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By lunch time, they were both satisfied with the arrangement. The elf popped away momentarily, before reappearing carrying his lunch. It was another soup.
He spent the rest of the afternoon poking through the trunks. He collected a few more trinkets and books to add to his growing collection on the shelves nearest the sofa.
When the clock informed him it was a quarter to five, he grabbed his teacup, and a couple of books, then relocated to the library. He could see Alex flying in the distance through the large windows.
When James poked his head in half an hour later, Harry was several chapters deep into History and Culture of the British Wix.
"My budding Ravenclaw," James said. "I thought I might find you here.
He sat down next to Harry and peered at the book. "I haven't looked at this since I was a kid," he said.
Harry glanced up from the book to look at James. "It's interesting," he said.
"That book. It's boring," James said.
"Well, it's teaching me a lot."
"Ah. Well." James faltered. "A lot of this is outdated. If you have questions, I can answer them for you."
"I don't know what to ask," Harry said. Not that he would ask even if he knew what to ask. And even then, he'd barely seen James enough to be able to. "I mean, I didn't even know about robes! How was I to know to ask about how clothes are different!"
It was a calculated risk, the outburst, and he watched James face carefully. He sat still, waiting for a reaction.
"I can see how that can be a problem," he said. His voice was full of mirth, but his eyes looked sad.
"Yeah."
James reached out and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Instinct told him to shake it off, but he held it in.
"Why don't we spend, say, a couple hours a day, when I get home from work, just talking. We can get to know one another, and you can ask me about anything you don't understand," James offered.
All his life, it had been no questions, about anything, for any reason. Being encouraged to ask questions was a new and confusing thing.
Harry smiled slightly at him. "That sounds good," he said.
It seemed to make James happy. He let go of Harry and stood up. "Now, I believe we had plans."
Right, James wanted to take him on a tour of the gardens.
"It must have been awful to be cooped up inside all weekend," James said.
"I didn't mind," Harry said. And he hadn't. He'd rather enjoyed being inside all day. Outside had always meant weeding Aunt Petunia's garden, or tending to the flowerbeds under the hot sun with nothing but the water from the garden hose to chase the thirst away. Before, being inside meant endless chores and blistered hands. The entire weekend had been more than he'd ever dreamed of. At least, once he found a quiet spot where Alex couldn't find him.
"Well, you could use some sun. I don't think anyone in the family has been as pale as you since my great grandfather," James told him.
Linweald House was magnificent, but the garden was something else entirely. A sprawling lawn of lush green led from the edges of the house all the way to the trees that lined the edges of the property. Off to the left was a sparkling pond that faded into the tree line, and was filled with large plants Harry didn't recognize.
"It's something, isn't it?" James said from next to him as they walked down the wide marble steps of the terrace.
At the base of the steps were interlacing stone paths that moved across the lawn veering off in different directions. At the base of the terrace was a large flower garden, with one of the paths twisting and turning through it, before meeting up with the main path on the other side. Vibrant flowers and deep green foliage filled the area. Vines crept around on their own, reaching out towards Harry feet as they moved.
"We had to hire an entire team of herbologists to bring it back to life," James told him as they skirted around the edges of the plants. "When magical plants are left to grow wild, in fact become wild."
It was an interesting fact to know.
"Remus tends to it now. I've got no patience for it," James said.
"I'm not fond of gardening either," Harry commented.
James laughed.James chattered away about the different plants, most of which Harry had never heard of. He tried his best to commit the names to memory, but there were just too many.
Beyond the garden was a disused iron and glass greenhouse with ivy growing up the sides. Dust and dirt layered the green-hued glass and the tips of the iron spikes at the roofline had rusted over.
"Our ancestors grew their potions ingredients here," James told him.
"Potions ingredients?" Harry asked."I'm not much of a fan, but our family has a long history as potioneers," James said.
Harry wanted to ask more questions about potions, but didn't. He also didn't ask to go into the greenhouse, which he desperately wanted to.
The path that had led to the garden suddenly shifted and vanished from sight as they moved past it. At Harry's gasp, James glanced at him.
"The paths move," James told him.
"Move?"
"It's an ancient defensive ward. Everything on the grounds can move. If you don't already know where you're going."
"Wicked!"
"It is. Someone can get lost for hours out here. From the house, they'll look as though they're wandering in circles, but to them, they'll be trying to reach the house or the greenhouse, and it'll keep moving."
"What happens if you step off the path?" Harry asked.
"You'd be trapped until someone came to get you."
"How does it work?" Harry asked.
"I have no idea," James said.
Harry laughed. He would definitely be trying to figure out how it worked. Images of a confused Alex spinning in circles in his bedroom flashed through Harry's head.
"But," James continued speaking, "as a Potter, and once you're added to the wards, it won't be an issue for you."
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If you want to read ahead by 10 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.
{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}
http://patreon.com/Player_alex273