Harry and Kelly: Fortius Quo Fidelius

Life Lessons with a Marine (or Two)

Notes:

Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think. I will continue to slowly work on this don't worry if the updates are not frequent.

Chapter Text

Harry was having one of the best weeks he has had in a long time. He met some awesome new people, his new friend Julius had spent time with him and Jethro Gibbs who was staying with them for protection. Harry did not know what to think of Jethro at first, he was a hard individual to read and always seemed so angry unless Kelly was around. Harry stayed away from him for the first couple days until Kelly had dragged Harry into the bedtime routine they had of reading a story at night. While fighting sleep that first night, Harry was left to wonder if this is what it was like having parents. He wondered if his mum and dad ever read him to sleep, tucked him in, and held him when he was upset. Harry tried to stay out of the way when it came to planning the funeral for Shannon Gibbs. He spent time reading, playing with Julius and watching TV when hard topics like that came up.

Harry also learned that Gibbs was full of knowledge of the world and lessons and rules that he lives by. Harry had found a list one day and decided to ask Kelly about it. Jethro overheard and explained that everyone needs a set of rules to live by to be successful in life and even explained some of the rules to him like rule #3: Never believe what you are told. Double check. Harry learned early in life that people lie all the time, he always accepted that was the way things were and there was little you could do about it. When he told teachers about Vernon hitting him they called him a liar because the Dursleys already told the school he was a problem child who got himself into trouble all the time. Jethro taught Harry to never take anyone's word for things, always check for the facts.

One of the biggest lessons Harry learned during the week he was with the group was Do Not Discount Discipline. He learned that there will always be things in life you need to do even if you do not want to but having discipline and respect will lead you a long way in life. Skipping steps and cutting corners could be disastrous in the end. He learned the value of hard work and routine when he started exercising each morning with Julius and Jethro after being woken early from nightmares. He started with jogging the neighborhood and doing some sit-ups and push-ups.

Julius and Jethro taught him the value of doing your best for yourself when Harry explained how he had to hold back on his grades, at first because the Dursley family did not like it and then because he wanted to keep his friends. He explained how Ron liked to goof off and do this last minute while Hermione felt the need to be the best so he could not be better than her if he wanted to keep that friendship.

The two explained that friendship should not be based on doing things you do not like or want to do in order to keep others happy. He explained how they should support him doing his best and if they do not, then maybe they are not the best friend he needs at this time. Harry had to think about his friends and who he surrounded himself with, vowing to watch during the school year what happened.

Julius decided he would help Harry get caught up on the year of schooling he missed after he told them that he was behind due to not doing his best, leaving out that he did not go to a mundane school last year and missed a whole year of subjects. Julius helped him with some world history as well which Harry found interesting. He wondered about the history of the entire wizarding world, wishing he had a better teacher than Binns so he could actually learn.

Julius bought some work books for grade six in the American school system for them to work through. Harry found them super interesting and debated asking for more so he could keep up with his schooling while at Hogwarts but figured that would look weird to ask when he was supposed to be in school. He would look for them before going back to school, he decided. Harry was super interested in the earth sciences and how they could possibly relate to magic as well.

School was not the only thing Harry got to learn while staying with everyone. He learned how to widdle and sand wood from Jethro after he found him in the basement of his house sanding wood, making a boat. Harry took to trying to create the different animals he had seen so far, even if they were not supposed to exist to those without magic. He was not very good yet but Jethro kept encouraging him, telling him that practice is the best way to improve and as long as he was passionate about something and practiced enough he would get better over time. Jethro even bought him his own knife to carve the wood with. Harry noticed an engraving on the side that just said 'Rule 9' and had his initials HJP under it. He loved it so much and would do his best to not lose it.

Harry had a lot of fun playing with Kelly when they went into the backyard on the swing set that was there. He loved the feeling of swinging because it almost felt like flying, with the wind whipping through his hair he was able to feel free. They also went to the movies where Harry got to watch a movie for the very first time. He watched Beauty and the Beast with everyone. He was fascinated by the giant screen and how into the movie Kelly got. He ignored everyone's shocked looks and sad smiles when he told them it was the first movie he had ever watched. He had heard movies playing from his cupboard but he had never seen one before that.

Harry began to get nervous thinking about having to go back to England. Where would he live before school started? Where would he go next summer? What would happen to him in regards to Hogwarts? How would he get there? There was so much to think about that he started having trouble sleeping at night. He was up half the night worrying about what would happen back in England. They were meeting with Professor McGonagall again as she would be bringing Harry back to England and school when Hernandez was caught. She was staying in a hotel until then in the wixen district nearby.

Harry was just wondering when things would go wrong, as per his luck, because things had been going so well since the accident. He was making friends, Kelly wanted him to write to her and keep in contact, Jethro saying the same thing. One of the last things he learned from Jethro was that it is important to phone a friend. He could talk to them about anything when he goes back to school.

Harry was sitting in the living room playing clue with Kelly, Jethro and Julius while Tom Morrow sat at the table reading some paperwork when they got the call from Mike Franks. He let them know that they had Hernandez and were transporting him back to the United States. Protective custody would be ending in two days and Harry did not know whether to be relieved or sad. He did not want to leave his new friends but he wanted to get back to Hogwarts as well.

The mixed emotions caused chaos when his accidental magic exploded out of him and fried all the lights in the room. He quickly rolled on his side, curled up knowing he had messed up and would get hit for it. Everyone else panicked when the lights went out, Jethro grabbing Kelly and Julius grabbing Harry while Tom pulled out his service weapon and motioned everyone to stay down and stay quiet thinking there was an intruder or something happened. Harry was crying and muttering "I'm sorry" under his breath repeatedly while Julius held him through the shaking. About 30 seconds later there was a loud pop, almost like a car backfiring and two people appeared in the living room with their wands drawn. Tom immediately held his gun on them while Jethro and Julius shielded the children with their bodies.