Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, NCIS or any of either of their characters.

Timothy McGee finished the early morning book signing which was the last of the appearances on his book tour gratefully and gathered his luggage to head to the airport. He'd enjoyed the tour, managing to fit in quite a bit of sightseeing between the book signings though he'd found sightseeing wasn't as much fun without a companion. The signings themselves had mostly gone well and it was gratifying to know his books were well received outside of the USA as well. His publisher had reported a significant upswing in sales in the UK since he'd arrived so the tour had been successful from their point of view also. That meant they'd want him to tour again with the next book. Tim wasn't against the idea but hoped he would have a significant other he could persuade to come with him next time, or if he timed it between semesters maybe his sister would like to come. He wouldn't mind coming back there was lots of things in England he'd still like to visit and the people were more polite than he'd found at book signings in the US, not to mention he found the various British accents intriguing and sexy, and the freedom of being so far away from NCIS and anyone he knew allowed him some freedom to enjoy talking to these men with the sexy accents without too much concern for appearances.

-o0o-

Tim arrived at the airport early having anticipated possible trouble with travelling with a sidearm when he wasn't in the country on official business. The security guard at the gate however had miraculously heard of NCIS and waived him straight through without incident. Not however without attracting the attention of a young man watching the entrance anxiously.

Suspecting he was merely waiting for a travelling companion Tim merely nodded to the man and helped himself to complimentary coffee before taking a seat.

He noticed the man was now alternating between checking for new arrivals and watching him curiously, if he'd been working he would almost call it suspiciously. He started to subtly watch the young man in return and was soon rewarded by him blushing and looking away.

Eventually the flight was called and Tim was surprised by the fleeting expression that crossed the young man's face as he jumped up. 'Relief?' So he wasn't waiting for a travelling companion but watching for followers.

The young man hurried to the front of the queue and Tim put him out of his mind answering a call from his sister before boarding.

Tim arrived at his seat and found himself next to the young man that had intrigued him in the airport. "Hello" he said trying to be friendly.

"Um Hi" Harry said liking the look of the slightly overweight man, there was something amiable about him that reminded him a bit of his friend Neville.

"It looks like we'll be neighbours for the next few hours. I'm Tim" he introduced himself.

"Hadrian" the young man replied with a smile, hoping he remembered to answer to it if Tim used his name.

"I get motion sick if I try to read or watch the TV screen while flying but feel free to tell me to shut up if you don't want to talk" Tim said.

"I've never flown in an aeroplane before but I'm not prone to motion sickness, and I'm a bit too keyed up to read at the moment to be honest" Hadrian replied smiling.

Tim noticed that the man still seemed hyper-vigilant. "Are you nervous about flying?"

"No I'm looking forward to the flight" Hadrian answered enthusiasitcally. "You'll think me stupid but I can't sit still. Almost like a little kid. I've never been out of the UK before."

Tim laughed, amused to find his suspicions right when instead of tensing up Hadrian actually relaxed as soon as the plane left the ground.

"Forgive my mentioning it but you seem afraid of being followed or something?" Tim asked hesitantly.

"Not followed, prevented from leaving. I can relax now til we get to New York and if no-one's waiting there I can disappear. They'll have trouble tracking me after that."

"Are you on the run from the law?" Tim asked concerned. The young man didn't seem like a criminal but Tim had been fooled before.

Hadrian laughed. "No I actually work in law enforcement. I took down a terrorist organisation while back and recently there have been some retaliatory attacks. My director wants me out of the country for a while til things cool off. The government wouldn't spring for actual witness protection so they transferred me instead. My exfiancé and her family however don't understand the need for me to leave, and were insisting that I stay and patch things up" Hadrian said deciding to trust the friendly man beside him. He'd become rather good at reading people over the years and his recent training with the British intelligence agency had given him the confidence to trust his instincts.

"I'm a LEO myself" Tim replied showing his badge.

"NCIS, that's something to do with the American navy right?" Hadrian asked.

"Yes though I'm surprised you'd know about it" Tim replied pleased at the partial recognition.

Hadrian pulled out his own Auror badge and handed it over knowing Tim would see the mugglized version. "NCIS is on the list of agencies I've been approved to consult with" he replied stretching the truth a little. He had done consulting work like this all over the world in the year following the war helping to round up the death eaters that managed to escape after the final battle and would continue to do so if the need arose again but it would have been just as easy to remain in London. He also highly doubted that any of the Death Eaters would attempt to join the navy or hijack a ship. The technology would be beyond them for a start.

"MI-7. I've never heard of it" Tim commented apologetically noticing that the badge did have all the secret identifiers to authenticate it to other law enforcement. He hated that when LEOs said that about NCIS.

Hadrian didn't take offence. "I wouldn't have expected you to and I'm afraid I can't explain further without clearance" he said apologetically. "I honestly don't expect much consulting work from any of the American agencies. My area of expertise is rather narrow. They've made me a consultant because I will be available and so I have the credentials to call for help if I need to, not because there is an identified need for my services."

"I'm surprised you even have an area of expertise at your age. You don't even look old enough to be a trained agent" Tim said nonjudgementally.

"Special circumstances" Hadrian replied vaguely "but I am older than I look."

"You'd be a great agent to use if we ever had to infiltrate a High School" Tim mentioned casually.

Hadrian shuddered "Except that I went to a private very alternative type boarding school so I don't have much experience of what's normal school behaviour and what's not" he argued. Having grown up in a war zone very few of his friends, even those a couple of years younger than Harry consistently behaved like normal teenagers so Harry's impression of normal was biased by his cousin Dudley and his friends.

"Never mind if you're only a consultant you can't be sent undercover anyway" Tim said smiling at his new friend's reaction.

"Thank Merlin" Hadrian said feelingly.

"If you only get an occasional consultant request what are you going to do with the rest of your time? Not to mention to earn a living?" Tim asked.

Hadrian shrugged "I'll probably do the tourist thing for a while before I decide. It's not like I have a burning need to earn a living. My parent's left me financially comfortable."

Tim was surprised at this seeing the clothing the young man was wearing but let the matter drop.

Tim and Hadrian spent the entire seven and a half hours of the flight in conversation. They moved from discussing unusual cases to the rest of their lives. They're upbringings were miles apart but they were both well read (the Little Whinging library had been a haven for the young Harry and surprisingly well stocked with adult literature though Harry had quickly exhausted their supply of children's books) and Tim was pleasantly surprised that they could discuss books without their discussion tainted by movie references.

They separated to go through customs and met back up in the waiting lounge for a domestic flight to Washington.

"I would have thought you'd be better off finding some other way to Washington. It would be easy enough to check the passenger logs. You could have bought a train or bus ticket without giving your name" Tim said.

Hadrian grinned "Yes but I'm in the unique situation of having more than one legal ID and the people looking for me won't know what names to look for (or expect him to have travelled muggle style or know how to search a passenger log. Even Hermione for all her intelligence had all but abandoned the muggle world at the age of seventeen and devoted all her research since the war to spell creation).

"Is Hadrian your real name?" Tim asked smiling.

"It is actually though it's not the name either of the plane tickets were in. And everyone at home always called me Harry, even my school records say Harry for some reason so I figure it's safe enough to start using Hadrian as my name.

Tim laughed. "I won't ask the rest of your names then. You must be fairly well thought of for them to have constructed more than one cover name for you." 'Or the need to go into hiding without entering official witness protection must have been serious' he thought concernedly.

They landed in New York and Tim was surprised to see he didn't have any checked luggage. He coached him through the easiest way to get through customs and they agreed to meet up on the other side to grab a bite to eat before their next planes.

After checking he had the time Tim led Hadrian to one of the few nice restaurants at the airport. "I don't know about you but I hate processed food. After the meal on the plane I need some real food. My treat" he offered.

"I can afford to go Dutch" Hadrian replied. "I managed to change plenty of money at Heathrow."

They had a nice dinner and the added sense of privacy of the dimly lit booths inspired more personal conversation than previously. Hadrian told Tim a little about growing up with his relatives and how much he'd loved boarding school and his best mate' had made him feel included in his family, and how much it hurt to find out that that acceptance and inclusion had a hidden price he couldn't pay. Tim shared how it was growing up a Navy brat, always failing to live up to his father's impossible standards. How much it hurt when he realised his baby sister was loved and accepted unconditionally. They also discussed more unusual cases they'd been involved in and the conflict that had come up among their teams. Tim described working for the hard headed Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Hadrian mentioned how difficult it had been to overcome his workmates preconceived ideas of him. At the end of the three hour layover they both knew they'd made a lifelong friend.

Tim laughed when after checking in their luggage they found themselves outside the same boarding gate. "I'm in 46B, let me guess you've got 46A or 46C?"

"46A" Hadrian confirmed laughing. "I just hope I actually get to see something out the window this time."

"Do I need to change what name I'm calling you?" Tim asked.

"No just don't introduce me to people" Hadrian replied.

"Can I ask, is the DC area your final destination?" Tim asked.

Hadrian shrugged. "It is for the moment. It's somewhere nobody who knows me would think to look. I normally avoid politics like the plague and I'm allergic to politicians. I doubt I want to actually live in the city itself though."

"So suburbia or a country town?" Tim asked.

"I'm going to take some time and look around. I don't want too small a town, somewhere big enough that strangers don't attract too much attention" Hadrian replied.

"Well if I give you my phone number will you keep in touch?" Tim asked.

"I'd like to" Hadrian said smiling.

-o0o-

"Can you recommend a decent motel?" Hadrian asked as they disembarked the plane.

Tim looked at Hadrian assessingly. He'd enjoyed the young man's company so much he'd almost forgotten his initial impression. "Please don't take offence but I don't think any motel you would enjoy staying at would accept you dressed as you are" he said carefully.

Hadrian blushed. "I guess I should go shopping before I try to check in somewhere" he said tiredly. He'd spent all his time since the defeat of Voldemort in the wizarding world and the only muggle clothes he owned without tracking charms were the worst of his old clothes from the Dursley's that he'd stuffed into a box in the attic at Grimmauld Place. He hadn't wanted to arouse suspicions by shopping for new clothes before he left and being used to ignoring what he wore hadn't thought about the impression his clothes would make. He knew he could transfigure his clothing into something more respectable but it wouldn't last long and he couldn't explain that to his new friend.

Tim weighed up his decision before offering "I would think you'd be too tired to even consider purchasing a new wardrobe today. I know I am ready to fall into bed. I don't have a spare bed but would you like to crash on my couch and shop tomorrow?"

"If you're sure, that'd be great" Hadrian replied smiling. "I don't suppose you want to help me shop too. I've never bought clothes for myself before."

Tim laughed "I can believe that looking at you. Where did you get these clothes they're ready to fall apart and they've obviously never fit? You don't look like you could have lost that amount of weight."

"No, they were my cousin's. He's always been the size of a baby killer whale" Hadrian joked.

"Can I ask why you're wearing them then?" Tim asked hesitantly.

Hadrian shrugged. "I grew up living with them and wearing his cast offs so I've never paid much attention to clothing. My uniform would have drawn too much attention and I didn't want to change my routine before I left. Shopping or owning new clothes would have been noticed. (As would using magic to transfigure his clothing if the Weasleys had convinced the Aurors to look for him. Harry was well aware that he was regarded as their saviour and some people believed that they had the right to know his every move. He'd been astonished to find out that the trace had never been removed from his wand when he turned seventeen and when he confronted his boss in the DMLE and the Minister they'd refused to change it saying that the public needed to know their saviour was safe. He'd attempted to purchase another wand only to find that his new wand also contained the trace. Therefore, his precious wand and the spare one he'd purchased were in his bedroom at Grimmauld place along with every magical thing he owned including his beloved broom, his father's invisibility cloak and all the photographs of his parents.)

"You were that closely watched?" Tim asked surprised.

"They expected me to man up and apologise to their precious daughter who couldn't possibly have done anything wrong and reinstate my engagement. They haven't even cancelled the wedding plans after I broke off the engagement a week ago. We were due to be married in two weeks and I started contacting the guests once I realised they weren't going to do it. They were that sure they could guilt me into changing my mind and going through with the wedding" Hadrian said dejectedly. "You wouldn't believe the number of lectures I've been forced to sit through. And you've got to realise that these people used to be my family. They know me better than anyone else so they would notice any changes. I normally wear my uniform every day so my casual clothes didn't matter until now."

"Wearing a uniform off duty didn't make any sense to Tim but he couldn't detect any deception in his new friend's voice or face so he just nodded.

-o0o-

Molly arrived home and dispiritedly began cooking dinner. She'd spent a difficult day cancelling all of the wedding arrangements and she'd had to do it on her own because Ginny had flatly refused to cancel the wedding at all. Even now Molly hadn't been able to cancel the wedding robes order because it was almost finished and the dressmakers needed paying for the bespoke work. Madam Malkin had offered to try to sell the dress robes but warned her that there would be a limited number of potential customers due to the sizing. "Mr Potter's robes are too short for an adult and even the wealthiest families aren't likely to spend that much on robes for a teenager" she'd said bluntly.

"They would if they knew they'd been designed for Harry Potter" Molly suggested hopefully.

"I would need Mr Potter to contact me in person to give permission to use his name" Madam Malkin said determinedly, she refused to use the saviour of the wizarding world that way.

The wedding cake maker smirkingly told her that she hadn't started assembling the cake since she'd seen the advertisement of the broken engagement in the prophet and that the deposit had been returned to Mr Potter's vault since it was his key originally used.

The caterer had laughed. "I expected you in a week ago" he said refunding half the deposit.

"If you knew of the cancelation a week ago surely I should get more money back" Molly said angrily.

"I haven't managed to secure an alternate booking for that day. You're lucky you're getting any galleons back seeing nobody is willing to plan any sort of event on what would have been The-Man-Who-Conquered's wedding day" the caterer said grumpily.

-o0o-

Arthur arrived home to find Ron in the garden. "What's up, where's Hermione tonight?"

"I told her not to come, Mum's banging around in the kitchen in a temper" Ron replied.

"She and Ginny went to cancel the wedding arrangements today" Arthur explained.

"Ginny didn't go anywhere, she was out on her broom most of the afternoon, and she's out with friends for dinner" Ron replied.

'Then I'd better go and check the arrangements were actually cancelled, or I'll have to take the morning off to do it myself' Arthur thought to himself.

Luckily for him he didn't have to ask his wife. Molly started ranting about the rudeness she'd faced that day as soon as he walked in the door. "That boy better not expect me to make the arrangements again next time" she finished.

Arthur winced. "He won't" he said quietly. "We'll be lucky if we're even invited to his wedding after the last few weeks."

Molly whirled around and stared at her husband. "You really think he's going to marry somebody else?"

"Not anytime soon. I know he hasn't been cheating on our daughter but you must remember how many betrothal offers he got after the war, and we know he wants children of his own" Arthur replied.

"But this is all just a misunderstanding. He and Ginny are meant to be together" Molly protested.

"If they were meant to be together then she wouldn't have needed to potion him into loving her" Arthur said bluntly. "Not to mention how important trust is to Harry. He will never trust her enough to marry her now No man is going to want to have to spend the rest of his life casting revealing charms over everything he eats even in his own home."

Molly stared at her husband in shock. "It was just a mild attraction potion" she protested.

"No Molly, that's what you gave him when he was sixteen, which I was incredibly angry and embarrassed about when I read the report but Ginny's been feeding him a class two Love Potion and a Lust Potion. We are incredibly lucky that she wasn't arrested. She could have ruined us all."

Molly started to shake as the true facts of the last few weeks hit her hard. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"The best thing to do at the moment is leave him alone like he's asked us to."

-o0o-

Hadrian discretely cast a wandless silencing charm around the camp mattress once Tim had gone to sleep. The older man had been incredibly generous sharing his home with a virtual stranger. As a law enforcement officer he should have known better too. Harry wondered whether it was a result of the mild trust me charms he'd cast on himself before he'd left for the airport to help him get through security at Heathrow. It should've worn off before he got on the plane but maybe the other man was super sensitive to the after effects of the spell. He felt guilty taking advantage of it if that was the case but seeing as he didn't intend to harm the man in anyway and had offered to pay his way he shrugged it off. That was no reason to inflict his nightmares on a stranger though, particularly when he couldn't explain them to a muggle.

A/N: Thank you to linzi, Firehedgehog, mithrilandtj, ToTheStarButPickMagic, DS2010, Locket1, xDarklightx, lgbtlovechick, buterflypuss, Rori Potter, Silvermane1, acherongoddess, Fae0306, 25, charm13insomnia, MysticStarfall, Cosmic Heart, ZombieAlex200, Dusk Lilly, KaterinaBells, primzrose, paskinmath, 654, mekakun, Mickieskids, jot52, ace1014, Halfway To Reality, Addictedtoreading452, witchwyrm, Nightingale's Voice, Monki91, ElizaAthena, Avid Reader0907, EmofairyandRainbowfairy, lillisa34, Twiki25000, Brisana151, Darkdawnomega, MurderMysteryof1996, angeldust48, yaoilovekassy, Lady Rosencrantz, dadysprinces1994, Moon Kingdom, hailey9699, stkatie00, .1108, werewolfgirl11, mordicus18, Yananikki, power is knowledge, Haley-Belle, Lia Nefer, mana44570, malu31, emergency70, magdon, Phaedra Coopers, Scribitur Ad Narrandum, Yokiryuu, MataHari1989, naho potter black, catkin12, Moon Kingdom, , magicatheart, naiika, oghenefegoreneziakpor, unfortunateblessings, blackgirl663, billi24, bmorri00, annie2013, forestreject, nightwizard27, Schlaubi, Dragonsrose4, Baysen, Lennox0323, Individual Narrative, Roversmad, RODJ, sezeny, RvynDancyr and LooonyLei for your support.