(DISC) Harry Potter and the Protector

Giving

It was his third day at the Bells and he still had fixed feelings about staying with them. They tried to include him in conversation but he just deflected their questioning. They tried to include him in family activity but he would always make up some excuse not to join in.

'Freeloader' a voice in his head whispered.

'You're just a good-for-nothing leech' another voice, this one higher pitched than the first

'Freak!' both voices yelled at the same time causing him to gasp.

He looked around, he was still in the Bells' house, thank Merlin. He opened his curtains and found it was still dark outside but he knew if he tried to go back to sleep, it wouldn't work. He opened his bedroom door quietly and crept down the hall to the staircase trying as hard as he could to not wake anyone else up.

He wandered aimlessly through the large house, running a hand absentmindedly on the stone walls which reminded him slightly of the corridors in Hogwarts. He pushed his way through a large oak door in the dining room and stood completely awe-struck. The room was a giant kitchen, a mix of modern muggle appliances- like the Dursleys had- and older wood fire cooking pots filled the room. He began looking through the cupboards, picking things out and laying them on the counter.

He turned on the electric stove and placed an oil-coated frying pan with a small smile. He hummed the tune to 'Bang' by Blur merrily as he cooked, not noticing the gaggle of small figures watching him from the corner. A small pop disguised by the sound of oil sizzling was heard first in the kitchens and then in Alexia and Damian's room as a house elf materialised at the bottom of their bed.

"Master and Mistress Bell," the elf said with a bow. The two adults woke up with a groan, Alexia groggily flicking her wand which caused the room to fill with light. "What's wrong, Feeny?" Damian groaned, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes. "Sorry for disturbing your sleep, Master Bell, but there's be a strange boy in our kitchens," the elf squeaked. The wizard and witch looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment before realisation dawned on Alexia's face.

"Thank you, Feeny. I will be down in a moment," Alexia said with a smile. The elf bowed again and disappeared with another pop. Samantha got out of bed, draped a dressing gown around her and slotted her feet into a pair of woolly slippers. "I'll go see to Harrison. You go back to sleep and I'll wake you when the girls are up for their presents," she said quietly. Damian nodded his understanding and slid back down his bed, falling asleep in record time.

Alexia crept down the stairs, lighting the lamps on the walls as she walked to try and bring some warmth to the dim corridors. As she drew closer to the door of the kitchen, she listened to the growing volume of Harrison's singing. She pushed the door open and stood watching him for a while, taking note of the contented smile adorning his face. She leaned against the doorframe and spectated as her young guest tear from one end of the kitchen to the other whilst minding pans and adding ingredients to his dishes.

She heard footsteps come up behind her, turning around to see her family walking up to the door. Alexia held a finger to her lips and nodded her head towards the kitchens. Katie, Felicity and Damian stopped at the door and watched on with wide eyes as Harrison managed two cooking stations at once. After a few more minutes, Harrison turned off the stive and began to pile food onto four plates. He picked two up and turned to the door, ready to serve the food to his hosts but stopped in his tracks when he reached the door.

He looked at the Bell family nervously, his face progressively reddening. "Merry Christmas, Harrison, what you got there?" Damian said with a grin as he entered the kitchen and began moving towards Harrison. Katie reached out and grabbed the back of her father's shirt to stop him and he looked at her, utterly bewildered. Harrison moved awkwardly as he placed the plates of food down in front of each seat at the dinner table before striding off to the far corner of the room.