Chapter 2
The view was spectacular from the upstairs window. He stood taking everything in from his bedroom according to Remus. The lush green grass and the oak and fruit trees outside made Harry feel as if he'd been transported to a home just as great as Hogwarts, but no where near the vast beauty of Fincayra. He looked around itching to get his broom and have a closer look at the surroundings, but he was told to stay put by Remus and Mad-Eye. He respected them enough to listen.
He noticed beautiful flowers, roses perhaps, a sprinkle of violet colored flowers and white lilies. He opened the window and drew in a deep cleansing breath. Even the air smelled sweeter than back at Privet Drive. He knew he must be out in the countryside, but he wasn't sure where and whose house they decided to take over.
It had been hours since they'd arrive at the house, well more of an estate really. They'd told him to explore all he wanted after Remus showed him to his room that was furnished with an enormous four-poster bed made of oak it seemed with matching dressers, armoire and desk. However, he was only allowed to explore indoors. He didn't mind as long as he wasn't bound to stay in his room as he was often told by the Dursleys.
He thought now how wonderful the house was. The house must belong to a very wealthy person. There were paintings and rare sculptures all around the house. He could only guess, but all the furniture and decorations looked expensive and old, not that he was an expert, but he'd read about places like those. He hadn't yet seen a portrait move or any familiar pictures of the wizarding world so he concluded that he must not be in a wizarding home.
It took him almost two hours to explore the rooms that were available for exploring. He wasn't sure if there were any secret rooms or passages, but he kept himself entertained with all the rooms he could enter.
He enjoyed the back parlor, the ballroom, living room, family room, all the 7 different bedrooms all decorated with different themes and most of all the library filled with books from top to bottom. He thought of Hermione and how she'd appreciate and enjoy that room. Then he thought about the event just before he was whisked away from Privet Drive. He forgot all about it from the excitement of leaving the Dursley's for good. He wanted to ask Remus, but he hadn't seen any of them while he was exploring.
When he stepped into the kitchen, the library forgotten, he thought he was in heaven. He saw tons of bread, canned food, frozen food, meat, fruit, vegetables and a variety of candies and drinks including butterbeer. He thought about Ron and how he'd appreciate the room and the contents of the room. He chuckled thinking that the contents wouldn't last a week if Ron had free reign over the kitchen.
He missed his friends, especially his girlfriend, Hermione. He wondered if they knew he'd left Privet Drive. Before he could close the window, a tiny over excited owl flew in.
"Pig!" Harry screamed. Pigwidgeon flew to where Harry stood and actually offered his leg for the letter removal. That surprised Harry a little; he usually had to chase him around a bit before he could get to the letter.
"Good job, Pig," he praised him as he handed him a treat. "Go on and get some water while I read my letter."
Dear Harry,
Hey mate. Heard you're finally out of that rat hole. I'm happy for you. So are Lavender and Ginny. She's here for a short visit and she and Ginny are hovering over my shoulders while I write this so I can't really write any guy stuff. Girls! (They both just hit me) Ain't love grand? Anyway, we're trying to talk mum and dad into visiting you or you visiting us. Keep you fingers crossed.
Your friends,
Ron, Lavender and Ginny
P.S. They twisted my arm to write their names down.
Harry chuckled after reading the letter. He really did miss his friends. He hoped he'd be able to go visit them, but he also knew that if Dumbledore thought it was safe to be at the burrow then he would have been taken there immediately instead of being in that grand house he was in. He decided to write them and Hermione.
Dear Ron, Lavender and Ginny,
Hope you are all doing well. I don't exactly know where I am and I don't think it would be safe to write it down even if I knew. But, I am trying to keep myself busy. I do miss all of you. I hope to see you soon.
Your friend,
Harry
He re-read the letter and decided that was good enough. He knew what the rules were with letters via the owl and he really didn't know where he was. He tied the letter to Pig's leg and opened the window for him to take off in search of Ron.
He thought a bit and decided to write Hermione. He wanted to know if he wasn't dreaming about his astral projection. That was one reason why he probably hadn't asked Remus yet. He wasn't sure it was real.
Dear Hermione,
Just wanted to let you know that I am somewhere else other than hades. I wanted to let you know that I miss you. I'm sorry I hadn't written you much since we left King's Cross. I also wanted to know if you know what really happened. Just say yes if it did. I don't want to write it down. Hope to see you soon.
Love,
Harry
He hated being cryptic, but he figured if she knew what he was talking about, then it really did happen. He wouldn't ask Remus until he received an answer from Hermione. He folded the letter and attached it to Hedwig's leg. She affectionately gave him a peck on the shoulder after flying off to deliver his letter.
His stomach rumbled after Hedwig flew away and it reminded him that it was probably time for supper. He didn't smell anything cooking from the kitchen and he didn't know if anyone was even around. From his exploration he'd seemed to be alone. He decided to go downstairs and cook supper for all of them, assuming that they were around.
To his surprise he found Remus already preparing the table and Mad-eye already setting the food, magically of course. "Oh, Harry. Good you're here. We were about to send Tonks to get you," Remus explained. "Go wash up and have a seat."
"How did you guys cook anything that I couldn't smell upstairs?"
"Please, Harry. You are living with wizards. Don't you think we'd have spells better than those fan things above the stove that supposed to suck up the smoke and smell."
Harry had to smile. He'd forgotten they could use magic and since they seemed to be in a remote area, it was probably safe to do magic without worrying about nosy neighbors. He'd smiled and thought how his Aunt Petunia would appreciate the "no smell" spell when she cooked fish.
"Well, go on Harry. Wash up so that we can eat. This is after all your first meal out of Privet Drive."
Harry did as he was told and for the first time in a long time he'd enjoyed a meal outside of Hogwarts and the Burrow. Dinner was pleasant, the company and conversation were pleasant. He didn't get yelled at. He didn't have to cook or clean up after. He was immensely enjoying his time away from Privet Drive. Now why couldn't he live here before with Remus? He wondered. He still didn't know where he was and no one was obliged to tell him either. It didn't faze him that time. He was too happy to let that problem affect his not being in Privet Drive.
"Harry," Remus started. "I hope you enjoyed your tour of this house earlier. Sorry we weren't around to show you around. We had some loose ends we had to tie up before we could settle here."
"So, you're all staying with me then?"
"No, just me. Mad-Eye will drop by occasionally, but Tonks has to go back on duty."
"Well, okay then. I guess you're going to make sure I do my homework?"
"Yes, among other things."
"Oh, and what are the other things."
"You'll find out in due time. Right now try to enjoy yourself and get your homework done."
"Okay. I do want to talk to you about something, but I need to wait for Hermione's letter before I can tell you anything."
Remus and Mad-Eye both cleared their throats. They didn't know whether Harry has had the birds and the bees' talk, but neither wanted the job. Harry caught on to what they were thinking.
"Oh, please. I wasn't thinking about that. I don't have a problem about that."
They cleared their throats again. They were sure he'd lost his virginity already. Tonks blushed since she was the only female.
"I think I should leave if you are going to have some guy talk or something."
"Get your heads out of the gutter. I only meant that Hermione and I have talked that over and we've decided to wait because we're both not ready to handle the responsibility if there are consequences."
The older men and Tonks both sighed with relief. They didn't think they qualified to be Harry's sex educator. Not that they weren't experience, but that they wouldn't know how to explain it to someone so young.
"Sorry, Harry. I am not equipped to handle those type of talks so I was a little nervous when you were a bit vague with what you wanted to talk to me about."
"Okay. But if I do need to talk to someone about those things can I still go to either one of you?"
They hesitated a bit and both answered, "Sure." It made Harry smile that they could get flustered about the "talk" when they could fight death eaters without even batting an eye.
"Thanks."
"Well, you'd better get some rest, Harry," Tonks told him. He wanted to talk to the men about being more sensitive to matters that need to be explained to a growing boy. Honestly, to think of all people Remus and Mad-Eye role models for Harry's love life. She couldn't picture it.
"Okay, good night then."
"Good night, Harry. I promise we'll go into more details about your schedule here at Avalon," Remus explained. Mad-Eye kicked him under the table for his slip up.
"Excuse me. Did you just say Avalon?"
"Yes and no, not the actual Island, just the manor. This property we're staying in is called Avalon. That's all I'm willing to say about the subject at this time. Good night Harry."
"`Night all."
Harry walked to his room sulking. Why wouldn't they tell him now? Why was everything kept a secret from him until the last possible moment? Don't they trust him yet? By the time he arrived in his room, he'd worked himself into slight depression. Then he saw Hedwig and his night just became brighter. He knew that Hedwig held a response from Hermione.
He hurried to his owl, gave her a treat and instructed her to go to her cage for some water. He decided they must not be too far from where Hermione lived since Hedwig didn't looked too tired and he made it back the same day. He practically tore his letter open.
Dear Harry,
Holy Cricket! I called Hades as you call it, but I was told you'd already gone. I was going mad with worry thinking of the most awful things that could have happened to you. Oh, before I forget, YES! I hope to see you soon. I know I can't write much on these letters, so we'll just have to wait until we see each other.
With Love,
Hermione
Harry was so excited. He'd actually astral projected. He wanted to run downstairs and tell Remus right away, but pride prevented him from doing so. If they weren't going to tell him where he was and other things he'd like to know, then they could just wait to hear about his new skill.
He decided to go to the library and see if he could find any books on astral projection.
A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews on the first chapter. I ran this through spell check and it didn't find any, so I hope you like it. I try to do at least five pages per chapter, so if you think that is too short I will try to lengthen it after chapter 8… Thanks again.