Chapter Four
Discovery
Emerald sighed as he stared at the strange stick that had inspired such feelings within him. It just felt amazing, it felt greater than a joint, than being drunk, Christ, it was even better than sex was! But he just couldn't get it to work again for some reason…when he picked it up, there was nothing. No feeling of any kind. Once again, it was just a highly decorated stick that didn't do anything. Putting it carefully on the table, he pulled out a beer from the small fridge that he owned, opened it and drank deeply from it. Never the mind that it was only around eight in the morning, he needed it.
What the hell was that weapon that the man used to kill that gang member? It looked like the stick he was carrying now, but how the hell did it work? When Emerald had to move the body, there was no marking on him whatsoever. Only his face showed any signs of emotion, pure terror. But on the rest of his body, there were no markings, at all! What the hell was it?
It couldn't have been poison, because the man didn't force anything down his throat, and if he had used an airborne device, then surely it would've affected the other gang members as well. It couldn't have been any conventional weapon, because there was no marking on his body. So basically, that ruled out guns, strangulation and the rest of them. Emerald threw the empty beer bottle into the bin in rage. Whatever it was, the gang needed it. Ever since they had been run out of their original home by scavengers, they had been forced to live like Squatters. It was by pure luck that they had found the abandoned flat. They had easily found furniture and everything else needed. Rick had shown an unusual skill in electricity, and had managed to "divert" some power from the opposite flats to this one. And Shell had been quite persuasive in persuading some government men to look the other way.
He smirked as Shell came in. Was it just him, or did every time he thought about her, she somehow popped up everywhere! Shell saw his smirk, and met it with a raised eyebrow. God, but she was gorgeous. Emerald had little difficulty in admitting that. Her looks were like that of an aristocrat, dignified and cultured, but in reality, she was a rebel. She drank, smoked and could fight with the best of them.
'Something the matter, oh my dear Emerald?' She said with the utmost sarcasm. Another point in her favour, he appreciated that kind of humour.
Emerald met her raised eyebrow with a look of indifference. His face became a blank mask, no emotion showed on his face. To most people, it intimidated them. However, to Shell, one of Emerald's inner circle of allies and friends, it was no obstacle. He had used it many times on her, and the effect had just worn off a long time ago.
Ignoring the fact he had yet to say anything, Shell went on. 'So then, Mr. Big Rock Star, how do you like your new fame now then?' At Emerald's slightly confused look, she threw a newspaper onto the table in front of Emerald's face, also covering the strange stick that was still on the table. Emerald mentally thanked whatever gods there were that she hadn't seen it, or at least, hadn't commented on it. He picked up the newspaper to see what it said.
Antisocial Hero
By famed reporter, Rita Skeeter
The acclaimed "Emerald" just two nights ago graciously joined me for an interview. From what I learnt, this particular rockstar has had quite a past, although he remains very tight-lipped about his personal life. However, what did this particular reporter manage to pick up about the elusive Emerald? I believe that he had a very troubled childhood, constantly bullied by his peers, hated by the authorities and worshipped by his fellow friends, if any. All this clearly points to a troubled young man, with a complex personality.
A man with a snake tattoo on the side of his face, he allows very few people to see the rest of him. However, as flirtatious as this reporter may sound, there wasn't much left unseen after this reporter had finished with him.
However, all points on his life aside, this reporter found the music which he played very strongly, the lyrics filled with anger and hatred. The music is definitely for those of you who follow heavy rock, and those of you who don't mind what it is.
Personally, I'd give it an 8/10 for the music, the lyrics and the sheer hotness that is this Emerald. To all you ladies out there, he currently has no attachments with a girl (or a boy), and he's free. The next concert will be tonight, starting at 9 in the evening, and ending at an unspecified time. I hope to see you all there.
By Rita Skeeter
Emerald stared at the newspaper in shock, while Shell struggled to contain her giggles. Finally, he snapped out of it, and just looked up, his face full of bewilderment and shock. Shell suddenly burst out laughing, unable to keep a straight face any longer.
'Aww…are you reliving your troubled past? I mean, it's only to be expected with your problems. I mean, you're hated by your peers, the authorities and of course, you have no friends.' She burst out into giggles, unable to stop laughing as long as the look on Emerald's face was there. Which seemed as though it would never end. Emerald was dumbfounded. How the hell had that woman, Skeeter, came up with that story? Bloody hell, but she really was a weirdo. He got up and grabbed another beer. If anyone else had read it today, he was really going to need it. Suddenly Rick came in, and seeing Emerald, a mischievous smile came onto his face.
Coming up from behind Emerald, he started to massage his shoulders. Emerald started, but was held in place by Rick. 'There, there, Emerald. It's alright, let it all out. You're a troubled young man, it's alright.' He said in a mock sympathy voice. Emerald growled at the two of them. Rick still had his evil grin on his face, while Shell was literally on the floor now, roaring with laughter. Emerald got up; clutching his beer bottle as though it was the only sane thing left that he could hold on to and walked through into the other room.
There, he was met by a round of raucous laughter by the rest of the gang who had just finished reading the newspaper. At least fifteen people were in the room, all of them laughing their heads off. Emerald groaned as he walked through back into the kitchen, where Rick and Shell now wore the same smirk on their faces, barely containing their laughter. He was going to need more than one drink today.
Just as he reached for his third beer of the morning, Shell slapped his hand, causing him to drop it. He stared at her angrily. 'Fucking hell, Shell. What the hell was that for? You wasted a bloody beer!'
She smirked at him. 'Oh my dear little Emerald, while right now you're really pissed off and angry at me, but believe me, you'll be even more so if you have to get on the stage tonight hung-over. It'll also be a lot worst if you're still pissed when you start playing. While the clientele of our little rave is not the most refined of people, I sincerely doubt they'll take it in good spirit when you slur the words and forget whole verses.' She picked up the beer and opened it. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a drink.' She smirked at Emerald and started drinking from the bottle.
Emerald growled and turned to look at Rick with an exasperated look when he saw that Rick was also drinking a can. Seeing Emerald's look, he smirked and held up his bottle in a mocking cheers. At Emerald's infuriated look, he winked at him. 'What? I needed a drink too.' He clinked his bottle with Shell's who both simultaneously smirked at him. Emerald rolled his eyes and stalked off to his bedroom, followed by the laughing and catcalls from the rest of the gang.
Around a couple of hours later, it was eleven in the morning, and Emerald was bored shitless. There was literally nothing to do! Forbidden to drink, he wasn't in the mood to practice his lyrics or his guitar again, and worst of all, he'd run out of cigarettes! He was frustrated, mentally and physically. He needed to get out of the flat, get into a few fights, maybe pick up a girl; the only problem was the time! To people like him, the middle of the morning was basically the Witching hour! Nothing happened. The clubs weren't open, the people were either working or were sleeping, and the gangs rested before going on yet another night of fun.
He sighed, lying on his back on his couch. What the hell would he do now? There was nowhere open that was half decent. Still, there were some places open to him… he got up from his couch and got on the floor, prying loose a floorboard. Inside of the floor was a secret compartment that Emerald had installed ages ago, soon after he and the rest of the gang had moved in. Inside of it were several items that he treasured most. A ticket from his first concert, a bracelet from his first girl, a small pickaxe that Dave had given him a long time ago…he sighed at the memory. He hadn't seen Dave in at least four years; he didn't know whether he was alive anymore. He sincerely hoped he was though; he had done so much for him. But the most important thing that he had in his possession, however, was his own private stash of money. At the last count, he had £275 pounds. And right now, he was pretty sure that he could spare around ten quid on some food in a decent café. And he definitely needed to buy some more cigarettes. He deserved it, especially after that article this morning. He shuddered as he put his favoured cloak on, hiding the side of his face, allowing the snake tattoo to come into prominence. He smirked, it was his little trademark.
Walking through the flat, ignoring the sniggers and the inevitable remarks of jest, Emerald left the flat, walked through the mazes of alleyways and into the main street where hardly any gang members went, for fear of recognition and imprisonment by the authorities. However, Emerald, thanks to contacts in the police, knew for a fact that there was no file on him. Until that changed, he was taking full advantage of that. And one particular part of that would be going out in public where he could just enjoy himself.
Walking into a café, he sat himself down, ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He smirked at several people who stared at him openly because of his tattoo on the side of his face, and the blatantly obvious muscles that were under his clothes. In particular, two girls whispered to each other, looking at him before quickly turning back and giggling. He eyed the pair of them up.
One girl was a white blonde girl, her long hair was clearly straightened, and it hung freely down her back. She was a very pretty girl, but was clearly an attention seeker, as to get her hair and her make up done like that, it would take several hours. He'd learnt that from when Shell went through a period, and had conscripted both him and Rick. The other girl was clearly Indian. Her hair was worn in a ponytail. While Emerald had never really managed to see the difference in looks in women who weren't white, he had to admit she was pretty. Both of them would get a lot of attention from guys whether they went. It was just a shame that it didn't really work on him. If they wanted it, then they would have to come and get it.
As he ate, the noticed the girls were definitely paying close attention to him. They were looking at him intently, with amusement he noticed that it was with lust. Still, it was pretty obvious that the two girls weren't use to having to get what they wanted, as it usually came to them. Emerald sighed; he may as well help them partly. He got up and walked to the bathroom, noting that the two girl's eyes watched him carefully as he entered. As soon as he was in, he smirked. If he was right, and he usually was, one of the girls would conveniently be outside and would accidently walk into him, thereby creating an excuse to talk to him. He grinned a little, and who was he to stop that from happening?
As he walked out, he saw everything happen before it actually did. The blonde haired girl walked into him, and with masterful acting, fell to the ground. The Indian girl was in the background, watching. Emerald played his part, knowing it like the back of his hand. He took the girl's hands and lifted her back up, before smiling at her.
'I'm sorry,' the girl started, smiling flirtatiously. 'Are you alright?'
Emerald smiled what was known to his gang members as his "award-winning-smile". He had been told many times by girls that it had made their knees weak. From the looks of this girl, it seemed to be working as well.
'Thank you for your concern, but I'm alright. And how are you, miss…?'
She blushed, quite prettily, so Emerald thought. 'I'm Lavender, Lavender Brown. And you are…?
He smiled, 'Emerald, just Emerald.' Her eyes widened slightly in recognition of the name. Emerald mentally groaned as he suspected what was coming next. The damned article!
'You're that Emerald guy, aren't you? I should've realised! You're meant to be brilliant when you play your concerts! Some of my friends went to one of your concerts ages ago, and they said that you were bloody brilliant!' She clapped her hands together in glee, not seeing Emerald's amused smile. Lavender waved over her friend. 'This is Parvati, my best friend.' Parvati smiled at Emerald as Lavender turned to Parvati. 'This is the mythical "Emerald"!'
Parvati's eyes widened and she looked at Emerald again. Her mouth gaped slightly. 'Holy shit, are you seriously him?' At Emerald's nod, her eyes turned slightly suspicious. 'How do we know you're really him though?' She looked at the side of his face, still partially covered by his hood, hiding most of his facial features and the tattoo. Obviously, Parvati knew about his tattoo. 'Pull down your hood,' she demanded. Emerald sighed, and pulled back his hood, showing his face. Instantly, the two girls gasped in a mixture of lust and shock. The two girls in particular stared at the snake tattoo he had on his face.
'Awesome…' Lavender whispered in awe.
Parvati could only nod in agreement, but she also had a small disgusted look on her face. Emerald glared at her. 'What's your problem now?' She had a serious problem; it was only a fucking tattoo!
She shook her head. 'Its – its nothing.' At Emerald's look, she sighed. 'It's just…well, why a snake?'
Emerald smirked as he sat at a random empty table, followed by the other two girls. He started to explain why he had chosen the tattoo. 'Well, the snake represents several things to me. Firstly, I don't know why, but it represents cunning. I live a hard life, and if you only rely on your pure muscle, then your never going to get anywhere in life. I've always loved snakes as well. They just appeal to me. Not only that, but it also serves as an intimidation tactic when I need it. It begets loyalty through fear to those who would betray me otherwise. It conceals my face and it creates an image that I have little doubt I would be able to keep otherwise. And finally, it draws people. I mean, it drew you two, didn't it?' he grinned at the last remark, making the two girls blush.
'It's not that we don't like the tattoo,' Parvati said. 'We just don't like the image that you chose for it.'
'Yeah,' Lavender shuddered. 'Snakes are icky, all slimy and nasty.'
Emerald laughed out loud at that statement, causing the two girls to jump. 'Believe me; snakes are not slimy, nasty nor icky. They're brilliant creatures. Besides, even if they were, why does it matter to you exactly?' The girls just shrugged their shoulders. 'Right…'Emerald decided to get to the point. 'Listen, girls, how would you both like to come to my concert tonight? And maybe afterwards we could hit a few clubs.' He grinned at them. The two girls looked at each other, obviously liking the idea before they turned back to Emerald.
'Sounds good to me, Lavender?'
'Yeah, I could probably make it.'
Emerald grinned. 'Alright then,' he grabbed a napkin and wrote down where the concert was taking place on it, before handing it to them. 'This is the address of the concert. Now, once I've finished, I'll meet the pair of you. Just wait outside of the club. Alright?' The two girls nodded eagerly.
After a few more minutes of random talking, the two girls made their excuses, and with a last lustful look, the pair of them left, leaving Emerald behind with their bill as well as his. He rolled his eyes, not again!
--
Far away, in a large crazily built house that looked like a pigsty and a small farm, a group of people who called themselves Wizards clustered around the wizard newspaper, the Prophet. Several people were there. A girl with brown, bushy hair that seemed to frizz at certain areas; a lanky redhead with a lot of freckles and a pretty female redhead that was obviously a relative of the lanky redhead. Currently, the male redhead and the bushy haired girl were arguing over an article in the newspaper by Rita Skeeter.
'But Ron, how on earth will you know if you like it if you don't even try it?' The bushy haired girl shared a tired look with the redhead girl. They'd been through this so many times! Why on earth couldn't that idiot ever listen to him? He was so obstinate!
'But Hermione,' Ron said, his voice glum and boring to listen to. 'Muggle music is boring. It'll never be as good as wizarding music anyway, so what's the point?'
Hermione bristled. 'The point, Ron, is for you to get some experience of other culture outside of the wizarding world. Contrary to "popular" belief, the wizarding world isn't the only world. In some ways, Muggles are more advanced than us in other ways.'
This time, the other girl in the room bristled. 'Hermione, you may be book-smart, but there is actually nothing better than the Wizarding world. They burnt wizards and witches, for Merlin's sake!'
'Ginny!' Ron snapped, 'don't swear!' Ginny glared at Ron, just about to start yelling at him when Hermione broke in.
'Look, the point of the matter is that an esteemed member of the wizarding community, Rita Skeeter, fully recommends this music.' She ignored Ginny's murmur that that wasn't all she recommended. 'It's a new culture for you two, and in any case, I want to go! And I won't be allowed to go unless one of you two comes with me, now whose coming!' She glared at the two of them vindictively, causing the two redheads to shrink back in their seats.
'Actually, Miss Granger,' a calm voice spoke from the doorway, causing Hermione to jump around in shock. 'It's extremely likely that none of you will be going unless you get a responsible adult with you.' He gave a small wink to Ron and Ginny, unnoticed by Hermione who bristled.
'Yes, I've already got one, Professor Lupin, but again, I still need at least another person to go with me.'
'And who might that be?' Lupin inquired.
'Bill, why?' Lupin made a face. 'Sorry, Hermione, but Bill's been sent on a mission for the Order.' At Hermione's face, he allowed himself a small smile. She opened her mouth to say another name, but Lupin quickly went on. 'Charlie's leaving for Romania, Tonks and Moody are being sent on patrol for the Ministry and the Order, and I hardly think that the concert that your hoping to go to will be suitable for Molly and Arthur.'
At Hermione's crestfallen face, he started to laugh suddenly, joined by Ron and Ginny who had been in on the joke that Remus had been playing ever since he'd entered the room.
Hermione brightened slightly, 'So – so does that mean that Bill will be taking us to the concert?' She ignored the sighs from behind her as she consciously roped them into coming. Both of them knew that if they had any chance before to not go to the concert, they definitely didn't have a chance now.
Remus shook his head. 'No, I was sadly telling the truth about Bill being sent on a mission for the Order.' Hermione's face fell again. Remus snickered mentally; teasing Hermione was just so refreshing! Sirius had started the whole thing with messing with Hermione's head, and he had never stopped since!
'S – so that's it then? We won't be going?'
Remus chuckled. 'Of course you are! You're taking me, the old fuddy-duddy to your concert!' He grinned at Hermione's face. It was time for a bit of Marauder Magic. 'So then, what's going on at this concert then? Magicians? Clowns? I hope that the songs are good, I love those songs like "if you're happy and you know it", "ba, ba, black sheep".' He smiled at Hermione's mortified face. He turned to leave, 'well, I'll pick the three of you up later.' He smirked as he left, he could practically hear Hermione's bright red blush and the two Weasley's laughing their heads off. It was days like this that he loved his supernatural senses thanks to his werewolf genes.
--
The underground concert was completely packed full of bodies. The rumours that Emerald was playing tonight had proven true, and all the people who had come out, hoping that the rumours were true, had been rewarded. In one area of the concert, Lavender and Parvati danced with two hot guys, grinding their bodies against the two guys.
In the other area, a bewildered and cramped Ronald Weasley was sandwiched between several people, hardly able to move. Ginny and Hermione were dancing with each other to the techno music that served as a prelude to the main entertainment. An amused Lupin was standing at the side of the underground music hall, remembering past memories when the Marauders used to sneak out at night and go to clubs, just like this one. Those had been the days. He missed James in particular, both he and Sirius did. He often wondered what had happened to Harry, James' son. He remembered the first day he had met little Harry. He had clutched his finger so hard, that James remarked that he would without doubt be the finest Seeker that Hogwarts would ever field. Alas, it was not to be. He had been there when Albus had personally gone to the Dursleys when he had found out that no letter had actually reached them. He was suddenly drawn out from his thoughts when the techno music stopped and an announcer walked out onto the stage.
Within a few seconds, the entire crowd held their breath, creating an unnatural silence that filled the entire hall. The announcer finally made it to the centre of the stage, where behind him; curtains masked whatever was behind it. He coughed.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to present tonight, the greatest, most badass and strongest band around this area, "Loves Blood"!' The man yelled the name of the band, and at that, the curtain fell to the ground and red mist burst out into the stage.
Remus stiffened.
That, that smell…there was an odd smell that he hadn't smelt since James and Lily had died, and Harry had been taken… His eyes widened. Harry? But where? He eagerly looked around the room, hoping to find a miniature James somewhere in the room. No, nothing…but that smell that was definitely Harry's smell! But where was it coming from? He sniffed, it was definitely coming from the stage area, was Harry in that band? He looked over the band members.
The lead member was definitely a candidate. His face was covered up by a hood, and what appeared to be a tattoo. He shuddered, if that was Harry, then James would be rolling over in his grave, he had a snake for a tattoo! The other band members were clearly not James, as two of them were girls; another guy was Asian and the other guy looked nothing alike. Harry couldn't have been using a polyjuice potion or a concealment charm, as he knew nothing about the Wizarding world, right?
There was only one real candidate then who could be Harry James Potter, the lead singer, the one who wore a repulsive tattoo, the one who had clearly been corrupted by life. He shuddered, Dumbledore had to know about this. They had to get Harry away from this life before he went down the wrong path even further. He'd resist, no doubt, but like Dumbledore always said, it was for the Greater Good. He didn't know why it was that Dumbledore needed him, but clearly he was important for the safety of the Wizarding World, even if it had forsaken him. He looked to see the others. Hermione was busy dancing with another guy, while Ron watched enviously. Ginny had gone to a bar, where he was thankful to see that she had limited herself to Muggle fizzy drinks. She was in a conversation with a pretty blonde, and seemed to be enjoying herself. He sighed, it could wait then. Harry had probably waited his whole life for someone to take him away from all this, so he could wait for a few hours.
But he would be liberated.