A New Start and New Problems

Today, we are going to the Longbottoms as they have decided to bring Harry to their house. Currently, we have come to attend their combined birthday as Neville's is on the 30th, and Harry's is on the 31st. I entered through the fireplace along with Daphne, Astoria, and my mom, as dad had some work in the hospital.

We were greeted by Alice Longbottom, who led us through the house. My mom and she were chatting a lot, and we eventually arrived at a hall. Many people were here, most, I assume, were members of the Order of Phoenix, and most were Light Side members.

I walked towards Harry and Neville, saying, "Happy Birthday to both of you. Neville, you had your birthday yesterday, but I sent a letter greeting you, so I think that counts."

They both smiled and said, "Thank you, Solaris."

"So, how was both of your summers?" I asked, or should I say, "Heir Potter and Heir Longbottom." I was sarcastic about it. I mean, I am Heir of two Houses, and yes, this is one of the most brilliant things done by the Longbottoms. They managed to get an inheritance test and secured Harry the Heirship of The Potter House. Now, anybody will have to think twice before trying anything with him. Thanks to Dumbledore, being an actual good Dumbledore, he managed to save all of the Potter's assets, including their Manor.

They both laughed, and Harry said, "I was just with Neville and his family. I can actually use magic here but under supervision. I got lessons on politics, which was, in my opinion, grueling. I also went to the Potter Manor and stayed there for a week." Neville chimed in, "Yeah, Occlumancy and Politics are just not my cup of tea. But, yeah, nothing much. Just practicing magic, roaming Diagon Alley, and flying. We went over to Weasley and had a lot of fun, well, apart from Ron and Percy." I nodded in understanding, as Ron has become more and more annoying, and Percy, after losing all of his respect, is becoming increasingly irritating.

"And what did you do all summer?" Neville asked me. Then I said, "Well, I spent a lot of time with my younger siblings and a lot of time taking care of them."

"Oh yeah, mom told me about it. You had twins, younger siblings, right?" Neville said. I nodded and said, "Yes, Everett and Eleanor." Harry asked in confirmation, "A boy and a girl?" and I just said, "Yes."

"Well, after that, we went to see Daphne's parents in America and spent a month there. We went to both the magical and the muggle side, and it was fun. I saw some witch covens as well, met with a lot of mind arts masters, as that is one of the prominent magical branches there. We saw a lot of magical creatures, including a Thunderbird." Their questions never stopped, and Daphne was amused at my annoyance. After a while, they let me go, and I silently sat in a corner and drank my pineapple juice.

I see Daphne still talking to her friends, and they have been talking like that for about two hours now. I sent a mental nudge to Daphne; she looked at me, and through ML, I asked:

Solaris: {What are you girls talking about?}

Daphne: {Girl's Talk, and you are a boy.}

Solaris: {Honey, I am bored. If I stay here for one more hour drinking this pineapple juice, I will go mad.}

Daphne: {Then go mad. Don't interfere with my time.}

Solaris: {But you told me I can only go mad for you.}

Daphne: {Darling, please stop with the flirting. I need to concentrate here. I promise to make it up to you.}

Solaris: {Oh, what do you have in mind?}

Daphne: {SOL, stop it!!}

Solaris: {Fine.}

And I went back to drinking my pineapple juice.

After a while, somebody came and sat with me, wearing a purple long robe. It was too vibrant with a traditional wizarding hat, looking at me with twinkling eyes and a god damn-sized beard. He asked, "Can I sit here, or is it reserved for Ms. Greengrass?" I shook my head and said, "No, please sit. She is busy with her girl talk." He laughed and said, "And how have you been, Solaris, my boy?" I looked at him and thought, 'Looks like I have been promoted to one of his boys. That means he is gonna be extra careful with me and keep an eye on me at all times if possible.' and said, "Nothing much, Professor. Just working on my Healing and Alchemy. Recently, I have picked up Wards as well." He nodded and asked, "Hmm, but I would say, my boy, good that you are learning a lot of things. Believe me, I also once held your enthusiasm for learning things, but after a while, I burned myself out. Variation is good, as long as you are not spread too thin and do it in moderation." I nodded as I understood that I am also rushing things. I need to slow down and live a little. Life is not always about grinding but also about living. I will live this life to the fullest extent, but I will also be diligently following the 'SIGMA MALE GRINDSET.'

After a bit of chatting, he asked, "Will you take an apprenticeship under me in alchemy after graduation?" I thought about it a bit and said, "Sure, why not. But I also would like to take the post of a part-time healer in Hogwarts, as I will also work in St. Mungo's." He thought a bit and said, "Very well, that can be done. And a question, have you made any progress in healing Lily Potter?" I said as I lean forward, "I have. I would require two more years to repair her soul and another one for her mind. But her body is fine. Thank you for putting her in that stasis spell or whatever. And you need to teach me those spells as well." He laughed and said, "Alright, I will teach you those, but only in your sixth year." I said in a serious tone, "That's a promise, right?" and he nodded while smiling.

After a while, he left to talk with some other old people, and I was left alone. For some reason, my mom called me to take care of the kids, and I became a babysitter. After the feast, we returned home.

I acted a bit grumpy for a few days as I had nothing to do. When you don't have any anger issues, it feels strange. I don't know how to describe it. It feels like I feel something, but I don't. I am just acting, but these are not true emotions. My grandmother once asked me about it in private, as she noticed it. When I said I don't know, she decided to let it go, but I have a inkling that she is up to something.

It was August 12, and a letter from the school arrived. I decided to get my own supplies first, as I just wanted to. I didn't say anything to anyone about it, and after a few days, Daphne asked, "Let's go get our supplies." I smiled at her and said, "I already got mine. You can get yours by yourself. I am not going to that signing by that Lockhart." She furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Why? What did I do? I have been noticing you don't talk too much anymore, and you are doing nothing, only acting busy when I am around." She said, almost tears in her eyes, "It's nothing to do with you, and like I said, I am not going to the signing. I said I will accompany you, but I am not going to that signing."

Daphne didn't listen and thought that she must have said something to me, as I never get angry no matter what and never acted like this. She spent an entire day trying to get something out of me, and I said, "I will accompany you to Diagon Alley. Okay, now you are happy." She wasn't convinced.

We went to Diagon Alley, and she went with her friends, and I went with Michael. He asked, "Don't you want to get your supplies?" and I said, "I got mine the day after the letter arrived. I am just helping Daphne get her stuff. You wanna come?" He said, "Alright, got nothing to do anyway."

After getting Daphne's supplies, we went and looked through different shops, then went to Leaky Cauldron and sat, ate a few things. After a while, Daphne and others came. I handed her supplies to her, talked to our friends for a bit, and returned home and just stayed in my room for the most part, came to dinner, and then went to bed.

At night, someone opened my door and came in. It was Daphne, and she looked worried and anxious. I got up and asked, "What happened? Why are you worried? Did something happen?" I was worried maybe something happened and she said "Is there something wrong with me? You have been avoiding me. Did I say something wrong, or did I do something anything wrong?" I just sighed and asked, "Why are you acting like this? You can never do anything wrong." She looked at me with teary eyes and asked, "Then why don't you talk with me? Why don't you flirt with me?" I said, "Well, you are the one who said not to flirt with you, and whenever I want to have a chat with you, you are busy with something." Her breath hitched in realization, and she said, "Then you could have gotten angry at me, said something, yelled at me, do something, Solaris. I hate seeing your face with no emotions. So please say something." She was crying at this point.

I moved close and hugged her, caressed her face, wiped her tears, and said, "Daphne, you don't owe me anything. You can do whatever you want. The reason I don't get angry at you is because I can't and won't get angry at you. Years ago, I made a vow to always support you and to never hurt you, alright?" Her eyes widened in shock, and she just hugged me and said, "I am sorry. I will always keep you as my priority and never hurt you like this again. I am very sorry for what I did to you. I will never do it again, never leave you alone. I promise." I then said, "You don't have to. I am fine." As I was saying that, tears started to flow from my eyes, as these are my pent-up emotions that have been suppressed, and they didn't stop. I know I should cry, but I don't and just stayed in her embrace.

After a while, my tears finally stopped flowing, and she looked at me very lovingly and said, "I took you for granted, Sol. So I vow to never hurt Solaris and always be with him no matter what." I felt a connection; I have felt it before when I first made a vow to her, but now it felt stronger. I realized what she did. She bound herself to me, and for the first time in my life coming to this magical world, I yelled at her, "Daphne, what did you do? You could get seriously hurt because of this." She nodded and said, "Then I deserve it. I don't care what you think. If I hurt someone like you, then I deserved it. I will die before I break your trust or worse break your heart, Sol. This will not be a one-way relationship anymore where you do everything and I just take you for granted." And before I could say anything, she kissed me, and we went to sleep.

The next day, I saw Daphne looking at me, expecting something. I kissed her on the forehead and went on with her morning routine. Yes, we are still doing our body, soul, and mind exercise. Honestly, by the time fifth year starts, we would be more than qualified for the ritual.

We were in the dining room, and she asked, "Since nobody is here, will you let me feed you, please?" and didn't even wait for an answer and started feeding me. Mom came in and saw us, and the teasing continued for an entire week. Mom, knowing this, sometimes started to serve food to both of us in one place, forcing us to feed each other. It was embarrassing but also a bit fun and lovely.

September 1 came by; it was time to depart for Hogwarts for a new journey and probably a new adventure. But I am having fun being normal as well.