CAUTION: Spoilers for HBP, coarse language.
7: THE MECHANICS OF MADNESS
The sun was just starting to cast its rays across the floor of the room, when Harry next woke. He came fully awake, realizing he was not the only one occupying the bed. 'John', Harry quickly remembered. Harry was laying on his back, while John was on his side, facing him, an arm across Harry's chest.
Then, it all came back to him in a torrent of emotions. He had tried to kill himself last night… and John had saved him—again. 'How could I be so bloody stupid?!' he screamed in his head, 'This is NOT Cedric!' Still, the image of his new friend lying motionless, the result of a killing curse, continued to haunt his mind. He once again reminded himself it could easily be Ron or Hermione.
The thing was, he had felt his magic reach out and touch John's soul. The warm feeling had spread between them, a very different feeling than when he had kissed Cho Chang on Valentine's day. That had resulted in a shiver, and a rather icy feeling—incompatibility, from what he assumed. He had also gotten the warm feeling when he had kissed Cedric for the first time. So once again, it came back to John.
He was certainly good looking, to say the least. A fine catch for anyone. Still, his words echoed in his head; 'I don't swing that way.' So what did last night—and this, mean? He had all but went ballistic when Harry had tried to kill himself. He had kissed him once out of… well, that was a bet. But to do it again, rather willingly? Of course, that might be considered under duress as well. Further evidence to counter his outward opinion, was how John was presently sleeping. Almost in a protective sort of position, Harry mused. He sighed, and carefully rolled onto his side, and moved closer. He smiled as John seemed to adjust as well, so they closed the gap between them. He had to admit, it had been well over a year since he had shared a bed with anyone, and that had been with Cedric. All in all, it was nice, he thought, closing his eyes.
"Harry?" Harry slowly opened his eyes, at once recognizing the voice. "Harry. Mate, you have to stop grieving." Harry focused on the voice, and let out a slight gasp, as the ghostly form of Cedric had appeared. They were in the entrance hall at Hogwarts, although it was deserted, dimly lit by the torches.
"I miss you so much," Harry said, his voice barely a whisper.
"I know you do. But you will destroy yourself if you don't move on. There are so many who need you."
"I… I can't!"
"Yes you can. That's not the Gryffindor I knew, Harry. Don't ever say you can't."
"I'm sorry, Ced, it's just… so much dragon shit!"
"The guy beside you will help you through it."
"It… it doesn't feel right… and besides, he only kissed me because…"
"Do you not trust what you felt? Harry, he's as compatible as we were. Go for it, make yourself happy."
"He said…"
"Ah, but you have to look at his actions and not his words," Cedric pointed out. He then seemed to look around suddenly, and said, "Shit, I have to go, and so do you." Harry nodded, feeling a hand prodding his side.
"I'll always be here, Harry."
"Bye, Ced." With that, the scene faded, and he found himself looking into blue eyes, blurry as the scene was. "Harry… um…"
"Right. You wouldn't know where my glasses are?"
"Sorry."
"On the stand," said another voice, belonging to Travis. John reached over, picked them up, and passed them to Harry, who then slipped them on. "Much better. Err… I hope… I mean…" John only shook his head, and said, "I'm okay with that. But I'm not okay with what you tried to do last night. Jesus Christ, what were you thinking?"
"I wasn't," answered Harry, "Thanks… for stopping me from doing something stupid." He paused, then said, "Now if I knew where my wand is…"
"I have it. Here," said Travis, moving to pass Harry his wand back. John snatched it, however. "I want a promise from you that you'll never do something so fucking retarded ever again… and I MEAN it!"
"I won't."
"No, PROMISE me, Harry."
"Fine. My wand, first."
"No, I…"
"Give me my wand back, and you'll get a wizard's oath. I need my wand to do it," said Harry. John looked to Travis, who only nodded. He passed Harry back his wand, who then sat up properly. He held it out in front of him, saying, "I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic that I shall never knowingly try to harm myself again." A golden swirl of magic wafted from the tip of his wand, and suspended itself over John's head like a globe.
"What's that mean?"
"Just say, 'so mote it be'."
"So mote it be," said John. The globe vanished inside him. "What… what does that mean?"
"It means that, if I ever break my word, I can lose my magic."
"Why did it come to me?"
"Because it was you who demanded it, and it was you he was making the oath to," answered Travis. He thought for a moment. "Harry, you realize a Muggle handled your wand without anything screwy happening, right?"
"So? It's just a…" John began, as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"No, it's not just a piece of wood," Travis interrupted, "Bad things can happen if a Muggle handles a wand. Just, keep that in mind… it could fuck you up badly."
"'Morning, Harry." Harry had to grin, seeing Bill laying on the other side of Travis' bed. "Good, I guess. Gonna need an anti-hangover potion, I think."
"Figured that much," Travis smirked, going over to the shelves lined with potions. He picked out five vials. "Here." He passed one to John, saying, "It'll make you feel better. I call these 'Morning after specials'. Anti-hangover coupled with a pepper-up potion." Travis passed out the rest of the vials, then drew his wand and gestured at himself, changing his clothes. "I'll worry about a shower later. Got a tractor to start. Oh, and by the way… you guys looked cute together."
"Right…" said Harry, feeling his face getting very warm.
"Say that again and I'll…" John began, although he also felt his face getting quite warm.
"Or you'll what?" Travis smirked, pointing his wand at John, "Rictumsempra!!" John fell to the floor, as he found every inch of his body being tickled in one way or another.
"Not a good idea to threaten a wizard, John," Harry smirked, "Okay, better cancel it or he'll piss himself." Travis nodded, and cancelled the jinx, leaving John heaving on the floor. "Jesus… Christ…" he wheezed. Harry held out a hand, and helped his friend to his feet.
"Mom's probably got breakfast on the go, c'mon."
"John… I'm glad you didn't freak out… waking up beside me," said Harry, cautiously, as they walked out of the room.
"Um… Harry, I still don't get what happened last night." He hesitated, but put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It was scary, and cool all at the same time."
"Yeah, now just imagine what it felt like on my end, mate. Cedric, all over again."
"You mean, what I felt last night…"
"I think so. I mean, I think… if he hadn't been killed… very likely we would have…"
"I get it," said John, as they stepped into the large main room of the house. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the air.
"'morning, hon," said Lisa.
"Hi, mom. Gonna eat and run. Gonna start dad's tractor," Travis announced.
"I have a plate ready for you," his mother indicated a plate of eggs and bacon.
"You make it sound like it's an all-day job or something," said Derek, who was already eating.
"Partly right. It's a steam tractor, which hasn't been ran in weeks, maybe months. Mom, you wouldn't know when he last ran it."
"No, afraid not."
"So it's stone cold."
"Right, boiling water, and so on," Derek said, quickly understanding.
"It'll take about four hours to get up to operating pressure."
"Why go through all that trouble," questioned Sarah, "A modern tractor would be much easier wouldn't it?"
"Not as much fun though. This is a hobby too."
"Wizard partaking in a Muggle hobby. The purebloods back in England would be in a right state, I think," mused Sirius. He was busily loading his plate with bacon, sausages, and scrambled eggs.
"I see you've changed your hair. A bit more normal, I should say," Lisa remarked. Travis smirked, and gestured at his hair with his wand, turning it back to the partial Mohawk he had been sporting. His mother pursed her lips and groaned. "You do it just to irritate me, I KNOW it," she huffed. Harry only grinned, as he grabbed a plate and loaded it. John and Bill also did the same thing, and the four of them left the cottage with their plates.
The tractor had been re-enlarged behind the cottage, in between that and the small workshop. Alongside the workshop, was a wood pile. Travis sat on the apron of the engine, and began to eat his breakfast. The others also started in on theirs, although Harry was also looking closely at the machine before them. It was a deep maroon colour for the most part, with golden yellow pin-striping. The machine easily stood ten or twelve feet high, and somewhat resembled a cross between a locomotive and a tractor. Huge, wide back wheels, they had no tires, just steel cleats.
Travis set his plate down on the apron, then climbed up. He then picked up his plate, and set it on top of a large barrel.
"What's in there?" Bill gestured to it.
"Water. The other side is for wood. Then, if you look forward…" Travis gestured to two large barrels suspended under the boiler, "They're extra water tanks. You'll see once we get going, it goes through a lot of water." He took a few more bites of his breakfast, then started rummaging around in the wood box. He opened the furnace, tossed in the few pieces that were left, and after a quick glance at the water glass, gestured with his wand inside the furnace. "Incendio."
"So how old is this?" questioned Bill, as he too looked over the machine.
"Well, what dad could figure out, it's a 1913 model."
"And this is like a regular farm tractor or whatever," said John.
"Yes. This is what they used before the gas or diesel ones."
"Now do you have to oil it and shit like that?"
"Not anymore. Anything that needed to be lubricated… I cast a permanent lubricating charm on it. Otherwise we'd be here for hours. The ministry nailed me with a bunch of fines that day, and dad cursed a blue streak, but… like I said, they can all go fuck themselves."
"Travis… let it go… no sense in getting all pissed about it," said Harry. Travis only nodded, and summoned a number of pieces of wood from the wood pile. They were dropped into the wood box.
"So… is driving it difficult?" questioned John.
"A bit tricky. Steering isn't too hard, but, handling the controls—throttle and so on, is. I'll let you have a go at it once we get pressure."
By ten-thirty, the engine had reached operating pressure. Travis hopped back up onto the apron, and beckoned for everyone else to join him. "Hold on to something." He gripped one of the levers, and pushed it all the way forward. He then pushed a second lever ahead slightly. There was a great hiss of steam, along with a chug-chug sound, as the flywheel on the left turned over several times. He pulled back on the lever, then pulled another to the right. "Okay. John, you've drove before, right?"
"Nothing like this."
"It's all manual—a lot of work. Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Right. Hang on, guys." Travis reached over, and pulled on a chain, causing the whistle to let out a short 'toot'. He then pushed the second lever ahead again. The tractor lurched as the engine turned over, then settled as it began to roll forward. "All right, turn the wheels right a bit… see the machine ahead?" John nodded. "That's where we're going."
Although nervous at first, John proved to be an able driver, and with Travis' guidance, lined the tractor up with a pulley wheel on the other machine, a small mobile sawmill.
"Now, the tricky stuff. I'm gonna need a hand, guys." He hopped down from the machine, and Harry quickly followed. Travis opened one of numerous doors on the machine, which revealed what looked like a large woven belt. "Gonna need someone to grip the other side."
With Harry's help, they pulled the large belt out, and unfurled it between the pulley on the sawmill, and that of the tractor. Travis then mounted the belt on the sawmill. "Right, a hand again… no, this way…" They stretched the belt out, and twisted it. Then came time to put it on the pulley of the tractor. "Tricky business… see how well John actually did," said Travis, as he climbed back onto the tractor. He leaned forward, and both Harry and Bill assisted passing the belt up to him. He skilfully looped it over the pulley, then sighted it. "Okay, looks good—shit. Forgot something. Gonna need a hand again." He climbed down off the tractor, and returned to the sawmill, along with Bill, this time. "Watch out, the saw blade is crazy sharp… sharpening charm and all."
"Merlin, anything you HAVEN'T cast a charm on?" Bill laughed, as they hoisted the protective cover off the blade.
"Yeah, a couple things… I think," Travis smirked, as they set the cover off to the side. "That should do it. Lubricating charms… nothing to really check here." He glanced at the rig, and deciding everything was in order, returned to the tractor, Bill quickly following. "Okay, here goes nothing."
"You say that like it's dangerous or something," said John.
"It is. That belt weighs about forty pounds. If it comes off the pulley doing a hundred or so RPM, you get the picture." He pressed slightly on the middle lever, and the engine turned over with a loud 'chuff'. He pulled it back, then pushed it forward again. 'chuff, chuff'. He did this several times, finally leaving it at just above idle. "Well done, Mr. Connor, a perfect alignment." He pushed the throttle forward a little more, and pulled back on a smaller lever. The engine started making a loud hissing noise to match the chuffing sound for a few seconds. "Cylinder cocks," answered Travis, at the curious glances. "All right, here goes." He pushed the throttle all the way forward, and the machine leapt to life, as it spooled up.
The rest of the morning was spent demonstrating how the sawmill worked.
"Usually, dad gets a crew of guys up here and so on," said Travis, as they at last broke for lunch.
"How does he usually get the tractor up here?" questioned Bill, as they walked back into the cottage.
"Well, dad usually gets a big flatbed, and a barge. Costs thousands of dollars EACH way. Dumb fuck, meanwhile, if he'd just let me help, it would cost him NOTHING," answered Travis.
"Just about to call you boys. Lunch is just about ready," said Lisa. Harry had to smile, seeing Dobby zipping around, helping out with lunch.
Remembering what he had said the previous night, Harry knelt in front of the fireplace, and tossed a pinch of floo powder in, calling out, "Fire call No. 12 Grimmauld Place!" A few seconds passed, and Molly's face appeared in the flames. "We were waiting for your call, Harry."
"We're just about to have lunch, so I can't be long. Do you have Hedwig there?"
"She's waiting here with me, quite excited to see you, dear. She kicked up quite the row when I mentioned you were going to call for her."
"I'm sure. Sometimes I swear she knows exactly what people are saying. Can you send her through?"
"Harry, wait," said Bill. He drew his wand, and muttered something in Latin, ending with 'Hedwig'. "All set. Okay, mum, send her through." Harry stepped back, and a moment later, a snowy owl shot out of the flames, to light on Harry's shoulder. He grinned, saying, "Hello, girl." The owl let out an indignant 'hoot', and nipped him hard on the ear. "I know, I'm sorry it took so long to retrieve you."
"Here, I'll take her outside," Bill offered, holding out an arm. Hedwig looked at it, then back at Harry, and flew over. Bill only nodded, and took the bird outside.
"Harry…" Harry turned, and frowned. The headmaster was once again framed in the red flames.
"What do you need?"
"Only to check in, my boy."
"Okay, I can at least give you that. But sir, we will be having a conversation in the near future, I can promise you that."
"I can accept that. Have you been receiving any visions from Voldemort?"
"No. None. I still get nightmares often, but… no visions."
"Good, that's good. I suspect Tom is exercising Occlumency against your mind link," said Albus. Harry nodded.
"Are you eating well, Harry?" came Molly's call.
"Just fine… like I said, we're just sitting down for lunch."
"Where are you?"
"I'm not ready to answer that sir, other than Bill has been great putting up wards, and putting the property under a Fidelius charm."
"Indeed! Well, then, I guess that will suffice, although I would be more comfortable had you spent at least a few weeks with your relatives, Harry. Without that, the blood protections will not be strengthened."
"Too bad," Harry snapped, "Headmaster, I will make this very clear. I will NOT be returning to the Dursleys. Ever. I don't care if the wards were put in place by Merlin himself. They HATE me, and I HATE THEM."
"Perhaps we can discuss your grievances a little more when we have our chat."
"Count on it."
"I do say, Albus, I will also have something to say about that," said Sirius, joining Harry at the fireplace.
The range of expressions that crossed the old wizard's face were priceless, to say the least. In the end it looked like he had sucked on several very sour lemons.
"S-S-Sirius?!" he finally managed.
"No, it's a Death Eater polyjuiced to look like me," Sirius deadpanned. Travis let out a laugh, and Harry grinned. "Harry, Lisa's put lunch out."
"Right. Look, we have to go. I'll be in touch."
"Do stay safe, Harry," said Albus, still wearing a very sour expression, and with that, he cut the connection. "Oh Merlin, that's gonna drive him half-spare for sure," Harry laughed, as they took seats at the table.
"It just seemed like the Marauder thing to do," said Sirius, letting out a bark of a laugh.
"Harry, you will have to face him eventually. And it is only fair, there's a lot of people who care deeply for you," Bill pointed out. He had slipped in moments earlier, after releasing Hedwig.
"I know that. But there's also people that only want to control me, and I won't stand for it. Not anymore."
"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," said Travis. Bill nodded to that, as did Sirius.
"Not today. I do want to see Ron and Hermione, though. They deserve to see me face to face."
"We can put off the log sawing until later, then," said Travis.
"Bill, what did you do to the floo when I was on it?" asked Harry.
"Adding Hedwig to the access list. The floo circumvents the Fidelius charm, unless it's warded. There's an access list—people that can and can't use it. So I'll have to add Ron and Hermione to it before you call."
"Right."
As soon as lunch was completed, Bill added Ron and Hermione to the floo access list, while Sirius disappeared up the stairs. Harry again sat in front of the fireplace. He again called Grimmauld Place. This time, it was a young lady with bubblegum pink hair who answered. "Wotcher, Harry!"
"Hi, Tonks. Are Ron and Hermione around?"
"Just finishing up supper."
"Great. Can you have them floo over? It's Travis Fisher's Cottage. They're on the access list."
"You are looking out for yourself, I hope?"
"Yes. Fidelius charm," answered Harry. The young Auror only nodded, satisfied with that answer.
"I'll see you all soon." With that, he ended the connection.
"Jesus. She and Travis should have a competition or something… most outrageous hair, you know… that kind of thing," John laughed.
"Oh, Tonks would win it hands down. She's a metamorphmagus."
"A what?"
"Metamorphmagus. She can make herself look like anyone just by thinking of them. It's an ability. Think of it like a built-in glamour charm," Harry explained. John only nodded, and a smirk crossed his face.
"What?"
"When you invite her through, we're gonna have to get her to demonstrate her ability for Cameron."
"Speaking of whom," said Travis, "Where is she?"
"Haven't seen her all morning," said Lisa, as she cleared away the remaining dishes from the table.
"Mom, why are you doing that? Dobby will take care of that. Go relax somewhere."
"It's all right, hon."
"Why would you be worried about her anyway… it isn't as if she's got feelings or anything," said Harry.
"Actually, she could probably help us with the log-sawing," said John, "Cyborg and all, right?"
"How much can she lift, anyway?"
"Don't know, never asked. I did see a lesser model stop a two-ton truck with me and mom inside, my foot pressed to the floor in low gear," said John.
"Yeah, she might be useful, then," Travis nodded. Just then, flames roared to life in the fireplace, and burned bright red. John watched, as a red-headed boy, and a bushy-haired girl stepped out of the flames. The girl let out a shriek, and smothered Harry in a tight hug. "Oh, Harry! What were you thinking?! You had is all going half spare!" she wailed. The boy, meanwhile, stood, unsure of how to react.
"Air… Hermione… air…" Harry moaned, and was finally released from the suffocating embrace. "I should slap you silly, for scaring us like that!" the girl continued to scold.
"Hermione! Stop!" Harry shouted. "Look, I had good reason." He turned to the boy. "Ron. How are 'ya, mate?"
"Still a little off. Good to see 'ya." They embraced only briefly.
"Guys," said Harry, "This is Ron, and Hermione. We've been friends since first year. Ron, Hermione. This is John, and Travis."
"Pleasure," said Hermione, shaking hands. She gave both boys the once-over, seeming to nod at both. "Both of you wizards?"
"No, not me," said John, with a weak smile. Ron also shook hands with Harry's new friends, but did it uncertainly. Harry could see some of his personality had been dulled by whatever had attacked him in the 'brain room'.
"Let's get back out to the tractor," said Travis.
"C'mon, this way," said Harry, and the group left the cottage.
"Harry, where are we, anyway?" questioned Hermione.
"Not even I'm sure, really. Somewhere in Ontario."
"It's near a place called Windermere. We're right across from it, actually," said Travis, "Hang on." He climbed up onto the apron of the engine, found a scrap of paper, and scribbled a note out. "Here. You'll need to know that."
"The Fisher cottage may be found at… Oh, Fidelius charm!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yup. Bill set it up," said Harry, with a grin. Said eldest Weasley was busily manipulating a large log onto the rig. "Just about set there, Travis?"
"Hang on!" He gave the various instruments a once-over, then pushed the throttle forward a little, putting the engine in motion.
"Blimey, what is that?" Ron questioned.
"Steam tractor and a saw mill," said Travis. He then opened the throttle all the way, and the machine began to spool up.
"Dad would be in a right state, if he saw this," Ron grinned.
"We'll have to have your parents over," said Harry, "This place reminds me of the Burrow in some ways."
"Okay. Harry. Explain yourself, and I mean it! Leave nothing out," Hermione practically demanded.
While the others worked with the sawmill, Harry related to his oldest friends the plight that was the past four weeks. His fleeing Hogwarts; floo-ing to Diagon Alley and the subsequent visit to Gringotts; his experiences in Muggle London, and his flight to Toronto.
Travis joined the conversation when Harry began to describe his adventures in Toronto, and finally John joined the conversation as they described their foray into another dimension.
"You mean to tell me, you actually travelled to another dimension!?" Hermione exclaimed, excitement dancing in her eyes, "How? And how did you get back?"
"It was some sort of cursed Portkey—"
"Harry! Are you mad?!"
"We didn't know it was, I mean, really, Hermione, I found it in my jumper after I fled Hogwarts. I don't know where it came from, or what it was, but—it was just there. Travis and I needed a Portkey 'now'—being attacked by Death Eaters… had I known what it was, I would have used something else."
"We'll have to show you in a pensieve what happened when we landed, God. All I can say is, talk about 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'," said Travis.
"Well, what did it look like?"
"The Portkey? Wait, I'll get it," said Harry. He quickly retreated to the cottage.
Climbing the stairs, he was rather shocked, to find the floor plan had changed somewhat. "Bloody hell!"
"I gathered Ron and Hermione might be spending the night," said Sirius, appearing from one of the rooms.
"You didn't change the dorm, I hope."
"Expanded it a little, but I left it mostly intact."
"I didn't know you did that well with transfiguration," Harry grinned.
"We weren't always doing pranks, pup… maybe seventy-five percent of the time, but…"
"Right. I missed you so much, Sirius."
"You have no idea how much I missed YOU. Eleven years. Eleven years since the Tri-Wizard tournament."
"And Voldemort came back."
"Yes."
"Here, I only survived because of luck. I saw my parents. A Priori Incantatem, as Dumbledore explained."
"You'll have to tell me all about last year, Harry. I'm sure now you're wanting to get your friends up to date."
"Yeah. Just getting the globe that acted as a Portkey—the item that took us to your world."
Returning to the main floor, Harry found Cameron staring at the fireplace. "What are you doing?"
"Getting attuned to the 'magic', as you call it."
"Oh. I don't know you can, I mean, there are six of us here now that can do magic, and there will probably be more."
"I will adapt. Magic is only another form of energy, is it not?"
"I guess so… I mean, I never thought of it that way. Just… magic… it can do so much, err… show up in so many different ways. I'm just a student, God, I've only known about magic for five years. You'll have to talk to my headmaster, professor Dumbledore. He might have a better perspective on your thoughts than I do," said Harry. The cyborg only nodded. "Actually, come with me, I want to introduce you to my friends."
Harry and Cameron stepped outside, to see Hermione gasp, as Travis summoned more pieces of wood from the wood pile. "You… you'll get yourself expelled doing that!"
"No he won't," answered Harry, "No magic detectors up here—"
"And even if there was," Bill pointed out, "The Fidelius charm would cancel them anyway."
"But…"
"Hermione, we broke the rules most of last year with the DA. So—"
"I say fuck 'em," said Travis, "They have no right penalizing me just because my mom and dad are Muggles. The underage sorcery law—that's all it does."
"Still—"
"The worst they can do is slap me with a fine," Travis continued, "Or, well, I mean, I did get a visit from the Auror office a year ago."
"Hermione, I don't really care anymore. If they want to expel me from school, let them. I'll still learn what I need to, some way or another. I will KILL Voldemort, that's what the prophecy has set me out to do, and I WILL do it," said Harry, with resolve.
"What prophecy?" questioned Ron. Harry sighed, and repeated the contents of the prophecy.
"Oh Harry!" Hermione gasped, as the realization hit, "I'm so sorry—"
"Don't be sorry, Hermione. I know what I have to do, but I need your help, and Ron's help, and… whoever else that… that will stand up with me and tell Voldemort we won't accept his dragon shit anymore."
"You've changed, mate," said Ron.
"Thank you, captain Obvious," Travis snorted, as he adjusted several levers on the tractor. A loud hiss came from under it. "Shit, sorry." He cranked a valve, and the hissing stopped. Harry gave a short grin, then said, "Guys, we had almost thirty people in the DA last year…"
"And you were a brilliant teacher, mate."
"He told me all about that," said Travis, as he again tried opening several valves. This time, there was no loud hiss from the bottom of the tractor, although a stream of water began to pour out a pipe. "Steam injector," answered Travis, from inquisitive stares.
"The point is," Harry continued, "When I left England, I just… I just wanted to get away. Leave the wizard world completely, at least for a while. I wanted time to just—"
"Deal with Sirius' death," Hermione guessed.
"Among other things. I mean, bloody hell, I had just found out something I should have known about since the first day I set foot in Hogwarts. Yet, Dumbledore decided I should be allowed to have a 'normal' childhood. Tell me, what part of normal entails being neglected and mistreated by your relatives?"
"They DID put iron bars on his bedroom window the summer before second year," Ron pointed out. He was suddenly looking rather green. "I need to sit down…"
"Here." Travis gestured with his wand at a stray piece of wood, transforming it into a sturdy chair.
"Thanks, mate."
"Anyone else?"
"Let me," said Bill. He joined the group, and conjured up chairs for everyone. "Conjuration. An advanced form of charms," he explained, at both Cameron and John's inquisitive look.
"Yes, something I need to learn," Harry decided, "It was bloody brilliant to block the killing curse." Bill only nodded, saying, "It's a NEWT level spell, Harry."
"And a Patronus isn't?" Harry challenged.
"What is a Patronus charm anyway?" questioned John.
"Oh," Harry grinned, pointing his wand at an empty space. It took no effort for him to come up with a happy memory—seeing Sirius again—and he commanded, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silvery stag erupted from the tip of his wand, to gallop around for a few seconds. It stepped up to Harry, and seeing no visible threat, it vanished.
"Damn," said John, more than impressed with the ghostly figure.
"Rather ironic, considering my dad's Animagus form was a stag. One of my dad's best friends, who taught Dark Arts Defence in our third year, taught me how to cast it."
"He chased off over a hundred Dementors that spring," said Hermione.
"Holy shit, that's awesome," said Travis, "Harry, it takes a powerful wizard to do something like that."
"Not to mention, summoning his broom from a mile away," Hermione noted.
"Yeah, he told me about that," said Travis.
"And being able to summon his wand to him—"
"No FUCKING way. Harry, you really did that." Travis was astounded.
"Why is that—I mean, it was life or death… the Dementors—"
"Harry. Jesus Christ, man, you truly are an incredible wizard! Not too many people can do wand-less magic either!"
"Is that… what it's called?"
"Yeah. They didn't tell you that?"
"No."
"It's a rare branch of magic," said Bill, "If you were able to summon your wand last summer, that means you have the ability. It's only a matter of training it."
"So he wouldn't need a wand," John guessed.
"Exactly," Bill answered, the wheels already turning in his mind. He already knew Hermione was most likely making a list of her own, but he began laying out ideas of things he would teach Harry.
"Right. Got off track, here. This is the item that acted like a Portkey." Harry pulled the globe out of his pocket. It was still cloudy. "It looks something like the globe that had the prophecy in it. But when I found it originally—it had a picture, or a movie sort of thing, of John."
"Harry, you could have been killed!" Hermione scolded.
"We almost were," Travis chimed in, reaching into one of the cargo pockets of his pants, and pulling out a small figure.
"A Muggle toy?" guessed Hermione.
"No. A cyborg. A machine," answered John, "Cameron…"
"It is a terminator. A machine programmed to infiltrate and assassinate," said Cameron.
"A killing machine? Why? Who would want to create something like that?" questioned Hermione, confused.
"In my world, a computer took over the world in the future. It started sending these machines…" John gestured at the miniaturized cyborg in Travis' hand, "back to… um… my present—to kill me."
"But why?"
"SkyNET sees John as a threat that must be eliminated," said Cameron, "He will lead the future resistance against it."
"Let me get this straight. A Muggle computer is sending machines back in time to kill you," said Hermione.
"Yeah, that's about the size of it."
"And they would have, if Travis and Harry hadn't… um, dropped in as they did."
"This thing was shooting at us the second we showed up," said Travis.
"We didn't know it was a machine until we tried to stun it—err… well, Travis did. So I hit it with a Reducto charm, and froze it."
"Immobilus charm?"
"Yeah. Once Travis realized what it actually was—"
"You treated it like an inanimate object," finished Hermione. Harry nodded, and they related the day and a half spent in John's world. When Harry mentioned Sirius, Hermione all but demanded to see him.
The reunion went quite well, and Harry took that time to also introduce his friends to Lisa, Sarah, and Derek. Lisa was already getting dinner under way, once again with the help of Dobby. "Am I to assume you two will be staying?"
"Of course!" answered Hermione, "Although we did have supper just before we floo'ed over."
"Yes, right. Forgot about the time difference," said Harry, "Maybe we'll have to put a clock over the fireplace to remind us."
"Guess you guys might like a pepper-up potion or two, then," said Travis, "Oh, mom. If you want corn, I'll get the steamer going."
"Yes, please."
"Okay. Everyone here likes corn on the cob?" No nay-sayers, so he continued, "All right. Let me fetch a couple pepper-up potions, and I'll set up the steamer." He disappeared up the stairs.
"Steamer?" questioned Derek.
"Better to just watch what he does," answered Lisa, as she opened several large packs of steaks.
"Dobby, I think we're gonna need another package of steaks. You mind popping out to the store?"
"Right away Miss Lisa!" the elf vanished with a slight pop. Harry only grinned, while Hermione had a sour look on her face. "What?"
"Harry, you know what I think about that," Hermione scolded.
"He's happy to help, Hermione. Besides, I see him as a friend, and if he wants to help, all the better, right?"
"I still don't think we should be taking advantage of them that way."
"I don't think we are. I still have to have a chat with him on the issue, but I do plan on paying him, along with Winky, come to think of it."
"Well…"
"How many families actually PAY their house elves, Hermione. Just… give it a rest, okay?" said Harry. Just then, the elf popped back in, carrying a medium-sized bag.
"How do you pay for groceries?" questioned Sarah. She was helping Lisa to prepare some of the vegetables.
"I gave Dobby some loose coin, and if I need to, I can give him access to my vault," answered Harry.
"Actually," said Travis, "it'll be better if he's got access to mine."
"Fisher… right… Travis, you do need to be careful. You might be fooling the Muggle banking system, but the goblins are… rather suspicious of your dealings," Bill warned.
"What do you mean?"
"Converting a million at once? They're not stupid," said Bill. Travis nodded in understanding. True enough, the goblins were shrewd when it came to business affairs. "So what's the maximum I should change over at once?"
"Keep it small. You know, nothing more than ten-thousand. Large amounts like that, don't do it often. Don't want to see you get in trouble for fraud."
"You mean he could be charged in the wizard world?" questioned John.
"Yes. That could also result in charges from the Muggle authorities too." Bill thought for a moment. "Where is all the Muggle money coming from anyway? Or do I not want to know?"
"Probably best if you didn't," answered Travis, as he headed up the stairs.
He returned only a few seconds later with two vials. "Pepper-up potions," he said, offering said vials to Ron and Hermione.
"Thanks, mate," said Ron, as he downed the offered potion. "Vanilla flavour. A potion that actually doesn't taste like dragon shit."
"What, aren't you guys taught how to at least make the taste of a potion bearable?" questioned Travis, surprised. "Um, let's go outside."
"Remember what I told you about Snape," said Harry, as the teens left the cottage.
"Right. One sec…" Travis opened a small storage box, and gestured with his wand, levitating what looked like a large wash tub. "Harry, mind grabbing the hose?" He gestured at a one-inch hose that was also coiled up. Harry only nodded, and pulled it out, manually. He followed Travis over to the tractor.
"Great," said Travis, setting the container down, "Stick one end of the hose in the hole…" He gestured to a hole in one end. "And I take the other end…" Harry passed him one end of the hose, which he attached to a valve on the tractor. "Now we just need the corn. We won't do that until the steaks are half-done." He thought for a moment. "So it sounds like your potions teacher sucks."
"He's a bloody nightmare," Ron lamented, "He flies into the room, calls us all a bunch of dunderheads, points to the board and says, 'follow the instructions and turn it in at the end of the class'. Then he storms around the room, berating us on how dreadful our skill is, in the meantime praising his precious Slytherins on how skilled they are. He scares the hell out of Neville, I've lost count of how many times he's melted his cauldron!"
"Not to mention the number of house points he's deducted from us, just because he hates us," Harry pointed out, as Travis continued to look after things on the tractor.
"Doesn't sound like he should be teaching," Travis finally said.
"Thing is, Dumbledore says he trusts him implicitly. He's a bloody Death Eater! Shouldn't be around children, let alone Harry!" Ron shouted.
"Well, that's one of the things that will be changing," Harry declared, "I don't know what Snape's agenda is, but my returning to Hogwarts will depend on him being removed from the teaching staff. I won't let him get away with the dragon shit he's been spewing toward me and my class mates." Just then, Lisa appeared at the door to the cottage, and called, "Mr. Weasley, your mother's in the floo for you."
"Which one?" both Bill and Ron said at once.
"Oh. Completely forgot about that," Lisa smiled, "Ron."
"Right," Ron grinned, quickly returning to the cottage.
"Harry, how… what are you planning to do, anyway?" questioned Hermione.
"To make sweeping changes in our world," answered Harry, matter-of-factly, "Like I said already—I mean, you weren't here, but… British wizarding society is just a breeding ground for dark wizards. What happens when we get rid of Voldemort? His Death Eaters will still be around, promoting their master's agenda. Let's face it, the ministry of magic is just…"
"Incapable of dealing with that sort of threat," Travis finished. He had taken to sitting on the apron of the engine, as it continued to steam, the pressure gauge reading close to eighty pounds per square inch.
"Exactly," Harry continued, "I'm going to force our world to change, one way or another."
"But Harry, do you hear what you're proposing?" Hermione challenged, "Our world might not be ready for that kind of change."
"Hermione, if we don't, we'll end up with people like Malfoy running things. I'm bound by a stupid prophecy. I don't want our kids to have the same fight. God, when have I had a chance to be a kid? I don't want that for our generation's kids. It wasn't fair to me, and it won't be fair to them. When does it stop? When we blow ourselves to oblivion?" That comment got a dark look from John.
"What…" began Hermione.
"We think a dark wizard—possibly Voldemort—is behind the creation of SkyNET in John's world," said Travis. Hermione only nodded, as she quickly understood.
"Voldemort did some terrifying things in my world," said Sirius.
"His Death Eaters took over the Canadian Ministry only hours before we left," said Travis, "I mean, we have Death Eaters acting here… we were fleeing from them when we activated the Portkey. But the Canadian ministry is usually pretty quick to deal with something major." Just then, Ron rejoined the group.
"What did mum want," asked Bill.
"Just asking if Hermione and I were staying here."
"Lots of room, I made some adjustments upstairs," said Sirius, with a grin.
"Great, thanks. I don't mind doing it, but it's nice to have a hand now and then," said Travis.
"Err… Travis, you do realize, more of my friends will likely want to visit."
"Sure. I don't have an issue with that. Harry, I don't have a whole lot of friends in the wizard world… at least none that would want to come here. Lots of acquaintances, but no real close friends."
"I'm surprised at that, Travis," said Bill, slyly.
"Simple. I'm an asshole, and a prick. I don't put up with horse shit, and I'm a bit standoff-ish, and well, people don't like that."
"We'll have to lock you in a room with Snape," Harry teased.
"No, mate, he might end up dead," said Ron, darkly. Travis only smirked, saying, "I would probably get in a few good curses beforehand."
"I do have to wonder," said Harry, with a smirk of his own, "How Snape will handle Sirius being 'back from the dead'. I'll be surprised if Dumbledore didn't say anything last night. He DID see him when he spoke to me in the floo." He thought for a moment, then said, "Then again, why am I NOT surprised. This from a man who kept the prophecy from me for five years." That got nods from the other wizards and witch in the group. Harry watched, as Lisa stepped out onto the back deck, and started the barbeque. "Either way, Travis, I don't think you're a prick. Strong opinionated, maybe, but not a prick."
About twenty minutes later, Travis retrieved a box of corn from the cottage, and began tossing the cobs into the tub he had brought out earlier, husks and all. Derek had followed, curious to see how Travis was going to use a steam tractor to steam corn.(2)
"Never seen corn done that way before," said John.
"Oh, it's good. I'll use the steam from the engine. It'll take about twenty minutes or so—if I've timed it right, they'll be ready at about the same time as the steak."
"Sounds like a lot of work just to steam corn," said Derek.
"Well, in the old days, they would put a roast or whatever in the smoke box." Travis gestured to the front of the engine, "in a good, sealed pot. It would cook all day, and be ready for dinner."
"It would be, most practical," Cameron noted, as Travis finally covered the container with a thick cloth. He then climbed onto the engine, and opened a valve to the hose. There was a hiss of steam, of which some began to escape from under the cover. "Okay, about twenty minutes, then."
After a large dinner, the group again moved outside to the fire pit. Travis again had a smirk on his face, and Harry could already guess what he had planned once the adults retreated to the cottage for the night. Still, more important issues did need to be discussed.
"Harry, when do you plan on meeting with the Order?" Hermione pressed.
"I'm thinking tomorrow around lunch time. That would make it around supper time back in England. We'll let Dumbledore, Remus, maybe Tonks through. I'm sure Remus would like to see Sirius again and all."
"He's not been the same since the Department of Mysteries," said Hermione, "His transformation at the beginning of the month was much worse than usual; he was haggard for days after."
"Transformation?" questioned Sarah.
"Should we tell them about his 'furry little problem'?" questioned Harry. Sirius only nodded, and explained, "Remus was bitten by a werewolf when he was a boy."
"You mean, werewolves are real?!" Derek was unsure whether to be amazed or frightened.
"Very. Voldemort is trying to recruit them," said Hermione.
"And… they transform… like the legend?"
"Yes. Although Remus makes sure he's well away from people on the night of a full moon."
"A responsible werewolf… I don't know if I want him around my son," said Sarah, uncomfortably.
"Mom. We haven't even met the guy yet."
"I can quite assure you, he's no danger to anyone, except on the night of a full moon—which won't be until the end of the month."
"I can help set up a place—" Travis began.
"Unnecessary," said Sirius, with a smile, "He's got several places at his disposal already."
"Most likely he'll only be here off and on anyway," Harry mused, "Order business and all."
"Yes, which mostly involves you, Harry," Bill pointed out.
"But that's just the point, Bill! The Order should be taking a more proactive approach to dealing with Voldemort! All they do is sit around and talk about things, waiting for something to happen. Tell me if I'm wrong, of course… but if that's truly what they're doing, what's the bloody point?!" Harry exclaimed, irritated, "It's only AFTER some sort of dragon shit happens that they react to it."
"In some ways you're right, pup," said Sirius, "It was only later we realized what you've just said. Of course by that point it was already too late, and we were too few in numbers to make a difference. I ended up fleeing to a small island in the South Pacific…" A feral grin broke out on the middle-aged wizard's face. "Say, come to think of it…"
"No Death Eaters?"
"Harry. I own the whole island."
"How big is it?" questioned Travis.
"About fifty square miles, maybe."
"Maybe we could have a look sometime," said Harry, "I mean, the Fidelius charm here is nice, but, extra distance, and we could cast a Fidelius there too." Bill nodded, as he and Travis moved close to one another.
"Err… Travis… don't people have to get permission from a foreign ministry before they come through an international floo?" questioned Harry.
"Ah… that would only be the case if it were an international floo. As far as the British ministry believes, your floo here is local," explained Bill.
"Err… isn't that illegal?"
"Only if we get caught."
"Right. Now I KNOW you're related to the twins!" Harry laughed. That got a smirk from Bill, while Travis reached for his pack of cigarettes.
"Well, it's not something I would do just anywhere."
"Right, uh huh… might that have something to do with how close you two are sitting right now?" Harry teased.
"Not that I'll ever tell," Bill answered slyly, "We can do the same thing if we go to Sirius' island."
"I still can't believe you own an island, Padfoot."
"It's been in the family for years."
"Bollocks!" Harry exclaimed, "That would mean Belletrix would know of it!"
"Fidelius, Harry," answered Bill.
"Rather ironic you mention that," said Sirius, "It was you that applied the Fidelius charm to it in the first place, in my world."
"How much do you guys know about firearms?" questioned Derek.
"Muggle weapons? Nothing, really," answered Bill, "Witches and wizards don't see a need for it; our wands can be just as lethal, and that's not even counting the killing curse."
"What happens if you lose your wand though? Or if you're disarmed?" questioned John.
"Then we'd be in trouble," said Harry, darkly.
"Why the question, though? I mean, British wizarding society frowns on the use of Muggle weapons," Hermione pointed out.
"And that's complete horse shit," Travis countered, "Holy fuck, if I have to resort to Muggle tactics, I'm not gonna let 'niceties' get in the way… hell, the enemy won't."
"Well, Voldemort won't ever stoop to Muggle weapons," Sirius noted, "He abhorrers anything Muggle."
"Why?" asked John.
"Because that's part of his heritage. At least what Albus explained to us, Tom Marvolo Riddle is a half-blood—born of a witch and a Muggle. Merope Gaunt, a witch, seduced Tom Riddle, a Muggle, using a love potion. She became pregnant, but died shortly after giving birth, and young Tom was left in an orphanage. Now, of interest, the Gaunt family were the last descendents of the Slytherin bloodline."
"So Tom truly is the heir of Slytherin," Harry said. Sirius nodded. "With that said, Voldemort hates who he is, and anyone else that fits that description."
"Hypocrite, that's all I can say," said Travis, "Can you tell us anything else?"
"Dumbledore visited Tom at the orphanage in London."
"To give him his Hogwarts letter," Harry guessed. Sirius nodded, and continued, "Yes, exactly. Albus regretted that he had not watched Tom more carefully, but what happened of course, cannot be undone. Tom already had the markings of being a hateful, cruel, power-hungry individual, long before he attended Hogwarts."
"What kind of student was he?"
"Probably better to ask Albus about it. He was the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts when Tom was a student. He has a number of memories he can show you."
"So we're back to the Horcruxes."
"Yes. Six of them."(1)
"What's a Horcrux?" questioned Hermione.
"An item that works as a container for a piece of someone's soul," explained Sirius, "A truly evil thing, both on its own, and the act of creating one."
"You mean the locket you showed us the other day," John remembered.
"That would be it."
"Do you know where the others are," questioned Harry. Sirius nodded, and answered, "That will be one of the things we must begin doing, sooner rather than later."
"Agreed. We won't defeat Voldemort sitting around on our arses, waiting for things to happen," said Harry, "It's time we took the fight to him. I'm tired of feeling like I've got a great big bull's eye painted on my chest."
"I could show you how to handle a pistol," John offered, "I mean, you and your friends."
"Sure," said Harry, "I mean, if Voldemort doesn't like Muggle things, then we'll use Muggle things. It would be the ultimate slap in the face."
"No matter what you do, though," said Sirius, "The Horcruxes must all be destroyed before you ever attempt to destroy Voldemort."
"I understand."
"It's cooled off a bit," John noted, "Gonna need my jacket."
"Here," Harry grinned, drawing his wand, "Accio John's jacket and hoodie!" It took a few seconds, but both items floated out the upper window of the cottage, to Harry's outstretched hand.
"Thanks."
"Mr. Show-off," Ron said, stifling a yawn, while John put on his hoodie and jacket. It was the early hours of the following morning, and only the teenagers remained around the fire pit, the fire long since dying down to smouldering embers. Travis and Bill were once again sharing a single, enlarged cushion, while John and Harry were side by side, their cushions perhaps a little closer than they had been the night before.
"Here, how about a few blankets—you'll have to share them, though." Travis also drew his wand, and summoned several old quilts. "You guys'll have to get closer," he smirked at Harry and John.
"Whatever," said John, adjusting his seat.
"You know," said Bill, "We could always just enlarge one of them so you could share, like we are."
"Um, yeah," John snorted. He wasn't fooling anyone though, as Harry only grinned, pulling the provided blanket over them. "Don't think I've ever actually slept outside before."
"I have, lots of times," said John.
"So have I," said Travis, "It's an amazing thing… here… lean back—the cushions will adjust." He demonstrated, and both he and Bill ended up laying out flat on the ground, the cushion becoming more like a large mat. "A great way to watch the stars."
"You like astronomy?" Harry guessed. Travis nodded, saying, "Yeah, I think I did pretty well on my OWL this year."
"Never cared too much for that. It didn't help me plan for the future, that kind of thing, I guess," said John, as he and Harry adjusted their cushions, "Things like chess, shit like that."
"You play chess?" Ron perked up.
"Yeah, since I was small. Strategy, shit like that, right? You play?"
"Of course. We'll play later, I'll have to fetch my chess set."
"Oh Merlin, good luck, mate, you'll need it," Bill smirked.
"He's impossible… God, we've been playing each other since we met in first year… haven't beat him yet."
"Hey guys… look at that." Travis was pointing to a spot in the southern sky. "See it?"
"That's not a star," said Harry, "Stars are supposed to twinkle."
"It's a satellite," said Travis.
"What's that?" questioned Ron. Travis only grinned, saying, "It's a device we've put into earth orbit. The Americans and the Russians started using them back in the sixties and seventies to spy on each other."
"They still do," added John.
"Yeah, they still do… but nowadays, they're more useful. TV's, cell phones, GPS devices, many of those things depend on satellites," Travis explained, as they watched the speck of light make a steady track across the sky from south to north.
"Professor Sinistra always wondered what they were," said Harry.
"You mean to say, Muggles have put things into space?" Ron was astounded.
"Well, we DID walk on the moon in 1969," said John. Ron at this point was doing a very good imitation of a goldfish. "Bollocks!" he finally declared.
"Honest to God, we did," John pressed, "I can prove it!"
"Later, guys," said Harry, wanting to stave off an argument, "Let's just relax." John only nodded, and lay his head back down, staring up at the sky.
Harry was right, of course. It was too late at night—or was it early in the morning—to be arguing. Not to mention, he was quite comfortable, under the blanket Travis had provided. Or perhaps that was also the boy beside him. It was still something that had his mind going in circles. He liked girls, didn't he? Come to think of it, he had never really had the chance to get to know anyone, what, with all the moving around, fleeing the authorities. There were always fleeting friendships and so on that never really lasted, the opportunity to take things further never really presenting itself.
Then, of course, what would his mother and Derek think, if he were to further his relationship with Harry? Would she want nothing to do with him? Then where would he be? After all, just like Harry, he did have a destiny to fill, although he knew that, like Harry's, that was changing too. Just the fact they had fled his own reality, they had changed the future. What was to happen at this point, was anyone's guess. 'So much bull shit,' he thought to himself, rolling over onto his side, facing away from Harry, still feeling the soothing tingling sensation, as his body still drunk greedily from Harry's magic.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
It had taken thirty-two years. Thirty-two years, from the time Cromartie had found the strange energy displacement, and the last known location of the Connors. The machines had been diligent in their research into the how's and why's. They had soon understood it was something like a time displacement device, but something far more complicated.
Now, the very location John, his mother, and his friends had left from, had become a massive research facility. The machines had built around the energy signature, and studied it carefully, making millions of calculations based on the study. It had resulted in an enormous device, of which SkyNET was quite eager to try—if it could be considered 'eager'.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
In the alley John and his friends arrived at using the Portkey only days earlier, electricity began to arc through the air, as it seemed to develop a charge. The activity intensified, as a globe materialized, scorching the ground, and melting a portion of a nearby dumpster. Two naked figures were crouched within it as it dissipated, and both rose to take in their surroundings.
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AUTHOR NOTES: Went a little nuts with this chapter, I think. Sorry about length… this is so far the longest chapter I've posted for this one. Heads up, some action coming up next chapter… *smirks*
(1) They don't know about Harry being a Horcrux.
(2) Steamed corn… very yummy, I've had it done this way.
