"I… I just didn't feel like eating, I suppose."
His mother looked at him with concern and sat down on hisbed. She then put a hand up to his forehead. "You don't have a fever. Doyou feel lethargic or dizzy at all?"
Just that simple act of kindness, something he'd neverexperienced at the hands of the Dursleys, reinforced Harry's desire to notreturn back to his own dimension. He wanted parents. He wanted a family. Butthere was still that little voice in the back of his head that was a littleuncomfortable speaking with several people who were supposed to be dead.
"Harry… what's wrong?" Lily asked.
"Huh? Oh mum, nothing… just nothing… tired Iguess." Harry said not meeting her eye.
"Harry? Is something wrong? You're acting funny.You're withdrawn and you're not eating. You've only had one meal today and itwasn't even what you normally eat. You haven't talked with Alex or Leon or eventried to prank your sisters the entire day. And now we find you studyinghistory books in your room? Harry, you never study."
"Yeah," Sirius said while struggling to hold astruggling 2-year-old who had a mind of his own. Little Eric knew that ifhadn't been for the diaper these tall people insisted he wear, that his daddywould be wearing a new yellow-wet look right now. "Where's our Harry? Whathave you done with him?" he joked.
Harry's heart immediately began racing. "Sorry UncleSirius." He couldn't look at them at the moment. He was in anotherdimension. He wondered if he would have to go home if they found out?
"Since when do you call Sirius 'Uncle Sirius'?"James replied.
Harry's frown deepened. He had a guilty look but didn'tsay anything. He couldn't reveal to them who he was.
"Look, Harry, we're not mad at you if that's whatyou're thinking," his dad soothed. "Here. We found your glassesearlier and were going to make you stew over them at dinner, but it's not funnyany longer. Your broom, however, was a total loss. I guess you were getting alittle too big for it anyway."
Harry took the glasses but didn't put them on. He'd charmthem later to look like regular glasses even though he'd convert them back tosimple uncorrected lenses. This may be a different Harry's body, but his eyecorrection spellwork he'd done months ago was still working fine.
"Thanks," he said simply. "I… it'snothing. I just… need some space. Good night dad, mum, uncle Sirius, I love youall." Harry closed his eyes to keep his emotions under control. Hecouldn't believe he was that close to blubbering again. His emotions weresimply out of control in this body.
"Here's some leftover dinner, if you want it,"his mother put a plate on the dresser.
As the adults left, Sirius looked at James and Lily."You know, the way he speaks, he sounded like he's about to die orleave," Sirius said in a concerned voice.
"Well he is going to go Hogwarts this fall,"James replied. "He got a notice from Minerva yesterday that he was beingaccepted to Hogwarts and that he'd get his official letter later in July."
Lily was just silent. She was just as confused as ever.
After inhaling the leftovers, Harry then began to workout. While his new body was for the most part healthy, it had little in the wayof muscle mass. So he decided it was time to start getting in shape. Sit ups,push ups, tai chi, pull ups, cardio exercises, anaerobic exercises. Just alittle to start with to get his muscles used to it - the next few weeks weregoing to be hell for him as is since he now needed to get in shape. If he hadto fight Voldemort here, and there was every indication that the dark tosserwas still alive, he would need his strength to do him in when the time came.Maybe Neville didn't need the help, but it never hurt to be prepared.
What Harry had read in the history books amazed him.Voldemort, while still being a dark lord, wasn't as cold-blooded in this worldas he'd been in the last. If that were still the case, then there was everychance that Harry could become far stronger than Voldemort. With that thought,he went to sleep after his workout.