Chapter 8

The following day, after his new morning routine, Harry didn't set off for work, but instead went to the park with Hedwig. Klaus gave him most of the day off because he had helped out yesterday, although he wasn't even asked about it.

So a preoccupied Harry wanders around a bit, with Hedwig on his shoulder, who was trying to get his attention, but he was only partially listening.

After helping out Roxy and Klaus at the Fruity Smoothie Bar the day before, he tried to calm his confused mind and look for a logical and considered solution to everything.

The thing is, though, he just has no idea. He came to Gardenia expecting to enjoy a summer of rest and relaxation, and now he's enmeshed in perhaps bigger mysteries than his school, and really, that's saying something.

What he has to think about is the book, the four men in black, the six girls and the magical fairy stuffed animals, and last but not least Roxy.

Of all of that, the book, with all its dark magic, seems like the smallest of issues and that's really depressing to say.

The four men are most likely very dangerous, but Harry doesn't know who or what they are, nor where they are at the moment.

The six girls, who could be fairies who should have disappeared a long time ago, don't seem necessarily evil or anything, but Harry would still prefer it if his and her paths didn't cross and he got sucked into what whatever is hidden behind these girls. Not to mention they use magic without anyone finding it odd or the US Department of Magic showing up.

Finally, there's Roxy, who has become a good friend, even though they've only known each other for a short time. Roxy, who not only seems unconcerned with all the magic, which is really odd, but also seems to possess magic. But whether she is a witch, a fairy or something else is still unclear to Harry.

In summary, Harry has four "problems" to deal with, but in all honesty, he's more than at a loss, he's also heavily conflicted. Because, apart from the book, there is at least one topic that he has an idea for, but he doesn't know if it's a smart idea.

He talks about considering whether to tell Roxy about magic. That he has magic, that magic is being cast all around her, or at least to some degree, and that she seems to have magic as well.

On the one hand, it would be great if he could confide his secret to his newest friend, because he can already see that not saying anything would only cause problems in the long run. Also, by telling her that she also seems to have magic, he might be able to find out more about it together.

On the other hand, there's a chance she doesn't believe him, thinks he's crazy, or even scared and/or disgusted that he's "different," and that really is the last thing he wants his new friend thinks and feels about him.

However, despite all the possible bad outcomes, Harry can't help but think that telling her the truth would be a better idea. If it was just himself involved with magic, he probably wouldn't tell, but there are many more people and beings involved with magic, not to mention that Roxy deserves it from hers to experience powers. After all, who knows what could happen if one of the other two groups discovers her powers, or her powers increase without her knowing anything about it and she can't control them completely and hurts herself.

He would probably show her the book then, but he didn't think she would learn so much from it. For one thing, he doesn't know if she could even read it, and dark magic isn't really something to delve into too much, especially if you don't have much experience with magic firsthand.

The other two topics are still a mystery to him, he would be wary of the first group, but remain hidden for the time being with the second. He has to think about everything else and maybe discuss it with Roxy, after all she seems to have some similarities to the girls.

Maybe they should stay away from the fairy stuffed animal shop, too, at least until he's spoken to Roxy and done some more research on the shop himself.

Speaking of Roxy, she wanted to take him to see an apartment complex near her home where he could possibly move. But she is currently still working.

Since it isn't even noon Harry has at least a few hours until his meeting with Roxy, he tries to enjoy the day with Hedwig.

As for Hedwig, since she's been ignored by Harry the whole time, she starts barking angrily and pecking at him, finally drawing his attention to her.

"Ow ow ow, Hedwig, stop it! I'm sorry for ignoring you, I've got a lot going on and I don't really know what to do," Harry said, practically begging Hedwig to stop her pecking.

Hedwig then stopped teasing him and gave him a look that downright said he was thinking too much. She may be right, but Harry can't necessarily help it.

"Let's just enjoy our day at the park, maybe I'll get some good ideas there," Harry said to Hedwig and they both continued on their way towards the park.

After a few more minutes of wandering around, they finally reached their destination, taking in the fresh air and the beautiful sight of all that natural greenery. Despite all the weirdness of the city, it's still beautiful. And also very nice and cheerful.

Harry and Hedwig watch the people around them. There were some adults who also seemed to be just walking around, some children playing tag with a frisbee, some people walking a dog and also some teenagers hanging out with their friends.

In addition to the dogs, there are other animals in the park. There are of course many birds flying around, some ducks swimming in a small pond, some squirrels and bunnies relatively well hidden between the trees and bushes and also a few stray cats which are very well cared for seems to go.

All in all a place that Harry and Hedwig can more than enjoy.

They're wandering/flying around, Harry smelling some flowers, something he's never really done as he's never really thought to enjoy the outdoors like that, chatting here and there with a few passers by who come up to them and him ask about Hedwig, as they are all a little curious about such a trusting and beautiful owl.

Around noon, Harry and Hedwig eat some small snacks that they can get at some of the stalls in the area, like pretzels, and then sit on a bench set back from the sidewalk so they can talk a little.

"We should go to the park more often, right Hedwig? We could probably spend days here and still enjoy taking in nature without doing much else," Harry said, closing his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze blowing through his hair.

"Hoot hoot hoot, ho ho, hoot hoot," said Hedwig, just as relaxed as Harry.

"Yes, we should probably come here with Roxy and Artuu. We'd definitely have an even better time together," Harry said with a soft smile.

"Hoot hoot ho, hoot hoot, hoooooo," said Hedwig in a teasing tone.

"Yes, Roxy is a really great person, but we're just friends. To be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about her, but even if it were more than friendship, it probably wouldn't work out. I mean, besides having no idea what exactly she thinks and feels about me, I'm probably just staying here for the summer, not to mention there's a bunch of problems back in the UK I'm getting her into don't want to get involved," Harry said with a slightly sad smile.

"Hoot hoot hoot, hoot hoot hoot hoot, hoot hoot," Hedwig said angrily to Harry.

"What, but Hedwig-" Harry wanted to say, but Hedwig wasn't done yet.

"Hoot hoot, ho ho, hoot, ho ho ho ho hoot hoot hoot," said Hedwig, looking deep into his eyes, daring him to think deeply and consider carefully whether to contradict her.

Deep in thought after a few moments, Harry finally said, "You're right, Hedwig. No matter what problems there are back in our home country, none of it has to do with my relationship with Roxy. And maybe we really should just stay here and enjoy our new lives, although I doubt we'll be let go that easily when word of our disappearance is found. I will also miss Hermione and Ron, as well as the rest of the Weasleys, Neville, Luna and the Quidditch team, probably Hagrid and Remus too, although I'll have a lot to talk about with some of them when we see them again. And while I don't know Roxy's thoughts and feelings, especially how they will be if I were to tell her about magic, I do know that at least for now she considers me a friend, and that's good enough for me for now ".

Hedwig looked at him proudly. After that, the two spent some time in silence and just enjoying the fresh air in the park.

At around 3:00 p.m., Harry and Hedwig made their way out of the park, as they plan to meet up with Roxy in about an hour, but along the way they bumped into a person Harry was trying to stay away from.

Since both of them weren't really paying attention and fell to the ground, it took both of them a moment until they at least supported themselves and looked at each other.

What Harry saw was a beautiful girl with caramel skin, green eyes and brown hair wearing a pink and yellow long sleeve top and a slightly darker pink skirt. She also wears a kind of headband that makes it look like she's wearing two stuffed cat ears. In addition, one of the fairy stuffed animals flies next to her, which looks like a pink cat with a flower headband and wings.

But while Harry was still staring at the girl, she started to stand up and looked down at him with a worried look.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't hurt you, did I?" the girl asked Harry, concerned, since he was still just staring at her and hadn't moved any further.

Harry, finally realizing this, straightened up with a small blush, which comes from his embarrassment at being caught staring, although she doesn't seem to have noticed and thus doesn't know why staring at her like that.

With a much faster train of thought than before, he thought, "Okay Harry, calm down. She doesn't know you, doesn't know that you have magic, which luckily you hid again after training in the morning, and also seems quite friendly. So behave normally."

While he had previously stared at her for about twenty seconds, he actually thought this in less than two seconds while standing up, so he quickly said, "No, no, everything is whole and whole. Also, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either, so that's my fault too."

The girl then looked relieved and now had a smile on her face.

"By the way, I'm Flora and this is Coco next to me. And what's your name?", she asked him very friendly.

"Harry, and that's my friend Hedwig next to me," Harry said, glancing briefly at Hedwig, who is now sitting on his shoulder again.

"Oh, I've never seen such a beautiful owl," said Flora, admiring Hedwig's feathered dress.

Hedwig, of course, preened again at the compliment and Harry simply said, "Thank you, but your… cat Coco is very cute too. Sorry, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like a cat with small wings, would you mind explaining to me what exactly it is?" Harry asked her, lying a little, but really, he must try to pretend he knows nothing about magic and such.

"Ah, she's a fairy stuffed animal that was magically created along with many others by me and my friends. We take care of them, play with them and introduce them to everyone in our new shop where they can adopt them," Flora said happily.

Harry just thought, "So she's a magic user and she's just admitting it! Even though I know she's not a witch, that just proves it! I don't think she and her friends have anything to do with the magical community in general. Do you even know about it?"

But since he thinks very quickly again, he says shortly after Flora's explanation: "Wow, magic, huh? Is there really such a thing?"

While Harry is usually very good at lying, he still berates himself for his rather atrocious acting at the moment.

"Yes, you see, even though you might not believe it, I am a fairy from the magical dimension Magix and we are here on earth to bring magic back to the people," said Flora, looking into his eyes, hoping that he really would believe her and wouldn't think she was crazy like a lot of people did with her and her friends, despite even introducing them to fairy stuffed animals.

Harry is beginning to think it couldn't get any crazier, but really, another dimension?!

"W-well, admittedly that's hard to believe, but magic is something I've always thought might be possible. After all, magic would be the most unbelievable thing there is," Harry said, making up his mind quickly, no matter what she says, he only freaks out later when he's alone in his room with Hedwig.

Flora, who is really pleased to hear this, smiles brightly and says: Yes, isn't it? Magic is so wonderful and can bring so much happiness to people! Especially here

"There is so much natural magic out there in nature in all the plants".

Harry, hearing this, is a little surprised. Sure he knows about natural magic and that a certain amount exists in the flora, but...

… Wait a moment. Surely it's not really that simple, is it?

"Sorry, what you're saying sounds really impressive, but can you explain a little more because I don't think I'm following you entirely," Harry said, feigning a lack of understanding.

"Well, like I said, my name is Flora and I'm the fairy of nature and plants. My powers are particularly related to everything that the name entails, for example I can talk and communicate with the plants, make them grow and almost withered plants bloom again," Flora explained happily.

"So a nature fairy," Harry murmured under his breath.

"And that's why I'm on my way to the park, because the nature there is beautiful and I just feel good there," said Flora.

"Well then you've definitely chosen the right place, this park is really wonderful. I could spend days here just taking in and enjoying my surroundings," Harry said.

"Yes, is not it? I'd ask you if you'd like to come along so we can talk a little more, but you already seem to want to go somewhere else," Flora said.

"Ah, yeah, I'm meeting up with a friend soon and I'd better be on my way. After all, it's almost time for our arranged meeting," Harry said.

"Then I wish you and Hedwig a nice day and I hope you have a lot of fun with your friend. Oh, and why don't you stop by our shop where I can introduce you to other fairy stuffed animals," said Flora.

"We and our friend certainly will and I think I might stop by when I have the time. See you later, Flora," Harry said, saying goodbye to her with a smile.

"See you soon," Flora said to him too.

After that, Harry made his way to the Fruity Smoothie Bar where he would meet up with Roxy. But on the way there, he thought about all the information he had just received.

The girl, Flora, is a fairy, apparently a nature fairy at that. Your friends are likely to be fairies as well, albeit specialized in other aspects. In addition, they come from another dimension called Magix and are here on the planet to bring magic closer to people again.

Actually, Harry wanted to freak out, but for several reasons he didn't.

First of all, this may be the craziest thing he's ever heard, but he can both say Flora wasn't lying, and while this may be the craziest thing he's ever heard, there's been so much in his life already Madness, even more is really not necessarily surprising.

Second, he will only come to a solution and answers if he stays calm, thinks, and investigates. Losing his self-compassion will do him no good at all.

Third, Flora seemed like a very nice girl who is very friendly to others, even strangers, and very fond of nature. Such a person can hardly be a bad person.

Still, that doesn't help Harry much as he doesn't know how to proceed, especially when he promised Flora he'd stop by her shop soon when he decided a few hours earlier to stay away from there for a while.

While Harry isn't easily swayed by negative emotions anymore, he can't say no to friendly people who seem particularly pretty girls.

However, it is at least reassuring to know for now that Flora and her friends are unlikely to pose a threat to Harry, as friendly as the nature fairy is and her goal is to bring people back to the wonders of magic the way it was really long ago time was.

All in all, Harry is even more confused than before, but also more reassured since he was speaking to the girl without her being able to notice his magic, although he did feel a little bad for lying to such a kind person.

But Harry can worry about that later, because he had finally arrived at the Fruity Smoothie Bar to meet up with Roxy.

Lo and behold, said girl is already standing in front of the entrance, next to her Artuu, who are both looking in his and Hedwig's direction.

"Hello Harry, Hedwig, nice to see you," Roxy said with a smile and waved at them.

"Woof," Artuu barked in agreement.

"Nice to see you too, Roxy, Artuu," Harry said and Hedwig barked in agreement.

"So are you ready to look at the apartment building and possibly find a new apartment?" Roxy asked him.

"Sure, although I'm curious about that strange landlord you mentioned," Harry told her, and the four began to make their way towards the apartment building.

"Well, he might be a bit unusual and almost crazy at times, but he's also kind to those who are kind to him and he always has a bit of wisdom to share," Roxy explained to her friend.

"Huh, sounds like an interesting guy," Harry said.

The two friends and their confidants/pets strolled down the streets of Gardenia and talked about any topic that came to mind. Almost anyone looking at them from the outside could think that they are either very good friends who have known each other for years, or even a romantic couple, so both looked comfortable together, just enjoying each other's company.

"By the way, did you do anything interesting today while you were off work?" Roxy asked him,

"Not exactly anything special, Hedwig and I went to the park, enjoyed the outdoors and talked a bit, relaxed a bit, watched what other people were doing in the park, met Flora and then went to the Fruity Smoothie Bar to... meeting you and Artuu, just in time," Harry said.

"Flora?" Roxy asked, not that Harry noticed, sounding just a little jealous.

"Ah, uh, yes, Flora, A girl about two years older than us who I ran into at the park when we were both not paying attention. We chatted a bit afterwards about… interesting things, and then she told me that she's one of the people who works at this fairy stuffed animal shop," Harry said, originally wanting to keep his meeting with Flora a secret.

"Hmm, is she possibly a long haired blonde girl with blue eyes?" Roxy asked, getting just a little more jealous.

"Ah. No, she has long brown hair and green eyes," Harry said, wondering who Roxy thought of when she said Flora's name.

"Oh, so it's not that rude worker I saw the first time I walked past the store," Roxy said, calming down a bit, glad the girl he met wasn't that girl at least .

"Well, Flora actually seemed very nice and maybe this staff member, who must be one of her friends, was just in a bad mood or something, I dunno," Harry said.

Roxy, still a little annoyed, simply changed the subject.

After that, both friends, sometimes with Hedwig and Artuu, talked to each other a little longer, until they finally arrived at the said building, which they wanted to visit.

The building was eight stories high, each apartment seemed to have a balcony at the front, so probably sixteen apartments. It is mostly blue with some white trim and looks relatively new. The building has probably not even been there for ten years.

The entrance was a plain steel door, painted white, but Harry briefly noticed some small drawings around the edge and on the lock. Those drawings looked like runes, and honestly, if they really were runes, Harry wouldn't be too surprised after all. Even if he doesn't know who or what this person is who owns the building and rents it out, he can say with almost certainty that he won't be an ordinary person either.

The entrance area looked similar to a hotel lobby, complete with a reception desk where a message was posted.

Harry and Roxy approached it and read the message.

"If anyone is looking for me, the landlord, come to the top apartment, I'm busy there right now," Roxy read.

She and Harry looked at each other, shrugged, and headed up the stairs. They would take the elevator if they saw one. Surely such a large apartment building has an elevator, right?

Luckily, both were still young and healthy, so the climb up the stairs wasn't too strenuous, even though both have already done quite a bit during the day.

There, compared to the other floors, where there is a door on opposite sides, they saw only one in the middle with dated-looking decorations. Some people might find this a little spooky, an odd door unlike any other in an apartment building that's currently pretty quiet. But Roxy knew the landlord at least a little and knew he wasn't a bad person, and Harry had already learned enough odd things from his conversation with Flora for a door to scare him.

So Roxy and Harry decided to knock on the door, because this door also didn't have a visible bell compared to the others, and waited for someone to open the door for them, which happened.

In front of them stood a man with medium-length black hair, dark green eyes and three days beard. He wore simple jeans, a dark shirt and a jacket over it. His expression looked mostly calm, but Harry could swear he caught a glimpse of an amused grin.

"Ah, hello Roxy, nice to see you again. And who is your little friend here?" the man asked.

"Hello Mr. Core, this is my friend Harry who would like to view one of your apartments and maybe rent one," Roxy said.

"Hello sir, as Roxy said, I'm Harry and am currently looking for permanent accommodation as I'm only renting a hotel room at the moment," Harry said.

"Huh, aren't you a little too young to rent your own place?" Mr. Core asked.

"Well, you see-" Harry started to say but was cut off.

"Well anyway, come on, let me show you my vacant space so you can have an apartment close to your dearest friend," said Mr. Core, taking a key from inside the apartment he was just standing in, and was already making his way back to the lobby.

Harry and Roxy meanwhile just stood in the same place, both frozen. The first one because he was shocked by the man's behavior, the latter because she was embarrassed by the way Mr Core described their relationship.

With a sheepish smile, Roxy turned to Harry and said, "Well, I said he was a little weird, but don't worry, I said he was actually very friendly."

Harry just looked at her and they both made their way downstairs to the lobby.

Once there, they saw Mr. Core coming out of a door behind reception, now holding a bunch of keys. He just looked at them and told them to follow him. Mr. Core went to the second floor and Harry and Roxy followed him, now a little annoyed by all the stairs, which seems to be a lot.

Arrived on the second floor, Mr. Core already opened one of the two doors and stood facing them in front of the entrance and said: "Well then, let me show you around my beautiful building and show you where you can find the best apartment in town". .

Harry and Roxy looked at each other again, both small amused grins on their faces, and followed him.

As soon as they walked through the entrance to the apartment, they already saw much of the layout.

They stood in the hallway of the apartment, saw a door on the right, one in front of them and another on the left. However, as Mr. Core showed them around more closely, they realized that there was more to the inside than that.

"First of all there is a room on the right, which also leads to a small bathroom and also has a small storage room. The door in the middle leads to another hallway, with the door for the kitchen on the left and a room of about the same size on the right, which also has a storage room. There is also a door to the left of the entrance, which looks mostly hidden and is rarely noticed quickly. This is the main bathroom. On the far left is another large room, which also leads to the balcony, as well as being the largest room of all in the apartment," Mr. Core explained and showed the two teenagers all the rooms.

"Wow, that's a lot bigger than I thought it would be," Roxy said, marveling at the apartment.

Harry was also taken aback by the size and figured that this is actually a lot more than he would need, but he can't deny that he's drawn to this apartment.

"That's a lot of space and certainly makes for great living space, but how much is that supposed to cost?" Harry asked, who can most likely afford the price but bearing in mind that Roxy was with him and might think it was too was expensive for a teenager and he shouldn't have that much money.

"Hmm, good question, let me think," Mr. Core said, rubbing his chin and thinking.

Roxy and Harry then just gave him a blank look and wondered why he had to think about such a thing.

"Hmm, how about $600 a month, that includes electricity, gas and water," said Mr. Core.

"What?!" said both Harry and Roxy, shocked at how cheap such an apartment is.

"I know I'm probably being very stupid saying that as a potential renter, but isn't that not enough money?" Harry asked.

Mr. Core just laughed and dismissed Harry's concern: "Yeah, you're stupid if you ask me that, but don't worry, this rent is more than enough, utilities already included".

Harry, who was taken aback by such directness and frankness, took a moment to want to say something else, but then he saw Mr Core's smile melt and said, "Besides, I can't charge you runaway lovers too much. After all, I don't want money getting in the way of your relationship."

"What?!" Harry and Roxy yelled both again, this time much louder and blushing very strong.

"Of course it would be wiser if you guys ran more than a few blocks away from Roxy's house, but don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Mr. Core said, winking at them.

All three were silent then, Roxy and Harry because they are too taken aback by his words, Mr Core because he was trying hard to hold back his laughter. That lasted about a few seconds.

"Pffttt! Hahahahahahaha, oh you should see your faces hahahahahahahaha," Mr. Core said, now laughing quite hard.

It took Roxy and Harry a little longer to realize that they had just been tricked and were still flushed, upset and yet a little amused themselves by the whole situation.

"Sorry sorry but I just couldn't help it, you guys provide such fantastic joke material. But really, the rent is $600 and you can move in as soon as you have the money. Of course you will still have to buy most of the furniture yourself, but at least I can help you with the delivery service. I am friends with a driver who can deliver anything you buy free of charge. Don't worry, he still owes me some favors and I don't want to burden you too financially at such a young age," said Mr. Core.

Harry and Roxy exchanged a look before Roxy spoke.

"So what are you thinking Harry?" she asked him.

"Well the apartment is really nice and the rent is very cheap too, so why not. We'll also live closer together, so it's easier for us to meet up and go to work together. Of course I still need a lot of furniture, but at least it will be delivered, without additional delivery costs," said Harry.

"I can help you find furniture if you want, the mall is actually very close and we don't have to work all day," Roxy told him.

Harry, after giving Roxy a grateful smile, looked at Mr Core and said, "I'd happily rent the flat then and can pay you the rent once I've been back to the hotel to get the necessary ID's." So consider me a new tenant in your beautiful apartment building."

Mr. Core then held out his hand to Harry and said, "Well then, welcome, young tenant, to the UCA Complex."

"Harry, not sure what those letters stand for but pleased nonetheless, shook Mr. Core's hand and said, 'Thank you, Mr. Core.'

After that, the three talked about some details, but about an hour later, Harry and Roxy had to slowly pull away. Harry had to go to work and Roxy still had something to do at home. But before they could get started, Mr. Core wanted to give Harry a key for the second apartment.

"Come with me to the office so I can give you the current spare key for the apartment. Because as long as you haven't officially moved in, I'll keep the master key," said Mr. Core.

Harry then followed him and told Roxy to wait for him outside the door, where Artuu and Hedwig have been all the time.

Of course Roxy agreed and walked out of the building.

Harry followed Mr. Core and as soon as they entered the room behind reception, Harry took a quick look around. It looked interestingly like a large businessman's office, with a huge bookshelf at the back stretching from one wall to the other, a few inches in front of it a chair and table, and closer to Harry were two more chairs. In addition, there were two large shelves and cupboards that looked almost the same on both sides of the wall, from which Mr. Core took the said key.

"I have to say I'm a little surprised to see a teenage wizard from Britain all alone in America, and one so famous at that," Mr. Core said all of a sudden, his back mostly turned to Harry's current position.

That's when Harry stiffened and immediately went on alert. He took a step back and was about to get ready to cast a spell when Mr. Core spoke again.

"Calm down, little one, I mean you no harm. I really don't care who you are, nor am I interested in doing anything to you," Mr. Core told him, now looking at him again.

"How do you know who I am?" Harry asked tensely.

"I know some things and some things I don't know, but what I know, only I know and you don't!" Mr. Core told Harry cryptically.

"What?" Harry mumbled blankly.

"What you need to know is that I'm not an American or British wizard, I know about you and what is generally known public, as well as some secrets, which are known to rather few. I don't know why you're here, although I have a few ideas. Don't worry, I really don't intend to tell anyone and I'm not going to force you to tell me anything, but I'll give you some advice. Don't just relax because you managed to escape, you never know what enemy might be waiting for you, even if you don't expect him or her," Mr. Core said, letting Harry take in everything he said for now.

Harry was a little less careful around Mr. Core now, but he didn't let his guard completely disappear.

"Well I think you should take a little time to consider my words first, so take the key and get on with your friend Roxy, she must be getting tired of waiting for you," said Mr. Core, handing Harry the key.

Harry took it but still said nothing.

"Once you are back, you can easily enter your new apartment. You can find me either in my own apartment or in my office if you want to discuss something, so don't hold back on that. Oh, and the other tenants are mostly out at the moment, not sure when you'll be meeting them, but don't worry, they're a friendly bunch overall," said Mr. Core, making his way out of the office, probably to go again to go to his own apartment.

Harry still followed him in silence, watching him walk up the stairs. He had a lot to think about, even more than before, but right now Roxy was waiting for him, who he really didn't want to keep waiting much longer.

So when Harry finally got outside he was greeted by Roxy, Artuu and Hedwig and they all made their way.

Roxy's house is relatively close and on the way to the Fruity Smoothie Bar as seen from the apartment building, so they went there and chatted a bit.

"Are you alright Harry? You look like you've got a lot to think about all of a sudden," Roxy asked him.

"I'm fine, just thinking about all the things I'm going to need for the new apartment," Harry said, lying almost perfectly, even though he doesn't particularly like that kind of thing to Roxy.

"Well then, like I said, I'd be happy to help you choose some furniture for the new apartment," Roxy told him with a smile.

"Thank you very much, I'll ask you about it later," Harry said with a smile of his own.

Then he sank back into his thoughts and wanted to plan his next step when he suddenly heard something. At the intersection ahead, a car swerved far too quickly and headed in their direction, skidding from side to side in the process. In itself that wouldn't be such a big problem, apart from the fact that the driver is breaking some traffic laws and should be stopped quickly, but he was only driving on the road and Harry and Roxy are safe on the sidewalk with Artuu and Hedwig. However, as the car spun, it hit a garbage can, which is now flying towards Roxy at great speed. Roxy, who is only just realizing this and is too slow in her reaction to dodge it. With the size of the garbage can and its speed, Roxy would not only surely get caught, but also suffer a great deal of damage. However, Harry, seeing this, reacts immediately.

Using his seeker reflexes, he rushes towards Roxy as fast as he can, wanting to shove her out of the way, but while he can reach her quickly, she would still get hit, at least partially, let alone himself as well. So he does what he thinks is the only solution that could work.

"Lanuae Parcum!" Harry yells, and promptly he and Roxy were gone.

A short time later, they appeared at a secluded spot in the park.

Harry's arms were around Roxy and Roxy stared wide-eyed at what had just happened.

"Ha-Harry?" Roxy stuttered.

Harry let go of Roxy and faced her. He saw shock, disbelief and confusion on her face. This really wasn't how he had intended telling her about magic.

"What... what was that? How did you bring us here?". Roxy asked, trying to understand what just happened.

Harry just looked at her, thought for a moment, sighed, and then said, "Well, that's a long story."