Somewhere Safe Chapter 6

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, he skidded to a stop just before faceplanting. He looked around to see that Lily was smiling warmly at him. When he straightened up, he noticed there was a pile of pillows near where he had stopped.

Sirius hadn't joined them this time. He had business he had to handle elsewhere but made a promise to visit again soon.

"I don't understand." Lily shook her head. "You and the girls practically dance with the wind on brooms."

"Lily is the only one in the family that can use the floo without falling." James smiled at her. "It's witchcraft I tell you."

Harry felt a mixture of warmth and ache settle in his chest.

"Come on." Lily held out a hand to him. "Let's show you around."

They gave him a quick tour of the ground level. There was a large kitchen, an even bigger dining room, and a ballroom that was easily the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. All of the décor was very fancy. It didn't fit them at all.

"And now." James motioned to the stairs. "We'll take you to the part we actually use."

"The ground floor is for official gatherings." Lily explained.

"Purebloods love their gatherings." James rolled his eyes.

"You are a Pureblood, love." Lily reminded him.

"I know." James grumbled.

They led him down a hallway, showing them where the bedrooms were. The opposite side had a much more welcoming kitchen and dining room. There was also a library that was two levels, Harry could almost see Hermione drooling.

He wondered how much this Hermione was like her. They were bound to meet eventually.

"Now." James paused at the foot of another staircase. "This is where the fun starts."

He led Harry up to the next level. The entire area was one big open level. There was a greenhouse, a quidditch pitch, a pond, and what looked to be an obstacle course. The boys were zooming around an open part on brooms that were about three feet off the ground.

"Wow." Harry whispered.

"This took a lot of work." Lily beamed at him.

"The weather is horrid." James explained. "We can't exactly move the Ancestral Potter Manor, so we adapted."

"What about winter?" Harry asked.

"For that we have to go outside." Lily sighed. "Couldn't get the weather to work without ruining everything else. The ceiling is charmed like Hogwarts, I always loved that part."

Charles and Gerry zipped over on their brooms.

"Boys." Lily stepped forward. "Did you go flying in the house?"

"No mum." They answered as one.
"Mips didn't let us." One of the said.
"We even did the pout!" The other sounded very offended.

Lily shook her head. She looked over at James and Harry. The boy drifted closer, their eyes overtly studying Harry.

"I told you he's a time traveler." One of the boys said.
"No." The other said. "You said he was you."

"Boys." Lily cleared her throat. "This is Harry. He is not a time traveler."

"Then what is he?" The boys asked in unison.

"I'm a traveler." Harry said sagely, drawing their full attention. "I've come from another world."

"You're an alien?" One of the boys asked.

"No." Harry shook his head. "Another place like this."

"Are you staying?" The other boy asked.

"I'd like to." Harry replied with a nod.

"You can be our brother!" They yelled in unison.

"We outnumber the girls." One of them said.
"Four to three." The other said.
"Boys win!" They both crowed.

They zoomed around in circles. Harry smiled. Yeah, he could stay here. James stepped over to a garden shed. He opened it and pulled out a broom.

"This is a Nimbus Ninety." James held it out to Harry. "It was the model before the two-thousand. This one isn't as fast, but it's got better control and stability."

"Nice." Harry took it from him, feeling the balance.

"You can take it to school with you." James continued. "Even if you don't want to play quidditch, you can take some time to fly."

"Thank you." Harry cleared his throat, trying to fight the tightness.

"Well, now that we've got everyone together." Lily cut in, saving him. "Let's take a trip to Diagon to get you supplied for school."

"You don't have to do that." Harry said.

"Do you have a uniform?" Lily asked.

Harry looked down at the clothes he was wearing.

"Do you have robe?" She pressed.

He shook his head.

"Formal wear? Quill, ink, cauldron?" She continued.

Harry turned to James.

"Don't look at me." James chuckled.

"You do not want to go shopping with dad." One of the twins said.
"He's worse." The other nodded.

"I can't help it that I'm the only one in this family with fashion sense." James crossed his arms.

"Sure, you are, darling." Lily patted her husband on the shoulder. "We can get lunch along the way."

"Can we see Moony?" One of the boys asked.

"Not today." James shook his head. "He and Flapper are busy."

"How are they busy?" Harry asked.

"They're working on opening a storefront in Hogsmeade." James replied.

"What type of shop do they have?" Harry asked.

"We craft and sell enchanted items." James answered proudly.

"The Marauders came together after school to form a business and research company." Lily explained. "We're one of the leading forces of magical advancement. It started out with pranks then moved to reverse engineer some muggle technology. Along the way we just kind of created a shop."

"Wow." Harry blinked. "I didn't expect that."

"Did you think I'd just be a lazy pureblood lord?" James scoffed.

"You are." Lily said.

"I'm not lazy." James pouted.

"Ok, you're not lazy. Most of the time. Your father-" Lily faltered for a moment. "James has a Mastery in transfiguration and he is pretty handy at charms. We all work together when developing projects."

"Where do we want to go for lunch?" James asked the boys, saving the awkward moment.

"Muggle Nibbles." The boys practically yelled in unison.

"Muggle Nibbles? Harry asked.

"It's a place that serves muggle dishes." Lily sighed. "You can have them prepared mundane or magically."

"There's toys too." One of the boys said.
"And soda pop." The other nodded.
"And pizza!" James added.

Lily chuckled. "And pizza."