Holly & Yew

C31

Chapter 31: Dusty rays and shattered beams ... Slippery roads and sunburn dreams ... Winter's loss become Summer's lean ... Come wobbling out of the ocean

FIRST SUMMER INTERLUDE (31)

The summer passed in a sun-kissed haze. Later, they would remember it as their last good memories of London.

They had been reminded at the end of their term that now that they had their wands, they weren't allowed to perform any magic on their holidays. Harry thought it was unfair. Abraxas and Greta got to perform magic at home since their parents' magical signatures blocked theirs.

It was especially difficult because Harry and Tom were so used to using their magic. It was like telling someone not to blink. It was almost impossible. They had already slipped a couple of times, accidentally making a light orb or floating something over, but so far, the Ministry officials hadn't broken down the door to their room to arrest them, so they thought they might be okay. They spent their time doing their summer homework and reading their second-year textbooks instead, which Professor Dumbledore had given them before they left. It was nothing compared to actually doing magic, but it was a nice reminder that everything was real.

Their church had finally replaced the stained glass window after fundraising for years. It had been installed during their school semester. It was gorgeous: a brilliant red cross surrounded by a mosaic of blues and greens. Mrs. Cole still made them go every Sunday, but Harry didn't mind.

He caught up with the other children when Tom wasn't being a clingy octopus. They filled him in on all the drama he'd missed and the other details about what had happened in London while they were gone.

Lisa and Martha had gotten their old room—good old 212—and for the sake of not uprooting them, Mrs. Cole let Harry and Tom have free reign over the attic. They slept on a lumpy mattress on the floor, which they'd covered in more old sheets, quilts, and blankets than even the Princess and the Pea could desire in an attempt to make it slightly more comfortable. Tom wasn't pleased with the arrangements, but they had a new dusty skylight that transformed into a rectangular sheet of almost-stars every night, so Harry was content.

(The lights of London, unfortunately, rendered the stars faint pinpricks, like a spray of bleach on a dark shift.)

They spent the first few days clearing the space up a little so it was more livable. It was cramped and dusty compared to their old bedroom, and it got too hot to spend any portion of the day up there, but at least they still got to room together with enough privacy to do their summer homework in the evenings when it cooled down.

Tom found an old broken bicycle when they were cleaning the attic and spent the beginning of their break repairing it outside. Harry sat by his side in the drowsy summer heat, watching Tom with a book in hand, occasionally fanning himself with the pages, trying to cool down.

There were numerous times throughout their childhood when Tom got intensely determined about figuring something out or fixing something and wouldn't rest until it was accomplished. It was a scary kind of focus. A focus that knew no sleep or hunger.

Harry still remembered when he had given Tom a broken radio for his eighth birthday. Tom had tinkered with it non-stop, forgetting to eat and rest for days until it was fixed. It had actually worried Harry quite a bit, but Tom had seemed so happy fixing it that Harry had let it be.

This was just another one of those times. In this case, it was a bike.

After the bike was fixed, Tom set about learning how to ride it.

He fell non-stop at first. It was everything Harry could do not to use his magic to keep the bike steady or to heal Tom after a bad fall. Tom was irritatingly pleased that Harry was banned from using his healing magic over the summer and made no secret of it, much to Harry's chagrin. He almost seemed to relish in flaunting his scraped knees and elbows to Harry. Harry bandaged him up the Muggle way, splashing water and disinfectant on the wounds before carefully wrapping them in bandages. Tom insisted that Harry do it like he did for the other orphans and kiss it better. Harry couldn't tell if Tom was joking, but he always ended up giving in at the end, usually after much eye-rolling.