Cadence took a bite out of a Bologna sandwich while driving down the highway. Harry nibbled slowly on his crisps, making sure not to rush. His stomach growled acceptingly at the small amount of food Harry had managed to keep down and satisfied Harry put the remaining crisps in his bag along with the sandwich; deciding that he would try to eat more when his stomach settled. He looked out of the car window, unable to stand the sight of the Hufflepuff cloak to his side, and took a small sip of water.
"Where are we going?" He asked Cadence after a moment.
"My apartment," Cadence replied through a full mouth and put his knee on the steering wheel to drive. "We each have our own apartments in London, we will get you yours in a few years. I got mine at thirteen."
Once again a flood of questions went through Harry's mind but he remained quiet. Cadence, suspecting Harry's apprehension on the subject started talking while driving down the highway.
"Newt is rich," he said bluntly "and no not like 'I have a million dollars rich' like an 'I have billions upon billions of dollars' rich like an 'If I added up all the money I have I would break the calculator," rich. Hell, he gave the Dursley's four hundred pounds just to make sure you don't end up in that cupboard again,"
Harry looked up surprised. So that's why they acted so happy to see him.
"So anyway, as a very wealthy and very powerful person, Newt has a lot of enemies in high up places. They think that if Newt ever decided to join politics, not that dad would he bloody hates the stuff, that he would "overthrow balance" and that whatever he went with other people would go with because he and Albus Dumbledore were the "saviors of the wizarding world" and now with you the boy who lived at his side he could be unstoppable. But of course, Dad would never use you like that. We are happy being caretakers of the sanctuary and trust me the day that dad joins politics is the day that earth stands still,"
Harry nodded and adjusted the seatbelt on his neck.
"Anyways the whole apartment thing is simple. Newt has many many properties. We have two sanctuaries, clinics all over the world, breeding grounds for endangered species all over, shops, three mansions, five houses- two of which in the muggle world, a house in America, the Scamander manor where we will be living most of the time. We have a beach house at the ocean, a resort in Jamaica, hundreds of farms, and apartments. Five for each of us in the main countries. England, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, and America. We also have a condo in Canada and a hotel in Mexico."
Harry let out a deep breath as he took in all this information.
"As I said Harry we need to be able to escape quickly if we have to. The wards around the sanctuary make it so if we have to leave suddenly the animals be escorted to the backup sanctuary and the first Sanctuary will trap anyone who enters after we leave inside the wards."
"How do they get out?" Harry asked softly.
"Oh don't worry about that, Harry," Cadence said, his unspoken thoughts hanging in the air like silk strangling them 'they don't get out.
Harry swallowed hard and bit his lip.
"So where was I? Oh yes, each of us has many means of transportation. We have two yachts, fifteen motorcycles, about thirty cars of every type and style, although we really only use the crappy ones to blend in, electric scooters, speedboats, an airplane, a helicopter, that's really it. By the age of nine, I knew how to ride a Motorcycle backward while shooting a gun. We have to know how to defend ourselves." Cadence opened his soda and took a sip "your driving lessons start next week actually,"
Harry sat up straighter at that.
"I get to drive?" Harry asked wide-eyed.
"Well yeah, Harry, we don't have all those cars to look at you know," Cadence sighed and put his drink down again "You'll start out on the four-wheelers though, we use them to get around the sanctuary easier and golf carts. The sanctuary is about three miles long in every direction from the house,"
Cadence pulled off the highway into a small city called "Odensville," and Harry looked out the window. The small town-like city had a quaint library in the center of it, a big white church held a playground outside. The brightly colored houses lining the streets made Harry smile. A group of muggle children raced the car on bikes, one boy crouched down on a skateboard and holding onto the bottom of another boy's bike. They pulled onto an old dirt road and Harry saw a mother washing her daughter's hair in a metal basin outside of their house. The girl turned to wave at them and shouted "Hello!" In a happy voice as they passed.
"I've always loved this town," Cadence said with a smile.
Harry turned to look at his brother who had a small smile on his face. After a few minutes, they pulled into a parking lot of a medium-sized blue house that appeared to be split down the middle. A small girl was sitting on the front steps with a barbie doll in her hands. Her blonde hair shining in the sun in little curly pigtails. Her pink dress fell down over her knees when she looked up at them and gasped. She quickly stood up and ran into the house and even from inside the car Harry could clearly hear her sweet voice shouting "mommy! Cadence is back!" From inside their side of the building. Harry smiled at the sunny town and closed his eyes fully relaxing for the first time that day. He blinked away tears at the thought that maybe he could have a normal life now. Maybe being Caleb Scamander wouldn't be so bad.
Cadence got out of the car and walked towards the open screen door the girl had gone into. Harry quickly followed behind him, nervously looking around.
"Ma?" He called, walking through the house without even pausing to knock on the door. Harry paused on the doorstep and looked around unsure of what to do. From inside he heard a woman's voice with a deep southern accent one would normally find in Americans.
"Why Cadence you haven't grown a day! Where have you been, lad? It's been months since you came to visit." She said scornfully but full of affection.
"About that, Ma," Harry could hear Cadence say nervously, "I want you to meet someone,"
Harry could hear Cadence whispering softly to the woman and caught a few words.
"Abusive Uncle" whisper whisper "don't be alarmed" whisper "brother"
Finally, Cadence came out of the kitchen area of the woman's house followed by a very pregnant, brown-haired woman. She had dark brown eyes and full lips, her hair was short and full of volume. She smiled softly at him her brown eyes full of warmth.
"Hello, Harry," she said with a smile holding out her hand, "My name is Camilla, this is my daughter Prudence. Please come inside and have a slice of pecan pie,"
Harry smiled politely and shook her hand. The brown-haired woman smiled back although he could see the sadness in her eyes.
"We would love to stay," Cadence said turning to the obviously American woman "but we have to unpack and get Harry settled in. We are leaving again in a few days,"
"Aw but you just got back," Prudence said sadly.
Cadence kneeled in front of the small girl and looked into her big brown eyes.
"And so I have and I will be back again," he said smartly, "I promise, and when I make a promise,"
"You never break it," Prudence said with a frown.
"Yes and a while back I promised Harry here ice cream at my apartment. Maybe after we get settled in you guys can come over for some?" He looked expectingly up at the quaint- albeit pretty woman. Camilla smiles a little and nods at the young man.
"I'll bring a pie," she said with a teasing tone.
Harry smiled at the action and for a moment he could see a life here with his brother and Camilla and Prudence.
"When are you due?" Harry asked politely, referring to her rather large baby bump.
"Any day now," she said smiling warmly "so you best be in town when she comes,"
Cadence smiled sheepishly and stood up from in front of Prudence to lean down to the baby bump.
"And you better come out a girl," he said with a smirk "do you have any idea how long it took me to get your mother to agree to naming you Patience?"
"I can still change it," she said with a smile "now go unpack"
Harry smiled and walked outside with Cadence by his side and began unloading the car, holding Hedwig to his body tightly and knowing that this was the perfect town to lay her and Clarence to rest.
