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.
Fourteen! I didn't post this earlier because I actually fell asleep before 12 last night (SURPRISE!) :D Was worried half a second ago, that I had missed a day, and was busy reassuring myself that since I posted 2 chapters one day earlier, that that made up for it… I have to wonder if anyone would have reviewed with "WHERE IS ITTTTT!" or if anyone would have noticed ^_^
It's Green – Chapter 14 – By the Way…
Thankfully his Aunt had decided that every other day would be when he would go out for a couple of hours 'to be seen by the neighbors', and today was one of the days to go out.
Harry grabbed the green bandanna that he'd taken from Aunt Petunia's stash of them, one that she never wore, and headed out the door and down semi-familiar streets to the Tattoo shop. He didn't know why he had grabbed it, but he did.
When he opened the door, Max was grinning and looking right at him.
"You're late."
Harry blinked at him, his thoughts of how things were likely to pan out sputtering to a stop. What? Max came around the counter and flicked the sign on the door to "CLOSED".
"Ah, well, can' be helped then, lemme see 'em."
And he picked up Harry and plopped him onto the padded chair, pulling his too-large shoes from his feet and yanking his baggy socks off.
And then his ankles were bare and beautiful, and Harry was reminded that he wasn't here for angry demands but only to find out why he now had two separate marks that were also growing.
"Huh. Seem to be growin' well." He ran fingers over Harry's feet, tilting them at various angles, and stopped to trace a silvery line that Harry hadn't noticed before. "Once the roots sink in, they'll grow to match your energy, but with so few roots it'll take a bit before they grow to your current levels… "
Max looked over his feet for a few more moments before sitting back with a sigh.
"Yeh wan' an explanation, yeah?"
Harry nodded, running a finger over the silvery line on his foot that did indeed look like the beginning roots of a transplanted plant.
"Alrighty then Kid," His grin was once again wild and manic, "Yeh should know that there's magic in the world, yeh're a wizard, yeh're famous for killing a dark wizard, an' this," he pulled a stick from the back of his pants, "Is a wand."
Harry opened his mouth to tell him that that was not True, but before he could get anything out Max muttered something underneath his breath and Harry was getting taller, and there was no longer a cushion underneath him.
He wasn't getting taller, he was floating.
Hm.
Harry felt his clothing for anything that could have been hooked to him, but couldn't feel anything, and looked at Max with wide eyes.
"Yeh're a wizard 'cause yeh managed to see and get into my shop, Muggles can't do that. Muggles are non-magic fuckers," Harry blinked at the Bad Word but let it pass without comment. His Uncle said Bad Words too, just not around his Aunt.
"Why can't Muggles see or get into here?"
"Because I cast a spell that made 'em not notice it. Yeh can't go into a store yeh don't know is there. Your parents were offed by the Dark wizard that yeh killed as a babe, not whatever lies your relatives told yeh, and for that the name Harry Potter is famous, and by proxy so're yeh." Max seemed to find that as funny as Harry thought it odd, and he barked out a laugh.
"Really?" Harry was glad to know that his parents weren't useless drunkards who died in a car crash, but it was rather harder to believe that he was famous. It was also very hard to really believe that there was magic in the world beyond plants, but since he didn't have any proof against it, and Max had made him float… well, he was even now sill floating.
It was hard to argue that magic didn't exist when you were floating.
"If I'm famous then why am I living with my relatives?"
Harry didn't think it was likely true, but then thought about the strange little man who'd shaken his hand, and the lady who disappeared into a purple bus who'd smiled at him. His Aunt and Uncle had told him not to lie, and Harry had avoided thinking into those situations too much to avoid any punishments…he got enough of those from Dudley's lying. He looked down and also thought it might be nice to be back on the chair. He wasn't afraid of heights (he got over that the first time he cleaned the gutters around the roof), and floating was nice, but it soon got a bit tiring.
Max seemed to notice, as he seemed to notice everything, and set Harry back down on the seat.
"No clue. But right now we need to go to the bank. Get on yur shoes."
Harry frowned but complied. He was feeling a bit numb in his mind right about then. Or his mind was feeling numb. Whatever… there was such thing as magic.
Magic.
MAGIC.
Hm.
"Where's the bank? And why do we need to go?"
"Diagon Alley. An' the Goblins have been trying to get in contact with yeh and asked me to arrange a… meeting… it seems as though any Owls sent to yeh come back, angry, their letters unopened."
"Owls? Goblins?"
"Mail travels by owls. They try to send yeh a letter, but owls can't get to yeh, so they come back. Goblins don't like that. Goblins run the bank, Gringotts. "
They left the shop, and Max locked the door behind him, and they were standing at the curb, and Max held his wand out to him, and Harry had seen this before—
CRACK
The tall purple double-decker bus snapped in front of them, and an old looking man heaved himself to the door, his face pockmarked and hair thin and lank on his head.
"Hello, my name is Steve Shunpike, and I'll be you're—"
"Yes Steve, I know, here's the money, and we'll be going to the Leakey Cauldron. Now."
The newly named Steve blinked, and heaved himself back into the bus, the silver coins clutched in his sweaty fist.
Harry stepped into the bus with Max.
.-~-~-~~-~-~.
Harry tied his bandanna so it covered his forehead, as Max told him to.
Apparently he didn't want to 'deal' with people, and somehow covering his scar would keep him from having to. Harry was glad he had the urge to bring the bandana with him in the first place.
The pub was dingy but friendly feeling, and Harry was feeling a bit dry from the lack of anything growing. He was used to SOMETHING growing around him…
In the bus there had been a lady with a plant with leaves like spears, and Harry had stared at it, transfixed. He'd seen it in the book of Marks, but to see in in real life…
Max had explained things about the magical world in a low voice for the entire ride, and so Harry didn't gape when the bricks pated, didn't goggle too much when they walked through the Alley, and knew why a group of teens were huddled around a broom.
Harry wondered what it would be like to fly.
Harry saw apothecaries and wondered about potions (Max had said it's a bit like cooking, and Harry was getting rather good at that), saw clothing shops and wondered if he would have enough money to buy clothing of his own, saw a wand shop and thought about charms and transfiguration, saw what seemed to be an Owl Store and thought about what Samuel had said about Owls eating snakes…
Max had told him a lot in that half-hour bus ride.
Gringotts was huge and made of white stone, but still seemed to be living, it was so magnificent.
Harry stopped a moment inside the doors to read an inscription on the door. He was rather impressed at them being able to put a warning in a rhyme.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Harry didn't think that what the thieves must 'pay most dearly' would be money. Max said that only an idiot would try to steal from Gringotts, and Harry didn't think that idiots would have much money, especially if they were trying to steal money…
He told Max this, and Max only laughed.
"That's circular thinking, that is."
Harry looked at the Goblin who stood at the inner doors, and smiled at him and gave a small bow. "Good afternoon, I hope that you make a large profit today." Max had said that Goblins main priority was money and profit, so it seemed appropriate.
The Goblin blinked, and after a moment gave his own bow. "To you as well, may your gold flow freely and gain much profit."
Max's grin slipped slightly, and Harry saw him give him an odd look when they stepped into a line to reach one of the tellers.
Something occurred to Harry as he stood in line with Max.
"What do you get out of taking me to the Goblins?"
"Because then the Goblins will remember me." Max's grin widened as he replied. He seemed delighted that Harry had asked. Harry thought that over, before nodding.
"The Goblins are in charge of wizarding money, and will likely owe you one, right?"
Max's chuckle was his only response.
.-~-~-~~-~-~.
So then, chapter 14 on the 9th of November…
Just so I don't get correction reviews, I know that in the books it's Stan, but he's young. Do the math in your head, but there's no way that he could really be working on the Knight Bus, so I brought in Steve. If anyone reviews with a correction, I'm not responding with anything but scorn, so be warned. If the review says that I'm stupid for writing Steve rather than Stan, be prepared to face the bitch slap of my distaste, and to have your penname/reviewer name posted on the next chapter so that others may laugh and point at you. I hate it when people correct me, when there's nothing to correct, all due to them NOT reading the A/N before reviewing :|
Again for those who asked for longer chapters, this one turned out to be 4 pages too :D SURPRISE!
Review if you don't want me to take my one 'sick day' tomorrow :D
~Doodled93~