Chapter Text
“Ex… excuse me?”
“You heard me. Those papers in your hands? You sign ‘em. I take him. The pretty owl’s waiting.”
“But—”
“You’ll get to never see him again and vice-versa. Win-win.”
“Wait a moment—”
“Would you like to talk to him?”
“Reverse psychology will NOT work on me!”
“Is that a no?”
“You just want him for the money!”
“No, sweetie. You wanted him for the money. I want him because I love him. He’s family.”
“Don’t you dare—”
*Click*
Percy was a few days old when Harry figured out how to summon a post owl.
They found the embassy that would help out British wizards in America. A solicitor dropped by the modest apartment and laid out all the papers they’d need to get Harry dual citizenship and allow Sally to register as a potential family looking to adopt him.
“You’ll need to wow Social Services, Miss Jackson,” Ms. Hayes said strictly. “I’m afraid this apartment will not suffice two of you in the long term."
Percy wailed from the other room.
“The three of you,” Ms. Hayes amended.
“I got him,” Harry told Sally quickly, recognising the pink burn on her cheeks. She was a proud lady who worked hard to get where she was and he knew she needed someone clearly detailing that she’d need to level up her finances in order to get them to where they wanted to be.
So he stepped out of the room and let the women talk while he cooed at Percy.
“I’ll be leaving by the end of the month, Percy,” Harry said as he lifted the infant from the small crib. “Are you going to be crying at all hours the entire year I’m gone?”
Percy whined and snuffled, twisting in his arms to bury his face into Harry’s shirt.
“I’ll come back for winter,” Harry promised. “We’ll go to Montauk. Your mummy said you’re too tiny for a car trip now. So we’re gonna have to wait. We can do that, right?”
Even thinking about leaving Sally and Percy made his heart ache. He’d never had a problem with going to Hogwarts before. That was the highlight of his summers: getting to leave Privet Drive.
Percy sniffled. His lower lip shook and stuck out in a pout. A drop of saliva dripped onto his shirt. Harry sighed but was thankful as the annoyed wailing lessened to small grunts. The baby squirmed in his arms, but at least he didn’t cry.
“I’ll miss your first smile,” Harry told him. “I won’t be there to see you roll over or push up for the first time. Or sit up or crawl… will you save one of those things for Christmas?”
Percy caught his shirt in a small fist and crushed the fabric like he was trying to extract cotton.
“Sally said she’ll send photos as soon as she figures out the owl post,” Harry mumbled, mostly to himself now. “You’ll ask her to read you my letters, won’t you, Percy?”
The baby whined.
“I’ll get her,” Harry sighed, bouncing him gently.
“Push your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. Not too tight, just press it softly. Allow a small space up there. Yeah. Purse your lips so the space gets narrow and tight. Now blow.”
“PHSERGH!”
Harry bought a house. Sally threatened to pay him for it.
“You can do something else for me,” Harry suggested.
“Like what?” she groaned.
“Teach me how to drive.”
“You’re thirteen. And we don’t even have a car, Harry.”
“...”
“You did not!”
Petunia’s signature was a shock.
Harry stared at the pen scrawl, on the dotted line. Unbelievable. She’d actually signed the paper and given it to the owl.
Sally exhaled along with him. “How d’you feel?”
He sunk into the new couch. It was a large and plush, sunny yellow with blue lace draped over the head.
“I don’t know,” Harry admitted. “I thought she’d want to rant and rave.”
Sally pressed her arm to his. “I’m sorry she didn’t put up a fight for you.”
“That’s not it,” Harry shook his head. “I knew she wouldn’t. But… I just didn’t… think about how real it would feel. It’s all numb.”
She squeezed his shoulders and sat with him for a long time.
“It’s not just about blowing air through that gap. Make a soft shushing sound.”
“SHRGRRRSH!”
They visited a potential house in Brooklyn by Prospect Park.
It was the penthouse of an apartment building that a realtor had suggested and Harry loved the open concept. It had four bedrooms. Sally had mentioned that it was such a waste of space for the three of them. But Harry was flying high on the fact that he was the one buying the house and Percy had definitely nodded when Harry asked him if this was the place for them.
“You vetoed the other houses,” Harry reminded her.
“They were independent and the floor space was just…” she sighed. “I’m not being ungrateful, Harry. It’s just that… it’ll get quite lonely with just Percy and I here for months.”
Harry’s smile disappeared.
She winced. “I didn’t mean that it’s bad. How about we get a three-bedroom place in Long Island? We can have some garden space for you to fly around.”
“You said you wanted to stay in the city,” Harry said.
“I did… the commute is easier that way,” Sally said slowly. “But I’ve been thinking…”
“What?”
She sucked in a deep breath and explained. “Ms. Hayes said that you’ll need someone to manage your finances and papers. Apparently, you have some real estate back in England. I don’t think I can move there… but I can help clean out all your documents. Your family has hundreds of files and binders with years of information stagnating here. If you’re going to be paying for all this, I’ll help clean up everything so you know exactly how much you have.”
Harry’s eyes widened. He’d been there for some of that conversation when the solicitor had used terms like “market trends,” “prospective investments,” “multiple listing services,” and other things that weren’t even English. Apparently, his grandfather had made long-term investments in a lot of places and the time span for them was running out.
“Do you know all that investment banking stuff?” Harry asked.
“Hardly,” Sally said. “But I’m your guardian anyway. We can hire an actual agent to decode all the nitty gritties. But it’s probably at least a part-time job just listening to them explain everything.
Harry nodded. “So, you’ll be signing off on things… I don’t know if the goblins would like that.”
Sally shrugged. “It was a thought. If I do this now, you won’t have to worry about doing the grunt work when you hit 18.”
“Seventeen.”
“Yeah, I’m not gonna get used to that.”
Harry smiled. “You don’t have to do it. Taking care of Percy is a full-time job.”
Sally eyed the little baby, mercifully asleep in his little basket. His gums were clamped over the pacifier, yet his bib was wet.
They turned to face the floor-to-ceiling windows, observing the view of the city. The Empire State Building rose above the other skyscrapers, indenting the skyline. Unmissable.
“Do you want to stay closer to camp?” Harry asked.
Sally had explained about Camp Half-Blood by Long Island Sound. Harry wondered what all those demigods were doing right now. Probably learning sword fighting, wrestling, and how to make feta cheese.
“I’m worried that monsters might tend to sniff that way,” Sally admitted. “It’s one thing to visit Montauk for a few days. It’s another to actually stay on the Sound. It’ll be good for Percy to be near the beach. But if anyone ever found out… No. The city is the best. We’re less than 10 miles from the Empire State. Fewer monsters in this radius.”
Harry nodded. He had to find out a spell that could mask Percy’s scent in some way. Unless that was possible, they had limited options.
“Four bedrooms can work for guests,” Harry said, spreading his hands to show off the penthouse they were in. “It’ll look less spread out when we have furniture. And I can invite Ron and Hermione over! If you’re okay with that.”
Sally was amused. “You’re buying the house, Harry. It’s your roof.”
“But it’ll be your name on the deed.”
Sally dropped her hands to her hips and examined the space.
It was a promising one. There was a dog park nearby. A daycare was just a block over. They had a lot of amenities within walking distance. The subway stop was just across the street.
“We’re right next to Highway 27,” she murmured. “In the winter, you, me, and Drooly over there can load up the car and drive northeast to Montauk, without having to change roads even once.”
Harry grinned and punched the air.
They moved in three days later.
“Try with your fingers. Wet your lips first. Two fingers inside, just halfway, resting on either side of the tip of your tongue. We’re gonna make a seal so air is forced through a small gap. Now blow.”
“FWHOOOOOSH!”
“... you know what, that’s a little better.”