3. Home Sweet Home

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They arrived at Number 4 Privet Drive and Natalia and Harry waited by the stairs as the rest of the Dursleys walked into the house.

"Since we don't have another room, you will be staying with Harry," Petunia said, not looking at either teen. "You will just have to sleep on the floor."

Natalia rolled her eyes, "Whatever." Harry started up the stairs, dragging his trunk behind him.

"Trunks!" Vernon called, holding a key out.

"I don't think so," Natalia shook her head.

"YOU ARE IN MY HO–" Natalia narrowed her eyes and snatched her wand out, pointing it at him. He laughed sinisterly. "You can't do magic outside of school."

Natalia smiled and started laughing, "You think that can stop me? It never has before."

Vernon's smile was wiped off his face as he backed away and Natalia looked at the other two Muggles who looked at her frightened. She gave them a satisfied smirk and walked up the stairs after Harry. He held the door open for her and set his trunk at the end of his bed.

"Uh, you can put your trunk somewhere and there's some extra coathangers in the closet you can use," he told her as she looked around. "Sorry it's so small."

She shook her head, "no it's fine. Uh, do you mind if I set up a pillow and blanket on the floor so I don't have to do it later?"

Harry scratched the back of his head, "I don't want you sleeping on the floor all summer. I can do it."

Natalia looked at him confused and shook her head, "No, it's your house, I'm not kicking you out of your bed."

"Well–uh–erm, I got a new bed right before school because the last one was destroyed by Dudley so– we can share it," he stuttered out and his face went red, making Natalia laugh. "I mean we could trade off– or if– if"

"Harry," Natalia said, making him stop talking. "The bed is big enough for two, we could each take one side and put a pillow in between, good?"

He nodded, "Yeah, sounds great." She set her trunk down and Harry started taking stuff out of his and hiding it underneath floorboards. Natalia looked at him confused. "I can't trust them."

Natalia nodded in understanding, "they're horrible."

"I'll probably have to go downstairs soon and start making them dinner."

"No," Natalia told him and he stopped what he was doing. "Not tonight."

Harry looked stunned, like he didn't know what to do with that statement, "just don't?"

Natalia nodded, "They've been here by themselves all year, let them make their own dinner."

Harry nodded, looking happier, "yeah, thanks, could you lock the door?" She got up and grabbed her wand, silently casting the spell. "Do you still not have the trace?"

Natalia shrugged, "no clue, but Dumbledore did say that they're too afraid to do anything about it after what happened at the Department of Mysteries."

"Ah."

Natalia sat down on the floor and crossed her legs as Harry covered up the floorboard again. He sat across from her. "So, what do you usually do during the summer?"

He thought for a minute, "I cook, I clean, I go outside, usually walk around, go to the playground down the street, hang out at the train station, just try and get out of the house really. I don't want to be here."

Hedwig started to screech and Harry got up to let her out. "So, what happened with Cho?" She asked, the last thing she heard was that she was crying on their date during Valentine's Day.

"Nothing," Harry admitted, "After Valentine's Day we just haven't really hung out and she's dating someone else."

He didn't look sad, he didn't even look slightly bothered by it. "It would've never worked anyway," Natalia told him and he nodded slightly. "She just saw you as a way to be close to her dead boyfriend and that's no relationship."

"Really wasn't, we weren't even friends," Harry laughed and shook his head. "The whole Yule ball was a mess, I never even learned to dance."

Natalia looked at him confused and with a teasing smile, "you went to a ball and never learned to dance?"

"Well, McGonagall tried to teach us," he tried to defend himself. "Just with the tournament, I didn't really have time to practice, Neville was really good though."

Natalia smirked and pushed herself off the ground, holding a hand out. "Come on."

Harry shook his head, "no, no, no."

"Yes, yes, yes, come on!" Harry rolled his eyes and took her hand as she pulled him up. She moved his hand to her waist and started to count as she moved his legs. "1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3." Harry started moving his legs on his own and followed Natalia. "There, that's good, not as bad as I've been told."

He laughed and looked up from his feet to see her eyes. They weren't brown like other people's. She had dark eyes that reminded him of obsidian, that looked like they could tell a thousand secrets without any words. Natalia looked at him and laughed. "What?"

"You're really pretty, you know?" He asked her and she laughed awkwardly. "I mean I know you have a boyfri–"

"I do?" She asked him and he closed his eyes tightly as they stopped dancing. He pulled her over and they sat on his bed.

She gave him a concerned look and he scratched the back of his head. "You had one in America, I think his name started with an L or something, or maybe that was your friend. You also had a brother and two sisters," Harry revealed and Natalia shook her head.

"I only have a sister and a brother, Nico and Bianca." Harry looked away and took a deep breath.

"Professor Lupin told me not to tell you, but– you did have another sister that you found in America, but her, Nico, Bianca, and your mother all died around the same time." Natalia took in a sharp breath.

"Oh," she said lightly. "That must've been in the time I can't remember." Harry nodded and she couldn't help but start crying. "They're dead?" Natalia asked again, just to make sure and he nodded. Harry moved forward and hugged her.

They stayed there for a while, Harry didn't really know what to do. Eventually, they moved apart and he got to show her some of his favorite books like Quidditch Through the Ages.


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