"Harry, you need to finish your meal." Dora said as one of the elves picked up the table.
"Do you think he'll call?" Harry asked concerned.
"We'll find out when we get home." Dora replied. "And we aren't going anywhere until you finish your meal."
She smiled to herself as Harry finished eating, making sure not even crumbs were left.
"Will the Lady be needing anything else?" Kreacher asked approaching the table.
"No, Kreacher. Once Harry finishes eating we'll go."
"It is quite a heavy meal, my Lady." The elf casually replied. "Wouldn't it be better if both of you stayed for the night?"
"I think it'd be better if you stick to the orders your master gave you, Kreacher." Dora replied annoyed. "Unless you want to disappoint him. Again."
"Kreacher apologizes, my Lady." The elf replied bowing nervously before turning around and disappearing.
Before Ezekiel's departure to wherever the Hell that horrible crone had sent him, he had left some very clear instructions. Apparently he had left those same instructions before he 'died' (Merlin, she still couldn't get her head around that). To say he was royally pissed off at his servants would've been an understatement to say the least. So this time the elves followed every single request as if their lives depended on it. Frankly speaking, they did.
It had been well over a month since Ezekiel had left. He and Dora discussed it and agreed that taking Harry with him was out of the picture, so he had half of his elves doing housework on her flat while the rest helped her father.
Her father, much to Dora's concern, had shut himself up in the house. The last time they had spoken he was levitating boxes filled with papers around the house.
Harry had tried to apologize for his latest outburst but Ted assured him it wasn't necessary. He even invited the two of them for dinner once, saying once he finished his project.
Whatever it was, Ted never told his daughter and Dora had to balance her life between Harry and her job. At least with the help of the elves it wasn't as hard as it should've been.
After Ezekiel left Harry's mood did a complete reversal but she didn't bought it for a second. He had dedicated himself fully to his studies, now his tutors and Mind-Healer had to come to her house instead of using the floo. One of the few disadvantages of being a wizard in an apartment building was the obvious lack of a fireplace. Still, at least the visitors were properly clothed unlike other wizards who thought they still lived in the Dark Ages.
Still, Ezekiel had made a point of having Harry spend one hour a day on his house to ensure his magic was reduced to an acceptable level. Dora would've stayed a couple of nights a week but in all honesty, the house just reeked of Dark Magic. She could handle being there for a couple of hours, sure but staying the night? That was a hard NO.
"Did you managed to use his wand?" Dora asked Harry, trying to get some conversation.
"I can't hold it too long." Harry admitted. "Every time I try to use my magic like you told me, the wand gets stronger."
Dora sighted, remembering the last of her cousin's bonkers plan.
"You're leaving?" Harry asked anxious once Ezekiel told them the news. "Why?"
"I had a small argument with our beloved Queen." Ezekiel explained. "This is her way of reminding me where I stand on the chain of command."
"How long will you be gone?" Dora asked.
"No clue. I'll try to make it in time for Christmas but she just gave me a to-do list longer than a fucking Leonard Cohen song." Ezekiel replied shrugging.
"She did it because of me?" Harry asked with a guilty tone.
"A bit, yeah." Ezekiel nodded. "But this one was coming for a long time."
"But-" Harry began but Ezekiel cut him off.
"I'm perfectly capable of making myself hated by the wizarding community, Harry. No need to try and take all the credit for yourself."
"Is it dangerous?" Dora continued ignoring their conversation.
"Not really, at least its not less dangerous than the usual things she wants. The only difference is the fact she finally knows what she's ordering. At least I hope so."
"And I'm guessing you aren't taking Harry with you." Dora nodded to herself. "I'll take him."
"Are you sure?" Ezekiel asked. "I'll have the elves help you, of course, but if it's too much..."
"Nonsense." She replied shaking her head. "We could use some time away from that old house, don't we Harry?"
"He'll still have to go into the house from time to time." Ezekiel reminded her. "The house is linked to my magic."
"Is it safe now?"
"Of course! Repaired it myself before meeting you. Are you okay with that, Harry?" Ezekiel asked turning to the boy.
Harry doubted for a bit. His eyes jumped from Ezekiel to Dora looking for some sign of regret before finally, slowly, nodding.
"Perfect!" Ezekiel said smiling. "Now before I leave, there's something I want you to do when you're at the house."
"What is it?" Both Harry and Dora asked intrigued.
"I want you to try and control this." Ezekiel replied putting his wand in Harry's hand.
Harry for his part had been utterly terrified of the piece of wood and had almost fallen from his bed, hadn't Ezekiel grabbed him at the last second.
"Please." Harry begged. "I can't, I'll just do it all over again. Please."
"Harry, listen." Ezekiel replied. "This wand has a thunderbird core, remember?" Harry simply nodded, his eyes never leaving the piece of ebony. "This makes it a unique kind of wand and you know why? Because it'll fight you, every step of the way. It takes a huge amount of concentration to keep it controlled. The more magic you use, the more it'll fight back until it finally acknowledges you. Now please don't take it the wrong way, but this wand will never recognize you. It will fight you every single time you hold it"
"Then why do you want him to do it?" Dora asked confused.
"Once Harry is in the house." Ezekiel explained. "Harry's magic will be consumed by the Black Magic, which is great but it might not do the trick. Having Harry's magic being absorbed by the Black Magic while fighting off my wand on the other hand..."
"Will deplete his core faster." Dora finished. "He'll do it, but it'll be safer for all of us if I take it for now before Harry blow us up to hell."
"Fair enough."
"Don't worry about how long you can hold it." Dora replied. "Just try to use as much magic as possible. Remember, the important part is to..."
"To deplete my core." Harry finished monotonously. "I know."
They left the house without problems. If they did, Dora had a newly engraved gun and a wand to take her frustrations on whoever was stupid enough to cross her.
She had tried using Ezekiel's car but the bloody thing refused to open and not even magic could compel the vehicle to respond. It was almost as if that piece of metal with wheels responded to Ezekiel and only him.
So riding the bus back to her flat, Dora had plenty of time to think. Work had been running smoothly, if only for the fact she was a bit short on money since Ezekiel wasn't paying her lunches. She stole a quick look at Harry besides her, who was rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. The boy still attended meetings with the Queen, albeit far less than before. Dora wasn't allowed to put a foot on the palace's steps when she accompanied him. In retrospective this was for the best, she never had an opinion on the royals so witnessing Harry almost dying and hearing Ezekiel's explanation had left her both horrified and furious. Harry never spoke of what transpired during those meetings and she knew better than to ask.
She felt a small pressure on her right side, looking downwards she could see sleep had gotten the best of Harry. Taking a look around, Dora realized they were still several stops away from their destination and shifted the small body so his head would rest on her tight. So small, so brave, Dora thought brushing the hair from his face.
She knew Harry would need help, but they've been neglecting another part of his. Harry needed friends, kids of his own age. She didn't knew people with kids and neither her parents. Those who did had were either too old or in Hogwarts.
Still, there was another alternative.
" I don't think I should be here." Harry said as they walked through Diagon Alley.
"It's fine." Dora assured him for the tenth time. "Just keep the cap on."
Dora had gotten Harry some second hand clothes to travel unnoticed. Unlike with Ezekiel, whose mere presence meant the streets emptied and even some of the stores closed, Harry got to experience the chaos that was Diagon Alley on a Sunday. A sea of people ran across the streets, pushing each other just to make it to a corner.
She had made a point of dressing up Harry the exact opposite of what Ezekiel would have, meaning her mother would've given her a five hour lecture if she ever saw him. All the clothes Harry wore were ragged, from the green sneakers, the jeans - which fitted him unlike those beggar clothes he had the first time they met - to her Weird Sisters shirt she had lend him. An oversized jean jacket she found lying around the apartment for which she had no explanation but smelled clean enough and a Liverpool cap were the finishing touches. She hadn't changed much her clothing but the Caucasian woman had turned into a rail-thin, with short black hair, chinese woman.
"Why are we here again?" Harry asked.
"I've already told you, it's a surprise." Dora replied.
The pair continued to walk against the flow of people almost like a salmon until they reached their destination. A rather small, two-story store with birdcages outside with a sign which read "Eeylops Owl Emporium".
"What is this place?" Harry asked confused.
"A coffee shop." Dora deadpanned. "What do you think it is? It's an owl shop! You're getting your first owl!"
"Really?" Harry's face lighted up.
"Yeah, now c'mon." Dora said opening the door. "Let's not keep those owls waiting."
The inside of the shop was rather small. A large piece of wood acted as a counter, preventing the passage to the interior of the store, where dozens of owls hooted to one another from within their cages.
"Welcome to the Eeylops Owl Emporium." A brunette teenage boy with a face full of pimples wearing a dark green apron greeted them with disinterest. "How can I help you?"
"Hello..." Dora said waiting.
"Brian." The teenager replied a bit annoyed
"Brian, great." Dora replied trying to be as civil as possible. "My godson Harry here wants to buy his first owl." She said gesturing Harry. "I've been told this if one wants a good owl this is the place to go, so here we are."
Brian gave her a confused look, studying their faces for a moment. Harry fidgeted nervously with the sleeve of his jacket but Brian simply shrugged and lifted a part of the counter and apathetically gestured them to pass.
"Right then, we have grey owls, barn owls..."
"Pst, Dora." Harry whispered while the boy walked around without paying much attention to them. "Why did you gave him my name?"
"Look at the guy." Dora whispered back as she pointed at the sluggish 'boy' listening all the types of owls they had. "He's so dense that light bends around him. If this place caught fire he'll be a better fuel than the wood. Just remember, you're Harry. Just Harry."
"Okay." Harry whispered back.
"Err...excuse me?" Brian rudley asked from the other side of the store. "Do you mind?"
"Right there." Dora with a smile full of teeth. "Harry, let's go before I rip this guy's head off."
"Okay, well...I ain't going to repeat myself. What you see it's what you get." Brian said gesturing around him. "Pick one and pay up."
"We'll look around, Brian." Dora had to make a real effort not speak her mind. "I'll let you know when we found the right one."
The teenager gave them one last dirty look before moving back to the front desk puffing in annoyance.
"Best place my arse." Dora said under her breath. "So? Anybody here catches your eye?"
"I don't know." Harry replied looking around.
"Well, I say we take a look around and if you find one you like, we'll take it. If not then we look somewhere else and you don't tell anybody that I broke that little snot's ankle on my way out. Deal?"
"Deal." Harry said impressed.
They spent fifteen minutes checking the cages. Owls of any size and colour looked back at them, some happily, some indifferent and some tried to attack them. Harry timidly examined each and every one of them, fascinated over them. He finally stopped in front of a group of cages with fascination.
"So, anything you like?" Dora asked bored.
"There's an owl there." Harry said pointing at the group.
"Well, yes..." Dora replied. "It's an owl store, if it were a wolf we might have to be a bit concerned."
"No, there." Harry said pointing at the cages again. "Between them, there's another owl but I can't see it very well."
"Really?" Dora asked relieved that something broke her tedium. She leaned over and felt her eyes changing to better suit their new purpose. Indeed, surrounded by a large group of cages was a small cage with a small owl.
"Look at that..." Dora frowned trying to get a better look but the other owls blocked her view. "I think it's a grey one. Hey Brian?" She called the clerk who was currently sitting at the front. "BRIAN!" She repeated, ignoring the raffled noises and hoots the birds gave but the teenager didn't flinch.
"I think he is asleep" Harry said trying to get a look at his face.
"I think he's an arse." Dora replied annoyed. "Don't tell Ezekiel I cursed in front of you. Or my Mom." Dora replied as she moved the cages away. "There we go."
The owl was small, tiny and filthy. Neither of them could really tell what its type but judging by what little they could see, the bird had white plumage.
"You got a good eyes, mister Potter." Dora said joking. "I barely noticed the little thing."
"I think it's hungry." Harry said looking concerned at the bird. "Is a girl or a boy?"
"I don't have the foggiest idea." Dora admitted. "And I sincerely doubt the missing link over there knows either. Hold on a minute." Dora waved her wand and the dirt disappeared from the owl, showing its snow-white feathers, which contrasted beautifully with the bird's amber eyes.
"She's beautiful." Harry said enchanted by the owl.
"You like it?" Dora smiled as Harry nodded happily. "Alright, then let's talk with Brian and see how much this guy costs."
The pair made their way back to the front, where the teenager in charge could be seen dozing off with his head on his hand. Dora tried to politely shake him a bit to wake him not to avail. She then opted for the far less polite but extremely effective way of kicking the chair Brian was sitting on. The force of the kick was enough to pull the chair from under the unconscious boy's body and tossed it a few feet away. The teenager panicked as he suddenly hit the floor with a loud TUD!.
"Hey Brian." Dora said in a icily, sweet tone which clashed with the angry look she was giving the teen. "Harry found his owl. How much?"
"Are you insane!?" Brian asked furious from the floor.
"The bird, how much?" Dora replied towering over him.
"Wha-I don't know! I've never seen that owl before!"
"You work here." Dora replied. "You see this birds every day. I'd like to imagine you sometimes feed them. And you're tellingme that in all that time you didn't see this owl once?" Brian shook his head nervously. "You're officially the worst employee. Ever. Fine, if you had to give this bird a price, what would it be?"
"I dunno." Brian said getting up and examining the bird. "Ten sickles?"
"Ten?" Dora said with her hands on her hips.
"SIX!" The boy quickly corrected himself. "Six sickles."
"Okay, six sounds better." Dora nodded as she looked through her pockets for the money. "And I want some owl food given the appalling service we've received."
While the boy ran to fetch the food for the owl, Dora turned to Harry. He was currently holding the birdcage with both hands, yet his eyes were glued to the ceiling.
"Harry?" Dora asked confused. "Everything alright?"
"Can't you hear them?" Harry asked still looking upward.
"Them?" Dora replied confused as she focused her hearing, only to hear Brian's frenetic pacing. "Harry, the only one up there is that guy Brian."
"No, there's more people there." Harry replied. "And they are crying."
Under normal circumstances Dora would've dismissed such claims if they came from an eight year old. Given that Harry wasn't a normal eight year old, Dora decided to heed to his word.
"Alright, I'm going to take a look upstairs." Dora said drawing her gun. "I want you to stay with the owl here, understand?"
Harry's only response was a quick node. Dora took out her wand and sealed the door so nobody else could enter or leave the store and walked to the back of the building, where a set of stairs led her to the upper floor. As she climbed the stairs, she had adjusted her hearing to drown the sound of the hoots and the flapping of their wings.
Dora would never admit it to anyone, but she simply loved this part. How her footsteps disappeared. How every muscle on her body relaxed, right until it was time to pounce at her unsuspecting targets. She had lost count of how many times her instructor at the academy had told her to wipe the grin out of her face, but could you blame her? She felt invincible.
Whatever came after her, she knew she could beat. No, no beat. Break.
She was superior. Faster. Stronger. Better. She was a queen. And darling, she could rock a crown.
The kid, Brian, never had a chance. She had marched to the top without making a single sound. While he was running around in panic to get her items, Dora managed to tail him like his own shadow.
Then, she left a board on the floor crack a bit, just enough to get the teenager's attention. Brian had barely managed to turn around before Dora grabbed him by one of his arms, turned to face the other direction and pulled him over her shoulder. Brian had landed like a bag of bricks and the next thing he knew he had Dora's wand firmly pressing onto his neck.
She didn't had to let him know she was there, she just wanted to. To see that little moment of panic before they realized the hopelessness of their situation. It sent an electric feeling trough her, an incomparable sensation. Like sex but with a winner.
"Hello, Brian. What you got here?"
"AH!" Brian shrieked. "I was just getting your food, I promise!"
"Reeeally?" Dora asked. "And what else do you have here?"
"Nothing!" The terrified teenager replied. "This is where we keep the food, that's it!"
A quick look around seemed to confirm Brian's words. The second floor had no walls diving it. Except for a few posts to hold the ceiling, all one could see were some birdcages, a few bags filled with what looked like insects if the logo on them was anything to go by and a couple of small boxes filled with rodents. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing out of place.
Her mentor at the academy had a saying for situations like this. 'If everything looks as it should and nothing is out of place, something's up." Granted, Mad-Eye Moody was never a man of poetry but when he was right, he was right.
Dora petrified Brian and took his wand out of his pocket. One could never take enough precautions, as Moody often said. Once she dealt with him, Dora began to pace around the floor. She couldn't use her tact to sense any magic, being in the Alley meant every inch of it was vibrating with it. So, forced to use the usual and therefore slower methods, she combed the floor. Unsurprisingly nothing came up but she had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind of something not adding up.
Opting for a simpler approach, Dora walked downstairs and pressed her back against the wall further away from the door. She ignored Harry's questions as she began to count her steps until she reached the front. Once she was done, she repeated the same process to count the width of the store.
Repeating the number of steps in her head, Dora instructed Harry to remain below as she ran back upstairs. She then began to do the same counting she had done on the floor below, except this time she repeated the same process as if it were a grid. The second floor was exactly the same amount of steps regarding the length, no surprises there. It was the width were Dora found herself having issues with it.
"Harry, come up here!" Dora called.
"Yes?" Harry replied shaking once he saw the still petrified body of Brian.
"Don't worry about him, he's fine. I need you to stand over there." Dora said pointing next to a bunch of bags. "I'm having some problems here, usually I'd have Zeke give me a hand but since he's not here..."
"What do I have to do?" Harry asked trying to hide his shaking knees.
"It's fine, nothing dangerous." Dora assured him. "First of all, can you still hear the crying?" Harry nodded in response.
"Okay, can you tell me where are the crying is coming from?" This time Harry looked around unsure before shaking his head.
"It's fine. Listen, I'm going to walk from one side of the room to the other and I'm going to count the steps out loud. I need you to let me know if I miss a number or if I do something weird, okay?"
"Okay." Harry nodded.
Dora began walking again, counting out loud as she promised. She managed to cover most of the ground, walking over a few boxes and bags before Harry stopped her.
"Dora, you're slurring." Harry informed her.
"Where?" Dora asked. "Point me exactly where I began slurring my words."
"When you started walking over there." Harry pointed to a small mountain of bags piled near one of the walls.
"Thanks, Harry. Please go wait downstairs again."
"There are people downstairs trying to enter the store." Harry replied taking his cap off and the scratched his head uncomfortable. "They keep trying to take a look inside."
"Okay, fine." Dora sighted. "But if I tell you to run, you call the elves and have them apparate you back home. Understood? Good. Now find somewhere to hide behind while I check this."
Dora didn't wait for an answer and took out her wand. The pile of bags began to glow once she began casting her best revealing spells and with a flick of her wand, the bags began to levitate away revealing one large crate beneath them. A very large, covered in holes, crate.
"Harry, go to the house." Dora ordered.
"But-"
"Kreacher!" Dora called to the air and as soon as the name left her lips, the elf in question appeared disguised as a regular elf. "Take Harry back to the house, NOW."
The elf sensed the urgency in her words and not wasting time bowing to her, Kreacher took Harry's hand and vanished. Now that Harry was safe, Dora turned on her heels and walked back where Brian still laid immobilized. She took him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him until he laid face down on top of the crate. A wave of her wand and the teenager deflated as his body regained movement.
"What's in the crate, Brian?" Dora asked holding his head against it.
"I don't know." Brian replied terrified.
Lie, Dora thought as she listened to his heartbeat.
"Can you see this, Brian?" Dora said tossing her Auror badge right in front of Brian's eyes. "I'm and Auror and I know you're lying, so you better tell me right now what's in the crate. Trust me, whatever is in there, you'll want my report to say you gave your full cooperation."
"I don't know, really!" Brian begged. "The owner just brought it on night and told me to hide it. He said I just needed to drop some meat trough one of the holes!"
"You mean the holes you covered with those bags?"
"Yes!"
"Fucking hell, you really are a thick one, aren't ya?" Dora replied frustrated. "Open it."
"What?" Brian asked turning his head to see her.
"You heard me." Dora replied summoning back her badge. "Open it."
"I need my wand."
"No, no wand." Dora replied taking a few steps back. "Now open the crate before I really start losing my patience."
Brian struggled with the lid for a few moments. His arms shook as he barely managed to open the crate and Dora approached enough to take a peek to see... snakes.
Well, she certainly wasn't expecting that.
"Where's the people?" Dora asked out loud.
"What people?" Brian replied confused. "This is it."
"No." Dora shook her head, her wand trained on Brian. "There's someone else here. People. The boy who came with me heard them."
"I don't know what that little sh-he heard." Brian quickly corrected himself when Dora's wand lighted up. "There's no-one here."
"If you're lying to, so help me god." Dora threatened him but Brian repeated again that the only thing in the crate were those snakes.
No, Dora noticed. There weren't snakes on that box. It was just one snake. Singular. One two-headed snake. No, she was wrong again. The snake, whatever species it was, seemed to had at some point three heads. She could tell because the third head was lying against a side of the crate while the main body was seemingly bleeding out from a stomp.
"Dora!" Harry's voice sounded from behind startling her.
Dora turned around for just a second but it was enough for Brian to try and jump at her. Try being the operative word.
She was a Metamorphmagus, if she needed to see in the dark her eyes would adapt. If she needed to breath underwater, she'd get gills.
Needed to be faster than a skinny teenager? She didn't even break a sweat.
Brian hadn't taken half a step before Dora turned around, her wand already making the necessary moves, only to find himself tied up in a steel-like rope.
"Harry what the hell? I told you to go back to the house!" Dora turned around to find Harry standing in the middle of the room, still holding Kreacher's hand. They were accompanied with the rest of Ezekiel's elves, all disguised as normal elves minus the dangerous light in their eyes.
"Bu-"
"But nothing!" Dora interrupted him. "You could've been hurt! And you." Dora turned to face the elf. "I don't know what Ezekiel is gonna do to you but if he doesn't strangle you, I will."
"Lady Tonks ordered Kreacher to bring Master Harry back to the house. Kreacher obeyed." The elf replied. "Master Harry asked to bring him back to help Lady Tonks. Kreacher gathered the elves of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
"Oh, you little motherfuc-!"
"They were screaming!" Harry tried to explain. "I thought he was gonna hurt you!"
"You thought this waste of space was gonna hurt me?" Dora asked a bit insulted. "Have you not been paying attention, Harry?"
"But they were screaming about the babies and-!"
"Harry stop, there's nobody screaming here. It's just a weird snake."
"But they're crying!" Harry replied. "Can't you hear them? They say their babies are gone."
They said... NO, Dora thought. Not this, not now.
"Harry... you can understand what they're saying?" Dora asked slowly.
"Yes?" Harry replied unsure.
Fuck. Fuck, fucking, fuck. How could this get any worse?
"You're Harry Potter..." Brian struggled to say from the floor.
Harry unconsciously reached for his cap but realized he must had left it back at the house and all Dora could think of was..
Fuck her life.
"Harry Potter can talk to snakes. This is brilliant, wait until people know about it." Brian said smiling. A smile that didn't lasted as Dora lifted him by the neck and slammed him into a bunch of bags with one hand. She needed to take care of this.
Fast.
"You're not gonna say a damn thing, understand?"
"You mean when you call the other Aurors?" Brian replied grinning. "I'm going to say it, sing it, scream it as loud as I can! Unless..."
"You're not getting out of this." Dora shook her head.
"You don't really have a choice, do you?" Brian replied smug. "Either you let me go or I'll tell everyone that the Boy Who Lived is nothing but a filthy snake speaker. Your choice, sweetheart."
Dora could hear Harry gasping in surprise. She felt her face heat up in rage and had to bit her lower lip to stop herself from doing something she wasn't sure she'd regret. Her body was turning back into her original form, she knew it began when her prey's eyes widened and it had nothing to do with the pressure on his neck.
Then, to everyone's surprise, she did something not even her expected.
Dora smiled.
"Nah, I'll rather see you roth in jail." She said.
"Are you stupid?" Brian asked shocked. "I'll talk, I'll-"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time." Dora interrupted in a playful tone. "But then again, that's all you can do. Wanna know what I'm gonna do?" She asked innocently. "I'm going to bury you under so many charges, nobody is going to want to talk with you."
"You can't do that." Brian panicked. "Aurors can't make up charges, you took an Oath!"
"And who said anything about me fabricating charges?" Dora tilted her head. "It's not going to be about the quality, but the quantity. Rest assured, trafficking with illegal animals - like that snake over there, I imagine - is definitely going to be at the top of the list. With other things like resisting arrest and trying to attack an Auror.
Then I'm going to have a team make a full swipe of this place and every single thing that isn't up to regulation is getting added to the list. By that point I imagine it will be long enough to split it in volumes.
Ever heard people saying the shit rolls downhill? Well, this time is gonna slide and you're going to be the sled. Head first, mouth wide open. And just so you know, this mountain of shit is bigger than the Everest.
So, you have two choices: you take an Oath, right here and now. You swear not to say a word of this and then you turn yourself over. Option two: you take your chances at the Auror department."
"Y-you do-on't sc-care mmme." Brian whimpered.
"Of course you shouldn't fear me, I'm an Auror! I'm simply doing my job, for Merlin's beard." Dora replied laughing. "But do you know who you should really fear. Not me, not him certainly." She said pointing at Harry. "You know who?"
Brian's body was shaking so much, Dora didn't wait for a response.
"Ezekiel Black. You heard of him? Lord Ezekiel Black . Did you know he's Harry Potter's Magical Guardian?" The look of utter dread on Brian's face told her he didn't. "Did you hear about Surrey? That was him annoyed. I don't think you can fathom what he'll do, when he finds out that a little nobody from an owl store threatened the boy who's under his protection."
All color had left Brian's face. After many years with Dora had learned a couple of things:
1 - Don't speak ill of Queen or, Morgana forbids, Freddie Mercury in a ten mile radius of Ezekiel Black. He'll talk your head off for hours about how they are the best band ever.
2 - If someone ask you something, you give them the minimum. If they want anything more, they can talk to your Law-Wizard first.
3 - Get a great Law-Wizard. (Parents don't usually charge their daughters. They do occasionally yell.)
4 - If you're going to torture someone, don't bother planning any complicated mind games. Left them guessing enough, let people to their own devices and they'll create their own hell. That way, you can take the rest of the day off and do something actually productive.
"Now, I'm going to let you go." Dora said putting Brian's wand besides him. "And you can choose what you're going to do. No pressure, it's just your life."
"Dora, what about the baby?" Harry asked.
"What baby?" Dora asked turning to Harry. "Right, the snake. Brian, before I let you go, how did you or your boss planned to take care of the snake's babies?"
"She says it's an egg." Harry replied behind her.
"Thank you, Harry. How did you planned to take care of the egg?"
"There's a box with runes on the side." Brian cried. "You put the eggs there and then your magic. The box does the rest."
"Thanks." Dora said vanishing the ropes binding him.
Not bothering with him, Dora started looking for a rune covered box while Brian had a quiet breakdown.
"Found it!" Dora called Harry after checking what felt all the boxes in the floor. "Wanna put the egg in, Harry?"
Harry reached at the bottom of the crate, making a hissing sound, similar to that of a snake. The snake, or snakes, for their part, hissed back at Harry. Dora had no way of understanding what they were saying but couldn't help to feel sorry for the reptile.
"Just one egg?" Dora asked looking at a small group of eggs Harry hadn't touched.
"She says it's the only one that has life in it." Harry replied sadly.
"I'm sure we'll find her a good place, Harry." Dora said placing her hand on his shoulder.
"LISTEN UP!" Brian yelled pointing his wand at them.
"Brian." Dora said calm. "I'm trying to console Harry here. You try to interrupt us again and I'll break each an every bone in your body. In alphabetical order."
"I...err, told her I'd take care of her baby." Harry said unsure.
"Oh... did she had a name?" Dora asked.
"No, snakes don't have names. Can I keep it?" Harry asked holding the box.
"Well, sure." Dora nodded. "The thing is, Harry, magical snakes are Dark creatures. If you want to keep it, you're gonna have to do it on Ezekiel's place."
"But what about the magic?"
"Harry, that house is the darkest place in all Britain! You want that snake to grow up big and strong, you left it in Ezekiel's place. Trust me, it's the best. Now, Brian." Dora turned annoyed. "What's it going to be?"
"I'll turn myself in." The defeated teen replied. "I'll give the Oath."
"Terrific, but get our owl food first." Dora deadpanned. "And, Brian?"
"Yes?" He replied dejected.
"Don't ever call me fucking sweetheart again."
"Let me see if I get this right..." Ted running his hands through his face.
"Dad..." Dora said.
"No, no, really." Ted interrupted her. "Let me hear again how you went to buy Harry his first owl - a really sweet gesture - to threaten a boy to turn himself and his employers over animal trafficking."
"Which isn't a bad thing when you think about it..."
"Cohersion, assault, want me to keep going or would you rather get a chair? Because the list of things is going to be a mile long." Ted replied exasperated.
"Look, Dad." Tore defended herself. "It wasn't in my plans to crack a trafficking network, okay? But, hey, at least now I'm in a task force with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. That's not bad, eh?"
"How about the illegal snake egg?" Ted replied. "Was that on the plans or did you just winged that part?"
Dora groaned as she sat on one of the chairs in the living room of her parents house. The one time she called her dad on the phone just hoping to leave a voicemail and he picked up at the first ring.
"Nymphadora, I expected this sort of thing from Ezekiel but you? You're supposed to be the responsible one!"
"Me, really?" Dora asked raising an eyebrow.
"I've lowered my expectations after both of your teenage years." Ted replied.
"That's not fair, Zeke studied abroad. You didn't really suffer him." Dora squirmed under Ted's stern look. "Just saying."
"Now, we have a problem." Ted said. "What are you doing with the egg?"
"Harry is keeping it at Ezekiel's place. That box I took-"
"Took?"
"Borrowed." Dora corrected herself. "With every intention of destroying it once the lizard is born."
"Snake."
"Right." Dora nodded. "But Dad, really, what was I supposed to do? Let a brat tell the world that Harry is...you know, a parsel-speaker?"
"I expected you to talk with me, Nymphadora. Not to lower yourself to Ezekiel's level of irresponsibility!"
"The snake is at Ezekiel's place, which cannot be found unless you're invited to it. Harry is happy, he has something else to do besides studying and with Hedwig there-"
"Who the hell is Hedwig?" Ted asked confused.
"The owl." Dora replied. "The name was on her cage. Anyway, he has someone else beside two people too old to be his friends but not enough to be his parents and-"
"Finish that sentence and you're grounded."
"You can't ground me!" Dora replied standing up. "I'm an Auror of the Ministry o-"
"Sit down, Nymphadora."
"Yes, sir." Dora said sitting back down.
"Obviously we can tell Harry to give the egg back, at this point he stopped being a good-willed kind and became a criminal himself." Ted said. "Are you going to report him?"
"No." Dora replied. "I put him as an anonymous source in my report, we let informants get away with a few small things all the time as long as they deliver."
"An exotic creature makes the 'small things' list?" Ted asked raising an eyebrow.
"I mean." Dora squirmed in her seat. "It's only this big" She said making an approximate gesture with her thumb and index of how big the egg was.
"Nymphadora, that snake will have to go eventually. Have you spoken with Ezekiel?"
"No, haven't heard from him in over a month now. And even if I did, what am I supposed to tell him? Has he said anything to you, a phone call or letter?"
"He left weeks ago and left me with all of the documentation from the House of Potter to look through with Gringotts."
"Why on earth would he do that?" Dora asked curious.
"For Harry." Ted replied. "He knew if he ever had to ask for anything Harry might need down the line, money would only get him so far. Given what Harry did with a wand, he wasn't wrong."
"Is it much?"
"It's hell." Ted sighted sitting down in front of her. "The Potters were one of the most well connected wizard families in England even before they became a Noble House. After that it became worst. I have literally mountains of documents waiting for me at Gringotts and even though they lent me a team of Law-Wizards I haven't make it through half of them."
"That bad?"
"If I see another trade agreement, I'm going to lose it." Ted replied.
"Well, if it means anything, I bet Ezekiel is having a really crappy time wherever he is..." Dora offered.
"Nah," Ted sighted in defeat. "He probably managed to find himself a five star hotel and it's getting a massage somewhere."
Russia - Mirny
A truck stopped next to a giant open mine followed by a high class red sports car. Troops began descending in fast fashion until at last, Ezekiel was thrown headfirst into the cold, hard ground.
"Mister Black." A blonde man in a business suit greeted Ezekiel. "How nice of you to finally join me."
"Yeah." Ezekiel groaned as the soldiers lifted him from the ground. He cleaned the blood from his face as he placed his shattered sunglasses back in place and replied. "You know us brits, always polite."
"A commendable quality, yet I'm in need of another trait at the time." The man in a suit smiled.
"You want me to kill someone or something." Ezekiel said shaking off the guards holding him. "Listen, I've been flown around the globe, passed around like a communal wank socket for weeks now. I'm a bit more hungry than I'm used to, my clothes aren't clean and I haven't had a good night sleep in weeks. Do you think we could -Hugh!" Ezekiel lost his footing when one of the soldiers hit him in his stomach.
"Mister Black, you've been lent to us by your government. Like one does with a pen, an object. I don't care what you need, only what you will do for me." The man in a suit said.
"- koff - Fine - koff - who or what you want dead?" Ezekiel asked from the ground.
"That's unknown at the moment." The man in a suit replied. "This is a diamond mine, you see. We are trying to turn it into an open mine, yet a few days ago something began eating my workers. It got to the point where they refused to go down anymore, no matter how much we encourage them."
"You mean threatened with death, rape and torture, right?" Ezekiel's answer was a new hit on his stomach. "Motherf -ugh- same spot. Fine, I need something to burn and a knife."
"I'm sure your jacket will suffice." The man in a suit replied, he turned to one of his soldiers who tossed a knife at him. "They'll provide you with some fuel."
Ezekiel threw his jacket near the entrance to the mine and started throwing gasoline at it. Once the cloth was soaked enough in gasoline, he extended his open left hand over it. Smoke began appearing and a few moments later a small fire started. Ezekiel then took out the knife he had been given with his right hand and made a small cut on his left thumb. Small drops of blood began to fall into the fire, stroking it as if it were gasoline to the point where the fire had turned from a small bonfire to a raging column, contained only by his magic.
Dropping the knife, Ezekiel kneeled in front of it with both hands extended. He let his head hang near his chest as he whispered in a language nobody would've understood, nor would they wanted to. That would've been the first warning flag of things to come but the soldiers had decided to let him walk all the way to the entrance of the mine and observe him through binoculars or a rifle's sight from a few yards away.
Ezekiel's tone began to lower as he kept his arms firmly over the fire, it's flames licking his limbs. The more his tone lowered, the faster his voice found its way to the soldiers ears. What had started as a distracting whisper turned into a incessant murmur, one whose words they couldn't understand yet it drilled into the very core of their sanity. The men began to fall to their knees. Some dropped their guns and covered their ears attempting to silence the madness in vain. A few tried to raise their guns and shoot him but none of them managed to hit their mark. On the other side, the man in a suit who played the part of host to Ezekiel started to smash his head against the ground, the pain becoming too much to handle.
Eventually the fire died down and with it, Ezekiel's spell disappeared. A quick look behind confirmed most of the soldiers had survived, much to his surprise. He remained kneeled near the smoldering remains, where he leaned over and began inhaling the fumes in deep breaths.
The soldiers for their part, had started helping each other to get back on their feet. Each and every one of them trained their sights on his kneeling figure.
"SHOOT HIM!" The man in a suit barked at the soldiers. "I WANT HIM DEAD! SHOOT HIM! NOW!"
The men readied their weapons, unaware that a few yards away, Ezekiel Black was doing the same. Still leaning over the fuming ground, his back turned so they couldn't see what he was doing, Ezekiel inhaled one last time. He then used both of his hands to cover his mouth and nose. It didn't took long, especially considering his lungs were filled with more carbon dioxide than oxygen for him to need to breath again but Ezekiel forced himself not to. His body began shivering, although the cause had little to do with the unforgiven weather.
Had somebody being with him, they would've noticed his sunglasses had fallen from his face. They would've noticed the dark tears running down his cheeks, reeking of acid and sulfur and leaving deep scars on his face. They would've noticed his bloodshot eyes, the way a few breaths escaped from him in the form small black smog. They would've heard his ribcage sounding as if were about to explode. But there wasn't, so they didn't. In their place, the men who decided to use their common sense and stay away from the unknown threat only saw their target from a safe distance. Ezekiel sat straight, his hands still covering his face and that was the signal they needed.
They didn't fired in a rage. No storm of bullets came down on Ezekiel's body. They fired in short bursts, they didn't waste their ammo and they made sure to hit as many times as possible.
Which they did.
When the dust finally settled Ezekiel's body would still be on his knees, much to their surprise. The focus of their surprise quickly changed as they saw a few delicate columns of black smoke coming out of the holes on his chest. Their surprise only increased as Ezekiel's head moved backwards, his arm - one of them had been cut thanks to an unfortunate shot - finally left his mouth and after what it seemed like an eternity, Ezekiel Black breethed.
What came out of his mouth as he exhaled slowly, to the point it seemed to be crawling out of him, was a giant dark cloud of smoke. The cloud remained still in the air, regardless of the wind before rushing towards the soldiers. Each and every one of them were consumed by the cloud, leaving behind a pile of ash barely resembling who they once were. Each and every one of them, except for the man in a suit.
Ezekiel was unaware of the death near him. His eyes were fixed in the clear, cold sky and the small golden disk that gave life to everything beneath it. He closed his eyes as he ignored the cold, and tried to feel the sun's warm. He didn't and he knew the cold winds had nothing to do with it. Instead the feeling that assaulted him was the cold embrace of the Black Magic, the same disgusting feeling which sealed the holes on his body, fixed his fles, bones and replaced his blood.
His blood. His blood was the one which made everything possible.
Shaking his head as if it would clear his mind of the guilt, he stood back up and dusted his clothes as best as he could. Not that it made any difference, his vest was ruined as it was his shirt. At least his pants were in a better shape and he still had shoes.
He sighted to himself as he turned towards the place of the carnage. Deciding to take it slow, he walked towards where the man in a suit was at least according to the screams. He sauntered his way, as if he was taking a lovely walk in the park. It was after all, a dazzling morning.
He found the man in a suit crawling towards one his car. At least most of him was, the cloud which had vanished after consuming the last soldier seemed to have taken a bit of his feet.
"They don't lend me to people like you." Ezekiel finally said after a while.
"What?" The man asked terrified.
"The Crown. They don't lend me to people like you." Ezekiel explained. "They hate those who make money out of the blood and lives of those beneath them. It's actually the one thing we agree on."
"No, no, no." The man shook his head in delirium. "They agreed to my deal, the gave you to me. You broke the deal and now they'll pay the consequences."
"I am the consequence." Ezekiel replied laughing. "Yours."
"No, no, no, NO!"
"Did you knew there's another mine, just like this one?" Ezekiel tilted his head, enjoying the despair in front of him. "It's a few miles... I'll be honest, I've got no idea where anything is right now, except for the floor." He laughed. "You took people. From their homes. Their families. You crossed the line." Ezekiel standing almost over the man.
"WAIT!" The man pleaded. "I'll tell you everything! My contacts, my associates, everything! Please, you don't have to kill me!"
"Oh, relax." Ezekiel snorted. "I'm not going to kill you."
The man sighted, thanking the Heavens above.
"I'm just going to take this little car of your and drop you in that lovely city of Mirni once I find it." Ezekiel finished with a smile."I imagine the families you broke will have a better sense of closure once they finish with you."
The man tried to plead with Ezekiel again but it fell on deaf ears. Ezekiel shoved into the trunk of the car before running quickly to the truck in the hopes of finding a map back to civilization. He laughed humorlessly, finding it snooping around in the glove compartment.
The rest of the trip and what happened to the man in a suit afterwards, Ezekiel never told another soul about it.
Then again, who on earth would like to hear about it?
I don't own Harry Potter, all characters except OC belong to J. K. Rowling.
PS: I changed the ending. The previous one deviated too far from what I originally wanted.