I'm sooo sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I've been travelling for the past two months so I haven't been able to write, but now I'm back home so I should update more often! I hope you like it! This chapter doesn't have anything from Britain in it, but I'll cover a lot more of that in the next one. Thank you for everyone who reviewed!

Automngold: I haven't yet decided that point. I know they will be shocked and Dumbledore will probably want to look for him, but I haven't decided yet if they actually will, though probably it would be more exciting if they did. What do you think?

So short summary of last chapter: Harry spent his first day in Spain with Antonia at the park, he met Marta and Laura (Antonia's little sisters), and he started feeling more comfortable with being a normal kid and resolved to learn spanish. The order has not realized yet that he is not in Britain.

DISCLAIMER: Any characters, places or brands you recognize don't belong to me, but the rest does. I'm not making any profit from this story.

Chapter 4

'Gracias Señora Inés' said Harry politely taking the plate she handed him, and waited for the girls to receive theirs before starting to eat. Marta and Laura were giggling hysterically about something talking in fast Spanish and Antonia was looking at them clearly amused. The five days Harry had spent in their house had made it clear that this was a regular occurrence. The most evident difference he had noticed about Spain was that the people there were loud. It was exactly like being at the Gryffindor table, even when you were at a family dinner. They were also a lot more affective and informal than British people were. What Harry had originally thought was rudeness from Antonia when she asked personal questions, he quickly learnt was general practice. He had almost choked two days ago when one of her aunts he had just met that day casually asked if he had a girlfriend while she passed him the potatoes during dinner, and proceeded to list Antonia's good characteristics when he replied negatively.

Nevertheless, he had had a great time with his hosts. During the weekend, Tía Ana and Tío Hernán had taken him and the girls to the nearby towns of Toledo and Aranjuez, and he had much enjoyed the experience. He had never seen so many medieval constructions and castles in one place before, and he had tasted paella and tortilla de patatas which he had liked a lot. Antonia had taught him some more Spanish and to his surprise he had loved the language and learnt quickly. He now knew how to count up to twenty, to describe his moods and other people, and to say various basic nouns. He had also got to know her during the days and found her rather easy to talk to, even if she occasionally made him blush and feel his stomach flip.

The only thing haunting him was the lack of news from England, which was making his nightmares even worse. He felt helpless not knowing what was going on and what Voldemort and his cronies were doing, to the point where he woke up several times a night and was unable to fall back asleep for a while. No one in the house had mentioned the bags under his eyes and his tired demeanor, but he could clearly notice them in everything he did. He could not wait until his friends and godfather wrote him and gave him a detailed account of what was happening.

'Today I have a gymnastics class in the afternoon, but you can stay here if you want' Anto told him in between bites 'You can also come along if you prefer, they might even let you try it out'. Harry nodded, telling her he would stay at home. It was the perfect time to do his homework as the house would be almost empty and he would not have to think of excuses to be alone. He didn't mind doing it in the dead of the night like at the Dursleys, but if he had the chance to finish it without cutting on his hours of sleep he would take it. Plus this way he could actually concentrate on it and make sure Snape didn't have one bad comment about his essay.

They spent the next hours lounging in the pool, splashing each other and talking about everything and nothing. It was amazing how easy it was to smile and laugh with her, he didn't remember the last time he had done it so often. At first Harry had stuttered constantly when trying to avoid mentioning magic things in his stories, but now it came more naturally to him. Antonia taught him how to dive and swim in different styles without making him feel embarrassed and he thought he was getting better, even if the pool was only big enough to cross it with a few strokes.

'I have to go, I don't wanna be late' she said at four o'clock, getting out of the pool and drying herself. Harry, as usual, couldn't help staring at her before stopping himself, and managed a grin.

'Sure, I'll see you later' he replied and continued to swim around sighing inwardly, thinking about the books and parchment that waited for him in his room.

'Yeah, don't miss me too much' she winked and went inside to change. He could feel his cheeks burning brightly, which made him thankful she wasn't there anymore.

As soon as he heard the front door close he got out of the pool and changed into normal clothes before opening his trunk and taking out his potions text, quills and parchment. The essay kept him occupied for the next two hours before he heard a peck in the window and, seeing Hedwig at the other side, let her in. She finally had the reply from Hermione and he opened it eagerly, anxious for information.

Dear Harry,

You have gone on holiday? That's great, I'm glad the Dursleys are treating you better! Where are you? You must tell me all about it! Have you seen any interesting sights?

I'm sorry that I can't tell you where we are or what we are doing right now for security reasons, in case the letters get intercepted, but I'm sure you are having lots more fun than us!

Have you started your summer homework yet? I found the transfiguration subject particularly interesting, but I haven't found many reference books for the difference when transfiguring vertebrates v/s invertebrates. Ron hasn't been any help there as you can guess.

He sends his greetings by the way … we are sorry about the lack of information, but we will tell you more when we see you. I Hope you write back soon!

Love,

Hermione

Harry tried without success to control his frustration. She had completely ignored his hints to send him news, even knowing how desperately he needed them. Plus, how come they were together and keeping him in the dark about it? No one had even mentioned the possibility of him moving anywhere for safety, and they had never told him they planned on being in the same place during the summer. He tried to get rid of his disappointment and his feeling of being left out, crumpling the letter with his hand angrily. He would reply to it later, after he did the essay. He gave Hedwig some treats and went searching for a bowl in the kitchen to fill it with water.

'Hey, I'm back!' Antonia said opening the front door with a grin. Harry couldn't help smiling back while carrying the half filled bowl.

'Great! How was your class?' he asked in a friendly way. Anto didn't reply, and he realized they had made the way into his room. She was looking shocked at his wand discarded on the bedside table, Hedwig hooting and his potions text, picturing a moving stirring cauldron in the page it was open at. Harry kicked himself mentally for his stupidity. How could he have left his things lying around? He racked his brain trying to think of a reasonable excuse for his possessions, when she finally looked at him in the eye.

'You're a wizard?' she asked, still with an expression of surprise. Harry stared at her in disbelief. Whatever he expected was not that. Weren't muggles supposed to look for explanations for what they saw instead of thinking about magic straightaway? She had to be joking.

'Ha ha, that's funny' he replied laughing weakly, while thinking desperately about how to justify what she had seen and trying to disguise his panic. What could he tell her?

'Seriously Harry, an owl, a wand and moving pictures? It's pretty obvious' Antonia said exasperatedly 'I already suspected you were hiding something, now at least I know what it is'. He was shocked at the last part. He knew he had made some slight slip-ups, but they hadn't been too evident, and he'd always covered them up quickly. Anto was too perceptive for her own good.

'How do you know?' he gave up confused. She didn't look too upset, so he figured it was safe to tell her, not that he had a choice. It was obvious that she knew about magic for some reason, otherwise she would not have jumped straight to that conclusion.

'My cousin José is one, and he's one of my best friends so he's shown me some things. You have to be more careful though, my parents and sisters don't know about magic' she warned him. Harry breathed relieved. At least he hadn't broken the statue of secrecy yet.

'Ok I'll be less obvious' he told her sarcastically, thinking he had been fairly subtle. She grinned and he grinned back, happy that he wouldn't have to hide so many things now. He would be able to talk to her more freely and edit his stories less.

'Hey I have an idea! I could ask José to take us to the magical part of Madrid, it would be awesome!' she said enthusiastically 'I've never been there before'. Harry, in spite of his better judgment, liked the idea. It would be someplace where he could teach Antonia something, instead of her being his baby sitter.

'Sure, why not? I could find Gringotts and get money out to buy a bathing suit' he replied thoughtfully.

'Try a whole new wardrobe' Antonia snorted. Harry paused, stricken. It wouldn't do for her to find out about his relationship with the Dursleys on top of his magic.

'Sorry' she said quickly, catching the look of his face 'that was out of line'. Harry agreed, slightly annoyed, but accepted her apology. He couldn't help thinking that she had a point, since his wardrobe consisted mainly of his uniforms, Dudley's cast-offs and the last Weasley sweater, which was the only one that still fit him. He'd never had time to buy anything for himself since the summer before his third year, and many of those clothes were too small for him now.

'I actually might if I can get my money out' he told her, trying to diffuse the tension 'but I'll expect you to help me pick it out' he said cheekily. She groaned loudly at that comment, but he could see her lips twitching as if trying not to smile.

'Great, just what I needed, another friend obsessed with shopping' she said dramatically 'I'll have to make a will in case I don't survive this trip'. Harry started laughing hysterically, not sure what exactly was so funny. He felt really good about having shared one of his secrets with her, which made him wonder. He had never been one to talk about his life, but with Anto it seemed like things just slipped out. Maybe it was because she didn't expect anything from him. It was different not to feel the pressure to live up to his boy-who-lived title, good different.

OoOoOoOoOo

The next day Harry found himself following a mystified Anto and a confident José into a costume shop and joined them at the queue for the counter, looking around interestedly. They were divided by sections, the super hero and the princess ones being the most popular, fairly full of little kids with their mothers.

'Quiero hablar con Don Juan por favor (I want to speak to Mr. Juan please)' José said to the girl at the counter, who smiled and promptly directed them to a door in the back that seemed to go unnoticed by the other clients. They stepped into a small fitting room and José tapped the window with his wand. All of a sudden they were pulled upwards like an elevator, and it stopped in front of a similar-looking street to Diagon Alley. He grinned widely at Anto, whose eyes were wide as saucers, reminding him of the first time he'd seen the wizarding world.

'¿Por qué no me trajiste antes? (why didn't you bring me here before?)' Anto asked José scandalized. Her cousin replied rapidly and Harry turned his attention towards the stores, not understanding a word of what was being said. José was a year older than Harry, and he reminded him strongly of Fred and George. He figured they would have been great friends if they could understand each other, but the boy did not speak a word of English, so Anto had had to translate everything they said so far.

'There's the bank' the girl interrupted his thoughts by pulling on his sleeve. Harry followed them to a building similar to Gringotts and entered. He paused at the entrance, suddenly startled. He had been expecting to see only goblins as tellers, but instead there were only a couple and most of them were ordinary wizards and witches. They got in line and he quietly mentioned this to Anto. She discussed something in Spanish with José before turning back to him.

'José says that's strange, in here anyone can apply for a job at the bank' she informed him puzzled, 'why are banks restricted to goblins in Britain? It sounds pretty random'. Harry thought about the question, slightly confused. He had always just assumed that was how things were done. Where would goblins work otherwise? Maybe Spain had a smaller population of them. He mentioned this to Antonia and she (Harry presumed) asked the same question to José, who gave him a strange look before answering her quickly.

'He says goblins work wherever they want here' she told him 'you know shops, hospitals movie theaters, etc'. 'Can't they work everywhere in England as well?' she asked puzzled. Harry was surprised. He couldn't picture himself walking into a shop only to be assisted by a goblin.

'No they don't, only in Gringotts' he said truthfully, wondering for the first time about it 'it's like their territory'. He recalled something about that in one of the goblin rebellions in history, but couldn't quite remember clearly. It certainly was strange, if he thought about it from an outsider's point of view.

'That makes no sense' Anto said plainly 'I mean what if they get sick? They must have their own doctors and teachers and everything! How would they survive otherwise?' Harry was truly stumped. He had never given a thought to what goblins did other than work at Gringotts, he even had no idea where they lived or if they had families, which reminded him how ignorant he still was about the magical world. They were interesting questions and he made a mental note to find out once he got back.

'Yeah, I'm sure they have their own community, but they live very separately from us, I don't know anything about it' he told her 'but goblins and wizards in Britain don't really get along'. She muttered something about it being ridiculous and turned to talk to José. Harry supposed she had just translated judging by his look of confusion.

'José says in here there are separate schools for wizards and goblins because they have different types of magic and use different weapons, but hospitals and everything else are common for everyone' she told him 'it's so interesting that both countries are so different, though I guess it happens in everything'. Harry agreed, noticing that it was their turn on the queue. 'It must be nice for goblins to work anywhere they wish' he thought absently while José and Anto talked to the clerk, a man in his mid-twenties.

'¿Cómo te llamas? (What's your name?) ' he asked him.

'Harry Potter' he replied, proud that he'd actually understood. The man didn't bat an eyelash and asked him other straightforward questions, which he was ecstatic to find out he could answer in Spanish correctly. The clerk typed his answers in … was that a computer? Maybe the electricity incompatibility was a British thing only. He then did a spell and a blue ball of light formed on top of his wand, before he started talking in Spanish to Anto again.

'He says the fee for international withdrawals is two galeones, so you should take out everything you mean to spend at once' she told him 'I just asked him, and he said one galeón is 965 pesetas'. They discussed how much Harry would need for a new wardrobe and extra things in the two next months before they agreed and Harry named the price to the teller. He promptly called another person with the order and verified his identity with a spell. He passed a document for Harry to sign and when the teen was finished the other teller had come back with a red velvet pouch, which they gave him after verifying the amount with another spell. José had used the opportunity to exchange his own muggle money, and Anto managed to come out of her shock for long enough to do the same herself.

As they made their way through 'El Barrio Dorado (The golden neighbourhood)' Anto was getting more and more excited with each new store. Harry exchanged an amused grin with José as she dragged them to the potions ingredients' shops and proceeded to ask questions in fast Spanish to her cousin about the many jars with vicious looking things inside. Harry was pleasantly surprised at the magical neighborhood, which was a lot more modern than Diagon Alley. He had always (perhaps unconsciously) associated the magical world with the medieval era, but now that he had seen magical video games, televisions and normal clothes on sale he was forced to reconsider. José and Anto had looked at him in complete disbelief when he had mentioned it.

'Seriously, you don't have TV or phones?' Anto had asked, stumped 'how come?'

'No, electricity doesn't work well with magic' Harry had replied.

'Well, apparently either they lied to you or there are spells to make all this technology work anyway' Anto said matter-of-factly gesturing at a computer nearby. Harry wondered why Great Britain seemed so backwards compared to Spain. Wasn't Hogwarts supposed to be the best school in Europe? Then how come no one had ever thought of modernizing it? It would be great to have movie nights and to turn in the essays typed like José did at his school. It was slightly embarrassing, since the teenager laughed for five minutes straight when Harry mentioned they had to write with quills. Anto diplomatically told him she was sure they probably had a reason for all that respect for tradition, but he could tell she was also trying hard not to laugh.

'Yeah, I wish we had this stuff there, it would be so much fun!' said Harry enthusiastically checking out the Mario Bros and Donkey Kong Nintendo games on display. He had never actually played one, as he could never sneak at the Durleys' for long enough.

'Well, you could always work importing them to Britain after you graduate' Anto told him grinning. What? It's true, you'd probably become a millionaire!' she exclaimed at his incredulous look. He couldn't help but grin back. He had never really considered any career path except maybe being an auror, but there was no harm in keeping it in mind, if he survived all of Voldemort's attempts at killing him.

'Yeah, and I'd help Britain come out of the Middle Ages' he half joked and she laughed. The trio wandered for a while chatting, and finally went back to the muggle world for lunch, which José assured them was cheaper. After eating a delicious pizza José excused himself to go home, not before making them promise to be at his sixteenth birthday on Saturday.

'So, are you ready to go clothes shopping?' Anto asked grinning.

'Yeah let's do it' he replied a bit nervously. He knew Anto didn't like shopping as much as other girls, but he still hoped it wouldn't take too long.

'Relax, the worst I can do is pick your underwear for you' she said casually. Harry felt his face burn, and when she turned to look at him she exploded in a fit of giggles. 'Sorry, that was a joke' she clarified smiling sweetly, but mischievously. Harry's stomach did an intense flip that put his previous crush on Cho Chang to shame, but he managed to grin back.

'Maybe I'll hold you to that' he joked back, and she laughed hysterically again, though he could detect a faint blush on her cheeks. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing if shopping took too long.

I hope you liked it! I'm sorry if you are disappointed if the story is going a bit slow and Harry takes a while to become smarter, but he's fifteen and traumatized, and maturing takes time anyway. The relationship with the OC might go a bit faster than expected, since I think that it will be easier for him to trust her if they are together, and that is needed to help him mature. Anyway, in cannon he had barely talked to Cho alone and directly before he kissed her, so I think it's plausible that he develops feelings for someone quickly, especially if he actually knows her and spends every day with her.

I know her finding out he's a wizard might have been a bit anticlimatic, but if she freaked out then he would be less comfortable telling her new things so it wouldn't work. He needs someone that does not take changes dramatically and that helps him think about different possibilities. Nevertheless, that does not mean the OC will be flippant when she finds out about his life, it really is extraordinary after all. She just reacted this way because she already knew about the wizarding world.

Anyway, tell me what you think! Constructive criticism and plot ideas are very welcome! Question: Would you prefer for the order of the phoenix to start looking for him, or to realize it's pointless? Do you think death eaters should become aware that he is missing or not?