Disclaimer: Don't own it. JKR does. Adopted from Nia River. Only own original ideas.
Chapter 5
Sat, 7/3/1992
Nearly a month had passed since dinner at the Longbottoms. Kyle and Harry had yet to leave the house or its grounds to go anywhere but the Longbottoms who had invited them over to dinner every Saturday since the first meeting as Kyle did not want to draw any unnecessary attention to the fact that Harry Potter was once again in the Wizarding World. Or that he – Kyle – existed. Unfortunately Kyle knew he could only continue to keep Harry hidden for so long. He knew from the way Dumbledore had handled him just how it felt to be locked up. He had no desire for young Harry to grow to resent him for doing the very same thing.
As it was however, they were both happy where they were for the moment. Kyle had worried for some time what he should do about his education. Hogwarts would be just past mid-year at this time though, so he felt he could wait to decide at least until September rolled around. He wasn't sure what would happen then, since he had Harry to think of, but he was happy to put the decision off for as long as possible.
As for Harry, he seemed to not mind the house arrest, although considering his previous living arrangements this most likely seemed like unimaginable freedom to him. Kyle, despite living at Hogwarts most of the year, had spent enough time at the Dursleys in his short life to understand the sentiment. They still had to go shopping but it seemed that Harry was quite willing to put that off for now as when he had been exploring the Manor he had found a wardrobe full of clothes which Kyle had shrunken down to fit him. Kyle thought that it was the mere fact that the clothes looked nice and fitted properly that had Harry so excited. Of course Kyle knew that they would have to go shopping soon but until Harry asked or complained about not going then he was happy to think about that as much as he thought about Hogwarts.
The first time Kyle had ventured out onto the grounds – this was before they had had dinner with the Longbottoms – a blur of white feathers had swooped down to attack him. He had assumed Hedwig would find her way to the Manor all on her own, and she had. Unfortunately, Gully – seeing the attack – informed him that the owl had spent the past few days in the home's Owlery, as there was no way for her to enter the house proper. Needless to say, his girl had been less than pleased at being kept from him. Kyle had been quick to tell her that he would leave his bedroom window open for her from now on. After much continued begging and petting on his part she finally relented, giving him an affectionate cuff about the ears and hooting as if to say 'never do that again'.
He had then of course, to explain their situation to his feathered companion. By the way she cocked her head to the side he knew that she was confused but understood nonetheless. Still, even with warning, her reaction upon being introduced to Harry was most amusing. She had stared between each of them with eyes wide – even for an owl – before squawking and falling from her perch on his shoulder. Kyle had held in his laughter as much as he could, not wanting to upset her so soon after her accepting his apology. For Harry's part, he was simply bewildered by the whole affair. As soon as Hedwig had regained her owlish composure Kyle had sent her on her way with his missive to the Longbottoms.
Over the rest of the past weeks Kyle had come to be infinitely appreciative of the House-Elf family that served at the Manor. As usual he had given very little consideration to his plan that Sunday morning when he had taken Harry from the Dursleys. Impulsiveness thy name is Kyle Potter would be an apt way to put it. He hadn't stopped to think whether he would be able to take care of a young child. Fortunately the Elves were there to help – especially Libby who seemed to have adopted them both as two of her own. She kept them healthy and well fed, and was quick to point out important things to Kyle – such as the fact that little boys needed bed times.
The two boys spent most of the first few weeks – as the elder had expected – exploring their new home and acquainting themselves with its layout. Harry in particular, having not had time at Hogwarts to grow used to them, found the secret passageways to be fantastic fun. He had taken to hiding in various places about the house where Kyle was expected to be and jumping out surprising him. Despite the fact that the pastime had long ago begun to annoy him, Kyle hadn't had the heart to rebuke the little boy for it.
Harry's behaviour had varied widely. At times he would be overly quiet, unassuming and painfully shy, as the Dursleys had trained him to be. At other times his behaviour would change radically and he acted like a happy little boy with a habit of playing tricks. With the coaxing of Kyle and the Manor's family of House-Elves however, the fun side was breaking through more and more often. Sometimes Harry could even be a bit of a brat, but he was careful not to do anything to have him reverting to the way he had been expected to be at the Dursleys.
Lately when Harry started to misbehave his actions had begun to become increasingly dangerous and reckless. One morning Kyle had watched in horror as Harry had jumped onto the banister at the top of the stairs with the obvious intention to slide all the way down to the bottom. Unfortunately Harry only managed to keep his balance until halfway down the banister and then, with Kyle watching in stunned silence unable to force himself to move, Harry had toppled over the side and down onto the floor. Luckily apart from being shaken up and some bruises Harry was fine and did not need medical attention.
Harry had obviously gotten over his scare quicker than Kyle had expected because only a few days later Harry was laughing and screaming, playing around the Manor just as before, performing all sorts of semi-dangerous tricks which had Kyle in an almost constant state of near heart attack. He had also taken a fanatical liking to the word 'no' and delighted in stubbornly refusing to do anything his brother told him to do.
It was driving the elder boy insane but he still didn't want to do anything to discourage his charge's confident behaviour so he let him get away with it. Libby could be seen throwing him disapproving looks whenever such situations occurred but Kyle really didn't know what else to do.
In the end Kyle had confided in Alice one Saturday evening after dinner. The two boys had gone up to Neville's room to play and Frank had been called into the office so it was only Kyle and Alice having tea in the living room.
Alice had proved to be a very good listener and had merely remained silent as Kyle told her about Harry's drastic change in behaviour. He told her first how Harry was expected to behave at the Dursley's – skimming over the reasons why as he was not got to betray his little brother's trust and tell anybody that Harry hadn't told him it was okay to tell. Kyle was sure that Alice had her suspicions regardless but he was relieved when Alice didn't ask for a more thorough explanation.
He then contrasted Harry's behaviour to what it was before and what it was now and Alice gave a little smile when she heard that her Godson had made a new friend with the word 'no.'
"And how have you been dealing with that?" She'd asked.
"Well, I haven't really." Kyle sighed. "I just don't want him to take it the wrong way and revert back to how he was at the Dursleys."
Alice had given and understanding 'ahh' sound and put down her teacup, leaning back comfortably in her chair and looking him in the eye. "I'm going to tell you a story dear. During the war I was an Auror but after seeing what happened to your father and step-mother… well I just didn't want to risk the same thing happening to Neville as what had happened to your brother. I didn't want to risk him becoming an orphan. The thought of that alone was just too much to bear so I immediately quit and focussed on becoming a Healer instead.
"Now as time passed I admit I was not as firm with Neville as I perhaps should have been. Frank was gone all hours of the day and barely ever home and I was gone just as long training. It was such a hectic time back then, there were so few Healers and so many patients that they decided to speed up the training programme which led to longer hours. Because both myself and Frank weren't around as much as we should have been I just couldn't bear being too hard on Neville. He was practically growing up without his parents. Unfortunately, and this is the important part dear, that really was not the best course of action. You may notice that my son is a little…" she searched for the word.
"Overly confident," Kyle supplied diplomatically and she snorted.
"Oh, don't be silly. I may be his mother and I do love him, but I'm not blind. I was trying to decide between 'arrogant' and 'full of himself'," she just laughed at his shocked look, "Don't be so surprised, I'm not one to let fondness for a person cloud my judgment. Besides, he's a good boy for all that he thinks far too much of himself.
"Anyway, when he was younger I let that boy get away with anything, not having the heart to tell him off. That's the main reason he's like he is. Eventually his gran took me aside and she said to me, 'Alice, if you don't take that boy in hand then I'm going to', or something to that effect. She gave me a long talk and explained that just because he didn't have myself and his father full-time was no excuse to let him run wild," Alice leaned forward and gave Kyle a serious look, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I think so. You're saying that I should be firmer with him and not use the Dursleys as an excuse to let him do whatever he wants."
She nodded, "Exactly dear. Now I can tell those Muggles were worse than you're letting on. Partly because as I've said before, you make a terrible liar, and partly because I can read your emotions when you talk about them. The change you describe in young Harry is a little extreme and I think part of it may be him testing his boundaries. He's trying to learn what is acceptable for him in his new home, so you need to make sure you let him know when he crosses a line."
Kyle nodded, taking the advice in. He looked up at Alice and gave her a grateful look. "Thank you."
The next week passed, Kyle implementing the measures Alice had suggested to him with pleasing results. The first time he had scolded the boy – for refusing to eat his greens – Harry had shocked him by bursting into tears.
"Hey, now. Hush," he had soothed, taking the boy into his arms, "Come on, tell me what's wrong.
"Y-you hate me," the boy had sobbed, "I'm g-going to have t-to go live with the Dur-Dursleys again, aren't I?"
The mere idea of Harry living with the Dursleys again had Kyle fuming. He wasn't sure when he had become so protective of the boy but the fact was he had. In Kyle's mind Harry was his brother, his to protect and take care of and nobody was going to come between that. So tightening his arms around Harry, Kyle had assured him that he would most certainly not be sending him back to the Dursleys, that he didn't hate him and would probably never be able to and that he loved him. Those three magic little words had quieted Harry's sobs immediately and he'd stared up at his big brother with wide, hopeful eyes. The sight nearly broke Kyle's heart.
"Y-you love me?" Harry had asked in a shocked tone. He had obviously never heard the words directed at him before.
"Of course I do," Kyle had assured him, "I'm your big brother. I'm always going to love you, even if you do annoy me sometimes. And don't worry too much about annoying me, that's what little brothers are supposed to do from time to time."
At that Harry's face had broken into a wide grin and he had whispered back a shy "I love you too" and the earlier scolding was forgotten.
The second time Kyle had to take his brother to task was when he had found him dragging his mattress from his room in order to slide down the stairs on top of it. Harry hadn't cried that time although his eyes had become wet and his lower lip trembled. Kyle had strengthened himself against the boy's tears and explained to him gently yet firmly that he loved him, but such behaviour was unacceptable. He had warned him that next time he misbehaved, he would be sent to his room.
The third time he had to rebuke Harry; he had been running in the house and knocked over a vase. He had led the boy – who had been too shocked to argue – directly to him room for him to stay there for an hour. He hadn't locked the door though as he felt that if he had he would be behaving just like the Dursleys had. When the time was up, a much repentant little boy had emerged from the room and apologised for his behaviour.
Since then, Harry's behaviour had been much more restrained. He was quieter, but fortunately not in the manner the Dursleys had enforced. Instead he seemed to settle into a mostly calm temperament that seemed much more natural in him. There were a few incidents where Kyle had to punish him but far fewer than expected. All in all, life had been much calmer.
As the next Sunday rolled around, the Potter's were once again invited to lunch at Longbottom Manor. They Flooed out at precisely twelve o'clock and were led by Denny to the sitting room once again whilst he went to fetch their hosts.
Kyle had been pleased to see that Neville and Harry both seemed quite happy to see each other. Both had raced off to play together after they had all had lunch and Kyle and Alice – Frank was working again – both found themselves relaxing over tea as they had the last time, discussing what had happened since they had seen each other last.
"I took your advice about Harry's behaviour."
"Oh, how did it go?"
"Brilliantly." Kyle's grin seemed to be infectious as Alice began to smile with him. Kyle went on to explain in more detail. At the end Alice seemed quite pleased.
"Well I'm glad it worked out for you."
"I'd bet that I'm even gladder, being that I have to live with him." Kyle laughed. The discussion tapered off into a comfortable silence before eventually continuing and settling on the topic of Neville's nanny.
"Nanny Adella is a lovely woman but she really is getting on a bit." Alice began refilling her cup with tea. "She's just recently given me notice that she will be retiring soon. She has promised to stay on long enough for me to find a replacement though."
"I'm sure there must be plenty of people willing to baby-sit him while you and Frank work. Although, I suppose it would be difficult finding someone you can trust. I know I would never leave Harry with just anyone."
"Look at you; sounding all parental," Alice cooed and Kyle flushed in embarrassment. "Yes, there is the trust issue. You also have to be sure they're qualified."
"Qualified?"
"Why, for the lessons." Kyle stared at her blankly and a thought seemed occur to her.
"Harry is getting lessons isn't he?"
"Lessons?" Kyle questioned, shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, well this just won't do. Every young witch and wizard need lessons, otherwise they'd turn up at Hogwarts barely able to read or write."
"Merlin, you're right! I can't believe I never thought of that," Kyle groaned. How could he be stupid? He had been concerned about his own education but hadn't even spared a thought towards his brothers? Kyle was disgusted with himself. Apparently it showed on his face for Alice began to speak again.
"Oh, don't you worry. You can't be expected to know all this from the start. After all," she gave a cheeky grin, "That's what I'm here for isn't it?"
Kyle snorted, "I suppose you'll just have to be, won't you," he said dryly.
Alice smiled softly and stirred her tea before looking up sharply at Kyle. Her smile had intensified by a thousand watts. "Oh, I've just had a marvellous idea." She said, clapping her hands like a little schoolgirl. "Why don't we find someone to teach both our boys? They could look after Neville for me but Harry could come over every day for lessons. Of course, I'll have to talk to Frank but I have no doubt that he would agree."
"That actually sounds like a good idea," Kyle agreed after contemplating the idea, "It'll be good for Harry to have regular contact with someone besides just me and the House-Elves and it'll benefit both boys having somebody their own age to talk to. Not to mention already having a friend when they go to Hogwarts."
"Brilliant. We need only find someone then. I have a few contacts…" As the woman pondered who she knew that might be interested in the job, Kyle's mind had another thought. He already knew the perfect person for the job. The man would probably be eager for employment and Kyle knew from experience he made a great teacher. Not to mention the man in question would love to be able to see Harry.
"Remus," he unknowingly murmured aloud, interrupting Alice.
"Remus Lupin?" she asked confused, surprising him.
"Did I say that out loud?" he winced.
"Yes, you did. How do you know Remus?"
"He was a friend of my dad," he stumbled, "I've read about him in Dad's journals. They were in the main vault. Dad wrote that Remus had always wanted to teach when he left Hogwarts. And there's the fact that he was in Dad's and Lily's will." It felt strange to call his former mother by her first name. "Remus was listed as third preference as guardian for Harry."
While Alice thought through the response he'd given, Kyle took the chance to strengthen his Occlumency walls. Hopefully that might help block Alice's Emphatic abilities. While Kyle had been telling the truth it wasn't the whole truth and he was afraid that Alice might pick up on that and ask awkward questions that Kyle would just rather avoid, unfortunately Kyle hadn't practiced Occlumency in ages and it was only now he realised how feeble the walls were getting and how cluttered his mindscape was. That was something that must be remedied that night.
"So, what made you mention Remus's name?" Alice's question snapped Kyle out of mindscape and he returned to reality.
"Oh, right," Kyle said scratching the back of his head. What had made him think of Remus? "Well like I said; he was mentioned in Dad's journals and due to the fact that he was listed as a potential guardian for Harry that means that he is most likely trustworthy. The only thing I'd be wary of would be is he qualified to teach but as Dad wrote that he wanted to become a teacher then I'm sure he would be. And if he's already employed well I'm sure that spending time with his best friends' son might entice him away."
Alice looked thoughtful but was nodding her head. A hesitant expression then came across her face. "I like the idea. But, you should probably know that Remus has – health issues that may stop him from working at times."
Kyle smiled. If that was the only worry that Alice had then this could probably work. "That only occurs once a month. He's safe at all other times."
Alice's gaze became sharp and Kyle could almost see her going for her wand. "How do you know about that?"
Kyle didn't lose his smile, in fact it intensified. It had been so long since he had met somebody who didn't judge people so stereotypically. It was refreshing. It was almost as if he was talking to Hermione – no, he couldn't think about her right now. If he did he was sure that he would break down. Quickly pushing the thought away Kyle answered Alice. "Journals."
"Okay, so you know about Remus's 'furry problem'." Alice was still hesitant.
"Yeah, I do. And it really doesn't bother me."
She gave him a brilliant smile at that. "Wonderful. You didn't strike me as the prejudiced sort, but one can never be too sure with these sorts of things. Well as you haven't met him before myself and Frank will write the letter – Frank will have no problem with this either, dear – and we'll let him know about the offer that we need a nanny and that Harry and Neville both need lessons. Oh, and I'll mention Harry as an old friends son to make sure that he knows who I'm talking about."
Kyle was more than happy that Alice was going to write the letter. He had no idea what to say to the man; after all what could you say to the man whose death you had caused by – no! He was not going to go there. Not now. Later he would, but only when he was alone.
"Goodness, I haven't seen him for years." Alice was rambling. "He disappeared off the face of the Wizarding world shortly after James, Lily and Sirius died and that whole mess with Pettigrew," she stopped, thinking he might not understand what he was talking about.
"I know all about that. Or at least everything the Daily Prophet published about it." He'd also told Harry about it as well. After he had told him about the whole Voldemort situation of course. Kyle didn't want to risk the chance of Harry finding out some other way that one of his father's best friends had betrayed them to Voldemort like he had. Of course, Fudge, McGonagall, Hagrid and Rosmerta hadn't known that he was there and they had been discussing Sirius instead of Pettigrew but still, it had been a hard way for Kyle to discover that his father's friend had practically signed the Potter's death sentence.
"Right, well. I can't be certain he'll be willing to come back." Once again Alice's voice brought Kyle back to the present. He really needed to sort his mind soon, he'd been reminiscing far too much lately.
"Not even for Harry?" he asked.
"Well personally, I think he might never have left in the first place if he could have had contact with Harry. But as it was I'm sure Dumbledore would have stopped any attempts he made to do so. I know he did the same to me. Still, I think the fact that James and Lily's boy will be one of his students will clinch it for us."
"I hope so." After that first dinner with the Longbottoms Kyle had asked if it had been Dumbledore who'd put the secrecy spell on them as they obviously couldn't say. It would have been rather idiotic to place a secrecy spell on somebody without placing another one on them which stopped them from saying who put one on them in the first place and that they had one placed upon them illegally as well. And Kyle had to admit, if there was one thing that Dumbledore wasn't it was idiotic. Kyle wouldn't be surprised if he'd spelled Remus as well as Remus would surely have known about the will.
"We'll have to decide on a rate of pay and such and let him know first. That can be done later however. On the subject of money, I've a more important question. You do have some don't you?" Alice asked.
"Er, yes. I inherited the Potter vault and all," Kyle answered, rather nonplussed by the question. In fact Kyle rather liked the way that Alice didn't beat around the bush and was quite direct without being rude or condescending.
"Then why dear, do the both of you boys insist on wearing those awful out of date clothes? They are at least a century out of style – well Harry's are at least, yours aren't too bad." She demanded to know, an eyebrow raised in question.
Completely thrown, Kyle blinked in confusion, looking down at the 'awful out of date clothes' to which she referred. It was a valid question. Kyle hadn't had new clothes in about two years, his old guardians – the aunt and uncle who had held no love for him or he for them – had bought him clothes only when he needed them and had simply made them bigger with magic as he began to grow out of them. Kyle Potter had never been very sporty he had preferred books over a broom – not that he couldn't fly – but going through his memories Kyle found that he'd been more like the Hermione of the other dimension rather than the Harry Potter of the other dimension. Therefore because he didn't really play sports Kyle didn't really ruin his clothes and that along with magic made sure that they lasted him a long time – hence the outdated look. Well outdated according to Alice.
Harry's clothes on the other hand were a little outdated but Kyle hadn't gone shopping as Harry had never complained and he had seemed to like the clothes. Well that and the fact that Kyle just wanted to avoid the Wizarding World completely. But still, it wasn't fair to Harry to not have him dressed properly and Harry was Kyle's first priority not the Wizarding World. It was his responsibility to look after his little brother, to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing. And now that he thought about it, these old fashioned clothes that Harry was wearing were not nearly adequate enough for his brother. Resolute in his decision, Kyle looked up at Alice's still questioning face.
"You know, you're absolutely right. I never really thought about it before but now that I have – well, I'll have to take the both of us shopping as soon as possible. "
"Good," she nodded in approval, "What say we go now?"
"Now?" Kyle blinked. That was sudden.
"Why not? There's plenty of the day left. We can Floo to Diagon Alley. Has Harry been before?"
"No, not yet. I've been trying to avoid letting people know about me and that Harry was back in the Wizarding World with me as his guardian for as long as possible. It's not really a situation that I want to deal with to be honest."
"You'll have to deal with it sometime, Kyle." Alice smiled at him. "And besides, going to the Alley will be a treat for Harry. We'll cover up his scar and if anything does happen – well Frank is on duty and I can send him a Patronus if we need him. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great." Kyle said putting his cup down and standing up. "I just have to Floo back to the Manor and fetch my Gringotts key. Is it alright to leave Harry with you whilst I – "
"Don't be silly dear," Alice cut him off and waved a hand dismissively, "It's no trouble at all. Denny!"
'Pop'
"Yes, Mistress Alice?"
"Denny, would you show Kyle to the nearest fireplace so he can use the Floo?"
"Of course Mistress."
When Kyle Flooed back to Longbottom Manor some ten minutes later, the three were waiting there in the entrance hall for him. Harry immediately hurried over to him, a dark green brimless cap topped with a golden tassel covering his head and scar.
"Is it true?" he asked eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Are we really going to a magical shopping place and am I really getting brand new clothes, just for me?"
"Sure are," he nodded with a grin, "I promised you I'd get you some didn't I? And I'll be getting some clothes for myself too. Aunty Alice thinks that they're too old fashioned. "
"Wow," the boy breathed, as though unable to believe his luck.
"We should probably use an alias for Harry," Alice suggested and he immediately agreed.
"What's an alias?" Neville asked.
"It's a pretend name," Harry told his friend.
"Like a spy?" the boy asked, clearly liking the idea, "Wicked! What shall we call you? I know, how about Bartholomew or Fido or Dummy," he snickered.
"No way," Harry's little nose scrunched up, "I want something good like… I know, Bob!"
Kyle and Alice shared an amused glance at the incongruent name but Harry seemed so pleased with himself that they nodded all the same.
The four of them Flooed to Diagon Alley. Alice went first with Neville and Kyle took Harry directly after. The two of them only just managed to stay upright, Alice having to step forward and steady them. As Kyle sent a quick Scourgify at the both of them, his charge stared about in curiosity.
"Huh, wizards really do wear dresses," he said quietly but Kyle overheard and sent the boy an amused questioning look.
"Dresses?"
"I asked Neville when we first met why he was wearing a dress. He got mad and said it was a robe and lots of wizards wear them," he gave a sheepish look; "I didn't believe him till just now."
Before he could comment Neville came forward and grabbed Harry's hand, dragging him towards the back door.
"Come on Ha- er, Bob. Let's go. I want to see the broomsticks."
"Wait for us you two," Alice called as the both of them hurried to keep up.
After reaching the boys in the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron they both told their charges off and made them promise not to run off ahead again. Then, Kyle tapped his wand in the appropriate pattern on the brick wall and it slid away. All three of them watched Harry's face, wanting to see his reaction. They were all quite amused to see his eyes bulge and his jaw fall open.
"Cool, huh?" Kyle asked, snapping him from his daze.
"Yeah, this is brilliant."
They all made their way down the street, headed towards Gringotts. Neville appeared unimpressed and Kyle could see Harry was trying to look the same. The slight widening of his eyes and the way his gaze darted about gave him away however.
They finally reached the bank and ascended the stairs. Harry started upon seeing the goblins and looked to Kyle for reassurance.
"Goblins," he explained, "Just remember to be polite." Harry nodded hastily.
Harry had a ball on the cart ride, whooping along with Neville. The goblin in their cart did not seem annoyed at the behaviour as Kyle had expected. Rather, he seemed to enjoy having customers who so appreciated the trip. The young Potter boy's jaw had once again hit the floor when the vaults had been opened, shocked at the amount of gold.
Kyle was somewhat disappointed not to have seen Jarnack anywhere about. Then again, Rockwell had said he was only working the tellers that day to make up numbers however, so he should have expected it. Soon enough though, they left Gringotts, moneybags filled.
Their first stop was Madam Malkin's, although Alice did have to practically drag all three boys – drooling – away from the Quidditch store – even Harry, who had only the vaguest idea what a broomstick could do. As they entered the clothes shop, the bell tinkled and a squat witch came out from the back of the store to greet them.
"Good afternoon, I'm Madam Malkin- oh, Alice! Good to see you again. How have you and young Neville been?"
"Hilda, good to see you too," she gave the woman a hug, "We've both been great."
"That's good. So what can I do for you all?"
"These are friends of ours; Kyle and his little brother Bob. As you can see, they're both desperately in need of a completely new wardrobe."
"Well they've come to the right place then," she replied, sending their current outfits a distasteful look. Honestly, Kyle didn't think that the clothes were that old fashioned. "Follow me to the back and we'll get you both measured up."
The four followed the woman to the back of the store where the Potters were directed to stand on stools. Madam Malkin seemed to be running the store alone today since she measured first one then the other herself, rather than calling for an assistant. After both had been measured she waved her wand, causing a number of items of clothing to zip from their hangings about the store and deposit themselves in two piles before her customers.
"The pile on the left should all be in your size sir," she told Kyle, tucking her wand away, "And the pile on the right will all fit you young Bob."
Harry, who had stared wide-eyed at the display of magic, turned to his brother with eager eyes.
"Well, what are you waiting for," Kyle said with a smile, "Try them on and pick out the ones you like."
"Really, I get to choose?"
"Absolutely," he gave a nod, "But I do reserve the right to add a few outfits if you do not have them as part of your 'yes' pile. Okay?""
The boy gave a huge grin and dived into the pile of clothes. The elder Potter then did the same, though at a much more sedate pace. Seeing his young charge being directed to a curtained off changing area with an armful of clothes, he picked out a few outfits to try on himself and got Madam Malkin to show him somewhere to change also.
Over the next half hour he tried on a number of outfits, some going to a 'no pile' and others to a 'buy pile'. As he tried on the last outfit and deemed it a 'no' he looked over the items he had decided to buy.
He had selected a number of both casual and open robes in mostly greens, blacks, blues and greys. There were also several shirts in the same colours as well as white and brown. Some of them were button-down and the rest were a belted tunic style that was popular in the Wizarding world with both long and short sleeves. Lastly, for pants, he selected a few in darker colours as well as two pairs of Muggle jeans that had somehow found their way into the shop.
Satisfied with his choices he made his way over to where Alice was sitting with the store owner. Both looked up as he sat down also.
"Aunt Alice, Madam Malkin," he greeted them politely.
"All done then dear?"
"Yes. The pile on that table is the ones I'm buying," he indicated and both women nodded, "Where's Neville gone off to then?"
"Oh, he's helping Bob out I think," Alice said before a laugh was heard from the changing area, "That would be him."
"I was wondering what all the laughing was earlier. What's it all about?"
The two women shared an amused look and Madam Malkin even gave a short giggle.
"He's just enjoying helping your younger brother out I think," Hilda told with a smirk. What that smirk was supposed to mean Kyle had no idea but he was a bit unnerved by it.
"You really ought to have thought a bit more carefully before you promised him he could choose whatever outfits he liked," Alice said with a smirk.
Before Kyle had a chance to ask just what was mean by that comment, the two boys emerged from the changing area, each carrying an armful of clothes. Strangely, there seemed to be only bright, eye-catching outfits in Harry's arms and sedate or conservative outfits being carried by Neville. An inkling of the reason for the laughter entered his mind and was confirmed as the Longbottom boy dumped his pile whilst Harry brought his over to Kyle, grinning widely.
"I'm done."
He gaped for a moment at the clothes, a black and yellow checked pair of pantaloons catching his eye. At the sound of muffled laughter from the others he couldn't help himself and broke into snickers, setting the others off. After a time, the bewildered look on his younger self's face helped him to get control of himself once again.
"I don't get it," Harry asked, forehead wrinkled in confusion, "Why does everyone keep laughing?"
"Er- never mind that. Just, umm- are you sure those are the ones you want?"
"Aunty Alice asked the same thing," he gave an annoyed sigh, "And yes, I am sure."
Kyle nodded, biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing. He should have expected such a thing. Harry was still a child after all and followed the logic of one. His thoughts upon being able to choose a wardrobe for himself – for the first time ever – were probably to get as far away from Dudley's hand-me-downs as possible. That meant bright colours instead of the faded ones and outrageous styles to counter the 'normal' ones. He was also unsurprised to find a number of items were quite form-fitting, very much unlike the clothes he usually swum in.
"Alright then," he gave Harry a supportive grin, "I think you've made some good choices. Let's go pay for them all, shall we."
Ignoring the perplexed and amused looks at his 'good choices' comment, he scooped up his own clothes and led Harry to the front of the shop, depositing both piles on the counter. The others followed, Madam Malkin bustling after them and immediately ringing up their purchases. Once the price was given and he had paid for their new wardrobes he picked out an outfit to wear for the rest of their trip and suggested Harry do the same. The other three waited in the front room of the shop whilst they got changed.
He emerged from the back of the shop wearing black trousers and a cream coloured button-down shirt with an open dark blue robe over the top. Alice looked him over once and nodded in approval of his choices. Then the four of them waited expectantly for Harry to return.
When the boy finally joined them, they all had to muffle their laughter. Neville however, didn't succeed for very long and was soon rolling on the ground. Harry threw his friend a strange look.
"What's wrong with him?" he muttered to himself.
Harry had chosen to wear the black and yellow checked pantaloons, topped with a skin tight singlet in fluoro pink. Each was bad enough on their own; together however, they clashed horribly. Harry seemed completely oblivious to this fact however and none of them had the heart to tell him. Instead they all nodded as though they thought his outfit very snappy.
"A lovely fit," said Madam Malkin.
"A wonderfully unique style," Alice said with a hiccup.
"Very colourful," Kyle managed to say straight faced.
"Yeah, it's good mate," Neville said, before falling to the ground again in laughter.
Harry grinned at the seemingly praising words then shot his friend rolling on the ground a worried.
"Are you alright, Nev?"
"Y-yeah," the boy gathered himself, giving only a few brief chuckles, "I'm fine."
"Well, we're done here then," Alice announced, taking control of the situation, "Next I say we should get you two some new shoes and perhaps some new glasses."
Kyle nodded and took Harry's hand, leading him out of the store – he'd had a quiet word with Madam Malkin requesting a more conservative wardrobe for Harry to be posted to the Manor whilst they had been waiting for Harry to finish changing – after Alice, who was leading Neville. They all waved goodbye to Madam Malkin, before exiting the shop, the bell tinkling behind them.
As they headed down the Alley searching for a good cobbler, a dumpy looking man nearby lost his grip on his newspaper and it went flying, forcing him to chase after it down the street. As it whipped past Harry, his arm snapped out and grabbed it mid-flight. The man caught up with them, puffing and out of breath, as his newspaper was returned to him.
"Well thank you m'boy," he said cheerfully, patting him on the head, "Thing was getting away from me before- well by Merlin!"
Kyle, who had been watching the interaction with the others, immediately went on guard as the man froze, his eyes going wide. Looking between the two, he quickly realised what was happening and cursed under his breath. It seemed that sometime during their clothes shopping Harry had taken off his hat and forgotten to put it back on. They were lucky that Madam Malkin had not noticed the famous scar through the boy's fringe. This man however, had messed Harry's hair up when patting him on the head, spotting the lightning bolt scar easily. All this occurred to him in a matter of moments and he stepped forward to act. He was not quick enough however, as the man unfroze and exclaimed aloud.
"It's Harry Potter!"
Pandemonium. That was the only word for it. People heard the shouted declaration and began rushing forward to meet the young hero. They shook his hand and patted his head, as they introduced themselves, wanting to say they had met the famous Boy-Who-Lived.
Kyle watched all this in worry, trying to get to Harry through the crowd. The boy's expression had quickly gone from confusion to worry to panic at the reactions of the witches and wizards surrounding him. Kyle was vaguely aware of Alice and Neville behind him, also trying to get to Harry in order to help. As two witches jostled each other to get to their hero first, Harry was knocked roughly to the ground. As soon as he saw the tears beginning to fall from his boy's wide green eyes, Kyle saw red. That was his little brother that the crowd were happy upsetting. His little brother.
"Sonorous. ENOUGH!" his voice boomed, causing people to halt in confusion, "MOVE AWAY FROM THE BOY!" Kyle waded determinedly through the crowd, throwing Stupefy and Petrificus Totalus curses at anyone who didn't move out of his path fast enough. The mob soon got the idea though, and parted to let him through. As he finally reached Harry's side, the boy saw him and with a cry of "Kyle" threw himself into his big brothers arms, sobbing with leftover fright. The crowd, finally seeing the boy's condition, shifted awkwardly, sending one another guiltily looks.
"YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOUR BEHAVIOUR!" he yelled, the charm still on his voice, "MOBBING A LITTLE BOY LIKE THAT! THE TWO OF US WILL BE LEAVING NOW AND DON'T ANYONE DARE TRY TO STOP ME!"
"And who do you think you are to decide that we cannot speak to our hero?" Said a squat, toad-like woman Kyle knew all too well. "The Minister has wanted to meet with the boy and I shall take him along to meet him now."
Kyle glared dangerously to the woman standing in front of him. Harry was shaking in his arms, face buried into Kyle's neck arms and legs clinging to him in fright. "Who do you think you are to demand this boy go anywhere with you?" Kyle snarled viciously.
The woman's smile widened more if possible. "I am Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and that boy will be coming with me to meet with him. Who do you think you are to deny the Minister this?"
Kyle was about to reply and tell Delores Umbridge just exactly who she was dealing with but before he could he was interrupted by the sight of six people wearing red cloaks walking through the crowd toward them. Leading the Aurors was Frank Longbottom. Kyle was seriously relieved to see the man, he would have feared for Umbridge's health if Frank hadn't appeared when he did. "Everything alright, Lord Potter."
That of course started the whisperings up again but Kyle was glad that it was said. Frank had just given him a chance to publically lay claim to his little brother and show that there was nothing that anybody could do to revoke custody. "Why yes, Auror Longbottom." Kyle said when the whisperings quieted. Harry seemed to have calmed down a bit so Kyle set him down on the ground again – Kyle would prefer to be able to shield Harry with his body if things got nasty enough to require throwing spells – but he kept a tight hold of his hand. "I'm just preventing an attempted kidnapping on my brother that, according to this witch here – " Kyle nodded towards the now fuming Umbridge " – was sanctioned by the Minister of Magic himself!"
"How dare you accuse the Minister of such actions!" Screeched Umbridge, incensed. "Aurors! Arrest him!"
Frank turned his gaze on the still fuming Umbridge. If it wasn't for the fact that Harry was terrified Kyle would have really enjoyed this. "You want me to arrest him Madame Umbridge?" Frank asked. "On what grounds?"
"Slandering our dear Minister!" Umbridge's eyes began to gleam manically. She rather reminded Kyle of Bellatrix Lestrange. "You heard what he said!"
Frank nodded his head almost imperceptibly and two Aurors that Kyle recognised as Shaklebolt and Dawlish moved silently towards Umbridge.
"Yes," said Frank. "I did hear what was said." Kyle felt Harry stiffen beside him and he gripped the boy's hand tighter in response, trying to convey silently that everything would be alright. "Lord Potter. Do you wish to press charges against Madame Umbridge and the Minister for a kidnapping attempt on your younger brother, Harry Potter?"
Ignoring Umbridge's shrieking Kyle nodded to Frank and answered with an affirmative. The two Aurors, Shaklebolt and Dawlish, both grabbed one of Umbridge's arms and Portkeyed her away, presumably to the ministry holding cells.
"Thank you Auror Longbottom but if you don't have any further questions I would rather take my brother home. It's not every day that an eight year old boy can expect to be mobbed on the street because he has gone shopping." The mobbers in question once again bowed their heads in shame.
"May I offer you an escort home, Lord Potter?" Frank asked professionally. "It might persuade people from trying this again."
Kyle nodded and then looked down to see how Harry was coping. The boy was still terrified at the amount of people staring at him and was clinging both to Kyle's hand and his leg, trying to hide himself from view. Kyle bent down and opened his arms to pick Harry up. Harry didn't wait a second before clinging to the safety his brother offered him again. Without another word Kyle and Frank made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron which was the nearest available Floo.
Kyle ignored the curious looks he received and when he reached the fireplace he threw a pinch of Floo Powder into the flames.
"Longbottom Manor," he stated, quietly enough so only Frank would be able to overhear and they were whisked away.
They appeared in a swirl of flames and – being that Kyle's concentration was not at its best – proceeded to tumble to the ground. Fortunately, he managed to twist as he fell so the younger boy landed safely atop him. As they climbed back to their feet and stepped away from the hearth, Denny popped into the room to greet them. As soon as the elf saw they were alone and that Harry was obviously upset, he squeaked in worry.
"Oh dears, is youse alright? How can Denny help? Where is the Mistress and Master? Is they well?"
"Denny," Kyle quickly cut him off, "We'll be fine, we just had an incident while we were out. Alice and Neville are fine. I'd imagine they'll catch up soo-"
Before he could finish the fire flared green once again and the Longbottoms emerged from the flames. Not a second later Frank emerged from the fireplace as well. Upon seeing Harry's still teary face, Alice set Neville down and took the boy into her arms. Kyle smiled softly at her fussing, reminded of the motherly hugs he used to receive from Mrs Weasley. He was glad Harry would have someone to fill that role although he was a little saddened that he no longer did.
"And Kyle!" she exclaimed suddenly, giving him a one-armed hug also, "Are you alright too? I could tell you were quite worried…"
Or maybe he did, he thought, as she continued to fuss over the both of them. He gave a small smile and reassured her that he was fine but she continued to fret. At a snort he looked over to see Neville rolling her eyes in her mother's direction before noticing he had Kyle's attention.
"She gets like this sometimes," he stage whispered, "You just have to let her fuss and get it out of her system."
"Neville!" she said in a scolding tone, although she did release the elder Potter from her grasp, "Well, why don't we go to the sitting room and have a little talk?"
Even though she sounded very in control of the situation she did throw Kyle a questioning look. He appreciated that she was deferring to him where it came to Harry. He was after all the boy's guardian. He gave her a nod. Yes, they really did need to have a talk. He had told Harry of his fame but this was the first time that the boy had experienced it and it had obviously terrified the boy.
A hand on his shoulder stopped Kyle in his tracks. He looked up questioningly and saw Frank standing behind him. "You go on with the boy's, Alice." He said. "I just want a word with Kyle."
Alice just nodded and ushered Neville and a reluctant Harry out of the room and towards the sitting room. When they were gone Frank turned back to face Kyle but before he could speak Kyle did.
"Thank you." At Frank's questioning gaze, Kyle elaborated. "For what you did for Harry. I was about to seriously injure that woman and you arriving when you did prevented me from doing that which probably saved me from a sentence in Azkaban if the woman had as much power as her position indicated. I wouldn't be much good to Harry if I was in Azkaban so thank you."
Frank smiled and Kyle and clapped him on the back. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, son. Your little brother is lucky to have you and I think that you handled the situation excellently. I wanted to ask you though if you were alright?"
"Me? But it was Harry – " Kyle said confused. Why wouldn't he be alright?
"Yes you, Kyle." Frank said with a smile. It was the same smile that Neville had smiled when he had found out that he was top of the class in Herbology or when he had mastered a spell in the DA it was the smile that Neville had worn when he was proud. In that instant Kyle saw Frank in Neville where he had always seen Alice and in that moment Kyle felt a distinct pang of grief for the Neville that he had known. The slightly pudgy, bumbling Neville who had changed in Fifth Year. The quiet boy who had grown into a quiet but sensible man, an excellent friend.
Argh! Kyle wanted to scream! What was it with today? He just couldn't keep his thoughts in order. He really needed to practice his Occlumency tonight he decided as he forcibly pushed all thoughts of people from his world out of his head and focusing back on what Frank was saying.
"I'm not worried about Harry. I know that you will make sure that the boy is okay. I'm worried about you. You've just recently lost your guardians and then you took custody of Harry. That is a dramatic change in your life."
Not to mention the fact that I've gone back in time and travelled dimensions, Kyle thought with a mental grin.
"I've told you before that I'd be like an uncle to you if you'd let me." Frank continued. "That offer still stands. You're a good lad Kyle but you are only sixteen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm here for you if you ever need to talk or need help. Anytime. You're not alone Kyle. Alice and I – well both you and Harry are now part of the family. And if you ever just need a night off or a couple of days to yourself you can always drop Harry off here. Alice and I will keep an eye on him."
Kyle was touched. Really he was. It was nice to have somebody just ask if he was okay. He hadn't had that since, well since Ron and Hermione – and he was not going to think about that. "Thanks, Frank. Honestly, that means a lot and to answer your question… well, no, I don't think that I'm okay but I will be. And if I'm not I'll call."
Frank nodded and left it at that for which Kyle was grateful. The two then made their way to Alice and the boys were sitting having hot chocolate and cookies. Harry was sitting next to Alice but when Kyle sat down in one of the two-seaters Harry jumped off the couch and after giving her a parting hug hurried over to Kyle and curled up next to him on the sofa. Kyle wrapped his arms around Harry as Frank sat down beside his wife. Alice gave him a questioning look but Frank just shook his head.
"Why did all those people do that?" Harry finally spoke up in a small wavering voice, breaking the silence.
"Harry, I've told you that you were famous." Kyle said giving his brother a gentle squeeze. "That's why all those people acted the way they did."
"Not that that's an excuse," Alice added, "Their behaviour was completely unacceptable."
Both Kyle, Frank and Neville nodded in agreement. "Yeah they could've hurt you, all crowding around like that," the boy said.
"I know you told me but I still don't understand why I'm famous!" Harry said frustrated. "Just because Voldemort didn't kill me! I can't have been the only one to survive a Killing Curse!"
"You are, dear." Alice said gently, just as Kyle said, "You're not."
Those simple two words caused all of the other occupants in the room to stare at Kyle but Kyle ignored it, nonplussed; he had been Harry Potter in his old life and being Harry Potter meant that you were stared at constantly.
"On the morning of my sixth birthday," Kyle began after disentangling himself from his brother and beginning to pace. "Our village was attacked by Death Eaters. We lived in a Muggle village but Voldemort must have sensed our magic – mine and my mum's I mean – because he came to see us personally."
Kyle turned around to face his captive audience. Both Alice and Frank were as pale as ghosts, Neville and Harry looked confused and a little scared. Running his hands through his hair and resuming with his quest to wear a hole into the Longbottoms carpet Kyle continued with his story. "Voldemort had fun with my mother first, made me watch too." Never before had Kyle spoken of this, he still didn't want to, but Harry needed to know, Frank and Alice needed to know. "He has a special liking to the Cruciatus Curse, followed by the Killing Curse." His voice was hallow as he spoke, his eyes glassy. "Anyway, one of his Death Eaters came into the house and told Voldemort that the Aurors had arrived. As soon as he heard that Voldemort told his minions to Portkey out and he then threw the Killing Curse at Mum. Before he left though he threw another one at me, he left before it connected with me so he didn't see that I survived."
Okay, so I wanted to just leave it there as if I didn't then the chapter would be too long. Let me know what you all think! I love reviews. Sorry that I won't be able to update for a few weeks, school and summer tests are just getting a bit on top of me at the moment. Thanks for all the reviewers for the last chapter!
FanGirl93