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Chapter 34 – Getting acquainted
Harry walked Severus to the fireplace and watch the man leave before he went outside and jogged on the beach. Severus had been corrected; he had let himself be so drawn to the dark that he forgot his true and eventual goal, he needed to kill Dumbledore before he could build his own life. To kill Dumbledore he needed to be good and he needed to play that role better.
He was going to stop carrying his knives; Severus had told him that he could conjure knives that would be just as effective.
He stopped in front of the house and saw a short man standing on the stairs watching him; the man had a casual stance and wore a smile on his face. He was dressed in a pair of chinos and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up
"Good afternoon" Harry said in English
"Good afternoon Mr Potter" the older man said in French
"You seem to have me at a disadvantage" Harry replied in French "Are you here for Sirius?"
"No" the man said observing him "I am here because I am curious Harry, if I may"
"Curiosity can get you killed" Harry said seriously
"My name is Jean Pierre Delacour, I believe you know my daughters" he said watching the boy
"Gabrielle yes, Fleur I know of. What can I help you with Mr Delacour? Are they both alright?"
"Why yes of course. I have received these throughout the first part of the school year" the older man said holding up a number of letters
"Ms Delacour has been busy" Harry smiled
"These letters are not from Gabby no, they are from my other daughter" the man said "Complaints and concerns fills these pages"
"I am sorry that Fleur feels concerned or the need to complain. I do believe I have been nothing but cordial to her" Harry said and then shrugged as if to say there is nothing more I can say
"No apologies necessary young Harry. You see I have been in contact with Mr Black and Mr Lupin about you and even your mentor Potions Master Snape and all three have nothing but praise for you. I had to meet this young man myself" he smiled and adjusted his stance "Shall we take a seat?"
"Alright, would you like something to drink?" Harry offered
"No no I am fine, but don't let me stop you" he said and watched as Harry poured himself some lemonade from a carafe
"So what concerns you Mr Delacour?" Harry asked taking the seat next to the man
"Nothing concerns me Mr Potter, I am a happy man and my daughter is happy whilst the other one is placated that her mother and I have spoken to her sister. I am curious; why do three grown men talk about you like you are an adult? Why are you immune to Gabrielle's allure and charm? Why you wear the sign of the Deathly Hallows on your forearm and why do you have such a potent aura?" he asked looking Harry in the eyes "And why you have a fortress built around your mind?"
"Reading someone's mind is a dangerous and illegal thing Mr Delacour" Harry commented "But to answer your questions; I have always been interested in forts and castles and military bases and when I read books on Occlumency that was what came to mind, pardon the choice of words. My potent aura, I can't explain that as I cannot see them" he shrugged "So I'll guess that it means I'm quite powerful with magic and that's what you're seeing. The sign of the Deathly Hallows is a tattoo that my friends and I took, it symbolises the need to always consider ones decisions and it looks pretty wicked too" he grinned
"That it does, Gabrielle has written asking if she can take the mark. Did you offer it to her?" he asked
"I did not, but since she has been spending so much time around us she has seen it often. I was sure she'd ask to take it"
"Good, let her come to you about it and I'd like if you wrote me when she did. Is it just a tattoo and not a dark mark?" the man asked seriously
"No it is not just a tattoo" Harry said and then went on to explain what the tattoo was
"I see, then when you give it to her it may trigger her change. I'm sure she has explained it to you?"
"Yes she has explained how she would go through an awakening of sorts."
"I'd rather her be home when she takes the tattoo then, so if you agree to giving it to her please delay it until the summer holiday and I will invite you and your guardians around"
"Sooner or later I suppose I will get used to being invited somewhere each summer" he mumbled
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing Mr Delacour. Just a personal observation" Harry smiled and watched a familiar eagle come flying his way
"Is that yours?" the older man asked
"No, she is a friends. But I am considering getting one for myself" Harry said "Maybe a black one though"
"She is beautiful. I will leave you to your letter then Mr Potter but I do look forward to your correspondence" the Frenchman said and walked back into the house as Harry untied the letter from the bird
Good day Harry,
Below is a contract that was sent in for you. I have listed you on the data base simply as Mr Peverell as requested
Yours in business
MJ Watson
Good day Mr Peverell,
I have been having a problem with a certain supplier, your skill set is needed and would be appreciated. Details below
Name; DH Langley, picture included
Location; Currently in London
Payment; $0.5 million
Bonus; Early completion (Before Christmas) 25%
I trust this is satisfactory. Send his head as proof of completion via Ms Watson
Harry sat and planned, he would take his wand and his rifle. He needed to practice a preservation charm and then get to London for a few days to find his target, he wrote a quick reply to Ms Watson asking her to get her sources to try and find the target and offered her an additional 5% on her regular commission if he was found quickly.
He went upstairs and got his suitcase that John had left him and his rifle case; laying them out on the bed he took out what he thought he would need, some money and a few gold coins in case he needed to use John's contacts. He opened the rifle case and unpacked the rifle; he hadn't used it in a while, Marcus would be furious.
He sat on his bed and cleaned the rifle making sure it was ready for action as he had been taught. He heard the Floo activate and heard Sirius and Remus coming up the stairs
"Harry we got some food" Sirius shouted
"I'm in my room, I'll be down soon" he shouted back and then the door opened
"Sirius you can't just barge into a teenager's room, can't you see he is playing with his rifle" Remus joked
"Ha ha" Harry said humourlessly "I need to go to London, as early as tonight but I should be back here before Christmas"
"Sirius needs to go see his healer as well so I think we can go to Grimmauld place for a bit" Remus said
"So what are you two going to be doing for work?" Harry asked
"Sirius wants to start a business but he doesn't know what he wants it to do" Remus replied again
"I can speak for myself thank you very much" the Black said "I was talking to Dumbledore and he told me about these two brilliant pranksters in the Weasley family. I was thinking we could open a joke shop with them, give Zonko's a run for their money"
"As long as you make sure they're underpaid and overworked. They're responsible for the death of one of the Slytherin students I knew" Harry said
"It seems they're already looking to open a shop of their own" Remus said "I don't think that they'd be willing to work for us and not be partners"
"Then open your own shop and put them out of business" Harry shrugged
"Look we're not as young as we once were, we need people like them to do bulk of the inventing" Sirius said
"Sirius, I've read up on the Black family and they were all ruthless in business dealings. Grow a pair and play dirty, get someone to spy on them and get you recipes for their products. With your monetary advantage you can produce it faster and then take them to court for trademark infringement and tie them up there. Then when they can't keep heads above water you offer them a lifeline, you'd drop the case if they work for you and give them twenty percent of the profits but not the ownership and all products made while they're under contract to you are yours."
"You really hate them don't you?" Remus said
"Their brother nearly killed me for something that was not my fault. So yes, those redheads can get fucked" Harry almost snarled
"Okay, as much as it pains me to hurt a fellow lion I'll take your plan of action" Sirius said
The two men made their way downstairs and onto the porch with their food; Remus fetched a bottle of wine as well.
"Will you just follow whatever he says Padfoot?" Remus asked his best friend
"What choice do I have Remus? If I put my foot down he disappears, he has the resources to do it. I want him in my life and that means I have to compromise, I understand if you feel you need to leave"
"That's not what I'm saying, I've been in the grey for the longest time. I have to deal with those people because the wizarding society excludes werewolves from itself. I'm used to seeing much worse than a teenager cleaning a rifle. I just need to know that you're okay with it, I remember how you struggled being at home over the holidays"
"I struggled with the blood purity crap not the dark magic. Those two were interlocked for the longest time in that house. But with him I see how they aren't one thing and how blind Dumbledore was regarding Lily and James and how he still is regarding Harry"
"Did you go see him?" Remus
"I did, I was summoned. He told me that he is extremely happy that Harry has chosen to live with me. He was worried that Nott was influencing Harry negatively but I convinced him that Harry came up with the idea of the tattoos and that it symbolises making the smart choice and the light choice. Then I fed him the old 'we should embrace our enemies and win them over with our greatest weapon'"
"Love?" Remus asked
"Yes, he told me those words once upon a time. And when I threw them back at him he seemed impressed and thoughtful"
"Well done Padfoot" Harry said from the doorway "I need you to do something else on that front"
"Sure pup what do you need?"
"At the end of my fifth year…"
AN – There we go, I hope everyone has enjoyed it. So please review and please favourite and follow if you haven't already.