Letters and Kneazles
“Is this…are you being a bigger person, or is this petty in some way?”
“Petty.” Harry swatted at the air behind him at the Professor, seeing that the car was home, he cleared his throat and straightened up, headed to the door with a gift basket. He stood tall, his hair combed nicely over as much as it could manage with its unruly nature, he’d decided on mugglewear. A clean suit, white button up shirt, a lil bow tie, shining shoes with dress slacks, the basket over his arm as he knocked politely at the door.
“DUDDERS! CAN YOU GET THE DOOR DARLING?” A Woman’s screech straight like Severus memories came through, and he had to shake his head a little bit, frowning as the memories shared back from Nagini brought to surface of those same sort of screech with a lightbulb breaking overhead, and a pudgy man turning Harry’s arm purple.
A blonde wide boy, not too terribly different than his memory of the man, but a bit more fit. He eyed the basket on his arm, quirking a brow.
“Mum there’s a boy at the door. Looks like a delivery of some sort! Maybe from Aunt Marge?” He called back into the house while eyeing a set of games and movies in the collection curiously.
A tall blonde woman with a neck like a crane brushed off her apron as she came to the door, a bit of flour on her collar, he smiled politely. “Good morning, Mrs. Dursley, fine day?”
“Fine day indeed darling. How can I help you?” She eyed him curiously as well, clearly not sure what to make of the ten year old boy, taller than her Dudders, lean, bulked with his years sparring, flying, and hauling around a heavy ass snake over his shoulders day in and out.
“Letters for Mrs. Dursley, and Dudley Dursley. The ties are Mr. Dursley, but no letter for him.”
“Oh? Well that's…thank you. Who is it from?”
He beamed, his eyes crinkled a bit to the boy that blinked up at his mother, Harry giving each of them a letter. “No return addresses on it I'm afraid, ma'am.” He smiled softly to Dudley, a bit sadly, thinking what it would have been like growing up with him possibly as a big brother, what was lost, before he turned to go.
They waved him off, excited, a little confused, but happier to get things than suspicious.
“That's ... that's it?… how long have you been thinking about if you had something to say to them?”
“Since the trial with papa… if the Dursley’s weren’t so awful my magic tugged me away to save me… I wouldn’t have found him…you two might not have met while he was under his dads curse…and Sirius might never have been free… so… I really did need to thank them.” He smiled gently over to Severus, his eyes soft in that he may never have met like this without their cruelty.
Getting the stupid presents for the Dursley’s, getting it just right in their interests from the memories of Severus, Mcgonagall, and his own to unsettle the family that the wizarding world still knew them, and still were judging them. Even if it was mostly just Harry now, didn’t mean he’d forget any time soon. Yes, he was petty, yes, they’d been working on keeping his attitude in check as well as helping him, believing from the marks on Barty and Severus’s arms that one day the dark lord would be back…but it didn’t feel right letting stuff like that go either. No need to forgive someone if they never apologized.
Severus chuckled a bit, them behind on their shopping then compared to when Severus would have preferred they do their shopping, guided him to a hidden alley and apparated with him into another one, dusting himself off as Harry shuttered, hating be a side along for those. Severus was better than Lupin at it, but he was still queasy afterwards. He walked with him through into the Leaky Cauldron, Severus nodding over to the man in passing, quickly sweeping through when a young pale man in the corner, with a set of soft green robes and a purple turban perked up spotting the man, smiling softly as he met him at the archway leading to Diagon Alley.
“P-P-Professor S-Snape! W-W-What a ple-..easure t-t-to see you h-here.” He stammered, wringing his hands a bit.
“A pleasure would be to be in my lab with a hundred potions balancing, instead I’m headed into the throws of over excited children because this one decided to run some errands first.” He tsked, eyes narrowing back at Harry. “Harry, this is your Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Quirrell.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Professor.” He beamed cheerily.
Professor Quirrells eye twitched, looking wide eyed at him then around curiously for that it was just the three of them. “H..Harry a..as in…P-P-Potter? H-Ha! N..Not that y-you’ll need m-my g-guidance, a-aye?”
Harry blinked a bit and offered a warm smile back to the man who looked scared to even bump into the wall. “That doesn’t make sense, eh? I don’t know what exactly happened, so it’s better to get a clear picture from a learned professional. I look forward to your tutelage, sir. Are you coming with us for Diagon then, Professor?” He hummed as they headed through the turned stone arch opening on itself.
“T-That’s q-quite w-w-wise of you, P-Potter.” He nodded his head vigorously. “I-I-I’ve got t-t-t-o get a book on vamp-p-ires anyways.” He let out a shutter that seemed a bit exaggerated, and Harry offered a cheery laugh.
“I heard there was a vampire in Ravenclaw last year! Got his coffin snatched! There’s so many types of people I haven’t met yet. If the book you’re picking up turns out to be a rather good one, could I pick your brain on it? ‘Bloodsuckers Through the Ages’ read quite biased and hateful, din’t it?”
Just like that, Harry launched into conversation with the newest Professor, debating on the fairness of Vampires and Goblins getting a steady say within Wizarding Government, but not Werewolves or hags, then on laws that had been passed on troll hunting restrictions in the United States, and a clearer classification of trolls with how their intelligence could vary greatly depending on type and size, then how badass the fight had been between the one they saw and the Wendigo.
“W-W-Which house d-do you t-t-think you’ll be s..s.sorted int-t-t-o, Potter?” The man had settled on the stutter for a while, it calming while they talked in fields that the Professor was well versed and comfortable in, but it returned when he brought up more familiar conversation, seeming to worry over bonding.
“I’m sure he’ll end up in Gryffindor, just like his parents.” Snape sighed a bit dramatically.
“Oi! I barely even remember them, why would their decisions influence me?” Harry stuck his tongue out at Severus, quickly putting it away as Severus turned to look at him, smiling innocently at him, while Professor Quirrell at least looked amused.
“If not because of them, your godfather, surely.”
“I’ve been surrounded by Griffin doors, Slither-ins, a Raven’s Claw, I have as much chance to be in any one or another.” He shrugged casually, and grinned wider. “Maybe I’ll be a Hufflepuff, complete the collection.” He hummed with a light skip to his step.
“Hufflepuffs face a lot of bias for being pushovers, Harry. You want to start your first year with people thinking they can take advantage of some blind loyalty from you?” Snape pinched his brow, clearly expecting that Harry would continue the line of thought so he might as well participate.
“They’re loyal, hardworking, and honest, why is that a bad thing? And loyal doesn’t mean pushover, that loyalty has to be earned first, yeah?”
“Also characterized as kind and modest. Those hardly suit you, you’re a right brat.”
“Oi! You’ll hurt my feelings, Professor. I can be a brat and still kind. You’ve kept me modest too, aye? Papa calls you over whenever my head gets too big and you beat it out of me before I ‘come out as bad as James.’ “
“A lot of good that’s done, we’ll still barely get your head through the door at Flourish and Blotts.” Snape quirked a brow at them while they neared the shop, and Harry shuffled a bit, pausing.
“People get weird when they recognize me… could you get my books, Professor Snape, while I go get fitted for my robes?” He turned his bright green eyes on Snape pleadingly, while Quirrell chuckled slightly.
Snape rolled his eyes. “Very well, Professor Quirrell, you needed that vampire book anyways, shall we, while we leave the boy to be fitted?”
Quirrell nodded around vigorously, offering a small smile to Harry who bowed his head politely with a bright smile right back before seeing the green and black clothed figures duck away back into the book store. The purple really did clash, maybe in thanks for exchanging books about Magical Creatures and classes within wizarding society, he’d get him some to switch between. He poked his head into the robes store, Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Inside, a young witch with red hair and freckles going down her neck was hopping down with her robes just getting finished, she beamed as she got them bagged up to head out with and nodded to Harry politely as she rushed out. He recognised the woman she joined as Amelia Bones. That must be her little Susan. Turning his head back inside, he smiled softly as he browsed through the robes, knowing he needed plain black, but wanting to get ahold of more for the weekends. He couldn’t just live in the uniform after all.
“Good morning, dear! Here to be fitted for your uniform?” The squat witch with tight curls beamed to him pleasantly.
“Yes, ma’am.” He hummed out pleasantly, a pointed faced blonde boy on the next stand, bored staring at the wall as it took his own measurements, looked over at him curiously. Better to only have two people there than a whole crowd at F&B.
“Hop onto the stand there then.” She nodded over to the one Susan had just left, and he climbed on, she had a pleasant hum as she started his measurements.
“Going to Hogwarts too then?” The blonde boy offered, sociably, seeming to desperately look for a break from the sleepy silence while putting on as care free of an attitude as he could muster.
“Yes. I hope it’s as brilliant as my Papa and uncles say. Is it true that the staircases move?”
“Yes, a daft design that feels a safety hazard. A boy almost lost his foot last year when he was stepping over and it started going for another section only to change its mind a moment later.” The boy shuddered, his face pinching up. “Supposed to be the best school though, so my father would have nothing less. He’s getting my books while my mother is shopping wands. Afterwards I’m going to drag them to look at racing brooms. A right shame they don’t allow first years with them, reckon I can get one anyways and try to smuggle it in? My father could find a way.”
Harry laughed lightly. “I was flying all summer with my uncles. Hopefully we can do more in Madam Hooch’s class than just hover in the air a moment. Don’t you just love the feeling of the winds pelting through your hair,the excitement being hundreds of feet over the ground, dodgin’ bludgers?” His eyes were alight, happy to latch onto the subject.
“It really is a thrill.” The boy preened, glad to have led the conversation that way. “Father says it’ll be a right shame if I’m not picked for my House. Where do you think you’ll be? Like my family, I’m sure I’ll be in Slytherin. If I ended up somewhere like Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, yeah?”
Harry bubbled up in laughter. “I was just discussing this with one of my uncles. I think it sounds brilliant to be in Hufflepuff. If you’ve got a friend from there that’s kind, loyal, hardworking, you’d know they could be trusted, yeah? One of my uncles said there’s nothing more dear than a Hufflepuff at your side.”
“Suppose that’s true enough…” The boy tilted his head in thought at that for a moment. “Well if you get into Hufflepuff then I suppose I won’t pick on you for it too badly, yeah?”
“Appreciate that.” He grinned back, lopsided at him. “I’m Harry by the way.”
“Draco, pleasure to meet you.” He hummed a bit, dusting himself off as it finished his tailoring, stepping down and shrugging them off for the witch to bag for him.
“The honor is mutual.” He said, as dramatically as possible, getting a small smile from Draco. He looked to be wanting friends as much as Harry did. “What sort of linings do you think we should have in the robes? Merino wool is supposed to be extremely soft and comfortable for the winter…perhaps a Chambray for the spring?”
“I hadn’t thought about that. Before we go home for the summer I suppose black robes will get rather insufferable, won’t they?” Draco shifted his head to the side, and started looking through the materials.
They happily carried on for a while about that, when Harry was done being fitted, he told Draco about the ill matching olive green robes against the plum purple turban.
“I’m sorry, but if I’m looking at badly matched robes and turbans, it’ll be harder to take notes, won’t it? Think you can help me find some fabrics he’d like? Give him some to vary between in his day to day?”
“Sounds like you’re making connections to butter up the Professor, sure you aren’t going to be in Slytherin?” Draco teased, shoving shoulders against him lightly.
“I have no idea where I’ll be, but poor man was a stuttering mess in front of others, I’m sure he’ll already be uncomfortable in a room full of students without worrying about that too, right?”
“Bloody hell you really are going to be a Hufflepuff.” They both laughed as they picked out several, a few different solid colors, blend in with the robes he had on earlier, then getting more colorful paisleys, mandalas, getting him breathable materials good for hair protection, not knowing if he was bald underneath or not, but guessing soft silk and Satin would feel nice compared to what a heavy material it looked like he was wearing at the time.
“So, your parents like us, wizards? Heard it’s better that things stay in the pure bloodlines, yeah? We’re quite superior to the muggleborns.” While a slight messy delivery, he seemed to be testing the waters with it, liking his new friend, but weary on making the right kind of friends. Sirius had told him about blood purist ideals, how his own family had a few times crossing over of cousins continuing the arranged marriages to keep the magic strong, and that he’d probably meet people like that.
Harry shrugged. “I mean, my mum was a muggleborn witch, and she was top of her class for charms right? Both them witch and wizard though, we’ll just have to see if the muggle bit of me can keep up with you this year, yeah?” He kept his tone light, playful.
“How’d she manage that? To not know about the magic world until she was eleven, then to end up top of her class after that…it’d be a nightmare.”
“I’m sure she had people thinking the same of muggleborns back then too of her, and sometimes, when you got something to prove, you can wipe the floor with them. If you think about it…old family magic, you’re used to it, you know from your relatives what to expect…but coming into it fresh? Having your eyes opened to how many possibilities are out there? Seems a good way to look at a potion or charm in a brand new light and make something amazing and new for the betterment of all witches and wizards.”
Draco stared at him for a moment. “You’re a bit barmy, aren’t you?”
“The best wizards are, so I’m told.” He winked playfully, and the boys decided to go together to go look at the racing brooms together.
“What’s your surname, by the way? I’m Malfoy.”
Harry blinked and beamed widely. “Your father helped vote my godfather out of Azkaban. Your hair is nearly as light as his. I’m Potter, glad to know you, Draco Malfoy.”
Draco’s jaw dropped, eyes flicking up to Harry’s forehead. “You’re..really H-”
“I knows it’s impolite to interrupt, but if you ask it like that in front of everyone, we’ll bring in a crowd.” He shuddered. “Yeah it’s there, I’ll show ya on our way to our potion ingredients? I don’t like huge groups starin’, really. But I don’t mind you knowing.”
Draco preened to that a bit. They’d be in the same school together anyways, so there was no real point in hiding it when it’d be announced who was who on their first night, he just didn’t want the stares, the crowds, the tears following them around shop to shop while they were just trying to get their school supplies.
They talked about brooms for a while, a group of excited students pressed to the glass of the shop, absolutely gushing about the Nimbus 2000. Showing Draco his scar on the way to the potion ingredients, showing the spiraling lighting scar down half his forehead, he insisted it really wasn’t as interesting as it sounded. When there was still no sign of either of their guardians for a little while longer, they both weaved through the crowd, Harry holding Draco’s arm so they wouldn’t get separated through the mass of students into the shop. Harry giggled a bit, spotting Severus and Mr. Malfoy were stuck in a conversation with a large group of Slytherin students asking about tips for the next year while grabbing their books, any extra materials they may want to gather for their classes, while students from other houses and those not sorted were looking over very obviously trying to get inside secrets as well.
“I should help out Professor Snape, he was nice enough to step in here first.” Harry gently let go of his arm to weave through the crowd as Draco nodded, browsing the shelves. “Professor! I got my robes fitted, let me get those books off you.” He beamed over to him, poking his arms up out of the crowd with grabby hands. The moment he did, he saw Snape do his best to hide a smirk.
Oh no.
“Yes, as you should carry your own books, Harry Potter. This is taking you far too long to gather your things.” He drawled boredly, like he didn’t just cause half the store to do dead silent and whip their heads around at him while Harry snatched up the books with a squeak to hurry back through, ducking his head into other adults of the crowd to hide quick as he could, before in an explosion of sound, the students were gossiping in excitement at realizing they were going to be going to school with Harry Potter. He caught Draco’s eye across the store, who was instead looking baffled at the size of the group trying to find him to shake his hand or loudly start talking about their own families. At least now he could understand the problem. Muttering a quiet spell to himself once he was around a corner, he popped his hair to his papas straw blonde instead, quickly shaking off his tension to not stand out while the crowd was frantically looking for him. Eyeing the shelves he smirked and snatched up a ‘Curses and Countercurses’ Prank Book by a Professor Vindictus Viridian.
He was definitely getting Severus Back for that. Vindictus indeed. He stuck his tongue out at Severus as he held the book of bags, a little put out he couldn’t find the Malfoys anymore. “Did you really have to do that? I try to be nice and help you out and you throw me to the wolves.”
“You’ll have plenty of places in Hogwarts to still hide from your adoring fans.” He smirked lightly, and they made their way together to the pet store, where Barty and Sirius were arguing between getting Harry an owl, or a kneazle crossbred cat. He could see where they were stuck. An owl would make messages easier, but if he had a cat, he could actually have something to still cuddle at night. And he didn’t realize a Kneazle in the mix of it made it where they could come in so many colors!
He couldn’t help falling in love though with a Black Kneazle with white stripes and underbelly, as while the others were busy spazzing over themselves, he purred softly, sitting by the glass, gently swishing their lionlike tail. Harry’s eyes were wide locked on his, and gently held out his hand to sniff before scooping up the blue eyed Kneazle, looking at his uncles with huge eyes. “Can I have this one?” He pouted out his lip softly, and Barty grinned victoriously.
“He’s gorgeous, Harry. Let’s get you the food for him.” Barty nodded approvingly, and Harry cuddled the large cat against his chest, stroking through his fur gently.
“It’s nice to meet you…Cruelly. I’m Harry. You’ll take good care of me, and I you, right?” He smiled as the cat stared at him, before softly purring, leaning in to rest their head to his chest and he almost spasmed; he was so happy.
“Cruelly?” Sirius quirked a brow, and Harry just beamed.
“Like Cruella, with the black white hair? Cruelly is cuter though.” He gently peppered the cats head in kisses. “I’ll have to be gentle introducing him to Nini. Can’t have one tearing the eyes out of the other or eating.” He sighed, nuzzling the large cat to his chest, though he knew he’d miss Nagini laying with him, at least something was going to be able to stay with him.
He snuggled Cruelly, not paying attention for much more of the trip, but did manage to catch Draco's eye and wave enthusiastically before he had to go, Severus curiously following his line of sight back to the blonde boy.
“You've already met Draco then?” He mused, curiously meeting Lucius’ eye who looked like Draco was babbling to him about the meeting as well, looking a little uneasy as he gave a polite smile back to them.
“Yes! Seems a little weird about if parents are wizards, but other than that an alright bloke.” He hummed, grinning at the cat in his arms, and carefully stretched out the top of his sweater, tucking the purring creature into it with their head poked out. Then he launched into talking about them looking at brooms together. Then he froze, staring into the joke shop with a giant grin on his face.
“It's them…”
“No!” Severus, in absolute terror, grabbed Harry by the scruff of his shirt to drag him away as he could see through the window inside two identical sets of bright red hair.
“It's your own fault he's curious about them, you know. Every break you can get away from, you talk about them.” Barty smirked, playfully shoving his shoulder against Severus.
“About the horrors they pose! Not in encouragement for their antics.”
“Should have known better than that, in dealing with a Marauder's son.” Sirius hummed, getting a giggle from Harry.
Severus sighed as he dragged Harry along. “You three don't need to meet any earlier than necessary.”
Harry pouted a bit but settled into hugging his massive cat, kissing his face as they headed home.
The next couple weeks before they were setting to leave for Hogwarts was rather dull. Sirius kept trying to drag him off to enjoy the last of his summer, while Papa and Severus were insisting he read up more on what to prepare for his classes.
He did decide to at least make a couple penpals. Sirius complained at that point that it would have been perfect for Harry to have his own owl, he did not regret his cat though and cuddled with him and Nagini when the two weren't busy fighting. He sent Draco a letter thanking him for spending time with him in Diagon Alley, then a letter to Fred and George Weasley, that he couldn't wait to meet the two that gave his uncle such trouble during the school year. He was beaming as he sent the letters, abuzz for the school year.
Dear Dudley,
I never got the chance to know you, but I hope someday I may be able to reconnect with you. By grace of your parents, I lived for a very short time with Vernon and Petunia. I regret I did not get to stay long enough to see what sort of person you were able to turn into. Would we have been raised like brothers? Perhaps we may have been close, in another life. One day, I hope to reach out to you again, to get to know exactly what sort of person you are.
Your cousin,
Harry Potter.
Dear Petunia Dursley,
Thank you for giving up on me. I have had a lovely life without you so far. I hope we never have the displeasure of seeing each other again. Who lets a grown man rattle a toddler around so thoroughly?
Your sister may have been ‘the freak’ but I’m pretty sure you chose a monster all on your own volition.
Regrettably related to you,
Harry Potter.