The Difference in Reality [A Harry Potter Fanfiction]

Summer of Year 3: Chapter 1

Oliver groaned on the floor. "I don't think I can eat for another week."

Willow laughed. "Well, you do have several pounds to make up for. Abuela will make sure you get some meat on your bones."

Oliver smiled. "I love your grandma. She's the most caring person I've ever met."

"Trust me, you'll get to know her very well over the next few months. She's crazy protective and caring of her family, and if anyone dares to upset that, including her own family, God help your poor soul. She always makes up for her strictness, though, usually by way of the best Spanish rice and homemade cakes on the planet."

"I can't even think about food right now," Oliver said. "But that does sound amazing."

Willow laughed. "You'll develop a Guerrero appetite in no time."

Achelous hummed quietly on Willow's nightstand at Iris, who cuddled closer as she slowly woke up. Willow walked over to pat them both, receiving a quiet hoot of appreciation from iris. Oliver stood up and stroked Iris's back.

"She's much more friendly than most owls," Oliver said.

Willow nodded. "Iris loves everybody- except for my mum. I heard she bit her when she had to deliver a letter to my dad once. I wish I could have been there to see it. Iris would have gotten ten extra treats that day."

At "treats," V perked his head up. Patch and Felicity also looked up. When they realized there weren't any treats, V and Felicity pouted, and Patch kicked the latch on the cage. Willow rolled her eyes at his attitude.

"Alright, fine, let's get you guys to the greenhouse." She picked up the cage. "Come on, Oliver, I might as well give you a tour of the mansion."

Willow led the way down the stairs, past the library, and into the greenhouse. She unlatched the cage in the far corner. V exploded out and immediately began digging a new burrow. Patch, of course, grumpily stomped out, sniffing with distaste at the herbs nearby. Felicity simply fluttered into the nearest tree, which was much smaller than the ones at Hogwarts, but he almost seemed to prefer the condensed size. Oliver's face lit up as he ran along the flower beds, gawking at the small stream running through the middle of the greenhouse. Small but full trees lined the stream, providing a shady environment for some plants and half-sun for others. Both the full-sun and half-to-shady environments shared the space with Muggle and magical flora. Oliver squeaked and slapped his hand over his mouth at the sight of a Venomous Tentacula.

"You really love the greenhouse that much?" Willow chortled.

"It's almost as amazing as Hogwarts!" Oliver squealed, nearly jumping up and down. "There's so many magical plants here that I've been hoping to meet since first year! And the flowers are arranged beautifully! Their scents amalgamate perfectly! Oh, and the herb section is going to yield so many delicious dinners!"

"It always ties back to food, doesn't it?" Willow laughed. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it! This is the best house ever!" Oliver exclaimed.

"You haven't even seen the rest of it yet," Willow said, smiling. "Wait until you see the library. It's got everything from history books to Lord of the Rings. I've found at least ten nooks to read them all in, too."

Oliver gasped. "Does it have squishy chairs?"

Willow grinned. "It has something even better."

Oliver nearly sprinted into the library, collapsing into the nearest squishy and'fluffy chair after running from section to section, pausing in between to climb a ladder to the balcony-like second floor. Willow's eyes gazed over the wooden beams holding up the ceiling while Oliver freaked out over the enormous fantasy section. Her heart filed with that familiar sense of pride to be a Guerrero living in this gorgeous home. She hoped Oliver would be able to find a little bit of that pride to become an important part of her family, too.