AN: Sorry about the really long delay in this. I went on holiday and, whilst I was away, my muse vanished. It took me a while to start writing again and when I did I completely rewrote the chapter, unsure of which one to post. Reading the long version of this chapter gave my Beta a migraine, so I decided to go with this one. Don't know what I'll do with the other.
Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 25 – Cunning
(Thursday March 3rd, 2005)
Harry laid on his bed, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily with a huge smile on his. To say he was pleased and elated beyond measure would have been a considerable understatement. He sat up and ran two hands through his wet hair, pushing it back and away from his eyes. Despite feeling as though he'd been in a four hour duel, he was ready to try again. He took a deep breath and eagerly readied himself for the repeat performance.
He closed his eyes, clearing his mind from all external stimulants, built up his magic and pushed outward with it. He ignored the odd feeling, similar, but subtly different to Apparition as he continued. The sensation lasted for 4 minutes before it stopped and Harry allowed himself to relax.
He looked around the room in wonder. It was quite something how big the world looked when you were 20 inches tall.
He took a few tentative steps forward, quickly finding his centre of gravity. He stretched out his wings, testing to see how easy it would be. It came instinctually.
Ten minutes before Harry had finally and successfully managed to transform into his animagus form of a Peregrine Falcon. The transformation had been difficult and he'd been quite sure he was going to pass out during it. Thankfully, he had remained conscious.
With the strain the transformation had put him through he had immediately transformed back into his human form. The attempt had taken a lot out of him and he wanted to be sure he could reverse it. It had difficult, but he had managed on his first attempt.
He was now officially an animagus; not that he was going to register as one.
The second transformation had been far easier than the first and now he felt the need to try out his new form. The urge to fly was very strong, but he knew his body was fragile like this and plummeting from his bedroom in an attempt to fly would not be a good way to start his achievement. Despite having never flown before, he felt that he could do it. It seemed that the knowledge was almost instinctual whilst in falcon form.
He spread his wings and brought them hard, rising a few inches from the ground. A second flap raised him higher. He kept going upwards until the ceiling began to get too close. He allowed himself to descent slowly. His head was buzzing and the temptation to try that outside was strong. He kept his mind in check, pushing down on the natural instincts his animal seen to have.
He spent half an hour inside his locked and silenced room testing out what limited actions he could do in an enclosed space. Flying from one end of the room to another was easy enough that he now felt confident enough to attempt the flight outside without falling to his death.
He transformed back into human form again and moved over to his window. Undoing the latch, he slid the window upwards and took a step back. Concentrating again on his form he felt the world grow larger around him. The transformation only took a couple of minutes this time. He was nowhere need the level that Sirius or Professor McGonagall had been at, but he doubted they could transform as quickly as he could when they were first starting out.
He flapped his wings and perched on the window sill, looking down at the world below him. With a deep breath he beat his wings hard and left the safety of his house. He dropped slightly before he was able to compensate for the wind. It took a few minutes of confused, dizzying flight before he was sure he was now getting the hang of flight. Navigating air currents was easy in this form and they proved significantly helpful.
Soon, he was flying over Smallville as though he had been doing it all his life. Whilst broom flying had been one of his favourite hobbies, this was far more fun. It was more difficult, more physically taxing and required more focus, but overall it was far more exciting.
Wanting to try that, which in his mind, made the Peregrine so fitting for him, he beat his wings hard and quickly gained altitude. He flew higher and higher until he knew he was over a mile above the town. He spread his wings, gliding for a moment. If anything was going to kill him, this would.
Quickly he tucked his wings and talons in and dived straight down. He made his body as small as possible as he descended quickly, gaining more and more speed as he went. Soon he was travelling faster than he ever had on a broom and wasn't slowing down. Smallville got larger and larger as each second past. Below him his keen eyesight sought out numerous birds flying underneath him that this animal would usually snack on.
Knowing the small town was getting closer and that he didn't know how long it would take to stop, he spread his wings and held strong as his aerodynamic body was slowed at a rate he wouldn't have thought his new body could handle. Seeing his arrival, all the nearby birds scattered. He resisted the urge to catch one in his talons.
He continued to glide over the town. The rush from that dive had been beyond anything he had experienced before and he felt freer than he ever had. Whilst travelling the world or escaping from any situation in the blink of an eye wasn't difficult for him, soaring through the sky under his own power, his own wings, was true freedom.
Trying out some aerobatic manoeuvres that a bird of this type wouldn't usually do, he couldn't think of any reason to ever come down to earth. It was that thought that reminded him of one of the dangers of becoming an animagus. As the animal was part of you, part of your soul, being in that form would feel perfectly natural to the magic user and in some cases let to them never transforming back. According to his book a lot of people felt more comfortable in their animal form than their human one.
Whilst that currently felt true for him, he couldn't just disappear into the sky. With great reluctance he slowly descended, back to his home. He soared through his bedroom window and came to a skilful stop. He transformed slowly back into his human form and slumped onto his bed. His reverse transformation had taken just under a minute. Harry wondered how long it would take him to be able to transform fully in the time it took to jump in the air. McGonagall had been able to reverse her transformation quickly enough to jump of a desk as a cat and keep walking as her human self without pause. He would be satisfied when he could transform like that.
OoOoOoOoO
(Later than night – 3am)
Harry sat on his bed carefully reading one of the books Jenny had retrieved from his archive for him. Whilst she had found several books that he had asked for, details on Horcruxes were difficult to find. She had found several books on possession and necromancy as well as half a dozen on blood magic.
The possession books, whilst interesting and creepy, weren't much help. What was happening with Lana and Isobel was beyond possession.
He had spent less than ten minutes reading through the necromancy books. They started out alright, with minor dark curses, several of which were already part of his arsenal. He even learned a few interesting curses that were likely relatively unknown and powerful. As he continued through the books they got darker and darker and darker until Harry began feeling ill. It didn't help that whoever had created the books had taken photos of the curses working. They would have been bad enough as stills, he did not want to see the curses actually working on people.
The six books on blood magic however were fascinating. Four of the books focused on wards and protection magic. Harry had a gut feeling that Lucius Malfoy had these books due to how Privet Drive was protected. Dumbledore had told him that during his stay there, there had been several attempts made to access the property and that the perpetrator had never been caught. Harry was willing to bet Lucius had orchestrated these attempts.
The two books that weren't dedicated to protection magic were old, thick books that described numerous miscellaneous uses for such a magic branch. They were detailed and complicated to such a level that he barely understood them, but the ideas still seemed fascinating. Unfortunately the books had no index and a lot of pages, so Harry was slowly making his way through it.
He was broken from his quiet reading by a mobile phone ringing from the other side of the house. He looked curiously in the direction of the noise, wondering just who was stupid enough to call Lois at 3am. She had been back from her trip to Fort Leavenworth for two days and Harry was glad for her company again. He had known when buying this house that it was too big for what he wanted, but it hadn't felt that big until he had lived with someone for nearly a month before they went away for two weeks. He'd somewhat missed Lois' constant presence.
He couldn't hear what was being said on the phone, or even if Lois had answered the phone. He'd called her once at about 4am, completely having lost track of time at that moment and had feared castration next time he saw her. If she wasn't shouting at someone, they were either very lucky or Lois just hadn't answered the call.
He suspected the latter.
OoOoOoOoO
(Saturday March 5th, 2005)
Harry flew into through his bedroom window, landing neatly on his bed. He transformed, still taking just under fifty seconds. In two days he had cut down his transformation time down by almost ten seconds and was immensely pleased with it. His morning run was now followed by an hour's flying and it relaxed him immensely. The feeling of gliding through the air was still euphoric to him.
He stood and pulled on a new pair of clothes. Harry opened his bedroom door and stopped just on the threshold. He could smell something cooking downstairs. He frowned as he quietly moved downstairs. Only Lois was here, or at least should be, and she knew the rules regarding cooking.
She wasn't even allowed to try.
Ever.
Not after that time.
He walked into his kitchen and smiled slightly. Lois, wearing an apron was doing her best to cook breakfast and failing miserably. As was usual with the breakfasts he made on a weekend, she had tried to go for a fry up, with eggs, bacon, sausages, as well as pancakes. He could tell with just a sniff of the air that the bacon and sausages were burnt and he could see the pancakes looked as though they'd been used in a shooting gallery. He didn't want to know what the eggs looked like. He hadn't had salmonella poisoning before and he didn't want it now.
Lois, in her intense concentration hadn't noticed him. For a few moments he just stood and watched her wondering just why the hell she was cooking. He could think of a few things that would involve Lois doing this, but each seemed as farfetched as the other. He cleared his throat.
Lois jumped, startled, before she glared at him. "Jeez, Harry! We're getting you a bell to go around your neck."
"Lois," Harry said slowly. "Why are you cooking?"
"Well, I figured that as I'm using your home as my own, I might as well do something to earn my keep."
"Ok," Harry slowly drew out. That idea made sense, but this was Lois saying it. This was the woman who took complete control of his house for about three weeks, and only hours after moving in. Whilst wanting to help around the house might be normal for most people, it wasn't for Lois. She wanted something. "So where did you hide the body?" Harry asked casually.
"Body? What body?" Lois asked oddly.
"I'm assuming that whilst I was asleep you killed someone and need help disposing of the evidence. So who was it? It wasn't Clark was it?"
Lois rolled her eyes, "I didn't kill anyone, although your smart-ass comments make it tempting. I'm just trying to be nice."
"You are nice Lois, now, what do you want?" Harry asked, taking a seat and hesitantly biting into a pancake. They tasted better than they looked, even though they were questionable at best.
"Well, it's kind of hard to ask for yet another favour after everything you've done for me... But, um, I," Lois managed to get out. She was cut off as his front door opened. He glanced quickly to the front of the house and then back to Lois. Of his friends Lois was the only one who invited herself into the house without knocking. As she was standing in front of him, it wasn't her. Before he reacted he caught Lois' wince and knew that whoever had just come through the front door was what she was nervous about.
"Lo? Anybody home?" a female voice called through the house.
Lois glanced apologetically at Harry before quickly moving towards the voice. Harry sighed and followed her, wondering just what Lois had gotten into now. He saw Lois hug a smaller girl and quietly greet her. As they parted Harry recognised the girl from photo's Lois had put up around the house.
Lois glanced towards him, "Harry, um... meet my sister Lucy. She was kind of hoping she could crash here for a couple days."
He glanced at Lois for a moment with a raised eyebrow. She looked quite uncomfortable. He smiled slightly and turned back to Lois' younger sister.
"I know its last minute, but I had this school break, and I'm willing to sleep on a floor," Lucy told him with a smile.
Lucy Lane, Lois' seventeen years old sister, was almost the same height as Lois, perhaps slightly less than an inch shorter. Her hair was long and straight, slightly darker than Lois' was. She had a large, pretty smile and was beautiful like her sister. All in all, they looked very much like sisters when they stood side by side. Harry smiled back at her. "Forgive me, but Lois hadn't mentioned you were coming." He glanced at Lois again before turning back to Lucy, "And you're welcome to stay. I even have a spare bedroom."
"It's a beautiful house," Lucy said.
Harry shrugged, "It's alright. Now, we were about to have breakfast. Are you hungry?"
"Please!" Lucy said, her smile widening. "I've had nothing to eat but airplane food for almost a day."
"Come on then," Harry said, leading them back to the kitchen. From there he began cleaning up the mess that Lois made and starting on a cooked breakfast. Lucy shot him an enquiring look. "Your sister tried to cook," Harry told her with a smile that Lucy returned. Lois glared at him.
"You can cook?" Lucy asked. He sensed the slightest feeling of attraction from her.
"I'm hardly a chef, but I get by," he told her, opening a new packet of bacon.
"So you're Harry?" Lucy asked.
He looked at her oddly for a moment before realising that he hadn't introduced himself. He smiled sheepishly at her and held out a hand, "Harry Evans."
Her smile didn't dim even slightly as she gently shook his hand, "Lucy Lane." Something in that back of Harry's consciousness told him to be careful of this girl. He shook away the feeling; he was being paranoid.
"Well, it's good to finally meet you," Harry told her. "Lois mentions you quite often."
"She does?" Lucy asked. There was a note of surprise in her voice. Harry sensed a lot of battling emotions inside her mind.
"I am here you know," Lois told them, put out a being ignored.
"Sorry Lois," Harry told her. He turned to Lucy again, "So you have a break from school?"
She nodded, "Just for the weekend, but I haven't seen my big sister in a while and took the opportunity."
Harry sensed a lie there but couldn't quite pick up what it was. He found that odd. "So you're in school in Switzerland if I remember correctly?" Harry asked.
She nodded, "An all girls school, yeah."
"What do you think of boarding school?" Harry asked. He had met plenty of people from boarding schools before, but never from a non-magical one.
"It's alright. It's good to get away every once in a while though. Being in an all girl school gets a bit much."
Harry laughed, "I loved boarding school."
"You went to one?" she asked, surprised.
"Back in Scotland," Harry told her. "I've only been here since September."
With the food made, he divided it up into three and they began to eat. Harry sat watching the interaction between the two sisters as they talked and caught up. There was something happening here that he couldn't see, but without pushing into Lucy's mind he wasn't sure. He could just be being paranoid, but the more the two girls talked, the less sure he was. Whilst Lucy seemed bright, open and happy when talking to Lois, the emotions and feelings he got from her were contrasting. He could feel resentment and anger directed towards her older sister. There was also a feeling of anticipation that he couldn't quite place. She seemed to be two different people and it left him uneasy. All he knew just now was that she wasn't possessed.
Breakfast was eaten quickly. "Well, I'm just gonna go wash off four time zones' worth of airport connections. Do you mind if I use your shower?" Lucy asked.
Harry shook his head, "Upstairs, second door on the left." Lucy stood up and made towards the kitchen door.
"Lucy? Are you sure everything's okay?" Lois asked. Her voice was clearly concerned. Apparently she'd picked up on something odd as well.
"Now that I'm here with you, it's perfect," Lucy told her sister with a smile before heading out of the room and up the stairs. Something about how she said that bothered Harry and he told himself to keep an eye on her whilst she was here. Lois sad down and Harry could tell she was feeling uneasy.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Lois said slowly. "It's just weird seeing her again."
"So how did this come about then?"
"She called me two nights ago and just told me she was stopping by. Hung up before I could argue."
Harry laughed slightly, "I wonder who she gets that from?"
Lois glared at him, "I'm not that bad." Harry gave her a disbelieving look. Lois sighed slightly with a small, but pleased smile, "Ok, so I might be."
"She seems nice," Harry told her.
Lois rolled her eyes, "She was always the General's perfect daughter."
There was definitely a strong sibling rivalry between the two. "Perfect is over-rated," Harry told her. "So what is the deal between you two?" Whilst Harry had known about Lucy since practically the first time he'd talked to Lois, she was rarely a topic of discussion. Lois received sporadic phone calls from her and none last very long. All Lois would really mention was how proud she was of Lucy.
Whilst Lois was intelligent in hidden way, Lucy was the opposite. From what Lois had told him, her sister was fluent in three languages, a straight-A student as well as playing classical violin for a prestigious youth orchestra in Europe. Lucy was a bragging topic for Lois. Seeing them together showed everything in a different light that he didn't understand.
"She's my sister and I love her, but that doesn't mean we have to like each other," Lois told him.
"You don't like your sister?" Harry asked, surprised. Lois had never mentioned this before.
"She's the one not crazy about me," Lois said. "Not that I blame her."
"Why?" Harry asked, still not understanding. "Sure, you can be a bit blunt at times, but why wouldn't she like you?"
"When my mother died," Lois said with a sigh. "My dad had two girls he didn't know how to deal with. So he did what every good military leader would do. He instituted a chain of command," Lois told him.
"And you reported to him and Lucy to you," Harry finished for her. "That... can't have been easy."
"Yeah. It takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level."
"You had to be her mum," Harry concluded. He could see how that would make things difficult for siblings. If, and heaven forbid, that had happened at the Dursley's and Dudley, being four months older than him, was put in charge, he would have by no means survived. Still, he didn't think Lois would have been that bad in the role, but, it had happened over ten years ago.
"Yeah, except I was not prepared," Lois said with a small smile. "I used to give her advice like, you know, don't kiss a boy or you're gonna get pregnant. And, yeah, maybe she had a few more chores than most kids."
"I think it's safe to assume that I had more," Harry said before deciding he didn't want to go down that road. "You were two years older than her Lois," Harry said quickly, getting away from the subject of his relatives. "You should never have been put in that situation. She seems to be a very nice, smart girl, so you obviously didn't do too badly, all things given."
"Yeah, I guess. But you try being nine years old and telling your seven year old sister that it's her bed time."
"It was difficult?" Harry asked with a small smile.
Lois chuckled, "She had the biggest tantrums imaginable at times."
"I can't imagine you'd have back down from that," Harry told her.
Lois laughed, "We had some screaming matches, but it all sort of worked out in the end." She looked at Harry curiously, "You grew up with your cousin didn't you? What was that like?"
Harry mentally cursed that Lois had brought the conversation back to him. He looked at Lois for a long moment, weighting the pro's and con's of answering that. The standard rule around Harry was not mention his 'relatives', but Lois, like most things, was the exception to the rule. Every now and then she'd ask a small question or make a small comment. She had been the one to tell him that talking about his problems would help, and he really hadn't been doing that.
"He was like a miniature version of his father," Harry told her, not deeming to call Vernon, 'Uncle.' "He'd been taught since the moment I was dropped at their doorstop that I was a freak and deserved to be treated as such. You know I slept in a cupboard until I was eleven, right?" Lois nodded. "He had two bedrooms; one to sleep in and one to keep all his broken toys. He loved that." Harry smiled slightly, "His parents told the neighbours that I went to 'St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.' Ironically, that was where they sent him after his parents were arrested."
"What did he do?" Lois asked.
"He stabbed one of the policemen that was trying to restrain my Uncle when they arrested him," Harry told her with a shake of his head.
"Well, he got what he deserved then," Lois told him, not really sure what to say to that. "And you didn't turn out so badly yourself."
"Thanks Lois," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "So," Harry said brightly, eager to change the subject. "What are your plans for Lucy being here?"
Lois laughed slightly, "Plans? I was going to tell her not to turn up before she hung up on me. Plus, there isn't exactly much to do in this dead-beat town anyway."
"This town isn't that bad," Harry chastised Lois. "And you obviously don't think so either or you'd be gone from here."
Lois rolled her eyes, "Just because I might enjoy your company sometimes does not mean I like this town. I'd be more than happy in the city with a Starbucks."
Harry shook his head, "This town has charm. I would like to say it's peaceful, but we both know that would be a lie."
Lois snorted, "You've got about as much chance of being mugged here as you do in the City."
Harry nodded, agreeing with her point. "So you'll give Lucy the tour of the town?" Harry asked.
"Can't," Lois said, without much disappointment. "I've got my first shift at the Talon today."
"Right, so you do. I'll be sure to come by and order the most complicated thing they serve."
Lois shot him a glare, "It'll be the last thing you do."
Harry laughed, "I'll risk it."
Lois ignored him this time, "I'll see if I can draft Chloe into showing the brat around."
"I'll do it," Harry volunteered quickly; too much so for Lois' liking.
"Oh?" Lois asked, an eyebrow raised.
Harry nodded, "Imagine the stories she must have about you that you'd never tell. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a day." Lois shot him a dirty look that he shrugged off, "Don't tell me you didn't see that coming." Spending more time with Lucy would also give him a better chance to work out the odd feeling her got from her. He knew to trust his instincts and they told him to be careful around her.
"Fine, just, look after her, alright?" Lois asked, sounding like a caring sister again.
Harry nodded, "Sure. You know I will."
"Yeah, I know."
Harry nodded and rotated his left arm, cracking it loudly. Something else occurred to him, "Lois, thanks for trying with the breakfast this morning. I do appreciate it."
Lois shot him a smile; one of the shyer ones he rarely saw.
OoOoOoOoO
Lucy's shower had lasted a little over half an hour, conclusively proving that she was similar to her sister in more than looks. Twenty minutes after her shower she was back downstairs, apparently rejuvenated from her flight. In the time that it took Lucy to shower and get ready, Lois had already left for her first shift at the Talon, under the 'iron rule' of Martha Kent as she called it.
Lucy came down the stairs and looked around in confusion at the lack of her sister. "Where'd Lois go?" she asked as she entered the lounge.
Harry put down his book and looked up as she entered, "She starts work today at the local coffee shop. She didn't want to be late and promised to see you later."
"Oh, alright," Lucy said with a big smile that said she didn't mind particularly much. "She trusted me with you?" she asked, a slightly hint of surprise in her voice, that was almost masked. She took a seat opposite him.
"I'd say yes. She's protective of you?" Harry asked, already suspecting she was.
Lucy rolled her eyes, "I know it's a sisterly thing to do, but she needs to relax some more."
"She seems to be looking out for you," Harry told her. "So, do you have any plans for whilst you're here, or are you just winging it?" he asked.
"Winging it sounds good," Lucy told him with a smile. "I'm all yours." Harry raised an eyebrow at the last comment. He'd have to have been an idiot to miss seductive undertone. "How about you give me the guided tour?"
Harry pushed himself to his feet. "It's not much of a tour," he told her. "But I'll show you the town if you want."
"Great," Lucy told him. "Just let me get a coat." She disappeared upstairs for a minute before returning with a light weight jacket.
"You found a room then?" Harry asked.
"I hope you don't mind," Lucy said. "I poked around a few rooms until I found the empty one."
Pleased that she obviously hadn't tried opening his 'locked room' he waved it off. With his own curiosity of things, it would have been hypocritical to say anything. "It's no worry. Now, how are you with motorbikes?" Harry asked as he beckoned her outside.
"You have one?" Lucy asked excitedly.
Harry nodded, "I don't have a car, so it's good you don't mind."
"I stayed on a farm with a friend of mine last spring break and her brother showed me how to ride one. It was a dirt bike, but it was still fun."
"Alright then," Harry said, quite pleased to finally have someone enjoy a motorcycle. He lead her round the back of his house where the shed his bike was in was kept. He picked up a black crash helmet and threw it to Lucy.
"You're not wearing one?" she asked curiously, pulling the helmet on without hesitation.
"No. I won't fall off and if I do, I've survived worse." He straddled the bike and waited for Lucy to get on. She sat behind him and wrapped her arms around him, holding them a bit lower than he was particularly comfortable with. He shook his head, ridding himself of thoughts and urges before slowly driving the bike away, keeping his speed fast, but within reason.
OoOoOoOoO
"No, it was great fun," Harry told Lucy as they walked to the Talon. He had given her the tour of the small town and that hadn't taken particularly long. Whilst Smallville was a nice town, there really wasn't all that much to see. A quick stop at the school after the tour of the note-worthy parts of the town saw them running into Chloe who hadn't seen her younger cousin in years. Harry slipped into the background as they caught up. It didn't take long for the conversation to move onto Lois' new job and the desire to see and mock her.
"You went to school in a castle. I can guess that would be more exciting than just a normal boarding school," Lucy told him. The topic was their boarding schools and Harry couldn't really understand how Lucy didn't enjoy boarding school. Despite everything that had happened at Hogwarts, despite the times his life was at risk, it was still his favourite place to have been and he couldn't imagine doing anything else.
"You never tried exploring it at night?" Harry asked.
"As if," Lucy told him. "We got caught moments after leaving our dorms."
"So did we if we weren't careful, but we got by. Although, I'm betting you didn't have to avoid a demon cat as well as teachers."
"Demon cat?" Chloe asked oddly.
Harry turned to face her, "Our caretaker had a cat called Mrs. Norris who seemed to be psychic and found you no matter where in the castle you were. It was a running game to try and lock the cat in a suit of armour, but it was too quick."
"That's horrible!" Chloe told him. Her small smile said that she wasn't as horrified as she sounded.
"Not if you knew the cat," Harry muttered.
"What happened to Mr. Norris?" Lucy asked.
Harry laughed, "There was a running suspicion that our caretaker's real last name was 'Norris', but due to the mental image that created, it wasn't spoken about often."
The girls made disgusted faces. They reached the front door of the coffee house and Harry held the door open for the girls. His eyes immediately sought out Lois. She was muttering to herself, walking towards the coffee bar. He smiled slightly as he watched her. She looked quite cute in her apron.
He stopped mid-step, shaking that thought away. His eyes left Lois and he glanced around the room, spotting Clark and Lex Luthor loitering around. The trio approached them.
"Hey cuz!" Chloe called to Lois as she past them. She ignored them and kept on her route. She was clearly frustrated and Harry was working out just how much he could annoy her and get away with.
"It's kind of like a free floor show," Clark commented, showing that his sole reason for being here was to watch Lois make a spectacle out of herself. "Have you two been catching up?" he asked Chloe and Lucy.
Harry excused himself as the group talked. He wasn't particularly comfortable hanging out with the group when Lex was around. It wasn't that he had anything against Lex, it was just that Lex clearly knew who he was and Harry was unsure why he hadn't said anything, to either himself or Clark and his friends. He had Zeke quietly looking into it, but so far the man had found nothing.
He moved over to Lois who was behind the Talon counter, making a cup of coffee, still muttering to herself. "Hey Lois," Harry greeted with a small smile.
She glanced behind her, "What's wrong with regular black coffee?"
Harry blinked at the odd greeting. "Er, it's regular and black?" Harry half asked having the feeling that Lois didn't really want him to answer. Her sour look confirmed his theory. "Right," Harry said, half to himself. "Not helping. How's the shift going?" he asked.
"It could be better but at the same, could be worse," Lois told him, placing the latte on a tray. "How are things going with the brat?" Lois asked.
Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname for Lucy. "She likes my motorbike so she's official my best friend now," Harry told her with a smile. "No, she's doing fine; nice and chatty." Lois absently nodded and reached into the muffin stands and spent a few minutes trying to work out which one the customer had asked for.
"What are you looking for?" Harry asked as Lois struggled.
"Blueberry muffin top, hold the stem," Lois muttered.
From his side of the counter he saw it easier. He tapped the glass protective screen. "That one," he told her.
"Thanks." Lois pulled the muffin out and placed it on the tray by the coffee.
"What is that anyway?" Harry asked pointing at the coffee that seemed to have thoroughly annoyed Lois.
"Half-half soy latte, no foam, no whip," Lois recited.
Harry laughed, "That is one pretentious cup of coffee."
Lois smiled slightly, "I know. I've been getting these sort of orders all morning."
"Well, when you've got a spare minute I'll have a small regular black coffee to go," Harry told her. "I fear I'll need it with two Lane's around."
Lois rolled her eyes again and picked up the tray. She moved round the counter and headed towards the customers table. A few steps in she stopped and turned back to Harry, "Why are you following me?"
Harry shrugged, "Nothing else to do."
She glanced towards where Clark stood and turned back to Harry, "You really don't like Lex do you?" she asked rhetorically. "Not that I can blame you though. He's not exactly big on welcoming the new kids."
"It's not that I don't like him, It's just, I don't know," Harry told her, unable to tell her why being around Lex made him uneasy.
"Well..." Lois said but stopped as she stumbled. Reacting with the skills that made him such a good Seeker back in his Hogwarts days both hands shot forward, grabbing the tray Lois had been carrying milliseconds before. Some of the coffee spilled over the side of the mug, but other than that the order was fine. Lois managed to stand and act like nothing out of the ordinary had happened, despite the fact that Harry now held her tray. He caught sight of a few impressed looks from people seated nearby.
"Thanks," Lois told him gratefully. "That was coming out of my pay-cheque otherwise."
Harry shrugged, albeit pleased that his reactions were as sharp as ever. He handed her the tray. "Just be careful with that. I might not be around to catch it next time." He grinned at her and she ignored him, turning to the customer she was meant to be serving. His attention was caught by a relatively new familiar face standing at the Talon doorway, dressed solely in black. The man was staring unblinkingly at the back of Lucy's head. The younger girl took no notice of him but Clark quickly did. Harry saw Clark say something quietly to Lucy and the man in black vanished quickly, moments before Lucy turned in that direction.
Harry stared at the spot where the man had stood thinking about where he'd seen his face for the first time.
His early suspicions that Lucy was trouble had been confirmed very quickly during his tour of the town with her. At first it had just been an odd feeling from her that his legilimancy absently picked up on. Whilst his control over mind magic was getting stronger recently, it required a small amount of constant concentration to stay completely out of another person's mind. It was taxing to keep it going for extended periods of time, but now he no longer got random flashes of memories or emotions that he once did. He couldn't read surface thoughts yet, but his skill was increasing.
He had allowed himself to look into Lucy's mind though. After spending a couple of hours with her, he decided that there was something he needed to look into. He had asked her again what she planned to do in Smallville and memories of plans emerged.
During her stay in Switzerland she had run into a loan shark and criminal by the name of Marcus Becker. Lucy, being an adventurous and rebellious girl talked with the man. Becker, upon finding out that Lucy's sister was friends with a good friend of Lex Luthor, began planning. Harry had a good idea of what was going to happen and had spent most of the morning working out a counter plan. His first instinct had been to just confront Lucy about it; warn her away from Smallville and to move her con someplace else.
He had decided though, for the time being, to let things run their course. As well as the plan to steal $50,000 dollars from LuthorCorp, a lot of this had to do with Lucy's grudge against her sister. For a reason Harry couldn't work out, Lucy held a large amount of resentment towards her Lois. Nothing from what he got from Lucy, or from what Lois told him about their relationship left him any closer. Out of respect for Lois, he was going to let this situation carry on as Lucy planned it, observing the entire thing out of sight. A tracking charm had been placed on Lucy and Harry would keep a careful eye on her.
There was more information he wanted though. He glanced around and saw that Lois had abandoned him to continue working. He moved outside. Leaning against the outside Talon wall he pulled out his phone and dialled Marauder Tower. "Alexander Black's office," his assistant Jenny answered.
"Morning Jenny," Harry greeted.
"Morning Harry. How are you?" Jenny asked.
I'm doing alright, but I'm in another one of my odd situations."
"Did you start this one?" she asked.
"No, this one literally walked into my house actually," Harry told her with a bit of a laugh. Why did this keep happening to him?
"So what do you need then?" she asked. Harry could hear her typing at her computer.
"See what you can find for me on Marcus Becker," Harry asked. "He's a loan shark in Switzerland."
"And not one of the nice ones," Jenny told him. "But I suspect you know that already or you wouldn't have called me."
"Yeah, I did. I'm surprised you know though," Harry told her.
"Simple enough," she said. "You own seven percent of LuthorCorp and Becker's name appears every so often in their 'failed acquisitions' section of their reports."
"A sort list I'm guessing," Harry mused. LuthorCorp was well known for getting what it wanted.
Jenny hummed in agreement. Harry could hear her typing quickly. "Very short, although, it appears to be getting longer for some reason. Something to do with this other company that appeared, as if by magic."
Harry smiled slightly, "Fancy that. So, is there anything interesting you can tell me about Becker?" Harry asked.
"Just bare with me," Jenny told him absently as she typed.
"So," Harry said after a minute, feeling odd being on the phone and not talking. "What's new with you?"
"Oh, my offer for the new flat was accepted," Jenny told him happily whilst still typing.
"Oh?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it's a really nice two bedroom flat only a couple of miles from the office. It's much, much bigger than the one Rachel and I where in."
"Well, that's good to hear."
"Yeah. Rachel can't quite decide who she loves more just now; me for getting the job or you for giving me the job."
"It should be you. You were nice to me when I was just a nineteen year old coming into the building at odd hours for odd amounts of time. If you hadn't spoken to me, as both Harry and Alex, I wouldn't have noticed you and I'd have hired someone boring." Harry paused for a second. "What does she know about me?" he asked curiously.
He mentally pictured Jenny shrugging, "She knows I work for 'Mr. Marauder' and that I've met him, but doesn't know that it's you and he are the same person."
"She's not annoyed you won't tell her?" Harry asked curiously.
"I told her that I was under an oath and she knows a little bit about them. I will mention that she's trust worthy and that I would like to let her know. She said she'd sign the same oath."
Harry could hear in Jenny's voice that she really did want to tell her sister. He knew they were close and he remembered how he hated keeping Order secrets from those not in the loop. Hell, he was keeping dozens of secrets from his friends here and he hated that. In his situation, he saw the reason behind keeping the secrets, in Jenny's and her sisters, he couldn't. "I'll think about it," he promised her.
He could practically see her smile, "Thank you."
"Yeah, so, what have you found?" he asked, shrugging off the thanks.
"Not really much. There's a lot of suspicion about him being a crime boss in Switzerland, but nothing has ever been brought against him. The only thing of note I have here is that he's frequently, and recently, stopped LuthorCorp from buying property in Switzerland."
"Alright, that likely explains why he's here then," Harry muttered.
"He's in Smallville?" Jenny asked. "He's the one that, what was it, 'walked' into your house?"
"No, his con-girl did," Harry told her. He saw Clark walk outside. "Listen, call me if you get anything else note-worthy. I've got to go." He hung up his phone as Clark approached.
"Did you see a guy in a dark coat out here?" Clark asked, looking around. Harry glanced down at what he was wearing; coincidentally, very similar to what Becker was wearing. He glanced up at Clark with a small smile. Clark looked at him in a small amount of annoyance. "Other than you," he clarified.
"I saw him looking at Lucy in the Talon, but he was gone by the time I got out of here," Harry told him truthfully. "What did she say about him?"
"She didn't see him and didn't know why anyone would be looking for her," Clark told him, concerned.
"Well, we'll keep an eye out for him and see what happens," Harry told him.
"Yeah," Clark muttered, stopping glancing up and down the street. "So what do you think of Lucy?"
"She's like a miniature version of her sister; strong willed, talkative and nice" Harry told him, missing out the parts he wasn't suppose to know, such as manipulative, cunning, a fantastic liar and dangerous; she was real Slytherin material, not like the wannabes that had infested Hogwarts during his days there.
"What's it like having two Lane's about?" Clark asked with a small smile.
"I've barely seen them together," Harry told him. "There's an... interesting family dynamic though that I'd prefer to keep on the good side of."
"Oh?" Clark asked curiously.
"You know Lois," Harry told Clark. "Just imagine two of them."
Clark thought about it and shuddered slightly, "Ouch."
"And then imagine that they don't get on well together yet pretend they do..."
"They don't get on?" Clark asked.
Harry shrugged; he didn't really understand the dynamic the sisters had. Probably wouldn't either. "It's a complicated story but it keeps things from getting quiet though." He ran a hand through his hair, "I've yet to decide if that's a good thing."
OoOoOoOoO
Harry sat in his room, the book of blood magic on his lap, waiting for his cue. From the time he'd spent with Lucy today he had probed her mind several times and had a fairly strong idea what her plan was to start her con. He wasn't really sure if he was going about this the right way; in fact, he was fairly sure he wasn't, but the false nicety that Lucy and Lois expressed when in each other's company needed sorted and without looking them in a room together, he didn't know how else to go about it other than let Lucy's plans run without impediment. Lois had done a lot for him, and in his own round-about way, he was trying to help her.
He had told the Lane sister that he was going to bed an hour ago, and from what he'd heard from the solitude of his room, Lois had gone to bed twenty minutes later, worn out, more mentally than physically, from her first day of serving coffee. Despite the near dropping of a tray when Harry had been there, the rest of her day had gone fine. Lucy had headed to her room around the same time Lois had.
The silence of the house was broken by the noise of a door opening slowly. It creaked slightly as it did. Soft footsteps followed. A floorboard creaked just outside of his door. Harry knew from personal experience in this house that Lucy hadn't needed to step on that floorboard to make it down the stairs. Lucy had worked out that that floorboard would creek if she stepped on it.
Silence regained for several seconds and Harry could imagine Lucy frozen mid step only feet from his door.
Footsteps descended the stairs and Harry, his feet silenced, walked towards his door and opened it carefully. He walked down the stairs, constantly questioning himself as to whether continuing with his insane plan was worth it. He reached the bottom of the stairs and heard someone rummaging through something in his kitchen. He quietly made his way through the house and watched Lucy.
Part of her con was to make sure someone knew that she was in dire need of money, and to do that without asking for it, was to be caught stealing it. Harry's legilimancy had picked up multiple scenarios that she had in mind to use, the next one down from this was stealing cash from the Talon. That idea was squashed when Lucy realised that Harry only had a bike and wouldn't be able to follow her should she take it. Thankfully for her, Harry had lined up an alternative for her when Lois first moved in with him.
Due to the elder Lane living with him, Harry had made up something of a kitty; that whilst only he put money in, was for Lois to use if she had food to buy or other essentials for the house. As she technically considered Harry's house as much hers as she did his, Harry was fine giving her some money to sort out what was needed for the house. The kitty held near $700. It had been far less, but Lois had decided that as Harry had told her to sort whatever she wanted in her room, that she wanted a new bed. Despite knowing he could easily transfigure or conjure one, Harry had let her buy the bed.
Lucy had seen the kitty in the kitchen that evening and that became the focus point to start her plans. He watched as the girl removed a little over half the amount from the unlocked metal lock-box. He cleared his throat loudly behind her causing her to jump. Harry was unsure if she genuinely surprised or if she was acting. "Harry, it's not what it looks like," Lucy told him quickly. She was acting now.
"Oh?" Harry asked, frowning with his arms crossed in front of him. He had it on got authority that he could look very intimating when he tried. "And what does it look like?"
"Like I'm stealing from you. I swear, it was going to pay it back when I could," Lucy told him, her eyes desperate.
"Were you?" Harry asked. Now that he was he was doing this, he was seriously doubting himself. His plan to let things run their course wouldn't work. There were too many variables and the likelihood that someone would get seriously hurt was high. He was acting in a way that he told himself that he wouldn't, standing in the shadows, allowing things to run their course, because he was sure he had them under control. Albus Dumbledore had played a similar game with him for years. That had gotten hundreds of people killed. Secrets were alright; playing games with people's lives was not and that was exactly what he was doing right now.
'Hell is full of good intentions or desires,' was a quote that Hermione had told him a few years back when explaining the actions of Dumbledore that stuck with him. He could hear his conscience repeating it to him now. He had to stop this before it went any further. He sighed and leaned against his kitchen counter. "To hell with this," Harry told the brunette. "Why don't we cut the act?"
"What act?" Lucy asked in surprise. Her surprise was genuine, but it was more centred on the fact that her cover was blown.
"The 'I'm in debt to a loan-shark and need money' act," Harry told her. "It's just going to get people hurt and I'm stopping it now."
"I don't know what you mean," Lucy told him. He could sense her fear now.
Harry rolled his eyes, "What was the plan?" Harry asked rhetorically. "Pretend to get caught stealing and, if events go as you've predicted and set up, Lex Luthor hears of this and given his recent business that Marcus Becker," Harry noticed her tense at the name, "has blocked, pays off the money you 'owe' and then you and Becker split the money?"
Harry saw the chance in Lucy's eyes as she realised she was caught out, "How did you know?"
"I went to school where one of the houses was for the cunning and ambitious," Harry told her. "I know how to spot someone who's playing with me. I also have friends who know things they likely shouldn't."
"What do you plan on doing with me?" Lucy asked. He could now see the real girl behind her mask. There was a very strong feeling of being lost behind her eyes.
"You'll give me my money back to start with I think," Harry told her, nodding towards the metal lock-box behind her. She turned and placed the money back in, shutting the lid afterwards.
"What are you going to do with me then?" Lucy asked again.
Harry remained silent, watching the girl. "Consider yourself glad that Lois is your sister," he told her. People putting his friends in jeopardy did not endear people to him. From what he had seen, Lucy was a nice girl but there was the fact that what he'd seen of her so far was a lie.
"You've still not answered my questioned," Lucy pointed out, getting annoyed. Harry sensed it as 'Just get it over with' mentality.
"I've not decided yet; whether that's good for you or not is still to be decided. Why?" Harry asked. "Why do this?" Was it just for money? If it was, the $50,000 she was trying to con from Luthor was a small amount by the man's standards. Although, that was maybe the most they assumed they could get away with . "Honestly," Harry added when he felt her trying to create a lie.
Lucy stared him down for a moment before looking away for a brief second, "When I heard that Lois was staying here and was friends with a good friend of Luthor's I told Becker about it, he came up with the plan."
"Why talk to Becker?" Harry asked, trying to understand that part of the story.
Lucy shrugged, "I'd spoken to him a few times; he lets my friends and I into his clubs, even though he knows we're underage. Becker wanted to get one over on Luthor and he promised me half the take."
"So your sisters well being cost you $25,000 then?" Harry asked idly.
She looked angry at the suggestion. Harry saw this as a good thing given that it was genuine emotion, "That's not what I said. And anyway, Becker has promised not to hurt her. I trust him."
Harry shrugged, "Luthor is smart and so is Lois. Odds are good this would have been seen through. Things like have a tendency to go wrong. What happens then? What happens if a gun gets drawn?" Harry had to keep reminding himself that she was only seventeen and still a kid. He knew firsthand that kids didn't think things through very well. It had taken him a while to consciously become aware of that.
"It won't happen," Lucy told him. "No one is going to get hurt."
"No, but there's more to that," Harry said, delving slightly into her mind. "You don't just want money. What are you looking for?" Whatever it was he couldn't tell.
"There was nothing else," Lucy said, doing her best to look as though she was telling the truth.
"Lie," Harry said, watching her. "I have no intention of running to your sister about this so why don't you..." Something in her mind registered as he said 'sister.' "What does Lois have to do with this?" he asked.
She did her best to keep her faces passive but failed, "I don't know what you mean."
Harry laughed with only the tiniest tinges of humour. Did anyone ever believe that that excuse worked? He knew he'd used it enough times to know that it was one of the easiest ways to confirm your interrogators suspicions. With a small smile he raised an eyebrow and just stared into her eyes. Saying nothing would make her more uncomfortable quicker than accusing her. He'd stared down a Dark Lord; this girl just didn't have it in her.
"Talk to me and I'll see what I can do to help," Harry promised her, his voice softening slightly.
"She was the perfect daughter," Lucy said after a moment's silence. "She was the one dad wanted around. I was the one he sent to boarding school when she got to live with him."
'Ok,' Harry thought to himself. 'I can deal with this.' "Ever look at that from the other angles?" Harry asked. "You're smart, I know that, but did you look at it from your father's point of view?" This was going to take a lot of guess work on his behalf, but he was sure he could do this; he'd been solving more complex mysteries since he was eleven.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.
"You were obviously smart when you were young, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Lucy said slowly, unsure of where he was going with this.
"Now, I don't know your father, but I can image that if I had a daughter that I knew was gifted, I wouldn't want to drag her across the world. I'd want her in as normal a situation that I could provide, with constant friends and a stable education." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking over his words before speaking. "Lois, as amazing as she is, barely passed high school, was kicked out of University after only a few months and now works in a coffee shop in a small town." He laughed slightly, "She'll do well in life, if only because she's too bloody stubborn and refuses to let anyone put her down. You have an exceptional education and all the options in the world to you. I'm guessing here from my own experiences but what your father did was what he thought was best for you." Harry clearly remembered thinking that Lois' life with her dad, moving from country to country wasn't the best way to raise a kid albeit better than his.
Lucy was silent for a moment. "What experiences?" she asked.
Harry pushed himself up on a kitchen unit and looked at her carefully. He didn't like talking about his 'old' life, but he was trying to connect with Lucy. "When I was fifteen months old my parents were murdered by a terrorist group. Afterwards, I was placed with my aunt and uncle. I was placed there fully under the knowledge that my aunt hated her sister and would likely hate me. The spin on that is that if I wasn't placed there, I likely wouldn't have reached two years old. The terrorist group saw me as the reason their boss was put away, but no one knew, or even suspected that I would be placed where I was. I hated every moment of it and my aunt and uncle are in jail for abuse, but I'd likely be dead were I placed anywhere else."
Lucy looked stunned at the confession. "Um, I'm sorry about your parents," she told him sincerely. "I lost my mum."
"I know," Harry told her with a sad smile. "Lois talks about her sometimes."
"She does?" There was clear surprise in her voice.
Harry nodded. "Not as much as you though. The irony of you thinking that Lois got the perfect life is that I can tell from how she talks about you that she wishes she had yours."
"Yeah right," Lucy said in disbelief.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe not the 'all girls' school part, but the education and one place you could call home. I don't think Lois has had that before now. She knows she can stay here for however long she wants now though."
Lucy seemed to struggle for an answer and Harry took that as a small win for him. "Now what do we do about Becker?" he asked.
Worry crossed Lucy's face, "I can't go back to him and tell him I can't get the money. He's not the type of person to accept that calmly."
Harry ran through his options. As far as he could see he had two; pay off what Lucy 'owed' Becker or kill Becker. Neither was one that appealed to him. He would have preferred to talk to Becker, just get him to leave or if it came to it, threaten him, but he knew that wouldn't work. People like Becker wouldn't just leave. Paying off Lucy's 'debt' was also a bad idea. Becker would likely assume he had found a new and easy cash flow that he could take advantage of. Killing him would be the simplest, and as much as it disturbed Harry, the easiest option. However, taking that route would highly suspicious. Lucy was clearly a sharp girl and would know Harry had had something to do with it.
"If you get him the $25,000 he assumes he's getting, will he leave you alone?" Harry asked. He would try the pay off option whilst keeping an eye from the skies. If Becker didn't leave, Harry would do what he did best and improvise.
"He might," Lucy told him. "But there's a problem with that plan; I don't have twenty five grand to give him."
Harry smiled slightly, "You remember when I said you were lucky that Lois was your sister?"
"Yeah. And?" Lucy asked, not seeing the point.
"I'll have your twenty five thousand by tomorrow afternoon," Harry told her.
"Can't we just get the money for Luthor? With you helping, this will be a lot easier."
Harry considered it for a moment. Yes, things would probably be easier if he just went along with Lucy's plan, but people could get hurt that way. "Not going to happen," Harry told her.
"And you just happen to have twenty five grand you can give away?" Lucy asked sceptically.
Harry shrugged, "You've guessed that I'm rich, you just don't know how much. I'll pay this off to get you out of trouble. I owe Lois this."
"Alright," Lucy told him hesitantly. "You'll really be able to do this?"
Harry nodded. "I can. How do we do this then?"
Lucy was silent for a moment, clearly thinking. "He's staying somewhere in Metropolis. I have a number to call him on when I need to. I'll be able to arrange a meeting with him."
Harry nodded. He knew this was going to go to hell; it was just one of those situations. "Alright. I'll get the money and we can meet him at wherever he indicates."
"That won't work," Lucy told him. "Things will go better if it's only me that meets him."
Harry nodded, "Alright, but I'll be nearby. They won't see me."
"Ok," Lucy agreed. "Oh, he wants the money in bearer bonds."
"Um, sure," Harry told her. He had no idea what they were, but he was sure he could get some.
"Call him tomorrow afternoon; I imagine you could have conned everyone you needed by then?"
"That was the plan," Lucy said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Go to sleep then. We'll deal with this in the morning."
"Yeah. Good night Harry."
Harry nodded to her.
She stopped just before leaving the room, "You won't tell Lois will you?"
Harry watched her carefully for a moment. "No, I don't suppose I will."
"Thank you Harry." She turned and left the room, leaving Harry standing by himself.
Why couldn't a simple visit from his best friend's sister go normally? Why did it need all the drama? He walked outside and looked up into the sky. He wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.
OoOoOoOoO
(Sunday March 6th, 2005)
Harry retired to his room after his talk with Lucy, opening the blood magic book and reading through it again. His attention was fractured though and he just flipped through the pages, not really absorbing any information. After an hour of doing little more than stare into space he lay down on his bed, closed his eyes and slipped into an Occlumen's trance until sunrise.
When he finally woke he quietly Apparated downstairs and went for his morning run, pushing himself hard. The weather was beginning to get warmer and trying to outrun his frustrations seemed like a good idea this morning. Whilst he detested seers, he couldn't help but acknowledge he had a small amount of power in that regard. Not enough to show him anything, but enough to know this day wouldn't go as planned.
He returned home thoroughly exhaust from pushing himself so hard. He was surprised to see Lois and Lucy awake and downstairs. Neither of them looked as though they'd gotten much sleep. Lois was nursing a mug of coffee and Lucy was cooking in his kitchen. From the smell she clearly had more talent in this area than her sister. He practically fell through the front door of his house and managed to make it the kitchen before he just dropped to the floor and lay there staring at the ceiling. "Morning," Harry said to the Lane sisters.
He could feel Lucy's concerned gaze on him. He wasn't sure if it was about their conversation last night or his condition this morning. Lois just glanced down at the floor where he lay. "Good run?" she asked.
"Not bad," he muttered. He tilted his head back to look at Lois. "Why is your sister cooking?"
She shrugged, "I tried to stop her, but does anyone ever listen to me?"
"Not if we can help it," Harry muttered knowing full well Lois could hear him. She ignored it.
"I hope you don't mind," Lucy said. "Lois said not to but I wanted to do something to help."
Harry looked over to her and smiled. She was still hesitant of him telling her sister about what she had done and he wanted her to feel comfortable. Sure, she was manipulative and dangerous, but she was Lois' sister and still a kid. "It's only Lois who isn't allowed to cook in here."
"What did she do?" Lucy asked, looking between them.
"It's nothing important," Lois said dismissively.
"I'm too worn out today to embarrass Lois this morning, so I'll stay quiet," Harry told Lucy. He pushed himself to his feet. The breakfast that Lucy was cooking was almost done and he was hungry. "So what's the plan for today?"
"Mrs. Kent asked me to work another shift at the Talon," Lois told him. She sighed, "Why did I agree to work there again?"
Harry shrugged, "You had nothing else to do."
"Right, that was it." She turned to her sister, "What about you?" Something in her voice confused him.
"Lex Luthor invited me round to his manor today. I thought I'd take my violin over," Lucy told her sister.
Harry hadn't known that and imagined that getting the invite to Luthor Manor would have been good for the plans she had yesterday. The ease in which she appeared to have gotten the invite impressed him. He hadn't seen inside the small castle yet.
"What about you Harry?" Lucy asked.
Harry thought about it. "I've got some things to do in Metropolis today," he told them. He needed an excuse to get there with Lucy for this 'business transaction.' He looked over to Lucy, "I could give you a short tour of the city if you aren't at Luthor's for too long." The look he shot her clearly told her to agree.
She smiled brightly at him, "Sure, I'd love to."
Harry smiled back at her before helping her finish off the breakfast.
OoOoOoOoO
"Alexander Black's office," Jenny answered.
"Morning Jenny," Harry answered as he stepped outside. Lucy had gone for a shower and Lois had just left for work.
"How are you this morning?" she asked. She sounded wide awake.
"Meh," Harry answered.
He heard Jenny sigh, "What is it now?"
Harry laughed, "Are you allowed to talk to your boss like that?"
"Yes, I'm older than you," she admitted. "Now what can I do for you?"
"You know what bearer bonds are?" Harry asked, sitting down on his porch and looking towards the Kent house in the distance.
"I do," Jenny answered. "Would you like some bearer bonds?" she asked.
"If you wouldn't mind," Harry answered mildly.
"How much?"
"Twenty five grand," Harry told.
Jenny sighed again, "You're always this much trouble, aren't you?"
"Pretty much. So, can you get that for me?" Harry asked. He didn't really know if it was possible or not. He'd never heard of bearer bonds before. "And what are they?"
"I'll be able to get them for you. The bonds are an untraceable form of currency. There's no record of who issues them and anyone who holds them can cash them in. Do I want to ask what you're doing now? I have my job to think about here. If you do something stupid we both know I'm under-qualified enough for this job that I won't have it long."
Harry laughed. "It's nice to know I know mean that much to you," Harry told her sarcastically. "You'll leave that down in reception for me?"
"I'll send you a text message when I have," Jenny promised.
"Thanks Jenny. And oh, you're more qualified for your job than I am for mine." He hung up the phone.
OoOoOoOoO
Harry left Smallville in the early afternoon. Lucy had left to visit Luthor Mansion, apparently having agreed to 'jam' with Luthor. With Lucy being skilled in the violin, and Luthor skilled in the piano, the billionaire wanted to play alongside Lucy. She had agreed to this yesterday, before he'd confronted her. Despite everything, he was impressed at how quickly she gotten close to Luthor. He wondered what would have happened there if things had gone as she'd planned.
He stopped by O'Malley's for lunch and chatted with Sean and his wife.
"You got your friends kid sister with ya then?" Sean asked from his seat up at the bar.
Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "She's hardly a kid, Sean," Harry told him. "She's got herself into some... some financial problems, and now I've got to help sort it out," he said, going with Lucy's version of the story, instead of the actual one.
"Got to?" Sean asked. "I doubt you've got to."
Harry shrugged, "She's my friend's sister, and I can't not help."
"That ain't the same thing Harry. How much trouble she in?" he asked.
"The 'We break thumbs' type," Harry told him, remembering a quote from a TV show Lois had watched the other day. He couldn't help the dark emotions that overran him when he thought about this. He just wanted some semblance of peace. He didn't want to have to kill people to protect others, but that was what he had to do.
"Those types," Sean muttered. "There's a few o' them around here. You reckon you can sort it out?" Sean asked with a frown.
Harry nodded and closed his eyes. "I hope so."
"Well, I reckon you'll manage," Sean told him. Harry raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "You're still a kid yoursel', but you seem to have a good grasp on the real world."
"I wish I didn't," Harry muttered, finishing the food on his plate.
Sean laughed, "Nah, you don't mean that. Be careful anyway, wouldn't want to tell Grace that her story teller can't come round anymore." Though his words were said with a laugh, Harry could hear the seriousness in his voice. This man had lost his best friend due to crime in this city and knew just how dangerous it was.
"Where is Grace anyway?" Harry asked, not having seen the O'Malley's daughter since he arrived. She usually made it down whenever he was here and Harry enjoyed talking with her. Everyone he knew had suffered some tragedy at some point in their lives and had a darkness because of it. Grace didn't and that was abundantly clear to whoever talked to her.
The older man pointed upwards, "In her room. She's been quiet all morning, which has me a tiny bit worried."
"You've not checked on her?" Harry asked curiously. The girl was a menace, such that Fred and George would likely see her as a kindred spirit in a few years.
"I'll give her an hour," Sean told him. "I ain't got a reason to suspect she's up to anything."
As if fate was answering, tiny footsteps along a wooden floor approached them. Harry's lip twitched slightly. She would have done a great job looking innocent if not for the pink paint on her hair and clothes, and the pink footsteps that followed her. "Hi Daddy, hi Harry," she greeted with a smile as she them.
"Sweetie," Sean said slowly, obviously dreading the answer. "What have you being doing?"
"Nothing Daddy," she responded quickly.
"Grace," her fathered warned again. Still with an innocent look on her face she glanced at Harry.
"You've got a bit of pink on you," Harry told the little girl in a stage whisper. Her eyes widened slightly and she gulped. Harry found it very difficult not to laugh at the 'deer in the headlights' look on her face.
"Grace?" Sean asked again, his voice showing his frustration.
"Sorry Daddy," Grace said, eyes downcast.
Sean sighed, not able to stay mad. "Why don't you tell me what you did?"
She chanced a look at her dad, "I painted my room."
"Pink?" Sean asked in resignation. She nodded. "We even have pink."
She nodded quickly, "We do! I was looking for someone and there was a whole tub of it!"
"Why your mother bought pink paint..." he muttered to himself. He stood up. "Well, let's have a look then," he told his daughter.
Harry stood as well, "I'll leave you to it then."
Sean nodded his thanks. "Come on Grace," he said, gently dragging his daughter with him.
"Bye Harry!" she shouted as she disappeared out of the room. With a small laugh and a smile, Harry left the pub, feeling better than he had an hour ago. He Apparated over to MI to pick up the bonds.
OoOoOoOoO
Harry met up with Lucy a few hours later after she'd spend the morning with Luthor. She had enjoyed playing with a skilled musician and had a standing invitation to go back during her stay here.
Whilst Lucy had been playing music with Luthor, Harry had simply practiced his animagus transformation, cutting down the time of the animal shift to just under forty seconds. When Jenny had contacted him about the bearer bonds he'd Apparated to Metropolis and collected a large silver metal briefcase from one of the girls at reception.
He had then Apparated back home and waited for Lucy. Whilst waiting he placed several tracking charms on the bonds and one on the briefcase. He was trying to do this very quietly but he wasn't taking any chances. Lucy met up with him mid afternoon back at his home.
"You got the bonds?" she asked as she saw the briefcase. The surprise was clear. "How were you able to do that?"
"I just was," Harry told her. "Have you spoken to Becker?"
Lucy nodded, "I told him that I had his money and that I could meet up with him." She looked quite nervous but Harry knew she wasn't lying. "He gave me the location to be in for 4pm."
A quick glance at the clock showed Harry that it was nearly two. "We'll leave now then. Come on." With a wave that was meant to be interpreted as a 'come on' gesture Harry cast a tracking charm on her as well. He was taking no chances.
OoOoOoOoO
Harry flew through the streets of Metropolis, carefully keeping an eye on Lucy from above. He was supposedly waiting for her by his bike a mile away, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight until this was all sorted peacefully. The taxi Lucy was in pulled up at the address Becker had given her and she stepped out. Flying over the buildings he got a good look into the alleys of Metropolis and his brilliant eyesight quickly picked out Becker and two other men.
He swooped down to street level and transformed out of sight. He cast silencing charms on himself and disillusioned himself. He walked up behind Becker and stood a few feet away.
"Lucy," the man said upon seeing her. Harry didn't recognise the accent. "You got the money far quicker than I imagined. It is unfortunate I do not see Luthor here as well. That was part of the plan"
"There were a few problems," Lucy told the man. Her voice was strong and didn't waver.
"You have my money then?" Becker asked, looking down at the silver briefcase.
"Twenty five thousand in bearer bonds," Lucy told him, handing over the briefcase. Becker indicated for one of his men to take it. One man opened it and scanned the brief case with a small metal device as the other looked inside and counted out the bonds. The counting nodded to Becker. "No tracking devices," the other said. Becker smiled, pleased.
"And the other twenty five?" he asked. He sounded amused, but Harry had heard Voldemort to speak to him in a similar manner before. That generally meant nothing good.
"I've already taken my share. That was what we agreed on,"
"And what problems did you have Lucy?" Becker asked. Harry stood ready to act. He didn't like the tone of his voice. He settled on the spell to use should Becker make a sudden movement.
"I wasn't able to get the money from Luthor. I got it from someone else," Lucy told Becker. Harry knew this was about to go bad.
"Oh? And who is this?" Becker asked, clearly interested.
"A friend," Lucy answered and he knew that it was the wrong thing to say. "He caught me trying to scam Luthor and my sister and did what he could to 'save me'. It was either be reported or follow his plan. I chose the second one, that way we still go our money."
Becker smiled in a manner that Harry knew meant he was going to exploit what Lucy said. "A friend of yours was able to give you twenty five thousands dollars, in bonds, in an afternoon?"
Lucy half nodded before realising that she really was in trouble now. She stood stock still, staring down Becker.
"If you tell us who it is I will let you go," he promised. Harry had to admit, he did sound was convincing. Neither he nor Lucy believed it though. She had nothing to say though without turning in Harry. He knew that the moment he threatened her properly she'd likely give up his name. It would have caused him some hassle but it would be the smart thing. He certainly didn't know Lucy well enough to inspire loyalty.
"That wasn't part of our deal. I was to get you the money and that was it," Lucy told the man, surprising Harry. He apparently had reached her on some level.
"Yes," Becker said. "But then you changed our deal first."
He reached into his jacket and Harry acted immediately. 'Animi adgredior,' he silently cast. A 'minor' curse he had learned from the necromancy book he had been reading recently struck Becker in the back chest. The heart-attack curse was quick, it was violent, and it killed in a way that wouldn't point to magic. The spell itself was colourless. A simple sharp shock to the chest was enough to overcome the curse, but Becker and his henchmen had no idea what had happened.
Becker stopped, his arm halfway out of his jacket. He dropped his gun and clutched his left arm before dropping to his knees. Becker was already dead; and by the look in his eyes he knew that. Lucy took initiative and turned to run. One of the men grabbed her round the arm.
Harry cast a muscle relaxant charm on the man's arm. It struck true and his arm fell limply by his side. A tripping jinx on Henchman Two send him crashing into One and they fell to the ground, giving Lucy her chance to escape with the briefcase. Harry stunned both of them for good measure now that no one was around to see the spell flash from a dual Stupefy.
He cast a notice-me-not charm around the area and looked around making sure Lucy couldn't be tied with being here. There were no security cameras, something Becker obviously knew when he picked this spot and they were out of the way enough for nobody to have seen or heard anything. Everything in the area was fine. He moved over to the two unconscious henchmen and removed them of their last day's memories. He could have done it smoother had he awakened them, but brute force obliviation worked fine.
He searched the three men next, electrically frying their phones. Smoke rose from Becker's pocket as he waved his hand over it. That mixed with the magic that killed him would see that Lucy's number was not recognised as the last or one of the last to call it. Satisfied that nothing was out of place except for the dead man and the two unconscious body guards, he removed the traces of magic from the area and left the alley and anonymously called the police, letting them know where the two unconscious men were.
He found where he had parked his motorbike and looked around for Lucy. She was supposed to have met him here. He cautiously approached his bike and noticed a scrap of paper attached to it.
'Sorry' was all it said.
Harry sighed in annoyance. There had always been the chance that Lucy would bolt if she could, but he had hoped she wouldn't. Apparently she'd taken the chance after seeing Harry wasn't at his bike. He wondered if Lucy had tried to steal his bike. From what he'd heard around school it wasn't that difficult to hotwire a car or a bike, and Lucy seemed like the type of person who would know that skill. If she'd likely would have been disappointed when it didn't work; magic added a whole other level of security to his bike. It definitely wouldn't do for someone to steal it and realise what Harry had done to it.
He turned his attention to finding Lucy. Knowing the girl was tricky and that this 'operation' had a high chance of going to hell, the bonds had tracking charms on them, as did Lucy, so finding her wouldn't be difficult. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to concentrate on the girl. He felt Clark's tracker was still in Smallville and that Lucy, as well as the bonds, were only a mile away and moving slowly. He looked east, the direction she was in and wondered where she was heading.
Unsure, he mounted his bike and drove slowly after her tracker, checking it every so often. After a minute he pulled up outside the Metropolis bus station. Finding a safe place to drop off his bike he closed in on the tracker.
He found Lucy, and his briefcase sitting on a bench with a bus ticket in her hands. As there were plenty of people walking by she didn't look up at him as he neared her. "I would easily have given you a lift back to Smallville," Harry told her calmly, as though he had no idea what she was trying to do.
She turned towards him, startled. She sighed in resignation. "How did you hide the GPS tracker from Becker?"
Harry just smiled, "Trade secret and I didn't have much of a choice. Either you were going to run the moment I gave you the bonds or Becker was going to kidnap you for more money. Couldn't be too careful. I was pleased that you did try and give Becker the money, even if you could have done it better."
"You were there? I thought you were going to wait somewhere else?"
"I did," Harry told. "Six floors up." Lucy didn't have to know that he wasn't on the roof above the alley but actually a few feet in front of her for the whole thing.
"You saw what happened then?" she asked.
Harry nodded, "I did." He smiled at her slightly, "Might I suggest you never try find a job in hostage negotiations, or anything similar?"
She frowned, "I said a few things I realise I shouldn't have, but he wasn't happy from the moment he knew Lex wasn't there."
They lapsed into silence. "You know you aren't keeping that money, right?" Harry asked her, just watching people bustling about around him.
Lucy smiled at him; the charming smile he'd seen earlier, "It was worth a try though."
Harry glanced over to the girl and shook his head. "You're dangerous, you know that?" he asked.
"So's Lois," Lucy told him.
Harry smiled and shook his head again, "Not quite. She's seems to attract trouble; you are trouble." Harry laughed lightly, "I'll enjoy the poetry of that for a moment."
"So what happens now then?" Lucy asked when Harry said nothing more.
Harry shrugged, "You either come back to Smallville with me, spent another day there before flying back to school, or you get on that bus and fend for yourself."
"You'd just let me leave?" Lucy asked in surprise.
Harry shrugged, "You're like your sister; you'll survive whatever's thrown at you. What I'll tell your sister if you do leave would be difficult though."
"You'd manage," Lucy told him without doubt. "I think you're more dangerous than I am."
He wondered if she'd have been able to sense that; hell, with him being able to get her twenty five thousand dollars in a night, in currency that he really shouldn't have been able to get, it wasn't difficult to deduce. Still...
"I'm just Harry," he told her.
Lucy clearly didn't believe a word of it, but seemed to be enjoying herself, "Why don't I believe that?"
Harry stared into her eyes for a moment before grinning slightly and leaning back on the bench he sat on. "So what happens then? Come back to Smallville or leave?"
Harry sat in silence for a moment, curious what she'd chose. He couldn't help but smile at her decision.
"You'll pay for my flight back to Switzerland, right?"
OoOoOoOoO
Next Chapter: Obliviate