Chapter Three – Fame

Six months later Harry was the talk of the Coruscant underworld. In addition to keeping the troublemakers under control at Joban's, Harry was helping other local businesses when they had a special problem that needed to be addressed. He would take care of the trouble very efficiently and then they would pay him for his services based on a pre-arranged fee.

It was such a sight to see a six-year-old do all those amazing things, that more and more people were coming to those businesses just to get a look at Harry. Of course, Joban's was the busiest. Harry had brought in so many extra customers that Joban had to give him a raise twice already.

Harry was content since his life was so much better than before at the Dursleys so he rarely spent any of his credits. Between what he made at Joban's and the other businesses, Harry was managing to save up quite a few.

Joban had talked to Harry early on about schooling and informed him that OP could be his teacher for that as well. Communication droids were fully functional for teaching kids what they need to learn in school. He worked it out with Harry to spend at least four hours a day on schooling but he would be on call for security duties if anything should happen where he would be needed.

Harry informed OP that he had only been to school for one day so far and didn't learn much so needed to be taught everything he would learn if he went to school. Within a minute OP had worked out a schedule for young Harry to progress him through all of his school years with a plan to work at Harry's pace for four hours a day. They started that very day and Harry began learning at a very rapid rate due to his intelligence and the one-on-one excellent instruction.

Harry worked nearly every day improving his skills too. The more he experimented the more he discovered he could do. He was only limited by his imagination and Harry had a very vivid one. He added fire to his arsenal a couple of months ago and occasionally you would see him shooting a fireball out of his hand when the usual persuasions were not working.

Normally, he handles every troublemaker very gently by simply removing them from the premises. If, however, they choose to fight back then they are met with more than they ever bargained for. Harry's abilities continued to increase rapidly in both number and control.

Having spent so much time with Harry, Joban had learned a few important things about him. Today he was going to surprise Harry by taking him to a med clinic where Harry could get some help for his eyesight.

Joban had learned that those things Harry wears on his face are called glasses and he wears them because his eyesight is poor. He also learned that Harry is small for his age due to malnutrition but Harry had been growing pretty fast lately, now that he was getting enough to eat.

He would still never reach his full potential after years of neglect but it was possible he would recover some or most of it over the next few years.

There was nothing medical that could be done about Harry's height but there were some nutrients and vitamins Joban was aware of that promoted good health and physical well-being in children. He would make sure Harry got those in his food to help him there. But today he wanted to surprise him.

"Harry."

"Yes, Joban?"

"I have a surprise for you today."

"Really? A surprise?"

"That's right. Since you explained to me about your eyesight I have decided that I need to take you to the local med station so they can fix that."

"They can fix my eyes?"

"Yes, there is no need for you to have to wear glasses here when we have the ability to fix your eyesight."

"That will be great!"

"I also want to do one more thing for you. You are shorter than you should be because those awful people starved you for so many years. I am happy you are eating enough now so that you are growing fast as you should at your age. However, you will not likely catch up with the height you are supposed to be unless that too is fixed."

"They can fix that too?"

"No, sorry, they cannot fix that but we do have some nutrients and vitamins that I will include in your food that will help you. You just might gain some of that back and maybe even more. Do you want to go now?"

"We can go right now?"

"Sure, unless you would rather wait for some reason."

"No, I don't want to wait. I'm ready to go right now."

Joban chuckled at Harry's enthusiasm. "Alright then. Let's go!"

Joban took Harry down to the med station and explained to the droid about his eyesight.

"One moment please," said the droid.

The droid then went over to a counter and retrieved an item. He came back over to Harry.

"Please sit on the table while I administer the remedy."

Harry hopped up on the table and removed his glasses.

"Please close your eyes," directed the droid.

The droid then took a metal device and held it up to Harry's temple. There was a soft noise from the instrument. Other than being a little cold, there was no pain or other sensation that Harry felt. The droid did the same for the other temple then put away the instrument.

"You may open your eyes now."

Harry opened his eyes and could see perfectly. He put his glasses back on and everything was blurry. He took them back off and grinned real big. He got down off the table and began looking around at everything without his glasses. He put them away in his pocket for now.

Joban paid the droid for his services and talked to him for a bit about Harry's growth problem to see if there was anything more he could do for him. The med droid recommended a couple of specific nutrients that would help the most. Joban then walked with Harry back to the restaurant.

"How do you feel Harry?"

"I feel great! I love not having to wear my glasses."

"The med droid gave some good suggestions for some other nutrients that will help your height. I'll get some of those as well and start you on your new diet. Don't worry though, I'll include them in your food, and you won't taste the difference."

"Great! Thank you for doing this for me. This was a very nice surprise Joban. I'm still getting used to people doing nice things for me. That never happened before I came here."

"Well, get used to it, Harry, because you deserve it. If I had a son, I would want him to be just like you. It's amazing that you came from such a horrible existence yet you have turned out great. Everyone likes you and they are impressed with what you can do. It's unfortunate that you've had to grow up so fast because it's good for a kid your age to play and have fun. Don't forget to have fun, Harry."

"I am having fun. I'm having more fun than I can remember and now that I don't need glasses it just got a whole lot better."

"I was very happy to oblige, Harry, he said ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry just grinned. After a second, Joban changed the subject.

"Harry, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. It has to do with your job taking care of security."

"What is it?"

"I've heard some rumors and these are not good rumors, mind you. You know how you're drawing in more people who visit our businesses and they spend credits, which help us? Apparently, your fame has spread a bit and there are some bad people out there who would like to 'teach you a lesson' so to speak. They don't like it that a young kid such as yourself has so much power and knows how to use it."

"They want to hurt me?"

"It would appear so, Harry, so I want you to be careful. These people are not honorable and they will not fight fair. You will need to watch your back carefully. Do not turn your back on them until you are absolutely positive they are not going to attack you. Also, be careful when away from the restaurant, they might ambush you on the street."

"Joban, please don't worry about me. I have more powers than what you have seen me use so far. I have a whole lot more. Most of them are not needed on the troublemakers I handle but I have other things I can do if I need them. I'm discovering more and more all the time but I will be careful as you suggest and watch my back."

"Thank you, Harry. I would not want to lose you. You bring in a lot of customers but that is not why I said that. I simply like having you around. You're a great kid."

"Thank you, Joban. I like being around you too and it's not just because you're a great cook either."

They both grinned at each other.

oOo

Just a couple of months later Harry faced his first bad guy that wanted to 'teach him a lesson.' It was basically the same routine Harry had performed several times where Harry took the troublemaker out into the street and put him down, forcing the person to leave when they refused to do so on their own. Only this time the troublemaker had other plans, drew a blaster quickly from his belt, and shot at Harry three times fast.

What the guy didn't realize was that Harry was more than prepared for blaster fire. One of the first things he worked on learning to do was to have the ability to block it. After his incident in the alley with the Rattataki, he wanted to make sure he would not get shot again. His first time was just a graze but the next time could be a lot worse.

Harry never turned his back on the guy. He was waiting just like Joban recommended and was making sure the troublemaker was no longer a threat. When he reached for his blaster, Harry called up a shield he developed which absorbed the three blaster shots like it was hungry. Harry then used his other hand and summoned the guy's blaster. He caught the blaster then dropped the shield. He then moved his hand upwards quickly.

The troublemaker had a look of shock on his face when he saw Harry's shield absorb all three of his shots but that look was nothing compared to the one he had when he lost his blaster then shot straight up fifty feet in the air. His shock and fright became even more pronounced when he began his fast descent from that height. In fact, you could hear his screams all the way down until he landed with a loud splat.

He might have survived but Harry never checked to find out. He knew the droids would take care of him or the body.

Harry calmly walked back into the restaurant with the blaster still in his hand and everyone was just staring at him in awe. He quietly walked back to his room and stayed there for the rest of the day. OP brought his meals to him.

oOo

Six months later…

Harry was walking back from another local business who needed his help with a drunk, but abusive, customer. He handled her quickly and was paid for his service. Afterwards, he left and was minding his own business walking back to Joban's. Occasionally he would exchange pleasantries with people on the street whom he knew. He was crossing the street at an intersection when suddenly four Trandoshans surrounded him.

He stopped.

"Young Harry out for a stroll all alone?" asked one of the lizards.

"What's it to you?"

"We know you are very young but they say you are a worthy foe so we are here to see for ourselves. We know about your shield but believe it only exists on one side of you. Let's see you get out of this!"

The Trandoshans were on all four sides of Harry each about 20 feet away. After the leader who was doing all the talking finished speaking they all fired their blasters right at Harry who was in the center of them all.

Now Harry had a good shield but the talking Trandoshan was correct, he could only cast the shield on one side and not all around him. That was something to work out at another time since his time was short at the moment.

Not knowing exactly what to do and afraid he was about to die if he did nothing, he panicked a bit and just yelled "STOP!" with his hands extended out from his sides and his palms facing outward. He wanted everything to just stop so he could have time to figure out how to get out of this mess.

Surprisingly everything did stop, at least everything within 100 feet of Harry, including the Trandoshans and their blaster fire. Harry looked around and saw that they were frozen in time so he used his power to lift and move the Trandoshans closer in to each other and made sure they were pointing their blasters at their comrade opposite them.

He started to grab the blaster fire that was frozen in mid-air and then realized he should not touch that. Instead, using his power again he moved the blaster fire so that it was in line with hitting each Trandoshan dead on.

After all this, Harry stepped out of the circle and out of the way of stray blaster fire. He then put up his shield and wishing for time to start again, he whispered "Start." Movement started again immediately and the Trandoshans were all hit with their initial blaster fire and the extras they shot after that. All four dropped from being hit several times.

Harry released his shield, turned, and continued on his way back to Joban's.

The people on the street who witnessed the incident were within the 100-foot radius. They were shocked to see Harry suddenly standing somewhere else and the Trandoshans standing closer firing away at each other. They saw that the Trandoshans dropped dead from their own blaster fire then saw Harry turn and continue up the street. They were not sure of exactly what happened but once again little Harry came out on top. He never ceased to amaze them. Word spread of what he had done.

Harry, on the other hand, was still trying to figure out how he stopped time. He remembered the feel of his power when he yelled "STOP" so promised himself he would work out how to use that whenever he wanted. That could be a very handy little trick, he thought.

He would also work on a shield that surrounded him completely and while at it, he could work on moving himself quicker not only for situations like that but use that as a quicker way to travel. He figured that if he could travel all the way to another planet then he should easily be able to travel to different parts of this planet or just down the street. Having his work cut out for him, he continued on back to Joban's.

Later that evening Joban came up to Harry who was looking a little down.

"Word on the street says you were attacked by four Trandoshans? Those guys are tough but obviously not tough enough for you. I don't see a mark on you."

"Yes, they surprised me a bit and surrounded me."

"People who witnessed it are not sure about what they saw. They said you were in the middle of them when they started firing then the next thing they knew you were somewhere else and they were closer in shooting each other down. How did you manage that?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure yet. My shield only covers one side and they were firing from all four sides. I panicked a bit and discovered a new ability. I'm still working out what it is and how to do it when I want. I haven't figured it all out yet."

"Well, I'm very glad you are okay, Harry. It scares me to hear stories like that but I'm happy you can take care of yourself when in danger."

"I'll keep learning more, Joban. I discover new abilities quite often now and have a couple I will be working on immediately. One of which will be a shield that surrounds me completely. Also, I want to be able to move around from place to place faster using my power. If I can travel all the way to a new planet using my power then I should be able to travel around here without a problem. It might get me out of a jam in the future."

"You do that. The more you know how to do the better your chances. Take care of yourself because I don't want anything to happen to you. You're a very special person, Harry, and I think you will be doing even greater things when you're older."

"Thank you."

"Need a snack? I have some desserts left over."

"Sure!"

"Alright, come on then. I'll get you fixed up."

oOo

Five years later…

By the age of twelve Harry had become a bit of a show off but in a good sense. He only did it when he had to take someone down a few notches. Over the course of the years, Harry had developed a lot of tools for his trade and improved on others.

He could not only make different types of shields but he could make different sizes as well, from just a little bigger than one hand to where it surrounds him and protects completely if needed.

In addition to the fireballs, Harry had figured out, he could call up lightning as well. So in an attempt to make his opponent soil his pants, Harry would sometimes put on a show first. If he went with fire then he would give the illusion that both his arms were engulfed in flames before he fired a fireball or two. If he went with lightning he would show electricity moving throughout his fingers, bouncing off the ground around him, and extending out from his hair which always looked like he'd put his finger in a socket anyway. It had quite the effect on his enemies and most did soil their pants.

Most of the time though he would simply stun them, carry them out to the street and revive them. That was usually enough for most but occasionally he got one that was looking for a fight so he put on a show and made sure they didn't forget before he turned them loose.

Harry had killed some people but he was far from being a cold-blooded killer. The only people Harry had ever killed were ones that were trying to kill him first. He simply acted in self-defense. He was never happy when that happened. It took him days afterwards to work through it all, especially as he got older and was more familiar with the concept of life and death. However, since he learned how to stun people, he had been using that more to his advantage and preventing the situation from escalating further.

This did come back to bite him a couple of years back though. He had stunned a person who took a shot at him and left it at that. A few days later, the person tried to kill him again but from ambush and was met with an untimely death. Harry had given him his chance and he blew it.

"Any person who takes up a blaster and tries to kill a young kid deserves to die," Joban explained to Harry when he was down after killing someone. "There is simply no excuse for someone to go after a kid that way or anyone else for that matter."

Harry didn't seek these people out or even do anything to them that would provoke them. They simply knew of his reputation and wanted to make a name for themselves. Harry being a young kid didn't seem to matter to them at all.

Harry still didn't know that the power he displayed was called magic. All he knew was he had power that no one else does, at least no one he had ever met yet. He was taught about the Jedi in his History class and they were no doubt very fascinating people. In fact, Harry would read everything he could find about them but it became apparent that even though his powers and theirs were similar, he was still different. Harry would love to meet a Jedi but so far had not had the opportunity.

By this time, Joban was like a father to Harry and Harry a son to Joban. It was mutual and they enjoyed each other's company. Joban made sure Harry knew that no matter where he went in his travels now or when he was older and took off on his own, he would always find a home here at Joban's. Harry knew that he meant it too.

They still maintained their business relationship though and Harry was making good money now. He had learned how to apparate but he called it teleporting since he was not familiar with the magical term. He figured out that all he had to do was to want to be somewhere else bad enough and he would appear there.

After he learned that, he was able to expand his jobs to include businesses all over the planet. His current employers gladly gave him references but he rarely needed it since his fame was fairly widespread and still growing.

Harry purchased a personal comlink for himself so he could receive calls from his clients whenever they needed him. He then could teleport over and assist them immediately.

With the new businesses hiring him, his jobs became a little more varied in nature. Many times, they became more dangerous as well. There were some gangs on Coruscant that Harry ran into on occasion. Some were small and disorganized while others were more militant in nature with weapons and a chain of command.

He stayed clear of any complex entanglements with them but found himself on occasion having to school a few would be gang members who thought they would take advantage of a helpless kid. They found out otherwise and spread the word that a certain kid with wild black hair and emerald green eyes was one to avoid.

As Harry grew older, he sought out more interesting jobs. There were many who wanted to hire him for special jobs they could not do themselves. Harry stayed away from anything that was not on the up and up but there was plenty of work for him to do. With so many gangs around taking people's stuff, he was constantly asked to retrieve the items.

Harry took the jobs offered and continued to gain more experience using his powers. He was not only discovering more but his power was growing as well the older he got. Each encounter he had was talked about even more than the last and his fame continued to grow.