Chapter 49
After his talk with Alicia, Angelina, and Katie, Arcturus and Sirius escorted Harry to his factory in Ireland the next day. The older Black seemed happier than his grandson and was wearing a predatory grin. He and Cassiopeia spent a lot of time gathering information about the people who worked at the factory and were able to dig up some information of great interest. Then, Apparating to the building, they walked inside the building, where the receptionist met them. The woman was going to ask who they were when she saw the faces of Lord Black and Hadrian Potter. She immediately hopped out of her seat "Lord Black, Mr. Potter, it's an honor to have you here today."
They either ignored or pretended not to hear her and kept walking to their destination. Finally, arriving at the Manager's office, without knocking, they burst through the door to see a sixty-year-old man at his desk looking irritated at being disturbed "who the hell do you think you are to just come into my office without an appointment."
Harry narrowed his eyes and gave the man an ice-cold glare. "I happen to be the person who is the owner of this place, you insignificant little shit," he declared. The man was about to speak when Harry waved his left hand, showing that he was the heir to the Potter family. The older man did a double-take and paled as a bedsheet. "Now, let's try this again, Mr. Jones."
He immediately shot to his feet and rounded his desk. "Mr. Potter, please forgive my rudeness. I was unaware that you were coming today" he then turned to look at Lord Black, and if looks could kill, then he'd be six feet under. He had only seen Lord Black once, and that was enough to make him shit his pants. "Lord Black, I thought you were coming along today."
Arcturus sneered at the man. "You need to get your hearing checked out, you useless shit-stain. I specifically said that I would return with guests" glaring at the terrified man "one more will be joining us shortly. But for now, I want you to gather all the workers and meet by the conference room."
Jones was so scared that he couldn't even move.
"What are you waiting for? Christmas! Move it. Now!" his steel-grey eyes bore into the man's soul. Jones finally snapped out of his fear and ran out of the room.
"Impressive," Harry commented.
Sirius laughed a bit "thank god your ire is not directed at me," quickly sobering up after receiving a knowing glare from him.
They began walking toward the elevator when Mrs. Schwarber walked in. She was indeed a fierce woman and very dedicated to her job, something Harry respected. After greeting one another, they entered the elevator and pressed for floor three. Riding the elevator until it stopped at their destination, they dismounted and walked towards the conference room. Continuing on their way, they saw that Mr. Jones had assembled everyone. Forty-three workers and eight security guards.
As soon as he spotted them, he went into manager mode "look alive, everyone. Lord Black and Mr. Potter are nowhere." Everyone turned to see them coming. Most were wondering why he began acting this way, but the sight of Lord Black made them cringe. The look on his face showed that he meant business. However, when Potter was spotted next to him, they didn't know what to think, wondering why he was present.
"This most vexing," Harry stated in a cold voice as he observed everyone. "Mr. Jones, is everyone present?"
"Yessir," he hesitantly said.
Harry narrowed his eyes, causing him to step back. He then turned to the others. "I will get right to the point. My visit here is anything but grand as the combat uniforms designed here are a colossal failure" his voice was cool and laced with danger as he began walking amongst them. "For far too long, the Potters have manufactured the best of the best uniforms. However, the products and sales have drastically declined. I believe poor craftsmanship is at hand, and it's cost us not only a lot of money but has significantly destroyed our reputation. Several contractors have pulled out because they believe we are unable to produce results. This will no longer be tolerated."
The tone in his voice and the power he radiated showed that he was not happy, and it sent chills down some of their spines.
However, a few were not cowed. "I cannot believe this is happening. An overprivileged brat is scolding us," one of the workers whispered into his colleague's ear, making him snort in agreement. "He wouldn't be acting so high and mighty if Lord Black weren't with him. Then again, the Blacks are not exactly that powerful anymore. This is a big waste of time."
Unfortunately for him, Harry heard what he said and snapped his head fast enough to make it fall off "really, Mr. Robinson," he said in an ice-cold voice, making everyone freeze "care to say that louder," he challenged.
Robinson was about to speak but backed down when he saw the look on Lord Black's face.
"He doesn't need to. I heard him loud and clear" Arcturus got in the younger man's face making him pale "speaking to my nephew that way was your first mistake. Calling my House weak was your second. Besides, I have very little patience for such incompetence" his voice was laced with danger, and his eyes radiated power. "And given how most recall orders and lack of sales is your fault, you should not be talking."
"Now, now Lord Black, I appreciate your concern in this regard," Harry began, "but there is no reason for you to inconvenience yourself. Let alone deal with this incompetent shitbag."
Arcturus backed off slightly "where if I a younger man, you would have a hard time breathing," he said before addressing the others. "Now listen up, you worthless assholes, while it would give me great pleasure to fire every one of you. My nephew is willing to overlook your failures despite my protest. However, the ones responsible for stealing products or classified information and selling them to other firms will face severe consequences. Punishment will also be given to those who have the knowledge and fail to come forward to speak will be treated as the same."
Harry then stepped in "as of right now. No one is allowed to leave. Lord Black, Mrs. Schwarber, and I will question everyone to see if they know anything about what's been going on. If you answer truthfully, you will have nothing to fear. The ones who are responsible will find more than what they bargained for. Anyone attempting to leave will be treated as a suspect" that instilled fear in them as they looked at one another with disbelief and fear. Whoever's been selling confidential information will get burned.
Harry cast a look to his uncle and Mrs. Schwarber, giving them a knowing nod. The two walked into the conference room and began their work "Sirius, keep an eye on them. Mr. Jones, you are first."
Sirius nodded as the two walked inside. Harry looked at his uncle from the corner of his right eye and saw a glint in the older man's eyes. He knew the wards were in place. The two sat down, facing each other. Liselotte handed him one of the many files from her briefcase.
"Mr. Arnold Jones," Harry began in a business voice, "you have worked at this firm for over 39 years, correct?"
"Yessir."
"Good, now let's begin." He asked the man many questions if he had anything to do with the decrease in sales or was associated with anyone in selling top-secret information. Thanks to Arcturus putting up truth wards around the room, anyone being questioned will be forced to tell the truth. Or if he knew anyone had been selling information. Unlike veritaserum, the wards were family magic and completely legal. When the person left the room, everything discussed would remain quiet—the beauty of magic and, more importantly, family magic.
Harry found the man completely innocent and sent for the next person. Mr. Robinson took the seat that his colleague vacated. The fool was the assistant Manager. Arcturus didn't like the man, and neither did Harry as they felt something off about him. So after giving his name and explaining how long he'd been working for the firm, did Harry begin?
"Do you have any knowledge of why top secret information has fallen into the hands of Parkinson?"
The man was attempting to resist answering, but the wards around the room were too strong "y-yes."
Harry narrowed his eyes and leaned forward "were you the one who gave him the information?"
"Y-yes."
"Were you under the imperius curse or any other enchantments at the time?"
"No," he replied. "I was promised a big bonus for my help if I passed confidential information, along with performing a couple of other tasks."
Harry's insides were telling him to maim the man. Then, taking a breath, he pressed, "what were the other task he asked you to perform? Who else was involved?"
The man tried to resist, but it was futile as he sang like a canary. Liselotte was taking notes and was not pleased by the answers she was getting. If she was mad, it paled in comparison to Arcturus and Harry's rage as they were seconds away from tearing this shit-stain and his associates apart. Arcturus made a mental note to look into Lord Flint's involvement. He never liked the bastard.
They spent the next three hours interviewing everyone. In total, two security guards and eight workers were found guilty and taken away. The innocent ones were given new contracts and offered an increase in money to stay loyal to the firm and a few other benefits in their contracts. When they were done, Sirius and the others set out to find any listening charms or recording crystal and told to report back with what they found. A half-hour later, Sirius and the other security guards returned with two shattered crystals and could trace who had been listening. Liselotte wrote down what was happening and who placed the recording crystals and listening charms.
Everyone then met up back near the conference room. Harry soon began, "let this be a warning to everyone. The ones who were caught selling information and materials have been sent to the Ministry and put in holding cells to await trial." The remaining workers silently talked with one another for a moment. "As of now, there to be changes. To start, the new Head of Security is Sirius Black," gesturing to the right where his godfather was. "Next, Mr. Jones, while I'm tempted to fire you as it was your duty to oversee the others," giving the man a look of disdain, causing him to bow his head in shame. "I am willing to give you another chance to fix your mistakes." Mr. Jones raised his head in astonishment and was about to speak but was cut off "do not think for one minute that you are off the hook. The only reasons you are allowed to maintain your position are because of your skills and reputation. However, should there be any other mistakes, then you're gone. Clear?"
Arnold vigorously nodded his head.
"Alright, now that I have everyone's attention know this: half-arse work will no longer be tolerated, and the uniforms designed here will meet expectations. Furthermore, guests from Magical Africa will be arriving in a few days, and I expect everyone here to treat them with respect." Quickly surveying the room before continuing, "Lord Black has agreed to watch over everything. If they're any more issues, then you will forward them to him. That will be all," effectively dismissing them. The workers dashed back to their stations.
Arcturus turned to Mrs. Schwarber "did you get all the information you needed?"
She gave an affirmative nod "that and more. With the amount of evidence we have, the Wizengamot will have no choice but to side with us. You can probably squeeze a lot of Lord Flint's and Lord Parkinson's assets and demand a dowery."
"Good," came Harry, who walked closer, "get on it. Those shits and the people who helped them are going to learn what happens when they cross the Potters and Blacks," adding a dark chuckle.
After their business was concluded, Harry went to the elevator to head towards the apparition point and go back to Hogwarts. His uncle and godfather took care of the rest.
(0^0)
It was a mess at the next Wizengamot. Mrs. Schwarber sued Flint, Parkinson, and the others who aided in stealing from Harry's company. After spending more than an hour showing uncontestable evidence, the Wizengamot sided with her, much to the ire of the two Lords. The two were forced to sign over their businesses, hand over all of the materials they had in making battle gears and had to hand 90% of all their money to Harry. Thanks to the influence their respective Houses possessed, they didn't get sent to Azkaban. The others didn't fare well either as their accounts at Gringotts were seized, and all the money they had was handed over to Harry. They were also fined a small fortune and sent to Azkaban for a minimum of ten years.
Slowly the reputation of Harry's firm started to renew as the contractors who originally pulled out wanted back in. In addition, various branches of the I.C.W. military and other Ministries requested contracts as well. Not able to attend the meeting, Harry had Arcturus go in his place. Together with Mr. Jones, they managed to broker multiple contracts. Surprisingly, Sirius enjoyed his new job as Head of Security and post want ads in the Daily Prophet. Within the next few weeks, a total of ten people showed up wanting jobs. Sirius had personally evaluated them to ensure they were capable and hired them after a thorough background check. Their contracts stipulated that they were forbidden from selling any information or materials to rival competitors.
Mr. Oluwusi and his team came, and Harry got them to sign a contract with him and his firm. Needless, to say the man and his team were happy to work alongside Harry's team. The additional bonus was that Badu could put his skills to the test when he laid eyes on Archfiend steel. The steel was exceedingly rare, and only a few select people were able to manipulate it. Harry needn't worry about the cost as he used the money from the lawsuit won against Parkinson and his cohorts. Expensive, it may have been, but it was worth it. Even after that, he was still able to keep a generous sum of it.
Oluwusi estimated how long the uniforms would take to make, and even Ragnok was skeptical but agreed to help, nonetheless. So together, the two races began working. The task before them will not be easy, but the rewards would be great if they succeeded.
After that came the I.C.W. session Yuichi Shiba and his colleagues were guilty of committing treason against Magical Japan. The now-former Minister's brother had expelled him from the family for the murder of their father. After his removal from office, he and the others' magical cores were sealed and tossed through the Veil of Death. That, combined with his other crimes, utterly destroyed the reputation of the House of Shiba, and they lost their seats on the Wizengamot. When the Aurors discovered that his daughter was the one who attempted to drug Hadrian with a love potion, the girl was expelled from Mahoutokoro, had her magic bound, and was placed under house arrest. The Shiba family had lost all their influence and were nearly broke.
In the room of requirement, Harry and the others were conversing through the crystals. Well, it was mostly Karai doing the talking "the Japanese Ministry is in complete chaos at the moment; not only did Shiba commit treason, but he was also in violation of national law. The situation is at the point where all ministry personnel is subjected to evaluation, already we had to send a third of the workers packing."
"I am more concerned as to who was named Interim Minister" Alex came in. "The last thing your people need is another tyrant or someone worse."
"So far, there are only three candidates," she replied, "the Head of the Goblin Liaison office, a person from the Department of Mysteries, and I."
Hayato spoke up, "do you require any information about those running against you?"
"It would help," Karai said. "I don't trust Noriko. He is a vile man who has been able to avoid prosecution for over 20 years."
"I'll look into it, dear."
"In the meantime," Ichika said, getting everyone back on track, "how is your current project going on?" directing towards Hadrian.
Grinning, he responded, "progress is slow at the moment. Manipulating that type of steel is one thing, but creating it is another. Given time I'll be able to find a way to create it. I just need more time."
When discussions were over, everyone except for the Blacks and Amelia signed off.
"So, how are things at the firm?"
Arcturus replied, "everything is running smoothly; the workers are making an effort to redeem themselves. However, prices are beginning to soar to new heights, and there is a high demand for new uniforms."
Sirius stepped in "the security force has also improved. No, one can ever steal designs or information ever again. All they needed was a punch in the mouth and something to fear."
"Fuck me, he finally decides to grow up," Arcturus barked with pride. Sirius sent a glare to his grandfather, though he remained quiet. "Well, if that is all! I'm gone" he turned his crystal off.
"Now that the grouchy bastard is gone, we can discuss things of interest!"
"Such as?" Harry enquired.
"Remember that explosion at Parkinson's factory?" Harry nodded. "Well, I found that some of the staff members died. Others were severely wounded."
"What are you getting at?"
"Does the name Stephen Bell ring a bell to you?" Sirius asked.
"Bell?" Harry asked in a confused voice, "you mean Katie Bell's father?"
"That be him," Sirius commented "after the explosion, he was severely scarred and is paralyzed from the waist down. After the incident, Parkinson fired and had discredited him for causing the explosion."
"You believe that?" Emily raised an eyebrow.
Sirius clicked his tongue. "I sooner believe Dumbledore to be under the imperius curse," he retorted. "No, I looked into what causes the explosion and found he had nothing to do with it."
Harry's expression became serious "if that's true, then why was he fired? It doesn't make sense" he began to think as things were not adding up.
"Based on what he told me, some of the other workers were not paying attention and added too much petroleum, and that is what caused the explosion. So the only reason why Parkinson blamed him is that he's a stickler for appearance and found a way to cover his failure."
"There's something else, isn't there?" Harry tentatively asked.
Sirius let out a deep sigh "unfortunately, yes, and it's not pleasant" he went onto explain the other reason, which greatly shocked the two teens. Finally, after twenty-five minutes of explaining, Harry's heart was set ablaze "and that'd the end of it."
"How is Mr. Bell at the moment?"
Amelia answered, "he is still paralyzed from the waist down and heavily scarred. The left side of his face was heavily burned. All the money he and his wife had is now being used to pay medical bills, and the fine Parkinson put on them. On top of that, other firms refuse to hire him because of his condition," she gravely said.
"Well, that would explain why Katie has been acting different lately," Emily summarized. "It would also explain why she was gone for two days."
"Indeed," Harry said while in deep thought, trying to process the information. "How much is the fine? And what did he specialize in before the explosion occurred?"
Sirius looked through his notes before pulling out the ones he'd been looking for, "three million galleons, and he was the chief designer of the firm who specialized in combining and manipulating different hides into combat gears. He was somewhat a genius with his work as it has always been above reproach."
After spending a couple of minutes in deep thought, he came up with an idea "I have an idea that may be of help. However, you are going to have to follow it to the letter."
Sirius leaned in, wondering what Harry was planning.
(0^0)
Soon the next Hogsmede trip came, and the students were looking forward to going. Harry himself was particularly happy. Sirius was due to arrive at the three broomsticks for a meeting today. If all goes as planned today, then a few people will end up having a good day. Walking towards the gates, he saw Daphne wearing a white blouse and some blue jeans. She was waiting by the gates with Blaise and Tracey, who were dressed in casual clothes. He, on the other hand, was wearing a forest green V-neck shirt and some blue jeans. Harry asked if Byakko and Suzaku wanted to attend the small village? Byakko agreed while Suzaku said he spend the day flying above the forbidden forest.
Rather than be in his tattoo form, Byakko wished to stretch his legs and go as he was. Tracey saw the two approaches. "It took you long enough! We were beginning to think you weren't going to show up. So what were you doing?" she impatiently asked. The fashion designers of Twilift and Tatterings released their new spring collection a few days ago, and the school's female population eagerly wanted to try the clothes.
"Something more important than simply trying on clothes," he nonchalantly replied, causing Blaise to snort in amusement while she looked affronted.
"What could be more important than shopping for the new spring collection?"
"Face it, Tracey, we're guys" Blaise stepped in with an amused expression on his face. "We prefer to grab what we like and not waste time trying on forty or so different outfits. Besides, you have more clothes than Harry and I combined," he commented as they walked to the village.
"I do not," she protested. "Back me up here, Daphne," looking at her best friend for support, the only thing she got was an amused laugh from her.
"Calm down, Trace. Boys don't understand the fine art of shopping."
"Fine art, my arse," Blaise stated, "when we were in Macusa, you two, Emily, and Miwa dragged us from clothing store to clothing store. That may have been fun for you guys, but it was a nightmare for me," he said remembering shopping venture. "How can girls shop so much and not be sick of it?" grumbling to himself.
"Preach it, brother," Harry commented.
"You two weren't complaining when you were wearing your new clothes," Daphne countered.
"Merlin saves us," Harry said while looking at the clear blue sky.
"Let's just run in and grab what we need to get, then get out," Blaise suggested.
"I'm with you" Harry didn't hesitate to agree.
Unknown to them, the girls shared a mischievous look as they neared the store. Then, in one swift motion, they dragged them into different parts of the store. Spending the next four hours trying on different clothes, much to the guys' annoyances, they finally left. Harry and Blaise felt like they just fought a group of hidebehinds.
"Please tell me we're done," Blaise groaned as he was carrying different bags.
Tracey whirled around "fine, you big baby. Let's go to the three broomsticks."
"To hell with shopping," he muttered.
She gave him a scathing look "you say something," she asked in a calm but dangerous voice, making him close his mouth. "That's what I thought," holding her nose up as they continued walking.
Blaise leaned toward his best friend and whispered, "you know we men have to get married to suffer this kind of abuse."
"No, joke," Harry replied.
The teens walked in, where they saw the others sitting at a few tables by the wall. Madam Rosmerta and her employees have been working hard on improving the establishment. Ever since Harry's investment, things have changed drastically, mainly with the increase in customers. After finding an open table near Aaron, Katie, and the others, Harry took a look at his watch to see the time. It read 3:05. "I'll see you guys later" he got up and went to the bar where Rosmerta was serving drinks.
She flashed him a smile when he approached "good afternoon, Harry, what can I get you?"
"Nothing, at the moment," he said. "I just came to make sure the room I ordered was ready."
"Right this way, please" she leads him up the stairs with a key in her hand. Passing a few doors, they stopped at the one at the end of the hall. Unlocking the door, she let him go inside so he could view the room. Quickly surveying the spacious room, he gave a warm smile.
"It is perfect" ever since she renovated her business, the quality of her rooms also improved. "When my guest arrives, please send them in."
"Anything for my favorite investor," giving him a quick wink and the key before leaving.
Harry shook his head in amusement; only she could use her feminine charm like that to gain tips. Lifting his shirt to let Byakko out, the monarch stretched his legs while Harry began warding the room and levitated some firewood into the fireplace. He created a small amount of fire in the palm of his hand and tossed it on the wood. Then, flickering his wand back in its holster, he took a seat on the couch next to the fire and waited for the others, with Byakko sitting next to him. A few minutes later, Rosmerta arrived with Sirius and Mr. Jones; getting up from his seat, he gave Sirius a hug and a nod to Jones.
"Is everything ready?"
"Of course," Sirius replied, "the others are on their way."
"Good," he then turned to Arnold, "do you have what I asked?"
"Right here," reaching into his watch and pulling his briefcase out. Giving an affirmative nod, they took a seat when Rosmerta returned with the Bells. First was a man being rolled inside by whom Harry assumed to be his wife, then came Katie herself. In Harry's opinion, she had more of her mother's features than her dad's except for her eyes, which were slightly darker than her mom's.
Katie was surprised to see her parents today as she thought her dad had an appointment with another healer. Ever since the accident, her father was disabled and had severely burned his face. The healers he'd seen were unable to help him walk, and he lost his job and now had to find a way to pay off the medical bills and fine Parkinson put on him. Not only that, but he couldn't find employment anywhere as nobody would hire him for the way he looked. Days earlier, he received a letter from Sirius Black asking for an audience at the three broomsticks. Rolling his wheelchair next to the couch, his wife Mariah used her wand, levitated him out of his chair, and gently placed him on the couch.
"What's going on, Harry?" Katie asked as she took a seat next to her father.
Ignoring her question, he motioned for Sirius toward the door shut. Sirius took his wand out and added some privacy wards so no one could listen in on their conversation. Then, his job done, he deposited his wand back in his pants.
Mr. Jones took out three thick folders and gave them to him when Sirius was done. "Now, let's get down to business," he said in a business voice. The bandage that covered the left side of Mr. Bell's face was hard to make out, but Harry could tell he was surprised and continued, "as I understand, you were involved in a horrible explosion while working for a firm owned by Lord Parkinson. That disaster was not your fault. It was your colleagues. Even, then you were wrongfully blamed."
The Bells were completely shocked.
"During the aftermath of the incident, you were injured, have to pay off the fine that bastard put on you, and have to pay off other debts." Katie was about to yell but stopped when he held up a hand, "I didn't ask you here to insult or make you relive the trauma you went through. Rather I have some good news for you and your family" he handed his wife one of the folders.
Mariah hesitantly opened the folder and pulled out the forms. She was struck speechless by what she read "these are all the debts we have to pay off" her voice was barely audible, but Stephen turned his head toward her and read through the files.
"Correction had to," Harry said. "They were all paid off, and you don't owe anyone anything anymore."
"I-I don't understand" Stephen looked from the statements to him, "why would you?"
"A multitude of reasons," Harry replied, "one I don't like it when innocent people take the fall for others. Especially, weak-willed bastards like Parkinson. Second, I reviewed your file," picking up a file and showing it to him. "From what I've read, you're an honest, hardworking man who always does his best. I respect that. Third, your daughter Katie has been a good teammate and ally to my sister and me. Not only that, but she is also one of the few people in my house who I can stand to be around" Katie's cheeks turned pink at what he said. Both her parents looked at her with surprised faces. "Plus, I enjoy making Parkinson angry," chuckling rather darkly.
"But how were you able to pay everything off?" she asked.
"Katie," Mariah chastised her daughter.
"It is fine," Harry intervened before she could continue scolding her daughter. Then, turning his head to Katie, "that's the best part. The money I got from that swine was how I paid them off." He began laughing while her jaw hit the floor, and she stared with astonishment.
"You used the money you won from him and his colleagues to pay off my family's debt" he connected the dots. "You are an evil genius. I bet he won't be happy when he finds out."
"No, I imagine he won't be," Harry admitted. "Even, then he can't do anything."
"So, what happens now?" he tentatively asked.
"Maybe I can help you in an area or two," smiling at the man. Stephen was confused as to what he was talking about "while I can't restore your ability to use your legs. I think I can fix your face if you let me."
Stephen rubbed the side of his face with the bandage on. The left side of his face was deformed and not pleasant to see. The healers he saw tried to undo the damage from the accident, but they ended in failures, and it always hurt worse. They either claimed it was impossible to fix or were unwilling even to try, yet here was someone willing to help him. "I don't know; the healers say that the damage was permanent and can't be fixed."
Katie placed a hand on his shoulder "give him a chance, please, daddy?" he looked from her to his wife, who nodded in agreement.
"Ok," he grudgingly said while taking off the bandages, revealing his scarred face.
Sirius and Arnold look like they will be sick, but Harry remained calm and walked over with his wand in his hand. Waving it a few times over his face' the tip of his wand glowed green, black, silver, and brown. "Hm, that's interesting" he saw residual traces of magical burns deep within the man's face. "Alright, I can fix this."
"How?" Mariah asked. "The healers said nothing could be done."
"They are partly right, but mostly miss informed," Harry explained. "You see, there some residual traces of potion burns in his face, and that's what preventing them from doing anything."
"But you'll be able to, won't you?" Katie nervously asked.
"Sure, though it will be painful," he warned.
"Do it," Stephen said.
Harry pointed his wand at his scarred face "on the count of three. One… two… three," he waved his wand in an intricate form a couple of times over his face extracting the potion from his face.
Mariah held her husband's hand as he screamed when the potion began leaving his skin. This lasted for a few minutes until the last of the potion left his face "thank you," he said.
Harry nodded his head. Sirius took a shrunken chest from his pocket and enlarged it. Then, opening the chest, he pulled out some potions and placed them on the table. "I may not be a healer, but I was able to remove what was left of the potion from your face."
However, Sirius came in, "you will need to take these potions for the next few days." Indicating to the potions on the table, "they will help aid in your recovery."
"Thank you!" he croaked while tears threatened to leave his eyes. "Thank you both!"
"Now onto the final piece of business," Harry said, getting his attention "do you still love your job?"
"Yes, I do" he nodded vigorously.
He crossed his arms and leaned back "when Parkinson and Flint signed their companies over to me. I had to fire some people, even the assistant manager from my original firm, and I need some positions that need filling."
"You're giving my dad a job?" Katie tentatively asked. A smile plastered on her face.
"No!" Harry said in an expressionless tone, effectively making her lose the smile on her face. "I am offering your dad a chance to become the assistant manager at my firm. But that is only if he wants it."
Stephen was hesitant to speak as he was trying to process what was going on.
Harry saw that he was conflicted and hesitant to speak, "go ahead. You can speak if you want."
He swallowed his tongue and spoke, "I like to ask a few questions if you don't mind?" Harry gestured for him to continue. "First, what would I have to do? Second, does it matter that I am a half-blood? Third, why would you offer me a job?"
Harry answered. "To your first answer, you will have to prove that you qualified for the position like everyone else as I can't just give you the job like that. It is unfair to the other workers. Next, I don't care if you're a half-blood. You can be a muggleborn, and I would still hire you" that shocked him as he was taken back by what the young man just said. He remembered how hard and lucky he was able to get his first job. Knowing how the magical world gave jobs to half-bloods and muggleborns, he was nervous. "At my firm, you'll be treated as an equal regardless of your background, so long as you can do the job. You'll be hired. I may be a pureblood and follow the ancient ways, but I'm not a bigot or supremacist like others. To your last question, I've seen your work, and it truly is impressive, despite what Parkinson attempted to do to you. Plus, it would greatly irritate him when he finds out. So what's your decision?"
The man burst out laughing. "Katie was right. You are an evil genius! While I would like to work for you, can I at least read the contract first?"
Arnold leaned down and whispered into Harry's ear, "I like him," to which he nodded in agreement. "Certainly," he then handed him the last folder that contained the contract. Stephen pulled the contract out of the folder and read it carefully. As he read through the contract, his mouth became dry, and he could utter a single word. The expression on his face was priceless, though. His salary would increase significantly, and he'd be given more benefits like medical leave, P.T.O. time, etc. This was way more than what he got from Parkinson. "So, we got a deal?"
His mouth was so dry that he couldn't speak, so he nodded his head.
Harry clapped his hands together "well then, I'll let Sirius and Mr. Jones wrap things up," rising from his seat and turned around, "have fun, you two," then turned to the Bells. "Mr. Bell, I leave you in good hands" he waved his wand, undoing the wards and unlocked the door, and was about to leave.
The shocked man regained his voice. "Mr. Potter, please wait to please" Harry paused as he was about to vacate the room. Then, whirling around, he looked at the man. "I truly appreciate what you're doing for me. How could I ever repay you?"
"It is of no concern," Harry dismissed the gesture. "Work hard and be honest. Also, show Parkinson why it was a mistake to fire you. Then, stick it to the motherfucker."
"I will," the older man said. Then, not needing to linger any longer, Harry left the room.
"That boy is something," Arnold commented. The others all nodded in agreement.
Sirius had a big smile on his face. "I sometimes forget that he is only thirteen," he said with pride. "The way he acts most of the time makes him look like an adult."
Katie was positively stunned at what happened today. Her family no longer had debts to pay, her dad's face would be healed soon, and he was offered a job with better benefits. But, she would have never that to come from Harry. The boy was a complete mystery. However, many viewed him as a cold and reserved person, though he was an honorable person who did what he thought was right.
"Katie dear," her mother said, bringing her out of her thoughts, "why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your day. I'll make sure your father gets home when we're done."
"Ok," she replied and hugged her parents goodbye.
"Now, Mr. Bell shall we pick up where we left off," Mr. Jones said as Katie left the room.
Katie walked down the stairs, where she saw him sitting next to his friends, eating a sandwich. Mustering up her courage, she made a b-line toward him "um, Harry," she said, approaching him.
It worked as he put his sandwich down and turned in his seat. "Katie, is there something else you need?"
She shook her head. "I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for my father," pausing for a moment when she got a blank expression from him while the others were asking what she was talking about. "Not many people would do what you did."
Harry took a breath "your father is a good, hardworking man who didn't deserve to suffer like that. And like I said, it was an offer."
"Well, thank you for helping him" she received a nod from him. Katie gave him a quick hug then went back to her seat with Aaron.
"What was that about?" Eleanor asked while sitting next to Blaise.
Harry took a sip of his butterbeer "nothing much," he casually replied. "I just helped her dad out with a couple of things."
The others looked at each other, knowing that they weren't going to get anything else from him.
"Anyway, here's something new," Blaise said, getting everyone's attention. "Arthur Weasley transferred from the Misuse of Muggle artifacts office to the Goblin Liaison office."
"Seriously?" Tracey was the first to speak. "I never would have expected that. Truthfully, I expected him to stick with the Muggle's office," she said honestly as it was well-known that the Head of the Weasley family was enamored with anything muggle-related.
Finishing the rest of his sandwich, he spoke, "Mr. Weasley may be obsessed with muggles, but he works hard to support his family."
The others were shocked to hear what he said about Weasley senior. Daphne smiled at him.
"As much as I hate to say it, Harry's right," grudgingly admitted. "The Weasley Patriarch is not the problem. It's his wife. From what I understand, she is a loud, overbearing housewife with a bad temper. No wonder her two eldest moved so far away."
"Shit, I move away too if it means getting away from her," Tracey commented.
The teens paid the bill, continued talking then left the building. They visited the other shops where they restocked on a few things. Harry and Blaise did not have as good of a time as the girls, being dragged from store to store. Hours later, they were thankfully done and rushed back to the castle, wanting to getaway. The two collapsed on some couches in the room of requirement, and both were utterly tired from today's shopping excursion. Byakko growled in amusement at seeing them tired from shopping all day. Suzaku flamed in and noticed the boys sprawled on the couches. Turning around to his friend, he asked what happened.
Byakko explained how the two were dragged from shop to shop by the girls making the Vermillion bird laugh. They received glares from the boys who did not find the experience amusing. Suzaku started trilling a nice melody to help lift their spirits.
They were soon joined by Daphne, Emily, Astoria, and Tracey. Emily could tell her brother was tired "how was shopping?"
"Kill me" was all he said.
She and the others burst out laughing. "It's funny how you enjoy combat, yet you abhor shopping."
"They abused us," Blaise cried.
Harry then added, "and I thought you and Miwa were bad."
The girls continued laughing. Emily fell to her knees "stop being so dramatic it wasn't that bad."
Harry lifted himself "whatever, Shizuku," rolling his eyes.
She gave him a cheeky smile "so how was your meeting with Mr. Bell?"
"It went well," shrugging his shoulders, "I think he'll enjoy working for me."
"You didn't say what the meeting was about," Daphne said as Iroh emerged from her shadow and scratched behind his ear, making him bark happily and lick her hand.
Harry reached to his side and started petting Byakko "it's not my story to tell. So, I'll give you the light version," he said as Byakko went to lay by the fire with Iroh following behind. Already, the hellhound was bigger than Sirius was as Padfoot. "Remember that explosion at Parkinson's firm a while back?" Everyone nodded. "Well, he was one of the survivors and was unjustly punished by Parkinson. Mr. Jones, Sirius, and I offered him a job at my place."
"That you to a tee," Daphne said. "I remember reading in the prophet that Lords Flint and Parkinson had to hand over their businesses and a large amount of money. According to the letter my dad sent, they were quite livid when they were forced to sign things over to you."
"Music to my ears," adding a cruel smile. "They may have escaped any additional punishment; the others were not so fortunate as they are now completely broke and serving time in Azkaban."
That earned a round of laughs. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," Astoria said.
His smile was still present "note to self. Send a thank you letter to Mrs. Schwarber." Then, chuckling a bit, he resumed, "that woman is very good at what she does."
For the next few hours, they stayed in the room of requirement until it was time for dinner in the great hall. Harry said he'd catch up after he looked over his notes for his project. Soon he was alone with Byakko, Suzaku, and Iroh; the creatures already ate and were full, so that just left him to work on his things.
He was reviewing his notes about Archfiend steel. Creating the metal was proving to be a challenge. A challenge in which Harry was determined to conquer. He had made several attempts, though they all resulted in failures. That said, it did nothing to hamper his drive. Even though his attempts failed, he made some astonishing leaps. Many people have attempted to create it in the past, but no one could create it. The closest people have gotten to creating it was that it involved transfiguration. On the other hand, Harry discovered that it also required alchemy, charms, rituals, and other components to create the metal. Given its unusual component structure, it made sense that other branches of magic would need to be employed.
Spending the next thirty-five minutes reviewing his notes and adding a few things, he put his journal on the table. "I wish I had an example or instructions to what I am working on. At least give me an idea," he muttered.
Surprisingly, the room shifted after hearing his plea and dropped a book in front of him. He used his elemental sight to carefully examined the book to make sure it was nothing dangerous. After examining it, he picked it up and read the title Advanced Potion-Making. Opening the book, he discovered a signature at the top "This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince." Looking through the pages, he found sidenotes with suggestions on improving certain potions by making them more powerful. There were also a few spells. All written by the same person. Then it hit him. The handwriting was his dad, meaning the book belonged to him as well.
Thinking his dad didn't know that he had his old book, he deposited it in his watch.
"I'll see you guys later," getting up from his seat and leaving the room. Harry made his way to the great hall and took a seat at the Hufflepuff table with his friends. While they were talking, he was silently eating.
'Dad, I need to talk with you privately.'
'What is it?'
Harry mentally took a breath. 'I found your old potions book.'
The water Severus was drinking went down the wrong pipe at what he said. 'My quarters after dinner. Bring the book with you.' The edge in his voice was noticed and indicated that he was serious.
For the rest of dinner, Harry and Susan discussed the wedding of Amelia and Sirius. Susan was happy that her aunt was getting married. When Amelia asked her to be the maid of honor, she immediately said yes. Sirius said there was no budget, which brought a smile to the teen's faces as they began talking about wedding plans. The wedding was going to take place at Bones Manor, and invitations have already been sent out. Both Sirius and Amelia were adamant about barring Rita Skeeter and Albus Dumbledore. Aunt Cassie even went to the Daily Prophet and warned Cuffe if Skeeter wrote anything about the wedding, then she'd tear him apart.
Rita tried to protest, saying she had a right to attend and write about the wedding. But Cassie being a member of the infamous House of Black, left a not so subtle threat that if Skeeter did anything to sabotage her nephew's wedding, she and her brother would bring the full weight of the House of Black on her and the entire Daily Prophet. Rita paled significantly at the threat and only relented after Cassie demonstrated the power her family commanded. Say what you want about the woman, but she was terrifying. And Rita looked about, ready to jump out of her skin in fear. But, before leaving the office, she punched the bug-eyed woman three times in the face.
After dinner, Harry cast a dark version of the disillusionment charm on himself and stealthily went to his dad's quarters. Knocking on the door, he was immediately pulled in by Severus, who immediately shut and warded the door.
"Where's the book?"
Harry reached into his watch pulling the book out, and gave it to him.
Severus held up the book "did you try any of the spells in here?"
Harry adamantly shook his head.
"Where did you get it?"
"From the room of requirement," his son answered. Severus narrowed his eyes, telling him to continue, "I mentally asked the room for an example on how to combine other branches of magic. Then out of nowhere, it appeared in front of me."
Severus saw that he was telling the truth "you were right to bring this back to me," he coolly said. "This is indeed my old potions book from when I was in school."
"Dad, can I ask you some questions?" Severus gave him a nod. "Why did you nickname yourself the Half-blood Prince? Why was your old book at Hogwarts? And when did you make you make those sidenotes?"
Severus took a breath and gestured for him to sit on the couch. One by one, he answered. The book was given to him by his uncle for his thirteenth birthday. He nicknamed himself the Half-Blood Prince was out of respect for his uncle and that he was a half-blood. When he took the position as potion's master, he left it in a cupboard under wards to prevent anyone from getting ahold of it. Ever since he got a hold of the book, he and Lily started making improvements to potions and would always make notes on how to improve them. "As for the spells," thinning his lips, "I invented them to use against my enemies, more notably your father and his friends when we were still in school."
Harry could see that he was ashamed of the past. "When I was skimming through the book, I found an odd spell called: Sectumsempra. What kind of spell is it?" he was hesitant to ask.
"That is one of my specialties," Severus answered, albeit having different emotions between pride and concern. "It's a dangerous spell that is capable of delivering slashes equivalent to an invisible sword; I designed it to slash victims from a distance, and it would leave a multitude of deep gashes. The slash follows the caster's wand movement. Those attacked with it will likely die because of the loss of blood. The only way to prevent a person from dying is by applying the counter curse."
Harry's curiosity began to get the better of him "what's the counter curse?"
"The person has to sing Vulnera Sanentur; the first usage eases blood flow, the second causes the wounds to knit, and the third removed the worst effects of the curse," he coolly stated.
"Can you teach me?"
Severus raised an eyebrow "we will talk about it another time," which slightly disappointed Harry as he wanted to know more about the spell. "The reason why is because that spell is based on dark magic, and the last thing I need is for you to use it against someone else," clarifying his reason.
"I want you to promise that you will not attempt to try it until I say so," giving a pointed look to his son.
His father narrowed his eyes at him for a minute "good, now go get some sleep. You're being sent to Brazil for your next assignment."
"Night, dad," Harry said before using the floo to go back to his room.
Severus sat on the couch in deep thought. This was quite concerning. Harry wound up with his old potions book. He was relieved to hear that Harry didn't try and use sectumsempra. The effects of the spells would have meant trouble. It was a mistake to have the book at Hogwarts. Originally he thought the wards would have kept it safe. But he never thought the room of requirement would give him the book. Making up his mind "Marchosias."
The elf popped in front of him. "What can Marchosias do for Master Severus?"
"I need you to take this book and it in my lab at Prince Manor," giving the book to him. "Under no circumstances is this to leave without my permission."
Marchosias gave him a nod in understanding "it will be done, sir." He then popped back to Prince Manor to carry out the orders.
(0^0)
Three days later, the students were outside, taking in the warm weather. Harry and the others were currently relaxing by the black lake. All except for Blaise, who was with Eleanor. Tracey was currently telling the others about the conversation she overheard between the Weasley twins and their girlfriends.
"Johnson, Bell, and Spinnet asked the people who have been mostly targeted by the Weasley twins pranks and were shocked at what others thought about them," she explained. But then, a smile grew on her face "and here's the best part Spinnet and Johnson gave them an ultimatum they either need to temper their pranks and or stop doing them altogether, or they will break up; with them."
That surprised everyone. Daphne looked down at Harry, who was lying under the tree "they listened to what you said during your little meeting," her voice filled with a mock of surprise.
Harry smirked at her before looking at Tracey "how did they respond?"
"The two prats tried to justify themselves by saying that their pranks were funny and didn't cause any damage" she laughed a bit "dragons dung, in my opinion. "However, their girlfriends cut them no quarters and called them out saying they better not. They even put their relationships on hold for two weeks."
"So they do have a weakness," came Emily, who was skipping rocks with Lilith, Luna, and Astoria, "their girlfriends. However, that present some problems."
"What kind of problems?" Astoria asked.
"Like what if they continue pranking people and threaten them to be quiet? Then there's the possibility of the victims having allergic reactions. None of us can deny that they sometimes go too far, even if they don't mean to. They will still do it because they view it to be funny."
"She does have a point," Luna said. "Despite what people think, they are very crafty when they want to be and are capable of being as cruel as the nargles," she said with a dreamy voice.
"Those are some valid points" they turned to Nicole, who was sitting with an open potions book. "Though, I would think the punishment they got from our resident white tiger would have taught them."
Adrian came in, "if they can go a month without pulling a prank, then it'll be a miracle."
That earned a snort from Aaron, "please, that's a laugh," scoffing at the idea of them going a month without pulling a prank. "Those two couldn't live without pulling pranks on people."
"I have to side with Aaron on this one," Lilith chimed in. Tracey, Daphne, and Emily nodded in agreement.
"I'm still scared to use the bathrooms around school," Adrian added, shivering at an old memory. He tried to use the bathroom one time, and just as he was about to go, the toilet sprayed him with pumpkin juice.
"You and me both," Aaron said, "for a week, I had to run back to the common room, and most times, I didn't make it. Do you not know how uncomfortable that was for me to sit in class?"
Nicole patter her brother on the shoulder as she remembered those particular incidents well. He would often run to his dorm to change his pants. Then she suddenly got an idea "what if we give them a taste of their own medicine" bringing their attention to her.
"What do you mean?" Astoria asked.
"Remember when the Mahoutokoro students were here, and Harry dueled the both of them?" Everyone nodded as they remembered. "Well, they got a brief taste of their own medicine. What if we give them more of it" she suggested with a dark laugh.
"We can also get even with that bottomless pit," Daphne added.
"I like that idea," Tracey said. "I'm sick and tired of that git. For far too long, he's been calling us' death eaters in training' or 'dark witches and wizards,' and when things don't go his way, then he throws a tantrum like Malfoy."
"Not to mention he eats far too much and has no table manners," Lilith said.
Harry lifted himself "all alright, we have our four targets: the Weasley twins, bad-tempered git, and Malfoy. So how are we going to get even with them?"
They began discussing ways to get back at those gits. Finally, after spending an hour deliberating, they agreed on how to deal with them. All they had to do was wait and execute it when the time was right.
After spending the rest of their free time outside near the lake, they decided to go back inside for dinner. The teens were about to leave when Aaron spoke, "Harry can I talk to you privately?"
"Sure," he replied, then turned to the others, "we'll catch up with you guys later."
When the others went back to the castle, Aaron and Harry started talking, "so what do you want to talk about?"
Aaron took a breath. "I was wondering if you can help me with something" he was hesitant to speak further.
"Aaron, I'm not a mind reader, so I'm going to need some more information."
Mustering up his courage, he spoke, "it's about Katie," he said. "Well, her dad, really. I take it you heard about the explosion he was involved." Harry gave him a slow nod "yes, I know about that. He was disabled from the waist down and was horribly scarred."
"Right! Well, I was wondering if you could help me make him walk again."
"You forget that I'm not a healer," Harry said. "Even if I could do something, it might make his condition worse.
Aaron deflated a bit. "I know, but maybe there's a way to temporarily restore his ability to walk."
Harry raised an eyebrow "what are you getting at?" wondering what Aaron was thinking.
"I've noticed that you're highly proficient when it comes to ancient runes. More notably, tunic clusters and matrixes. Professor Babbling always speaks highly of your abilities when it comes to the subject," he pointed out.
"It's a family thing" Harry shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to disclose the fact that his family are considered masters in the subject. "The subject comes easy to me, I guess."
"Anyway, I was wondering if you can help me design a matrix that would be capable of restoring a person's ability to move again?"
Harry had to think as it would not be easy. He may be exceptional at the subject, but creating a matrix capable of restoring someone's ability to walk was new. Glancing at Aaron, he could see that he was sincere and had no ulterior motives "there may be something I can do. Though it won't be easy."
"However, before I agree, I need to ask something" the smile on Aaron's face was replaced with a curious one. "Did you tell anybody else about what you intend to do?"
"No," he shook his head.
A grin formed on Harry's face "alright, I'll help. We're going to first need permission from the Runic Masters Guild. And you're going to need to pull your weight. Deal? Holding his hand out.
"Deal," he shook his hand.
A/N: Harry and the others went to the factory to go lay some hell. Those fools made a huge mistake when they chose to steal from the Potter family. Unfortunately, they learned that the hard way. Now, most of those rejects are broke and in prison. Save for Flint and Parkinson, but don't worry, I'm saving them for later. Then they'll get their due!
The meeting with the Bells went smoothly. I first like to say that I never liked it when people are blamed for another's shit. Anyway, the Bells no longer have to pay back any debts, and Mr. Bell might end up having a new job.
The twins are going to get it! One that they have longed deserved.
Next chapter: He now knows the truth, and she gives 'it.'