am-books Ch343- Looks
Ch343- Looks
Ch343- Looks
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Harry stepped out of the study with Amelia, closing the door behind them. Susan looked up from the armchair in the living room, her face immediately lighting up with curiosity as she saw him. “What was that about?” she asked, casually tossing a biscuit into her mouth.
“Just boring Ministry business,” Harry replied with a shrug, moving to sit beside her. He grabbed a biscuit from the plate, examining it before taking a bite. “You’re not missing much.”
Susan’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t press further. “If you say so. Aunt Amelia’s always being cryptic about work, so I guess it’s not new.”
“Exactly,” Harry said, brushing the crumbs off his hands. “Now, let’s move on to something less boring. Did you make any bets on the match last night?”
Susan grinned, leaning forward. “I didn’t have to. Everyone knew Ireland was going to win. Even Astoria couldn’t stop bragging about it.”
Petunia gave a soft chuckle. “The girl does seem to have a lot of energy. I’m surprised she didn’t wear herself out after all that excitement.”
Harry smirked. “Astoria could run circles around most people and still have energy to spare. Daphne’s the one who probably wanted to hex her by the end of the night.”
Susan laughed, nodding in agreement. “You should’ve seen Daphne’s face during the match. She was trying so hard to pretend she didn’t care, but every time Ireland scored, she got this tiny twitch in her eye. Tracey kept poking her about it.”
After chatting for a while longer, Amelia and Susan left, leaving Harry and Petunia alone in the house. Petunia glanced at Harry, then gave a small shrug, heading into the kitchen.
The rest of the summer passed in a blur of routine and preparation. Harry spent his mornings in the basement, perfecting charms, curses, and the finer points of enchanting with tools he acquired during his latest trip to Diagon Alley. The workshop he set up down there was modest but functional, stocked with an assortment of rune-carving tools, potion ingredients, and spell diagrams. By the end of the summer, Harry had finished inscribing a second layer of runes onto his trunk’s compartments. Now, not even a curse-breaking team could open it without obliterating half a block in the process.
His afternoons, however, were far less magical. Harry spent most of that time with Petunia, a routine they fallen into over the last few summers. Sometimes it was helping her in the garden, pulling weeds or trimming the rose bushes while she lectured him about the benefits of proper soil. Other times, it was organizing the greenhouses she installed at the back of the house, making sure everything was in pristine order. Petunia was oddly particular about her herbs, insisting they were “finicky” plants that required her constant attention. Harry wasn’t exactly sure if that was true, but it was oddly peaceful in the greenhouse, surrounded by the faint smell of damp earth and blooming flowers.
When they weren’t gardening, they would go out shopping together. It wasn’t limited to Muggle shops, either. Petunia, now familiar with the magical side of things, had no trouble blending into Diagon Alley or other magical locations. Misty, ever efficient, would Apparate them to various places across the country, giving them the freedom to explore far and wide.
Petunia had developed a quiet fascination with magical textiles and often lingered in shops selling enchanted fabrics. She would inspect bolts of shimmering cloth that changed colors under the light.
“Do you really need a sewing kit that works on its own?” Harry asked one afternoon, eyeing the enchanted needles that floated above their display.
Petunia gave him a pointed look. “Do you really need a broomstick that can outfly the wind?”
Harry grinned. “Fair point.”
Harry knew chaos was brewing on the horizon. Voldemort was inching closer to full resurrection. He didn’t dwell on it, though. Instead, he focused on the present, making the most of the time he had with Petunia before Hogwarts demanded his full attention again. The coming months wouldn’t allow for casual outings or quiet evenings, and Harry had no intention of leaving loose ends—or regrets.
The days leading up to the start of the new school year flew by. Harry kept himself busy finalizing his preparations, splitting his time between strengthening his magical defenses, restocking potion supplies, and catching up with friends who popped by unexpectedly.
When the date finally arrived, the house on Privet Drive was unusually lively. Misty flitted about, double-checking Harry’s trunk and ensuring that nothing was forgotten. Petunia fussed with a stray button on his robe as Harry stood near the door, his school trunk already shrunk and tucked neatly into his pocket.
“Everything’s packed, Misty?” Harry asked, not looking up as he adjusted his watch.
“Yes, Master Potter,” Misty squeaked, her voice firm with certainty. “All your books, robes, and potions be ready.”
After hugging Petunia tightly, Harry stepped back with a faint smile.
“Not quite,” Daphne replied, her tone dry. “I’ve got another one. His ‘I’m bored, but I won’t admit it’ face. That one’s subtle, but it’s definitely there.”
“Oh, and his ‘acting like he doesn’t care but secretly does’ look,” Blaise chimed in, stepping into the compartment with Theo in tow. He raised an eyebrow at Harry as he took a seat near the window. “You use that one a lot.”
“Do you people have nothing better to do than analyze my facial expressions?” Harry asked, looking around at his friends with mock exasperation.
Astoria peeked her head into the compartment, her face lighting up mischievously. “Wait, wait! Don’t forget his ‘I just outsmarted you, and you didn’t even notice’ look.” She stepped inside and plopped next to Harry, as she grinned up at him. “That one’s my favorite.”
“Enough, enough!” Harry said, holding up his hands as laughter filled the compartment again. “I get it. Apparently, I have a lot of faces.”
“And none of them are good at hiding secrets,” Pansy added with a smirk as she leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed. She tilted her head, her gaze sharp. “Speaking of which, what’s with the suspicious look you’ve had since we got on the train?”
Daphne smirked, leaning back as if she'd just solved a mystery. "And this is his ‘I changed the subject so masterfully by making them do it for me’ look. Not buying it, Potter. Spill it."
Harry sighed, his hand running through his hair. "Fine, fine. There is a secret," he admitted, glancing around at the faces watching him with varying degrees of curiosity. "But I can’t tell you. It’s a big one, though. You’ll find out soon enough."
Tracey groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. "Oh, come on, Harry! That’s not fair. You can’t just drop that and leave us hanging!"
"You really expect me to just give it all away?" Harry said with a smirk. "Where’s the fun in that?"
Astoria crossed her arms, pouting. "You know, Harry, if you don’t tell us now, I’m just going to annoy you until you do."
"You already annoy me," Harry shot back without missing a beat, earning laughter from the others.
"Classic deflection," Blaise muttered, shaking his head as he glanced out the window. "Potter, you’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?"
"Only sometimes?" Harry replied, leaning back in his seat with an exaggerated air of satisfaction. "Clearly, I’m losing my touch."
Ginny rolled her eyes but grinned. "Let him keep his little secret. We’ll find out eventually, probably when it blows up in our faces."
"Optimistic as ever, Gin," Harry said, smirking at her. "I like that about you."
"Don’t change the subject again," Daphne said, pointing a finger at him. "I’ve got my eye on you, Potter."
"Noted," Harry said, holding up his hands as if surrendering. "Now, can we talk about something else? I think we’ve exhausted my apparently endless list of facial expressions."
Pansy snorted from her spot by the door. "For now," she said. "But don’t think we’re letting this go."
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