lupercus @ 2003-07-22 01:50:00

Current mood:

melancholy

If you hear him howling around your kitchen door...
I've forgotten how much I enjoy a good day in London. Though, I suspect it was more the company that made it so enjoyable than the city itself.

Nipped down to Surrey this morning, on my best behaviour of course, to ask Mrs. Dursley if young Harry could come out to play. She was most agreeable, probably hoping that by sending her nephew out with a werewolf that he would come back partially-eaten, or not at all. Charming woman. Reminds me a bit of a dragon I once met, what had terrible indigestion.

Nevertheless, Harry and I had a splendid day out in London. We went to SoHo, where I dropped off some books I had stowed away to a most appreciative friend of mine, who also had some good news regarding Sirius and his welfare. He's fine, we're told, and considering the source both Harry and I felt quite a bit better. Fine fellow, that particular proprietor.

We walked around a bit, browsing the shops and talking, telling tales of bygone days, of mischief and its makers. When Sirius returns I think we'll make a point of sitting down with Harry and telling him absolutely everything we can remember between us about his parents, because the boy positively glows for it. For lunch we went to the Crackling Grackle, a pub that we'd all liked to frequent back in our school days, and I showed Harry the support beam that Sirius had dangled upside-down from after imbibing a bit too much Jameson's for his own good. I wonder if he's allowed back into the place, yet.

After lunch we went down to St James Park and fed the ducks, and listened to the conversations around us, and discussed the situation with Dumbledore, and upcoming events that I really must get on with, because it's an awful lot of planning that I have to do. Thank Godric for Seamus and Charlie, who have been absolutely invaluable to me at home these past few days. Seamus goes out of his way to cheer me up when he thinks I need it, and Charlie's good for conversation about the darker shades of life. I think Harry appreciates that someone's looking after me, while he and Sirius are unable to do it.

Then it was time for tea, and so I took Harry to the Ritz. He's never had a proper posh meal so it was rather amusing to see him fidget and stutter and make owl-eyes at everything. He didn't think much of the cucumber sandwiches, but he seemed to like the creamed cheese, and of course the scones. He liked it so much that after a quick romp around City we went back for dinner, where we both tried caviar for the first time and decided it was not worth the fuss, when one could just consume a pot of pure salt and get the same effect.

In the end, we both went for the risotto, and that was much better.

It's a bloody good thing I changed as much gold into Muggle money as I did. Honestly, I've never spent that much on food before in my life. Harry was gobsmacked when the bill arrived, and he tried to contribute. Silly boy. He backed off after receiving a stern growling-at. It was worth every penny, to give him the experience of being a posh and snotty Brit for a couple of hours.

I would give him the world if he asked for it, simply because I know he never would.

We went for a couple of pints after that, back at the Grackle, and then it came time to take Harry back to Privet Drive. It was hard. He didn't want to go, and he asked me to let him "come home." And Godric help me, I wanted to. It would have been very easy to just haul him off to Diagon Alley and Floo away from that place. But in the end, I couldn't, and I knew that, and I know why he's stuck there and why we're all separated and why there are parents out there without their children, and children without parents, and lovers who are apart.

And there's nothing anybody can do about it. Save one.

I think I've gone on long enough about my day. Seamus and Charlie are calling me down for a late tea. I will go and join them.

Goodnight Harry, and Sirius - wherever you are. I love you both.

PS, to potions_master: I believe the term is "cowabunga," Sevvie.

Comments: