To Sleep is an Act of Faith
Summary: The war is over, but where is Harry Potter? The wizarding world has almost given up hope of finding their saviour, but Harry is now the one that needs saving; can an unsuspecting muggle help?
Rating: K+ (may change)
Disclaimer: It's still not mine, I have to admit, I'm starting to get impatient now.
Author's Notes: Heloo again, here's another one, tell me what you think, yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill.
Chapter Ten
Damien was had decided to pass the morning and take his mind off the boy by balancing the church's financing books. He had to do it once a month and absolutely dreaded it; he had always been bad at maths and could just never make it work. It had the desired effect and the time passed quickly, his mind kept on the books and not the young boy he had just asked to move in with him. How stupid could he be? But it seemed to be the only thing to do, and it had the desired effect – it kept the boy off the streets where he was safe. He had let the child stay over at the as a gesture of trust, he hoped the boy picked up on it; he really wanted the child to understand how much he wanted to help.
The man was engrossed in his work when the boy came in, and only slowly became aware that the child was standing behind him, watching him as he tried to make the money coming into the church equal that which was going out.
"You haven't added the VAT to those," Harry said, pointing it out. "That's why it won't balance." Damien looked, and sure enough, he had overlooked the tax. He couldn't believe it, he had been trying to do this for almost two hours, and the child had seen it less than two minutes. The man stared and Harry for a while, dumbstruck; and then said, "Well you have to stay now!"
Harry smiled a little, "Well, obviously you need help. So it would be wrong of me not to stay wouldn't it?!" Damien grinned. "But," Harry said quickly, not wanting to give the wrong idea, "Just for a little while, as, like, a trial. To see if it works out okay." He looked hesitant, "Is that okay?"
"That sounds like a very good idea; you can stay for a while, and if it suits you, we can make it more permanent." Harry smiled fully at that, it was just what he'd needed to hear; not wanting to commit to any thing big just yet.
Damien looked at his watch. "Goodness! Is that the time? Look, I'm really sorry, I have to run; I'm supposed to be at the hospital in about… five minutes ago! I'll see you back here?"
"'Kay," Harry said, trying not to laugh at the priest, who was currently running out of St Michaels like a madman, picking up bible's as he went.
The door closed with a bang behind the priest, and Harry realised that he had nothing to do. He could always go back to the park, but what if Damien returned before him? He would think he had run off. No, Harry would stay in the church. As he glanced around at his surroundings, he saw the financing books on a table where Damien had left them. Slowly, he sat down in the man's vacated chair. He picked up the book on the top if the pile, and flicked through it. The man hadn't been joking when he said he needed help. The book was in a complete mess. Harry considered this for a second, although this wasn't something that was in his 'job description', he thought he could definitely do better at it than Damien. And that would be helping out, so technically that what he was there to do, so before Harry could persuade himself out of it, he picked up a pencil and started to make some order where Damien had failed so miserably.
As he worked through it all, Harry found it to be almost as satisfying as cleaning, he would work down a column of 'ins', put it up against the right 'outs', and the numbers just fitted. He finished the second book on the pile, and went to pick up the next, but was distracted by a newspaper sitting beside the pile. What particularly caught his eye was the date: the second of September. An icy cold wave spread through Harry's body, this was the day when he should be starting his first lessons of his seventh year at Hogwarts. He should be bored in History of Magic, struggling in Potions, and exceeding even the highest expectations in Defence Against the Dark Arts. A part of him suddenly felt sad for all these things he would never get to do, and the larger half took over again. He could never return to that life, not now.
Harry pushed the thought from his mind, this was his life now. And the more he came to think about it, this life might not be so bad. Damien was good company, he had somewhere to get food, he had a purpose, and now, he even had a bed to sleep in. Harry closed his eyes in ecstasy at the thought of having a bed to sleep in, finally thinking that he might have done the right thing by choosing to accept Father Moore's offer. Running his mind once more over the agreement he know had with the priest, it hit him just how kind the man was being to Harry; and he began to redouble his efforts on balancing the church's books.
And that was how Damien found him when he returned that evening, totally engrossed. This child would never cease to amaze, first cleaning, now maths. Damien could tell he was enjoying too, the smug little smile that the boy got after tackling what must have been a particularly hard sum amused the man, and he was pleased to the child happy with what he was doing.
It was quite late before the child emerged from his trance, "I did it!" He said, grinning. Damien smiled back. "Do you realise that you just did in a few hours, what would normally have taken me days? It's amazing! Not to mention a good show of how desperate my maths skills are." Harry smiled, happy to have helped.
It was then that Damien realised something, "Good gracious child, you haven't eaten a thing all day! I say I want to look after you, and what do I do? I let you starve." Because they had worked late again, there was no choice but to get another take-away. And so the two of them sat on the bench in Clarey Park, eating Fish and Chips.
"I can assure you it won't be like this every day," Damien said grinning, "We shall have to be more organised in the future so there's time to cook something. Not that I can cook very well I'm afraid."
"I can cook," Harry said off-handily. Damien's eyes widened, "What I want to know then, is how does a boy such as yourself learn to clean, do tax invoices and cook?" His tone was playful and Harry smiled. "Yeah well, I'm not exactly your average teenager."
"So I gather." Damien said and turned to Harry, who avoided his eyes. "Don't worry; I won't make you tell me anything you don't want to. What I do want to know though, is something I've been meaning to ask you forever, I can't believe I keep forgetting!"
"What's that?" Harry asked, a little worried about what the man might want to know, but glad that the priest had said he wouldn't force Harry to give up any information he didn't want to. Which when Harry thought about it, was pretty much everything about his life up to date.
"I think, that as you're coming to live with me, I should at least get to know your name?" This made Harry laugh a little, he hadn't particularly thought about the fact that the man didn't know his name before, but now he realised that it must be a little strange for him, not even knowing what to call him.
"My name," the boy said, hesitating only for a second, "is Harry"
"Well in that case, it's very nice to meet you Harry" Damien said, reaching out his hand, and Harry took it, laughing.