A Wizard Among Bats

Chapter 1

Harry had no idea how to politely explain to the man he had just met that Vernon Dursley would probably rather eat his own shoe than talk to Harry, never mind actually tell him anything important. But Dick seemed to take his silence as agreement.

"Well, I guess it makes sense with how little they talk about you," Dick continued thoughtfully, and while the ghost of a smile was still there his tone grew more distant. "I didn't even know you lived here until this morning."

Dick smiled again as he reached for on of the trunk's handles. "Well, I'm Dick, kind of a long lost nephew, but I can tell you about it later. Why don't we get your stuff upstairs?"

Harry nodded, still kind of dazed from everything going on, and he grabbed the other handle and lifted. Using his free hand, Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage, where she was sleeping, and Dick did a double take.

"Is that an owl?" He asked curiously, and Harry was reminded that this was a muggle and that muggles don't see owls every day.

"Yeah she is," Harry answered shortly, knowing how much Uncle Vernon despised her. Dick had seemed alright so far, but anyone who claimed relation to the Dursley's had to have something wrong with them.

"She's beautiful," Dick said honestly, and Harry thought that maybe he was being too hard on Dick. After all, he himself was related to the Dursleys.

"Thanks," Harry actually felt some warmth in his voice and Dick felt it too, if his answering smile was any indication. Harry was feeling the weight of the trunk in his other arm and lifted it slightly to remind Dick they were bringing it somewhere. "But can we move? It's heavy."

Dick nodded and, slamming the trunk closed, he led the way into the house, and up the stairs. Harry felt bad because it certainly felt like Dick was carrying most of the weight, but he seemed to have more muscle mass, so it must have evened out.

"I'm assuming this is your room, since it's the only one not being used?" Dick stopped in front of the door to Dudley's second bedroom, no, Harry's room. Harry noticed that the locks on the outside had been removed and assumed it was for the benefit of their guest.

"Yeah, it is."

Dick opened the door with his free hand and shouldered his way inside. They left the trunk on the floor and Harry carefully put Hedwig's cage on the dresser where she normally perched. Dick was stretching out his back with his hands in the air. Harry noticed how his sad, barren room was being observed. It was empty in a way that most lived in rooms weren't. There was nothing on the walls, no knickknacks lying around. Just an empty space where Harry stayed over the summer.

"I kinda assumed you had a cat, or a dog, in the cage, because of the cat flap, but I guess an owl could use it," Dick mused as he finished stretching.

"It wasn't for her," Harry said shortly, not wanting to explain the gritty and painful details on why it was there. He debated opening up his trunk to get Hedwig's food, but realized he didn't know what was on top and couldn't risk letting the muggle see any magical artefacts. "So, why are you here?"

"Why are any of us really here?" Dick asked with a grin, as he plopped into Harry's desk chair, without asking. At Harry's frown and crossed arms, Dick raised his hands placatingly. "Kidding, kidding." He frowned. "You might want to sit down, kiddo, it isn't a fun story."

Harry remained standing, stubbornly looking down on him. And he had no idea what urged him to say it, but the moment Harry opened his mouth, he couldn't stop all his bitterness from everything that had happened in the past year, no his whole life, coming out. It felt good.

"What, did your parents die too?"

The moment the words left his lips, before he ever really noticed the negative impact they had on the other, he regretted them. But when Harry noticed Dick stiffen, the grin falling off his pretty face, Harry felt even more miserable than he had before.