For a while, only the sound of rushing and trickling water of the pool's tributaries was heard in the clearing. The cheery façade Ed had worn fell and, to Harry's consternation, the man's grim eyes were on him all the time. The air of the strange home was back to brooding again, and Harry felt like fleeing the place altogether. But perhaps, if he actively tried to dispel the gloom…?
Ed had something under his arm… "What's that?" Harry waved at the gleaming item, glancing briefly at the man's eyes.
A camera was soon produced. Harry eyed it uncertainly, only nearing close enough to touch when Ed beckoned him. "Dudley had something like this once. He threw it to his telly when his favourite show was cancelled for the day," he said, feeling foolish afterwards for divulging such a useless trivia.
It was the first time he talked about his life with the Dursleys after his escape, too. Why in the world did he bring it up now?
Apparently ignoring his discomfort and anecdote (mercifully so, for Harry), Ed said, "We ought to do something with your eyes if you really want to learn about taking photos."
Harry looked up with wide eyes, unable to conceal his excitement and eagerness. "Can I? May I?" Meanwhile a part of him, trained to endure disappointment and harsh ridicule, already prepared for a negative answer.
When even Ana welcomed it warmly, thus, Harry was at a loss of words. She even revealed that the twins had actually thought about proposing an eye treatment to him!
Ed sighed in complaint though, hearing the word "Hogwarts." When Harry asked, he asked back, "You want to finish your non-magical schooling, right, Harry?"
"Yes," Harry answered, more for Ana's benefit – as he also nodded to Ed. This time, he prayed that it was not a "No"-answer rhetorical question.
Well, he was not betrayed too, this time.
"Severus did something like that. We've got to ask him or Jerry about it," Ana piped in. "We ought to do something about your eyes first though. But Dila's the healer…"
That killed the conversation successfully. But this time, chill seemed to descend alongside the silence. Harry curled into a ball, shivering slightly. The same questions popped up in his mind: Where was Ardila? What had happened – was happening – to her? But this time, he must know.
He peered up first at Ana, then at Ed. Then, seeing that they were occupied with their own thoughts, he stood up and sprinted to the house. Taking a shower and changing into a fresh set of clothing, he steeled his resolve and crept to Ardila's room.
Not that he exactly knew where it was. But he was determined to at least try. There were four rooms in the house: three bedrooms and one bathroom. They were spread on four corners of the house, hugging the central room which also worked as kitchen and living areas. Now, which was Ana's and which was Ardila's?