Beta: Julie. fjad

Chapter Eight

This is serious

—

"Find me, find me, find me…" A vision of a ring with a round purple stone appeared, before being replaced by a vision of a cloak. "Unite us…" The whisperings were getting louder and then Harry woke up.

It was cold, and there was not enough air to breathe, and that is why the green eyes opened and looked around in the darkness. Harry saw nothing so he moved his hand towards the nightlight when it hit a wall.

The hell?

Quickly moving his hands around him, Harry groaned and banged his head on the door of the wardrobe.

He had been sleepwalking again, and today he found himself in the wardrobe, locked from the inside.

His shoulders were itching like mad, and he scratched his back, moaning from pleasure when his nails got to the most burning point.

The wardrobe doors suddenly swung open, and with a yelp, Harry fell onto the floor, hitting his nose so hard he was afraid he had broken it.

"Ahhh, shiiiit."

"What in Merlin's name are you doing in the wardrobe, Potter?" The sneering voice and goth clothing could belong only to one man, and Harry cursed his luck. Too bad Voldemort was busy doing who knows what. Just imagining how the sheep would say this sentence with 'Voldemort' replaced by 'You-know-who', annoyed him to no end.

When he felt pain, he always tried to lighten up his mood, and right now, his nose was killing him.

"I was sleepwalking, and you just rudely woke me up." Harry gathered himself from the floor, noticing for the first time that he had only underwear on—with a one-eye Minion—, and a white curtain that somehow resembled a cloak, was draped around his shoulders.

Every night after his sleepwalking, he would always find himself with something over his shoulders and an itching hand, while the other hand now always held the wand while he slept. Or walked in sleep. He had no idea how he always ended up with the wand in his hand, but every morning without an exception, ever since receiving that interesting piece of wood, it was there.

Snape silently waved his dark wand, impressing Harry by healing his nose.

"Potter, is there anything you can do like a normal person?" While he did respect SS for his biting remarks that were funny even if Harry wasn't supposed to laugh, he still disliked the man who was now looking at his sprawled form with critical eyes and a sneer.

He felt like an idiot. It wasn't his fault he was a lunatic.

"Thanks. Well, I think we poop the same way. Unless, of course, you use an enema..." Harry was not very gently howled to his feet, and now he was looking the man in the eyes.

Scary guy...

"Mark my words, Potter, when the school term starts, I'll have you cleaning the whole castle with a toothbrush," Severus Snape sneered at the boy again, and turned around, intending to leave Harry's room.

"I'll buy a few boxes of electrical ones, then. Do you prefer the soft, medium, or the hard one?" Harry barely held back a laugh as Snape's eyes became almost like two black holes and they wanted to suck the life out of his super-hero—with a cape and underwear—clad body.

"Just like your swine father, your arrogance knows no bounds." Well, he didn't know his dad; maybe he really was a swine, so Harry shrugged his shoulders and simply smiled. Jim said it pissed people off.

"The Headmaster wished to see you. Now." So much poison in so few words...

"Can I put some clothes on first, or you want me to go like this?"

He knew his smile was really pissing off Severus Snape, and even though the consequences could be very unpleasant for him, it was totally worth it.

"I promise I'll be very selective and informed when choosing for you a detention you'll be, most definately, serving every day for the rest of the year, Potter." Snape's smile was pretty horrible by itself, even without the two black holes for the eyes. "You can go in your underwear, if you so wish, Mister Potter. Be my guest." Snape showed him to the door and Harry paused for a second. What to do, what to do…

Nah, he'd dress.

xxx

There were many things he had expected from Headmaster Dumbledore, but this was definitely not one of them.

Blue eyes were twinkling, and Harry was at a loss of what to do. From one point of view, it was better than great, but from the other it smelled of such manipulations and schemes that Harry's stomach made a somersault as he imagined that this was only the beginning.

"So, you're saying, I have a legal guardian who has been imprisoned all this time while being innocent?" Harry was really uncomfortable with the Headmaster's grandpa-like gaze—all sad, happy and caring—and turned away to look at the paintings.

"We will restore justice and save Sirius Black, my boy. Your godfather."

"He's a pureblood, isn't he, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

So, Albus Dumbledore was taking out an ace in the very beginning of their game, and it freaked out Harry.

Sure, he'd have a stable home with a devoted godfather, who knew nothing about the Muggle world and always lived in the magical part… "How convenient for you, Headmaster…"

The silence between them stretched on, and Harry looked over the portraits, ignoring those blue eyes of the old Headmaster, who wasn't amused anymore.

"Harry, I am asking you to understand me as well. I cannot let you back into the muggle world because of your connections." Dumbledore paused at the word 'connections' and continued, looking at him grimly. "Your association to the muggle criminal is what keeps you locked in Hogwarts, not me."

"I am innocent."

It seemed that Dumbledore was close to losing his nerve, and Harry inwardly smiled.

Their tenth "talk" in the last month, and the old man was getting fed up with Harry's attitude.

"I have faith in you, Harry, and that is the only reason why I protect you from Mycroft Holmes. Please don't try to lie to me. I can help you to find your way, your footing, and all you have to do is just stay in the wizarding world, with your godfather Sirius Black." Dumbledore seemed honest, like an old, nice grandpa, and Harry almost believed him. Too bad for the old man, he knew better. He could sense lies.

"Come with me, Harry." Albus Dumbledore got up from his chair and took out a small, silver goblet into his hand which he stretched towards Harry.

"It's a portkey. You have nothing to worry about. We'll go for a small, educational excursion."

Well, a month in Hogwarts was really boring, so Harry shrugged his shoulders and touched the cup.

After feeling his insides hit his teeth— it was the liver, he was sure—Harry fell onto his arse, completely disoriented.

They landed on a rock in the middle of nowhere, water surrounding them below and grey fog around them. It was so cold.

Before him, Harry could see another island, which had a huge tower-like form and black cloth flew everywhere. Ghosts?

"I know it may seem cruel to you, but I want you to see what happens to wizards and witches who make wrong choices, who lost themselves. I want you to see what could be your future, if you don't forget about your past life as a criminal associate, and start from a new leaf. This is Azkaban, Harry."

So this was the famous wizarding prison?

"So here Sirius Black had spent ten years, innocent, and you didn't do a shit about it."

"Please, Harry, watch your language."

Dumbledore may think himself to be very smart, but Harry could see the unwillingness of the Headmaster to admit to the fact that Harry had been right. If there had been no Moriarty, Sirius Black would be rotting in jail until the end of his lonely days.

Well, it didn't look that bad, but it was very windy and cold here, and since he liked warmer places, Harry turned to the old Professor. "What are we waiting for?"

Something in Dumbledore's eyes changed, and he looked…wary?

"How do you feel, Harry?"

It was a bad question for someone who had spent a lot of time with shrinks.

"What do you want me to say? That it's spooky and it's windy here? It is. Am I afraid? I am not." Why was the old man watching him so closely?

"I'll apparate us inside." A pull at the navel, and he was standing in a very, very nasty place.

If he had to be honest, he'd say he had never seen such unsanitary conditions in any place before. Considering he'd been to many, many places, it said a lot.

And the smell...He had no words to describe the stench that was soaked deep into the walls.

He'd need to replace his nose because the stench would be deep in his nostrils for the rest of his life.

Where was the administration? Where were the Human Rights organizations when you really needed them? Whoever complained about fast food restaurants, had never seen this place.

He'd pay to see one of those funny hosts on TV help this business. Wouldn't that be funny to watch…

He looked at the narrow, filthy corridors, and the dingy ceilings, and then turned his gaze towards the closer wall.

No wonder Azkaban was so feared, Harry thought as he looked at the wall that looked like it had never been cleaned and was now a planet for fifty-six variations of fungi and two million types of bacteria.

He was afraid to see the cells. He'd burn his clothes when he returned to Hogwarts, and take a scalding hot bath with antiseptic.

"I'll try to behave."

Harry turned to look at Dumbledore who was looking at him in true concern and wonder.

"What?"

Dumbledore was still staring at him, and Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore," Harry heard from the end of the corridor and watched as a short, thin man with very little brown hair was approaching them, holding his wand in his hand, illuminating the way. "And…?" The man, who had to be in his sixties, came closer and stopped upon seeing a child.

Harry barely held back the laugh at the thoughts in the guard's head, the most innocent calling Albus Dumbledore a madman for bringing a child to Azkaban.

Harry's good mood was visible as the man frowned and looked at Dumbledore.

"Good evening, Mister Tenatus. The prisoner's godson wishes to see him, and for educational purposes, I have decided to take young Mister Potter with me." His name sounded clearly, and Mister Tenatus looked at Harry with wide eyes.

"A pleasure, Mister Potter. Welcome to Azkaban." He was sincere and he didn't mean it that way, and still Mister Tenatus blushed from embarrassment for what he had said. It was the standard greeting for prisoners, and he had said it to the boy-who-lived.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Tenatus. Sir, how could I contact your supervisor or a manager?" Harry took out a small notebook from a pocket of his leather jacket and a beautiful pen with an H on the end.

"My supervisor?" Mister Tenatus looked panicked and Harry inwardly raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, who can I contact about the cleaning of this place? Which services do you work with?" Harry asked, prepared to write down in his notebook, not noticing the weird glances from Dumbledore and the guard.

"Mister Potter, I am afraid Azkaban does not have any hiring services, and we don't have any cleaners." Mr. Tenatus sounded really uncomfortable and wary, and kept glancing at Dumbledore, whose eyes were glued to Harry.

Harry shook his head at the audacity and looked at Dumbledore. "Seriously? I am so going to sue you…" Harry had to stop his tirade when the guard's pendant glowed red and both he and Dumbledore paled.

Turning around, Harry saw the black cloth move towards them, and shrugging his shoulders, he turned back to the now really sad wizards. It was all taking so much time!

He wanted to quickly get Sirius Black out, and leave this dirty, contaminated hash. Oh, and see the dementors. There were supposed to be some scary guards here, and Harry had a suspicion they were hidden somewhere in the dungeons.

"Expecto Patronum!" The tip of Dumbledore's new wand glowed light blue, and a silver phoenix appeared between them and the black blankets, which looked dirty and ragged.

"We would appreciate if we could proceed to Sirius Black's cell, Mr. Tenatus." Dumbledore looked serious and grave as he directed his silver phoenix towards the black cloth, and took out a scroll from his robes before giving it to the guard.

Release documents…Headmaster Dumbledore was really quick and smooth in his ever going machinations and Harry mentally applauded the old man.

So, if he were a normal eleven year old, he would have been over the moon at having an adult who actually cared about him. It was always interesting to learn new things.

James Moriarty…James respected him for whatever mystical reason—that he was grateful for—and was fond of him too, but Jim did not really care about him. He didn't love him.

No one did.

His parents really loved him, that was for sure, and maybe his Godfather. That thought made Harry shake his head and push the ground a bit with his shoe, drawing a flower. So that meant that the only three people who truly loved him were retards. And two were already dead.

They loved him, and he was grateful, but that didn't stop Harry from being logically honest. Voldemort had told him about the night he had come to kill Harry Potter, and Harry could only holler in silent rage.

A wand was your gun, just like explained in the Full Metal Jacket…You are nothing without your wand, and therefore, you have to have your wand with you no matter the time and place.

That was, when you know how to fight someone off…

James Potter, a pureblood wizard, went to 'hold off' the Dark fucking Lord without his wand. How could his father have been so damn stupid? Who runs off with a fork against a panzer, without taking at least the bazooka from the nearby couch? How did he plan holding off Voldemort?

Kung Fu?

It was hilarious to imagine, but very damaging for his future without anyone to love him.

And his mother…the charming, smart Lily Potter, a muggle-born witch, where the hell had been her wand when she ran upstairs? Why was there no gun in the house, considering his mom was supposed to know about muggle weapons? Why were there no wards on the staircase, or on his room, to additionally hold off a possible enemy?

Why did everyone give up on logic when Voldemort came inside their house?

They had no chance from the very beginning, and Voldemort was not to blame for their stupidity.

More and more Harry saw the wizarding world, and more and more he missed the muggle one.

Backward hypocrites, all of them.

He wasn't even going to start mulling over Sirius Black, who had never been the Dark Lord's spy.

Thankfully they were silent as they climbed the stairs—even though they were narrow, Harry didn't touch the walls or the railing—and he could think his thoughts without spacing off. Dumbledore was staring at him enough as it was.

"Sirius Black," Mr. Tenatus greeted something in what looked to be a dog cage.

Fucking hell...

"JAMES! I CAN SEE YOU, JAMES! AHAHAHA!" Had it not been for the human words, he'd say it was a dog, but it looked like a man on a closer inspection. The dog-man was trying to reach Harry with his hideous hand, while barking through the bars between them.

This was his godfather?

Harry closed his eyes and almost whined "oh, why", hoping Dumbledore would stop pushing his limits.

"Sirius, this is Harry, not James, and he is real. We're here to free you, my boy. It's over." Dumbledore's voice was all honey and even smelled of hot chocolate, making Harry want to barf here and now.

"What?" Sirius' voice was hoarse and disbelieving.

"You're free, Sirius. There will be one more hearing in Wizegamot, but technically, you're free. You'll be leaving with us."

"I'M SO SORRY, JAMES! Jaaaaames!"

Oh, dear…His godfather was now screaming, trying to push away the flying cloth that appeared again in the corridor, behind the barrier with the phoenix.

What the hell was it?

"What is that black stub of cloth doing in the air? Is It for decoration purposes here?" Harry turned to Dumbledore for the answer, but looked at Sirius instead, when his godfather howled.

"Demeeeeeeentors, Harryyyy."

Haha.

Right, Sirius. Seriously though...

Before Dumbledore could react, Harry stepped closer to the small group of the flying blankets, and reached towards one black blanket with torn, ragged edges.

Dirty.

"HARRY!"

His hand became iron hot when it touched the black blanket where its possible hood was. An inhuman sound came from the creature, but Harry could swear it resembled a human scream. The creature quickly flew away from him, peeking at him from behind his brothers, hiding in obvious distress, while all Harry could do was stare at the unblemished skin on the still-burning hand.

The next second he was yanked harshly close to Dumbledore, who looked both worried and scared.

"What?"

"I am crazyyyyyyy." Sirius Black was singing, sitting on all fours and staring at Harry and then back at the Dementors. And then at Harry. And then at the Dementors.

If he didn't stop watching Sirius' eyes, he'd go crazy himself, Harry thought as he dared to glance in Dumbledore's face, who was still silent, looking at him with very pensive blue eyes that did not twinkle.

He actually had thought it had been a joke, but judging by the white-faced Mr. Tenatus, and the still singing Sirius, then it hadn't probably been a joke.

He knew he had again done something abnormal, but after the Christmas of three years ago, nothing really surprised him anymore. After that fateful day when Jim Moriarty had lost his nerve and changed everything not only for Harry, but for himself as well, it wouldn't shock him now to know that you couldn't touch the black cloth—a Dementor—and get away with it like he had done.

Harry tuned out the voice of Mr. Tenatus, and thought about James. Jim.

He knew that deep down, in the essence of his soul, James was now interested in life again, and even though Moriarty's game with both Holmeses could end with James dead, Harry knew his friend would do his best to hold on and stay alive.

James promised to deal with both Holmeses so that he could get rid of his obsession, and then he was all his. Or so James Moriarty had said, and he always kept his word. He just didn't give it very often.

He had to focus on what was happening now, and not space off, like he had done on many, many occasions, sometimes wandering in his own thoughts, sometimes listening to the voices around him.

He couldn't always control his gift, and now he heard the hysterical "Cannot be! It is not possible! Dear Merlin!" from Mr. Tenatus' mind. He tried not to listen to some random muttering that was going on in Sirius' head, and he didn't dare to try with the Headmaster. He was a Master Legilimens and Harry didn't want to get caught red-handed. Calming down, Harry looked Albus Dumbledore in the eyes.

"I don't know what happened. I thought it was a joke." Harry was looking Dumbledore into the eyes, letting him understand he was telling the truth.

"A joke? How can it be a joke, Harry? Don't you feel their terrifying aura?" Dumbledore had never looked as serious as he did now, after Harry simply shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "Should I?" Harry asked the Professor in all seriousness, letting the Headmaster understand he wasn't joking anymore, and truly wanted to know the answer.

"You should." Dumbledore looked at Harry and then at the guard, who had opened the cell and was now holding the body of what was left of Sirius Black. "We'll discuss this later, Harry. Sirius, Harry, put your hands onto the cup in my hand. It will portkey us to St. Mungo's, where Sirius will have to stay at for a few days, to check his health." Dumbledore explained patiently, holding on to the portkey cup with his left hand. Great, now he'd taste his kidneys. Harry only hoped his bowels wouldn't get stuck between his teeth. Sirius had been trying to hug him, and Harry kept on slowly walking away, circling around Dumbledore. No way he was touching such dirt, Harry thought and quickly placed his hand on the cup, only to feel Sirius' dirty, contaminated hand land on his.

Harry's scream of disgust was lost when the kidneys landed in his throat, and he was now sitting on the white floor of the insane asylum.

He needed antiseptic. Now.

xxx

Slowly climbing the stairs that led to the Headmaster's office, Severus tried to calm his rage and Occlude his mind.

Black was now in St. Mungo's, and while Severus had always hated the crazy mutt, it still shocked him to find out about Black's innocence. Black was a pig, but he was a better choice than Moriarty, and Severus could only hope that Black would have enough brain cells left to not indulge Potter's maniac nature, and behave like an adult. From the report of St. Mungo's, Black was relatively sane, and Snape did not understand how.

The biggest hit was that Dumbledore had known all this time, and he would have done nothing to save Black if Potter hadn't turned out to be such a complicated child.

Bastard.

He was standing near the door when he heard Albus' voice. "Come in, Severus."

Taking a deep breath, Severus opened the door, and frowned when he saw Albus.

"Are you alright, Albus?"

The old man had never looked so old, and so uncertain, and Severus swallowed the nervous wad in his throat.

"Severus, I am afraid I am at a loss as to what to do. I am not sure anymore that I understand what is happening to Harry." Albus' words were quiet and sincere in their concern, while the blue eyes were sad and wary.

What had Potter done now?

"Good morning then, Albus, and welcome to reality. If all it takes to wake you up from your dreams is Azkaban, I hope you'll visit it often enough to not lose the rest of your mind." Severus sneered as the Headmaster smiled a tiny smile, and continued. "Potter is something else, but he's human, so we'll figure it out."

The silence was light, and Severus was used to pauses in their conversations, but something about Dumbledore's gaze was bothering him now.

It was a mad question to ask, but when it came to Potter, everything was possible. He'd humour the old man.

"Potter is human, right?"

The silence that came after his question made the hairs on his neck rise, and all the hair on his head would be standing like a guard before the Buckingham palace, had it not been for the potions greasy vapours.

"Albus?"

Silence.

Severus could feel his heart rate accelerate, and it was running a marathon when the old Headmaster slowly shook his head.

"I am afraid I am not sure anymore, Severus." Black eyes met blue, and they stared at each other for a minute.

"Show me what Potter has done now. I need to know." Severus waited for the nod and then Albus was withdrawing the memory of their Azkaban visit.

"And Severus…" Dumbledore trailed off after he had placed the memory into the Pensive.

"Yes?"

"Did you know that Dementors could scream?" Severus knew his look said it all, as Dumbledore shook his head at the silent insults sent his way from the black eyes and the sneer.

Dementors did not scream, people did when they were nearby. Too much Azkaban for the old man.

Slowly, Severus touched the memory and with held breath, he watched Potter interact with Dementors.

Ten minutes later, both men were still sitting quietly, each in their own thoughts.

"Tomorrow is the first of September, Severus. We need to be careful with Harry and watch his interactions with other students." Albus was now back to his old self, calm and collected, while Severus could only listen to the echo of the Dementor's scream and rewatch in his mind Potter's absolute immunity towards the most horrible creatures in the world. He wouldn't sleep today, he knew that for sure.

And tomorrow, a new school year would start, and Severus Snape had a feeling it wouldn't be like any other year before.

What in Morgana's name are you, Potter?

xxx

He needed his milkshake, to calm his nerves and get some sugar into his blood, but he highly doubted this place had a good cafeteria.

Shuffling, Harry slowly moved down the corridor of St. Mungo's, looking for a snack machine.

Sirius was now clean and after a long hug from the man, Harry could finally escape the room and leave his godfather with the doctors. He hated everyone in a white coat. Magical or muggle, it did not matter, he did not like any doctors.

"Just a little bit more, Frank, and we'll go to the best journey of your life. Well, life is a wrong word here, but you get my point. And you, Alice, we'll be leaving with you today. Our ship is waiting. The view from the deck is simply gorgeous, you'll love it, darling."

Harry heard a soft, melodic voice, and peeked into the room, where two people were lying on the beds, and a pretty woman was packing one small bag, while flittering around the room.

Yeah, crazy.

"Ok, my dear Alice, now get up and let's go. On the count of three." Harry now saw the woman on the bed, with opened, vacant eyes and raising his eyebrows, he looked at the man, who didn't look any better. He had seen such patients in one of the nuthouses he had been to, and he would bet his Mars bar that those two wouldn't be going to any ferry rides.

Vegetables didn't do travelling.

"You may want to catch your ship on your own, lady. Those two don't look very excited about your suggestion." Harry smiled at the pretty woman, who turned so quickly that Harry had to blink.

"Are you talking to me?" Her voice was disbelieving and a tiny bit hysterical, making Harry round his eyes and shake his head at the weirdo.

"Unlike you, I don't have a habit of holding a conversation with two vegetables," Harry replied easily, noticing woman's shocked eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked, slowly moving her feet—one by one—towards Harry, still staring at him with large, surprised eyes.

"I am Draco Malfoy." Harry lied without blinking, and saw the woman smile. "No, you're not."

"I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You are…" The woman looked at Harry and closed her grey eyes, moving her palm up and towards Harry, who had taken his wand out.

"I am…" Harry waited for the woman to produce an answer, when the woman opened her eyes and after a quick glance at the wand, she titled her head with black curls a bit and smiled at him.

"You are Harry Potter."

His scar was covered by a baseball cap, so she couldn't see his scar, so how did she know he was Harry Potter and not some Rugustus Pompikus?

Hmm...interesting.

"And you are?" Harry asked, pointing at the woman with his wand, which was the object of the woman's interest again.

"Me?"

"Well, we both know who I am, so yeah...you." Was she slow on purpose?

"I am…" The woman suddenly stopped and smiled at him again. "You tell me, Harry Potter. Who am I?" The mischievous twinkle in the woman's grey eyes did not annoy him, for some abnormal reason, as twinkling eyes always, always, pissed him off, and Harry decided to humour the lady, who was looking at him with really interested eyes.

Brenda? Buffy? Bonny? Somehow, he knew it had to start with a B.

Harry smirked and closed his eyes, copying the woman, and raised his palm. It was hilarious and it was the best thing that had happened today.

He'd name her…

Berthrada...The name just popped into his mind, and Harry opened his eyes.

"I'll call you…" Harry was looking at the amused woman when he said the name he had found for her. "Berthrada."

The woman froze, and all the humour left her eyes, smile disappearing, body tense.

"Oh, Harry, there you are. I have been looking for you." Harry turned at the sound of the Sirius' doctor's voice, and when he turned back to look at the woman, she was no longer there.

"Eeee…" Didn't Dumbledore say there were Anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards in this particular wing? Where the hell did Berthrada go? He didn't even know her real name…

Bummer.

xxx

Harry was sitting in his bathtub, soaking in three liters of antiseptic solution that was mixed with almost-boiling water, enjoying the cleanliness of his body, when he heard a soft cough to his left.

He slipped on his ass and submerged under the water, before collecting himself and coming up.

Shit, his eyes burned like mad!

Trying to see who the hell was in his room, in Hogwarts, through the tears in his antiseptic-burned eyes, Harry almost screamed as he saw Berthrada, who was sitting quietly on a chair in a corner of the bathroom.

"You know, lady, I truly like beautiful women, but I am eleven and you're what, thirty? Don't stalk children, missy." Harry wiped his face with a towel, and managed to open his eyes fully.

The woman looked pensive and she was on the other side of the spectrum of stalkers, sitting almost in submissive position, head tilted a bit.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Harry Potter. Just say my name again, and add that I can go, and I'll leave immediately." Berthrada explained in a calm and suspiciously respectful voice, trying not to look at Harry's foam-clad torso.

"Is that a joke? Come on, lady, stop fooling around and get out." Harry opened the hot tap as his bum wasn't burning from the scalding water anymore, and the bacterias were still undefeated, so he didn't really care about this weird woman at the moment.

"Please, Harry, say my name and allow me to leave. I have a lot of work to do, but I cannot leave if you're holding me." Did she just whine?

"I am not holding you. Go!" Bacterias would be defeated in a bloody battle, Harry thought as he opened one more bottle with antiseptic. He just hoped he wouldn't burn his testicles.

"I cannot! Say my name and tell me to go!"

"Are you deaf, or something?" Harry asked the woman, who now had a tiny smile on her red lips. She looked very nice, with short, black hair and grey eyes, petite and funny, but he was eleven, so she'd have to wait a few years. "Are you Death?" He asked suddenly, while pouring the whole bottle into the tub.

Oh, yesssss...

Berthrada bit her lip and shook her head, twinkling, grey eyes were now filled with amusement and hilarity.

What was so funny?

"I am not Death, Harry..." Berthrada stopped for a second and clicked her tongue. "I am not that powerful, I am afraid."

This weirdo better leave him now, before he lost his nerve after a long, tiring day. He'd had enough for today. If she wasn't Death, he wasn't interested.

"Please, let me leave."

Oh, man...Weird, weird people around him, everywhere.

Harry took a breath and concentrated on his priorities, just like James had taught him. Back to the priorities, though…First destroy the bacterias on his body, and then, only then, deal with other psychos.

"Fine, Berthrada. Get the hell out!" Harry barked the last part, only to stop after the word "out" as Berthrada was already gone.

Harry shook his head at the madness of the wizarding world, and leaned back into the tub.

Aaaahhhh…

Tomorrow the school year would start, and it meant a lot of noisy children around him. Maybe he already knew some of them?

With a sigh, Harry closed his eyes and relaxed.

What a weird day it had been...

xxx

a/n Thanks for reading and please review. I'd really appreciate that. And mega thanks to the awesome people who have reviewed the last chapter :)