Charlie and Vaggie spent a comfortable ten minutes hugging their child tightly, smiling lovingly down at him as he relaxed into their embrace. At that moment, it was as if the three of them were all that existed.
However, the moment was interrupted when their room's phone rang.
Both girls groaned in annoyance before Vaggie picked up the phone. "What's broken and who did it?" She asked bluntly, already knowing why they were being called.
Alastor could be heard chuckling on the other end of the line. "Well, considering the direction from whence the sound came, I would estimate that Baxter has been working with volatile materials once again."
"Sorry!" Baxter's voice faintly came through.
Vaggie slapped her palm against her face and groaned. "Put him on the line please, Alastor." She heard a muffled conversation on the other end of the line before Baxter's nervous voice ran through.
"Erm...Hello..."
"Baxter, what have we told you about this kind of crap?"
Charlie covered Harry's ears with a frown, not wanting her baby to hear such language.
"I'm terribly sorry. I was so certain I had it this time..." Baxter apologized.
"Don't care. Just clean it up. We don't have time for this. We have shopping to do."
"Ah yes... The new member...Well, credit where it's due, at least the mixture didn't turn to acid before it exploded this time-" At that moment, Vaggie hung up the phone with a groan and rubbed her temples. Charlie just sighed in relief at having heard that the hotel wouldn't be dealing with another batch of that acid, Satan's Snot someone had named it, again, she still shuddered every time she remembered having to have over a dozen rooms completely rebuilt.
Vaggie looked at Harry with a frown. "...We better make sure he knows to make absolute sure Harry's not anywhere nearby when he's experimenting... I do NOT want him getting caught up in the aftermath of one of those disasters waiting to happen."
Charlie nodded her head. "You're absolutely right, sweetie. But just in case... Shadow?" The serpentine shadow slithered out from Harry's body and looked at her with a tilted head. "Listen closely because this is very important, if you and Harry are ever near Baxter's room and you hear any gurgling, rumbling, bubbling, zapping, or any other -ing noises and you hear it paired with phrases such as 'Uh oh,' 'Well that's interesting,' 'That's not supposed to happen,' or 'I think I've got it this time' you grab Harry, shield him the best you can, and run." Seeing how serious she was, the shadow nodded its head in affirmation.
"We see the danger. We will be on our guard." Charlie smiled and patted the creature's head.
"You're such a good guardian." She said gently as the shadow slithered back into it's host, who was looking up at her in confusion.
"Oh! We...live with a lot of other people, sweetie. And...one of them is a mad scientist. Who...isn't exactly careful with his inventions." Charlie explained.
"Yeah, the guy made a Frankenstein monster once, and it took a LOT to get rid of that thing." She had to admit, it WAS pretty badass when the enraged Angel Dust blew the thing to bits with four flamethrowers...
Charlie groaned however. "It took SOOOO long to get the soot out of the carpets..." Vaggie chuckled before patting Harry's head.
"You'll meet everyone else soon enough." She promised.
"Yeah, but right now is cuddle time!" Harry giggled slightly as Charlie covered his tiny face in kisses. Vaggie smiled and settled for just running her fingers through his hair gently. Both women just wanted him to know that he was loved.
This went on for fifteen minutes before Vaggie rose to her feet. "We really should go get that shopping done." Charlie pouted, and Vaggie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Charles, you'll have plenty of time to use him as a teddy bear later."
Charlie sighed in a rather overdramatic fashion. "Fiiiine..." Vaggie smirked. The two got dressed up, then picked Harry up to carry him outside. They didn't run into any other employees. They assumed that they were all off cleaning Baxter's mess. They set up a limo ride, and within minutes, they were on their way into town.
"-and we can get him some footed pajamas, and some cute little slippers... Ooh! Maybe a panda costume!" Vaggie was only half listening as her lover rambled on about the various cute outfits she wanted to pick out for Harry, focusing on putting together a list of the necessities.
"Regular clothes, pajamas, toiletries, toys, snacks..." She mumbled under her breath.
Soon enough, the limo made it's stop at the biggest store in hell, Mall-Mart. An obvious ripoff of Wal-Mart from the surface world, this franchise destroyed it's competition by capitalizing on the nostalgia of Hell's populace, creating almost perfect replicas of various items from any period of time. From old fashioned clocks to the most recent video games, these stores had just about everything you could ask for. The perfect place to shop.
...Unless your girlfriend had absolutely no self control.
Vaggie raised a brow as she watched Charlie walk out the door to the clothing isle with enough bags to make a pack mule exhausted. "...Charlie..." She said in a warning tone. "You're gonna spoil him." Charlie turned to look at her with a sad smile.
"He's been through so much, Vaggie... I think he's earned the right to be just a LITTLE bit spoiled... At least for today..."
Vaggie winced slightly as she imagined what her child went through. Yeah...One day of spoiling him couldn't hurt... She looked over at Harry, looking perfectly content in her lover's arms, and smiled sadly. After all he'd been through, was it even possible for him to be spoiled rotten?
Vaggie sighed. "Just don't go TOO crazy. We still need money for the hotel." Charlie huffed.
"C'mon, honey, I'm the princess of hell! You think I can't afford it?" Vaggie raised a brow.
"Between the hotel, all the property damage and needing to pay our workers? It's not cheap. I'm not saying we can't buy those, just don't buy out the whole store." Charlie cringed. "...Charlie..."
"Heheh...Uuuuhh... The clothes will be delivered by tomorrow morning... If it...makes it any better, I paid for it with my own life savings..."
Vaggie sighed. "I swear, I'm a mother of two..." Approaching, Vaggie took Harry out of Charlie's grasp, causing her to whine. "Since this is your shopping spree, you can carry the bags and I'll carry Harry." Charlie's eyes widened.
"Vaaagiiie! That's just mean!" Charlie whined, following after her love.
Vaggie bought Harry a toothbrush and some child's toothpaste to go with it, she bought some bath supplies, such as soap, shampoo and bubble bath [Plus a couple bath toys for good measure], some medicine in case he got sick, and some little treats to reward him for good behaviour.
"Okay, Charlie, here's some more bags and she's not here, she must already be in the toy aisle." The exasperated woman groaned.
Harry looked at the bags and looked down, guilt swelling up inside him. "I'm sorry, mommy..." Vaggie blinked and looked down at him with a frown.
"Sorry? For what, little guy?"
"You and mama are spending a lot of money for me and...and..." Vaggie turned him around and held him up to eye level.
"Harry, sweetie...Don't you feel guilty about this, okay? We're choosing to do this for you. Because we love you. You're a good boy. You've more than earned it. So try and be happy about it, okay?" She said with a small smile. Harry smiled and reached out his arms.
"Hug...?" He asked timidly. Vaggie chuckled and held him close to her chest. "Thank you, mommy..." Vaggie gave him a kiss atop his tiny head.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Now let's go and pick out that plush and blanket like I promised." Harry smiled as she carried him to the toy isle.
She stopped in front of the plushies with a smile. "Okay, see any you like?" Harry looked around at all the various plush toys. They were...weird.
In fact there was one that was green, had wings, and what looked like an octopus for a head.
Looking around curiously, Harry found one that caught his interest.
Vaggie donned a dry smile as Harry picked out a small black snake plush toy, eerily similar to his shadow, albeit more cartoony in design, with cross eyes and it's tongue sticking out. Harry hugged it close and looked up at Vaggie. "Mommy...? Can I please have this one...?"
Vaggie kissed his forehead. "Of course you can, sweetie. If you want, you can pick out another."
"No thank you...You spent a lot of money already..." He said softly. Vaggie tightened her hold on him, but didn't pry.
"You're a sweetheart, Harry." She said gently, causing him to smile softly. "Now let's go pay for this-Charlie, you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME."
Charlie approached, dragging behind her a massive sack full of the purchases she had made. The sack practically touched the ceiling with it's sheer size, and Charlie was clearly struggling to pull it along.
"It all...came out...of my life savings..." Charlie panted. "My savings...are almost...a quarter of the way gone now..."
"...Babe, how long have you been saving all this money?"
"Since...I was five... Where else...would I get the money to buy you those gifts...?"
"Okay, fair... Okay, we just need to get Harry his blanket now. Since you didn't splurge the hotel's money, you can hold Harry when we get back to the limo."
And just like that, Charlie's exhaustion was gone, as she perked right up and all but skipped alongside her lover, the bag now feeling as light as a feather.
After paying for the plush, they went to the bedding isle.
"We'll have to get him a bed of his own at some point. He'll need his own room..." Vaggie commented.
"No. Not until he's older." Charlie said seriously. "I feel a lot safer having him sleep with us. What if one of the guests breaks into his room and does something to him? What if one of them is stronger than his shadow? I'm...just not willing to take the risk..."
"...Fair." Vaggie conceded. Harry, for his part, was looking around at the blankets, before he found one he liked. It was a simple blue blanket, just like his old one...
"I take it you found the one, huh?" Vaggie asked with a small smirk as she reached out and took the blanket off the shelf. "All right, we'll go pay for it, and then it's back to the hotel."
Soon enough, everything was paid for, and Harry was snugly wrapped in his blanket, clutching his plushie close with a small, content smile. Charlie adored how cute he looked. The princess sighed in relief when she saw the limo. She dragged the sack over to the trunk, opened it, and put it in. "Babe? Babe, there's no way that's gonna-" And yet, against all odds, Charlie casually slammed the trunk shut over the sack. Vaggie stared blankly for a moment before deciding to just roll with it. Charlie seemed tp just have a way of making things work.
The princess approached with a broad smile. "Okay, Vaggie, my turn to hold him now!"
Vaggie smirked, held Harry closer, then tapped a finger against her cheek in mock thought. "Hmm...I dunno...He's PREEETTY cuddly."
Charlie's jaw dropped.
Wh- B- Y- You promised!" She exclaimed. Vaggie snickered.
"Really now? Must have slipped my mind... Well, you can have him all right, but it will cost you." Charlie's shoulders sagged.
"Aww... Now what?"
"The toll is one kiss. Pay up, babe."
Charlie blinked several times before her face lit up. "Awww, Vaggie!" She practically floated over to her lover, and the two shared a brief but passionate kiss. In the middle of the kiss, Vaggie carefully shifted Harry into Charlie's arms. The two pulled away with a strand of saliva, and Charlie twirled her little boy around before hugging him close. "You're just too cuuuuute~." She cooed to him gently as she carried him to the car. Vaggie watched in bemusement. Charlie turned to look at her. "C'mon, honey! We have to get back for lunch so Harry can meet everyone else!" Vaggie chuckled and joined her family in the limo. The drive back home began.
Privet Drive...
There was a tense silence in the Dursley's living room. Vernon and Petunia sat before four people.
"...Why, Mr. Dursley? Why would you treat family so poorly that they result to such a horrible method of escape?"
"THAT THING IS NOT FAMILY! IT WAS VERMIN THAT YOU FORCED UPON US! WE NEVER WANTED THAT BLOODY ORPHAN, AND YOU FORCED HIM ON US, YOU OLD CRACKPOT! DAMN YOU, I BLAME YOU FOR THIS! SHOULD HAVE HANDED HIM OVER TO ONE OF YOUR FREAKY KIND! BUT NOOO, YOU NEEDED TO GET US NORMAL FOLK INVOLVED!"
Dumbledore glared silently at the purple faced man as he ranted. He had several awful curses on just the tip of his tongue... He was a fool...A fool to believe that these people could actually put their prejudice aside for the sake of family... He intended to keep Harry safe from Voldemort's followers. But he failed to keep him safe from the torture he suffered at the hands of his own relatives...
McGonagall was not focusing on Vernon. Her gaze was focused squarely on Petunia. How, oh how, could one of the brightest, kindest, most well meaning witches she had ever taught be related to such a vile, hate-filled, spiteful wretch?
Hagrid was trembling, his fists clenched at his sides, half wanting to break down crying, half wanting to grab Vernon Dursley and squeeze his nonexistent neck until it popped off his shoulders.
Severus Snape's mind was reeling. He had judged this child he had never met before so harshly just because he was related to James Potter. He thought Harry Potter would be nothing but a spoiled, arrogant brat like his father. The news that the boy had taken his own life, however... And all the clear signs of abuse and neglect...
He was pathetic... All that anger towards an abused child who never even knew his father to emulate him...
No wonder Lily picked James... James wasn't a spiteful idiot like he was...
Snape hadn't been paying attention until Vernon said one specific sentence...
"THE FREAK'S BETTER OFF DEAD ALONG WITH HIS WHORE OF A MOTHER!"
"CRUCIO!"
Vernon Dursley screamed in absolute agony as the spell hit him full force. He felt as though it was tearing him apart, molecule by molecule.
"VERNON!" Petunia shrieked in horror. Dumbledore looked at Snape in shock. Hagrid stared in silent horror. McGonagall was taken aback, but unsurprised. It wasn't like this was the worst thing that would happen to these two once the wizarding world found out their hero was dead because of them...
Finally, Dumbledore managed to collect himself to end Vernon's suffering. "Severus...Enough." Snape gave Dumbledore a glare before grudgingly ending the spell. Dumbledore sighed, and the room went silent, the only sound being Vernon's agonized sobbing. Finally, Snape broke the silence.
"I hope your five years of tormenting a child were worth it. Because they will be the death of you. When the rest of the wizarding world finds out...and they WILL..."
"No..." Petunia breathed.
"Of course, any punishment is too good for you. You are both trash." The hook nosed man continued. "And soon you will be treated as such."
The room went silent. Dumbledore rose. "...Prepare yourselves...This news...Will spread like wildfire..."
And with that, all magic users present left through the fireplace.
In heaven...
James Potter's fury at finding out his son was intense and passionate. So it was no surprise that Lily's reaction was even more aggressive. How much so?
She punched God. Repeatedly. Without a moment's hesitation. Granted, she didn't really do anything to hurt him, but he played it off like she did to give her the satisfaction. After all...Any mother would be furious if their child was denied entrance to heaven.
All he could do was promise that everything would turn out okay for Harry. And soon enough, he had the footage to reassure them.
Lily and James watched their son wake up in hell and wander around in fear and confusion, and Lily had broken down in tears at the sight of her son in such a place. James had screamed all manners of threats at the scene when Harry was being carried away by the demon who had planned to sell him.
But then it all came together when the shadow was revealed...
"What is that thing, is... is it why harry was barred from Heaven?" Lily asked, her voice shaking from all the crying
"The creature was once a fragment of a monster you once fought against in life, but death destroyed what remained of his personality and memories leaving behind a mass of darkness attached to Harry's soul. We could not let Harry into Heaven with it attached to him because... it is possible exposure to Heaven would have destroyed the creature, and ripped apart Harry's very soul in the process. However this mass absorbed the demonic energies of Hell quickly growing into a demon in Harry's place leaving him untouched."
Lily and James went silent. The horror of what could have happened to their son sunk in. "...I...I..."
"Do not apologize, my child... You were a distraught parent, and your concerns were valid. Unfortunately, the process did not go as well as hoped... I regret to inform you that young Harry spent two weeks time on the streets..."
Lily clenched her fists and James clenched his jaw.
"However, he has been found at last, and he is now in the capable hands of Hell's princess, and her beloved." Lily and James watched the screen intently, watching Harry's shadow tear apart several demons...Until a girl arrived.
She talked down the demon... She picked their son up...Held him... Comforted him when he desperately needed iit... Expressed rage at the misfortune Harry had suffered... And the girl she was dating was equally as caring...
Lily and James were practically pressed against the crystal now. , it was painfully obvious that they wanted to be the ones to comfort and care for their son. Lily took a deep breath to steady herself before asking, "All I want to know is, will he be happy with them?"
"Yes. They will give him all he needs to live happily."
When Lily and James turned back to look at the crystal, they were just in time to watch Harry call Charlie and Vaggie his mama and mommy.
They smiled sadly at the scene. They would never see their child again... But he had found a new family.
They looked at one another and James hugged his wife tightly. Their son wasn't with them, but he was safe and loved, and that was good enough for them.