"Nell!" Harry turned on his heel. He hadn't completely forgotten about Nell, but the boy's presence at the house had been put on the back-burner in his mind on the arrival of his mother. He did not want Nell to meet his mother. Not until he had spoken to the boy and told him everything about the wicked witch and how wicked she really was. "Go back to bed, Nell." He said.
Oh goodness. His mother was going to find out about his relationship with Nell and all the rest of it... He swallowed. "I'm just talking to my mother." He said pointedly, loudly enough for Nell to hear, and hoping that would warn Nell enough not to come down. Having his mother catch him with a boy in his bed would... and that was the answer. Nell was famous for him femininity. And that could be used to their advantage. "Mary, will you go and help Nell change into one of her dresses, please?" He said, turning back to his sister and catching her by the elbow, dropping his voice to a harsh whisper only Mary could hear. "Nell is a girl. A girl, and don't you dare tell mum different!" He warned.