Author: Napoleon Jones
Summary – Harry has been missing from the Wizarding world for 2 Years, But when Tonks finds him unexpectedly will she manage to convince him to return? Will sparks fly? And Who is Harry's roomate?
Pairings – H/T, R/Hr, N/L,
Rating – M. (R)
Caregory – Romance/Action/Adventure.
Spoilers – SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP.
Disclaimer – This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling,
I own nothing...Ok I own some pants...but thats neither here nor there.
It was a sweltering day in England, it was only the beginning of Summer...but it was already looking to be one of the hottest in years. People everywhere stayed inside their air-conditioned homes in the vain hope that it would eventaully cool down enough for them to go out and enjoy the beautiful Summer that they had awaited all year. However there were still quite a few people who dared to go out brave the heat, one such person was Harry Potter.
Persperation glistened across his neck as he remained in his crouched position; his white polo clinging to his chest and back, showing off the tensed muscles that rippled across his body. Instead of lounging around in a well conditioned house, Harry Potter was doing battle...
His opponent sent a devestating shot towards him, Harry launched to his left and returned a carefully aimed shot of his own. 'Come on...come on..Damnit!' he thought as he watched his enemy return with a shot of his own. He quickly sprinted to his right and sent a return attack, one that he hoped would end battle of sorts, he watched intently as his shot hit its mark and sailed directly passed his opponent. Roars and Cheers erupted from the crowd as the local favorite took the lead over the number one seeded player.
"Game, Set, Albarn. Albarn leads Sampras two sets to one." The umpire announced in a somewhat monotone voice.
Harry Potter or Liam Albarn as the world now knew him, wasnt using a wand or battling some new evil, Instead he was playing on Court 3 in the Semi Finals of the All England Lawn Tennis Championships...Known to most simply as Wimbledon.
Who would suspect Harry Potter of playing in possibly the most well known tennis championship in the world? Nobody. And that was exactly the point. Harry walked quietly over to his white bench and sat down to rehydrate, silenly elated that he was winning Liam took a sip from his bottle of water. Feelingcontented at the feeling of ice cold water flowing down his throat, he took a moment to look about the stadium. That was when he spotted her, a girl standing on one of the stairs that led up and down the stands. Her flowing pink hair was what gave her away, she stood out like a sore thumb amidst the crowd of devoted tennis fans. He quickly tried to cover his face with his towel, peaking over it just enough to get another look at her, she was looking right at him...grinning like an idiot.
"Fuck..." He swore to himself silently, dropping his towel to the ground.
Nymphadora Tonks was in a foul mood to say the least, Her apartment was in utter chaos as usual and she was currently in a frenzied search for her Auror badge. Her day had started off badly, she had woken up late for work...throwing on some clothes and grabbing her wand, she had apparated directly to Auror Headquarters. About half way to her desk she realized that she didnt have her Auror's badge, sprinting back to the entrance of the building she quickly made her way outside and away from the anti apparation wards...making quick work of apparating back to her appartment. Without her badge she would be confined to her desk for the day. Aurors without proper identification couldnt participate in field work.
Jumping onto a couch and flipping over the pillows in search of her badge, she accidently landed on the remote control for the TV...turning it on and hitting some random buttons.
"-finately Jeffrey, Albarn has shown himself to be a worthy competitor for Sampras. In the past year he's managed to get his rank into the top ten, not to mention winning a number of tournaments. Absolutely amazing, considering a year ago we had never even heard of this chap." A man on the TV announced, his voice ripe with joy.
Her frustration getting the better of her, Tonks slid down onto the floor and resigned her self to watching. Hell, If she couldnt find her badge there was no real point in even going.
"Albarn and Sampras are still tied at one set each." He commentator announced again.
'I'll just call in a sick day, I have enough of 'em stored up anyway' she mused, letting her eyes move back to the screen. The camera changed position and gave her a nice sidelong view of the court. She looked over to Sampras; he was famous, even she had heard of him...but this Albarn guy she had never even heard of before. Her eyes focused in an attempt to get a good view of him, She couldnt tell how tall he was but she could definately see that he was in shape, His blackhair was plastered to his forehead from the sweat.
'He's cute' she mused to herself...letting her thoughts drift back to her previous boyfriend Anthony, a royal prick. Suddenly the Albarn fellow darted to his left, his bangs raised enough for her to see a pale lightning shaped scar a few inches above his right eyebrow.
There in all his glory was Harry Potter.
"Fuck..." she mumbled, her mouth still ajar with shock.
Just over four years ago Harry had gone missing, Upon close inspection of his room at Privet Drive they found all of his things except his invisibility cloak and his wand...quick to assume he had been abducted they formed a massive manhunt, checking everywhere in the known wizarding world from America to Bulgaria. For three months straight everybody searched high and low for him, not finding a single trace.
Recovering from her shock slightly, Tonks did the only thing she could think of...she apparated into the stands.
Harry glanced up at the girl sitting in the stands, she had been there little over an half an hour and in that time had managed to throw off his concentration enough to distract him from the match. Quickly turning back to the court he threw himself to the ground in an attempt to return a shot, missing by well over a foot...
"Game, Set, and Match Sampras" he umpire announced, the crowd roared and cheered once again. Harry slowly stood up from his position on the ground and walked over to the net, Shaking Pete's hand in congratulations.
"Great match man, youre coming down to The Cross for drinks later right?" Pete offered, in his rather gruff American accent.
"Yeh mate I'll see you there" Harry said, walking over to his gear and packing it up before heading in the general direction of his changing room. He looked over his shoulder and gave a last glance at Tonks before entering a pair of double doors.
"God Damnit!" he roared, throwing his racket into a nearby wall. What was she doing here after so long...
He remembered the day of his "Disappearance" well, as he should considering it took a week of planning. Getting settled in one of the showers he turned on the water and let his mind drift back to that day a little over four years ago.
Harry Potter was outside toiling in the garden of Number 4 Privet Drive, slaving away at the weeds like a Malfoy House Elf. His mind briefly flashed to Dobby and wondered if the little elf would miss him. Shaking himself from his reverie, he quickly set back to the task of pulling the last weed from the soil. Tossing the little bugger in a plastic bag, he stood upright and wiped the dirt from his baggy jeans...lest he trudge dirt through the house and give Petunia a stroke.
As he made his way into the house he tossed the plastic bag into a bin before opening the back door and letting himself into the house. Slowly he made his way up the stairs and towards the smallest room in the house ...his one. He was quick to take off his sweat drenched shirt and toss it in the genearl direction of the closet, Looking down at himself he saw pale white arms and chest, highlighted by slightly defined muscles. All in all he was still a scrawny little kid that hadnt grown over an inch in two years.
Harry flopped down onto his bed, letting his feet hang over the edge even though his head was practically touching the wall. His mind instantly flicked to that of his Headmaster, the "mighty" Albus Dumbledore who for all intents and purposes Harry loathed to no end. He knew that people assumed he would blame himself for Sirius' death; but he didnt, He blamed Albus Dumbledore. If Dumbledore hadnt kept him locked up in that godforsaken house, he would never have just rushed out like that... pfft, Hermione and her "hero complex" theory could go to hell, what did they expect him to do in a situation like that. It was for reasons like that, That Harry Potter...saviour of the Wizarding world had decided to leave. Giving them the proverbial finger, so to speak. If they wanted to get rid of Voldemort they would have to do it on their own instead of relying on a fifteen year old kid.
Getting up off the bed, he looked out the window and into the night sky. 'Wow, time flies by when youre thinking about the people you dont like' he thought silently before walking over to his closet and tossing on one of his better looking shirts and a set of black robes. Reaching over to his desk, he pulled out his wand and his invisibility cloak, letting it flow over his head and shoulders. He quickly and made his way to the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he took one last look at his room before slipping out the door, down the stairs, and out the front of the house. He would never return to Number 4 Privet Drive, not if his very life depended on it.
He walked stealthily down the drive way, glancing to his left he saw Mundungus Fletcher asleep under a tree, snoring his head off. Harry continued down the drive and along the street; after a few blocks and in a spot that he was sure he wouldnt be seen, he pulled off his cloak and used his wand to signal his means of escape.
With a literal bang, a massive purple bus appeared in front of him. A slightly scruffy man at the door to greet him.
"Allo there 'arr...err Neville. Where yeh headed?" Stan said, Harry couldnt help but smirk at the fact that Stan still remembered his disguise.
"Get me to Diagon as fast as you can Stan" he replied with a smile, handing Stan two Galleons instead of the price they usually asked.
"Well...you 'eard the man Ern, Next stop Diagon Alley!" Stan yelled, his eyes transfixed on the Galleons.
Harry didnt bother to sit down, instead he just held onto one of the many poles in the massive bus, he had barely recovered from the initial shock of the bus leaving when they came to an abrupt halt. Instead of conversing or bidding farewell to Stan, he just hopped off of the bus and entered the Leaky Cauldron. He shifted through the crowds of people that littered the 'tavern' of sorts, finally making his way out the back and into Diagon Alley.
His first stop led him to Flourish & Blotts, He had a few books to pick up. After entering the shop, he strode purposefully to the back end of the store, scanning the shelves for the book he had seen once before. Finally his eyes came across a book bound in dark frayed leather, sliding the book out he checked the name on the cover, "Spells for the Wizard who doesnt want to be found" All in all the title was rather appropriate, flipping through the worn pages he found spells to forge birth certificates, passports, how to prevent owls from reaching him, and the most important spell of all...how to make his wand use untracable.
Harry quickly hurried to the counter and paid for the book with the last bit of money he had on him, the only place left to go now was Gringotts. With his book tucked under his arm he left the store, winding through the ever-present crowds of Diagon Alley. After a few minutes of walking he passed through the giant doors of the Bank, walking straight over to the service counter.
"May I help you?" Asked the goblin behind the counter, his eyes pouring over records instead of looking at his customer.
"Yes, Im here to convert the contents of my vault into muggle money" The goblin's eyes instantly darted up to meet Harry's.
"Your entire vault?" he asked curiously.
"Every last knut..."
"Very well then, Key?" he said, holding out his hand. Harry quickly withdrew his key from the pocket of his robes placing it gently in the aged goblin's outstretched palm. The goblin glanced down at the key, checking the serial number running along its shaft. While the goblin was occupied, Harry pulled out one of Dudleys old CD players from another pocket of his robes, slipping on the headphones and hitting the play button.
Let me tell you 'bout Butter Love and Gina
Lovers like no others, couldn't get in between 'em
Always stayed fly, man I wished that you'd seen 'em
Said they had a scheme, but nobody believed 'em
No real job cause they stay in the street
Gina did nails, Butter Love made beats
When they want to eat, they just walked in the store
They took what they wanted, man they the illest you saw
"Ah Mr Potter, Your current holdings at Gringotts total at..." he quickly flipped through some pages of his torn log book, "Two hundred and eighty three thousand galleons, and with the current exchange rate between wizarding and muggle money your new total is..." he paused again, hitting some dials to come out with a figure "Two million seventy four thousand, three hundren and ninety pounds." With a snap of his fingers two silver briefcases appeared, the goblin (Vorchak, as Harry read from his nametag) opened a cabinet and began withdrawing evenly sized piles of one hundred pound (£) notes, stacking them evenly into the brief cases before snapping both of them shut and sliding them across the counter.
So one day they went uptown and seen em' with ice
Butter liked the chains and Gina said the rings are nice
Next thing you know they want to pull off a heist
Shook, took a look, and shot the jeweler twice
Diamonds all shining as they flew in the air
Butter acting rough and grabbin' stuff by the pair
Gina had the door 'cause she good with the gun
They both grabbed the money and run
"There you go, Thank you once again for doing business with us Mr Potter." He said, with what Harry supposed was a smile.
"No Thank you, Vorchak" Harry replied, with the music blasting in his ears he grabbed the cases and left Gringotts and Diagon Alley for the last time.
Stepping out the door to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry quickly hailed a cab and slid into the back seat. The cabbie looked through the rear view mirror at the kid in the back, this kid wouldnt know if he took the scenic route or not...he smiled inwardly at the prospect of earning a few extra quid.
"So where to mate?" he asked, his raspy voice showing signs of prolonged smoking. The only problem...Harry hadnt thought this far. He had thought of getting out of the Dursleys, Getting out of the Wizarding world, but he had no idea where to go from here. Looking out the left window of the car he spotted a poster on a wall. 'Notting Hill Garden Exhibition, July 1st-4th'
Harry grinned, quickly replying "Notting Hill, quick as you can" Harry leaned back in his chair and prepared for the long ride...the headphones still playing the song.
Come on take the money and run
Come on take the money and run, hey hey hey
Come on take the money and run
Come on take the money and run, hey hey hey
Harry turned off the water to the shower and stepped out, quickly toweling off before throwing on some boxers and a pair of camo shorts that went just past his knees. He was happy with the way his escape had gone, from that point on he was free to be whoever he wanted, instead of the fate the wizarding world had imposed on him. He grinned slightly, picking up his racket and setting it inside his gear bag.
"Mr Albarn, there's a woman out here who wants to speak with you." A guard said, his head poking in through the changing room doors.
"Its just another fan, tell her to piss off." he answered, still occupied with his gear.
"You heard him miss" he heard the guard say through the door.
"Harry you let me in there this instant!" The girl yelled, her voice almost cracking.
"Son of a bitch..." he mumbled, running a hand through his hair, "Just let her in."
Harry turned and watched as the pink haired woman slipped through the door and walked over to him, a look of great annoyance on her face. By his guess she was about twenty three now, she hadnt changed much in four years...still holding a playful air about her. She seemed shorter though probably because he had grown so much, she was about five foot eight and was currently sporting pink hair and blue eyes.
"Harry." She said, with a grim smile...right before she punched him in the jaw.
Tonks smirked inwardly as he recoiled from the blow, 'Serves you right' she thought merrily.
"Oww, I suppose I deserve that" Harry grumbled, still holding his jaw. Tonks then did the only other thing she could think of...She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and knocking them both to the ground. "Harry!" she yelled, sobbing into his bare shoulder. She recovered enough to climb off of him and stand up, holding out and hand and helping him to his feet. This was the first time she'd actually had a good look at him since she'd seen him on TV an hour ago. This looked nothing like the Harry that she had known four years ago; gone was the scrawny runt of a boy with a mop of unruly hair. In his place stood a man of at least six foot with muscles etched into his chest and arms...he wasnt a body builder but he was built like an athelete. She let her eyes trail from his chest up to his face, his jawline was much more angular as were his cheekbones. The only things that remained of 'old Harry' were the famous lightning bolt scar and his stunning green eyes.
'Stunning? Lots of people have green eyes' she reprimanded herself, shocked to see that he was watching her expectantly.
"Tonks?" he asked, the corner of his mouth rising slightly as he smiled at her.
"Where have you been?" her eyes a mixture between anger and unshed tears.
"Around.."
"Well what the hell happened to you?"
"I packed up and left...I grew up." He replied blankly.
"Four years away from us doesnt make you grow up Harry." She responded angrily.
Harry took a step closer to her, closing the distance between them so much that she could feel the heat rising from his chest. He leaned down to her "Do I look like a fifteen year old kid to you?" his breath brushing over her ear. She leaned back slightly, a slight blush coming over her cheeks. Harry raised his head again, looking her square in the eyes.
"Didnt think so." He answered for her, turning around and heading over to grab a shirt. When he turned around Tonks saw two black wings cascading down his back.
"When did you get a tattoo?" She asked numbly
"Its not really a tattoo, its part of a charm to keep all things wizard away from me. Stops owls, stops people from seeing my scar...still hurt like a bitch though." he said, pulling a tight practically see-through white Sex Pistols shirt on and turning back to face her.
"Im headed home, you can come if you want...we'll catch up on the way." he grabbed his gear bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"How? We're apparating arent we?" she questioned, still shocked by the 'new' Harry.
"No, I live like a muggle Tonks. So..." he paused and withdrew a set of keys from his pocket "We're driving." With that he turned and walked through a door leading to a parking garage. Tonks didnt know what to do, she really should report this to Albus or her boss back at Auror HQ...but then again.
'Well this is my sick day...screw it.' she mused, following closely behind him.
Authors Note: Alright changed a few spelling mistakes, changed the amount of time Harry's been away from 2 years to 4 years.
Ok, Thats Chapter 1 of "Take the Money and Run"
Review if you want, like it or not, I can always use the input.
I'll have a new chapter up in a few days. Unless I get a million flames saying I suck...