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"Dad thinks he might be able to smuggle one into Hogwarts for me," Alex said.
"James is going to sneak one in for you? Isn't he like a police officer or something?"
"DAD!" Alex shouted at him. "He's our dad. Why do you keep calling him James?"
"Because that's his name."
"He's still your dad too."
"I just met him yesterday. He may be your dad, but he isn't mine," Harry snapped.
Alex was turning red with anger. "Just because you didn't know him doesn't make him any less your dad."
"Yeah, it does. If he really was my dad, he wouldn't have abandoned me with the Dursleys for my whole life," Harry said bitterly.
"You ungrateful little," Alex started to shout.
"Ungrateful? He abandoned me, and only came for me because he had no choice," Harry spat.
"He didn't abandon you."
"Yes, he did."
"He was keeping you safe!"
"Safe?" Harry said incredulously.
"Safe from the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards. They're still out there."
"Bullshit. I was inconvenient, and I'm only back because I no longer am."
They devolved into shouting back and forth at that. The match was entirely forgotten at that point. Finally, Alex let out a guttural scream and lunged for Harry.
Years of running from Dudley, from avoiding hits from Uncle Vernon had left him with fast reflexes. He was out the door before Alex could reach him.
Harry fled back to the room he'd been given. Tears pricked at his eyes as he slid to the floor, his back pressed against the door. His breath came in quick pants, and he pressed his fists against his eyes. He would not cry, not over this.
"Master-Speaker, what has happened?" Morgan asked, slithering up from who knew where. She wound herself around Harry until she was draped across his shoulders. She'd always been able to sense when he was upset.
"I thought it might be different here, but it's not," he told her.
Despite his best efforts, the tears fell. It really was too much to ask, to finally be free of the pain. Alex was the first person his age to ever be nice to him, only for him to turn into Dudley the second they disagreed. He'd seen the warning signs all morning, but he'd ignored them. More the fool he was.
Harry sat there, crying, with Morgan whispering soothing words and revenge fantasies in his ear for a while. Her tongue tickled his cheek as it flicked back and forth with her words.
The sound of breaking glass was the only warning before a grey-brown cloud filled the room. It was so foul it made him gag. Morgan moaned miserable about the stench.
"What is that?" she whined.
"I don't know."
Hiss and Corra came rushing to him, complaining. Harry gathered them into his arms, which they curled around. Moving quickly, he grabbed his notebook and biros before abandoning the room.
In the basement, the Library was a quiet retreat. James had alluded to Alex not liking to read, so it seemed like a good enough place to hide for a while. Once the double doors, which were ornately carved with mythical beasts surrounding a cauldron, were closed behind them, Corra and Hiss took off into the dusty corners beneath the bookcases that lined the walls. In front of the fireplace were a couple of armchairs, and on the opposite side of the room was a study table. Beneath each of the two windows were cushioned benches built into the bookcases. They were each covered with comfortable looking pillows. Like the rest of the house, it was all scarlet fabric and warm woods.
In the center of the room was a singular large bookcase, which had shelves filled with books wrapping all the way around it. When Harry peered at some of the titles on it, he saw it appeared to be mostly children's books and wizarding novels.
Excitement coursed through him at the possibilities. He tossed his things onto the desk and browsed through the shelves. The books themselves were the most wondrous thing he'd ever seen. Some were so old the bindings felt as though they would crumble beneath his fingertips when he touched them. Others were bound in bright leather that looked brand new. The topics were fascinating, books on curses, and potions. He plucked Everyday Potions for the Clueless Beginner down from one shelf, and New Wand, New You; Jinxes for the Newly Wanded from another.
There were other interesting things beyond the titles as well. Two entire shelves on one wall wouldn't let him read the titles, and between them, he couldn't touch a single book. Every time he tried, the shelf was just slightly out of reach. He could read the titles though. Dozens of books on curses and other types of magic he didn't quite understand. He itched to pull them down.
By the time he found the section with what appeared to be history and cultural books, the stack on the study table was a dozen books high. He quickly added several more. Most of the titles he selected came willingly into his hands, but both On Lineages and History and Culture of the British Wix felt as though he had to pull them through molasses to get them down. The Untold History of the British Isles wouldn't come off the shelf at all, and he couldn't even touch The Pureblood Directory. Every time he tried, his hand grabbed one of the titles on either side of it.
When he finally sat back down at the table, he had two dozen books waiting for him. There were many more he wanted to pull down, but he was running out of space on the small table. He started with Navigating Wixen Society. It was some sort of etiquette book for girls. The book was dry and spent a lot of time talking about inane things such as place settings and hosting parties, but it answered tons of his questions.
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If you want to read 30 advanced chapters earlier or just want to support me on Patre-on.
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