Run Boy Run

While Harry waited for Neville to respond, he decided to look around in the library. There HAD to be at least A book on obscurials, most of the books in the place seemed ancient.

His parents probably hadn't touched this place- else there would probably be newer books on at least one shelf.

The library was massive, probably taking up half the mansion. The library had a nice, cozy vibe to it. There were couches here and there, nice little reading nooks hidden away in the shelves, and the lighting was relatively dim despite all the windows.

As Harry browsed, he saw a mirror. Odd place for one..

He took a moment to look at himself in it.

His hair had been getting longer over the previous school year and this summer. He quite liked it like this, honestly. Around chest length, a mess of fluff- but not as messy as normal, the length probably helped tame down some of the signature potter hair. He had a few streaks of red hair here and there, thanks to his mom. He liked that his hair wasn't fully black, honestly.

The lightning scar that stretched across his face was still prominent and annoying as ever. It started at his hairline on the right side of his forehead, and branched over his nose and down to his left cheek, near his jaw. The scar had grown on him over time, though. It was easier to like without the Dursleys telling him daily how ugly and freakish it was.

He learned that the papers had described his lightning scar as a little comical, simplistic shape. Harry was honestly glad that he didn't have that. The branching lightning looked cool.

Harry looked into his own eyes in the mirror. They were a vibrant green as always, yet they were still somehow so dull. He ignored how tired he looked.

He shook his head and walked away from the mirror. He didn't need to care about his appearance, not here.

As Harry browsed, he realized that he really could teach himself with the things the library supplied. He could learn the things hogwarts was going to teach, and then some.. more than just 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦, honestly. There was just so much in the library. Hermione truly wouldn't ever leave if he invited her here.

Harry eventually came upon an entire shelf about magical creatures and occurrences, and began to excitedly scan through the shelves.

He came upon several books of interest, but didn't find anything on obscurials. Where was he going to have to go to find something?

The black library might have something, but that was in grimmauld place, and the order was probably still meeting there.

Knockturn alley, maybe? …Harry definitely needed to learn glamour spells before he went there, fleeing from the wizarding world or not. Harry James Potter would probably get murdered if he set foot in Knockturn Alley.

A thought crossed his mind about the Slytherin family line vault he had access to, and how it might have locations tied to it as well, but he was interrupted before he could take that train of thought any further.

The Gringotts mailbox had returned.

Harry opened it excitedly, grabbing the letter from Gringotts first. He'd mailed them asking how he'd transport Neville out here.

He opened the letter, eyes scanning the words.

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘳. 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳,

𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘬𝘦𝘺, 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳.

𝘞𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘬𝘦𝘺, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰.

𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘴, 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳

Harry mentally cheered. A portkey was so much simpler than the methods he'd thought up. He wondered how he managed to forget about portkeys- probably because he's only taken one in his lifetime.

He reached for the letter from Neville next, praying to Merlin that Neville would actually be able to visit.

𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺,

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦(?)! 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴!

𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯?

𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦

Harry felt like a child who just invited a friend over for a play date. He was happy Neville had actually been given permission to visit.

Still awfully hypocritical how he didn't invite Ron or Hermione, and then invited Neville right after, but it was too late now.

Harry left the library to go to the kitchen, where parchment and a quill still lay.

He quickly began writing his replies, both to Gringotts and Neville. He didn't own a greenhouse yet, but he might be able to find one in the nearby village and use magic to make it larger.

Harry nodded to himself at that idea, deciding that he'd go to the village tomorrow. It was getting late in the night.

As if that thought summoned the house-elf, a plate of food appeared on the table in front of him. He muttered a small thanks into the air and began eating, watching as his letters dried.

As Harry ate, a thought hit him. “Daisy!” he called, and the little elf quickly appeared.

“Master Harry is needing something?”

“Were my parents ever at this residence? James and or Lily Potter?” Harry asked. The elf thought for a moment before shaking her head no.

Harry let out a small sigh and shrugged. “Thank you. I had a feeling they hadn't.”

The elf nodded and vanished back to wherever she usually hung out.

Harry finished eating, and checked over his letters again before summoning the gringotts mailbox and sending them off.

He stifled a yawn, realizing that he'd been up pretty much the entire day.

As Harry left the kitchen and headed for his room, he wondered about where Ambrosia was. She was a fairly sleepy snake, but she can't have slept all day, right?

Entering his room, Harry saw Ambrosia still curled up on his pillow. He huffed a laugh, shaking his head.

Ambrosia could be entered in a competition for sleepiest snake against the basilisk, and she might win.

Harry climbed into the bed, trying his best not to disturb the snake. He cheered mentally when he actually succeeded in not waking her.

He took his glasses off, staring at them for a while. He really needed new glasses..

Maybe the village would have something.

He pushed that thought aside, setting his glasses down on the bedside table, and watching Ambrosia as he slowly fell asleep.

The next few days were certainly going to be busy.