Chapter 2 – Enter stage right

Working on the back yard fence was both a blessing and a curse for Harry. Each freshly painted picket left him with a feeling of satisfaction, but at the same time, he worked in close proximity of the oak tree that had become a beacon of hope for him.

He kept on glancing into its crown, where the shadow had quietly sat. It was empty every single time. Apparently, being watched by the Order is enough by day, Harry snorted.

He tried to spot his Order watchers, but both neighbours of Nr. 4 where very fond of shrubbery, creating nice hiding spots for them. There's gotta be a way of finding them, he thought. Maybe his possible shadowy saviour would know a way...but that would have to wait until evening. He went back to the pickets. Up...down...long strokes...all in the wrists...and don't forget to breathe...

OoOoOoOoOo

Evening couldn't come quick enough for Harry. With so many questions on his mind, he didn't even try to fall asleep, and instead chose to stay awake and wait at the closed window.

When did I wake up last night? Damn, I could really use a clock in here.

He paced. Five steps to the door, five steps back. The long side of the room was not enough to contain his impatience.

He opened the window. Maybe he could hear or see the figure arrive...but then, he hadn't noticed the night before.

Harry sharpened his senses. His breathing became shallow, listening out for any hint of a sound.

The soft rustling of leaves was the only sound reverberating through the dusk. The clouds had cleared up again, letting the moon shine through in her three-quarter full glory.

There...steps...or are they? The grass moved so slightly, Harry would have thought it was only a strolling cat, but the human-size shadow traversing the garden convinced him otherwise.

With three practised footholds, it climbed the tree and sat itself in its usual place, in the middle of the crown, a polite distance away from the window at which Harry stood.

"Hello again...", he said. The shadow gave a slight movement to show it had heard and understood him.

"Do you have to stay that far away? This branch looks rather stable, and it is quite impolite, you know."

He pointed towards the thick branch linking them. He saw the shadow move towards the branch, carefully weighing its steps.

As it approached, he could make out more of the shape. Clad in a widely-cut black cape, the body of a teenage girl showed itself. When she looked down to make sure her feet were stepping safely, he could see long tresses of red hair curtain before her face. Behind it was a pale face with full lips and a set of small and sharp, red eyes.

He flinched back. Red eyes...the cape...The words of Professor Lupin came back to him. The cape being obvious, but also a Muggle favourite costume, the red eyes sealed the deal. She must be a vampire. But they hunt in small groups...why is she here alone?

She had stopped approaching, seeing his reaction, carefully perched on the branch, ready for retreat.

Harry tried to relax. He raised his hands in a calming manner, and stepped back to the window. Remember the rule...they can't enter your house unless you invite them in. "I'm sorry...I got scared. Relax, I'm not going to hurt you."

Her pose softened. She took a last careful step towards him, and the sat down on the branch, smoothing out her long skirts beneath her. They were incredibly impractical for hunting, but that wasn't why she was here tonight...after all, one could only ever leave one first impression.

She faced him. "Good evening." Her voice was soft, but cut through the nightly silence. "I am Willow. What's your name?"

Harry's eyebrows rose. If she doesn't recognize me, then... "You must be muggle, then...for you, then, I'm Harry. Just Harry."

She was confused. Muggle? Perhaps it was that church propaganda. "I am a child of the night, if that's what you mean. I am not, however in alliance with the devil, like the Church would have you believe."

She had succeeded as well. Harry looked at her quizzically. "No I meant that you were not...magical before being turned. I am a wizard, and we don't exactly listen to the Church any more after they wanted to see the lot of us burn." He grinned.

Her eyes bulged. "Magic! Like, you can turn people into toads and stuff? Wow!" Her giddiness was uncharacteristic, but that was news to her. "I mean, I have powers like super strength, and I weigh next to nothing...", she demonstrated by lifting herself up only the index finger of her right hand, "...but actual real magic...wow."

"Yeah, but I'm under age, so I can't really show you any of that, the Ministry of Magic would have my head. And probably yours too, if they found you, even if they have their hands full with Voldemort at the moment", he apologized.

She perked up. "You have your own ministry? Man, your world sounds complicated. But if they know about vampires, I should probably know about them...and what's a voldemort?"

So she is not in alliance with the snake, then...He was still walking on thin ice, so he came out with his worries. "Before I explain about that...why are you here? If you're here for my blood, you know I won't let you into the house."

She looked down, and would have blushed if her blood knew how to flow again. "I was here for that last night, but today, I have already fed..." She licked her lips, showing her sharp glistening fangs in the moonlight. "I understand that you won't let me in...maybe soon, you can learn to trust me. If I'm well-fed, I might even be good company."

He nodded. Maybe soon, but not tonight. He grabbed his pillow from his resting place and threw it towards her. She deftly caught it out of the air, looking quizzically at him. "Make yourself comfortable, this is going to take a while...". She smiled. "I've told you, I'm very light. I'm quite comfy as I am, but thanks anyway." Instead of sitting on the pillow like he had proposed, she instead clutched it to her chest like an oversized teddy bear, basking in his scent that emanated from it.

And so he explained about the magical world...from his first encounter with Hagrid, to his past adventures in Hogwarts, about his friends and family, They shared a good laugh when they realized that they both had drawn the conclusion that there must be whale somewhere in Dudley's ancestry.

He continued about the Order, and the death of his godfather. She respectfully stayed silent through the obvious ordeal for him.

"So these are the people who you thought I was with? Are they watching you right now?" She turned around nervously, sniffing the air for some sign of danger.

"I don't know if they do at night... I can't see anyone around here.." He watched her as she inhaled. "Can you..find humans by smell?" She nodded distractedly. "I can...and there is something there, but it's really hard to tell. As soon as I think I found someone, its completely gone."

"They must be masking their smell, to not attract attention.", Harry said. Standard auror work for camouflage.

She nodded, turning back to face him. "I can kind of understand now why you said you wanted to be kidnapped...they never leave you alone, do they?" He sighed. "Yeah, and this place has never been home to me...my 'family' would throw me out without a second look. Do you have any family?"

She shook her head. "I wouldn't know...when I was turned a few years back, I forgot all of them. It's a protection mechanism. You are supposed to only belong to your sire...but he disappeared on me too. I guess I'm a freelancer."

A few years back, she said? "Just exactly how old are you then? You don't look a day above 16!". She smiled. "Tststs, you never ask her lady her age. But to be fair, we Children stop ageing after being turned, so fair question. I was turned about three years back. And if you say I look like 16, that would make me 19 in your years, but I guess my real age is...3? This is rather complicated, isn't it? My turn! How old are you, then?"

He blinked the confusion away. "I guess so..anyway, I turn fifteen in a few days...I think. The 31st of July, anyway."

"Well then, I'll have to bring you a present, hmm?" She put her finger up to her chin, deep in thoughts.

"I'll think of something, Harry."

The moon was lowering dangerously. Willow looked around her, and jumped up gracefully. "It seems I have to give you a hurried goodbye, though, until you like well-done Willow steak.". She lobbed his pillow back to him. "See you tomorrow night?", she asked shyly.

Harry nodded. "Tomorrow night. I'll keep a look out for the watchers for you."

She nodded, raising the collar of her cape as a protection for her delicate neck. "Sweet dreams, then, Harry.", and dropped to the grass, jumping across the lawn in few, deliberate strides.

Harry clung to the pillow. If this is the alternatives to the nightmares, I might just stand here every night. Willow had shown herself as not a follower of Voldemort. From what he had read before the summer, the major clans had allied herself with him. But being a freelancer apparently had its advantages. If she's telling the truth, she might be a powerful ally, he realized. He yawned. Whatever the implications, it would have to wait until the next morning. Lying down on the cot, he thought back on the evening's conversation. Willow...in the oak tree. Thinking back on it, it was rather humorous. Falling asleep with a smile on his face helped his nightmares immensely; or maybe it was just the hope of having found a friend; one that didn't have any preconceptions of him, and would treat him as who he was. Harry. Just Harry.

A/N: I have to admit that I took the lightness of Willow's body from Bakemonogatari's heroine Senjougahara. It does however, fit her supernaturalness rather well, I find.