AN: Yeah, it had been awhile. Excuses aside. I had over 2/3s of this chapter finished for over two months. I have finally finished it, so I can upload the next three chapters today. After that, it might be another month or so before I come back. I've got The Paths We Take to work on. Frankly, this following is much much smaller than the other story and while this is just for fun, that once is a little bit more on my heart. Anyway, hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters. I liked them.
Time traveled Harry will be known as Alphard or Al from now on. Five year old Harry will be known just as Harry. Hope that is clear. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I am not the writer/creator of the Harry Potter Universe. If I was, I would be English, rich and not 20. So, well, I guess that's three strikes and I'm out.
3 – Reclaim
When Alphard opened his eyes again, it was dark in the Unknown Patient Ward. Or, at least as dark as it ever gets to be in a Ward. The soft, tiny, glowing bubbles were a nice change from harsh florescent lights in muggle hospitals, though, he'd give them that. He grumbled lightly about damned healers slipping him Dreamless Sleep Potions, but it was a mild protest at best. He knew he needed rest, even if it was grudgingly (very grudgingly) admitted.
Absently, he wondered just how many ceiling tiles there were in this particular Ward (there were 473 in the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts, just for reference). He shot the ceiling a contemptuous glare as he found himself counting reflexively. He hoped he never got a chance to count them all. He shook the odd train of thought away simultaneously trying to clear the lingering cobwebs Dreamless Sleep gave him. It took a few minutes to feel really normal (at least for him) again.
After thoroughly checking his ward/hall, he realized there were no other Unknown Patients tonight. He frowned. Well, that isn't obvious. He snorted. After all, you weren't paranoid if people really were out to get you. Constant Vigilance and all.
A slight ripple later and the dirty-blond patient was replaced with a rather reedy, platinum blond teenager – complete with I'm-so-much-better-than-you-because-my-family-imbreeds-so-there! sneer. Ah, memories. It was so amusing to have such a wealth of 'people' at his disposable. He only hoped it caused the prestigious family some small problems (like say gossiping medi-witches, who just happen to talk to a possible-but-you-didn't-hear-it-from-me Malfoy bastard) in addition to helping him escape from St. Mugo's. He took a deep breath as a pleasant smile played on his mouth. He had come to appreciate irony over the years (how could he not?), to an unhealthy extent if Hermione was to be believed. Luna, well, Luna probably wasn't the best influence as far as that subject went. It was best to just leave that at that.
Stepping out of the Ward had been fairly easy. There was a regular lock on the door that didn't open to his initial twists, probably because of the rather high grade locking charm (usually for the safety of the patients; though, Alphard suspected the high grade was a special bonus for his 'safety'). However, years of Gred and Forge tutoring with a focus in MLPD (Muggle Lock Picking for Dummies) had paid rather high dividends. The lock clicked open without a fuss after only a few seconds and a misplaced hair pin from the corner of the ward.
Waiting for the meandering healers and medi-witches to wander past the ward had taken longer than opening the door, but after what he suspected was fifteen minutes, the area seemed moderately clear. His first action would be to borrow a wand. He certainly couldn't break the wards/charms/potential hexes guarding his wand without one. He suspected MLPD wouldn't work against Head Healer Lysandra, and he wasn't willing to risk it.
Rounding a couple of corners brought him face to face with a very tired looking woman with a bright blue button flashing INTERN! every few seconds. He staggered a bit, swaying into her and bringing her attention away from the charts. Instead, they focused on him. Somehow, his arm made it around her shoulders and a smirk played across his face.
INTERN! frowned heavily. "Are you lost?" Alphard-in-Disguise leaned on her a bit more. INTERN! scowled. "Visiting hours are over." She stated crispy. "If you are not a patient I will have to ask you to leave."
"Oh I'm supposed to be here alright." His raspy voice replied with a bit of rye amusement. INTERN! did not seem to find it quite so funny.
"Then allow me to escort you back to your room." She bit out as she tried to wiggle away from him. "Do you know your room number?"
"I'll give you mine if you give me yours."
"Your name." She demanded in a no nonsense tone that he thought only McGonagall had mastered. Finally, she forced his encroaching arm away from her shoulders. As she moved away, his palm got a good feel of her pert rear.
Her eyes lit with righteous fury. Alphard-in-Disguise smirked a little more and winked. "Malfoy, Abraxas Malfoy Jr. and don't your forget it." His raspy voice adding to the undertone.
"Oh, trust me, Mr. Malfoy. I'll make sure I give your name to security! You-you cad!" She huffed down the nearly empty corridor with a determined stride.
Alphard swirled around moving back the way he came; his work there was done - and rather satisfying as well. As he turned the corner, Abraxas Malfoy Jr. (the-total-cad-and-an-illegatement-son-of-Abraxas-Malfoy-like-that's-any-surprise!) strangely disappeared and a rather nondescript red head took his place twirling a wand he hadn't had a second ago. The world tilted a bit causing Alphard to lean against the convenient wall to his right. It took a few moments of deep breathing and focusing before his vision settled back. He nearly grimaced. It seemed he had pushed himself, again. Damn, I cannot afford to stay here any longer.
Frustrated but determined, he walked quickly back to the Head Healer of the UPW's office (which he had passed while trying to find a wand to borrow. He raised the wand to place a mild notice-me-not charm on his person, grimacing at the wand's lackluster performance. Not that he was really surprised, he found that every wand seemed to hate him now. It seemed that the only wand that worked properly for him now was his unicorn and blackthorn wand (he suspected his phoenix would as well, but it wasn't really an option at the moment).
Wands he found were much more sentient than the average person believed them to be. Most of the wizarding world accepted that the wand chose the wizard, but none really associated that choosing with intelligence. Alphard, well, Alphard really hadn't either until his phoenix wand refused to fight its brother. He heard its feeling/thought/undertone more clearly after that, in the back of his mind. Not really clear words, mind, but opinions that clearly weren't his (though sometimes they did agree). It took him awhile to finally figure out exactly what this other voice in his mind (not Voldermort, he knew what that bastard felt like) was. He was a pretty amazing feeling when he finally consciously acknowledged the bond between them. Hermione claimed his power had greatly improved afterwards, but Alphard knew it was just his efficiency. He just worked better with his wand.
His unicorn and blackthorn wand seemed extremely territorial. Alphard had a lingering feeling that the badass wand had 'marked' him in some way that made him undesirable to other wands. He really wouldn't put it past the two pieces. And he wouldn't call them on it either. He wanted at least one wand to work for him.
After examining the Head Healer's door just because he wouldn't put it past the former Black to ward her door, Alphard nearly raised his eyebrow in disbelief. Blood wards did seem a bit like overkill, as well as pushing the bounds of 'acceptable.' Well, maybe not. Constant Vigilance and all. Still, Alphard was very glad he was so paranoid; he definitely didn't want to have activated those wards. So, it was with a very grumpy wand that Alphard breached the delicate spider like blood wards protecting the office. He even managed to skate around the detection ward keeping it from activating, though that was definitely by luck alone.
With a quick sweep of the deserted hallway, he slipped into her office. A through search later, he had found his wand - surrounded by more wards, hexes, and charms than even Voldermort placed on his Horcruxes, though of a decidedly lighter nature. And that was saying something. He looked skeptically at his pilfered wand. There was no way he could breech these wards without Lysandra Yaxley finding out, especially with the grumpy wand. So with a resigned sigh, he poured every ounce of his considerable magic at the guarded desk drawer. Two seconds later, the multicolored spells snapped, and Alphard had his wand. Not surprisingly, the finicky wand was both elated to be with him again and affronted had 'cheating' on them with another wand.
Minutes later (after another troublesome inversion of gravity and tossing the other wand), a red haired man walked out of a very frazzled St. Mugo's just before the magical hospital was locked down due to a breach of Head Healer Lysandra-cross-me-and-you-die Yaxley's office. Everyone thought whoever had been stupid enough to cross her had to be touched in the head – severely.
