Chapter Eight: Introductions
It was Sunday already. Kit and Kevin were on two of Sirius' flying bikes, headed towards England, with Alex close behind.
" Wait up you two! Some of us aren't as young as you are!"
" Shut up, Alexander. Age has nothing to do with how fast you ride a motorcycle. NOTHING!" yelled Kevin, happily cutting in front of his sister, who let loose a loud exclamation.
" What the hell do you think you're doing Kevin?" she yelled, her bike careening off of its steady course.
" Having fun!" replied her brother happily, shooting ahead of his siblings.
" Well have fun some other way. It's very unappreciable to have some young hoodlum cut in front of your vision so suddenly," replied Kit primly.
" Yes, young hoodlum. Do calm down," mimicked Kevin.
" Alex! Make him stop!" whined Kit.
" Kevin. Stop," said Alex, trying to read the map.
" Okay, invisibility shields up! Let's land!" yelled Alex.
" Privet Drive, here we come!" shouted Kevin, as the three bikes suddenly soared down to the earth.
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Harry Potter found it hard to believe that he was really leaving. It was so unpredictedAll of his things were in the front hall, and the Dursleys were waiting for their guests, just like they had for the Weasleys.
Just then Harry heard a loud roaring noise. Aunt Petunia screamed. Three huge motorcycles appeared out of nowhere, each with a helmeted rider aboard. Two seconds later, the three passengers were headed up the front walk.
Harry didn't even hear the doorbell ring. But the Dursleys did. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hurried towards the front door, Dudley right behind them. Uncle Vernon started shoving Harry's things toward the people before they could even get their helmets off.
"Here are the boy's things. If anything's missing that's too bad. It's his problem. Now, you say we won't ever see him again, is that a promise? And-" Aunt Petunia was suddenly interrupted as the Blacks took off their helmets.
The oldest boy had shortened hair. He was tall and muscular, and looked like a mechanic. The next oldest boy had shoulder-length hair tied back into a ponytail like Ron' s brother, Bill. And the girl- wow, was the girl pretty! Her long black hair was loose and moved gently in the wind, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with mischief.
"How can it be that you are so rude to visitors?" asked the girl quietly. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon stared at her.
"How obnoxious! We are letting you come to our home to pick up the boy and here you are telling us what to do! I can't believe a stranger could have the nerve!" sputtered Uncle Vernon angrily.
"You're right, how could we have been? Stay for dinner, let's make it up to you," Dudley's voice cut through Uncle Vernon's. Harry stared at his cousin. His fat face wore an expression of heartsick love. The girl looked very disturbed, but before she could say anything, the younger boy answered.
" We'd love to stay." he said, smiling prankishly at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who looked appalled at their son. There was a long moment of silence.
"Well" Uncle Vernon looked as if this decision was killing him. "If my son wants you to, come on in," he said with a loud, very audible sigh.
" Why thank you, kind sir!" said the older boy, sarcasm heavy on his voice.
" Can I help you out of your jackets?" asked Harry, coming up from behind the girl and gently taking hold of her leather motorcycle jacket.
" Sure," she replied with a smile." My name's Kit. You've got to be Harry."
" Yeah, that would be me," replied Harry, hanging up he jacket and taking the boys' too, listening as they introduced themselves as Kevin and Alex. Kit just happened to be wearing a tank top that day, and as Harry turned, he caught a glimpse of color on her upper right arm.
" What's that?" Harry asked, pointing to her arm. Kevin and Alex turned. Harry also noticed he had Dudley's attention as well.
"Ah, what?" Kit asked, covering her arm.
"Let's think," replied Kevin. " Perhaps what you're covering there?"
"Covering? What am I covering." Kit said nervously.
"Kit. Show me what's on your arm," said Alex sternly. Kit gulped and held out her arm, turning her head so she wouldn't have to see her older brother's reaction.
"When did you have this done?" asked Alex. " Kevin come and see this. Who designed it for you?"
Harry leaned over and looked at the girl's arm. Tattooed on it was a coat of arms, a B supported by two black unicorns, with a crown at the top.
" I designed it myself. At first I wanted everyone to have one, but I knew that neither Sirius nor Jon would go for it, so I decided to do it on myself. One of the greatest muggle tattoo artists did it for me. Turned out well didn't it?" she asked with a grin.
" Yeah," said Harry. " Can you design one for me?"
"Sure, after I'm done doing the one for the Weasleys," replied Kit.
"You know the Weasleys?" asked Harry. Dudley was beginning to look bored.
"Yeah. Ron's my penpal. And Fred and George are Kevin's best friends," replied Kit.
" No way! Ron's my best friend." Harry exclaimed.
" That is one major coincidence," replied Kit.
"I think dinner's ready. Why don't we all move to the kitchen?" Dudley interrupted.
"Uh, okay." Kit looked startled at Dudley's sudden appearance. Apparently she hadn't noticed he was there.
"Follow me then," said Dudley imperiously. Harry could see Kit stifling a laugh, Kevin and Alex too, as they all followed Dudley to the kitchen.
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Dinner was a hilarious affair, at least for Kit, Harry, Alex and Kevin. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were so uptight and terse, and Kit had loved the attention she'd gotten when Aunt Petunia had seen her tattoo. Dudley was boring them all stiff with talk about his school, his friends, and what he did in his spare time. It was obvious that Dudley had a major crush on Kit, though he wasn't exactly sure on what to do about it.
Kit found this funny. Kevin didn't. He didn't like it that some fat, stupid muggle boy was falling for his clever sister. She was too good for him. He'd better stay away from her, thought Kevin angrily, watching Dudley stare at his sister with adoration. Kit rolled her eyes in Kevin's direction, indicating severe boredom. Kevin shook his head, silently telling Kit not to make too big a deal over it. Across the table Kev could see his older brother and Harry exchanging stories.
Now Harry was a guy he'd like Kit to get to know better. And Ron too. They both were wizards, with good, strong personalities who wouldn't let Kit get hurt. Kevin sighed; knowing his sister would hate him for thinking these thoughts. She loathed it when he became all protective and everything. So Kevin decided not to say anything, shoving his mashed potatoes around his plate and wishing he could be anywhere but here.
Alex must have noticed his younger brother's discomfort, because he immediately started downing his food, as if trying to shorten the meal. Kevin smiled at him in gratitude, mouthing the words, "Thank you", to his older brother. Alex just shook his head with a grin.
An hour later the meal was over, and the three Blacks and Harry all stood, making ready to leave.
"Wait!" said Dudley suddenly. "Why don't you stay overnight?" he asked, directing his question to Kit more than to anyone else.
"Ah, that's really okay, but, uh, we'll go. Long way to travel." Kit said nervously, moving towards her older brothers. Dudley frowned, as if trying to work out what she'd said.
"Come on Harry, let's go load up the motorcycles," said Kit, grabbing her new friend's arm and pulling him out the door. Kevin and Alex followed suit.
It took the four a full hour to load everything onto the three bikes, which Harry absolutely loved. Two more minutes were spent choosing who Harry would ride with (it turned out to be Alex, since he was the one who had been driving the longest), and then they were off, Hedwig and Harry's past, silent shadows behind them.
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It was late when Harry awoke in a huge canopy bed located in a strange room.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" said a very cheerful Kit, coming in with a tray of bacon, pancakes, and orange juice. "Hungry?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah. What time is it?" Harry replied between bites of his pancakes.
"Around ten. You slept in pretty late for a weekday. We put a spell on you to forget the time difference." Kit answered. "Well, I'll leave you alone for awhile, so you can finish your breakfast," she said, walking towards the door.
"You don't have to go. If you want to stay, please do. I'd like to learn more about you," said Harry quickly.
"Really? Well, okay then. Afterwards if you want, I can take you on a tour," Kit said, returning to Harry's bedside and sitting down in a nearby chair.
"Sounds great. So, where did you grow up?" For the next hour and a half, Harry asked questions and Kit answered them; about Azkaban, what she did for fun, her older brothers, and who had cooked breakfast.
Shortly after, Harry was given a tour of the estate on unicorn-back (It turned out that the unicorns on Kit's tattoo were actually the Black emblem, the black coloring where there was usually white, and gorgeous where there was always bright gold, making them an exceptional beauty). Kit was actually riding on her own pet; a winged horse called a Thestral, who had the power of invisibility.
They were now on their way to Kit's pride and joy, the Blacks large "collection" of magical creatures. Fairly soon they reached a large, fenced in area, full of forest and other habitats.
"Welcome," said Kit simply, pulling open a gate and leading Harry into the area. Harry could distantly sense movement in the corner of his eyes, and when he turned for a better look, his heart nearly stopped.
"Kit, are thosewerewolves?" asked Harry, his heart thumping in fear.
"Yep. I tamed them from when they were cubs. They're gentle now. You can pet them if ya like," replied his new friend.
"Ah, that's okay. I like my fingers where they are." Harry replied; knowing Hagrid would have loved this place. Kit laughed and they continued on their way.
"Up here, in this lake, are merpeople and other swimming creatures. They understand a bit of English. You can try talking to them if you want. Terence teaches them in his spare time, which isn't often, as he's always at work." Kit's smile turned into a thoughtful frown, which brightened as the merpeople came to the surface.
"Go on Harry. Say something," Kit urged.
"Uh, how are you?" asked Harry, having no idea what to say to merpeople.
"We?" they replied slowly, trying to make the human noises.
"Very well." Harry replied.
"Good" the merpeople said, happily disappearing into the water again.
"Too much air makes them sick," Kit explained. "Also in the lake are grindylows - Rem loves them - and kelpies which Jon and I trained last year. They're water demons that appear usually as horses with reeds and such for manes and tails. Hippocampi, which are crosses between horses and fish - they're the merpeople's pets- stay in the lake as well, and fire crabs, which are jeweled tortoises."
"Oh," Harry wheeled his unicorn around and followed Kit up the sloping hill.
"There're griffins over there. Sirius insists we keep some. They're in honor of your parents, Harry," said Kit quietly, pointing. The beasts were magnificent; Harry couldn't stop staring.
"We have a collection of birds, including phoenixes, in our aviary, where Kevin, and probably Terence too, will take you tomorrow, since that's their specialty. Over there are a group of centaurs, though they and other half-human, half-creatures are allowed to leave whenever they wish.
"To your right you can see a pride of sphinxes. Every day I ride out to see what their riddle of the day is," said Kit, pointing to a bunch of lions with human faces.
"To your left there are several Hippogriffs. Sirius considers them sacred, since one helped him escape death. Though you already know that don't you?
"Come on. Up ahead are my favorite creatures of all time!" said Kit, racing up to the edge of a dangerous looking cliff. Another cliff lay parallel to it, with huge caves in the surface facing the two kids. The ground that lay before them was blackened by fire. Nothing grew there, and it was all deserted. Harry glanced over at Kit, who was holding a whistle.
"Kit, no don't-." It was too late. The shrill blast of the whistle sounded before Harry could finish his sentence. A loud screeching noise confirmed Harry's greatest fears; they were now in Dragon territory.
Huge, beautiful creatures, ten dragons suddenly appeared from the cliffs to the teens' right. They landed with a loud, earthshaking thud. Kit grinned.
"There are more," Kit explained. "I didn't want to startle you with too many at a time. There's one of each kind here, all males.
"Fire is my specialty. I guess that's why dragons and I have always gotten along well," she said, proceeding to name which breed of dragon each came from. "The one on the far left is an Antipodean Opaleye, famous for their multi-colored eyes. He's my favorite. The next one is a Chinese Fireball, named because of his mushroom shaped fireballs. That's a Common Welsh Green, the kind Rem likes, noted for his particular roar. A Hebridean Black, Sirius' favorite, is to the Welsh's right. You already know this Hungarian Horntail, I'm sure, which is Jon's favorite. He likes to sit out here for hours at a time, just watching the creature. It's the one you battled last year." The dragon leaned forward and sniffed Harry out. "There's a Peruvian Vipertooth over in the corner, the smallest of the dragons, and the one to Kevin's liking. The Romanian Longhorn, to the Viper's right, is our newest edition. Terence likes him. Charlie just flew him out, and they're famous for their horns. The Swedish Short-snout is over there, and nearby is the Ukrainian Ironbelly, the largest of the dragons, and Alex's favorite breed. And that greenish-black one over to the side is a Norwegian Ridgeback. He has always responded to the name 'Norbert' or 'Bertie'. Ron' s brother, Charlie sent him over to me, since they can only hold a limited amount of dragons in Romania. It's a law."
At the name "Norbert" Harry's head snapped up. Was it possible that this Norbert was Hagrid's old pet? It was! Harry stared as the dragon gently rose into the air and flew over to him, lowering it's large head until he was level with Harry.
"Whoa" whispered Harry.
"You two know each other," said Kit. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, he stayed at our school for awhile, he was our gamekeeper's-How did you know?" Harry asked.
"I told you dragons and I have always gotten along well. That's the reason," was the calm reply.
"You can talk to magical creatures?" Harry asked, amazed.
"Yep. I think it has to do with the blood in me, because no one else, excluding Kevin, can do it." At Harry's confused glance Kit explained, "All except Kevin are my half-brothers. I believe it has something to do with my mother being a vampire. The blood must give you different powers or something. Kev will talk to the animals only when he feels like it. He doesn't like communicating with them very much."
Kit wheeled her unicorn down a thin path leading towards an enclosure full of hogs, sheep and cows. "Time to feed my babies," she said cheerfully. "If you don't want to watch I'll understand," she called. Harry shook his head, following Kit down the path.
"I can take it," he replied, helping Kit to open the gate. The animals inside didn't move.
"Hehe! Cowboy time," said Kit, letting loose an animalistic roar, and plunging into the enclosure. Harry followed her example. Shrieking like mad, the two shooed the animals out into the dragon's territory. In moments the dragons in the line attacked the animals, soon joined by the other dragons. The two kids left the creatures to their meal.
"Oh, hey, and there's one of my pet Jarveys! I've been looking for him for ages!" Kit exclaimed, picking up the ferret- like beast.
"Hello, stupid!" said the Jarvey cheerfully. Harry stared.
"Hehe talks," said Harry, accepting the Jarvey from Kit.
"Yep. That's what Jarveys are famous for. They also enjoy using rude terms in their sentences," said Kit, nudging her unicorn forward. "You can name him if you like."
"Okayuh, how about Draco?" asked Harry with a grin, handing the Jarvey back to Kit.
"Draco. That's good. All of my pets will hereafter be named after constellations," Kit replied decidedly.
"Oh, no," said Draco unhappily.
"Oh, shut up," said Kit. Harry grinned as the Jarvey settled around Kit's shoulders, blending in with her hair.
"There's a group of Mooncalves over there. They're interesting creatures that dance a certain dance during a full moon. This dance is believed to be some sort of intense ritual." Just then something black and furry hopped onto Harry's unicorn. The beast snorted and whinnied nervously.
"Whoa," said Harry nervously, reigning the unicorn in. Carefully Harry attempted to lift the creature, which turned out to be a Niffler, off of the unicorn. This did no good, as the little creature seemed quite intent on getting Harry's brand new watch. The Niffler kept jumping up and down on the unicorn's broad back, trying to get Harry's watch, which drove the unicorn into a frenzy. Soon the beast was bucking and rearing wildly. Kit dismounted and tried to calm the poor unicorn. But the beast had had enough. It had been bad enough with Harry's quick riding lesson before they'd left, and this was the cap on the bottle. The beast reared one last time, and before Kit could move, the giant horse had dropped right on top of her. Silver hoofs cut into the girl's back and arms. The unicorn threw Harry, and bolted for the stable. Harry sat down where he was, shaking the dizziness from his head. Then he noticed Kit.
