Chapter Text
Harry puttered around the kitchen, making himself some tea while humming to himself.
For once, he had woken up earlier than Teddy and Lethum had promised to watch him until he woke. So he had some calm minutes to himself.
Kreacher was probably meeting with the other house elves or doing whatever he did, between fixing breakfast and waiting for the humans.
He smiled.
A year before, Kreacher would have been horrified to see him make his own cup, insisting it was his job and shooing him out of the kitchen. Now Kreacher would just sniff a “Friend Harry not too stupid for tea” or something like that and do his own thing instead.
They had an understanding now.
Harry inhaled the aroma of his tea deeply, turning his face toward the morning sun streaming through the window. Exactly how he liked it.
“Master Harry.”
His body froze, his fingers went numb. He only partly registered the clatter of broken porcelain.
Breathing became a strain while always echoing the word Master in different voices, sometimes with shrill laughter.
“Friend Harry!” A new voice. “Friend Harry.” It sounded nice. “Friend Harry!” Did it come nearer?
A sharp sting brought him back and suddenly he was staring at Kreacher’s wide eyes who had seemingly poked him with his sharp nail.
“I’m okay”, he rasped. Coughed. His whole body shook.
“Friend Harry sit”, with that he towed Harry to his stool and gave him a glass of water before rounding on the frightened elf. “Is told you, Rule One was to call Friend Harry ‘Harry’!” He put his hands on his hips. “Does Kreacher have to repeat Rules?”
Elm looked horrified. Bramble’s ears had flattened against her had. Neither dared to move, just staring at Harry and Kreacher.
Harry wrapped both hands around the glass simply because one wasn’t enough to steady it. After some tries he managed to take a tiny sip, but the water tasted strangely distant.
His whole concentration was needed to drink tiny sips of his water.
And to breathe.
His lungs worked again. His body simply hadn’t received the memo yet.
Harry wanted to say something soothing but his throat didn’t cooperate.
Why were his hands still shaking?
He was at home. There was no danger.
He knew where he was. Morning. Kitchen. With Kreacher.
He knew that. So why did he still feel so faint?
“What”, he had to cough again. “What did you want?”, Harry asked. They had come for something. Maybe they needed something for their house?
“Friend Harry is not fine – Rule Three. So no one harassing until better”, Kreacher crossed his arms and stared at Harry until he wilted. Yeah, he didn’t feel so great. But maybe they needed… Elm and Bramble popped away with one tiny bow each.
“They won’t punish themselves, will they?” It felt as if he had sandpaper in his throat.
“That’s Rule Two: No Punishments.”
“Good.”
“Now Friend Harry will drink.” With that he fixed Harry a new cup, “eat” and put some light breakfast in front of him “and world will wait”.
By the time Teddy and Lethum ran down the steps he almost felt like himself again.
“Elm, Bramble, are you here?”, he knocked on Braemer’s door.
“Yous called?”, squeakily sounded behind him. “Yous didn’t have to come all the way over here.”
As Harry turned both stood there, trying to seem even smaller than they were, their hands knotted into their new uniform. Fearful looks were sent his way before scattering back towards the floor.
“Look”, he tried to sound as soft as possible. “I’m sorry.”
“Ma–! Harry?”, Elm flinched.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He sighed. Obviously they were afraid now – not even full 24 hours on the property yet and he had failed them already. At least they were still here and visible.
“Was Elm’s fault.”
“No”, Harry emphatically shook his head. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Kreacher told Rule One. Not call Harry … that.” Bramble took a tiny step forward. ”Wes not purposely bad elves, learned always say … that.”
Harry smiled slightly, appreciative of them avoiding that word. He wouldn’t have thought his reaction would still be that big. He scrubbed his neck. “I know. And I didn’t want to make it difficult for you, but it would be nice, if you could call me just Harry.”
“Wes do.” Elm nodded profusely.
“Good, now, that that’s out of the way: What did you want? Is there something you’re not satisfied with?”
“No, no, no”, Bramble immediately shook her whole body. “Yous very generous. Wes love new house.” A flapping-ear-nod.
“Wes found money.” Elm took over and shakily presented the small stipend Harry had left for them.
“Yeah, I also left a note to buy anything you want.”
Both elves looked at each other.
“But wes already have room.”
“So?”
“Wes don’t need more.” They looked more uncomfortable the longer they talked.
“You don’t want a bed, or a pillow, or… some plant?”
Another look. Elm still held the money out.
“Okay, so”, Harry thought for a moment. He didn’t want to push them too hard. “How about I’ll give that money to Kreacher with the express purpose to see to your needs if anything ever comes up?”
They still stared mutely at him.
“He doesn’t even have to report to me?” At their horrified faces he backtracked. “Okay, he’ll tell me. He can ask me for permission if it is something bigger but otherwise he knows clearly what is allowed and what not.” They looked at least a little better, so he took the money.
“Good?” They nodded hesitantly.
“Good.”
Harry sat in front of the letter, playing with it in his hands.
It was already some days since he had sent his out. It wasn’t much, only
Hi.
We moved.
Teddy likes it.
He’s keeping me busy.
Hope work is treating you well.
Harry
and something almost the same for Molly, just asking after the house and the family instead of work.
Molly was the only one who’d answered. Nothing from Ron or Hermione.
He had expected it.
It still hurt.
Kreacher had already taken the small package into the kitchen to loot around the cookies, pies and whatever else Molly had sent in her care package. But his former best friends hadn’t answered.
Pulling himself together he opened the letter.
Dear Harry,
I’m glad Teddy is settling in.
I’ve enclosed a few things that might be useful.
Don’t forget to eat.
Would you like to come around for lunch on Sunday?
Love,
Molly
He smiled. That was so Molly.
Sighing he folded the paper again, before rereading and refolding.
“What are you doing?” Lethum stood in the door and watched him carefully. Sometimes he behaved like a proper child, but often enough, especially if they were alone, you could see the differences.
“Is it okay if you stay here on Sunday with the elves?”
“Why?”
“Molly invited Teddy and me to lunch. She doesn’t yet know about you and it will be stressful enough as is.”
“If you bake something for me.”
Harry smiled. “If Kreacher lets me into the kitchen.”
Immediately he turned around, running down the stairs and shouted “Kreacher, Harry needs to bake. We have a deal!”
Chuckling, he shook his head. Yeah, Death settled in great.
“Okay, so, listen”, Harry raised his voice to be heard about Teddy’s excited talking. “We will go to Digion Alley and try to be quick. We want to buy presents for all of them because we haven’t seen each other for some time. If anyone thinks they found anything: tell me.” He looked sharply at everyone. “Elm, you’re responsible for Teddy, Bramble, you for Lethum. Kreacher will watch all of you. Any questions?” He felt more like a command officer than head of a family, but, well.
Luckily it was Friday morning so there weren’t too many people around, but still enough to notice their little group.
“Is that Harry Potter?” was probably heard as often as “House elves? Out in the open?” but he ignored both. It was hard, but as Teddy hadn’t noticed yet, he intended to keep it like that. They just needed to get some presents.
They kept going forward and he didn’t even realize that he had stopped checking over his shoulder every other second.
If Teddy wandered off, someone would already be following him.
When they were halfway down the street he heard Elm’s voice: “Mas–” he clapped a hand over his mouth, took a breath and tried again: “Harry?”
“Yeah?” He smiled brightly, proud of the small creature to heed his wishes despite long training. It was just so damn irritating that all those nosy people could never quit staring. Never seen a house elf? Or were they staring because he was Harry Potter? Couldn’t they leave him alone?
Elm kept glancing up at Harry.
Nobody shouted.
Nobody hit him.
Nobody even seemed surprised that Harry had smiled at him. So he said what he wanted: “Yous said Miss Molly cooks”, then he pointed at a store where it had an amazing plating set.
“Oh, that’s perfect!” Harry squeezed Elm’s shoulder in thanks as his steps led him past the elf.
He heard Bramble’s muttered “thanked Elm, squeezed shoulder” and Kreacher’s “well, well. That’s Friend Harry” while patting her shoulder but it didn’t really register. Sometimes elves did just elf-things.
Thankfully with that many helpers the trip was quick enough not to get mobbed and before noon they were back at home. The only small hitch had been when Kreacher had insisted on “present for Friend Harry” and refused to accept Harry’s “I don’t need anything”.
Kreacher came into the kitchen and stowed a carrier on the table.
Harry sighed. “Kreacher.”
“Yous now sending letter.” He meaningfully looked at the box. “Friend Harry needs owl.”
He opened it and a small, brown Tawny Owl looked back at him. Carefully he reached his hand forward and she stepped up on his arm.
“Hello, there”, he whispered and got a small hoo in response.
Lethum came a step closer, watching intently.
“Does she have a name?”
Harry thought about it for a moment. “Rowan?”
The owl blinked.
Lethum nodded, his face serious. “She likes it.”
Harry looked at him. “Did she tell you that?”
“No.”
Lethum tilted his head.
“But she didn’t leave.”
So now there was apparently a Tawny Owl named Rowan living with them.
Then he remembered something: if Lethum was here… “Where is Teddy?” He didn’t like Lethum’s immediate ‘oh-oh’ face.
Then it was Sunday already.
Taking a deep breath, Harry checked a last time he had all the presents and that Teddy wore matching socks and the jumper Molly had gifted him.
“Okay. We’re ready.”
One last look and then the world spun around and deposited them at the apparition point outside The Burrow’s proper.
“Ready to see Aunt Molly?”
“Unce Tutu.” Teddy started the way towards the house and Harry had to snicker.
“Yes, Uncle Arthur will be there, too.”
He didn’t know who started naming the relations like that, but Harry kind of liked that Molly and Arthur were aunt and uncle and everyone else was just “cousin”. And as far as Harry knew, the only cousin with a name attached was “cous Daco”. Maybe he’d learn some more names today.
“You made it”, Harry hadn’t realized they already reached the door until he drowned in one of Molly’s hugs.
How long had it been since someone had hugged him?
Maybe he should hug Teddy more often. Yeah, positive touch was important, wasn’t it?
But before he could melt into her embrace she let go already and swept Teddy up into her arms.
“And who is this tiny gentleman?”
Teddy giggled. “Teddy.”
“Oh? You practiced saying your name, didn’t you?” With that she bustled them inside, shouting for everyone that they were here.
Harry grimaced but relaxed as no one came banging down the stairs. Seemed like Ron wasn’t here yet. Immediately he felt bad and was glad when Arthur appeared in the door.
“Harry, long time no see. Good to have you here.”
“Arthur, hope all is well?” They kind of awkwardly shook hands before Arthur started rambling about his latest fascination.
“Harry”, Ginny squeezed his shoulder before cooing over Teddy, who immediately got the red Weasley-hair and blue eyes. “I always forget you can do that”, squeezing his cheek which had him unhappily slapping at her and turning his hair back to black.
“Yeah, he’s too old already to be squeezed. He told that everyone who tried the whole last week”, Harry chuckled.
“Big already.” Teddy nodded importantly.
“Only Kreacher gets to sneak one in sometimes.” He hushed his voice: “Probably because he exchanges them for cookies.” All of them laughed, but it wasn’t the same bustling.
“Let’s eat, shall we?”
“Ron and Hermione said they’ll probably make it in about an hour.”
Molly dished everything up and it smelled amazing as always, but was probably way too much.
“Here, I’ll take him”, Molly put Teddy on her lap. “You eat in peace, dear.” And suddenly he had the feeling his cheek was the next that would be squeezed. “You’re too skinny. Tell your elf he needs to feed you more.”
“He bought an owl, he’d probably be delighted to correspond directly with you and exchange recipes. Or something like that.” He mumbled the last into his mashed potatoes and had the uneasy feeling he unleashed a monster onto himself.
Still, it was unusually subdued and it seemed like the silence got louder by the minute. So when they finished and Teddy loudly proclaimed everyone had to play with him Harry all but fled outside.
As soon as the fresh air hit him and the door was closed he felt like he could breathe again, so he stood there for a moment, letting his eyes wander.
Until they found a lonely figure, leaning against a fence.
Huh, George was at home? As he was absent from lunch he thought he was busy, somewhere.
In the next moment he wanted to hit himself. Where should he be busy? And of course he wasn’t hungry.
It seemed like George went outside for a moment and just… forgot to go back inside. Harry knew the feeling of losing time while staring into the void. Wanting to move but standing there a while longer anyway.
He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for him, so he said nothing as he stopped next to him.
They were watching the perimeter. It was kind of peaceful.
“Too much?” And Harry didn’t need to ask to know what George meant. The same as he heard the crack in a voice used too little.
“Yeah.”
They stood there for some time. “If you ever feel like it’s too much for you, too, I’ve got room at my place.” Harry put a small button onto the fence.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Harry pretended not to notice as George slipped the button into his pocket as they went back to listening to the wind until the door cracked open.
“Harry?”
“Coming!”
He squeezed Georges arm before jogging towards Molly.
“This little man wants to go home”, she said, smiling wistfully.
“Oh? Had enough fun?”
“Home.” Then Teddy made grabby hands for Harry to pick him up.
“Home it is”, he answered while pulling the boy closer.
Home. He felt it, too.
Luckily the goodbyes were short as Teddy got heavy with his sleepiness.
Just as they arrived at the apparition point a loud crack sounded.
“You’re already going again?”, Ron asked.
“Hey”, Harry greeted, adjusting his grip on Teddy. “Yeah, we’re already here for some time and Teddy got tired.”
“Well, we have jobs now where it is a bit more difficult to plan.”
Even if Harry wanted to immediately defend himself, that he hadn’t said anything, he bit it back. They were probably stressed.
For a moment they stared at the sleeping boy until Hermione opened her mouth again. “We wanted to catch up with you.”
“Yeah”, Harry shrugged. “Maybe we can write.” But he didn’t believe in it. “It isn’t easy to plan with a kid either” he pointed out. “We’ll see each other.” And with that he apparated home.