Chương 23: chapter:23
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Harry turned away and took in the room. Floor to ceiling shelves line one wall, filled with empty tins and vials. On the wall next to the door were several dusty bookshelves where he'd knicked the book from. Beneath the windows opposite she shelving were granite countertops. Sitting on them were a number of things; knives, scales, little bowls, and rusty cauldrons. Across from the bookshelves stood a fireplace as large as the one in the kitchen. Inside of it was a large iron cauldron hanging from a hook.
In the center of the room, near the settee, were two pitted and stained wooden work benches with a stool at each one. They were empty except for a handful of black stones with strange symbols carved into them. Harry recognized them as runes, but not what kind they were or what they were for.
James moved around the sofa, muttering to himself and waving his wand, trying to make it more comfortable, as Harry poked around the room.
"After you get your wand, we can brew something simple together," James told him
Harry's entire face lit up. "Really?"
"Sure. I may not like potions much, but I am good at it," James said. Then he made an unhappy noise and cursed. "This thing is a lost cause!"
Harry laughed.
"I'm heading up to bed," James said a moment later. "Try not to stay down here too late."
"I won't."
James made to leave the room, then came back to the bookshelves. He stared at the titles for a moment, then waved his wand. A silvery cloud burst out from his wand and enveloped some of the books before sinking into them and vanishing.
"Just a precaution," James told him.
Harry made to grab one of the books. His hand kept slipping off of it. "What did you do?" Harry said, appalled.
"It's a simple ward to keep you out of the the more advanced books," James said.
Harry huffed.
At the look on his face, James said, "Potions are dangerous, and you're completely untrained. We'll see about removing some of the ward next summer."
Harry wasn't happy about it, but let it go. It was nice to have someone care about his safety, even if it was inconvenient. Aunt Petunia certainly hadn't cared about it when she had him begin cooking complicated meals at far too young an age.
It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed that he remembered his birthday was the next day.
Harry rushed downstairs the next morning, excited for his birthday. James had made no promises about anything. In fact, he hadn't even mentioned it. Even if he forgot, it would still be better than any birthday Harry had ever had before. There would be no endless chores, or too little food, or Dudley to terrorise him. No crude jokes about dead parents and how much he was unwanted. It was just Harry, the library, and the sanctuary of the abandoned storage room.
It was like the first morning all over again. The second he entered the kitchen, he came to a halt. The table was laden with a veritable feast. Every breakfast food imaginable was piled high on its surface. A sparkling white banner floated gently above the table. "Happy 11th Birthday Alex & Harry!" flashed in a rainbow of colours on it.
Sitting next to Alex's usual seat, was a strange man. He looked to be around James' age, and had light brown hair streaked with grey. There were deep scars slashed across his pale face, which were made even more prominent by his wide grin/ He had golden eyes with deep bags underneath them.
He was dressed in faded robes, the trim fraying around the edges. It was a stark contrast against James' pristine Auror robes, but still nicer than anything Harry had ever worn before he came to Linweald.
Both the man and James had party hats on their heads, which emitted colourful puffs of smoke from the tips.
"Harry!" the man breathed in a hoarse voice.
"Harry, this is your Uncle Remus," James said.
The other man, Remus, groaned, but didn't stop smiling at Harry.
"Hello," Harry said softly, a little overwhelmed.
If James had a brother, why couldn't he go to him instead of the Dursleys. It felt the same as having James show up, unannounced, back from the dead.
"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you," Remus said.
"Remus is my best friend," James explained.
And oh, that was somehow better and worse.
Before anything else could be said, Alex came flying into the room, a good hour before he normally would.
"Uncle Remus," he screamed and launched himself into the man's arms laughing. "I missed you so much!"
"You saw me barely more than a week ago," Remus told him.
"Moony?' Harry questioned.
"A nickname from our school days," James said.
They all sat down to eat, and Harry watched, enviously, and Alex, James, and Remus chattered away with one another. Several times, James or Remus would attempt to include him in the conversation, but Alex would jump in before Harry could get more than two words in. Not that he had much to add. They bounced from topic to topic with a rapid pace, talking about things Harry had never heard of.
He ate slowly, and just listened to them, contemplating how rude it would be to just vanish to the library in the middle of the meal.
As James got ready to leave, almost an hour later than usual, Alex turned to Remus and said, "Birthday flight? I've been waiting all year."
"For a little while," Remus said with a grimace.
"Well boys," James said, "enjoy your day with Remus. I'll be home early for your birthday dinner.' He turned to Alex, and said, "Don't wear our Moony out on the brooms."
"I would never!" Alex gasped in an exaggerated accent.
All three of them laughed.
Alex led Remus towards the back garden, vibrating with energy. Remus glanced back with a look that seemed to say, "I'm sorry," but didn't stop.
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