Chapter Text
"And with that, Akira moved on from Princess Fala and lived happily ever after with Kurina," Angel Court immediately finished the last chapter of the fanfiction of her favorite show.
Just then, she heard a series of barks and hoots coming from outside her room as Perlas chased Hedwig down the hallway over a small hat.
"Hedwig! Perlas! No running indoors!" Angel hissed as she got up to see the commotion. She caught the dog in her arms while glaring at the bird, who perched on a nearby stool. "You two should be more careful; otherwise you'll break something."
Perlas whimpered while Hedwig cooed in shame.
Angel sighs. "It's best that you take this outside."
She carried Perlas downstairs while Hedwig followed her behind towards the backyard, where they saw Hari tending the vegetables.
Hari noticed them immediately. "Chasing around the house, aren't they?"
"Obviously," Angel muttered as she put Perlas down to play with Hedwig.
Ever since Angel was born, her life felt like a roller coaster because, unlike everyone else, she behaved differently. She had difficulty communicating with people in general, including never responding to calls and misinterpreting words, as well as difficulty with verbal communication.
Because of this, she often visits therapy to help her navigate better. It's mostly work, but she still needs time getting to know people.
"So, your birthday is coming," Angel said, changing the subject. "Do you have any plans?"
Hari put down his shovel. "Well, I told Nanay and Tatay that we're inviting my friends from school to show them around London."
Angel frowned. "Are you sure it's wise? From what I heard from Ate Maya, most of them were too proud of their pure bloodlines to visit the non-magical world."
"Oh, I'm sure," Hair replied. "I've talked to them about it and asked for their opinions, and some of them agreed to go. So, I look forward to it."
Angel nodded.
Hari decided to change the subject. "So, now that you got accepted, are you ready to go to Hogwarts?"
"Mm-hmm," Angel hummed, feeling anxious.
Hari frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah... It's just... I'm not really used to change."
"It's okay, Gel. I get the same feeling the first time I went to Hogwarts," Hari reassured. "I'm sure you'll get along with them."
"I hope so."
DING! DONG!
Hari answered the door to see Neville arrive alongside Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, each holding gifts.
"Hi, Neville. Hi, girls," he greeted.
"Happy birthday, Hari," Neville greeted back. "Are we the last to arrive?"
"No, Hermione just got here. We're waiting for the rest. Come in. Mind your shoes, please."
Hari's fellow Hufflepuffs entered the house and were amazed by the decorations inside. Hari led them to the dining room where Hermione was waiting, reading a book while eating snacks provided.
Just then, Perlas came forth, barking happily at Susan, who was melted in adoration.
"Aw, you're so cute! What's your name?" Asked Susan.
"Her name is Perlas, because her fur is as white as a pearl," Hari explained.
"I wonder if she and Fang would meet," said Neville, referring to Hagrid's dog.
Meanwhile, Hannah stared wide-eyed at the giant wooden spoon and fork hanging on the wall. Neville glanced at the snacks—such as puto and kutsinta—when he noticed Angel sitting across Hermione, playing Spiderette all by herself.
"Uh, hello?"
Angel looked up and nodded in response before returning to her game. She doesn't seem to talk much.
"Angel is just processing things. She behaves differently than us," Hari explained.
However, Susan interrupts. "Can't we talk about the fact that we are now inside the Boy-Who-Lived's house?"
Hari groaned at the moniker. "Please, don't call me that. I had enough with Dumbledore for one day."
"Still," Hannah added. "We were surprised that you were actually Harry Potter the whole time. Why didn't you tell us?"
Hari is about to answer when Angel beats him to it.
"Kuya Hari wants to be seen as an authentic person, and not some legendary hero told by others without solid evidence."
"Angel!" Hari hissed. "But she gets the point."
"I'm glad you told me first. It was fun getting to know the 'Pinoy' you." Hari chuckled at Neville's comment.
DING! DONG!
Hari blinked. "Already?"
He went to answer the door, revealing Draco, Vincent, and Gregory before him.
"Hey, guys," Hari greeted as he let them in. "How's your trip?"
"Not bad. We just apparated," Draco answered. "Although my father was against me going, my mother set her foot down."
"So, uh..." Vincent said, "We read about the trial, and uh..."
Hari simply smiled, reassuring them. "I get it. Bones and Abbott here are shocked as well, and so are your people, from what I heard. But that doesn't mean I will become that boy from then on."
The boys blinked.
"You mean you don't accept being Harry Potter?" Gregory asked.
"I do. It's just that I don't want anyone to see me for doing something I didn't do or didn't remember. I mean, I was only a year old that night, and I barely knew how to cast a spell, let alone Protego or something. So, the credit goes to my birth parents."
"I guess that makes sense," Draco said.
"Hi, guys," Neville greeted Draco, Vincent, and Gregory as they entered the dining room while Perlas barked in greetings.
Draco took a piece of puto when he noticed Angel. "Who's she?"
"That's my sister, Angel. She needs time to adjust and get to know you all, so you might not get more verbal response at first," Hari explained.
Just then, Casey walked in holding a tray with a pitcher of cold water and some glass cups.
"Hey there. Hope you made yourself comfortable," she said.
"Hey, Ate Casey," said Hari. "Where's Nanay?"
"She's upstairs getting Steph ready. Steph was moving around a lot."
Angel looked up from the cards. "Speaking of which, can we also talk about the fact that the magical-raised need some modern clothes if they want to blend in?"
"You're right," Hari said. "We can stop by a clothing store while exploring London."
The others agreed.
Just then, the sound of an engine roared, startling the magical-raised.
"Tatay must be starting the car," Hari said. "We should finish our snacks before we leave."
"I agree," Gregory said. "These snacks are so good."
Draco didn't know what the car was, so he shrugged it off.
Everyone made it to London, and it was eventful before they could even start. The ride was a bit overwhelming for the magical-raised children, especially when they experienced carsickness for the first time.
They first stopped at a clothing store to get something to wear for the magical-raised. Susan and Hannah were so immersed in the beauty of the clothes in the girls' section that they wished they could buy them, while the boys in their section found leather jackets cool.
In the end, this is what they got:
* Neville got a yellow sweatshirt with a white collar, brown slacks, and white shoes;
* Susan had a yellow shirt with a black skull on the front, blue rolled-up jeans, and white sneakers;
* Hannah wore a white headband, a white oversized sweater with a yellow pawprint on the front, a yellow skirt, black socks, and white shoes;
* Draco wore an open, plaid button-down shirt over a white sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers;
* Vincent wore a black leather jacket with yellow accents over a green tank top, black leather belt, blue jeans, and black shoes;
* and Gregory wore a two-toned jacket with black on the top and yellow on the bottom over a white T-shirt, brown leather belt, matching blue jeans, and brown shoes.
Hari bought the clothes with the money he transferred from his Gringotts trust vault. After this, they explored the city and visited sights that amazed the children, such as Big Ben, Somerset House, and the Tower of London.
They then stopped by McDonald's for lunch, and it was the first time the magical-raised ever tried food like this, especially using their bare hands to hold burgers and fries. Amidst this, Angel noticed some leftover crumbs on Draco's face, so she wiped them off with a tissue.
Draco blinked in surprise. "Uh, thanks?"
Angel hummed in response before returning to her chicken.
Next, they went to the National Gallery at Hari's suggestion, and everyone loved it, saying they had never experienced anything like it before. Draco stared at the painting of Julius the Second and wondered why none of the paintings moved.
Hari explained, "Non-magical paintings aren't enchanted to move, so they don't. But we do have moving pictures. I'll show you once we're back at my home."
They then stopped by a gaming arcade with Hari showing how to play. They ended up earning tickets, which they used at a prize counter to claim their rewards. Meanwhile, Angel got a black, stuffed dragon from a claw machine.
And lastly, they stopped at a small restaurant for dinner. The place wasn't so bad, and they had a decent meal after a long day, along with a birthday cake Consuela bought from a cake store.
Everyone finally returned to the Courts' house, but because the kids were too exhausted to go home, Hari decided to put on a sleepover.
"I'll go get the pillows," Angel said before climbing upstairs.
While collecting pillows, she opened the door to collect Hari's when she noticed something, or someone, sitting on his bed. Luckily, it didn't hear her coming, so she quietly closed the door and immediately headed downstairs in a panic. She put the pillows down and approached her brother, speaking in Filipino, so she wouldn't disturb anyone.
"Kuya Hari, puwede ba makiusap sa iyo?"
Hari frowned in concern. "Anong problema?"
Angel whispered, "May tao sa kuwarto mo. Hindi ko alam kung paano siya pumasok diyan o sa bahay natin."
This made Hari concerned. If someone broke into his house, it could endanger anyone. Then, Edward approached them.
"May problema?" He asked. Hari explained what Angel told him, and the father got suspicious.
"Maaari mo bang ilarawan ang iyong nakita?" Edward asked Angel.
"Maliit ito, may mga matang kasinlaki ng mga bola ng tennis, at mga taingang hugis pakpak ng paniki, at nakasuot lamang ng tuwalya."
Hari's eyes widened in realization. "That sounds like an elf."
"It's best that Hari and I should check. Wait here, Angel."
The mag-ama slowly approached Hari's room and carefully opened the door. Inside, the elf was still in there, sitting on Hari's bed. He slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of his long, thin nose touched the carpet.
"Er—hello," said Hari nervously.
"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Hari was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir... Such an honor it is..."
"Th-thank you," said Hari, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He looked at his father, who was just as perplexed as he was.
'Just what is this elf doing in this house?' They thought.
"Who are you?" asked Hari.
"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.
"Er—I don't want to be rude or anything, but is there any particular reason why you're here?"
"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir... it is difficult, sir... Dobby wonders where to begin... "
"Why don't you sit down so you can focus?" Edward suggested. To his horror, the elf burst into tears—very noisy tears.
"S-sit down!" Dobby wailed. "Never... never ever..."
"I'm sorry," Edward whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything—"
"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a Muggle—like an equal—"
Hari tried to comfort Dobby while ushering him back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Hari in an expression of watery adoration.
"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Hari, trying to cheer him up.
Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Don't—what are you doing?" Hari hissed, springing up, and both he and Edward pulled Dobby back onto the bed—Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.
"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightlycross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir..."
"Your family?" Edward puzzled.
"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir... Dobby is a house-elf—bound to serve one house and one family forever..."
"Do they know you're here?" asked Hari curiously.
Dobby shuddered. "Oh, no, sir, no... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir—"
"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"
"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they remind me to do extra punishments..."
"But why don't you leave? Escape?"
"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free... Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir..."
Hari stared, but before he could respond, a voice downstairs was heard.
"Hari, what took you so long?"
It was Draco, and he was heading upstairs to see the commotion... to see Dobby.
This frightened the elf, and tries to disapparate, but Hari held him close, whispering, "Shh~" to his ears.
"It's okay, Dobby. It's just Draco."
"No! Harry Potter does not understand!"
"Hari?" Draco finally entered the door, following the sound, and what he found stunned him: seeing Hari embracing an elf with Edward standing by.
"Dobby? What are you doing here?"