(An: so I'm just going to slink back as if I didn't disappear for like a month. Hi. -T. A.L.A. )
Lost in his internal debate, Harry wandered through the halls, passingly silently by the many unused rooms which made up the family wing of the mansion- and with multiple of the several story wings making up just the main portion of the house, mansion was a fitting title indeed, if not a little underwhelming for the sheer size of the aging building.
The family wing he was still in had a separate set of wards on top of the ones that surrounded the entire mansion, just walking through the place as a welcomed guest and without focusing his senses at all he could feel them buzzing warningly in the back of his head, yet despite liveliness of the wards a thin layer of dust had settled over the surfaces. It was seemingly unused and wasting away as if it wasn't even frequented for cleaning or maintenance.
It made sense though, the building was giant and yet Harry rarely saw Theo go anywhere aside from four or five of the rooms which were all clustered together in the newest addition to the mansion.
In the family wing there were a handful of other bedrooms and some libraries, a dueling room, as well as scattered throughout several play rooms, but overall nothing interesting. Only one of the rooms stood out as anything different; the only one still visibly in use.
Harry had no idea what was inside, it was a locked room with an alarm spell set on the door, similar to the spell left on the room which he had just exited; except that one hadn't been locked.
His curiosity was peaked, it wasn't common for there to be locked doors in the empty house, the only other one he knew of was Theo's laboratory, a place he didn't intend to revisit as it was a drafty, dark, stone room in the basement without any windows, real or fake, to offer at least some semblance of comfort.
He held a small bit of doubt that this locked room was the only one in which Theo still regularly frequented, since he had yet to explore the whole wing, but the scent trail didn't branch off at all as he tracked it through the halls and back to the staircase, just went straight to and from the room, multiple tracks with varying ages all followed the same path. There was one semi-fresh trail, but it seemed to have declined in use the past few months.
Ultimately, he pushed aside his curiosity at what was behind the locked door and the room was left unexplored.
If it was locked, he wouldn't intrude without a reason- a lesson he'd learned in the Slytherin dorms which he figured he should still respect here. Besides, he'd always suspected that Theo had a bedroom attached to his office since he always seemed to sleep in the room on the other side of it, but perhaps this was his real bedroom and Theo just didn't always sleep there or was really busy lately.
Lazily, his tail flicking and paws nearly silent, he meandered through the empty, faded rooms of the house gazing upwards at the frozen portraits- the magic that once animated then held hostage by a multitude of spells rendering them inert, forever frozen in that moment, incapable of leaving their frame and spying on the Nott household, assumably unaware of their surroundings. He wondered if that assumption was true.
Theo would probably know, whether or not he was the one who cast the spell, he would find it important to be aware of the eyes watching and minds knowing his habits and actions.
Slowly his path drew him back to the ground floor, crossing the large, looming and carefully decorated entry halls and various sitting and ballrooms made to entertain guests with displays of power through wealth and influence- finally a fact of humanity Harry mostly understood.
There was a power in who you were allied with, Goldilocks- the name still brought a twinge of pain- had been safe in the wilds because the domesticated dog had been with him- the wolves had veered from the dog's scent for as long as they had, because they knew Harry was never far away, senses always on alert, even when he was not in the immediate area so Goldilocks didn't startle his prey.
There was a power in the items you could bring back to your nest and pack that others could not, he'd witnessed that many times as well. In a different way, he'd experienced it himself with how he pulled every trick he had available to bring back some of Chipped Fang's favorite treats even when they were scarce. Or how Chippy would pull out a surprise whenever Chipped Fang or him seemed tired or unhappy.
Harry supposed that was what the large, high-ceiling halls were meant to reflect. The dark, bejeweled statues that peered down menacingly from the tall, artistically carved, dark, stone columns that they sat on seemed to show a different sort of power. Brimming with magic, the air around them seemed to shiver, the snarls vicious, the claws were sharp and shifted ever so slightly if you looked for too long. Harry did not doubt that they could be called into motion quickly by whoever held the wards of the house. He wondered if they were a new addition.
The ones perched on columns were vaguely humanoid although with unnaturally long and crooked, thin arms, long ears, sharp teeth, and most noticeably bat like wings. Vaguely resembling something he saw in a textbook back in Hogwarts that he couldn't quite recall. A similar magic was set into the gleaming stone cats, white with dark veins running throughout, maybe lionesses, or a kind of panther, which sat by the fireplaces on either side of the black, dull stone hearth; he'd passed two, although he'd seen a total of four on the ground floor in all of his exploring.
He sensed another shimmering bundle of that magic hidden up the fireplace, his eyes could just make out a snake wrapping against the inside walls of the chimney, it's eyes and bright, orange and red color ensured- if the feel of its magic went unnoticed- it was not missed by a wandering eye, much like the slight shifts and bordering disdainful looks the cats gave, eyes following you.
The smooth floors were made of the same material that the cats, the walls occasionally decorated with landscape paintings, filled with cool, dark colors, the leaves and waves moved and shifted with the wind and tide, and if you looked long enough- and Harry out of sheer boredom had- the time changed as if it was simply a small portal into another area. If not for the many windows, which Harry was not altogether convince that they were really windows, even he would have trouble seeing in the imposing, empty rooms.
The only furniture in most rooms was the occasional wooden table, dark, long, and thin, set along the walls, a runner and small decor item set upon it. Sometimes a delicate chair or two of the same material with a faded, dark green upholstery on the seat sat against a wall.
In the large dining area there was a giant, rectangular table which sat empty with its nearly a hundred chairs, a large more comfortable looking one sat at the head, facing the door. Leaping onto the table he walked over it, eyeing the surface with its flowing design that looked as if it was simply how the wood had grown, although the pattern was too regular, too human, to truly be anything but by human design. There were no scratches on the glossy surface and he felt the urge to unleash his claws upon it just once out of spite for that. But this was Theo's. And maybe they would mind. So he didn't. Instead, simply leaping gracefully over the high backing of the high chair once he reached the end and brushing through the double doors to the final room between him and his destination.
A sitting room.
It was largely, the chairs precisely arranged into human's designed casual, twelve or so around a large round one in the back near shelves of books, a few in scattered clumps around other round tables, a few facing the fireplace- notably absent were the guard of two cats flanking it, instead Harry noted a branch centerpiece with a proud looking, little, wooden song bird perched as if ready to take flight, emanating magic much more faintly, two more of slightly different colors, and with different poses sitting nearby.
Unlike with the stone statues, the magic was much more subtle, but also much more familiar, he was certain Theo had made these.
These wooden sculptures, he noticed now that he was looking, were just about everywhere. The wood chess set on one of the small tables set by the window, a decorative piece with dolphins sitting atop two books on another, used as bookends on several of the shelves, wrapped naturally around the chandelier, confusingly a wooden globe, an eastern dragon which circled the room between the wall and ceiling, head resting on its tail above the door he entered from. Watching. Waiting.
Harry nearly shuddered. He'd clawed at the walls of Azkaban for long enough to know that magic could make things near unbreakable, in practice. Against it, his claws and fangs would be just about useless.
He swiftly knocked, or rather bumped his shoulder on, the second bookshelf and it swung open. Harry quickly spun about to leap across the threshold, softly rubbing his large, furry head against Chippy's.
"You made it, I knew you would find your way just find though. It's important for you to explore and see new things." Chippy insisted, patting his head to return the greeting. "You aren't just going to stay trailing Mister Nott forever, no, you are not going to remain in the dark forever. You are improving quickly, very quickly, rest and good have done you well, I can see it. You are feeling well too?"
Harry purred in response, walking away to find a good spot in the sun to stretch out and listen. As Chippy nodded in satisfaction and kept talking as they prepared the food.
He had been entering and exiting the main part of the house through the garden using windows when he was with Chipped Fang, but Chippy had asked that he visited through the kitchen to get to see new sights and explored. Chippy and Chipped Fang had been content being wherever, but Harry had even back then disliked remaining settled in one place for too long even if he always had ended up returning to the area near the Leaky Cauldron every few months or year.
That Chippy knew and was trying to help him sate that wanderlust before it got out of control left that pleasant warm feeling in his chest that he'd come to appreciate more after the chill of Azkaban; like lying in the hot sun. Though Chippy didn't fully trust Theo's motives, even they believed this would be the best place to stay for the moment. Which made it all the more painful that it wasn't enough. This wasn't the roughly cut stone of Hogwarts, but this gleaming stone castle was still just another block of cold, stone to him. Already, he wanted to leave... but he couldn't leave Theo behind. And this was Theo's home. This empty stone prison with its tamed grove of trees and carefully cared for flower.
Harry rolled over, stretching, trying to use the motion to shake off the discontent, his ears shifted to signal to Chippy he was still listening to them chatter about how he was exercising more and what a good sign that was, perhaps he should even consider venturing outside, maybe seeing how far the wards went.
Hi tail flicked irritably from boredom, he'd done that several times now, he'd been going regularly to follow the ward path as if on patrol whenever he really needed to stretch his legs. A part of him wondered if what he really needed was a good hunt, it had settled him back at Hogwarts... it's just. He hadn't quite trusted himself enough to attempt hunting again, not when it would mean risking losing control. He didn't know what would happen if he gave into that clinging, cold hunger that had lingered, tormenting him almost as much as his want to venture out further and knowing he couldn't risk but his pack in danger or worrying them more than they did already.
He didn't want to know what giving in meant.
The voice had always stopped him before he could fully satisfy that urge to devour, and now that he was in control again he didn't want to risk finding out.
Chippy glanced over, worried, but pleased with his boredom, "It is a good thing that you are so bored, it's a sign of progress. All you could do when you first arrived was sleep and now you're wandering the halls for hours without rest! It is good news. Mister Nott is planning on heading out to Diagon Alley this afternoon. You should see if you can join him."
Harry turned over so that Chippy could see him roll his eyes and snort accusingly at them, well aware this also fell into Chippy's concerns about to what degree it was safe to trust Nott as they were convinced he had some sort of ulterior motive even if they thought Theo didn't mean any of them physical harm.
Harry could see why now, Chippy had no idea of what friendships he had formed while in Hogwarts, and once they had an idea about something- which the years he had spent in Azkaban had certainly given Chippy the time to form one- Chippy didn't easily change it without proof. And one of those ideas which Chippy had strongly formed from before meeting Harry and Chipped Fang, was that the Master Wizards valued family connections above all else. And Theo had killed the last of his.
He wondered if he should feel guilty. That seemed like it should be the human thing to do, and Theo always seemed pleased when he did the human thing whether it be his homework or verbalizing his thoughts with actual words.
Harry frowned, conflicted, barely even noticing as his form shifted into a more human looking one while he was distracted.
He was shaken from his thoughts at Theo's approach, "Chippy, do you know where Harry- oh, Harry? Is everything alright?" Harry tilted his head back to look back at them, his ears twitching slightly, a bizarre feeling that made him realize they were only different from a humans because of being ever so slightly longer and more pointed. Theo looked surprised to see him, it was difficult to tell sometimes given Theo never dressed down and always wore shoes inside, but Harry supposed the cloak was the biggest hint that Theo was getting ready to go outside.
"Yes."
Theo smiled amusedly at him although he still looked puzzled, glancing between Chippy and Harry, "I just wanted to let you and Chippy know that I needed to head out to Diagon Alley." He paused, "...Would you like to go." The words came out a little strangely and Harry couldn't help but wonder what he was actually thinking.
Harry tilted his head to the side still distract by what had Theo acting strangely this time before setting it to side. It was difficult to read this new Theo at most times, "Okay."