Home.

(1.3) Harry

I changed clothes, did all the proper hygiene stuff, and went to the kitchen, pulled in by the delicious smell of eggs and bacon cooking. I'd definitely be more mindful of how much I ate today. Wouldn't want another repeat of last night. Speaking of which, I hoped they didn't think badly of me. It was embarrassing enough that I puked after dinner. But then Percy had to act all brotherly and watch me cry like a baby afterwards. Merlin, how was I going to explain last night?

'Morning, Harry. Sleep alright?' Aunt sally asked.

'Yes, thank you', I replied meekly.

I saw Percy get up and grab a second plate. He put a scoop of eggs and two strips of bacon on it before placing it in front of the seat beside him. Guess I didn't have to explain anything, for which I was grateful.

Percy gave me a pointed look and gestured to the chair. I awkwardly sat down and ate the meagre helping. But he somehow knew exactly how much my body could handle because I didn't feel sick at all. I actually felt rather good. Based on the events of last night and this morning, I'd say he's had experience with recovering from malnourishment. Whether that be personal experience or experience in helping others with it or both, I wasn't sure. When I stood up to clear my dishes, I reached over to take his too, but he grabbed my wrist lightly and shook his head.

'I've got it. Don't worry', he said.

Then he eyed me up and down. His eyes seemed to be calculating everything about me. It was a little unnerving, but he ended the assessment with a resolute nod before making his way to the dishwasher and placing his dishes and cutlery inside. I followed his example, hoping I passed whatever inspection just happened.

'We thought you'd like to do a little bit of sightseeing today. I've got a meeting in the City with my editor,' Aunt Sally explained, 'so Percy can show you around. How's that sound?'

'Sounds like fun', I confirmed.

'Excellent, we'll leave in ten if that's alright?'

'That'll work', Percy said thoughtfully. I nodded in agreement.

***

Twenty minutes later (Percy couldn't find his other shoe) we were hailing a taxi—by which I mean Percy whistled loudly to hail three—and set off to see the Big Apple. As Aunt Sally made her way to her editor's offices, Percy and I departed with plans to meet her at the apartment when we were finished.

We went everywhere. He said he was going to show me all the tourist attractions today and promised to take me back to his favourite places that few knew about. I saw the Statue of Liberty, the Chrysler Building, the High Line, the Theatre District, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the New York Public Library—because apparently Annabeth would kill him if he didn't show it to me—though, it was not in that order. It should not have been possible to visit all those places in one day, but we made it work. For some reason, he avoided the Empire State Building and Central Park. He simply said, 'They're not going anywhere', when I asked why. I could've argued that was the case for all the things we saw, but I didn't push. I was enjoying myself too much.

We actually didn't have too much of a problem weaving in and out of crowds. Somehow, Percy navigated the sea of people with perfect bearings. Stranger yet, they parted like water at the fork of a river when Percy stared at them. I was too enraptured looking up at the amazing skyscrapers to really notice. Staring at the sky definitely pegged me as a tourist; however, Percy was such a New Yorker that I was protected by association. I wasn't helping him by almost running into dozens of people, which he had to steer me clear of, but he didn't seem to mind. Every time I looked over, there was a lopsided grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. For a second, his eyes reminded me of Dumbledore's—intelligent, soul-piercing, and twinkling with kindness and mischief.

We ordered from hotdog carts for lunch as we walked around, but he took me to Chinatown for dinner. He always seemed to know how much I should eat and didn't judge me for it. I was grateful that he was so considerate about last night. He didn't pretend it never happened—even though I wanted him to at first—rather, he took my needs into consideration without treating me any differently than before. I didn't understand how he could be so nice. The Dursleys never were. My friends were great and so were the Weasleys, but they wouldn't have known what to do as well as he did. And I would never have felt comfortable telling my professors about any of this. America would be good for me, I concluded. Things were already looking up.

Since Aunt Sally went home on her own, Percy and I took a cab back to the apartment right after we finished dinner and paid the cheque. For some reason we had to give a large tip. Americans are strange. Just pay your workers!

Anyway, I asked him more about himself. Or tired to. I didn't realise it then, but the entire time, he kept diverting the questions towards me instead. I ended up spilling my whole life, save the magic part, during the car ride home.

The car ride home.
Home.

I had already started referring to Aunt Sally's place as 'home'. In less than 24 hours I had grown attached to my American relatives in a way I had never done with anyone else. It was a connection of trust and affection and belonging. It was love. I felt loved by this family who was so willing to claim me as their own. Maybe Dumbledore wasn't as crazy as I thought.