Chapter 10: Harry Sitting
Dear Ron,
I hope everything is going well. Something really interesting happened this summer. I found out…
Harry stopped.
He found out what—that his parents were alive, that they weren't Lily and James Potter, that he had an older sister who technically his younger sister before he traveled n what he hope was a TARDIS, and that his father was apparently this all powerful sorcerer.
He grabbed the notebook paper that had the letter on it and threw it in to the bin. Maybe he'd try another approach.
Dear Hermione,
I tried writing my essay on Charms, but magical theory….
Didn't make sense that everything at Hogwarts sort of contradict what Gold had been teaching him. That Gold's approach to magic made much more sense.
Another letter in the bin.
Harry sighed as he stared at the notebook. Maybe writing a letter wasn't the best of ideas. He should do something else. Maybe practice more of his first year spells wandlessly. Review those notes on potions that Gold had given him which proved just how horrible of a potions teacher Snape was.
Yeah, he was still bored.
He still wasn't a hundred percent ready to trek around Storybrooke according to his father. Both Regina and Belle seemed to agree with this sentiment too.
It sucked.
Though, learning magic did sort of help matters.
He sighed as he walked out of his room. There was nothing on TV, so he decided he'd see if anyone was home. After his little wandering into town it seemed like someone was always there.
It was Regina today.
She smiled when saw him. "Ready for lunch?"
Harry shrugged. He wasn't really hungry, though he knew he had to eat. Gold had told him it was necessary for all the potions he had been giving him to work and that he could not miss a meal.
"Don't you have to do mayor stuff?" He asked his sister.
She shrugged. "I'm sure the citizens of Storybrooke can figure things out. It's not that big of a town, you know."
"I wouldn't." Harry said.
He knew it was kind of a stab. But he did want to get out and he didn't see why he couldn't.
Regina sighed. "Trust me, you're not missing much. I brought pie."
"You always bring pie." Harry said.
"You like my pie." His sister countered.
That was very true.
She looked at him, "What did you do this morning?"
"Magic." Harry said. "Trying to do all my first year spells wandlessly."
Regina looked intrigued. "Is Rum…Gold teaching you?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. He's surprisingly a good teacher."
Regina nodded. "He is. Surprisingly. He taught me magic too."
"You can do magic?" Harry asked.
Regina laughed. "Of course, why else do you think my pies taste so good?"
"Family secret recipe."
"Our mother didn't cook." Regina said. "I learned this from, from…"
She trailed off.
"Regina?"
She sighed. "I'm fine. Just thinking back."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "To what?"
Regina sighed. "I had a friend named Daniel. He taught me to bake. He's no longer around."
"I'm sorry." Harry said.
"It's not your fault," Regina said before changing the subject. "Would you like to learn how to bake it?"
"The pie?" Harry asked.
Regina nodded. "I'm supposed to be here all afternoon, so we have time."
Harry nodded. He had nothing else to do.
Baking had always been something that Harry enjoyed. Or it was one of the chores that made him grimace the least at Petunia's. There was a precise art to it. Mixing exact measurements in a specific order to make something completely unique. It was one of the reasons he thought that potions was going to be his favorite class at Hogwarts, and then he met Snape.
Regina seemed to find it odd he already knew so much about baking. Harry shrugged. "I've been doing it for awhile."
Regina seemed interested. "Oh, really?"
Harry nodded and proceeded to talk crust recipes. Regina's was surprisingly easy to make. It was so hard to find a good crust recipe. The recipe Aunt Petunia had given him was overly complex, and tended to be very easily screwed up.
Not so much Regina's crust.
Regina shook her head when he tried to cut the apples. "I'll do that." She said.
Harry gave her an odd look.
"You're eleven. You shouldn't be handling such large knives."
Harry shrugged.
Regina grabbed the knife. "Your former guardians are horrible people."
Well, at least she was open about it. And hadn't really been pressing about the Dursleys. It was sort of the unspoken issue. Harry knew it. Regina knew it. Belle knew it. And Gold knew it. They all knew they were going to have to talk about Harry's formative years eventually, and all of them sort of dreaded it.
To try to save the situation Harry said, "We used knives in potions class too."
Big mistake. Regina eyes narrowed more. "There's another reason I hate that school. Besides the fact, that taught you to channel your magic completely wrong."
"So, you and Gold have been talking."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, we do talk. Family tends to do that."
Harry shrugged as Regina proceeded to chop up apples.
"It's not that surprising if you think about it, Harry." Regina said not knowing she was being a bit insensitive. "We're concerned about your welfare."
Harry scowled.
"Really," Regina said. "You want to argue that the Duddies were good people."
"Dursleys." Harry corrected. He didn't even know why he was bothering correcting her. "They weren't horrible."
"Not horrible." Regina rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm a mother. If any one treated my son like that I'd—"
She stopped herself.
"You'd what?"
"Clobber them." Regina said. "I still should clobber them being your sister. Too bad we sent them back to England."
Harry shrugged. He didn't see why it mattered.
"It does matter." Regina spit out in a voice that sort of scared Harry.
"You should've been loved as a child not treated like the help."
"The help? Who says that anymore?"
"Your relatives and stuck up royals." Regina countered.
In a weird way, his sister reminded him of Uncle Vernon at that moment. It wasn't that she looked like Uncle Vernon—though her face was borderline purple. But he saw the same rage filled look he'd see whenever Vernon had a particular bad day at Grunnings and had to drink a couple of extra strong vodka martinis to calm him down.
He wondered what Regina drank.
Probably something with apples.
He asked her and she raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I want to get drunk?"
"You're upset." Harry said.
"I don't drink when I'm upset. That's just irresponsible and stupid." Regina said with a sigh. "Let's finish this pie up, then I'll help you with your potion work. I suppose Gold has been going over theory?"
Harry nodded.
"Good," Regina said. "Now, hand me the vanilla."
Regina went over herbs with him that afternoon. As entertaining as that was, Harry soon found himself taking a nap which to be honest Regina was probably grateful for.
When he woke up he heard arguing.
Harry groaned grabbing one of the many pillows that laid on his bed. Gold and Belle had gone overboard with the pillows. So many of them and all of them were fluffy. Harry wanted to go back to sleep, but he couldn't help but eavesdrop.
Okay, he wanted to eavesdrop.
"You really think this is the best idea?" Regina's voice was clipped.
"Well, do I really have a choice, dearie?"
"Of course you do," Regina said. "You can't play me, imp. I'm not stupid."
"I never said you were."
Regina huffed.
"It's really the best idea, Regina."
Belle was there too. Now, that was really odd. He noticed his father's girlfriend tried to avoid contact with Regina at all cost. But here she was in the middle of a barb fest between Regina and Gold.
"You weren't asked, Bookworm Barbie." Regina retorted.
His father did not like that. "Watch your mouth, Regina."
"Or what?"
"Do I really need to even go there?"
Harry rubbed his head. A part of him wanted to get up. See what was going on, another part of him just wanted to go back under the covers. He was really sleepy.
Sleep didn't happen though. Because whatever Gold said pissed his sister off.
"I'm not going to be bullied by you, Gold."
"Who says I was bullying you. I was just stating the facts. It's the right decision."
"Yes, running away from your problems."
"He's not running away." Belle said. "They're digging. You know they can't find out. Especially with that nut job of a mother of yours on the loose."
Cora?
They were talking about Cora?
He couldn't help but be interested. Even though he heard countless of times that his mother was bad news, he still was interested in hearing about her. Where she was. What she was doing? Was that crazy?
Regina laughed. "Cora's not an issue."
"Really, what about her boyfriend?" Rumple asked.
"Boyfriend?"
"Screw buddy. Partner in crime. Fellow disgrace to society. In other words, what about Hook?"
"Rumple!" Belle said.
"Well, I had to make sure she got the point." His father said.
Rumple? What an odd sort of pet name. Usually Belle called his father Rum. Which was weird enough, but not as weird as Rumple.
Belle sighed. "Well, I think you did."
"It was a little verbose." Regina said. "But I'm taking it that you're worried about Hook? I don't see why that drunk would be an issue. Didn't you take his hand?"
Hand?
That didn't make sense at all.
"That's not the point." Gold said not answering the question. "The point is that he's out there. Sniffing around Emma Swan?"
"Sniffing around Emma? Was Henry there?"
Henry? That was Regina's son's name. Was Emma his mother? That would be weird.
"No, Henry was not there. But with the way Hook was fawning all over her, I wouldn't surprised if he has himself wormed in their lives soon enough. He's always had a way about that-"
"That's not going to happen." Regina said. "I won't allow it."
Gold laughed. "Dearie, Henry lives with the Charmings now. I doubt you really have a say in anything about his life."
"I'm his mother."
"And so is Emma Swan. Birth mother in fact. An actual blood relation. "
And there went the smack. It startled Harry for a moment, he almost had a flashback to when he was at the Dursleys.
Not making dinner right.
Smack.
The garden not being perfectly immaculate or a flower was not blooming on the right day of the week.
Smack.
Not looking at the Dursleys the right way.
Smack.
Not breathing the right way.
Smack.
It was then Harry started screaming. The screams just started and they couldn't stop. He forgot he was in his room. The nice cool toned blues that Belle had painted the room seemed to fade away and he was back in his cupboard. His itty bitty cupboard. Helpless. Alone.
There was no way out.
He then felt someone lightly touching him calling his name. He blinked to see the three of them—Belle, Gold, and Regina staring at him. As if he was a weirdo or something.
"Uh, hi." Harry said after a moment or two of very awkward silence once he finally managed to grasp his bearings.
Yeah, that really didn't work.