he didn't escape then who knows what would happen. Suddenly, Uncle Vernon came out of the house and grabbed Harry by the arm, he pulled Harry into the house, shut the front door, and threw Harry to the ground. Hard. Before Harry could do anything, he was kicked in the stomach. Harry cried out in pain as he was repeatedly kicked and punched. He curled up in the fetal position trying desperately to protect himself. Finally, Harry allowed himself to fall into darkness.

When Harry awoke, he felt pain everywhere. He was in a cramped space, his old cupboard, he remembered. A rapping sound on the door caught his attention. The door swung open to reveal Aunt Petunia.

"Boy. The freaks had to come to return Marge back to normal after you used your freakiness."

"..I didn't try t-"

"Be quiet, Boy." The sound of a slap resounded.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia."

"Good. Now go make breakfast."

Scurrying, Harry got up and ignored the pain in his limbs. He went into the kitchen and prepared breakfast. When he was done, he set up the plates and glasses and filled each one. His relatives came down, forced him upstairs, and locked him into his room. Harry sighed and nibbled on a piece of toast he was able to sneak up with him. When he was finished, he changed into a new set of clothes, laid down onto his small bed, and rested.

He awoke to a load knock on his door and the sound of multiple locks being unlocked. The door opened.

"Get up, Freak. Get packed and get downstairs, now." The door closed.

When the door closed, Harry began to pack his clothes into a small suitcase. A tapping sound on the window caught his attention. It was an owl.

Harry practically flew to the window as soon as he saw it. He hoped it was from one of his friends. Sure enough, the owl was carrying a package and a letter. He didn't recognize the owl, but he didn't care. He opened the window, let the owl in, and took out an owl treat. The owl immediately gobbled it up.

Harry removed the package and letter. He opened the letter first.

The letter was written in a messy scrawl.

Dear Harry,

You don't know me, but I just wanted to tell you Happy Birthday and give you something. It was made only a few months after your birth by your mother.

Take good care of it.

-Padfoot

He was confused. Who was "Padfoot" and why would Padfoot give him something. Was the package really something made by his mum?

He cautiously opened the package and gasped at what he saw.

It was a white handkerchief made out of lace. In the corner, written in elegant, golden script was Harry.

Shocked, Harry stared at the handkerchief. Quickly, he put it into his pocket and wrote on the back of the letter.

Thank you, Padfoot.

-Harry

He tied the letter to the owl.

"Take this to Padfoot."

The scrawny owl nodded its head and flew off into the sky.

~~~THIS IS A LINE INSIDE A FLASHBACK~~~

When he was finished packing, Harry went down stairs to see his relatives all standing by the door, suitcases in hand.

"... What's going on? Where are we going?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"We're going to America for vacation. Nobody can watch you, so we're forced to take you with us, freak." Dudley answered.

They all put their suitcases into the car and left to go to the airport. After a long, quiet drive, they arrived at the airport.

They waited for almost an hour until their plane arrived. They went inside and settled into their seats.

The plane soon set off.

Later, they arrived at their destination, drove to the hotel inside a rent car, and entered their room. It was a large room with beautiful furniture. There were only two beds, however.

"You're sleeping on the couch, Boy." was the only response he received when he asked about it.

The couch wasn't that bad, a little small and uncomfortable, but Harry knew better than to complain.

For the next few days, he and his relatives went to different places. The whole vacation was wonderful in Harry's eyes. The places were beautiful, the people were nice, and Harry felt more at home than ever.

Each day his relatives would tell him where they would be going. On the last day of their trip, Aunt Petunia said they were going to a museum.

"What kind of museum?" Harry asked, curious to see what would be displayed.

"An art museum. Now be quiet, Boy." His Aunt answered.

It took all of the control he had to not bounce around. He was excited. He had always loved looking at art, especially the paintings in Hogwarts.

When the clock finally turned to one o'clock, they went into the rent car and drove to the gallery.

The trip was a quiet one. They drove by countless buildings until finally, they arrived at the gallery.

Harry was shocked at the size and beauty of the building. The building seemed to be made of marble, there were windows here and there, and the building was completely white. The building held an elegant feel to it and many people entering wore expensive clothing.

Harry was ecstatic to be going to such a beautiful place. He walked behind his relatives as they went inside. His hand was in his pocket, touching the handkerchief.

~~~End of Flashback~~~

"I came to the gallery with my relatives. We had gone here for a vacation."

Garry nodded. "That makes sense."

"What about you? Why did you come here?"

Garry chuckled, "Well I came here alone. I had come to the gallery because, well, I inherited it." Harry looked at the older teen in shock.

"You INHERITED this place? How?" Garry shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea. The… bankers… said that Weiss Guertena was my ancestor, and had placed certain restrictions on his possessions so that only a descendant with ma- matched the criteria, could gain it. This Gallery was one of those things."

Harry caught Garry's stumble with his words.

It was evident that the older teen was covering up something, but what could be so important that Garry had to hide it from him? Was he not trustworthy? Harry frowned at the thought. Garry seemed to take his words the wrong way.

"But I've always been fascinated with art. It's interesting to see what ideas artists can come up with."

Harry smiled, pushed the negative thoughts to the back of his mind. He might find out later what Garry was talking about but right now it was best to stay cheerful in a place like this, even if Garry DID own the place.

"It is quite interesting. I've always wanted to go to a gallery."

"Same here. I've gone to museums before, but they're always different which is why I never get tired of going."

Harry hummed in response. He then turned and went to the door. Strangely, he didn't feel so scared

anymore. Harry guessed it was because of Garry. Because he knew that Garry would be there for him.

Sure, Garry gets startled easily, but Harry knew in his heart, Garry would never leave him to be claimed by Guertena's art.

"Harry, are you ready to set out again?" Garry asked.

"I'm ready."

Garry smiled and said, "Okay! Let's get going, then!"

And with that, they set off on their next adventure.