Chapter 5: The Ancient One Arrives

The next morning Harry awoke to the first rays of sun peeking in through a crack in the blind, quietly he got up out of bed and jumped down from the top of the bunk bed. Looking around he noticed that Dudley was sleeping with the upper half of his body on the ground and his legs were resting on the bed, on the other side of the room he could see Percy asleep in an oddly similar state except his legs were dangling off the side of the bed.

Grabbing his clothes for the day from his trunk, Harry headed for the door carefully stepping over Dudley's head. Harry exited the room and headed to the bathroom to change.

With no one else awake the house was peaceful. The only noise was of the outside world waking up. He made a cup of tea and stepped out the lounge window onto the balcony. The teenager set up the beach chair he had found in one of the cupboards. As soon as he sat in a comfortable position, Harry stared up at the sunrise and Hedwig soon joined him, softly hooting at him as he set a small plate of bacon and fruit.

The green-eyed boy found that since coming to New York, he hadn't had to feed Hedwig as much. She was hunting her own food. The back alley behind the apartment was filled with rats of all sizes, and provided a lot of her diet- though he still had the owl food and was diligent about the snow white creature having her fill. Sally had offhandedly mentioned that she had seen less rats hanging around, a hard feat to achieve within New York apparently.

An hour later the morning peace was disrupted by a shrill screech before a fluff of grey feathers hit the railing with a loud THUNK. It then slid off and fell towards the pavement. Hedwig swooped into action racing down to catch the mass of feathers before flying back to Harry and depositing what could only be poor old ancient Errol, the Weasley family owl, on his lap. He looked to be death's door after taking the longest flight since his old age had set in.

It seemed that after a month and half of Harry living with the Jackson family somebody had finally decided to ask Harry where he was via the Weasley Family. It took longer than he had expected, which was fine. He just hoped that with actually having people that cared about him, that people would be contacting him more or actually care where he was.

Shaking his head, Harry stood up carefully cradling old Errol in his arms and carried him through the window. The teenager gently laid him on the couch before going to get some water for him. When he came back he saw that the tired bird looked almost dead, though he usually looked like he was halfway in the grave, this was different. The grey feathered messenger was still, mussels relaxed yet rigid and beak wide open. The only thing that gave away that he was alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest.

Harry jolted forward to get to the owl, the water in the bowl sloshed around wetting both his hand and the floor. There was a moment where the black haired teenager thought that he should clean it up because 'Aunt Petunia wouldn't let me have dinner if there's anything out of place', it took him a second to realise that Petunia would not be doing anything to him. Yet he still grabbed the folded tea towel from the couch and let it soak the water.

Harry stepped over the puddle and went to the other end of the couch where Errol lay. He took in the image before him with wide eyes. Though he was a wizard, he knew nothing about taking care of animals, let alone magical animals. At least beyond feeding, and basic care, nothing of this calibre.

So with determined eyes, Harry left the lounge room and quietly grabbed clothes and his wand from where he stashed it under the pillow. Not the most brilliant hiding place but one always accessible.

After getting dressed and putting on shoes, he grabbed Errol and now the boy who lived was going to brave New York on his own for the first time. As well as find the magical side of America.

"How hard could it be?" he mumbled.

Harry was about to open the door when he realised that his guardian was going to wonder where he was. So he wrote a quick note and set out into the new world.

Aunt Sally,

Gone for a walk, it was too crowded in the room.

Be back soon.

-Harry

Harry being Harry, did not have a plan. Hermione usually made those, because she would have noticed and pointed out that he did not know where he was going, or how to find the doorway to the magical world, or where to go to get Errol help, or anything really. But Harry was the boy who lived and unfortunately the boy who's way seemed to fall into his lap when going on adventures.

So when he entered the subway after wandering fifthteen minutes, he found the screen glitching a little. It only had his attention for a few seconds before he turned away, technology being weird around him was not anything new.

But the screen did it again not even ten seconds later and then again. The light faded slightly before it glowed. The screen displayed the words Dragonheart Shopping District in bright neon blue.

He shrugged, going toward the stairs that it pointed at. Pushing his way through the crowd, he stopped at the top of the stairs. Looking at the darkness of the deep subway, he looked around at the people around him. None of them were looking at him, nor were they looking at each other really. They all had their phones to their ears or in their hands. The addicting glow luring them into different worlds.

The green eyed boy hesitantly takes the first step down. Then another when nothing happens at the first touch of his feet. He keeps going into the unknown. It seems to go on for a while, more than the stairs he first saw. Until he starts to hear the sound of people talking, doors opening and bells ringing, all the sounds he would associate with Diagon Alley.

As the sounds got louder he blinked and suddenly it was all there. Every magical shop he had seen, the American equivalent, was there.

Entering the hustle and bustle Harry slowly made his way through the crowd trying to figure out where he was going while keeping an eye on Errol who was still unconscious but breathing. Eventually Harry realised he was completely lost. In a bout of nervousness he slowly gathered his courage and stopped an old witch that was passing him.

"Excuse me ma'am. My owl is sick , I'm looking for someone to help him and I'm not sure where to go" Harry quickly asked before she could move on with her day.

She looked at him with a stern face reminding him of the times he had briefly spotted Neville's grandmother at platform 9 ¾.

"Keep walking straight up and you will come across a bookstore next door is the pet emporium" she pointed up the street before disappearing back into the crowd.

Harry stood still for a moment, his eyes trying to find where exactly the lady had pointed. But the thick crowd did not let him see anything for more than a few seconds. The green eyed boy decided to just walk in the general direction and hope he finds it.

After a couple minutes of walking,bumping into people and them looking at him with annoyance, Harry stumbled upon the bookstore. Though this was not what he was looking for, he stopped in front of it. Hermonine would love this.

The teenager was entranced by the books, his mind going to all the memories he had with his friends. The little things, eating in the great hall, Hermione helping him and Ron with their homework, the jokes that they shared. Just everything. He was so grateful for them. Even if they did stop sending letters when he was at the dursleys. But then again, Vernon would not have let him look at them anyway.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the trail of thoughts, he caught a glimpse of the shop next door. Harry did a double take when he saw a white ferret staring at him from a cage in the window of what he now knew could only be a pet store.

Errol stirred slightly in his arms, which pushed him out of his stillness. His eyes set in determination, Harry pushed the door open. A bell rang from above the door and the sounds of the different animals that lounged in the shop assaulted his ears.

"Do you think if that owl is dead he'll let us make a sssnack of it" Harry heard from his left. Looking over he saw a snake poking its head out of its bed staring at Errol with a hunger on its face.

The teenager ignored the snake and held Errol the slightest bit tighter, his need to protect the owl not overriding him not wanting to hurt him. Getting to the counter he saw a man sitting behind the counter writing on some parchment. Harry knocked on the counter.

"Excuse me" he softly called out.

The man turned around, clearly surprised that someone had entered his store. The shop owner was older than Harry, he could see the laugh lines around his eyes, but his skin was smooth. His clothes were clearly ironed and good quality but had a bit of randomness to them. A yellow bow tie instead of black, purple shoes and duck shocks. It was a sight to behold.

"Ahh, come come. Oh an owl, a bit sick are we?"

The shop owner keeps talking to the owl, barely acknowledging the teenager. The older man gently takes Errol from the teenager's arms, shushing the creature when he squawks weakly.

"I see, let us see if we can help you"

Harry stands awkwardly as the man softly shuffles away, not sure if he should follow the two or wait. The older gentleman makes the decision for him when he turns back slightly and slightly tilts his head toward the back of the shop.

"Come" he states, not harshly but with the expectation that his word would be followed undoubtedly. So, Harry follows.

It was sometime later that Harry was in the front of the shop again, a healthy Errol sitting on the bench and thanking the eccentric shop owner.

Harry looked up and down the street wondering if he should explore or just head back to the Jackson residence. Just as he was about to head back to the muggle world Harry spotted a grey building sitting on a corner above the doorway.

Stone columns graced the front of the building. The green eyed boy puts his head back to see the top. The magnificence of it shocks him like the first time he had seen the one in England.

The pillars gleamed in the rising sun, light hitting the grey stones just right to make it appear as though they were glimmering. It reminded him of magic, though the teenager thought that it could very well be.

But what building would use magic to just make it glimmer?

Though the idea appealed to Harry. He made note to see if he could figure it out, or to ask Hermione. It would just be for dramatic effect of course, no other reason…

I have an account and I haven't opened it much since my first year. It wouldn't hurt to check. At the very least I could get some money to help Aunt Sally. Gold conversion would be great.

The grey owl, though healthy, did not seem eager to fly any time soon as he rested on Harry's shoulder. So there was no point in hurrying back. It seemed as though the next stop for Harry and Errol was Gringots.

—-—-2 hours later—-

Harry sat looking at the very very long list of his fortune, that he did not know that he had. "Sorry I'm what?"

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, though he said to call him Garry, replied calmly as if he was awaiting this disbelief.

"You're fucking rich Mr. Potter. Also a Lord, almost."

It goes without saying that Gary was a young goblin.

—-TWO WEEKS LATER—-

After two weeks of settling in and Hedwig making a few trips to the American branch of Gringotts , Harry had finally received his Wizarding Living VISA issued by MACUSA and gained the possession of a muggle credit card linked to his vault. Without telling anyone Harry be so that they weren't all packed into a tiny apartment like sardines. He could feel the cabin fever settling in and the walls closing in around him.

Finally on a Tuesday when Hedwig arrived back from Gringotts he found out that the Potter family owned a two story town house a couple of blocks from the current apartment. On Friday after receiving the confirmation that the house was cleaned and ready to move in at any time he approached Sally to tell her.

"Ah Sally?" came the nervous and quiet voice of Harry as he stood in the kitchen facing Sally, who sat opposite of him across the bench. Sally looked up from her computer where she was looking at rent listings "Yes Harry?"

"Uh Um,I was looking over the list of houses owned by my fathers family and um" his voice trailed off into quiet mumbles.

"Deep breaths Harry, then repeat that last part". Sally smiled slightly amused at his behaviour.

Harry took a few deep breaths, then shuffled on his feet a bit. He then said in a clearer but still nervous and soft voice, "My fathers family owns a-, a townhouse that can fit us all. I ch- checked with my bank manager, and had it payed to be cleaned and now it's ready for us to move into whenever"

The mother sat there extremely shocked at her nephew's words. This was not what she was expecting when she saw him walking towards her. A house. He has a house. Why does he have a house? How does he have a house?

"Sweetie,how- wha-when did. I-you didn't have to do that i could have found a place for us. It's not your responsibility Harry."

"But I inherited it and it's just sitting there empty"

Harry looked at his aunt, and for the first time made eye contact.

"I remembered reading that owning is more stable than renting. And it's all paid for, we just need to pay utilities. It'll allow us to have a room each with a guest room" Harry counted his meek personality fleeing allowing braveness to seep into his voice

"I-i"

The bravery seemed to seep out of him. His shoulders hunched once more and he lowered his eyes.

"You took us in. You took us in when you didn't have to and I know this has got to be a lot especially now that you're feeding two more people and this is the one thing I can help with."

The mother now of three looked at the child before her. His hair, a mess that she had come to know would not let any product change, the beautiful green eyes darting everywhere but at her. It tugged on her heart that he thought that he and Dudley were a burden.

She crouched down a bit to catch her nephew's gaze. Her fingers automatically went to his chin but she stopped herself before she could touch him. Her hands hovered in the air for a second as she stopped herself from the causal affection.

"Harry, I want you to hear this. I will never send you back, you are not a burden on me or Percy. Neither is Dudley. You both are our family and family is never left behind."

There was no sound but their breaths as the teenager mulled over the words spoken.

The quietest "Okay" was heard.

"Okay" Sally smiled and was rewarded with a small smile back.

Harry then produced the document that had all the information about the house and handed it to his guardian.

For a minute Sally stared at the statement trying to process words written. Needless to say, it was a big house, in New York.

"Okay" was all she could muster up the courage to say.

—-

After a week of packing up the apartment and Sally freaking out, the Jackson-Dursley-Potter family finally moved into their new house.

—-