I have the first 25 chapters all ready
Summary: Harry grows up working on his Aunts Garden and develops a love for it, meeting Samuel and eventually Max, who gives him a Mark of his own. He finds Magic to be a Wonderful Thing. Rating may change later.
Chapter Ten! Who can guess what The Man's name is? Hint at bottom.
It's Green – Chapter 10 – Serious Feeling
Harry looked at him, confused.
"I thought yeh weren't serious when yeh said you needed it, so I showed yeh the usual." He took Harry's hand from the glass top of the counter, and Harry let him, though he did try to tug his hand away at first, and then set it so that the tips of his fingers were at a spot near the top, Harry thought for a moment, left corner of the blank page, and Harry felt something.
He wasn't sure what he felt, but he felt something.
But it didn't feel right.
It felt interesting, sure, but Harry thought that this feeling should reach out and poke him to awareness. It should, he thought, poke him and ask him why he should be allowed to have this feeling, and challenge Harry to do—something.
This was odd, because it wasn't what he thought should happen with the other pictures.
The man moved his hand over to the middle top of the page, and Harry felt something again, and again thought it didn't feel right.
The man moved his hand again, and again Harry felt something that was not right, and the Man moved it down the page to the bottom right corner, and the process was repeated another three times along the bottom of the page.
Harry vaguely thought that the Man was judging when to move on by what he saw on his face, but he didn't lookup at the man once, eyes focused instead on the blank page and his fingers running along it.
It didn't matter that he couldn't see anything on the page.
The man flipped to the next page, and the process was repeated.
When the Man flipped to the next page again, Harry saw that he was flipping two pages, not one, and sort of understood.
The top page was a blank page. The second page had the pictures on it.
He didn't understand how this was supposed to work, exactly, but he sort of understood… what was happening… sort of…
Maybe.
Harry felt the urge to ask if he could still see the pictures afterwards, but was distracted when he felt warmth under the paper, and frowned.
"Found it?"
Harry was shaking his head even as he replied, wondering how he knew.
"No, it feels like it's under this, like feeling something under packed snow. Like a hot pot covered by an oven mitt…" Harry thought that this wasn't a good enough description for the feel of it, but the Man seemed to understand and flipped to the next page, this time placing Harry's hand back on the top middle portion of the page.
Harry shook his head. It was warmer, but from something else under it.
Again the pages were turned. No.
Again the pages were turned. No.
Again the pages were turned. No.
The place kept getting warmer and warmer, and Harry wondered if he would have to get burned when they got to the right page.
They were getting closer to the end of the book, and Harry wondered if they would have to get to the end of the book before they got to the warm source.
Again the pages were turned. No.
Again the pages were turned. No.
Again the pages were turned. N—
Yes.
The warmth was blazing with heat like Harry had accidentally brushed the soup-pot, but he didn't flinch his fingers away from the heat, because along with that heat was right.
Harry looked up at the Man, and he seemed to be frowning at the place where his fingers rested.
He turned the pages, and set Harry's fingers on the next spot, but the rightness wasn't there, and the difference between the feeling of right and this not-right wrongness actually made Harry flinch back.
His hand was set back on the Rightness, and Harry relaxed.
"Hm. Well then. I guess yeh were right about needing something green after all."
Harry looked up from his fingers to find the Man grinning at him, his silver pointed canine shining in the lights of the room, and smiled back.
His hand was moved to the side, and Harry rubbed his fingers against his shirt as he watched the white paper get turned, and laid eyes on what was beneath it. He didn't even glance at the pictures on either side, because the picture before him was so Right.
It was a tiny little plant, poking up as if it was barely turning to spring, about as tall as his index finger, and was less disappointing than it was confusing.
It didn't look anything like any of the plants he'd ever seen in this stage, at least in ways that mattered. Its leaves were rough around the edges—or at least some of them were. The rest were smooth edged.
It had a stem, but had the little feelers that vines and climbing plants had.
It also had tiny little purplish coloured thorns, and though Harry knew that it was too young to show signs of what kind of flower or fruit it would have likely bore, he knew that it would likely have as confusing mix of buds as it did leaves.
But he wanted it.
This was the Mark he wanted.
It didn't matter that it was small, it didn't matter that it didn't look as if it would be a particular challenge to take care of… but no, Harry felt that that was wrong, somehow.
It didn't matter that it wasn't as fantastically interesting as the other pictures that he'd seen, it was fantastic in itself.
He reached out and touched it, and the feeling did reach out and poke him back. It asked him what he thought he was doing, and why he should be given any attention when it was obvious that it needed attention more. In fact, why was it paying the least bit of attention to him? He responded with feelings of wonder at its simple complexities, and his love for taking care of the green things. His love of it, and his yearning for it. He fully agreed that it needed attention more than he did, and wondered how exactly he could help.
It seemed to mull over these feelings, before giving a sort-of nod in acceptance, and telling him to hurry up already.
Harry smiled, and the picture rustled slightly. The sprout Flexed.
"Huh, so I guess yeh get it then. So how're yeh gonna be paying me Kid? Yeh don't get th' Mark before yeh pay."
Harry felt the bottom of his stomach drop suddenly, and felt stupid for getting this far without thinking about the price.
Everything needed money, as his Uncle told him repeatedly, reminding him that his Uncle paid for everything for him, and how thankful he should be.
Harry knew with a certainty that his Uncle wouldn't pay for his Mark.
How would he get the money for this?
The man seemed to see what was wrong, and scoffed.
"What's your name Kid?"
Harry swallowed the knot in his throat and croaked out "Harry Potter sir…"
The Man Barked, this time in what seemed like surprise, and Harry saw his eyes dart to his forehead and rest there for a moment, before focusing back on Harry's eyes.
"I think I know a good solution for this, yeah?"
Wait for next chapter tomorrow! You get to see how Harry is more than a lil paranoid and suspicious!
Oh, and the Hint is that the answer was posted in a chapter title. You have up to 10 to choose from :D
And I still want to know who thinks Samuel is a Snake!
~Doodled93~