Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter is owned by the lovely J.K. Rowling. I'm simply having a bit of fun in the magical world.
Warning for swearing
This story is based on a previous story written by me called Professor Amethyst and Professor Jade. this one is far longer and some story elements have changed a little. Mostly it is the same idea, but this is actually a story not just a draft. Follow Harry as he changes his own fate with a twist.
On the Run
Harry Potter was staring out a window aimlessly. He was currently sitting in the Gryffindor common room lost in thoughts. A lot of things had been going from bad to worse lately. Dumbledore's little games were starting to get to him. The old man was playing some kind of minesweeper where Harry was the pawn to send in and Voldemort and his Death Eaters were the mines. Dumbledore didn't care about him. He had known that for quite some time. He was just the means to an end.
'It's time to leave,' he thought with a sigh. He couldn't stay at Hogwarts anymore. It was too dangerous. He was tired of looking over his shoulder. He wanted a life and he wanted to learn... to really learn things. Neither of which would happen if he stayed in the school. He didn't want to leave his friends behind, but he couldn't ask them to come with him. They had families that cared about them and their own lives to live. They would be safer without him there. Maybe they wouldn't have to worry about getting killed if he left. He knew they would understand.
Ron and Hermione.
They would both understand why he had to leave. Dumbledore's manipulations were getting worse. The Occlumency lessons with Snape was the last straw. Harry was not sticking around to be mind raped every week.
"Harry."
The raven turned slightly. He offered Hermione a small smile. "Hey 'Mione," he said as she sank down on the floor next to him. She waved her wand lazily creating a shield around them that would keep their conversation private.
"What's wrong?" she asked him concerned. "You seem down."
Harry let out a sigh. What wasn't wrong? Umbridge who was trying to make his life a living hell. Dumbledore with his vague words and strange ideas. Or Snape… though he wasn't sure about Snape. It could have all been Dumbledore's idea. Snape might not want to do what he was doing. Harry would give him a small benefit of the doubt. Another sigh left his lips. He turned back to look out the window.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Hermione asked after a while. Her voice was soft almost sad.
"Yeah," Harry said as he turned back to the brunette. "I don't think there is another way. Not right now at least. I can't keep taking everything they are throwing at me."
"I know," Hermione said. She looked down at her wand where it lay in her lap. "We'll help you," she said determinedly. "Ron and I will help you."
Harry smiled at her. "I know 'Mione," he said. "I know and I'm very grateful for it."
"I guess we should start working on a way out," Hermione said. "You can't just go running off. They'd find you. We need some kind of plan."
"Yep," Harry said. "We should go find Ron." He got up before offering Hermione a hand so he could pull her up to her feet.
Together they would find a way.
...
Miles away another young man was also thinking of escape. He couldn't stay and he knew it. His name was Erenigh. He had just returned to school after spending Christmas with his family if they could even be called that. 'Family,' he thought with disdain. 'Do they really deserve that title?' He didn't think so. Not after his father had promised a madman his hand in marriage.
The fact that it was a man didn't bother Erenigh. He was gay. He prefers men. That wasn't the problem. No, Erenigh's problem was that the man his father had promised him to was crazy.
Erenigh had known his father might get the idea to arrange a marriage for him. He was a bit of a rarity. Normally only women could get pregnant. Erenigh was a bit different though. He actually had the equipment necessary to carry a child. It was a rare condition supported by magic. Some believed that meant his children would be more powerful than normal children. He wasn't so sure about that. He hadn't even known until he hit puberty. He'd been sick for weeks while his body made sure he had the equipment he needed.
He didn't mind. He sort of enjoyed the idea of being able to carry children, but he wasn't carrying some crazy person's kids just so he could make soup out off them or something. He shuddered. He couldn't stick around. His father would insist that he got married before his seventeenth birthday. He wouldn't have a say before then. It didn't matter that his father was the Lord of the family. As long as Erenigh could disappear until he turned seventeen they couldn't simply marry him off. Some ancestor of his at some point had made sure of that. They should have protected youngsters too.
All he needed was a few months. His birthday was in April. Four months was all he needed. He grabbed his wand. He needed to get rid of it. They could track him through it. A small smirk spread across his face as he decided just what to do with it. They would be scurrying around like rats.
He headed over to the owlery. Looking down at his wand he sighed. He didn't need it to do magic but it still felt weird to get rid of it. 'Oh well,' he thought. He broke the wand into several pieces. He wouldn't let his father find him just because of the wand. There were more important things in life. He gave each piece of the wand to a different owl. "There," he said when he was done. "Fly around a bit and then drop these somewhere. Don't all fly the same way. Good luck." He watched them as they flew out the high windows of the owlery.
Then Erenigh looked down at his right hand where a ring sat. It was the Heir ring of his family. A blue stone on a platinum band. He snorted. He pulled a small box out of a pocket and placed the ring in it. Then he sealed the box before summoning a needle. Warming the tip of the needle up, Erenigh carved runes into the surface of the box slowly. Once he was done he ran his finger over the runes charging them.
He fastened the box to the leg of another owl and sent it off. His father would go nuts. He looked out over the snow-filled grounds and smirked before heading back to his room.
Hours later after the sun had gone down and the snow-clad hills around the school were shrouded in darkness a single figure made its way over the school grounds. Erenigh had brought everything he cared about. He wasn't coming back. He knew that much.
As soon as he left the wards protecting the school, Erenigh apparated away. He landed in the middle of nowhere and brought out a small mirror. It was a linked mirror with only one partner. There was no way of listening in on them.
"Viktor," he called. "Viktor!" It took a few more times before the mirror lit up.
"Erenigh?" Viktor said in tired Bulgarian. "What do you want at this time o'night?"
Erenigh had obviously woken his friend up.
"I ran away," Erenigh said. "Father wants me to marry the scaly one. I had to get away. I need food Viktor. Can you help me? I have more than enough money, but…"
"I'll send an elf to you," Viktor said now fully awake. His eyes narrowed. "Why is your hair pink Erenigh?"
"I'm going to hide in plain sight Viktor," Erenigh said. "They aren't smart enough to see through it."
"If you say so," Viktor said. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"It's probably best if you don't know. In case they show up at your place looking for information. I'll check in with you from time to time, though," Erenigh said. "You know there is no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, I know," Viktor said. "Just be careful."
"Sure thing Viky," Erenigh said.
"I'll send the food over tomorrow at noon. Don't scare the elf," Viktor said.
"Promise," Erenigh said. "You can go back to your beauty sleep now Viky darling. Thank you."
Viktor grumbled as he shut the mirror off. He knew Erenigh could take care of himself, but darn it if he wasn't worried already. He turned around and settled down again. His eyes closed and he fell asleep.
…
It had been harder than he'd first thought to get off the British Isles. Harry had made it though. He wasn't on British soil anymore. That didn't mean he was safe, but at least he was on his way. He would never have made it without Hermione. Her knowledge of the non-magical world had been priceless.
He sighed. He missed them already. They couldn't even keep in contact properly. Sure they had Dobby for emergencies, but owls could not be used. It was too risky. Most people knew how to intercept an owl.
Harry groaned. He had been tracking across the countryside for the past several days. He didn't know where he was. He was hungry, tired and sore. Once he reached the top of the hill he could see lights spreading out before him. Thousands of tiny lights glowed in the distance melding together and lighting up the sky.
It was a city. It had to be.
Hope rose in Harry's chest. Maybe he could get some food and get to sleep in a proper bed. He picked up his pace. If he kept going he could possibly get there before sunrise.
Not far from where Harry had climbed the hill to see the city there was a strange looking feline crossing the grassland. It was a tiger. Certainly not a native to this land. It wouldn't stop this particular feline though. His white coat gleamed in the sun and his stripes were glowing a dark blue rather than black.
Erenigh bent down over a stream and drank in deep gulps. He had travelled far without much rest. He was tired. Unlike Harry, he knew where he was though. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk going to the city in the valley below. People had to be looking for him by then. Cities were dangerous. Even though he had told Viktor that he wanted to hide in plain sight he had some ideas of where he wanted to do so. He wanted to get there first.
Finally giving in to his stomach and the prospect of sleeping in a soft bed, he turned towards the city. He transformed back into a man. It wouldn't do to be spotted in his animagus form. His hair was pink once more and his skin darker than normal. Hopefully, that would fool anyone just casting him a quick glance. He was a Metamorphmagus or at least he partly was one. He couldn't change his body just the colour of just about anything about him.
He found a marketplace and walked around there buying food he could bring with him. The supplies Viktor has sent him had long since run out. He needed to resupply. Thankfully he had planned for several different circumstances and carried currency for each of them. Eventually, he found a small quiet Inn to settle down in for the night.
A delighted sigh passed his lips as he stepped into the shower in his room. He hadn't felt clean for quite some time. It was nice to let the warm water cascade down his body once more. Limber fingers worked through the pink hair undoing knots. He had bought soap just in case. With a pop, he opened the bottle and poured the bright green liquid out in the palm of his hand. It smelled fresh like the bright morning of a spring day. He took his time cleaning up.
When Erenigh finally made it back out of his room several hours later he barely looked anything like he had when he'd entered the Inn. he was looking smart in a crisp white shirt and black slacks. He ordered food and settled down in the small restaurant connected to the Inn. His piperade arrived and he started eating happily. He missed French food. His family used to go to France every summer. It hadn't happened very much lately though, but at least it meant that his grasp on the language was flawless. No one in their right mind would mistake him for a Britt.
Erenigh's violet eyes moved to the front door as the little bell chimed. Two men dressed all in black entered. They looked vaguely familiar. He sent out a magic probe towards them. Very few were powerful enough to notice such a probe so he wasn't worried about detection. His eyes hardened. They were Death Eaters. Part of him cursed the fact that he was too far away to hear what they were saying. Whatever it was, however, they seemed to walk away empty-handed.
Either they weren't looking for him, or the owner of the Inn had turned them away not even considering Erenigh to be the one they were looking for. The feline in the teen was curious though. What if they were looking for someone else. Who could that be? He finished his food in peace. It wouldn't do to rush after them.
He paid for the food and left a nice tip before heading back up to his room. Part of him wanted to check the Death Eaters out. Another part of him told him that was folly. They hadn't found him. It was best to leave it at that.
Curiosity killed the cat, they said. Erenigh couldn't just leave well enough alone. Now he wanted to know what the Death Eaters were after. What if it was someone else? A smirk spread across his lips as he grabbed his travel bag and opened a window. He climbed out and jumped down onto the street below.
…
In a different part of the city, Harry was running. "Damn, damn, damn," he muttered softly under his breath as he moved down an alley. Two of Voldemort's Death Eaters had found him and were currently chasing after him. How was he going to get out of this? He definitely did not want to get caught, but… he had no idea how to shake them. He rounded a corner quickly. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. It was a dead end.
What now?
If he used magic he would just alert just about everyone to where he was. If there were other people out there looking for him, they would be on top of him in no time. No, magic was out of the question. 'How did they find me anyway?' he wondered. He had been really careful. The only really recognisable thing about him was the lightning bolt scar, and he hadn't shown that to anyone since he left Britain.
"Well, well it seems like you have run out of road now Potter," one of the Death Eaters said with a smirk.
Harry's eyes were darting around the alley. He was grasping his wand in his pocket. It might be the only way. He knew it wasn't smart, but what else could he do. His grip on his wand tightened. He was about to pull it out when… he froze.
Feathers were sticking out of the chest of one of the Death Eaters. The man blinked dumbly and reached up. He let out a choked gurgle before collapsing forward.
The second Death Eater raised his wand. 'Who did that?' he wondered. "Show yourself," he hissed.
They didn't have to wait long. Suddenly in a flash of pink a young man appeared. He rushed the Death Eater and kicked out his legs. He pulled a gun and fire a single shot blowing a hole through the man's head.
Icy blue eyes moved to look Harry over. The raven froze. He didn't know what to think.
The pink-haired teen looked back down at the dead Death Eaters. He grabbed their wands and cast a couple of spells. "Someone will find them in the morning," the teen said. He looked back at Harry. "I'm guessing you don't want to stick around."
Harry shook his head. "No," he said.
Erenigh reached out and grabbed Harry's hand. "Let's go," he said. "Their friends might find them before the authorities do. I'd rather not be here then." He didn't give the raven any time to think about it. Instead, he started moving dragging the younger teen along. He headed past his hotel room and picked his clothes bag up before heading to the train station. "Act natural," he said. Calmly as he slowed down. He ordered tickets in French and paid for them without any problems.
They would be leaving with the first train that morning. Erenigh looked down at the tickets. He had paid to go to the very last stop. He wasn't sure they would stay on for that long though. Behind him, Harry did his best to stay calm. Knowing that the older teen had a gun and could shoot him if he didn't comply, he just followed along quietly. He might be able to get away later. Not that he was sure he wanted to. The older dude had killed Death Eaters. Killed them. Not some silly stunner or something.
They found their seats and sat down. Erenigh leaned back and relaxed. He brought out the Death Eaters' wands and broke them in half. Once the train had started moving he threw some of the wand pieces out the window. "Relax I won't bite," he told the uncomfortable raven.
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
Erenigh hummed. "I do not feel inclined to reveal my identity at this point in time," he said calmly.
Harry nodded slowly. He guessed he could understand that. He wasn't overly interested in telling anyone who he was either. "Why did you kill those men? Why did you help me?" he asked.
"We have common enemies," Erenigh said. "The Death Eaters could just as well have been after me. I figured I could help a fellow victim of the scally one's ire out." He offered the raven a soft smile. "You seemed to be in a bit of a pickle."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "They are hunting you too?" he asked. It made way more sense for the older teen to help him if that was the case. He relaxed just a bit more. Someone who was against Voldemort and wasn't from Hogwarts was probably not too dangerous to him.
"Yeah, I have a special condition that had my father promising the scally one my hand in marriage," Erenigh said. "I'm not all that interested. Thankfully the contract is null and void as soon as I turn seventeen since I can say no to it myself by then. The scally one probably isn't too happy about me disappearing. He tends to hate it when things don't go his way." He snorted. "Not that I care. I'd rather die than end up with him."
Harry grimaced. "Can't blame you for that," he said. Then his brow furrowed as he thought about it. "But why you though. If he wanted… well you know, why not get a guy that's willing?"
"Because I'm different," Erenigh said. "I'm a carrier. A male that has the ability to carry and give birth to children."
Harry wrapped his head around that little piece of information. "Why not just get a woman then?" he asked. "I mean there has to be some crazy chick out there who would love to be his bitch."
Erenigh laughed. "Well, that's probably true," he said. "You'd think he'd stick to them." He shook his head. "He wants me because some think that carriers give birth to magically stronger children than women. I don't know how true that is though."
"Why would he want children though?" Harry asked. He now understood why the guy was running, but he was still confused.
"There are some pretty dark rituals that call for innocent sacrifices. He probably wants the children for those," Erenigh said. "The stronger the victim the more power he would get."
Harry shuddered. He had known Voldemort was awful, but he hadn't understood just how bad the man was. He was glad this teen seemed to be capable of taking care of himself. Now he understood why he'd killed the Death Eaters. He wouldn't want to get captured if that was the future awaiting him. "At least he just wants me dead," he said.
"Knowing him it wouldn't be slow or merciful, though," Erenigh said. "It is as good a reason as any to want to get away." He was glad he had interfered. He didn't know who the young raven was, but at least he'd saved someone from the scaly one. He didn't use the name. His father had beat that into him. One did not call the Dark Lord by his name. Erenigh wouldn't call the monster lord though. So, he made up nicknames.
"I wonder how they found me," Harry said softly.
Erenigh blinked. "Oh, that's easy," he said. "They tracked your magical signature or your wand. Either can lead them to you."
"Is there any way of fixing that?" Harry asked.
"Sure, you could muddle your signature," Erenigh said. "And throw away your wand."
Harry gave him a shocked look. "There is no other way?" he asked. He kind of like his wand and had no idea how to perform magic without it. It had been with him since he first entered the wizarding world. Could he destroy it? He bit his lip he wasn't sure.
"Unfortunately not," Erenigh said. "Though I guess you could pick it apart and just throw the wood if the core is important to you. The tracking is in the wood.
Harry sighed. He pulled his wand out of a pocket and looked at it. Then he handed it over to the older teen. "Please get rid of it. I don't think I can do it," he said. He looked away. He didn't want to see it.
Erenigh reached out and took the wand. He broke it and threw one of the pieces out. "Now let's see if we can't teach you how to muddle your signature," he said. "Start by closing your eyes. As you get better at it, you won't have to do that, but for now, you're better off closing your eyes." He was speaking calmly. "Now breath slowly. In and out. Just relax. I need you to think about your magic. Concentrate on how it feels to use your magic." Erenigh led the young raven-haired teen through the steps necessary to hide his magical signature from others. It was quite the process, but the younger teen caught on eventually.
Hours passed and the two fell asleep in their seats. Outside the sun rose and climbed high into the sky as the train passed by town after town.
It was well after midday when Erenigh woke up once more. He stretched and sat up straighter. Across from him, the raven-haired teen was still sleeping. He looked to be about the same age as Erenigh's little brother. He wondered briefly if they had been in the same year at Hogwarts.
He yawned. They had been up for a long time the night before. The younger teen understood him well enough when he explained things, but he had no focus. The person in charge of his schooling was in need of a good flogging. It was awful. There was so much the kid didn't know.
At least they had managed.
The raven stirred.
"Good morning," Erenigh said.
Brilliant green eyes opened slowly. Harry blinked several times, adjusting to the light. "Good morning," he mumbled.
Erenigh rolled his eyes. "Slept well?" he asked.
The younger teen groaned and shifted.
Erenigh chuckled. "I'll get us something to eat, 'kay," he said. He stood up and walked out of the compartment in search of the cafeteria cart.
Back in the compartment, Harry was still working on waking up. He rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. He was glad he'd met the older teen. The guy really seemed to know what he was doing. He looked outside. Fields of green grass passed by. At least he knew the other teen didn't want anything to do with Voldemort. That was a good start.
Harry sighed. He didn't know if he could trust the older teen. For now, it seemed like a good idea to trust him. He sort of liked the idea of a friendly face. Especially one that knew how to deal with Death Eaters.
The compartment door opened and the pink-haired teen walked back inside. He was carrying a tray filled with packs of food. He placed it down on a fold-out table. "Go ahead grab what you want. I took several different things to pick from since I didn't know what you'd like." He sat down and grabbed a juice pack.
Harry looked the assortment over and grabbed a few different things. Since everything was still in their packages he guessed it was safe to eat. Not that he really thought the other teen would poison him.
For a time the only sound that could be heard in the compartment was the rustle of wrappers as they opened the food packs up. Once they were full they sat and looked out the window for a time before Harry got bored. "So, what's your favourite colour?" he asked. He knew the other teen would probably not answer any questions that might tell him who he was, but that didn't mean they couldn't get to know each other better.
Erenigh blinked in surprise. "My favourite colour?" he said amused. He chuckled. "You want to play twenty questions?"
Harry nodded. "Why not," he said. "It isn't like we have anything else to do."
"I guess you are right," Erenigh said. He looked back out the window. "I guess my favourite colour is green, like the grass and the leaves of the trees in spring. To me, it's the colour of freedom."
Harry nodded. It was a good answer. "I guess if you put it like that my favourite colour is blue, like the sky. I love to fly."
"How about your favourite subject?" Erenigh asked.
"Defence, easily," Harry said. "How about you?"
"Oh, Ancient Runes probably, but I quite like Potions as well," Erenigh said.
"Yeah, not with you there," Harry said. "My teacher wasn't the nicest." He fell silent for a moment. "He was one of the reasons I left."
"Really?" Erenigh said. He was pretty sure he knew the person the teen was talking about. He wasn't certain why the other boy had problems with him, though. Then again Severus could be a little difficult.
"Yeah, he was trying to teach me Occlumency, but I don't think he was doing it right," Harry said.
"Your relationship with him wasn't good?" Erenigh asked.
"No we despised each other," Harry said.
"Then he shouldn't have taught you," Erenigh said. "Teaching Occlumency requires trust from both parts."
"Could you teach me?" Harry asked.
"If we stick together then maybe," Erenigh said. "As I said it takes a lot of trust."
Harry nodded slowly. He felt how the train started slowing down, and when he looked out the window he could see the station they were pulling into to. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I have a destination in mind, but I'm not willing to share it if you're leaving," Erenigh said.
Harry hummed showing he understood. "Could I learn magic there?" he asked.
"Most likely," Erenigh said. "You would probably have to self-study, but I'm sure you could learn."
"Would you help me?" Harry asked.
"Why not," Erenigh answered. "I don't really have anything else to do."
Harry thought about it all for a while. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to do. "What is your favourite animal?" he asked falling back to silly questions as he considered his options.
"Oh, that is a difficult question," Erenigh said. "I like felines, but there are a lot of cool animals out there." He was smiling. He knew the other teen was stalling, but he didn't mind. "How about you?"
"Felines are cool," Harry said. " I like wolves too, and birds of prey."
"See it's not that easy," Erenigh said.
"I guess not," Harry said. He sighed and looked out the window once more.
Time passed.
"I'm getting off here," Erenigh said as the train slowed down once more. "You can stay and continue or you can come with me."
"Not going to shoot me, huh?" Harry said jokingly.
Erenigh rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not," he said. "I save my bullets for Death Eaters." He stood up and grabbed his bags.
Harry rose with him. "I would like to think we can get along," he said. "I'll stay with you if you don't mind."
"Come along then," Erenigh said as he walked out of the compartment.
They headed out on the platform, but they didn't leave the station. Erenigh bought new tickets, and they entered another train. It was a safe enough way to travel great distances.
"So how come you know how to use non-magical weapons?" Harry asked. He had gotten the feeling the other teen was a pureblood. From what the guy had said his father was a Death Eater.
"I wanted to learn," Erenigh said. "I have a few friends who practised archery on a range on the school grounds. I asked them to teach me. The gun was just an extra safety measure. I'm far better with the bow. I know some martial arts too, though, I'm probably a bit rusty."
"Really?" Harry said sceptically.
"Yes, really," Erenigh said.
"Could you teach me?" Harry asked.
"Maybe," Erenigh responded. "I guess you'll have to wait and see."
"And magic?" Harry asked. "How am I supposed to learn that with no wand?"
"I can teach you how to do it wandless," Erenigh said.
Harry blinked surprised. "You can do that?" he asked.
"Sure," Erenigh said with a shrug. "Most people probably could, they just never care to try."
Harry smirked. He guessed getting rid of his wand wasn't so bad anymore. Learning wandless magic was definitely worth it.
…
Days later the two teens were walking by foot. They had taken several trains, but just to be safe, Erenigh had decided to walk the distance across the border between Slovenia and Croatia. They would find trains again in Croatia. Considering Slovenia bordered several other countries it would be harder to track them. If someone now tried to do that.
"So where are we heading?" Harry asked.
"Athens," Erenigh said. "There is a substantial library there with books from all over the world. It is a great place if you want to teach yourself magic. My original plan was always to go there. I thought I could just hide in plain sight there. It might actually be easier with the two of us."
Harry nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," he said. "How come you aren't using any magic?" he asked.
"Well," Erenigh said. "You see there is a trace placed on all children as they start school. That trace stays active until they turn seventeen. I haven't used magic because I haven't turned seventeen yet."
"How about me?" Harry asked. "Won't my trace still trigger. It's a while before I turn seventeen."
"As soon as I come of age you'll be safe," Erenigh said. "You see there is a crucial flaw in how the trace works. It doesn't send a signal back to the ministry if there is an adult witch or wizard around when the minor uses magic since it picks up on their magic as well. It only really works on children living in non-magical households."
"You mean to tell me that when I was staying in a magical household I could have used magic and no one would have known?" Harry said.
"Yeah, that's the way it works," Erenigh said simply. "The ministry expects parents to make sure their kids behave with their magic. A trace that was complete would irritate the purebloods so the ministry isn't going to make anything like that."
"That gives purebloods an unfair advantage," Harry said.
"Yep, why do you think they want it that way," Erenigh said.
Harry shook his head in disgust.
"I can't say I think it's fair either," Erenigh said. "But at least I have used it to my advantage, and, it will help us now."
"At least that is good," Harry said. He wished he could tell Ron he could use magic all he wanted as long as his parents didn't find out when he was home. "What about after you killed the Death Eaters?" he asked.
"Well, that was in a big city and I felt the need to cover some things up," Erenigh said. "I knew I was leaving right away after so it wasn't really a problem."
"That's why we left right away?" Harry asked.
"Absolutely," Erenigh said.
They continued their trek. They had a long way to go still, but Erenigh would turn seventeen soon, and then they could start with Harry's magic training.
Erenigh would start by going over all the old things the teen should know already. He had a feeling there were some rather big holes in the raven's education. He would have to fix those first.
…
Harry was looking out another train window. They had made it to a city big enough to have trains finally. Erenigh had decided that despite not knowing the raven's name they could probably start on Occlumency now. They trusted each other fairly well. He had managed to sneak into the magical world and get the younger teen a book on the subject.
Harry looked back down into said book. As he read, he realised that Snape definitely had not been teaching him. Those so-called lessons were rubbish. They didn't have anything to do with actual Occlumency. He still wasn't sure it had been Snape's idea to mess the lessons up. It could still have been Dumbledore's idea. He sighed. It was way more complicated than he wanted to deal with right then.
He focused back on the book and read a section on mindscapes again. He liked the idea. If he could manage, he would create a world in his mind that would protect his thoughts. It sounded rather cool.
"Mister Harry Potter, sir." The squeaky voice of Dobby, the House-elf, interrupted his reading.
Harry looked up. "Dobby, has something happened? Are Ron and Hermione alright?" he asked concerned.
Dobby looked a little taken back for a moment. Harry had spoken very fast. He needed to gather his thoughts, then he answered the teen's questions. "Harry's Weezy and Ms Granger be OK. They send Dobby to the Great Harry Potter to give Harry Potter something," he said. He picked a package out of a pocket of his overly large pants and handed it to Harry.
"Thank you Dobby," Harry said as he accepted the box. He unwrapped it, but before he had a chance to open it, the compartment door opened. 'Oh, my,' he thought.
The pink-haired teen walked in with a tray in his hands.
"Master Erenigh, be OK! Dobby so happy!" Dobby exclaimed as he threw himself at the teen.
Erenigh almost dropped the tray he was holding. "Hi Dobby," he said softly. He placed the tray down and leaned down to hug the little elf. "It is good to see you are doing well," he said. "Why are you here though?"
Dobby blinked his big tennis ball eyes shone with pride. Then he smiled and said, "Dobby is being here to help the Great Harry Potter, Master Erenigh."
Erenigh sat down. "That's good," he said.
The raven sighed. "I guess you know who I am now, huh," he said.
"Yeah, it would seem that way," Erenigh said. "I really should have been able to guess though. My little brother won't shut up about you. It's Potter this and Potter that. Father, Potter did this." he sighed. "Dobby here was my nanny-elf when I was little. I was rather angry with father when he told me he'd lost this little fellow."
Harry had gotten suspicious as soon as Dobby called Erenigh, as he'd just learned the older teen was called, Master. Then the almost perfect Draco impression. "You're a Malfoy," he stated.
"Yes," Erenigh said. "Son of Narcissa Malfoy nee Black and Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the House of Malfoy, right-hand man to the Dark Lord." He snorted. "He was so delighted when the scaly one returned. "Don't worry though. I've heard better things about you than what my brother has been spewing. Viktor's description of you does not match Draco's.
"Viktor?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, Viktor Krum," Erenigh said. "He's one of my best friends. He's rather fond of… Hermione is her name, right? Your friend," Erenigh said as he let Dobby down on the seat beside him.
"Yes, that's right. So… Viktor has told you stuff?" Harry hoped that the Famous Quidditch star hadn't done what so many others tended to do. He was tired of people being Hero-Worshipers.
Erenigh shrugged. "He told me stuff sure, but I tend to judge people by how they act and what choices they make not what others tell me," he said. "It wasn't like we had long discussions about you. He mentioned you several times while talking about Hermione."
Harry chuckled in relief. That actually sounded more like Viktor. He was also glad Erenigh (it was strange finally knowing his name after so long) didn't really care what others said. He sort of liked Erenigh, and he would have been saddened if the entire friendship they'd been building had fallen apart just because he was the 'Famous' Harry Potter.
"Dobby be needing to return soon," the elf said quietly, drawing the attention of the two teens.
"Oh, of course, Dobby. I'm sorry we got caught up in our conversation like that," Erenigh said. He bit his lip. "Dobby."
The elf had jumped down from the seat. He turned around to look at Erenigh.
"I know you're probably happy where you are but… well, I've missed you and… I wonder if you'd like to be my elf once I've turned seventeen," Erenigh said.
The little elf blinked, and then his big tennis-ball-eyes filled with tears. "Master Erenigh wants Dobby to be his elf?" he asked.
"I want you to think about it at least Dobby, OK," Erenigh said with a smile.
The little elf nodded so violently his big ears flapped. "Dobby be thinking about it, Master Erenigh, Dobby promises," he said. Then the elf left with a pop.
"What was he doing here anyway?" Erenigh asked as he offered Harry some food.
"He brought me something from my friends at Hogwarts," Harry said as he pointed to a small brown parcel on the table. Then he bit down into the sandwich he was holding.
Erenigh nodded slowly. "You know," he said after a while. "I've been thinking about how we should keep people from recognising us once we get to Athens. It's a big place and someone is bound to know who we are if we walk in there looking like ourselves."
"You have some kind of plan in mind to avoid that?" Harry asked. He was sitting with the parcel in his hands wondering just what Hermione and Ron had sent him.
"Well, I want us to hide without having to really hide," Erenigh said. "We need a disguised no one would even think to look through."
"Okay, what do you have in mind?" Harry asked.
Erenigh rubbed his eyes. He wasn't sure the other teen would like this idea. It was the best one he could come up with though. "Well, I'm thinking the best way would be to cross-dress. Most men are dumb enough that if you present them with a good-looking woman they can't think with their brain anymore," he said hoping that the raven wouldn't blow-up at him.
Harry almost dropped the box he was holding. 'Are you for real?' was his first reaction. 'How is that supposed to…' was his second, but as he thought it over it actually started making sense. The Death Eaters would be looking for two young men. Most likely they wouldn't assume the two of them were together. Dumbledore and his people would be looking for just him. If two women showed up in Athens no one would think it was the two of them. The only problem he saw was that he had no idea how it was done. "How are we gonna pull that off?" he asked.
Erenigh smiled. "I know of a way to apply glamors that work sort of like wards. They will be able to hide the fact that we're men pretty well. I can't apply them until after my seventeenth birthday though," he said as he ran a hand through his pink locks.
Harry shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to be glamoured into a girl. He looked down at the brown box in his hands. He really should find out what was in it. Opening the lid slowly a potion vial and a small note-book was reviled. He looked at the potion unsure of what it was for a moment before looking down at the notebook. He picked it up and opened it.
A note fell out.
Hey Harry,
This notebook has been charmed to rely messages
between us. All you need to do is write in it. Your
message will stay until one of us has read it and
responded before it will disappear once more.
Please write as soon as possible. Oh, and prick
your finger; one drop of blood on the pages and
no one else will be able to read this.
Hope you're doing O.K.
Hermione and Ron
Harry raised an eyebrow. That was smart. Hermione must have worked her ass off getting the notebook working. "Do you have a knife?" he asked Erenigh.
"Yeah, sure." The pink-haired teen pulled a knife out of one of his boots and handed it to Harry hilt first.
Harry made a small cut on his index-finger and let a drop of blood hit the pages of the notebook. He wrote a short message telling his friends that he was fine. He handed the knife back to Erenigh, who pushed it back into his boot before leaning back.
It didn't take long before Harry received a response from Hermione. She seemed relieved to hear from him. He didn't tell her exactly where they were going, just that he would be able to see the Mediterranean when she asked. He agreed with Erenigh's sentiment that the fewer people around them that knew, the less they could reveal to others. Ron and Hermione only needed to know that he was safe and that he would get the chance to learn. That seemed to calm Hermione some.
"So, Draco keeps talking about me during summer?" Harry asked some time later. He found it ridiculous that the blonde couldn't just leave well enough alone.
"Curse your name is more like it," Erenigh said. "He really doesn't like you. It's fairly annoying. For some reason, Father doesn't tell him to keep quiet. It's silly and childish."
"I know we don't get along, but if he'd just leave me alone I wouldn't care about him," Harry said.
"He was so pissed off when you wouldn't be his friend," Erenigh said. "I think he's just decided to make your life difficult because you picked a Weasley over him. Not that I can blame you. The Weasley's seem like alright people."
"That can't be a welcome opinion in your house," Harry said.
"No, but I honestly don't care," Erenigh said.
Harry smiled. It was nice to know that not all purebloods were stuck-up pricks. He leaned back with the notebook in his lap. As Ron or Hermione had the time they would write to him, and he would respond.
"We're getting off at the next stop," Erenigh said sometime later.
Harry hummed in agreement and packed his things away. "Where are we now?" he asked.
"Eh, Preševo in Serbia, I think. We'll have to switch trains here," Erenigh said.
"Sounds good," Harry said. "Could we get a night's sleep in a real bed too?"
"Sure, that shouldn't be impossible to arrange," Erenigh said. "We can probably do that from time to time now."