Mother Magic and the Philosopher's stone

Chapter Ten

It's all very familiar. The many smooth scales of Ouroboros moving gently over his soft skin, the intake of air as he hisses, and the soft 'smack!' of his tail as it slaps the boy on his cheek. Harry awakes from good dreams, in the softest bed he's ever been in, completely wide awake, and apparently the first one up.

'Good morning, Speaker! I thought you'd like to be up first, so you could speak to your brood mother without interruption.' It seems Ouro thought of everything, the slim diary sitting on his pillow next to the indent he had made with his head. Harry rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses, relaxing as the world sharpened. Each four-poster bed's curtains were drawn tightly shut, thick blue velvet that made him feel enclosed, but in a comforting way. He felt safe, and unwatched, completely alone which was a luxury he seldom had.
'Thanks Ouro, there's still some mice in the trunk for you, unless you wanted to explore the forest.' the serpent's maw stretched wide, a facial expression that the boy had come to learn was amusement.
'The red one has a rat that I cannot wait to torment. Until later Speaker.' Ouroboros slithered off and out the common room quickly, ravenous for his breakfast, seconds and mid-morning brunch.

Harry picked up the book he had left behind. The edges weren't as sharp as they used to be, constant use eroding them away with hours of steady touch. He opened the book to the middle, staring intently at the margins until black ink swirled his vision and he was no longer in Hogwarts. He was no longer anywhere, but was everywhere, all at once.

He sat in the void for only a minute, before the form of Magic scooped him up in her arms and gave him a tight, warm embrace.
'Congratulations on making Ravenclaw my ward, I always knew that was where you truly belonged.' She said, peppering kisses on his face until he laughed. Harry sat, knees tucked underneath him across from his mother.
'Thank you mother, but I'm a little worried about something.' Harry looked down at his lap, wondering whether he should have said anything at all. Concern for her son flitted over he once impassive features, and Magic reached out to pet the young boy's hair.
'My ward, you can tell me anything, what worries you so?'
'My scar. At the feast last night I looked over at Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell and my scar hurt quite badly. I was going to tell you last night but I was so excited to make friends I forgot all about it. At least Ouro didn't.' Magic frowned, taking in this information. A magical scar hurting like that was no coincidence, especially if it hadn't hurt at all since that night ten years ago.
'I'm sure there's nothing to worry about,' she soothed easily, 'But I will look into it. The only thing Severus Snape seems to be hiding is that ugly brand on his arm, but Quirrel? I am not so sure as of yet.' Beyond the void, Harry felt curtains being drawn. The other boys seemed to be waking up.
'I think I need to leave,'
'Then leave, my pet, I will be here when you return, I always am.' Harry nodded, feeling a rush of air as his curtains opened.

When he blinked it was Lewis' face that came into view.

'Morning Harry!' The boy said, extremely cheerful despite how early it was. It seemed Phillip was not so passionate about the morning hours, and he trudged off to the bathroom, mumbling about how if he was running a school, everyone would get a lie in.
'Good morning Lewis,' Harry replied, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. The floorboards were cool under his feet, and his toes curled as they made contact. In the void, there was no temperature, nothing to feel hot nor cold at, and certainly no freezing towers in September. Scotland definitely had a mind of its own weather wise.

'Are you excited to get our timetables this morning? Eddie said last night that Professor Flitwick was handing them out before we go off to breakfast- What lessons are you most looking forward to?' Lewis' excitable personality was infectious, and Harry soon found himself in a friendly, albeit loud discussion about what lessons were arguably the most interesting, ('Charms!' 'No, Defence!') as they busied around getting dressed. Phillip joined the conversation easily, but Justin was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was just too hungry to wait for the rest of them. Harry didn't think that was the case.