Chapter 2: A Special Delivery

“What are you doing still awake honey, I thought you would go back to sleep?”

Harry was sitting on the window seat staring unseeing out the window when his mother came in 45 minutes later.

“What?” Harry asked coming out of his memories, “Sorry mum, I decided not to bother trying to go back to sleep, might as well start the day.”

“Ok honey,” his mother said, a slight frown on her face, “why don’t you come down stairs, and I will make you some breakfast, ok?”

“Oh, umm sure mum, I can do that. I just have a couple more things that I want to do up here, I will be right down.” Harry listened to his mother footsteps down the stairs, and the muffled sounds of his mother and father talking downstairs.


Sighing, Harry glanced back out the window. The sun was just beginning to peak over the top of the horizon, and the sky though still mostly dark, was beginning to lighten from the blackness of the night, to dark blue, Dark purple, light purple and a hint of pink. He watched as the first edge of the sun burst its way over the hills in the distance, and the sky was instantly streaked with pink. He could tell already that it would be a beautiful day.

Tying his shoes, Harry began to smile. “Ok, I am ready to go downstairs.” He thought to himself. “Downstairs to eat breakfast with my Mum and Dad.” The smile on his face grew.

It was still a novelty for him to think about his parents being downstairs, or just down the hall, especially after not having them for the past 16 or so years. Sometimes he was afraid that he would go downstairs and they would be gone or that he would wake up and discover it was just a dream. He had to fight the urge to search them out and be in their presence at all times. Although it was still difficult for him, he was getting better.

Harry sat in the window watching the people in their small town getting ready for the day for a few more minutes before getting up.

Harry quickly made his way downstairs and the scene that met his eye made him laugh.

His mother was at the stove trying to cook and Dobby, who had insisted on coming and living with and serving them, was frantically trying to get the spatula from Lily.

“It is not for you to cook Mistress Lily that is why I came, to take care of you! Please let Dobby do it! Mistress Lily!” Dobby was jumping up and down trying to reach the cooking utensil, but Lily was holding it over her head, out of his reach.

“No Dobby let me do it, I need to and want to cook for my family, I am fine, I promise. I am actually a very good cook Doby.”

James was sitting at the table with his head behind his newspaper, laughing quietly into his coffee when Harry sat down at the table next to him.

“Good Morning Master Harry!” exclaimed Dobby, not missing a beat in his attempts to get the spatula away from Lily.

“Dobby if you continue on like this, the food will burn, because I can’t stir it!”

“In that case Mistress Lily…” In a flash Dobby had disappeared, reappeared standing on top of Lily’s head, and then reappearing back on the floor triumphantly, spatula in hand. “Why don’t you sit down next to Master’s James and Harry while I finish breakfast?” Dobby finished as if he had not paused in his sentence. Shocked at what had just happened Lily sat down with out another word.

While they were eating their breakfast, Harry noticed his mother and father whispering at each other and nodding their heads in his direction. They looked like they were arguing over something.

“What’s going on, why are you whispering about me?” Harry asked, feeling a rush of concern flowing through him.

“Um...well honey…we are expecting a delivery today. Any time really.” Lily looked unsure, almost like she wasn’t sure how he would take the news.

“Ok, so what’s the problem with that?” Just as he asked the question, there was a quick knock on the door.

“Oh!!” Lily interrupted jumping up, “that must be him now!” She proceeded to almost run to the door, Harry hot on her heals, James leisurely bringing up the rear.

Before she had even made it to the door, Dobby was there, in his most formal voice saying, “Welcome to the Potter residence, whom shall I tell them is calling?” He was trying so hard to sound formal, but his squeaky voice just made the whole scene comical.

“I’ll get it Dobby, I am expecting a delivery.” Lily opened the door all the way, “Thank you Dobby.” She said smiling down at him when she saw his ears droop down. Dobby looked up at her; a smile once again lit his face.

The delivery man was a tall, round, balding wizard in a horrible combination of purple plaid golfing knickers, cowboy boots, a button up shirt that looked like it should be part of a fast food restaurant uniform, and topped off with an antique aqua bowler hat that would have made Cornelius Fudge envious. He had a handle bar mustache that looked glued on and a monocle in his right eye. He wore an amused expression on his face from the encounter with Dobby, and mistook the snickering of the Potter family to be from the same.

It was a blustery day and the man repeatedly had to grab his hat to keep it from blowing away. Behind him the sky was a beautiful blue in the early morning, slightly marred by thin wispy clouds.

“Package for ye misses.” He shoved a clipboard forward, again grapping for his hat, “Please make yer mark there.” Lily pulled out her wand touching it to the line indicated and took the package from the man.

“Thank you sir” she told the deliveryman as she closed the door.

“I have never understood how it is so hard for wizards to dress as muggles, they are all around us; one has but to look at them to see their fashion.” James mused as he smiled at Harry.

Harry’s attention however was on the package. It was about 3 feet wide 4 feet long, and only maybe 4-5 inches thick. “Is that a – ”

“Portrait, yes” Lily interrupted. “Why don’t we go sit in the living room and talk?”

Harry was beginning to feel very apprehensive about this package, “Who is it?” He asked his mother. He knew only to well that a portrait in the Wizarding world could speak, and were distinct replicas of their live counterparts. One that size was more than likely either someone important or deceased. Unless you happened to be Lockhart, that is.

“Just open it Lily,” James said leaning against the doorframe, “He is going to see it eventually, just get it over with.”

Harry could feel butterfly’s in his stomach as his sense of apprehension rose. He watched as Lily carefully unwrapped the package and turned the portrait toward Harry. Harry felt his stomach leap into his chest.