𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 29

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
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-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH HARRY'S INVITED

. . .

Hours later, as the sun was beginning to set over Little Whinging and cast a glorius amber, pink and purple blend over the town, Jane and Harry were slowly walking up the sloped road up to the ivy-covered gates to the Adley Manor.

Smiles were plain and gentle on their faces, both resisting the urge to glance down at their intertwined hands - they had needed to get back through the fields of cloud and not wishing to get chased, they had stayed close and walked slowly and just hadn't let go.

The Potter boy seemed to be tingling all over. There was a lessened pain behind the scar on his forehead, but that didn't even seem to matter anymore. Jane had worked her magic (not literally, of course); tracing over all of his scars and telling him these pretty things that made him feel a little less insecure about them.

And the feeling that had come when she had traced over them, slightly coarse fingertips and the softest graze from her nails didn't leave him, keeping the smile on his face as they approached the gates.

Much to Harry's despair, Jane's hand slid out of his grasp as they reached the gates, palms circling two of the iron poles that were free of any tangling plant. She gave them a tug, freeing them from the position they seemed to have been in a while and opened them just enough to pass through.

"Are you coming up?" She turned back around, breaking the peaceful silence that had laid between them for a while. "I could ask Flora if you can stay for tea and maybe after that?"

"I.." Harry's words dried in his throat. The only reason why he had never joined Jane after walking her back home was because of the Dursleys. He was afraid of getting into the trouble, but the truth was that they surely should be happy that they weren't seeing him as much.

But he couldn't remember if he needed to cook that night, or do one of the many chores that Petunia assigned to him. Then again, if he didn't do them it forced her to, and if he was really going to get into trouble it didn't matter.

For as long as possible he had avoided doing anything that would upset the Dursleys too much. Of course, destroying half their living room, blowing up Aunt Marge, having hoards of owls deliver letters carrying his Hogwarts letter or a rogue house-elf ruining a dinner party wasn't perhaps his best efforts.

Now, he had Flora and Jane, a house to stay in for the remains of the summer should the Dursleys decide to go past the reigns of punishment that they had abided to for so long.

"Yeah, I can stay for tea." Harry nodded, laughing at the bright expression that covered Jane's pretty features seconds later and following her through the gates, making sure to pull them closed behind him.

Their walk continued up the long driveway, and once reaching the top of the gravel they passed Flora's open-top car and went straight through the open front door, Harry noticing that the wings on Phoenix-shaped knocker had risen slightly.

"Jane? Is that you dear?" Flora's voice carried through the black and white tiled entry way, Harry jumping out of his skin as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, only to see Treacle and Clementine to be tumbling around on the old rug in the centre of the living room.

"Sorry if we're late." Jane's reply echoed after her, smiling up at her and pulling him through into the kitchen. "But I brought a guest, if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay." Flora smiled seeing Harry, watching as his eyes travelled around the kitchen, which seemed to be covered in haphazard items - giving the impression that they had dropped out of the air just seconds before, the magic holding them up being taken away upon the woman of the manor waving her hand. "Angela is out picking some of the tomatoes from the garden, she's going to make something easy for dinner."

"Okay." Jane reached fro the fridge, pulling out a jug of pink-coloured drink, flower petals, sprigs of mint and lemon slices floating around the top. "Pink lemonade?" She asked, eyes meeting Harry's as he nodded, retrieving two glasses and pouring in some of the chilld liquid. "If it's okay can we wait in my room, or the library?"

Flora hummed a response, focused on writing something on the sheets in front of her. "Not too late tonight, we're setting up for the party tomorrow night so we need to be up bright and early." She added.

"What?" Harry took a couple of quick strides to Jane's strides as she almost dropped the lemonade as she slid it back into the fridge. "It's tomorrow? But I.." She trailed off, looking over at the boy beside her.

They had plans to meet up the next morning and take a bus out to the small village on the other side of Little Whinging - Jerry had told her about a café there that sold some of the best scones he had ever had. Jane wanted to try them and then see if she could make some better - a competitive nature jumping out of her for just a moment.

"It's fine.. I can just come here a little earlier than we arranged." Harry reassured her, looking over at Flora. "That is if it's okay, right?"

"Well it is rather impolite for me to ask a guest attending to help set it up." Flora began, smiling seconds later when she saw the flicker of panic flit over both Harry and Jane's faces. "But if you are offering yourself, then who am I to refuse a little more assitance."

"Thank you!" The grin on Jane's face was contagious and seconds later she was pulling Harry back towards the hallway.

"Just wait a moment!" Florence called, stopping them in their tracks, shaking her head when she saw just how tightly the ginger-haired girl was clutching Harry's hand. "Harry, dear, if you're going to be here late and arrive early tomorrow, then why don't you sleep over? There should be a few mattresses around that I can have set up for you."

Harry faltered. It was one thing staying late for dinner, but staying over in the manor was something else. "The Dursleys.. are expecting me back." He didn't particularly like how the vice-like grip on his hand seemed to wilt like a flower from a bouquet.

"I can ring them. Don't worry about it Harry." Florence smiled at him, a kindly, warm image that convinced Harry easily.

"If that's okay." He nodded his approval and seconds later a smiling Jane was dragging him back out into the hallway and up the stairs.

The warmth in the pit of his stomach seemed to only grow, a happiness within him exploding into something that he had never had the pleasure of knowing before.

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