The Boy Who Lived

Appeasing House-Elves

Harry rescued all the paintings that had fallen off the walls in the master bedroom, repairing them before he stacked them along the corridor to find new homes at a later date. He also vanished the old faded curtains and the broken curtain poles.

Ossy reappeared just as Harry was moving all the shrunken furniture out of the room so he could assess what he was really facing.

'OUT!' Harry commanded, his magic swirling around him in a haze. 'Come back when I'm done.'

Ossy went away groaning and pulling his ears again. 'Never,' Harry heard him mutter, 'in all my years at Beaumont...'

He switched off from the elf's grumblings and lifted the corner of the carpet to discover a beautiful wood floor underneath. The carpet was vanished in a flick of the hand and Harry crawled across the floor in sections, repairing any damage he came across and polishing it meticulously until the oak floor shone in smooth golden perfection and it smelt of warm beeswax in the sunshine. It would be a surprise for Draco but he hoped of the ideal kind.

This was how Harry laboured for the rest of the morning: the old wallpaper vanished, the walls finished to smooth faultlessness in a soft cream that also covered the ornate ceiling and the expansive plasterwork. The windows were more of an issue; how was Harry supposed to stop his accidental magic ripping down any coverings he chose? Harry realised there were white shutters already in place, already built into the old deep window frames. Harry immediately set to work, weaving and directing his magic to releasing the old shutters from fused layers of dried paint.

It was still a risk that his magic would destroy them but hopefully they were a sturdier option.

Ossy silently reappeared, bringing Harry a drink and a sandwich which he greedily finished before he carried on with his work. He wanted to prove to Ossy as much as Draco that he would love his heritage and make it a beautiful home; his beautiful home. It was strange to recognise that even in less than twenty-four hours, he already felt like he belonged. He knew he would not be going back to Grimmauld Place beyond the odd visit. Grimmauld Place was always Sirius' house and, even then, it never held good memories. Beaumont, although too large and ostentatious in many ways, was definitely his home. He felt that with every fibre of his being.

His drink was refreshed and his food supply renewed but he didn't leave the bedroom for lunch. By the time he finished, he'd opened up the turret with a big open archway to create a beautiful sitting area with a charcoal daybed that basked in the mid-day sunlight and matched the large rug he found in another room. He mended the damaged furniture he wanted to keep and transfigured the broken bedframe into a low dais for the mattress so they couldn't go crashing to the floor again. Then he bonded all furniture to the floor or walls in the hope that he couldn't repeat sending it across the room. All the bedding was transformed to ivory and the room was light and airy and modern but maintained its traditional features.

When Ossy reappeared again with another refreshing drink for Harry, he brought Letty, Tilly, and Carls. Ammy brought Teddy too. Ossy tried hard to look like he was scolding Ammy who twirled in the sunlight pouring through the window, repeating as she went, 'it is being most beautiful, Master Harry, most beautiful!'

Harry took her hands and twirled with her and Teddy, laughing and thanking her. And Letty and Tilly giggled too. He wondered about how many rooms there were in the Hall, whether he could possibly do this with every one of them. Certainly, while his magic was so assessable and needed utilising. He knew that once every room were finished to the same level and the same tidiness, it would help him to relax into the ownership of the Hall. It seemed a mountain to climb but he'd dealt with worse. He imagined that the worst the Hall would throw at him would be a few doxies.