"Try again, Harry," Gellert prompted. "It's more of a 'sh' at the end of piros."
"My favourite colour is red; kedvenc színem piros," Harry tried again. "Is that right?"
"Perfect, Kincsem¹," Gellert smiled. "Your Hungarian is coming on wonderfully."
Harry beamed up at Gellert at that. He had been living with Gellert for almost a year now and things had been brilliant ever since. Gellert said he'd received a letter from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon saying they were happy to let Harry live with Gellert and to never contact them again to make things easier, but Harry hadn't missed them for a single second.
Gellert was nice to Harry and made him laugh, and never shouted at him. He bought him presents and sweets, and was patient with him while he taught him how to read and write and learn Hungarian. Gellert was a firm teacher but gentle in tone, and he pushed Harry to do his best even when Harry didn't think he could do what was being asked of him.
Harry liked Percival as well, who spoke to Harry in English, while Gellert incorporated more and more Hungarian into conversation and everyday life as Harry progressed in his studies. Percival seemed quite shy, rarely talking to Gellert unless Gellert spoke to him first, but he was more open with Harry, talking to him about New York and his friends there.
Harry had asked him once if he missed it, and if so why didn't he go back to visit them, but Percival had simply sadly shaken his head and said he lived in Hungary with Gellert now.
"Next line," Gellert said, tapping Harry's shoulder. "My eyes are green and my father's eyes are blue. A szemem zöld, apám szeme kék."
Harry repeated the line back, and Gellert shook his hand.
"Almost, put more emphasis on the second syllable of apám," Gellert corrected. He always liked to make sure Harry had every pronunciation perfect before they moved on, whether it was in his Hungarian lessons or when he was learning to read English. It felt to Harry like he was taking too time, but Gellert said he was very pleased with Harry's progress.
"Wonderful," Gellert murmured when Harry repeated the sentence with Gellert's correction.
"What is your favourite colour, Apa?" Harry asked curiously.
"It used to be blue, bright blue," Gellert murmured wistfully. "Élénk kék, we would call that. "And then I liked dark blue; sötétkék. But now I favour green, zöld, ever since you came into my life, Kincsem. There are many colours of spells, Harry, but the shade of your eyes is uncannily similar to one spell in particular; a very powerful spell that only a gifted witch or wizard can make work."
"What does the spell do?" Harry asked, tilting his head as he studied Gellert, who was smiled down at him in amusement.
"I am not going to tell you," Gellert stated. "It is something you will discover for yourself if one day you choose to cast it, but part of me hopes you never do, angyalom². Now, back to your lesson, Harry."
Harry hummed to himself as he drew, using the blay crayon to draw his Apa. He had already drawn the small figure of himself in green, and he had a brown, taller figure of Percival finished too; he did have a yellow crayon for Pici but he wasn't very good at drawing house-elves yet.
Harry thought his drawing of his family was coming along nicely though, and would be a nice present for when Gellert came home, which was supposed to be in the next day or two according to the letters.
Gellert had gone to Belgium for work. While Harry was used to his Apa working away from home now, he still missed him when he was gone, even if he did enjoy spending time with Percival who didn't speak to Harry as much when Gellert was around.
The door creaked open and Harry glanced up, spotting Percival leaning against the doorway. He was frowning, biting down on his lip, and was staring intently at Harry.
"Have I done something wrong?" Harry asked nervously, dropping his crayon for the moment.
"No," Percival murmured quietly. "Not at all."
"Oh," Harry said, frowning quizzically but returning to his drawing.
He could feel Percival's eyes on him while he worked, but he said nothing until Harry finished his drawing and carefully placed it on the tabletop so it wouldn't get ruined. Percival came to stand over Harry, looking down at the picture, and he trailed his finger across the parchment lightly.
"It's very nice, Harry," Percival commented. "I was never one to have artistic flair."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked, scrunching his nose.
"That even at my old age, you're still a lot better at drawing than me," Percival answered, ruffling Harry's hair. He paused, swallowing heavily. "I was wondering, Harry, would you like to go to the park with me?"
Harry tilted his head as he looked up at Percival.
"Apa says you're not allowed to leave the house," Harry said. Gellert had told Harry that Percival could not leave their house for any reason because it was too dangerous for him, though he'd never said what the danger was, but he'd stressed to Harry that he should never let Percival leave unless he wanted him to get hurt.
"It won't be for long," Percival urged. "Just you and me, we can go and get some fresh air. Don't you think that would be nice? All you need to do is hold me hand through the doorway and we can go to the park."
"Apa will get angry at me," Harry frowned. "I don't want him to be angry at me. He said I'm never s'posed to let you leave because it's not safe for you."
"We can keep it our little secret," Percival said lowly. "Your Apa doesn't have to find out. And I can look after myself if you're there to help me keep an eye out. Let's go just for five minutes, hmm? I've been stuck inside for a very long time, Harry; you know it's not nice to be stuck somewhere, don't you?"
Harry couldn't remember much from his aunt and uncle's house now, but he did remember the cupboard under the stairs.
"I don't know," Harry murmured, glancing out the window where he could see the sun shining brightly. "What if Apa finds out?"
"I'll be very careful in making sure he doesn't," Percival promised. "Come on, Harry; we can feed the ducks, blow a boat across the lake-"
"Get yourself hurt," came a cold voice from the hallway, and despite the sternness Harry's face lit up hopefully.
"Apa!" he exclaimed, running forwards to hug his father tightly. "I've missed you."
Gellert dropped to his knees to close his arms around Harry, placing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "And I've missed you, Kincsem. I would say I hope you've been behaving yourself, but it appears that it's your caretaker I should have been concerned about."
"I didn't mean anything, Gellert. I-" Percival started, but he stopped suddenly, and when Harry looked back at him his head was hung in shame.
"Please don't be angry, Apa," Harry said, switching from English to Hungarian which he knew always put Gellert in a better mood. "Percival was just sad he can't go to the park."
"I'm not angry," Gellert answered coldly, taking the language switch in-stride. "However I would like to speak to Percival a moment. Would you excuse us, Harry?"
Gellert returned to full height and beckoned Percival forwards with a finger, gesturing for him to follow Gellert into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
Harry darted forwards, pressing his ear to the wood, but Harry could hear nothing but the faint buzzing of lingering magic. Gellert would often place spells on doors so that Harry couldn't hear, and no matter how much Harry tried to strain his hearing he could never break the spells through that alone.
Harry did feel sorry that Percival wasn't allowed outside, but he didn't want him to get hurt either. An idea popped into his head, so with a grin he returned to his parchment and crayons and set to work, managing to finish before the door finally creaked open again.
"Hello, Harry," Percival said, prompting Harry to slide off his chair and turn to face him. Gellert stood behind him with a tight grasp on Percival's shoulder. "I just wanted to apologise for putting pressure on you. I know there are risks when I leave the house and I could have made that dangerous for you as well as me, and I am very sorry for that."
"That's okay," Harry smiled, running forwards with his drawing in his hand to give Percival a quick hug. "I drew you a picture of us at the park," he said as he pulled back. "I know it's not the same thing, but maybe you can pretend it's real."
Percival made a choking sound in his throat, and he dropped to his knees to pull Harry into another hug.
"You're such a sweet boy, Harry," Percival murmured into Harry's hair. "You're more than we deserve."
Harry didn't know what that meant, but he was glad for the release when Gellert pulled Percival back; his hug had been rather tight.
"I drew you a picture too, Apa!" Harry beamed, running over to get his original drawing. "It's our family! Sorry Pici looks a bit funny."
"It's beautiful," Gellert smiled, smoothing his hand over the parchment. "I'll keep this on me, always. I got you a present too, Kincsem," he added, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the biggest bar of chocolate that Harry had ever seen, wrapped in gold and purple packaging that crinkled in Gellert's hand. "Belgium produces some of the best chocolate in the world; make sure you don't eat it all at once."
"Thank you, Apa!" Harry said, grinning widely. "Would you and Percival like some?"
And just like that, Percival's outburst was forgotten.
On Harry's seventh birthday, Harry woke up to a big pile of presents at the foot of his bed, and a stack of sweet French Bread waiting for him. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon was mouthwatering, so Harry tucked into his breakfast first, enjoying it immensely, before starting on his present unwrapping, leaving sticky fingerprints on the parchment.
His presents were mainly books, although he did get a spinning top and a set of wooden soldiers too, and he was attempting to get his spinning top to go as fast as it could go when Gellert and Percival arrived with Pici, levitating a large cake between them.
Harry grinned and clapped as they sang Happy Birthday to him, both in English and Hungarian, and he blew out all seven candles in one go.
"No cake until after lunch," Gellert said teasingly, pretending not to notice as Harry stuck his finger in the icing to steal a little bit. "Do you like your presents, Kincsem?"
"I love them," Harry beamed excitedly. "Thank you so much! Köszönöm³!"
"Well," Gellert smiled, glancing towards Percival, "I am also going to take you to Budapest today for a big present. Seven is an important number, holding a lot of magical importance, and I think that deserves to be celebrated; you've always wanted a pet, haven't you?"
Harry's mouth dropped open, and he nodded eagerly. "A pet?! I would love a pet! What can I get? Can I get a dog? A hamster?"
"We'll go to the pet shop and see what captures your eye," Gellert answered, idly conjuring a handkerchief to wipe the side of Harry's mouth which was still sticky with sugar. "And when we return Percival and Pici will have something delicious waiting for us for lunch."
"Ooooh! What are making?" Harry asked excitedly.
Percival grinned and shook his head. "It's a surprise, Harry. Now have a good time to Budapest, and bring home any animal you like as long as it's not a snake; I hate snakes," he added with a shiver for good measure.
By the time Harry was ready and they'd arrived at the wizarding district of Budapest, it was to find it heaving. The sun was shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the good weather seemed to have brought everyone out to do some shopping.
Gellert, in disguise as usual, kept a tight hold on Harry's hand as they navigated the crowds, and nobody paid them any particular attention; with Gellert's darker features, he and Harry passed as any other father and son out for a day.
As they moved further into the alley, Harry noticed a man sat on a stool with a large trunk by his side. The man had sandy brown hair and wore a shy smile on his face, and held a black creature in his lap which looked almost like a small platypus. People in the crowd would watch and smile as they passed him by, but nobody seemed to stop to talk to him.
"Apa! Apa! Can we go see that man?" Harry asked, tugging at Geller's sleeve. The man looked kind and a little bit nervous, and Harry wanted to see the strange animal he was holding.
Harry pointed and Gellert's eyes followed the movement, narrowing when they landed on the man.
"Newt Scamander is a fool who chases animals for a living," Gellert said coldly. "You don't want to waste your time with him."
"Please, Apa!" Harry begged. "It's my birthday, remember; you have to do what I want."
"I don't recall saying that," Gellert retorted, but he gave Harry a fond smile nonetheless. "Fine, go see the Niffler, Kincsem."
Harry gave the man a little wave as he approached, and got a kind smile in return.
"Hello, nem sok magyarat beszélek," the man said. "De a nevem Newt⁴."
"A nevem Harry. I speak English too," Harry smiled. "Do you speak English?"
Newt nodded. "Yes, I am from England, in fact. Hello, sir," he added to Gellert, tilting his head as he studied his disguised features. "I feel like we've met before."
"I don't think we have, although I know all about you, Mr Scamander," Gellert said, giving his suitcase a stern look. "I hope that trunk has secure locking charms on it."
"Hmm?" Newt frowned. "Ah, you must be referring to the incident in New York a few years ago. Yes, I learned my lesson after that, always keep my trunk nicely locked up now so nothing can escape."
"You have animals living in there?" Harry asked incredulously, not believing anything smaller than a mouse could live comfortably in the suitcase.
"Yes, it's enchanted to be much larger on the inside, of course," Newt answered, explaining Harry's unasked question as well. "I can show you some of my creatures, if you'd like. I was supposed to be doing a demonstration today but nobody has been interested so far, but my animals do like to show off."
"We're buying me a pet today," Harry told Newt proudly. "It's my birthday!"
"Ah, happy birthday," Newt smiled. "I remember my first pet; I was four and I found an injured kitten and nursed it back to health. My brother and parents helped, of course. Oh, this is a Niffler, by the way," Newt added, holding the creature down with one hand while he reached for his trunk with the other. "They have an eye for gold, and have a special pouch near their bellies to store it all. Hmm let's see; do you know what Runespoor is?"
Harry shook his head, eyes widening when Newt pulled a three-headed snake from his suitcase, bright orange with black stripes down its back. It was big enough that it could have its body on the floor and reach up high enough to curl around Newt's chest, resting its heads just below his.
"I hate that awful trunk," the snake head on the right grumbled.
"It is much better to have some fresh air," the head in the middle agreed.
"Runespoors are native to Burkina Faso, which is a country in West Africa," Newt explained, ignoring the snake's comments.
"If we nudge the man he might give us food," the left head said. "Do you think he has more fresh mice?"
"Runespoors actually lay their eggs through their mouths," Newt continued. "And they're considered very valuable being they're used as potion ingredients for a large amount of potions-"
"Why aren't you feeding them?" Harry cut in. "They're hungry."
Newt paused, and Harry felt Gellert stiffen behind him.
"Hungry?" Newt repeated faintly. "They're due to be fed tomorrow according to their feeding schedule; like most snakes they only need to eat once a week."
"Newt says you'll get some food tomorrow," Harry told the Runespoor, prompting all three snake heads to turn towards him intently. "A week must be a long time to wait."
"The child is a snake speaker. Hello, young human," the left head said cheerfully.
"Human youths are so weak compared to the elders," the right head complained.
"How exciting to speak to a human," the middle head hissed. "You're special, young one."
Harry smiled at the snake, only to have it fade when he realised both Newt and Gellert were staring at him with wide eyes.
"A Parselmouth!" Newt exclaimed. "How exciting! It's a gift I would love to have."
"Yes, well we must be going," Gellert said, grasping Harry's wrist. "Thank you for you time, Mr Scamander."
"Oh, okay. I-" Newt started, but Gellert pulled Harry away before he could hear the end.
Harry tried to pull his wrist free but it was to no avail, and it was only when they reached the quiet of the pet shop that Gellert let him go.
"You're a Parselmouth!" Gellert said with a proud smile. "That means you can speak with snakes, understand what they're saying and talk back with them."
"I thought all wizards could do that," Harry said with a shrug; to him it had just sounded like they were speaking English.
"It's a very rare gift, Harry, one that only a small handful on the planet are able to speak. In fact, I'd wager there are only two or three Parselmouths currently in existence," Gellert beamed. "You're special, Kincsem, so very special. Parselmouths throughout history have been known to be great witches and wizards; your future is looking exceedingly bright, Harry."
"Just for speaking to snakes?" Harry asked, eyes wide and heart hammering from his father looking down at him proudly and declaring him a great wizard-to-be.
"Not just for, but that helps," Gellert smiled. "Now, I think I know the perfect pet to get you."
"No! No way! Gellert, why would you-?! Snake?!"
Harry smiled at Percival in amusement, who had backed into the corner of the lounge as soon as he saw the animal draped around Harry's neck.
Harry had been taken by all the pets in the pet shop, but Gellert had drawn him over to the snakes and Harry liked that he was able to understand what they were saying. They all had a good sense of humour and made him laugh, and Harry wanted to take them all home but Gellert had said he was only allowed one.
In the end, Harry chose a snake that was pitch black but had vibrant blue markings that matched his eyes. It had been one of the quieter snakes who hadn't been able to get a word in amongst the chatter of the others, and Harry had felt sorry for it. When the snake finally managed to speak to Harry he revealed himself to be very calm and clever, and reminded Harry a little bit of Gellert, especially with the blue eyes, and he knew almost right away that that was the snake for him.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you," Harry said reassuringly to Percival. "The pet shop man said he was poisonous, but I've made him promise not to bite anyone in my family."
"Poisonous?" Percival repeated faintly, clutching a hand to his chest.
"Venomous, actually," Gellert corrected idly. "Remember Harry, poison must be inhaled or ingested, whereas venom is something that can be injected; in this case through the snake's fangs."
"Poisonous, venomous, does it matter?" Percival cried weakly. "How could the pet shop owner promise the snake won't bite?"
"He didn't," Harry said, furrowing his brows. "Newt told me."
Percival blinked slowly, his confusion allowing his fear to ebb away momentarily. "Newt? Who's Newt?"
"The snake," Gellert answered before Harry could. "Harry is apparently a Parselmouth."
"Newt's very nice," Harry said reassuringly to Percival. "You like Percival, don't you, Newt?" he added to the snake.
"I can sense his fear; it's delectable," Newt hissed in response. "But I won't bite him, as young master requests. I do hope you find some enemies for me to bite, Harry."
"Maybe when I'm older," Harry giggled, before switching back to English to talk to Percival. "He, er, likes you. And he's promised again he won't bite you."
"A Parselmouth," Percival murmured, hand finally falling away from his chest. "You are certainly full of surprises, Harry."
"And who better to keep a venomous snake in check than a Parselmouth?" Gellert pointed out. "Snakes are unwavering loyal to the rare few humans who can speak their language."
"I suppose that's true," Percival nodded. "But why Newt?" he asked Harry.
"I met a man today named Newt Scamander," Harry said, curious when Percival's eyes snapped to Gellert. "He was really nice, and he showed me a Niffler and a Runespoor, and he was really clever; he knew so much about them. Apa pulled me away before Newt could show me anything else, but I really liked him."
Gellert hadn't liked the name idea at all, pointing out to Harry that a newt was another kind of animal which could be confusing, but Harry thought it sounded quite funny. And Newt the snake had liked it when Harry had told him what his name was, citing that it was an honour for a snake to be named by a human.
"It's as good a name as any," Percival commented. "Just tell Newt to stay away from my room, will you?"
Harry grinned and nodded.
"Good," Percival smiled. "Now I hope you're hungry; Pici and I have made you quite the birthday feast.
With his trunk packed, and Newt safely curled up inside it, Harry gave one last look at his bedroom before closing the door.
He had his new Durmstrang uniform on already, which consisted of a jet black shirt and trousers which were worn underneath deep red robes. Harry had been excited to go to Durmstrang ever since Gellert had told him about it, but now the time was here Harry felt apprehensive about leaving Gellert and Percival behind.
The exact location of Durmstrang was unknown aside from being in Scandinavia somewhere, though Gellert suspected it was in the very north of Norway. Either way, it felt a long way from Hungary, and Harry had never left his country before—he had lived in England as a small child, but his memories of there were almost non-existant now.
"Are you ready to go?" Gellert asked in Hungarian as he strode up the hallway towards Harry's room, nodding at Harry when he saw him waiting. He waved his wand to set Harry's trunk to levitate and gestured for Harry to follow him down the stairs.
"I want you to make sure you stay focused on your lessons," Gellert said as Harry trailed sullenly behind him. "There are clubs to join and friends to make, but your priority is your education. Durmstrang has a fine course for the Dark Arts, and I want you to make the most of it; of course, if you try to do some independent study I recommend you take greater care in keeping it secret than I did."
Gellert had impressed on Harry from his youth that the Dark Arts were a type of magic that was incredibly powerful and therefore misunderstood by most. Harry vaguely knew that Gellert was using Dark magic as part of his work across Europe, trying to make things safer and better for witches and wizards, but Gellert purposefully left him in the dark most of the time. Harry trusted his father explicitly, though, and knew that he knew what he was doing.
"Can I write whenever I like?" Harry asked, stopping just in time when Gellert halted suddenly in his tracks and turned around.
"Harry, kincsem," Gellert said softly, dropping to one knee so he was at Harry's height. "You can write to me whenever you like. If you need anything, I will be there for you as soon as I can. But do not mope over me or Percival; you are going to learn great things at Durmstrang, Harry, and fixating on homesickness will hinder that opportunity."
"Yes, Apa," Harry murmured, dropping his gaze to the floor.
Gellert ruffled Harry's hair before reaching round his own neck to pull his necklace off.
"Here," Gellert said, placing the necklace around Harry's neck instead.
Harry lifted the necklace into his hands, fingers smoothing over the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. Harry knew the story off by heart now, could recite it in Hungarian, English, and Parseltongue, and knew that Gellert viewed the objects with great importance, and already had the Elder Wand in his possession. To give Harry the chain with the symbol of such significance made Harry's heart swell.
"You are my son, Harry," Gellert said, switching back to English. "I care for you deeply; care for you like I have cared for no other. You will go far in life, Harry; you will do nothing but make me proud."
Notes:
¹My treasure
²My angel
³Thank you
⁴Hello, I don't speak much Hungarian but my name is Newt