AN: Hello again! Thank you for all the well wishes! My surgery has been a success and I am finally off the pain meds. I am so sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up but the pain meds made me loopy and I could not concentrate on writing. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
Harry Potter Potion Master
As Harry exited the shop, he noticed that the sun was starting to set and people were starting to close up for the night. Pulling out his letter, he groaned as he found out that he still needed to buy a pair of scales and a telescope. He sighed knowing that he could not buy them today seeing as the shops were closing for the night. As Hedwig combed Harry's hair lovingly, Harry stroked Len gently and walked up to where everyone was leaving. Walking through the exit, he found himself in an alley behind a pub. Entering the pub, he heard several loud cracks as wizards and witches apperated back to their homes with there shopping. Harry looked around and saw the fireplace burn brightly green as other wizards and witches floo out to their homes.
Harry walked up to the bar and looked for the bar keep. A large man walked up to him from behind the bar, "My name is Tom. How can I help you young lad?" he said smiling with a crooked grin.
Harry swallowed nervously seeing as he had never done this before, "Sir, I was wondering if I could rent out one of your rooms until it's time for school." he asked with a slight stutter. He let out a hopeful grin but it turned out to be a grimace.
Tom frowned and looked at Harry, "Where is your parents, Kid?" he asked as he looked him over.
Harry looked down, the topic of his parents always made him sad. "Dead." he said with a whisper.
Tom straightened up, not knowing what to do. He did not mean to upset the kid; he had thought he was a runaway like the other kids that came in here on their own. "All right. You can stay. Its two gold a night and it includes breakfast and lunch. You are on your own for dinner."
Harry looked up and let out a small smile. "Thank you, ." he said politely. "Which room will be mine?" he asked.
The large man thought for a moment, going through the list of rooms in his head, "Well room thirteen is open, it's the most clean because not many go in because of the number. If your willing to use the room despite the number, it's yours."
Harry looked up at Tom and nodded his head. "I don't mind the number sir. Can I put my trunk in the room right now please? I need to call the Knight Bus. I gotta pick up something."
Tom nodded and reached under the counter for the key to the room. Passing the old, slightly dented, bronze key to the young boy he pointed to the hallway next to the end of the bar, "Straight through that way and then at the end of the hall take a left. You'll see it. The number is painted on the door."
Harry grabbed the key and nodded in thanks before gripping his trunk tightly and walked quickly to his new home until school started. As soon as he entered the room, Hedwig flew off of his shoulder and landed on the headboard of the bed. Len opened his wings for the first time since Harry had gotten him and sailed off onto the bed. The young boy, for that was what he still was; a boy, sighed and sat down his new trunk next to his bed. He leaned down and patted the bed lightly. A real bed and just for him! He thought fondly as he gave it a last patt. Harry then turned to his new friends and started to address the two of them. "Hedwig, Len? I need to talk to you two."
Len uncoiled himself and raised his head up into the air, "What is it Harry?" He asked as he let his wings flare slightly.
Hedwig just ruffled her feathers and turned her head to look at Harry, "Yes, Hatchling?" she asked.
Harry swallowed nervously, "Well you are not my first two friends. My first two friends are two spiders, a Black Widow named Bella and a Wolf spider named David." Harry shifted awkwardly on his feet. "I was wondering if one of you or both of you would like to come with me to go get them."
Len and Hedwig looked at each other and then flew back towards Harry, landing for Hedwig and wrapping around the arm for Len. "Don't be silly, Hatchling. Where you go, we go." Hedwig hooted softly in Harry's ear before turning to comb threw it again.
Len bobbed his head, "We are here to stay, Harry. And it doesn't matter that we are not your first friends. You can have as many friends as you like! We just want you to be happy Harry." Len tightened his coils around Harry's arm in a pseudo hug.
Harry rubbed his nose and sniffed, "Thanks, guys." He basked in his friends love for a second before exiting his new room. Locking the door behind him, Harry quickly walked down the hall back towards the pub. Entering the main pub, Harry immediately headed towards the door that led to the normal world. "Len, you're going to have to hide your wings now." Harry whispered to the snake.
Len bobbed his head and slithered up Harry's sleeve, hiding himself as well as his wings.
Harry smiled slightly, before exiting the pub. By this time, the sun had already gone down and there was less people on the streets. Looking around, he saw that the only person who was on the street, his eyes just slid over the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and continue to the next store like it was not even there. Frowning, Harry looked around and once he made sure that there was no people on the street, he pulled out Mara from his wand holder. "Mara, can you call the Knight Bus from here?" Harry asked her.
Mara pulsed warmly in Harry's hand, "Of course I can, Harry! Just raise me up, pointing me into the middle of the street. That should summon the bus."
Harry grinned and held up Mara like she had told him to do. With a loud bang, a tall three decker, purple bus appeared in front of Harry. Harry took a step back in surprise as soon as the bus arrived in front of him.
A young man stepped out of the bus with a board look on his face, "The Knight Bus, Emergency ride for your fellow witch or wizard. Get in." and he hopped back inside the bus again.
Harry tentatively walked towards the bus doors and climbed into the bus, Len tightening around him. "Hi, I need to get to number four privet drive?" he asked in a small voice.
The young man rolled his eyes, "That would be eleven sickles, please." he yawned and stretched a hand out for the money.
Harry took out his money bag and pulled out a galleon. "Here." he said and handed it over as he looked past the man into the bus. The bus seemed to have a strangeness of its own. Instead of benches, there were beds that were on wheels and moved when the bus moved.
"Here." the young man tapped Harry on the shoulder and passed him six sickles, "Your change." He then nodded to the beds, "Best pick one and hold on. It's gonna get bumpy in a second." he then walked up the the front of the bus to speak to the driver. To tell him where there next stop would be.
Harry quickly picked a bed in the middle and held onto the bedpost while gently petting Hedwig's feathers. "Hopefully it will be clear sailing from here, you guys."
However, just as Harry said that, the bus started up and with a loud start of noise and movement they were off. The bus seem to have no direction at all. It would go this way and that, making sharp turns and sudden bursts of speed. Harry looked out the window and saw that whole houses seem to jump out of there way and that the driver seemed to have no sense of direction. They would go whole blocks the opposite way then make a sudden u-turn and go the other way. All the while twisting and turning, jumping and starting like a race hare at the start line.
It took everything Harry had to not puck, and Hedwig dug her claws deep into his shoulder, making funny squawking noises that just refused to translate. Len tightened and loosened while turning a funny pale color, and his wings fluttered weakly.
With a sudden bang, the movement stopped and Harry and his friends let out a sigh of relief. "Never again!" Hedwig swore as she flapped her wings in aggravation, "I HATE THAT BUS!"
Harry winced and looked up at Hedwig with a unhappy smile "I'm sorry but it's the only way to get back to the pub." he then stood and started walking to the bus doors where the young man had opened them.
"Your lucky I love you young man." Hedwig said with a sigh as she bobbed her head in acknowledgement that the bus was the only way back. "Otherwise I would not do this for you."
Harry laughed under his breath as he got off the bus. Turning back to the bus, he spoke to the young man. "Hey can you stick around for a second? Just out of sight of course. I just need to pick up some things then I need a ride back."
The young man nodded slowly, "Well it's a bit of an odd request, but will stick around. But you have to be quick, we will put the anti-muggle charm on."
Harry grinned, "Thank you!" then he walked quickly to the door of number four privet drive and tried the door. When he found it to be locked, he quickly nabbed the hidden key from the potted rose bush that he had hidden when Dudley had "lost" his key. In reality he had nabbed it when he was not looking. Unlocking the door and rehidding the key, he sneaked into the house and quietly closed the door behind him.
Hedwig and Len realized how important it was to be quiet and kept silent as Harry snuck to his cupboard. Opening the door, he ducked inside and closed the door behind him before turning on the light. Looking up, Harry saw his first family, Bella and David were having diner it looked like and quickly looked up when the light turned on.
"Harry! Where have you been? I've been so worried!" Bella exclaimed as soon as she saw Harry.
"Yeah, and who are your two new friends? They won't eat us right?" David asked nervously when he saw Hedwig and Len.
"This is Hedwig and Len, and they won't eat you. They are friends. As for where I was. Well that's a long story to tell you." Harry sat down on his small cot and raised his hands so his spider friends could climb down onto his hands. "It started this morning…"
AN: Ok so soorrryyy! (bows head) its been a long time since i wrote the AN on the top. I started this a loooong time ago and never finished it because of writer's block and real life getting in the way. I want to thank all of the people who have fav and subscribed even though its been so long since last chapter. I hope that there will be a shorter space in between this one and the next one but no promises. FIGHTING!