Capítulo 20: The New House
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On the twenty-seventh of December at five o'clock in the morning, Harry Potter woke up in a cold sweat. It was the day he was to report to the Ministry of Magic, and he was very much afraid that something would go wrong. His fears were taking shape in his dreams.
Potter woke up to a nightmare in which he was not allowed into the Ministry because of his appearance, specifically because he had put a left sock on his right foot, and now he was forced to live with the Polkisses, Piers' parents. For the first fifteen minutes Harry looked at the old black socks that belonged to him, but he still couldn't figure out which of these articles of clothing he should be wearing on which foot.
Potter had already forgotten his dream, but there was a panicky thought in his head that 'if he put the left sock on his right foot, something terrible and irreparable would happen'. He considered asking Justin for advice, but his brain was already partially awake and slowly starting to work, and Harry imagined how he himself would react if Finch-Fletchley woke him up at five o'clock in the morning and asked something like, "Which of these socks do you think is left and which is right?" In the end it didn't take Harry long to solve his problem, he pulled out a pair of stapled socks recently gifted by Aunt Petunia, and put them on - each on the right foot. This gift was hardly the only one that Potter liked. The socks had been bought by Dudley, and so looked, unlike the rest of his clothes, decent.
Having solved the sleep-induced problem, Harry went to the shared bathroom and scrutinised his reflection in the mirror: a skinny boy of average height with a lean face and black dishevelled hair, wearing small, round-rimmed fogged glasses. On his forehead was a lightning bolt-shaped scar, the most notable part of his appearance. This was exactly how Harry Potter looked from the outside. However, if you looked closely, you could see other, much less noticeable scars. Harry had to rinse his glasses and move closer to the mirror to see them.
The stab wound in his neck now looked like a paper cut. It seemed unbelievable that there had been a horrible wound here before. Harry took off his shirt and looked at his chest: the letters that had once formed the word "Idiot" had become indistinct; the only way to understand what they meant was to know their meaning beforehand... From a distance, it looked like an unfortunate name tattoo. Potter never found the burn on his chin; it even felt unreal, as if the scar had never existed. And Harry would have thought it had it not been for his memories of how that very burn had come to be.
In all his time at Hogwarts, Potter had only received unpleasant questions about the lightning bolt scar, and he only now realised that the other marks from his wounds were simply too inconspicuous to attract attention. Of all the men, Justin, who was always with him, was the only one who could notice anything, but he understood more than he was saying, so he kept quiet as a fish.
Still, it was a good thing he'd decided to go to that bookstore. If he'd been there ten minutes earlier or later, he wouldn't have met Justin there. And who knows if they would have become friends if they hadn't met then? Certainly fate had decided to make amends for the excessive injustice of the first ten years of his life... Harry stopped worrying. As of today, he should put his difficult childhood in the past. All the scars were almost gone by now, all that was left was to get rid of the memories.
Harry randomly grabbed a book from his bag and went to his room to read at will. The time there flew by quickly. When Potter returned, all the students had already eaten breakfast and were dragging their things to the carriages. Some underclassmen remembered that they had forgotten something in the dormitories and went back through the same entrance, causing a large pandemonium of students to form near the main doors.
From a distance, Harry saw Tonks. She was sitting in the very first carriage with a small purple purse, fully stuffed with things, and chatting merrily with a bunch of students, Cedric Diggory among them. Nymphadora, as if sensing Potter's gaze, looked directly at Harry, smiled, gave him a thumbs-up and went back to her conversation.
Justin wasn't in any of the carriages, so Harry returned to the bedroom, where he found him. Finch-Fletchley was lazily loading things into his large suitcase. Potter shared with him his concerns about possibly being sent back to the Dursleys. The man listened to Harry calmly and was able to finally put him at ease:
- 'You know, if you get sent back to your relatives,' Finch-Fletchley said without taking his eyes off the packing process, 'you just let me know, and I'll explain your situation to my parents; I'm sure they'll help if I ask. So these relatives of yours and their friends will go down for life in the worst prison possible. I can promise you that.
After walking Justin to the main doors, Harry began to wait for Dumbledore. While the Headmaster was gone, Potter looked around. He was looking at such a familiar castle with completely different eyes. Without the crowds of students rushing to lessons and eager to learn, Hogwarts seemed strangely empty and somehow gloomy. Harry had the involuntary feeling that all people had died out, and he was the last person left on the planet "Earth".
Before Harry could properly feel the atmosphere of absolute loneliness, Albus Dumbledore appeared.
- How long have you been waiting? - He asked.
- No, sir.
- I've just been checking the first year's written homework and I'd like to say that your work is the best, even Miss Granger didn't do as well this time.
Harry blushed and remained silent, not saying anything about the fact that he didn't realise what he was supposed to write about at all until he sought help from Tonks, who explained and explained everything in detail.
Potter and Dumbledore walked out of the castle and headed away from Hogwarts. Harry rolled his suitcase behind him and fought curiosity for a while, but after five minutes of walking in silence he couldn't stand it and asked:
- Where are we going, sir?
- Oh, I quite forgot to explain it all to you. Since you're not fourteen yet, I can't apparate with you. So we're taking the Night Knight bus. In order for it to arrive, we need to get off the Hogwarts grounds, which is what we're doing now. As we walk, I'll explain to you how the guardianship process will work. To make it short and uncomplicated, there will only be two people involved in this proceeding: myself and one other, Carl Parkus. First we will summon you to ask your consent for guardianship, then we will invite one of the Tonks - Ted or Andromeda, I don't know exactly which one is coming. Then we'll discuss some formalities and the process will be over and you'll go to Tonks, questions?
Oh yes, Potter had them. Could something go wrong? Could he be returned to the Dursleys? What happens if the Tonks refuse? What happens if someone doesn't turn up for this trial? What if their bus has an accident and they don't make it?
- What does it mean to apparate, sir?
- It's something they'll start teaching you in sixth year, but there's a great word that explains the term easily. Teleportation.
- Yeah, I get it.
For the rest of the journey Harry thought about how cool it would be to learn how to teleport.
Finally Dumbledore came to a rather overgrown road and waved his wand.
And then the real miracle happened. A bright purple three-decker bus came straight out of the void and stopped next to Dumbledore. Immediately the door opened and out stepped a skinny, pimply-faced, scraggly-eared man in a purple uniform, he jumped to the ground and said:
- Welcome! "The Night Knight is the bus for... Oh, Dumbledore, what are you doing here?
- Hello Stan, take me and this young man to the Ministry of Magic.
- Of course, Headmaster," Stan only glanced at Harry. - Cocoa? Toothbrush?
- No thanks, you know I can conjure all that stuff myself if I want to, right?
- There's no business in transfiguration," Stan said sadly and got on the bus.
There weren't two seats available, so Dumbledore sat separately from Harry, and he looked out the window at the passing scenery. It was so fast that Potter couldn't see anything properly, but it was at least some entertainment. Harry didn't notice when they reached the Ministry of Magic, he was holding on to the armrests of his chair very tightly and doing his best not to fall down with his things.
- 'We should be getting out now, Harry,' Dumbledore said as he approached Potter's seat.He was somehow unaffected by the crazy speed of the bus, the Headmaster managing to calmly keep his balance without holding on to anything.
Harry nodded and got off the bus at the next stop, following Dumbledore. They went into a non-functioning phone box; the Headmaster was entering some number while telling Potter that there were two other entrances, but he decided to use this one because... Harry didn't listen any further, they left the booth and found themselves in a huge room filled with people walking back and forth. He couldn't get his emotions under control and he began to feel the fear of going back to the Dursleys again. Dumbledore took Potter's hand and led him towards the lift.
Finally they came to the small hall. There were many chairs next to the door, the Headmaster pointed to one of them and said:
- Sit here, you'll be called soon.
Harry sat down and tried not to worry. It was working well, after five minutes his knees had stopped shaking. Finally he was called. He made his way into the hall. Harry was able to abstract the wild fear inside him and squeeze out a smile. Dumbledore smiled back at him, while the other middle-aged man with red hair frowned in contrast. Potter answered a short question from Carl Parkus, and that was the end of his participation.
He walked out of the hall, sat down in the same chair, and began to wait. It was unclear how long it took, maybe five minutes or maybe a long hour, but finally Dumbledore came out of the hall and addressed Harry at once:
- Everything went well, Harry. Ted Tonks is waiting for you outside.
They exited the Ministry of Magic and made their way to the car park designated for Muggle car parking. A blond-haired man with a considerable paunch was waiting for them, smoking a cigar. When he saw them, he tossed his cigarette butt into the bin and walked straight up to Harry.
- Hi son, my name is Ted," the blond-haired man held out his hand for a handshake.
Harry hesitantly stiffened and wasn't sure how to proceed, but his hesitation only took a couple of seconds. Of course he really didn't want to respond to the handshake, but even more he didn't want to turn his guardian against him the first time they met. And the fact that his hands were protected by gloves only served to boost Potter's confidence. Harry responded to the handshake, noting to himself that with the gloves on, the touch was practically imperceptible.
Mr Tonks didn't seem to notice Potter's hesitation, he exchanged a few words with Dumbledore and led Harry towards a large black car.
- Do you like cars, son? - He asked.
Harry thought for a moment. His Uncle Vernon had a rather nice car, and had often threatened him that he would beat the crap out of him if he scratched it even a little. It wasn't what you'd call a pleasant memory.
- Not really, Mr Tonks.
- It's a shame," Ted said disappointedly. - Give me the suitcase and get in the car, I'll take you home and you can meet my wife.
Harry sat down in the back seat and, while Mr Tonks put his luggage in the boot, looked at the car carefully.
It looked much nicer inside than Uncle Vernon's. The interior of the car was a light brown colour, and there wasn't a single speck of dirt on it. Black safety harnesses were placed near each seat. And between the rear-most seats was a retractable armrest. Harry liked this car much better than the similar one at Uncle Vernon's.
They drove for a long time. All this time Harry sat on pins and needles, not knowing what to say, or whether he should. Finally, Ted decided to take the initiative, he looked at him through the rear view mirror and hesitantly said:
- How are you doing?
- Fine, Mr Tonks.
- Call me Ted, I don't like those formal addresses," he was silent for a moment and then continued speaking, "As you realise, I am your guardian from now on. I want to tell you that I am honoured to be your guardian. You must be tired of such speeches by now, aren't you? Being thanked for something you don't even remember doing in your early childhood must be unpleasant. But still, you really helped me a lot back then. I'm a muggle-born wizard, and because of my background I had some problems during the magical war. We were hunted by the minions of You-Know-Who, they hated Muggles and Muggleborns, and they hated those who married pure-blooded wizards. My parents were brutally murdered just because their son married a woman from an ancient pureblood family.
Mr Tonks was silent, plunged into his memories, and Harry felt he had something to say. But what exactly he couldn't think of, other than:
- I'm sorry.
- You didn't know them, they were bad people and hated magic, but even still, they didn't deserve what happened to them. So. After my parents they tried to get to me as well, Dromeda told me about her sister's creepy threats. Bellatrix Lestrange threatened that if my wife didn't divorce me, she would kill us both and our little daughter, who was seven at the time. We had found the keeper of the secret and were going to protect our house with a spell of trust, thus interrupting Nymphadora's barely begun studies, and she was very bad at being alone, and she liked school very much at the time. But then, thanks to you, You-Know-Who disappears, and all the problems immediately solved themselves. There were parties everywhere, and someone seriously suggested a public holiday in your honour. But since the day You-Know-Who disappeared coincides with Halloween, Harry Potter Day never came up. Anyway, where I'm going with this, even though you were one year old at the time and you don't even remember it, but... Thank you.
- You're welcome, Mr Tonks," Harry muttered embarrassedly.
- You're welcome? - Ted smiled. - It doesn't matter, and yes, I told you before, I'm Ted, not Mr Tonks, and I might not care, but Dromeda's a big fan of it, she's had enough of the Mr and Mrs Blacks. You're going to have to call us by our first names, okay?
Harry nodded briefly.
- Okay, we're just pulling up, so I'll tell you about our house. We have some rules, although Nymphadora hardly ever follows them, but I'd be happy if you followed half of them. We go to bed at eleven o'clock in the evening, eleven thirty at the latest. Rise at ten o'clock in the morning sharp. Dora tells me that you're a mild temperament, you don't like to get rowdy, and you seem a harmless child to me, but Dumbledore has told me about some of your "successes," and he's much more trustworthy than his daughter, so I want to warn you not to do anything naughty at home. There are lots of normal kids your age around here, you can play with them. We don't have a strict meal schedule like at Hogwarts, but we have breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening. And most importantly, don't make an example of my daughter. All she does is break all these rules, sometimes going out for the night out of spite and coming back beaten only in the morning, and refusing to answer all questions. I suspect she's signed up for some kind of muggle wrestling, but I'm not sure. Did you know she wants to be an auror? To fight crazy Dark Lords. I don't approve of that, but I've accepted her choice, but Dromeda....
Ted looked at Harry, contemplating how much to say to him.
- To be honest, they don't have a very good relationship. They fight a lot. Andromeda tries to oppose Dory's desire to become an Auror in every possible way... I think her behaviour has been influenced by her relatives: her sister and cousin. They've become close to You-Know-Who. So Andromeda knows firsthand what the dark forces are like. In general, you better not get involved in these conflicts... In another week Mad-Eye is coming to Dora's house. Mad-Eye is almost as crazy as You-Know-Who, but he's kind of on our side, he's put a lot of dark wizards in Azkaban. Nymphadora is crazy about him, and even my wife respects him a bit, but I'm of a different opinion, I keep trying to stop him from coming to our house, but so far no luck. He has threatened to take my daughter out of the house and put her next door to him to teach her daily defence against the dark arts if he is not allowed in. Dora is of age now, and she is very much enjoying the offer, so I have to put up with Mad-Eye's periodic visits to my home. When he arrives, we'll go out together for an afternoon, I wouldn't want you two to meet. And Moody himself is not aware that you are in our care, Dumbledore has classified the results of today's trial for some reason. Dora might inform Mad-Eye about you, so it would be better if we were far away, or he'll check your knowledge of combat magic too... Well, I think I've told you everything... We're just about to arrive. Do you have any questions?
- What's Azkaban?
- It's a prison for bad wizards, guarded by Dementors. More?
- What are Dementors?
- They're magical creatures, they suck souls out, it's like... You know, you'd better ask Dora when she gets here.
Harry saw the Tonks' house from a distance. It was a small brick two-storey building with large diamond-shaped windows, and not far from the entrance was a garden with a pond in the middle, enclosed by a small wobbly fence.
- Do you have an owl? - Ted asked, parking the car on a small lawn near the marsh.
- Yes, but I don't have it with me now, it flew away with the letter. All I've got is a cage and food.
Dumbledore took the Element. Immediately after the Tonks were officially chosen as Potter's guardians, he had sent a letter to Petunia Dursle stating that their nephew would not be living with them now, and informing her of the last opportunity to send Harry a farewell letter. It seems that the Headmaster really thought the Dursleys would do it.
- It's a shame, our owl is ill and I have three letters to send. As soon as your owl comes back, give it to me for a while, will you? You, like me, should be familiar with the Muggle world and should understand how much more convenient it is to send paper letters by regular mail, but, alas, almost all pureblood and half-blood wizards do not accept anything but owl mail, and it makes communication very difficult. Well, come on in.
Ted opened the large red door and was the first to enter. Harry saw a perfectly ordinary hallway.
- We're here! - Ted shouted loudly.
Footsteps were heard, and a tall woman with large dark eyes that looked strange with her light brown hair came out to them. Not a single emotion flashed across Andromeda Tonks' face. She calmly approached Harry and introduced herself:
- Hello, my name is Andromeda. Did Ted tell you about our routines?
- Hello, yes, he has informed me everything," Harry replied. He was confused by the lack of any emotion on Mrs Tonks' face.
- You can call me Andromeda, come on, I'll show you to your room.
And without waiting for him, she walked down the corridor. Harry quickly threw his shoes off his feet and rushed after her.
- Where's Tonks? - Catching up with Andromeda, Harry asked out of habit.
He hadn't realised that Tonks could be applied to everyone in the house. But Andromeda understood him perfectly.
- She hasn't arrived yet," she answered briefly
Harry fell silent. He liked Ted much better with the silent and strange Mrs Tonks. Andromeda led him up to the first floor, and Potter, realising there was no way to make conversation, began to look around. He expected to see some miracles, the same manifestations of magic as at Hogwarts: living clothes, talking animals, or at least something strange, but his expectations were not fulfilled. The house turned out to be ordinary. Inside, it was practically no different from the Dursleys' place: two floors, more expensive things, and a different design style - that was all the difference. Except that it was much bigger than it looked from the outside.
- This is your room," Andromeda pointed her finger at the door. - Ted and I are on the ground floor, first left of the stairs, and Dora's room is to your right.
Mrs Tonks finally showed some emotion on her face. She smiled slightly and spoke:
- I hope we get along.
With those words she headed down the stairs. Harry opened the door and looked around his new place carefully. A large bed, wallpaper painted blue, the room was slightly similar in size to Dudley's new bedroom. A large brown wardrobe stood in the far corner - he could fit all his belongings in it if he wanted to. Opposite the door was a large diamond-shaped window through which he could see the pond.
Harry Potter was home.
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