Chapter 2
Rory had taken care of the clothing situation fairly quickly, being in London was definitely an advantage for her, especially with the location of Grimmauld Place. Harry had been excited about going out in the train and with the promise of getting something to eat while in London, all under the sole rule of not staying away from Rory’s sight under any circumstances. He had felt a little insecure when the woman asked him to put on a beanie and cover his scar, he knew it was a weird looking scar but he couldn’t help it. Aurora had noticed his mood changing and quickly pointed out "I know I haven’t told you much, but that scar is very very important and anyone that sees it would know that is you. But we gotta hide it for now." He just nodded and made sure to cover it with his hair and the beanie she gave him. She even told him about changing his eye color using magic and Harry didn’t hesitate to ask for them to be like Rory’s. The brunette did as requested and after making sure Harry had enough layers to face the cold weather of a London noon they went on their way.
Harry found himself in a mall, walking into a clothing store and walking all around next to Rory, not looking at anything really until the woman pointed out Harry’s behavior.
"I don’t have any money," he said. "Maybe I can go to Privet Drive for Dudley’s hand me downs, it’s okay really."
Rory got down on one knee and looked him in the eye with a smile.
"Maybe you don’t have money right now, but I do, feel free to grab anything you’ll like. We don’t know how long you’ll be this size so we’ll need plenty, alright?"
The boy then nodded and started to walk around the boys section, unsure of what to do. He never had the opportunity of choosing for himself before so he wasn’t quite sure what he liked. He figured that maybe he learned to choose things over time once he was an adult and had money, he wondered too when had he stopped wearing hand-me-downs.
Maybe Rory would know better.
"Rory…" he called quietly, unable to get her attention. She seemed to be looking for clothes for small kids. "Rory." He called again.
The brunette woman felt a tug on her sleeve, looking back at Harry, who rapidly removed his hand. She put down the sweater she was checking out to focus on the kid.
"Rory, I don’t know what I like." He said.
Rory didn’t even wanted to ask how he couldn't know, because deep down she knew the answer.
"Would you like some help?" she offered nicely.
"Yes, please."
She nodded following him to the part of the boys section in which clothes around his size could be found. Harry looked unsure, like a little lost baby deer and Rory’s heart ached.
"Well, it is winter, so you might probably want to get some sweaters, definitely some pajamas and of course undies." she said.
Harry walked over the sweaters and grabbed one of a kind, in the most dreadful brown color Aurora had ever seen in her life.
"Do you like it?"
Harry looked at it with a funny face and shook his head as a ‘no’.
"Well, then maybe we can see about colors. Right?"
"I like yellow. And green too." He pointed out.
"I think green looks amazing on you, it brings out the color of those pretty emerald eyes of yours." She said with a smile.
Harry let out a smile and ran between the sweaters, grabbing one green, a mustard color one, a sand color, and a baby blue one. Rory gave him a thumbs up and put the sweater in the shopping cart. Harry kept on coming and going between the aisles, grabbing himself some underwear, funny socks with figures in them, a couple of jeans and some shirts. Only things left were his pajamas and shoes.
"Is it too much?" He asked, looking at the cart filled with clothes.
"Not at all, Harry. I think we should find you some pajamas and then we can go to the shoe store."
"Okay." He said walking around the sleepwear while Rory looked at the clothes he chose.
Harry seemed to like light blue jeans, surprisingly he grabbed himself some khaki pants too and a pair of dark blue jeans. He grabbed a few sweaters and a fuzzy brown jacket, he grabbed himself a jeans jacket too and different colored shirts and long sleeves. She found it interesting, for what she had seen in Teddy, that Harry wasn’t picking up stamped shirts of any kind of cartoon or else, after all he was still a child. His socks were definitely it, all of them had drawings of random things and that seemed to make her happy. He came back quickly with two pairs of pajamas and Rory let out a little laugh: Harry liked dinosaurs it seems. She paid for everything and Harry couldn’t help but feel bad after noticing the amount of money she had spent on him.
"I’m sorry." He said while they walked holding the bags in their hands to the shoe store. "I shouldn’t have grabbed that many things."
"It’s alright, hon." She said happily. "Take it all as the gifts I failed to give you this past years."
Rory was definitely lying, after all, every birthday Harry had since they became friends she had sent him gifts, no matter where he was. Except during his time as a fugitive of course.
"When I get older again, I’ll pay you back." He said.
"If you remember this, I’ll let you pay me back."
"I’ll remember," he said.
"We don’t really know that, love." she said in a caring tone.
Harry blushed at the word ‘love’.
"I’ll write it down then."
"Alright." she said.
They walked in silence to the shoe store, in which Harry looked all puzzled once again. This time, knowing he wasn’t sure about his taste in shoes or anything, really. Rory stepped in.
"I remember you wearing snickers mostly, for good two years I saw you wear a pair of black converse ones. You’ve always been very much fond of comfortable shoes or walking barefoot around the house so I propose you find yourself a pair of running shoes you like, some slippers, some boots perhaps?" Harry nodded. "If you happen to need more we can always come back."
"I don’t really know my size, though."
"That won’t be a problem."
Harry walked around the store, trying to find some shoes he’ll like so he can ask for his size. And then came back to Rory, who had one of the store staff waiting for them with a little measuring chart.
"You should be around four to four and a half my dear." the woman said. "Have you found anything you like yet?"
"Yes ma’am." he answered politely.
"What a nice young one you have." She said to Rory. "I’ll be here if you need help."
Harry walked next to Rory and showed him the shoes he wanted. He chose not only the black converse, but some black running shoes, brown boots and a pair white sneakers. They paid again and left the store quickly, Rory kept an eye out for any kind of strange looking people following them, but also kept an eye on Harry. The boy stopped in front of a toy store but quickly looked away.
"Would you like to go in?" She asked.
"No, it’s okay. I have enough stuff." He said lifting his shopping bags.
"Well, I quite fancy going in there." she said.
Harry followed her quickly as Rory walked inside the store, straight to the stuffed animals and scanned them carefully.
"Do you like stuffed animals?" Harry asked her.
"Plenty." Rory said, giving him a look.
Harry had made her the same question one time when they were in Hogsmeade. She should have been around fourteen at the time and he was fifteen, she had said the same thing ‘Plenty’ and Harry had bought her one. ‘Just because’ he had said that one time.
"Aha!" Rory smiled, reaching with her arm for a white fluffy plushie. "Tell me, Harry, do you have any toys?" she asked him.
"I have some soldiers, they were Dudley’s but he beheaded them." Rory looked at him.
"Do you want any soldiers?"
"No, not right now." He said uncomfortable in his place.
He did want soldiers of his own. Ones with actual heads, but he already felt bad enough for having Rory spending money on him that he couldn’t help but deny it.
"Alright then." She said, looking at him carefully. "Would you like to go get something to eat?"
"Yes, please."
"I’ll just go pay for this." she said, lifting up the white plushie.
Harry waited patiently until Rory was done and they both walked, this time the streets had filled with more as most of them started heading back home from work and Harry felt the woman grab his hand. Rory held onto his hand firmly, scared of losing him in the crowd.
"What would you like to eat, Harry?" He looked around trying to find something, anything.
And his eyes fell on a little store at the end of the street.
"Fish and chips," he said quickly.
"Seriously, what’s with you and the fish and chips?" she asked with a smile.
Adult Harry always wanted fish and chips for some strange reason.
"I’ve never had fish and chips. Does old me like it?" he asked.
And there was the reason for the fish and chips.
"He likes them a lot, and of course we can get them. I know just the place, right down the street."
Turned out Harry did love fish and chips, even in his younger version.
Aurora spent quite a bit of time fixing up the clothes in Harry’s drawers and gathering some stuff. While they had fish and chips Harry had grown curious again about the whole magic, parents and being a wizard. She had told him it was quite a secret and they could get in trouble if someone who shouldn’t know about it listened to that conversation. He looked quite disappointed but Rory promised she would tell him everything once they arrived home and he had a bath. Harry agreed and continued eating fish and chips until his poor little stomach couldn’t eat them anymore. They then started to get to know each other more, Harry’s nature was extremely curious and he seemed fascinated to know about everything he could.
Harry learned that Rory had two older siblings, she worked with magic animals, Astoria was one of her best friends and they both shared the same group of friends growing up. Rory, on the other hand, learned that Harry didn’t quite fit in his muggle school, he knew how to cook bacon but only had it once or twice, he didn’t get along with his cousin ‘not anymore at least’ he had said, and his uncle and aunt didn’t liked him asking questions. He didn’t love to read because the letters quite jumped out of place sometimes and he was always one of the smallest kids in the room. He liked dinosaurs, soldiers and one time he read a comic book he liked. He knew music, mostly the songs Aunt Petunia listened to and when he stayed home alone he would use the radio to listen to some more.
Every time Rory asked about his family he mostly avoided answering, so she decided to let him be.
The young woman found herself carrying with her two photo albums, a fairytale book, Hogwarts history, and the plushie upstairs with her. Not quite sure on how to start a conversation with Harry about all of the things he lived so far, specially about the ones he was ignorant of. But she was willing to try her best for him, for the kid he currently -and once years ago- he had been. She had heard Harry say that one time about Hagrid being the one who broke the news to him about his origins, and also how appreciative of Hagrid getting him Hedwig he had been. Maybe she should’ve called him, maybe they could go see him soon. If there was anyone in this earth trustworthy and beloved by many, that was Hagrid without doubt.
"I’m done." Harry said, stepping outside the bathroom with wet hair and wearing his new dinosaur white pajamas. "Where should I go?" he asked.
Rory looked at him for a second, smiling at the sight of the kid in front of her and remembering his older version looking quite exactly the same. Minus the dinosaur pajamas, of course, those were replaced by a snitch printed pajama bottoms and a white shirt.
"Would you like to see your room or do you want to be downstairs next to the fireplace?"
Harry thought about it for a moment, he was excited about the prospect of having his very own room but the fireplace sounded nice too. Aunt Petunia rarely used it, and when they did the three Dursleys would take all of the room in front of the fire. Harry mostly sat on the back or spent the evening at his cupboard playing with the beheaded soldiers.
"I…" he started. "Can we eat breakfast by the fire?"
"Of course we can."
"Then the room is fine," he said, starting to walk and stopping abruptly. "What door is it?"
"The one at the left almost at the end of the hall." She said and shortly after Harry led the way.
His eyes opened wide at the sight of the room, a huge bed with scarlet bedsheets and a funny looking comforter stand in the middle of the room. There were things around the walls he didn’t pay much attention to, a desk and a pair of doors he assumed to be the closet. Harry got into the bed, just sitting down and looking everything amused.
"Alright." Rory said, putting down the books and taking the plushie in her hands. "This one's for you, just because."
Harry took it in his hands looking at it carefully.
"An owl?" he said.
"Yes, a snowy old."
"Is it like the one I used to have?"
"That is correct." Harry looked at it.
It was pretty and soft, and more importantly it was his.
He liked it. He didn’t recall ever having a plushie that soft, as a matter of fact he believed he didn’t have a plushie. He did have a blanket, he still had it in his cupboard, aunt petunia hated it but allowed him to keep it. It was the blanket he was wrapped in when they took him in, she had said.
"What are those?" he asked, pointing at the books.
"These two are photo albums." she said, showing the brown leather ones. "This is a fairytale book, for magic kids. And this is a history book about the school we went to."
Rory made a hand movement to let Harry know he should move, he moved quickly and allowed the brunette to sit in the bed and place the first leather book on her lap.
"You asked me about everything and I’m not quite sure how to start to tell you some stuff, but I’ll try my very best." She said opening the album revealed writing in the first page.
‘To Harry Potter from his good friend Rubeus Hagrid.’ Rory smiles, touching the handwriting with her fingertips.
"Who’s Hagrid?"
"Hagrid is the most lovable man you’ll ever meet on this earth, and he is the one who gathered all these pictures for you, he got you Hedwig as well. And he is the one who told you most of the things I’ll talk to you about tonight." she said.
"Is he…" Harry started, afraid to hear something similar to what he was used to. "Is he still my friend?"
"Of course he is! In fact I think he’ll be delighted to see you soon, at this age I mean. You still visit him from time to time."
"Maybe we could visit him." Harry suggested.
"Maybe we could, I can write to him tomorrow if you'd like." Harry smiled and he looked back at the book. "Right, well, I think we should start with your parents."
"Yes, please." Harry said instantly, his fingertips felt like burning to touch the album and just go through it himself. He didn’t do it because he was afraid of not knowing anyone and too afraid to ask.
"Well, Lily Evans and James Potter, your parents, met each other at Hogwarts and after they graduated school they got married." She said flipping the page and allowing Harry’s emerald eyes to see the picture of a beautiful redhead woman and a dark haired man with glasses. "They had you shortly after, you look like James but you have Lily’s eyes."
"Mum and dad…" he whispered, touching the picture. "I look like them! I’ve never seen a picture of them before. Mom is so pretty, and my name is James too!"
Rory’s heart broke a little at the thought of Harry not knowing what his own parents looked like, not until he was eleven at least.
"Yes, you do." she said "You’ll see, your parents were very brave and they wanted to fight for what was right… There was this man, a very mad man that was full of hate and was a completely horrible human being. But he was very powerful, he started a war and your parents even when they were very young fought fiercely against him and his followers."
"So they were heroes?" Harry asked, still going through the pictures of his parents and him, stopping in one picture of the Potter’s wedding.
"They are." she said looking at Harry’s smile. "There was this prophecy about a kid born at the end of July who would be the one to defeat him… And that kid was you, your parents knew about it and they went into hiding but someone… Someone they trusted betrayed them and told the bad man where they were."
Rory looked at one of the wedding pictures where a young Peter Pettigrew could be seen.
"Did the bad man have a name? Why did the person they trusted betrayed them?"
"The bad man’s name was Tom Riddle, but he called himself Lord Voldemort." She said and Harry let out a giggle. "What?"
"That’s a silly name."
"I agree to that." She said, "The person betrayed them because he was afraid and a coward, his loyalty was faulty because of his fear, he became irrational and decided that siding with the bad mad would be better."
"And then what happened?" He asked, knowing very well the answer to that question.
"He found you." she said, looking at how Harry’s eyes turned darker. "He found you and your parents did everything they could to protect you, your mom loved you so very much that her magic protected you from the most powerful curse. The killing curse gave you that scar but it bounced back and killed the bad man."
"And I became an orphan." he said looking at the picture of his parents.
"I’m sorry Harry." the kid flipped to the pages of his parents holding him and smiling brightly at the camera, like the happy family they once were. "I know it’s hard, I lost my parents when I was young too… But you must know that they loved you very much and you honor their memory in everything you do, a lot of people have said so. You’re just like your parents."
"I am?" he asked curiously. "How?"
"Well, you look like them a lot, for starters. And you’re great at quidditch like your dad, you’re very caring and loving like your mom, and you are a great wizard like both of them. You stand for the ones who need your help all the time like your mom and dad did and you’re a bit of a trouble maker, like your dad too." Rory poked his side, making Harry laugh.
"How do I know I’m a wizard?"
"Well, I’m not sure exactly how Hagrid told you but… Have you ever done something that you can’t explain?"
"I made my teacher's hair go blue one time… And I felt like flying and ended up on the roof of my school’s cafeteria another time." he said.
"Well that is called accidental magic, it happens to all magical children when we experience strong emotions."
"And the zoo, I set the snake free without touching anything and she talked to me. Was that magic too? Can you speak to snakes?" He asked enthusiastically.
"That was magic too, the part in which you set it free of course. Talking to snakes is very uncommon even in the magical world so I can’t, but you’re quite a bright and special wizard so you can do it. You don’t really know how to control it very well, but you’re good at it."
Harry felt special once again.
"So… because of the curse the bad man did, is it what makes the scar special?" He said not truly convinced that it was that great to have.
"I think what makes it special is the proof of how powerful of a witch your mother truly was and of how much she truly loved you." she said "No one else has that scar, not even people who had passed from the curse. That scar is unique, just like you."
"Do people know that?"
"Oh, yes they do. You are kind of a celebrity in the wizarding world, that’s why I asked you to cover it." She explained. "There’s another part of the story, of course, but i don’t think we should get to it tonight."
"Another time, then?"
"Another time, Harry."
Harry nodded, taking back the album and staring at his parents. The boy let out a big yawn, the day had been exhausting for him and, at a certain capacity, he still felt like he was dreaming about it all. He felt his eyes heavy under the stare of the woman and just looked at her.
"Can I keep this here?" he asked, pointing at the book.
"Of course, Harry." She said with a smile. "Want me to tuck you in?"
Harry looked at her, he’d never been tucked in before. Not that he could remember at least. Aunt Petunia used to do it for Dudley all the time, but never for him. Not even once. Harry did wonder about it, how it felt being tucked in, and Rory had offered.
"My brother used to do it for me all the time. He said it would help me have sweet dreams." she said with a shadow of sadness in her eyes.
Harry didn’t want to ask, he knew very well what that look meant. It was the same look in his eyes every time he thought about his parents, trying to picture them in his mind and feeling sad about not remembering them. But now he had pictures of them, and they were smiling at him, giving him kisses as a baby and looking happy together. Maybe Rory could tuck him in and remember a happy time with her brother.
"Yes, please," he said.
Rory smiled at him, lifting the comforter and allowing Harry to slide under the covers, he felt the softest bed he had ever laid on. The young woman covered him up and started making the pillow fluffy and the comforter traced the boy’s body. And it felt nice, Harry felt warm and comfortable. And he liked the smile Rory gave him while doing it. She took the books away and placed them into the nightstand, all except the album Harry requested to keep. She placed the plushie on his hands and with a wand movement the ceiling of Harry’s four-poster bed showed him a sky full of constellations and stars dancing before his eyes.
"Goodnight, Harry." she said, touching Harry’s messy black hair.
"Where are you going to sleep?" He asked.
"Next door, usually I sleep in there when we have meetings or get togethers with friends." She informed him. "So if you need anything you’re welcome to barge in."
"Oh, alright." he said looking at the ceiling before removing his glasses and setting them on top of the books in the nightstand. "Will you write to Hagrid? I would like to tell him I like the album very much."
"I’ll write to him then."
"And we can visit him?"
"We will see, I’m sure he’ll like that very much."
"Right." he shuffled in the bed and Rory started to go away, only stopping when she was at the door. "Rory."
"Yes, Harry?"
"Did you like it when your brother tucked you in?"
"I liked it very much, yes."
"Did I meet him?"
"You did, both of them."
"I’m sure I liked them very much."
Rory smiled in the middle of the dark room.
”Rory," he called again.
"Yes, Harry?"
"I liked today very much."
"I liked today very much too."
"Do we go out like this when I’m old?"
"When you have time we try to, you work plenty of hours."
"Oh…" he said. "Rory."
"Yes, darling?"
"Have a goodnight."
"Have sweet dreams, Harry."
Harry heard the door close behind Aurora and, for a brief moment, felt like calling for her again. He was fighting off his eyelids to stay open, afraid to fall asleep and wake up in his cupboard once again. He squeezed the honorary plushie of his late future owl and felt warm inside.
"I look like mom and dad." He said with a smile touching the family picture in the album.