It had been several weeks and Harry still hadn't heard from the Guild Leader. He wondered if she'd reconsidered testing him.
He'd written several drafts of letters to Sirius, but it just felt wrong to write what he wanted to say in a letter. He'd prefer talking to the man in person.
He was currently sitting at his desk early Sunday morning. Luna's lithe figure was sprawled across the bed. If he wasn't so annoyed he'd be impressed at how much bed she'd managed to take up.
Luna still struggled to sleep and was very grumpy in the mornings if he woke her up. He was already used to waking up early, from the Dursleys so it wasn't a big deal. He'd sometimes nab an afternoon nap if he needed to.
Mrs Figg had taken them to Hogsmeade to meet with his business partners and they'd gotten Luna her own wardrobe and some other personal belongings for her. She wasn't very material minded, but they'd had to store all her clothes in Sirius' old room. Harry hoped she'd feel comfortable moving into it soon.
Harry had managed to get some Christmas shopping done and he felt prepared for his first Christmas, which was only a couple weeks away, with his new family.
Mrs Figg had picked up the pace of his tutoring and Harry felt more than prepared for his first year at Hogwarts. Luna had joined him as well and was grasping the material quickly. Mrs Figg was a great teacher and Luna was naturally very intelligent, if unfocused at times.
They'd gotten into a good routine and he was enjoying himself immensely. But the itch to go on an adventure, to steal something, or spy on his enemies, was growing steadily more irritating.
As if he'd willed it into being, Harry saw an owl approaching his room. He grew excited and jumped out of his chair to open the window. The chair screeched and Luna mumbled grumpily.
Harry ignored her and greeted the owl as it landed on his windowsill. The owl offered its leg so she could untie the letter. Once removed, the owl took off. Harry frowned at the missed opportunity to dote on the animal as he was prone to do.
He sighed in disappointment and opened the letter. He noticed that the letter was sealed by a blank wax seal.
He was met with neat loopy black ink.
'My young friend,
I have given great consideration to this little errand I'd like you to run. You will tell no one what you're doing for me, not even Mrs Figg or your little friend, Luna.'
Harry shouldn't have been surprised that she knew about Luna, but it worried him a bit. He wondered if Mrs Figg had told her or if she had another way of knowing. He figured that as the leader of an organization of thieves and spies that it made sense that she had resources to know things.
He continued reading his assignment.
'There is an object I seek that is currently in possession of a shop owner. It has the ability to hold a lit candle that shines light that only the one that wields the object can see. I'm sure you can imagine how useful such an item could be.
I won't tell you where to look, but I will tell you that the object is in plain sight.
You cannot purchase or borrow this object and you must not be caught.
Once you've obtained the object, you will place it inside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. You'll know exactly where when you see it.
You have until New Year's Day.'
The letter ended without a signature.
Harry had chills after reading the letter. He was so excited for this chance to prove himself and go on a little adventure. He had no idea where to look but he hoped the object was in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. He checked his calendar and counted how many days he had to figure it out. He had only 20 days to find the object and place it inside the Shrieking Shack. He put the letter in his coin purse for now. He might need to check it again.
He had a pretty good idea of how to get into the shrieking shack. He'd have to use the same secret passage that Remus used when he transformed each month. He had no idea where he'd find the object described in the letter. It sounded like the perfect thing for a thief or an adventurer. He could think of only one place that might have something like that… Knockturn Alley. He wasn't sure how he would get there unnoticed unless he went on his own but he wasn't sure that was a good idea right now.
No, for now maybe he would focus on finding out more about how to get into the shrieking shack. He walked over to the bookcase where he had moved and collected all the journals from all the family members he had been able to find. He found his father's third year journal and pulled it off the shelf and began to read.
Harry had spent most of the day reading through the journal but no luck. From the journal, he learned that his father had opted to take Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy as his electives. That he was infatuated with Lily Evans, his future mother, and that Lily wanted nothing to do with him after he'd pranked her friend Severus Snape.
He wondered if Mrs Figg knew anything about this friend of his mother's.
He'd discovered nothing on how his father had snuck into Hogsmeade. Perhaps he discovered the secret himself in a later year.
He had gleaned that his father knew that Remus was taken to the Shrieking Shack via a secret tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow, but not how to get past the violent tree. Still, it was a start and he was grateful for the useful information.
He'd keep reading the journals during the day in hopes of finding more information and then sneak out late at night to explore. He wasn't sure how he was going to discover what the object was and who had it without visiting the shops during business hours, and he wasn't likely to get away with that with Mrs Figg around. Maybe he could do some recon while doing some actual shopping.
Harry put the journal away and made his way to the library to see if he could find Luna. When he got there, he found Loki sitting on the couch next to Luna who was reading a large tome. Loki had basically chosen Luna as her favorite human.
"Anything good?" He asked.
Luna held the book up so he could read the title. It was the book on family magic that Healer Juniper had mentioned.
"Oh cool, I'd completely forgotten about that. Did you buy it or was it already here?" He asked.
"It was here but it took me ages to find. I kept getting distracted by other interesting books."
"Have you read through the whole library yet?" He joked.
"No, I have 735 books left to read, but only 227 if I skip the ones that don't interest me," she replied seriously.
Luna had a hard time with jokes sometimes, so he wasn't surprised that his joke didn't land. He wondered just how many books were in here. He hasn't read much of them, choosing to focus on getting ahead of the coursework.
"Are you hungry? Have you eaten?" He asked.
"Oh. No, I haven't," she said, glancing at the clock. He checked the clock too. It looked like they'd both skipped breakfast and lunch at this point.
"We should go eat something or Mrs Figg will be cross with us," he said.
Mrs Figg has been spending most days with them making sure they were taken care of and tutoring them, but usually went out on Sundays and they were left to their own devices. It was up to them to take care of themselves, but they often forgot.
They whipped something up quickly and ate together in silence. They'd gotten used to each other in the kitchen and had a routine they followed when they cooked together.
After lunch, they decided to venture outside in the snow. They put on coats, boots, and gloves and walked through the garden.
Mrs Figg had been able to procure some replacement glass for the green houses and they'd spent the last two Saturdays fixing them up. She'd gotten Harry to whip up some herbicide potion and they'd poured it into the pit of Devil's Snare and then lit it on fire for good measure. Harry smiled happily at the memory of the plant writhing around as it burned.
The greenhouses were in pretty good shape and they were just waiting to start filling them with plants. Herbology was one subject he was behind on in practical work, but he'd studied a lot of the academic material already. He could say the same for Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
They were nearing the edge of the large forest that the Potter home was nested in. Harry thought he heard a mournful cry off in the distance. It was a pitiful and awkward sound that gave him chills. He heard it again, now closer than he thought it was before. He looked up in the direction he thought it was coming from but couldn't see anything. He decided to try using his ability to see if he could pick up on anything. He pinged on something a little ways into the forest up high in one of the trees. He and Luna walked in to investigate.
When they got to the area he thought he'd sensed the creature, they looked up. A large worn looking bird with greenish-black feathers was looking down at them. It cried it's mournful cry again, but didn't move. Luna was looking at it in wonder and said, "That's an augurey, Harry. They cry when it's about to rain or snow. A lot of people think they are a bad omen, but I think they're just misunderstood."
Harry thought he could understand why someone would think the cry of an augurey was a bad omen. He thought it was a pretty ominous sound, himself, and he still had goosebumps.
Harry watched as Luna extended her arm, inviting the augurey to join her. Harry didn't know if that was a good idea as this augurey was very large, but he patiently waited with Luna to see if the bird would accept her invitation.
It cried again, but didn't budge. Luna hummed disappointingly. Harry knew that augurey liked to eat insects and fairies, but with it being winter he wasn't sure they'd be able to find any insects. He wondered if there were any fairies in these woods. He'd read a bit about them but not much. He knew they were semi-intelligent humanoid creatures and liked to cause mischief and were incredibly vain. He hated seeing Luna disappointed though, and decided to try and search for something to attract the augurey for Luna.
It had gotten easier for him to use his ability since Healer Juniper had arrived. He wasn't sure why. He reckoned it could be a number of things or maybe a combination. He suspected the shard of Voldemort's soul had been parasitic and was leaching off his magic or maybe his families residual magic had somehow enhanced his own magical core. Or maybe it was simply all the practice he did. He couldn't be sure and there didn't seem to be a large amount of information regarding soul magic or family magic.
He closed his eyes and expanded his consciousness. Rather than fly high above himself like he had done in the past, he chose to remain lower than the canopy. He didn't want to have to climb up very high in order to hunt whatever he found. He'd prefer to stay close to the ground if he could. In his mind, he soared through the woods, probing for anything magical. The forest was full of magical plants and creatures and it took time for him to deduce if it was anything useful. Eventually, off in the distance he thought he might have found what he was looking for. He left Luna so she could continue to keep an eye on the bird and went to investigate what he'd found.
He was a little surprised at how far away the source of magic was from his location. He hadn't realized how far he was able to expand his consciousness now. He came upon a very large old tree. Next to it, was a medium sized bush that was blazing with energy. He walked over to the bush and moved aside its limbs as he investigated. As he went to push one of the limbs a small creature came flying out and then gracefully landed on his hand. Harry was stunned at the small fairies beauty. Suddenly, the fairy bared it's fangs and then bit down on his thumb and the fairy no longer seemed very beautiful to him. Harry flung his hand on instinct, but the fairy stayed latched on. Harry grabbed it with his other hand.
Harry calmed down after that. He knew the fairy was just defending its home. The creature appeared so human that he suddenly wasn't sure how he felt offering it to the augurey. He wondered how Luna would feel too.
He brought the fairy to her and her eyes widened. "Harry, you found a fairy… this is perfect." She took the fairy from him and held it up high so the Augery could see. Her other arm was extended out like a perch. Apparently, he was alone in his concern for the fairy's life. He just chuckled. If Luna didn't think it was a big deal then maybe he was being silly.
As if she read his mind, Luna said, "Fairies are pests in the magical world. Don't let their appearance fool you, they aren't human or all that intelligent."
Harry watched as the augurey glided down and landed on Luna's arm. She took her other hand so that the augurey could see the fairy and then she opened her hand. The large bird didn't hesitate and claimed the fairy. It had been so fast that Harry barely had time to worry that Luna might get bit in the process, but she remained unscathed. The augurey cried softly again as if thanking Luna for the snack.
Harry examined the bird more closely and saw that it was infested with tiny crab-like creatures. They were crawling all over in the bird's feathers and on his feet. The poor guy was obviously struggling. "Luna, we have to do something." he said.
Luna nodded and said, "I think they are chizpurfle, Harry. Let's take him to the greenhouse and out of the cold. I know there are some lanterns in there and maybe we can draw them out with the light."
Harry nodded, he trusted Luna knew what she was talking about. He offered his arm to the augurey and it jumped over to his arm. Luna had called him a he so he guessed it was a male bird. He was surprisingly light. The augurey shifted onto his shoulder awkwardly as they walked towards the greenhouse.
When they got to the greenhouse, the large bird soared over and landed on one of the empty tables. It walked around inspecting the area and then let another mournful cry. Harry was starting to get used to it by now and wasn't as affected. He and Luna found a pair of lanterns and lit them. They placed a lantern on each side of the augurey and waited. While they were waiting, Harry went and collected a couple large jars to collect the tiny creatures in. He knew some parts were used in some potions he'd brewed. He just hadn't recognized them while they were living, used to seeing them in powdered or crushed forms.
He watched as some of the tiny bugs starting crawling towards the lanterns, but most of them stayed on the bird. "Luna, what all do you know about chizpurfle?" he asked.
Luna hummed in thought. "I thought the light would work. I read that they are attracted to Lumos… but maybe it's magic they are attracted to… or both?" she mused.
Harry thought about what she was saying and he think he had a solution he wanted to try. Maybe he could try concentrating his magic somewhere and see if the bugs would be attracted to it. Luna had said that he zoomed in too much when using his ability, but maybe that would be a good thing in that instance. He focused on a spot on the table, away from the lantern. He waited, trying his best to maintain focus on the one spot. Nothing seemed to be happening, but he remembered that Luna had guessed that they were attracted to both. Instead of releasing his focus, he shifted it to the flame inside the lantern.
Harry watched as the lantern seemed to shine more brightly. Luna gasped as the small insects started marching towards the lantern. It was working. Once a large number of bugs were congregating around the lantern, Luna swept them into the jar as best she could. When they were sure that all the chizpurfle had removed themselves from the large bird, Harry stopped.
He looked at the jar. It was nearly half way full. He couldn't believe how many of them there were on the augurey. The poor creature.
"Is that better, Auggie?" Luna said to the bird.
"Auggie the augurey?" Harry checked with a laugh.
"I like it," she said with a shrug.
The large bird gave a loud mournful call.
"See, he likes it too," Luna said in a sing-song voice, "Don't you, Auggie?"
To his utter disbelief, Auggie dipped his head up and down as he walked toward the girl. Luna scratched his head gently in response, seemingly rewarding him.
'What the hell…' he thought. He didn't understand how, but Luna had a way with magical creatures.
Harry pocketed the jar of chizpurfle in one of the pockets inside his robes. "I'm going to go back into the forest and collect some fairy eggs and maybe some wings as potion supplies," he said. "Do you want to come with?"
Luna thought for a minute, "Sure. I bet Auggie is still hungry and could use some more fairies anyway," she said.
They made their way back into the forest so Harry could collect his ingredients. He turned his focus on so that he could find things more easily. Most of the things he found with his focus were dormant plants so he left them alone. He could always come back in spring to find out what they were. He found the fairy shrub pretty quickly and got to work. He wasn't sure if he would find any eggs in winter but he wanted to check. Several fairies flew out and attacked him, but he was able to subdue them. He removed their wings and then offered the fairies to Auggie.
Eventually he found some fairy eggs stuck to the bottom of a small stem. He cut off the stem with a pocket knife and then put it in a jar. He knew that there were still some fairies hiding deep within the bush but he left them alone so they could repopulate. As he was leaving, a female fairy flew at him, waving her arms in anger. Harry thought she was rather beautiful, but he'd been bitten several times so he decided to just leave her alone. He'd be angry too if someone came waltzing in and started messing with him and his family.
Auggie joined them on their way back to the manor instead of staying in the forest. He seemed attached to Luna. They went inside and took Auggie back to their room. They would need to get some supplies if they planned on keeping him there for long. They decided to let him perch on the window seal so he could come and go as he pleased. The windows were charmed so that things like rain and snow couldn't come in so it wasn't a worry. Auggie seemed content to stay with them for now.
Harry took the ingredients he'd collected down to the potions lab. He was proud of himself for harvesting his own ingredients. It was something fun and productive that he could do around the house and he could see himself continuing the practice when he had the chance. He couldn't wait to try growing things in the greenhouse and he did want to try taking care of some magical creatures too but it seemed like too much work without the help of magic. He'd probably have to wait until he had a wand and even then… what would he do when he went to school unless he figured out a way to come home every now and then to help. It would be too much for Mrs Figg alone. He wondered if Mrs Figg would have any ideas.
She still wasn't back yet and he had several things he wanted to ask her about, including a trip to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley to do some shopping. If she was too busy, maybe he'd be able to convince her that the shop owners at Hogsmeade would watch out for him. When they'd first started venturing out, Mrs Figg had been worried that people would discover that he'd returned to the magical world, but so far nothing had been in the papers. For the most part, no one seemed to recognize him except for people in Hogsmeade that knew his dad. But the majority of the shop owners that did know, were now business partners and had signed non-disclosures.
Harry chose not to question his luck for now. It would come out when it came out. That didn't mean that anyone would know where to look for him. His location was a well kept secret sealed behind several layers of security thanks to Mundungus. While a few people did recognize Mrs Figg, most of them respected her and knew her to be a good person. They'd known she worked for the Potters years back and didn't question it. As long as the free death eaters remained oblivious then he figured he was safe. He and Mrs Figg knew that they'd have to face magical society eventually. It was part of their plan after all, and the Guild would certainly want to use him in a few years if they accepted him.
When he'd tried to use that excuse in the past, Mrs Figg had simply reminded him that he didn't have a wand or know how to use one. As a squib she was limited in ways to protect him if someone made a move. She'd promised to lighten the restrictions once he'd gotten a wand and some practice using it. For now, he had to lay low.
He decided to grab a few potions that he'd brewed from the cabinet and take them up to his room. He wanted to start gathering his supplies in case he got the opportunity to leave unnoticed so he could perform his mission.
When he got back to his room, he noticed that Luna and Auggie were gone. He continued prepping for his mission. He collected several things that he thought might be useful for causing a distraction. Zonko's and Honey Dukes had been great resources for that. He also made sure his blackest robes were clean and in good order. And, even though he wasn't allowed a wand, he still put one of Zonko's joke wands in a holster on his hip. It might at least give him the appearance of being armed, if he needed it. Lastly, he grabbed the expandable bag that Mrs Figg had given him so that if he did find the object, he'd have somewhere to put it.
There was just one problem that he wasn't sure how to get around… Luna. While they did spend a lot of time apart during the day, they shared a room and he wasn't sure how he was going to sneak out without her knowing. He'd gotten away with it once but he wasn't sure it would last. He didn't know how well she would take it if he asked her to move to a different room or if he made the choice himself to switch rooms. It needed to be done, however, so he started working out how best to bring the topic up. Hiding stuff from his family was hard.
It was getting pretty late, but still early evening. Mrs Figg didn't always check on him when she got home and he could probably make an excuse that he was in the forest or off somewhere if he got caught. This was the only way he was going to accomplish his task because he couldn't do it all in the dead of night and he didn't know how he'd sneak away from Mrs Figg if she was with him in Diagon Alley.
He made his way into the main hall. He had no idea where Luna was and that was potentially problematic but he'd have to risk it. Even if he got grounded, it would be worth it if he managed to succeed in his task. Once inside, he walked over to the fireplace and looked around. It was all clear so he threw in some floo powder and said "Diagon Alley!"
Harry had been searching all the shops in the main alley and Horizont Alley just to make sure there wasn't anything there that stood out before he risked going into Knockturn. He was slightly worried that he'd run into Mundungus or Mrs Figg if she was here. He wanted to turn on his focus but it was kind of overwhelming with so many people and magical objects around… especially without something he was searching for like last time.
Once he'd eliminated all the shops in the main alley, he made his way back to Knockturn.
He made his way down the alley, making sure he was emanating confidence and belonging so people would leave him alone. It had worked last time. There were several shops down Knockturn but they weren't very well advertised. Most everything was run down and it was hard to know what each shop sold. He was beginning to rethink all this. He simply didn't know enough about the shops around Diagon and Knockturn Alley or even Hogsmeade. He wondered if he could ask anyone without giving himself away.
"Ugh," he mumbled to himself. "This would be so much easier if I could do magic."
"I can't wait to do magic either," a voice said behind him. Harry froze. 'Crap!' he thought before turning around and coming face to face with a blonde boy that looked to be around his age. He wanted to put his hand out and introduce himself as was custom, but no one was supposed to know he was here. He couldn't just make up a name either. What if this person went to Hogwarts with him. It would be really hard to explain why he had used a fake name. Coming here was a bad idea.
He put his hand out and said, "Hi, my name is Harry Potter." With his other hand, he brushed his hair aside casually, as if it was in his eyes, so his scar was visible.
The blonde boy's eyes widened and he said, "My name is Draco Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," he said out loud. Inside, he was freaking right out. The son of his enemy right here in Knockturn Alley.
"What are you doing in Knockturn," Draco asked casually. Harry could tell that what he said now was important to Draco. He decided to go with a bit of truth and a lie.
"Oh, I was just doing some shopping in Diagon. I got bored and Knockturn Alley looked like the kind of place that might cure my boredom… But then I got a bit turned around."
Draco looked smug. "You must be very brave to come down here alone," he said, "Or very foolish."
Harry laughed and said, "Oh, I've been down here by myself a few times now. It's no big deal if you know what you're doing."
Now Draco looked impressed.
Harry pressed on, "Which are you then, if you're down here by yourself?"
Draco laughed and Harry relaxed.
"People down here know not to mess with me. My father is visiting Borgin and Burke's and he kicked me out," the boy whined while pointing out one of the shops. "I don't know why he thought I couldn't handle it. I've been there loads of times."
Harry looked at the shop. He definitely would have missed it if Draco hadn't pointed it out.
"What kind of shop is that?" Harry asked.
Draco smiled smugly again at knowing more than Harry. "They sell antiques that are… sensitive in the current political climate and difficult to own without the right connections."
"Oh, that sounds fascinating. Your father must be very well connected to be able to handle transactions like that then," Harry said, playing on the boy's arrogance.
"Oh, yes he is. You've heard of my family, I suspect?" Draco checked.
"Yes, indeed," he told Draco confidently. He had heard of them after all, just not anything good.
Draco nodded smugly.
"Well, I should get going. My guardian's will be wondering where I've been and I don't want to get in trouble. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr Malfoy." Draco practically preened when Harry called him Mr Malfoy.
"You too, Potter." Draco said in return. It was clear to Harry that Draco was posturing, but he really needed to get out of here before the actual Mr Malfoy showed up. He didn't want to meet him on his own. He let the slight go, and wandered off back towards the main alley.
It would be too dangerous for him to try and enter the shop while Malfoy was there. He was cutting it pretty close time wise. He had a lead, at least and plenty of time to come back and try again. He decided to just head back home and wait for another day to go into Borgin and Burke's.
Harry landed roughly when he came through the floo in Potter Manor. He didn't want to be caught here in case anyone suspected him of leaving the grounds. He rushed through the main hall and then outside onto the patio. He crept along the house until he had a clear shot into the woods that were free from any windows.
He decided to collect some more potions ingredients as an excuse in case he was found. He remembered that he'd seen some wiggentrees and he knew the bark would still be good for use in potions even if he harvested in winter. He made his way in the direction he thought he remembered seeing them.
The forest was quiet. It had been snowing when he arrived outside, but the forest was thick and the snow wasn't making it through the thick canopy. Harry was glad he didn't have to trudge through thick snow while he was out here. He finally found a tree and approached it. He was about to start peeling away some bark but a little stick creature came rushing down the trunk. It stopped just out of his reach and started waving it's tiny fists at him.
"Alright, alright, I get it. I won't mess with your tree," he said out loud stepping back. Harry thought back to the book on creatures he'd read. "You must be a bowtruckle," he said to the stick creature.
The bowtruckle tilted it's head to the side as if it were processing his words and then it finally nodded. Harry extended his arm and then held his index finger in front of the bowtruckle. "My name is Harry," he said to the bowtruckle.
The bowtruckle hesitated for a long moment before he reached out with both hands and held onto Harry's finger. Harry moved his finger gently up and down simulating a handshake. Harry laughed at the oddness. Harry was thoughtful for a moment. He knew that bowtruckle lived in magical trees and protected them, but maybe there was a wiggentree that had fallen that was still viable to harvest from. The bowtruckle seemed intelligent enough so Harry asked, "Have you seen any wiggentrees that I could harvest from? Maybe one that has fallen already?"
The bowtruckle looked angry when Harry started asking his question, but then turned thoughtful when he understood that Harry wasn't wanting to harm a living tree or one that any bowtruckles were living in. He gestured for Harry to pick him up, so Harry laid his hand flat so the bowtruckle could climb on. When the bowtruckle climbed on, Harry moved his hand to the pocket on the front of his robes. The bowtruckle climbed down into his pocket and then pointed where Harry should go.
Harry started walking and it was taking a long time. He was beginning to think the bowtruckle had misunderstood him after he walked several paces and didn't find anything. "Are you sure there is a tree down here?" he asked again.
The bowtruckle simply extended it's long finger in the direction again, emphasizing that Harry should keep walking.
"Alright, I guess I'll trust you're not sending me to my death," he said as he walked along.
Harry started to notice that the trees were getting really thick here. He must be pretty deep in the forest. He was beginning to feel pretty vulnerable out here without anything to defend himself with. Just when he thought he might have to turn around and abandon his quest, he came across a very large and very old tree that had fallen down. He wasn't a complete expert, but it did look like a wiggentree, if a bit older and more gnarled than he had seen before.
Harry pulled out his knife and got to work extracting the wood. He didn't take too much. Just enough that he could make a few batches of wiggenweld. He didn't know if he wanted to risk coming back out this far again until he had a wand. He felt like he was being watched. He probably was being watched but he couldn't see anything and rather than use his gift, he just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
Bark harvested and collected, he thanked the bowtruckle for helping him find his way here.
"Do you want me to take you back to your tree," he asked his new friend.
The bowtruckle nodded in response so Harry started walking back the way he came, willing that nothing dangerous approached them.
It felt like it was taking longer to get back than it did to get there, he mused, but the trees were thinning so Harry knew he was heading in the right direction.
Harry eventually found the tree he'd found the bowtruckle in and he picked up the creature and went to put him back on the tree where he'd found him. He extended his arm and hand palm up so the bowtruckle could walk over to the tree.
"Thanks again," Harry said. The small creature hesitated and shook his head while climbing back into Harry's pocket.
Harry reached in and pulled the creature out gently. He placed him in his palm so he could see him better. "You don't want to go back in the tree?" He asked.
The bowtruckle shook his head no in response.
"Do you want me to take you to another tree?" He checked.
Again, the bowtruckle shook his head no.
Harry was confused now… what else could the creature want? "You don't want to come home with me, do you?" He asked.
The bowtruckle nodded enthusiastically.
Harry smiled. "I'd like that, c'mon…" he said. "You'll love Luna, but maybe I shouldn't bring you to her… You'd probably end up liking her more than me."
The bowtruckle simply tilted his head to the side at that. Harry placed him back inside his pocket.
Harry walked back home, ready with his excuse that he'd been harvesting potion ingredients if anyone asked where he'd been. He knew he'd skipped dinner and Mrs Figg wouldn't like that. He wondered if Luna had stopped to eat anything. She usually only ate when Harry reminded her, he mused.
Harry walked through the garden and then into the main hall from the patio. Mrs Figg was walking by and she said, "Oh, there you are. Where have you been? I tried calling out."
"I was collecting potion ingredients," he said, showing her the tree bark. "And I met this little guy." He gestured to his front pocket.
Mrs Figg smiled at the twig creature and offered her finger for him to shake.
She then inspected the wiggentree bark and said, "This looks pretty old. How far in did you go?"
"Not too far," Harry lied.
"Hmm, I should hope not, she said. "There are dangerous creatures in those woods. Even with a wand you'd be hard pressed to defend yourself against some of them."
Harry couldn't help but shiver at her words. He must have been lucky.
"Have you seen Luna," Harry asked, changing the subject. "I want to make sure she ate dinner."
"Oh yes," Mrs Figg said. "We ate together without you. You should tell someone before you go wandering out in the woods alone like that."
"Yes, Mrs Figg," he said. "I'm sorry."
"Alright," she said. "Go wash up and come back down for something to eat. I don't want Healer Juniper yelling at me because the two of you aren't eating unless I tell you to."
Harry nodded. Okay, I'll be right back.
He headed back to his room with a smile on his face. He felt bad for having to lie but he was excited at getting away with it. He wondered how long it would take for him to get used to all the lying. He'd certainly have to do it a lot if he joined the Guild. Hopefully it didn't become a problem, he mused.
Back in his room, he realized he didn't have anywhere for his new friend to stay. He'd have to get an indoor tree or something for him. There were a few potted shrubs on the balcony that would do… maybe he could bring one inside and put it by the windows.
A few minutes later, he was dragging one of the shrubs into his room, making an awful noise that made him wince each time he pulled. Hopefully he wasn't ruining anything. He inspected the area and was surprised to see no damage. 'Probably spelled with protection,' he mused to himself.
His new friend was inspecting the tree. Finally satisfied, he sat on one of the branches. "You need a name," Harry said. "How about… Twig."
He then learned that bowtruckles could glare.
"Alright, alright, I get it," he said. He thought some more. Loki was named after a Norse god. Maybe he'd like something like that.
"I think you'll like this one," he said. "It's the name of a fearsome dragon that protected the great world tree, Yggdrasil…"
Harry checked and saw that the tree creature was leaning forward, interested.
"Nidhogg!" He said, hoping his new friend would approve.
The twig creature actually laughed and slapped his knee before standing up and gesturing two large circles over his chest and then sashaying along the tree limb.
Harry was confused but eventually understood. "Oh, Nidhogg is a girl?" He said to the twig. "I forgot."
His friend nodded.
Harry thought some more and then remembered another creature associated with the world tree. He couldn't remember the name though. He walked over to his bookcase and found the book on Norse mythology he'd read.
He eventually found what he was looking for and found… "Ratatoskr!" He exclaimed triumphantly.
The tree with legs nodded vigorously when he heard the name. Harry was pleased he'd found a name his friend liked.
According to the book, Ratatoskr was less a protector and more of a messenger. He guessed if his friend liked it then that was good enough for him.
"Alright, Ratatoskr it is," he said to his new friend. "I need to go eat dinner so I'll leave you here. Feel free to explore but don't ruin anything please."
Harry left his room satisfied with the events of the day. Even though he didn't find the magical item he was looking for, everything else made up for it.