A/N: For those who have a hard time with the events of the previous chapter - and how mild the Dursleys were - please look back to chapter 6 and Dumbledore's thoughts in the second paragraph.
Harry lay back on his bed with a smile. Much to his pleasant surprise, the summer had been passing almost pleasantly. The rules that Uncle Vernon had established regarding 'magic' and his schooling he considered more than fair, and his relationship with his relatives had improved by a dramatic margin to the point he was actually happy at Number 4 Privet Drive...despite staying up in his room pretending he wasn't there on his birthday. Oddly enough, that had actually been his idea.
The rules that Uncle Vernon had established were rather straightforward, and were a bit of give-and-take in how they were established. The first rule was no magic in the house, with incidents of accidental magic discussed as and if/when they happened. Harry had been more than happy to agree to that, considering it meant he could keep all his school supplies in his room to work on his homework, though it meant they had to stay in there. The next rule to be established was regarding Hedwig...though that discussion had been partially derailed when she had unlocked her own cage and fluttered down to join them at the table once she realized the discussion was about her. This led to the rule being that Harry could not send letters with Hedwig unless approved by his Aunt and Uncle, and responses would be sent with the owls that delivered them...but in exchange, Hedwig was free to go flying at night and even hunt, as long as she promised not to leave a mess on anyone's property or go after anyone's pets. The look on the Dursleys' faces when she had nodded agreement had been priceless. He'd already gotten all of his homework done, though while he was working on it he'd been allowed delay going down for chores if he was in the middle of answering a question or writing an essay, given the difficulty of dealing with quills and ink. In exchange for that concession, he did all chores without complaint and made sure there were no ink spots on anything other than his parchment.
The real change, however, had been how he related to his relatives. He and Uncle Vernon regularly managed to be cordial, which was such an amazing improvement from how it had been for the first ten years that Harry wasn't going to hold his breath hoping for friendly or affectionate. Vernon wasn't really an affectionate person by nature to begin with, but it was plain he was making an effort at being accepting of Harry and even welcoming to a certain extent, which was more than enough for Harry. Dudley continued to assert himself as being the 'top kid' in the house, but the change in his parents behavior - and his concerns about 'accidental magic' - meant that any and all physical altercations between them had ceased, reduced to posturing and nothing more. Dudley had even brought him into his room to play two player video games when he was in the mood...even co-op games.
The real surprise, however, had been Aunt Petunia. While for the most part her behavior remained somewhat emotionally distant, she always ensured Harry felt up to any given task she set him before setting him to work. On top of that, she'd been making sure he ate his fill at meals, and he hadn't gone to bed hungry once the entire summer. The real surprise, however, had come one time when they were working together cooking. Harry had accidentally cut his finger with the knife he was slicing vegetables with, and he'd barely had time to wince with a gasp before Petunia had the first aid kit out and was cleaning and bandaging the cut. While she didn't 'kiss it better' as she used to for Dudley, she had taken the time to make sure Harry was okay, and had asked if he was certain he was up to continuing before letting him pick up the knife again, and had kept one eye on him while he worked. While expressions of affection were still lacking...it made it feel like she now saw him as 'one of her kids' she was responsible for, as opposed to the outsider he'd long felt like.
That's why he'd felt comfortable speaking up when Uncle Vernon began to discuss plans for the business dinner. Uncle Vernon had started with planning out things Harry might say or do during the dinner to make a good impression, but Harry had suggested he stay up in his room rather than participate. The following discussion had been...heartwarming.
"You don't want to be part of the dinner?" Vernon asked in surprise, giving Harry a curious look.
"It'd be easier on everyone if I wasn't, right?" Harry suggested helpfully. "And...I don't really know anything that's happened over the past year. How would we even explain that?"
"We've been telling anyone who asks that you're off at a boarding school somewhere, not naming one," Vernon explained gruffly. "We hadn't picked one to name yet, though we were considering...St. Brutus's Secure Center for Criminally Insane Boys..." His tone made it plain that the idea lacked the appeal it once had.
"...why that one?" Harry asked carefully, not wanting to risk the almost pleasant atmosphere by kicking up a fuss over something they hadn't done yet.
"No one asks questions about relatives receiving mental treatment," Petunia answered readily, though she too looked distressed at the idea. "It would be rude. So it would shut down any discussion instantly."
Harry had to admit that was a valid point, even if he disliked it. "But...would someplace for the 'Criminally Insane' let me come home for the holidays?" he asked carefully, doing his best to keep his tone even.
"Well, that's a logical reason not to use it," Vernon said in relief.
"Too bad there isn't someplace we could say we sent you that suggests you aren't dangerously insane," Dudley joked teasingly, reaching over the table to nudge Harry almost playfully on the arm, the closest to affectionate the large boy had been with Harry...ever.
"And it's not like we can tell the truth, either," Vernon added gruffly, huffing into his mustache.
"...maybe we could," Harry began carefully. "We want a place where I go that people wouldn't ask questions about, one that would have reason to keep things confidential, and a reason why I'm going there. Maybe we could somehow...spin Hogwarts to be that?"
"Hmm..." Vernon mused thoughtfully. "That could work. And it's not like most of those there are what many would call 'sane' anyway." He chuckled at that, pleased that Harry was agreeing to a cover story that called all magic folk somewhat crazy.
"Someplace that specializes in helping traumatized youngsters become productive members of society?" Petunia suggested carefully. "You did witness Lily's death...it's reasonable to believe that...affected you dramatically."
"And Doctor/Patient confidentiality would explain why no one knows much about the place," Vernon allowed thoughtfully. "Not a bad plan. And the point being helping you readjust to regular society would be why you are expected to spend some time each year back home with family." He coughed a bit as he said 'family', plainly still adjusting. "But how would we have found out about it to send you?"
"Maybe we could say his Pops went?" Dudley suggested with a somewhat malicious grin. "He did, after all!"
Harry surprised himself by chuckling at that, a sign of amusement that spread through the group at the table. "And that explains why I'm not at the table for dinner," he explained easily. "If the subject comes up, I'm your traumatized nephew you're taking care of who doesn't do well meeting new people."
"But Harry," Petunia pointed out somewhat sadly, "...it's your birthday."
Harry swallowed convulsively, stunned that Petunia remembered that. Seeing a surprisingly sympathetic expression on Dudley's face, he cleared his throat. "And that's the excuse for letting me stay upstairs with the TV if I'm heard," Harry allowed hesitantly. "Just...save me some pudding?"
Much to Harry's surprise, they had all agreed to that. Aunt Petunia had escorted him upstairs to his room when the time was right, while Dudley actually volunteered to move his smaller TV into Harry's room for the night in case he actually wanted to watch anything. While Harry wasn't planning to, he'd honestly been touched at the gesture and had thanked him for it. He'd also been surprised to see a wrapped present at the foot of his bed, one that Uncle Vernon had stated he could open after the dinner once he'd had his pudding. Petunia'd also promised to bring him up a portion of dinner when the chance came, but with firm instructions not to make a mess. A promise of dinner, pudding, a present, and being allowed to sit in his room holding his squirrel plushy and not have to play a role for a business dinner...this was without a doubt the best birthday he'd had with the Dursleys ever, and was definitely an almost perfect summer so far, save for the lack of messages from his friends...though given he hadn't sent anything, he didn't really hold it against them. Honestly, the only thing he could think of that could possibly make his birthday better - perfect even - would be if-
Tap-tap-tap
Harry almost jumped in shock at the sound. While he was used to hearing that sound if Hedwig wanted to be let in and he'd closed the window on her, Hedwig was perched contently in her cage, keeping him company on his birthday. Turning to the window, however, he couldn't stop a wide grin from crossing his face. After all, sitting on his windowsill was a squirrel...holding a compass.
