AN: I forgot to add it in the last chapter, but this fic is still not Beta'd. Also, if you have any criticism - good or bad - please leave a review.
Enjoy!
The personification of Death was lounging in the middle row, his feet thrown up on the back of the seat in front of him, invisible to any who bothered to look. Mortis watched his heir scurry around the big tent, the boy's white t-shirt streaked with dirt and pieces of wood chip in his unruly hair. Death conjured an apple and took a big bite.
"When I told you to go out and live," Mortis mused, appearing right behind his heir. "I didn't exactly mean for you to join the circus. But to each their own, I suppose."
Harry shot up from where he was resting, wand in hand. After a moment he tucked it back in his sleeve with an exasperated wave. 'There's nothing wrong with joining the circus.'
Mortis snorted. "No, not at all. But even you have to admit it's a bit absurd; a wizarding hero joining the circus."
Harry shrugged. He sat down and patted the bench next to him. 'Not any more absurd than a one-year-old vanquishing a Dark Lord with the power of Love.'
"I'll give you that one," Mortis laughed as he took a seat. "Though that is not at all what happened. You should give your mother more credit, Harry, she is rather brilliant."
After one last bite Mortis flicked the half-eaten apple over his shoulder. Harry slapped his arm. 'Who do you think will have to clean that up!'
"Oh, lighten up. Are you a wizard or not?" Mortis rolled his eyes, then waved his hand to banish the apple. "I know you've been living among the no-mag, but you've still got a wand. You pointed it at me well enough."
'Are you here for the show? It's our last one in London.' They both observed the people busy with the lights, all the way up by the trapeze rigs. 'Although that doesn't really matter when you're Death, does it.'
"Nor when you're dead," Mortis chuckled at his own joke. "It's been a while since I've been to a circus. If nothing else it will help pass the time."
A black ball of fur jumped onto Harry's lap. Shadow laid down and started purring. "Hello, beautiful. You've grown quite a bit bigger since I last saw you. Did the young one give you a name?"
The cat looked up at Mortis and mewed.
"Shadow, is it? A beautiful name for a beautiful creature."
'You speak cat.' Harry blinked at the man. 'I don't know why I'm surprised.'
"I do speak cat, but Shadow here is no cat."
'Is she a kneazle, then? She seems smarter than the average cat.'
Mortis tickled the kitten under her chin. She gave a satisfied purr and pushed her head harder against his hand.
"Not a kneazle, no. She's something special." He winked at the cat. She flicked her tail at him. "You made her, you know. As far as I know, she's one of a kind."
Harry stared down at Shadow.
She stared right back.
It was impossible to tire of watching Linda work in the light booth. She moved from panel to panel like a faerie. Harry thought of the sparkle-covered dainty little silver things used as Christmas decorations and snorted. She was definitely not a faerie.
While she was beautiful, her beauty was overshone by the intelligent gleam in her eyes. Her skin was marked with dozens of tiny tattoos that were easy to miss on the dark brown color of it. Her movements were graceful, but always full of purpose. Harry pitied anyone who would dare call her decorative.
"Harry, would you mind." A bright orange ribbon was shoved in his hand. A petite woman wearing an all-black bodysuit and bright orange feathers on her face stared up at him expectantly. "I just can't seem to get it as nice as you do."
Her name was Anya Azarov, one half of the Amazing Azarovs, the juggling couple. Harry motioned for her to turn around, then placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from fidgeting.
Anya had trouble interacting with men other than her husband. It came as a surprise to everyone in the troupe when she had warmed up to the new recruit. Harry assumed it had to do with his short stature, he was barely half a head taller than her. All the other men in the circus were giants compared to him.
With great care, Harry tied the ribbon into her ponytail, the long length of fabric tucked into a neat bow. He tapped her on the back to let her know he was done and smiled at her.
"Thank you, Harry!' She hurried off. Her husband, Kozar, was waiting for her by the stairs. He nodded at Harry, a kind smile on his face. Harry nodded back.
"You've got them all charmed." Linda walked over to what everyone had started calling Harry's spot - a high chair in a corner of the light booth with a view of the whole tent. "I don't know how you did it, but you did."
Harry blushed and rearranged his hair to better cover his scar. It meant nothing to anyone here, but it was a habit that was hard to kick. They stood there in the corner, looking down at the performers as they warmed up. There was only an hour until the audience would start to arrive, and everyone was ready and raring to go.
"Are you sure?" Linda hadn't turned to look at him. He shrugged, unsure of what she meant.
"Are you sure you want to come with us, I mean." Her face was carefully blank. "It takes a special type of person to leave it all behind and joining the circus is the most behind you'll ever leave anything. It could be years before we come back here. Are you sure you want this." She waved her arm in a vague gesture that was, strangely enough, a good description of all the circus was.
Harry thought about Grimmauld Place, and Hogwarts - he thought of the Dursleys. He pulled out a pen and a small notebook Meghan had gifted him and wrote on it in his neatest handwriting.
"I've stayed here my whole life because other people said I had to. I'm leaving because I want to."
Linda stared at the piece of paper. When she looked up at him her gaze felt like veritaserum.
"What if you regret it?"
Harry swallowed. He thought of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, of battling a dragon and swimming in icy cold water. He thought of the feeling of catching the snitch for the very first time and running head first into a solid stone pillar, hoping there was something on the other side.
"What if I don't?"
Shadow licked her paw as she watched her Master close up the last of the containers. They were leaving soon, and it wouldn't do to be dirty for that. Her Master stopped to talk to one of the other humans, the one that could see. Shadow shot forward and jumped onto her Master's shoulder, pressing herself into his soft mop of hair, and mewed.
The other human was staring at her. The cat flicked her tail at the small human.
"Are you hungry, girl? There's a nice big can of tuna waiting for you in the camper."
She purred harder at that. Tuna was a heavenly treat, much better than the 'cat food' her Master had tried to feed her at first.
She wondered if there was good food where they were going.
A place called Amsterdam in the Netherlands, was it? She doubted it was The Netherlands.
Living souls never went there, after all.
Humans were so strange.