Chapter II

"Good evening Hedwig." Harry said as he stretched his arms.

He grinned as Hedwig gave him a hoot from her stand, before she started to preen her feathers. So far, this had been going pretty well. No on was there when he and Sora arrived at Whytemoor Manor. Sora quickly showed him to his room, explaining that everyone else was probably still asleep. When she had left him alone in his room, his rather large and spacious room, he had unpacked what few things he had in less than five minutes and taken a good look around.

He was delighted to discover that he had his own private bath and a walk in closet. It had been a pleasure to draw a nice warm bath and not have to worry about anyone yelling at him for using the hot water. When he had come out, he’d just performed some quick Glamourie charms, changed into some clean old clothes and walked over to the bed before he had fallen asleep. He had just woken up to a clock chiming; its hands were pointing at the word "Dinner".

"I'm going to go down Hedwig. Want to come?" he said as he rose from the bed and stretched.

Hedwig flew over in a second, looking around with bright curious eyes as she landed on his shoulder. Harry opened his bedroom door before he walked out quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. The hallway was rather tastefully done in shades of blue and black with a bit of dark green here and there. He hurried forward as he heard voices coming from the stairs up ahead; he didn't want to be late for dinner.

"What do you mean Harry Potter is here?"

Harry halted his steps at the frosty voice; that must have been Sora's mother.

"You obviously don't listen, Mother," Sora's voice was withering. "Harry is here and upstairs in his bedroom, asleep. And I will go and wake him in a few minutes so we all can eat dinner."

"I did not approve of any of this." there came a tense silence. "How dare you go behind my back and do this, Alex?"

"Don't play this game with me Leiko. You know the only reason why Harry wasn't with us sooner was because Dumbledore wanted him to grow up with those accursed Muggles. I can see why, but it must have been horrible for him to grow up with such ignorant people."

"Yes, the Muggles from your side of the family."

"Don't start this again, Mother." Sora said. "Ken and Dai will be here any minute. The least you can do is put on a civil face."

"This is as civil as I will be. I don't want some repulsive, filthy, part-Mudblood in my home."

"That's enough Leiko!"

"Father-"

"No, Sora. I tolerate a lot from your mother. But I draw the line when she insults my cousin's child. You haven't even met the boy and you hate him already."

"I don't have to meet him to know. Harry Potter, the "Golden Child of the Wizarding World". I am sick to death of him already, Alex."

"If it wasn't for him, you might be dead!" there came another awkward silence after that vehement explosion. "As long as you live under my roof, you will treat the boy with respect and kindness. You don't have to love him, but don't be cruel to him in any manner. And I mean it Leiko. If he breathes a word to me of any cruelty, I’ll have your head on a silver platter."

"Jumping to the Saviour’s rescue already?" Leiko said in a patronizing tone.

"You know where the door is Leiko. If you don’t wish to be here, by all means leave. You don’t have to stay for any reason, damn the consequences. I’d show you the door myself, but I am more than liable to use my foot; can’t have you charging me with assault or the like. If you do leave, I’ll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers. I daresay he’ll enjoy it as much as I would."

Another tense silence filled the conversation. "I have just lost my appetite."

The sound of rapid steps came before soft murmurs were exchanged below. Harry stood there for a moment before he walked to the stairs and started down. Sora was standing there with a tall black haired man. He looked somewhat like Harry's father from the pictures, but more elegant somehow. His features were a bit sharper and his nose more aquiline. The hair was still wild, but tamed somewhat by a simple black leather band. Harry continued on down the stairs as they heard his footsteps. Sora and her father had the exact same eyes; that bright malachite green set off by rather pale skin.

"Hello Harry, I' m Alexandre de Vyns, your uncle. I'm sure you know Sora by now." he offered his hand.

Harry nodded, shaking it. "Is it time for dinner?"

"Yes. Ken and Dai will simply have to join us in the dining room when they arrive. Come." Alexandre said as he started down the hall.

Harry fell in step beside Sora as they walked through the corridor. "Do you know what's for dinner?" he asked in a whisper.

Sora shook her head. "Father told the house elves to make something. I don't know what though."

"Oh. Is Hedwig allowed in the dining room?"

"Of course. My own owl is there now. He gets fussy if I exclude him from dinner with the family."

"What kind of owl?"

"Eagle; he looks threatening but he's a big baby."

Nothing more was said as they entered the dining room, taking their seats at the fairly large table. Harry glanced at the two other plates that had been set on the opposite side. He looked at Sora before she simply shrugged; apparently her brothers were late in coming down to dinner.

"Where's your owl?" Harry asked, trying to fill the silence.

"He's probably around in the rafters. He'll come down when he's ready. He'll want to see Hedwig." Sora paused for a moment. "Were you at the stairs long?"

Harry didn't say anything for a moment as Alexandre looked at him. "I heard everything."

Sora sighed as she rubbed her temple. "I told you not to expect much from Mother. She was particularly venomous today. I am sorry you had to hear that Harry."

"I apologize for my wife," Alexandre said as he linked his fingers and leaned forward slightly. "I still cannot figure out why she is so opposed to you being here. What I said stands; I want you to realize that. I don’t wish for you to feel like an intruder here in our home."

"It's all right." Harry said. "So far, I like it here. It's a very nice house, but very large." He paused for a moment. “I don’t want to impose or cause any trouble.” He honestly didn’t want to; that seemed to lead to far too much bitterness, and he didn’t want to accrue any more against himself.

"This is your home now." Alexandre said. "I want you to feel welcome here in everyway. You are not imposing on us in any manner. If anything, this will be good for Sora. She has no one else around here her own age."

Sora nodded her head, remaining silent for a moment. “Besides, the trouble started long before you came. Long before I was even born.”

Alexandre gave a heavy sigh and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of a loud voice from the doorway.

"We're here!!"

Harry looked up as Sora ran from her seat and bolted to the door, nearly knocking someone over. Another person slipped past the two, shaking his head with a grin.

"Harry, they are your other two cousins, Ken and Dai." Alexandre said. "Ken, Dai, we have been waiting patiently for you two."

"Hi Harry, I’m Dai,” the man with the dark brown eyes and hair said. Then he gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. “Sorry we’re late. The train got held up, loose wire or something. You know how Muggle things take forever to fix." He sat down in a free chair.

"You took the subway?" Harry asked.

"Yes. It was, believe it or not, the fastest way to get here. Apparating makes us sick to our stomachs; no appetite. I'm Ken, by the way.” The other man said as he jogged over to the table. He looked a bit older and had black hair when Dai’s was brown. But they had the same eyes.

Harry’s lips quirked up into a smirk. "Does she usually act that way towards him?"

"You don't know that half of it." Dai said rolling his eyes as Sora took her seat. Then she jerked and Ken stifled a sound. "Oi, you two! Let up! We wanna eat in peace!"

Harry tried to hide his smirk of amusement as Sora brushed her mussed hair from her face. That was certainly a far cry from the way she acted before. His attention was diverted as the house elves brought in the food, serving them quickly. Harry was just about to eat when he felt something tug on his arm. Looking down, he saw a house elf holding out a letter for him. He took it looking back up at the table, seeing letters in everyone's hand.

"We don't open the mail in the morning," Ken explained quickly. "We leave it for the evening. Easier to deal with the bills that way."

"Hm, Sora, you have mail for once." Alexandre said as he glanced up and then returned to riffling through his piles of envelopes.

"Yes." she took it from the house elf and looked at it, eyes scrutinizing it at various angles as if she could see through it. "Don't know who sent it to me though. Open yours Harry. I'd imagine it's from Hogwarts."

Harry opened his, seeing Dumbledore's familiar script. "It's my list of supplies for my seventh year," he said quickly. "I think something's wrong with it though. You're listed as one of the authors of the books, Sora."

Sora didn't say anything, simply giving a dry cough and started eating her dinner with great interest. He looked at her puzzled and then at her brothers who were snickering.

"She didn't tell you." Dai said. "Don't blame her. She's had people who said they were friends but all they wanted was her fame."

Harry looked at them before he looked back at Sora, who was focusing on her dinner plate. "Her fame?" Apparently some things had been happening in the Wizarding world during the vacation.

"She did write that book Harry as well as another one." Alexandre said. "She doesn't like to brag about it though. She has been mobbed on more than one occasion. I am sure you can understand why she didn't say anything."

"I do. But such a fuss over a book on animals?"

"That's what I said too." Sora said. "I didn't think it would be material for school. I was tired of reading shoddy books on beasts that lacked certain particulars. So I wrote one, with everything. However, I found that Newt Scamander’s work was highly invaluable as a resource. He even wrote the foreword for my book; that in itself is a great honour."

"So you work with animals?" Harry looked at her, taking in her somewhat strange expression of fierce pride and somewhat guardedness.

"Yes." she said with a quick smile that vanished. She didn’t say anything for a moment. “Mother never approved of it. My working with animals."

"Forget Mother," Ken said. "She can ruin anyone's fun. So Harry, ever had some adventures in those Hogwarts halls?"

"Some." he said.

"Don't you miss those hallways?" Ken asked, somewhat rhetorically.

"Yes," Dai said wistfully. "The Great Hall, Ravenclaw, the ghosts, the suits of armour, the path-"

"The path to Hogsmeade." Ken said, cutting him off quickly. "Sora, you should go to Hogwarts for one year at least. Try to get on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. The way you fly you could be a Chaser, like Father here, or even a Seeker."

"No, thank you. If you two went there, I will undoubtedly have a reputation to live up to." Sora said primly.

"Top of our class." Ken said with a proud smirk. "Not even old Ceryates could fail us for Potions. Wolfsbane, aconite, monkshood-"

"Those are all the same thing." Harry and Sora said at the same time, sounding equally bored.

"Ah, I see." Dai grinned at them. "Brains. What's the new Potions teacher's name? I think it was Snape. I went by once to visit Dumbledore and Snape was in his office; that man is like a hawk! It's unnerving the way he looks at you. I never really liked that fellow."

“You never liked him much when he was in Hogwarts.” Ken chimed in.

“He went to Hogwarts?” Dai paused, scratching his head. “Oh yeah, he did. Oh well. Didn’t really like him then and I don’t really like him now.”

"Likewise." Harry said as he placed the letter beside him on the table. "What's your letter say Sora?"

"Yes Sora; I think everyone else has opened theirs as well." Alexandre said as he looked at her.

Sora didn't say anything for a moment before she took the paper and broke the seal, something slipping into the palm of her hand. "Well," she said, leaving a silence hanging for a bit as she tucked a hand away discreetly. "It seems Hogwarts has extended me an offer to study there with the seventh years."

"Will you accept it?" Alexandre asked in a gentle voice.

"I don't know. It would be nice to escape from Mother. But I shudder to think of what it will be like if she finds out that I might go there." Sora paused. "Besides, who would look after my animals?"

"Who taught you what you know?" Alexandre gave her a playful look before he was serious again. "This isn't the first Hogwarts letter you've gotten you know."

"It isn't?!" Sora, Harry, Dai and Ken all looked at Alexandre in surprise.

"No. They started coming when you were about thirteen. Remember the summer when you found the injured unicorn and you nursed it back to health? That was when the first letter came. I didn't show your mother, of course, but I didn't show you. You were progressing well with your tutor and I didn't want to make you choose between what you wanted to do and what you could do at such a young age."

"And you think I can deal with it now?"

"After some of the experiences you have been through, yes, I think you can. The last few years have done wonders for your maturity level." Alexandre looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Besides, it's been awhile since there has been a de Vyns in Ravenclaw."

"Thanks." Sora said in strange voice.

"This is entirely your decision Sora. If you choose to go, then we will see you and Harry off. If not, you can continue on down your current path."

Sora nodded as she looked at the letter once more. "I'll think about it. You'll probably have my decision by tomorrow night."

"Of course." Alexandre said. "If you want, I could tell you all about Hogwarts. I went there myself when I was younger."

"Father, you can't tell her! That's supposed to be our job; to scare her!"

"If I can handle a group of angered Clabberts, I don't think you guys can tell me anything that would scare me." Sora laughed.

"Harry, is the Bloody Baron still there?" Dai asked suddenly.

"Yes, he is."

"Really? Have I got a story for you two! Don't worry Sora, I'll fill in. Ever wonder why he's called the Bloody Baron, Harry?" Ken asked as he put down his fork and knife.

"Sometimes. Maybe it the reason why he can control Peeves."

"My, your mind does turn, doesn't it?" Ken said with a laugh. "Don't worry Father; I'm sure you'll want to hear this also."

Harry smiled as he listened to Ken and Dai tell their little story, trying to not interrupt with questions of his own. He really could see himself coming back here at the end of the school term.

A cool breeze made its way through the garden where Harry was walking, the scent of fresh cut grass sharp and pungent. It had been a long dinner, and a fairly short but interesting story. But there was a sense of family there that couldn't be missed; the exchanged words, teasing, threats, the pokes and punches. He smiled as he simply walked along the hedge contemplating how his life had changed. He had gone from being a virtual slave to living on an estate with family that accepted him for who he was. Dai had give him a rather brisk rub to the head with the warning to keep away from the rabid fangirls before he, Ken and Alexandre had left to attend some meeting at the Ministry. Sora, on the other hand, had simply disappeared.

He had gone to every room in the house, only avoiding the one where Leiko was. A few hours later, and a very through knowledge of the layout of Whytemoor Manor, he still hadn't found Sora. So he found himself walking through the massive gardens that encircled the house, hoping to come across her there. He glanced up at the sky, noting all the starts and planets that were out. The spread was rather breathtaking tonight and the night just right.

"Except for that." he paused, picking up the scent of manure. "It must be a stable. Maybe Sora's there."

He continued along, the smell getting stronger before he saw a large barn at the end of an immense field. He continued walking along, wishing he had a broom; it would have made this search go a bit faster. By the time he reached the barn door, the moon had started to rise in the sky.

"Sora, are you in here?" he pushed the door open slowly, peering in around the corner.

"Here." she called from a nearby stall. "Just mind the hippogriff in the stall by the door. She still doesn't like it when people to get too close to her."

Harry walked in, keeping a careful distance from the hippogriff as it watched him with wary golden eyes. As he approached the stall, he could see a black reptilian muzzle that was eating something delicately from Sora's open hand. Then he saw the leathery wings gleaming in the lights.

"A Thestral; very rare creature." Sora said as she watched the animal eat the grain. "I found her when she was a foal; she'd been running from something for days with a bad shoulder injury."

Harry looked at the horse as he came to stand beside Sora. The coat was jet black and its eyes a milky white. The entire animal reminded him somewhat of a dragon in horse form. It looked just like the Hogwarts Thestrals he had seen during his fifth year. "I don't think it's true. What they say about them."

"It's not. They wouldn't believe it if they met Epona here. She is the gentlest creature I have known; Thestrals are unlucky, ha," she scoffed. "She's one of the best things that ever happened to me," she rubbed the muzzle gently. "You can touch her, she won't bite you. She's really quite fond of people."

Harry didn't say anything as he reached out and touched the silky skin, surprised by the horse leaning in towards their touch. He grinned at Sora. "She's beautiful."

“I ride her every now and then. She enjoys it, as do I. But now that I can Apparate, I find that I only ride her as a pastime,” Sora rubbed Epona’s muzzle fondly. “At least with Epona, I don’t run the risk of splinching.”

“Do you think you could teach me to ride?” Harry asked.

“Oh no, I’m a horrid teacher when it comes to animals. Things I see as obvious that I have to explain irritate me to no end. Try anything else.” Sora paused. “Come to think of it, it was my godfather who taught me to ride a horse, winged and non-winged.”

“You think he’d teach me?” Harry looked at her as rubbed Epona’s forehead gently. “I mean to properly ride.”

“Perhaps,” Sora said. “But it will have to wait until we get back.” Sora paused. “Speaking of which, I had better find out if we can bring an additional pet along if I do decide to go.”

“An additional pet? Isn’t Atil enough?”

"Yes, but I have a pet snake I just got a few months ago. I really don’t want to leave him alone.” Sora grinned. “You should see him after he moults his skin." Sora murmured. "Like a sapphire."

"You really do like animals, don't you?" Harry paused. "You could probably give Hagrid a run for his money."

"Hagrid?"

"The gamekeeper at Hogwarts." Harry paused for a moment. "Still thinking about it?"

"I am. It's just that-"

Sora's words were interrupted by the screech that came from the upper levels by the front of the barn, by a window. A massive owl had perched there, wings spread out fully. Sora nodded as she held up a hand. The owl stopped and looked back out at the night.

"That was my owl, Atil." Sora said. "She's coming."

"She's? Who's this 'she'?"

"You'll see right now." Sora muttered so only he could hear as the barn door creaked open. "Mother." Sora inclined her head slightly with frosty tone.

"Sora," Leiko said in a polite, yet equally frosty voice. "Harry." It got even colder in a split second. "We have to get you a new broom tomorrow, Sora."

"I'm sure Harry could use a new one. I am fine with my Firebolt. I only got it two years ago."

"My Firebolt is fine." Harry said, leaning against the stable door. "A bit old, but still fine."

Leiko's eyes flashed at him for a moment before she turned her attention back to Sora. "I heard you received mail today."

Sora simply nodded, before she turned her attention back to the unicorn. "I did. It was nothing of significance. So I burned it."

Harry didn't say anything when Leiko looked at him as if that was his fault, keeping her gaze. He’d be damned if he let her cow him in what he easily had seen as his home. Leiko turned her attention back to Sora.

"Well, you need a new wardrobe for when you go out." she said to Sora.

"Harry needs one more than I do. You bought me one last year; those robes are still in good condition. I never wore them anywhere."

Irritation flickered through Leiko's eyes for a split second before she turned her attention to Harry. "You're going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"Yes, Mrs. de Vyns." Leiko's voice crackled like a cold whip as she corrected him.

"Yes, Auntie Leiko." Harry said in a sarcastic and patronizing tone; Aunt Petunia was more preferable to the woman in front of him.

Leiko's face stiffened imperceptibly as she looked at Harry long and hard. He didn't flinch, looking her back in the eye. A few minutes later, she gave a dismissive sneer and turned towards the door. "You and I will have a talk tomorrow, Sora."

Sora didn't say anything until the barn door closed again. "That is why I don't want her to know anything about the Hogwarts offer." She watched Harry once more before she started snickering.

“What’s so funny?”

“My godfather said the same thing to her once. She tried to hex him for it and he deflected it and hit her with spell that took the bones from her legs. She dropped like drugged dragon.”

Harry snickered at the image of Leiko attempting to crawl across the floor. He crossed his arms leaning more weight against the stall door. "You really burnt the letter?"

"No, I ate it. There have been times when I have destroyed things in my fireplace only to find that Mother either has them or knows about them; I was not taking any chances. Let her think she has a possibility of finding out what the letter's contents were."

"You…didn't really eat it…did you?" Harry asked in an unsure voice.

"What do you think?" Sora asked in a deadpan voice.

Harry didn't say anything for a few minutes. "Has she always been like that?"

"I can barely remember a time when she wasn’t." Sora said after a moment's thought. "It's getting late, we should head back. Tomorrow, we can go flying around the country on our Firebolts." she gave Epona a final pat on the muzzle before they started walking.

"Shouldn't you talk to your mother?" Harry asked, as they made their way to the barn door.

Sora waved a hand in dismissal. "Mother can deal with it. Atil, come!" she called, arm outstretched. She looked at Harry once the bird had landed. "You'll have to forgive me. I cannot stay up half the night talking with you, as I would like to. I have an early start tomorrow. And I still have to send a letter to Dumbledore."

"Does it have to go now?"

"That would be best. It would be rather rude to not reply swiftly to him, since he took the time to write that letter personally."

With a groan, Harry buried his head into his arms on the desk. So far he was caught up on all his summer assignments, except for the one from Snape. The massive essay on curative potions was taking him far longer than he had expected; and all he had left was the conclusion. Not that he found Potions hard by any means now, since sixth year. But he hated writing on curative potions in any manner. Plus, there was only one day left until he had to go to Hogwarts for another year. And he still hadn't picked up his supplies. Sora had told him to wait for a bit and that she would go with him. He picked up his head wearily and reached for the quill, glancing at the empty stand where Hedwig would have been. Sora had taken her yesterday, wanting to give her a check-up.

"Harry?"

He looked back relieved as he saw Sora coming in through the door. "Merlin, am I ever glad to see you!" he rose from his seat. "Did you want to go to Diagon Alley now?"

"Yes." Sora looked past him at the long piece of parchment that was rolled up against the window. "It looks as if you're about to run out of ink."

"Funny." Harry said as he made his way back to the desk, glancing the full ink jar. "All I need is to finish this off for the greasy git and we can leave."

"That would be Snape, I presume." Sora leaned over and picked up the parchment quickly. "Why don't you bring it with you?"

"Bring it with me? We're coming back here, what's the point?"

"The point is that we are staying at The Leaky Cauldron and you can finish it off there tonight." Sora looked at him. "I have two rooms reserved for us tonight…plus, our trunks and owls have been sent there already. We are the only thing missing." she shrugged. "Tempus fugit, Harry."

Harry wasted no time in packing up everything on his desk and placing it into a shoulder bag. He slipped into his robe and walked to the fireplace, taking a small handful of Floo Powder. A few minutes later, he found himself in the swirl of Diagon Alley, Sora coming after him, sneezing as she waved the faint motes of dust away.

"Flourish and Blotts first?" she managed to not cough.

Harry nodded. "Maybe I'll see Hermione and Ron there. But I need to stop by Gringotts first."

"No need to. I have enough." Sora headed them towards Flourish and Blotts. "Ron and Hermione are your friends?"

"Best friends." he said, weaving his way through the crowd. "You would probably like Hermione. She knows a lot of things."

"Undoubtedly." Sora said. "And Ron?"

"He loves Quidditch. The Chudley Cannons are his favourite teams."

"Interesting."

"Some reason for the one word answers?" Harry asked as they stepped into the bookstore.

Sora shrugged. "Some people recognize my voice."

Harry nodded not saying anything else as they started through the somewhat crowded aisles, picking up books. He paused for a moment as he saw Sora picking up the same books as him. He glanced at her as they walked up to the cashier and she paid for the two sets of schoolbooks.

"Sora?" Harry asked, stopping on the step of the store.

"Like I said, I didn't want Mother to find out." she gave him a sudden devious grin. "By the time she realizes, it will be too late to do anything about it. Shall we go and get you some robes?"

Note

Tempus fugit [Latin] - Time flies

When Darkness Comes - Chapter One || When Darkness Comes - Chapter Three