The Brightest Star Of The Darkest Night

3. Babysteps

Harry Riddle sighed softly, rubbing his head with his hand as he put the book down and let his eyes drift away towards the view of his window, the garden. It has been a week since he woke up in the Gringotts and found himself in a completely different World. A magical world, where he belongs. After finding out he had a soul father and looking through the properties his father owned - technically he owned them now by right of conquest - but he would rather not remember that and instead chose the belief he owned them because he was practically the son of Dark Lord Slytherin, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle. Among the properties, he chose to live in what they called 'Riddle Manor', as per the suggestion of Sharptooth. According to him, very limited people knew the real name of The Dark Lord and even fewer people knew about this manor, so he would be safest here while his soul father was not around yet.

Harry sighed, looking at the garden where he could see Bailey, an unclaimed House Elf that Sharptooth recommended for him, and asked him to say somewhat what he called 'bonding words' to claim her. He kept looking at her as she was working in the garden, tending the vegetable patches and newly implanted fruit trees in one of her new periwinkle blouses and floral skirt, a work uniform so her clothes did not get dirty and gloves that Harry recommended for her instead of the old dirty pillowcase she was wearing. The Goblins had filled some Muggle official works and fired the old gardener, then they set up and renowned the old privacy wards around Riddle Manor for his safety. With the House Elf - Bailey, Riddle Manor soon returned to its previous glory, even though he hadn't seen it yet.

Thanks to the proper care of Bailey, regular visits, and potions from Healer Goblins, Harry - who was practically bedridden - started getting better. His internal organs and bones started to heal properly. The more he was getting healthier, the brighter his emerald scales shone. Bailey fussed over him, practically forcing him to stay on bed rest, and drowning him in potion after potion, as well as bullying him into eating until he felt like bursting. She also took care of his bathroom needs using some sort of bedpan after Harry experienced a rather embarrassing discovery of the end of his urinary and digestive system. He had never been so mortified before.

He was eight years old, damn it. He did not need a bedpan! But apparently, both fate and Bailey begged to differ.

At least she brought him some beginner books on Magic, snakes, and creature inheritance from Magical bookstores to keep him occupied using one of his father's vaults. But she couldn't find any books on Nagas, given they are Dark creatures and apparently have 'kill on sight' orders so books on them are forbidden. Even Healer Sharptooth could not tell him much, other than a few basic facts like how his diet mostly consisted of raw vegetables and meat at first, and that he could go back to using two legs and hiding his scales after his body was done healing, but how, - that he can't explain in detail.

He also informed him what being Metamorphmagus means when he asked. Apparently, growing his hair once could have been considered accidental magic, but doing them, again and again, is not. Harry was amazed to hear that. If Sharptooth didn't inform him, he probably would never have found out.

Ecstatic with the news, as soon as Sharptooth left, Harry asked Bailey for a mirror and tried to change his hair. To his surprise, a change of hair color came as easy as breathing, the problem occurred while changing the size.

When Harry concentrated too hard on changing the hair size, he at first felt some tickling sensation running through his scalp and when he opened his eyes, he found his hair has become so long that has well-crossed past where it was supposed to be his waist.

Harry wanted to hide in his room and never come out.

To his amazement, Bailey looked truly delighted when she found him and offered him a proper haircut. Harry was skeptical at first, understandably so after Petunia - but decided to give it try as a benefit of the doubt given she's much better than aunt Petunia in every aspect. In a minute she prepared a chair with different kinds of scissors, a big mirror, and a washbasin. And he was not disappointed when he examined his hair in the mirror after Bailey cut them and shaped them and washed them thoroughly, then styled them.