[a/n0]First, a question from HPSS. Why was Quirrel able to choke Harry during the Mirror confrontation without harm, and only when Harry tried to pull his hand off did Quirrel start to burn?

[a/n]The 2nd quip, occurring moments after #38. Became a bit more thanx to review by cameron

Harry Does Different CDLXXVb

I Play Occasionally

"Mrs. Mason, where do you get your lovely dresses?" asked a simpering Petunia.

The guest was rather …stuffy… replying "I have all mine tailormade."

"Dudley? Weren't you about to say something?" Vernon's tone was full of an odd sense of urgency. The younger Dursley followed his father's eyes and cringed, shaking his head.

The young wizard approached the sitting woman and reached out to catch the floating cake. He whispered harshly "No Dobby! Stop!"

"Harry Potter must promise not to go back to school." Was the elf's ultimatum. Even hesitation was enough to decide the matter. He snapped his fingers to end his spell, carrying out his threat. Dobby then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Vernon was the first to speak, pleading "I'm soooooooo sorry! It's my nephew. He's very disturbed. It's why we kept him upstairs."

"Well I'm probably disturbed because; before I moved into DUDLEY'S SECOND BEDROOM" here the boy raised his voice and affected the air quotes gesture "you moved me into the cupboard under the stairs. Purely out of the goodness of your heart of course."

A rush of emotions flashed across the old man's face. A flash of fury on behalf of his assaulted wife. Sudden laughter at the sight of her dripping with the remains of the desert. And both anger and pity at the implications of the exchange between his host and the obviously… at least to his eyes… abuse victim. "Dursley. I find the situation deplorable."

"Of course, Mr. Mason." Petunia was rushing to offer assistance to the spluttering woman with paper towels and wash cloth. "We'll have her fixed up quick as scat."

The old man guffawed at his wife's predicament, snorted, then burst out laughing. Mrs Mason glared at him through a smear of icing on her glasses. He lost what little composure was left and didn't regain it until his host took to berating the boy, commanding "Enough of that, Dursley! What's your name boy?"

"Harry. Sir. Harry Potter." He answered, hiding a stiffness at the form of address.

The woman snapped at her husband "Dammit Jim! That brat made a spectacle of me!"

"Oh hush Ronnie!" he shot back, unaffectedly "I recall a time we used to eat cake off each other."

The boys didn't understand the sexual reference, while Dursley adults stiffened in offended dignity "Mr. Mason! Please!"

"Harry Potter huh?" asked the guest, turning his attention "Well, young man, I would like to offer you a bedroom in my home. Possibly until your majority."

Vernon immediately blustered "I ABSOLUTELY FORBID IT!"

"I was not speaking to you Dursley." Mason gave a withering look, then back to the boy with just a raised eyebrow.

Harry asked briefly, glancing at the still sopping woman "Why?"

"A fair question. Let me tell you about myself." The visitor was only looking at the boy "I am a self-made multimillionaire. My company does a billion pounds a year in business. Nobody gets to my station without being observant. What I see tells me your life, through no fault of your own, has been miserable. And I have adequate life experience to be sympathetic. On a selfish note, when Veronica and I married we were a happy couple. But somehow we forgot how to laugh. I probably haven't had a belly laugh since before you were born."

Petunia dropped the rag she was using to assist in Mrs. Mason's cleanup. Outraged, she snapped "You will NOT interfere with our parental rights!"

"You've NEVER been my Mother!" Harry interjected, then gestured at Vernon "And he's sure NEVER been my Father!"

Mason took a moment to analyze the situation before addressing his host "Dursley, I'll give you the inside track on my needs. It might be worth a hundred million pounds to Grunnings over the next decade. I'm sure your commission on such is quite adequate." He paused to watch the effects of exactly what was being calculated before continuing "And maybe you can obtain a bit extra by offering some modest inducements. Along with an arrangement that won't cost Grunnings even a red quid."

"What inducements have you in mind Mr. Mason?" asked Vernon.

He shook his head "Not yet, Dursley. This is a clear carrot and stick situation. We've already covered the carrot. This assuming young Harry is willing? You'll not object to him spending a currently undecided length of time at my home. Which, despite having three grown children, you would not be sleeping in ANYONE's second bedroom. As for the stick, should you decline the arrangement your nephew obviously approves, I believe I can find another firm eager to fill my needs. And I will explain I even decided to spend more with another firm because of YOU."

"Well Harry! Hurry up then!" no one was fooled by Vernon's false cheeriness "Any reason he can't accompany me you home this evening?"

The boy only paused to ask "I have a pet owl. I can care for her well enough, she just needs a place to perch. And it won't be too long. I goto a boarding school in Scotland in about a month."

"I see that as no problem." This was the first time Veronica Mason had spoken to Harry, though she was looking at her husband in a way she hadn't in years. "Our house is sufficient that there would be room for you even if all our children were home."

Vernon looked absolutely nauseated but could only wave his approval "Well, so be it. Off you go Harry."

"Oh yes sir, Uncle Vernon, sir." The boy's tone was no more sincere than the man's had been. But he didn't wait for any reaction.

Dudley followed his cousin, not to help, just to taunt "You think Dad'll let you back? Mason'll toss you out on your scrawny arse in a week."

"You know where I spent my school year, Dudders?" asked Harry rhetorically, then going on "A castle. Probably gives Buckingham a run. Certainly bigger. Has loos bigger than this house. Maybe the Masons'll let you stay in my second bedroom sometime." He ignored anything else in favor of packing.

Approaching the living room Aunt Petunia stopped him "You actually plan to just leave?"

"You never cared before. Why start now?" the young wizard's tone had no emotion to it.

She blinked at the response "That Dumbledore of yours told us we had to keep you. Something to do with your ahhh …you-know-what… And- - -"

"Well he had ten years to tell me about it." He was not nearly tall enough to look her straight in the eye, even if his tone seemed quite adult "Never mind the whole school year. So …eh"

Voices emerging from the living room ended that confrontation "Well, young Dursley, I trust you've been paying attention. Though, of course, high finance isn't something for common knowledge."

"Oh of course Mr. Mason sir." Replied Dudley slavishly "Although I do wonder what benefits are you getting from my cousin?"

Mrs. Mason answered "Sometimes you have to accept, in business, that not every term in a deal is clear. Since it doesn't cost you anything, why does it matter?"

"Indeed, thank you, Ronnie." Mr. Mason added, then on seeing Harry "Ready to go young man?"

Quite enthusiastic about it, the boy replied "Whenever you are, sir."

"Well, Vernon, I think both our companies will do very well under this contract." The older man shook hands with his host "You've shown yourself, and Grunnings generally, to be accommodating. And my wife and I have had a pleasant evening. Ronnie, I still see some icing by your ear."

Mrs. Mason gave a lecherous wink and quipped "I'm saving it for you Jimmy!"

"Yes …well… Mr. and Mrs. Mason. I thank you for gracing our humble home with your company." Aunt Petunia visibly cringed at the offense to her sensibilities, but smiled anyway.

Harry followed the Masons to their magnificently appointed luxury car, pulling his trunk and carrying Hedwig's cage; he'd sent his owl aloft with instructions to find him later. He did have a concern when Mrs. Mason squealed after Mr. Mason squeezed her rear, but then he'd seen that among the older Hogwarts kids.