Due to the prolonged visit of the men, the twins cancelled teaching Harry more of the usual lessons. Instead, aside from the predawn run around the settlement and the routine meals, all six of them spent the time together doing various things that Harry would call fun, which ended up teaching him anyway. (Sadly, Hedwig was still absent.)
Ardila showed him how to ride a flying broom the day after the men came, during which Harry found that he was a natural at it. (Severus seemed displeased after the fact, but what could make the man pleased anyway?) On the second day, Jerry taught him how to ride a bicycle in rough terrain, while Ed showed him some photographing technics.
Harry could not be any happier. And yet something was bothering him on a subconscious level, something that was unutterable until Ardila announced the immediate arrival of George Senior and his wife on the third day of their little holiday.
In all the fun, the parents had not been there, and had never been mentioned even slightly by either the Ar's or Jerry. In fact, Jerry himself and Severus quickly excused themselves from the vicinity on hearing the news. (Jerry was not quick enough in the end, though.)
Why the distance and apprehention? Why the grim looks on the couples' faces on finding that Severus had fled and Jerry had almost successfully done so? What dark secret had been rooted in this family to have caused this? Now adoption sounded no longer appealing to Harry. Sadly, he could not flee like Severus did.
He could not concoct any excuse too when George declared "denning night" on the family, dragging him into the term by assigning him tasks such as carrying out the beds and arranging them into a big nest in the central room. Worse, his assigned place was in-between George and Harriet his wife. They were truly like denning badgers! And what did this mean? Was he a part of the family by default seeing that James Potter had been George's godson? What was the purpose of curling up together like a pack of wildlife when they could have slept in their own rooms?
But when night fell, Harry could not deny that he somehow enjoyed this new, strange experience. The knowing, grim look had left George's and Harriet's faces, and the overall atmosphere was becoming more relaxed. Jerry was curled up around a pillow on the far corner of the nest, examining Ed's camera with exaggerated attention, but at least he no longer acted stiffly and coldly around his parents. It also helped that the twins had brought out their board games and were coaxing everyone to play after the fulfilling dinner and bath they had had.
When crickets, cicadas and nightingales intensified their singing around the home, the nest gradually fell sleepy and silent. The occupants curled up around each other and against pillows, tucked into blankets and drifting gently into slumber.
Harry loved it, in fact.