Somewhere Safe Chapter 7

Muggle Nibbles didn't look anything different from the other buildings in Diagon Alley. At least until they stepped inside. Harry had only seen fast food places in passing. It looked a mixture of ones he had seen. True to what the twins and James had said, they had pizza.

The shopping trip was surprisingly pleasant. He got a fresh set of clothes, a few variations on the uniform he already wore and a nice selection of casual clothing, a pair of new glasses that actually fit him, as well as his school supplies. There was an extra one that caught him by surprise: Introduction to Muggle and Magical Traditions. He got an expandable trunk, a new potions kit with three different knives, and two-way notebook. Harry thought they were done, but then Lily led him to another clothing store. The place was fancier than Madam Malkin's. She helped him pick out a set of dress robes that were closer to a muggle tux with a cape than actual robes.

James and the boys were waiting in Quidditch Supply when they were finished.

"You got lucky." One of the boys, Gerry he knew now. "We'd be here for hours if Iris was here."

Both boys had black hair and glasses. The easiest way to tell them apart was the style of eyewear. Harry was pretty sure they swapped them out every now and then. Even with the switch he was starting to get a handle on which one was which. Gerry had a small scar along the tip of his left eyebrow. It was hardly noticeable, but there.

"Iris and dad are the worst." Charles groaned.
"Except on birthdays." Gerry countered.
"They give the best presents." Charles nodded.

Harry smiled at them.

"Boys, that was painless." Lily smiled at the trio.

The group settled to a comfortable silence. James 'subtly' led them to the ice cream shop. Harry watched them, the ache in his chest slowly being overtaken by warmth. He would cherish this time with them, even if he had to go back.

Harry was enjoying their company when an owl swooped down onto the edge of the table. It held out its leg and shook it. Lily took the letter, giving the owl a cherry as payment.

"It's from Hogwarts." Lily said as she read. "They would like you to go back tomorrow for some tests."

"Tests?" Harry tensed.

"Placement tests." Lily clarified. "They want to make sure you're in the proper classes. From what you said about the other school, I'm interested as well."

Harry tilted his head to the side.

"Your academic experiences were focused on survival." Lily sighed. "It makes me wonder how that impacted your education."

Harry nodded slowly.

"Survival?" Gerry stared at Harry with a new rush of interest.
"Did you have to fight monsters?" Charles asked.
"Did you ever fight a mummy?" Gerry asked.
"Mummies aren't real." Charles rolled his eyes.
"Yes they are." Gerry snapped. "Dad, tell him mummies are real."

"Boys." James said in a gentle, yet firm voice. "That's enough."

"I only fought a couple of monsters." Harry gave them a conspiratory smile.

The twins stared at him with wide eyes.

"You did?!" They said in unison.

"A basilisk, some dementors, acromantula, a boggart, a gaggle of pixies, and there was a run in with a werewolf, but that was mostly a mistake." He thought for a moment. "I think that's it."

"Pixies?" Charles asked.
"Boggart?" Gerry said at the same time.
"Those aren't monsters." They huffed at the same time.

"A boggart takes on the shame of your fears." Harry explained. "They are trouble if they catch you unaware. Luckily, they just try to scare people away rather than attack." He paused. "And pixies are no joke. They won't hurt you on purpose. That doesn't mean they won't drop a chandelier to watch it shatter regardless of if there are people under it."

"Woah." The twins spoke as one.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with DADA." James chuckled.

"Or Care of Magical Creatures." Lily nodded.

"Does Hagrid teach that?" Harry asked.

"Professor Hagrid." James gave a solid nod. "Good bloke. He knows his stuff. Just be careful, his definition of cute and cuddly is… different."

Harry smiled. It was nice to see some things were the same. The focus returned to the excellent ice cream on the table.

"Did you want to meet everyone?" James asked they were finished. "Moony and Flapper should be done by now. We can invite the gang over for dinner."

Lily drummed her fingers on the table. The expression on her face was one of worry rather than anger.

"It's fine if you want to wait." James said quickly.

"I would like that." Harry smiled at him. "Thank you."

Gerry leaned over. The boy tried to whisper and failed horribly. "I can show you how to get Moony and Padfoot to play fetch."

Harry smiled down at him. He gave the boy a sly wink.

They finished up their ice cream and headed back home. Lily apparated with him, which was even worse than the Floo Network, and James took the boys.

"That was horrible." Harry felt his stomach lurch.

"It's not as bad once you learn how to do it on your own." Lily rubbed his back. "For the first dozen or so times it's not comfortable, but not as disorienting."

"Are there any types of magical travel that aren't horrible?" Harry asked.

"We're working on it." Lily sighed. "Saying it's complicated is an understatement. A port key, have you used those?"

Harry nodded.

"Those use a connection to travel from one point to another." Lily explained as she resized his trunk. "The longer the distance requires more spell work. Floo Travel requires a connected network and cannot cross large bodies of water. It's better for localized stops, even then there are issues. Apparating relies on personal magic and visualization, which creates a near endless string of variables to consider."

"That does sound complicated." Harry said.

"We're thinking about trying to reverse engineer muggle transportation." Lily continued. "There are already modified automobiles."

"Wizards behind the wheel is a scary thought." Harry chuckled.

Lily joined him. "We've been working on it for a while now. Communications as well. I love owls, but they are so inefficient when compared to a muggle telephone."

"I had an owl." Harry whispered. "She was beautiful." He took a breath. "She's smart. Hermione will take care of her. I know it."

"What was her name?" Lily asked.

"Hedwig." Harry smiled at her.

"She was a snowy owl?" She asked. "Scarily smart and regal?"

"Yes." Harry said slowly.

Lily smiled brightly at him. She hurried out of the room. Harry wasn't sure if he was supposed to follow. Instead, he began to pack his new supplies into his trunk. He set a change of clothes and the notebook to the side. Now that he had a moment, he saw that they had appeared in a bedroom.

The décor was nice, if a bit sparse, similar to a muggle bedroom with some magical elements. A four-post bed that looked like it was straight out of the Gryffindor dorms rested against the far wall. There was also a desk and dresser made from some type of light-colored wood. Across from the bed was a closet.

Realization struck him, causing his head to spin a bit. This was his room. It lacked a personal touch because he hadn't decorated it yet. Harry plopped down on the bed, his legs hung off the edge, just barely touching the floor.

Harry wondered if he would be here long enough to get to decorating it. Would he still be here in the morning? Was it possible for him to go back? After the trip out, he knew that he absolutely wanted to stay with his family.

His family. That felt nice.

Was he getting too comfortable? What if this was a trick? Voldermort had found a way to bypass the protections of Hogwarts before. This could be some sort of trap.

Harry shook the negative thoughts from his head. What purpose would a trap like this even be? Beware! This trap will make you happy! If it was, he wasn't going to fight it. Let whatever it was do its thing.

He tried to refocus on the present. Harry took a deep breath. He closed the door and stripped out of his clothes. He had been wearing them for almost two days straight. The clothes he had set out were a muggle style but made through magical means. Jeans that would mend themselves as well as adjust a for a few inches of growth, same as the t-shirt and socks. The really cool thing were the expanded pockets. It was like having a small bag on each leg.

The door opened a moment after he had his pants on. Harry spun around, fumbling for his wand, which he had dumbly put on the bedside table out of reach. He froze when he saw it was Lily. She stared back at him, also still.

"No." Lily whispered.

She repeated the word as she hurried over to him. Harry was confused until her hand touched his chest. He watched as she examined the numerous scars across his torse. She turned him around and gasped at the sight of his back.

"Harry." Her voice was thick with worry.

"They're old." Harry shrugged.

"How did you get them?" She asked.

He turned around to look at her. There was a desperate understanding in her eyes. She recognized the signs but hoped against hope that she was wrong.

"This is from a basilisk." Harry showed her the ragged circle on his forearm. "It was healed with phoenix tears, so I'm fine now." He moved on to his collar bone. "This is from two years ago, an enchanted bludger knocked me off my broom and someone helpfully 'fixed' my broken arm by banishing the bones. Madam Pomphrey gave me potions to regrow them. I had a couple of broken ribs too, so I needed another does. They had to shave of the extra growth." He pointed to a gathering of short scars along his left side. "Flying keys don't sound like much, but they were sharp."

"And those?" Lily asked, motioning to his back. Her voice came out as a whisper.

"Just a belt buckle." Harry shrugged. "No good story there."

Lily pulled him into a tight hug. Tears streamed down her face. Harry tensed, standing there for a moment, trying to process what was going on. Slowly, the tension eased from his body. He returned the hug.

"Hey, Lil." James called from the hallway.

The man stopped in the doorway. He gave Harry a warm smile. Lily eventually let him go, she wiped her eyes as she turned to face her husband. James stared at Harry's exposed chest. Lily cleared her throat.

"Right, sorry. Padfoot said he'll be over shortly." James continued. "Moony will be a bit late. Flapper and Wormtail should be here by dinner."

"The whole bunch or just the boys?" Lily asked.

"Just the boys for now." James replied. "I didn't want it to be too overwhelming."

"The whole bunch?" Harry asked.

"Wives, husbands, and sprogs." James explained.

"Who's married?" Harry asked, using the distraction to slip on his shirt.

"Pads and Flap have wives, each with a couple of kids the twins age. Moony has a husband, of sorts. The wolf thing is hard to understand. Wormtail has sworn off getting married or having kids. He's happy to be an uncle." James thought for a moment. "That's it."

Wormtail. The name cut through the cloud of happy feelings that had gathered from the trip today. Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed his parents. The vermin responsible for Sirius being locked up for years.

Harry had to forcefully stop the train of thought. Everyone he had met so far, even the people he knew, weren't the same. This Peter Pettigrew hadn't betrayed Lily and James Potter. If nothing else, the man deserved a chance. The fact that it would put Harry in a room within casting distance of the bastard may have helped ease his anger too.