Chapter 2
Finding a house was easier than riding a broom. Okay, maybe not that easy, but it wasn't difficult either. All Harry had to do was schedule an appointment with a company that specialized in making custom housing trunks. After that, it was just a matter of talking with the employee and picking what he wanted each room to have.
The trunk Harry chose to go with had seven rooms. It was a popular seller, as seven was a magic number. Though the employee admitted that the number of rooms had nothing to do with the magic involved in making the housing trunks. Wizards were just superstitious.
The first three rooms Harry picked for the trunk were bedrooms. Each came with a walk-in closet and a bathroom attached. The first would be Harry’s room. The second would eventually become Teddy’s room, once he had outgrown his crib. Until then, the crib would stay in Harry’s room so he could be nearby if needed. The third room would be a guest room in case any of his friends tagged along on his travels.
The fourth room was a kitchen and dining room combination. Two thirds of the room was a kitchen Harry already loved, while the remainder held a large table for them to eat at. There was an island in the kitchen area where Harry would most likely eat his meals. The dining table was more for when he planned to cook for all his friends when he saw them. He made sure it had enough room for everyone, and a few extra seats just in case, but that was a lot of space for just him and Teddy. They would be fine just eating at the island instead.
The fifth room would be their living room. A place for them to relax and just lounge around. A section of the room would be turned into Teddy’s play area, in view of the couches so that Harry could keep an eye on him. It was also the perfect place for Harry to catch up on all the movies he was never allowed to watch but always wanted to. The company Harry chose to make his trunk was partnered with a company that specialized in Technomagic. Combining magic and technology. This allowed Harry to fill his house with all the modern day technology he was used to in a muggle house, including a large TV in the lounge. He wouldn't spend all his time watching TV like Dudley, that would drive him insane, but watching a movie at the end of the day was a great way to relax. Or so he’s been told.
The sixth room was going to be a mixture of a library and a study. One corner of the room would have a desk for Harry to work at if needed. There would also be an armchair and a couch for if he wanted to read comfortably. The rest of the room would be filled with bookshelves that Harry hoped to fill one day.
Finally, the last room would be turned into an area where Harry could exercise and train. It would be filled with all kinds of muggle exercise machines, which would help Harry stay in shape. However those machines would only take up about a third of the room. The rest would be an open space, allowing Harry to train his magic. He would have a row of self-repairing training dummies, and the area would be warded so that no spells would leave the area or damage anything. Apparently that was a common feature in dueling, which Harry wished he knew back in second year. Not that it would have made any difference, with Lockhart as his teacher.
On top of all the furniture and features of each room, Harry also invested in extra features for the trunk itself. Auto shrinking and enlarging charms keyed into a password was the first feature. The shrinking charm would bring the size of the large trunk to a medium sized notebook. When shrunk, a glamor would be automatically applied, making the trunk look like a notebook as well. A built in featherweight charm completed the disguise and made it so Harry didn’t have to worry about a heavy trunk, even when enlarged.
He also decided to get an advanced security system for the trunk. It was set to be his new home so Harry wasn’t taking any chances. First he had them make the trunk fireproof, waterproof, and virtually indestructible. It would take Harry firing a Bombarda at full power to even put a dent in the trunk. Next he made it so that Harry was the only one who could summon it. If anyone else tried, nothing would happen. After that, he made it so only those keyed into the wards of the trunk would be able to access the inside trunk. Harry could allow someone temporary access if he needed to, but once that person left the trunk he would need to give them temporary access once more for them to enter. If he didn’t, the security feature would activate. A mild stinging charm that got stronger with each attempt to get in before ending with a stunner. The wards would notify him if someone unauthorized tried accessing the trunk. Lastly, Harry finished it off with a nice little Fidelius Charm with himself as the secret keeper. Honestly, Harry might have gone overboard with everything, but it was worth it.
Three weeks later and the trunk was complete. It was better than Harry had been expecting and he loved every bit of it. The trunk would be the perfect home for him and Teddy as they traveled the world. Their first stop? Romania. Harry wanted to visit the Dragon Reserve Charlie works at, having listened to the other gush about it multiple times. It seemed like a good starting destination. There was just one small problem…
“It’s so much worse now Mione!” Harry complained, throwing an arm over his face. “I nearly got mobbed when I was getting breakfast this morning. The only reason I didn’t was because I was able to throw on a glamour fast enough to disguise my face,” he said. Hermione laughed, her screen shaking a bit from the motion. The two of them were on a video call, Harry having bought a phone while he waited for his trunk to be made. One owl delivered letter later and he now had contact with his friends instantly. It made it easier, since it was hard for owls to fly so far and so long to deliver letters. This way, as long as Hermione helped, he could call and talk to everyone. Mostly just Hermione and Ron, but once a week Hermione called him from her computer so everyone could talk at once. There were a few snags of course, especially with the Weasley’s, but slowly everyone was learning how to use muggle technology. Harry reckoned that in a year, they might be proficient enough to call Harry without Hermione’s help.
“Maybe you need to get a new look then,” Hermione said, recovering from her amusement quickly.
“I already have a new look,” Harry replied, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.
“You know what I mean. While the new clothes suit you, you’re still recognizable. Black hair. Green eyes. Glasses. Not to mention the signature scar. Take those away and nobody would recognize you,” she said. Harry thought about it for a second, then nodded.
“Yeah you’re right. Think I’d look good as a redhead?” he joked. Hermione mimed gagging.
“No way. The twins showed how weird that look was on you in third year. Besides, we have too many redheads already. Can you imagine how confused Molly and Arthur would be if you visited?” Hermione asked. Harry smirked.
“Now I’m going to have to show up as a redhead someday. I bet I could go unnoticed for hours before anyone realized.”
“As hilarious as that would be, at least give me some warning so I can play along.”
“Sure thing,” Harry agreed easily. “But seriously. What color should I dye my hair?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I think you’d look strange no matter what color you picked. So really, as long as you are happy with it, you can dye it whatever color you want.”
“Wow. You’re so much help Mione. Truly a lifesaver,” Harry deadpanned. He ignored Hermione’s snort of laughter, turning to Teddy instead. The baby had been sitting in Harry’s lap watching the call. “You won’t let me down, will ya bud? Why don’t you pick a color for me to dye my hair?” Harry said to Teddy. The baby gave him a gummy grin, the few tufts of hair on his head turning a bright purple.
“Harry no,” Hermione protested, looking seconds away from bursting into laughter.
“Sorry Mione. You had your chance. Now I have to go with what the boss picked,” Harry said, tickling Teddy’s belly. The baby squealed happily. Hermione shook her head, although the smile on her face betrayed her.
“You’re going to look like a wannabe punk kid,” she told him.
“At least it means nobody would recognize me as Harry Potter. A little makeup and some piercings and I’d become invisible to the wizards,” Harry said.
“You’re not wrong. You’ll probably look like a circus reject but nobody would think about the Man-Who-Conquered when they see you,” Hermione said. Harry grinned as an idea popped into his head.
“Circus reject huh? That sounds fun,” he mused.
“Harry James Potter, do NOT go joining the circus,” Hermione scolded, her words lacking any real heat to them.
“Sorry Mione. Can’t. Hear. You’re. Breaking. Up,” HARRY SAID, making static noises between each word.
“You can hear me just fine and you know it,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh definitely. I just always wanted to do that,” he told her. Hermione sighed in response.
“You’re such a dork.”
“But you love me!”
“Maybe a little bit,” she teased, holding up a hand with her fingers only an inch apart. They both only lasted a few seconds before losing the battle to hold in their laughter.
“Alright. All jokes aside, as far as I know, there aren’t any circuses around for me to join anyway. Besides, I doubt I have any skills that can be used in a circus anyway,” Harry shrugged. Hermione hummed in thought.
“I don’t know. You’d make a good clown if nothing else,” she teased. Harry placed a hand over his heart.
“You hear that Teddy? Auntie Hermione is bullying me!” Harry cried dramatically.
“Baa!” Teddy babbled. Harry laughed.
“That’s right buddy. Auntie Hermione is Baa,” Harry said. It was Hermione’s turn to be offended.
“I will not stand for this slander!” she exclaimed. However, before she could continue her retort, there was a crash followed by the sound of something breaking.
“You should probably go check that out,” Harry said, watching Hermione sigh deeply.
“Yeah. I’ll call you back tomorrow. Luna and Neville are coming over,” she told him. Harry nodded.
“Looking forward to it,” Harry responded. The two of them exchanged their goodbyes and ended the call. Harry turned his attention to Teddy, who had acquired a block and was slobbering on it.
“Really bud? Purple? I trusted you and you picked purple?” Teddy ignored him, too busy with his toy. Harry chuckled. “I bet you did it on purpose. Those prankster genes sure do manifest early. C’mon bud. Let’s get you a bottle. Then we can watch some Disney before bed,” Harry said. It was rough at first, but Harry was starting to get the hang of this “parent” thing.