Disclaimer: I shall enter this in now. *Ahem*.
disclaimer
Harry Potter and/or all characters, objects, phrases and/or locations created by the author, Joanne Katherine Rowling, as pertaining to the serial novel, Harry Potter, are not used in this story in an attempt to earn profit by the author, Raine Lionheart. Songs used by said author are copywritten to their specified and respective creators.
Characters, objects, phrases and locations created by the author, Raine Lionheart, are not to be used in another story, unless permission is clearly stated by Raine Lionheart himself.
/disclaimer
All right, that's my disclaimer for this entire set of stories!
Harry Potter and The Pupil of Redemption
Chapter One
The Secret of a Death
1994
Canada
It was a sudden banging that made eight-year old Raine Lionheart glance at the closet in surprise. It gave a knock that shook the door. His father, Tyrell rushed to it and muttered something under his breath, causing the noise to cease.
Raine turned back to the television with a frown.
Since he had been born, Raine had been forbidden by his dad to look in that closet. For fear of discovering something, he decided. Something frightening… a maniac? Raine had read that some people had kept whackos in their closets just for kicks… of course, his father wasn't like that. And Raine had read this in a murder novel.
He turned his attention back to Much Music where a Judas Priest music video was playing.
His dad was odd, Raine admitted to his friends. He seemed to look upon other people as if he was a superior. Not like a rich person, like he could own them and their families, but as if he had a higher understanding of the universe. He acted this way around a lot of people. Except for his close friends.
And they always looked at Raine awkwardly as well. In fact, a few weeks back Raine's father's boss, Mr. Cobblepot had come for dinner. Raine had never met the man, and had been surprised by his attitude towards simple things, like the television, or the microwave.
That night, he had asked Raine, 'So, how much has your dad taught you young man?' with a grin.
Before Raine could ask what he meant, Mr. Lionheart had cut in saying, 'Well, he's not to learn anything… yet.'
Mr. Cobblepot had looked surprised and didn't address Raine again.
Strange things always seemed to happen in Raine's life. From the death of his mother when he was just four, to his father's odd behavior. But strange occurrences in his life weren't such a bad thing. After all, he was happy enough to not fall victim to boredom.
Raine flipped the channel as a Beastie Boys video started to play. He watched The Simpsons instead.
***
It was raining on Saturday. No surprise though, as it usually rained in North Vancouver.
Raine was tired by now, but was alert. The closet had rattled at him as he passed it on his way to his room. As usual, Mr. Lionheart had uttered odd words to make the sounds dissipate, which made Raine uneasy.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that a closet could contain anything and make such odd noises. Anything could be in there, he thought. From a maniac, to some sort of contraption that would act up at any random point in the day. It could even be a creature of some sort.
So, feeling daring, Raine rose from his bed, slipped on his robe and tiptoed downstairs.
The closet was still rattling a little. As he approached, it started to act up, the noise becoming increasingly more violent with every step he took. The doorknob rattled and the doorframe gave off some dust.
Raine was trembling. Thoughts ran through his head, some telling him to turn back. Others telling him to just get it over with.
There's no such thing as a boogey-man.
He slowly put a hand on the doorknob…
The door exploded outwards.
Raine shielded himself as debris flew in every which direction He ducked and rolled, avoiding the wood and metal. The sound was deafening. Dust billowed out, blinding Raine. He backed up against the wall and sputtered, trying not to inhale the dust.
As the dust cleared, he squinted to see what was causing of the commotion.
A broomstick.
It was twitching.
Raine stood up and brushed himself off, then carefully, he poked his head into the closet. It was filled with books and chests and various beakers labeled Eye of Armadillo, Bezel, or Owl Feathers.
He was about to step in when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He jumped back as his dad appeared.
Mr. Lionheart froze when he saw Raine. He looked into the hallway and saw that his son was standing halfway into that forbidden closet, investigating his items.
He assessed the damage. Then, two words slipped out of his mouth.
'Oh dear.'
***
'What was that?' Raine asked softly.
They sat in the kitchen, sipping on water.
'That was a few tokens of my past, Raine,' Tyrell said very seriously, avoiding his son's gaze. 'It is something that I should have told you about a long time ago…'
He set down his glass and looked Raine in the eye.
'I am a wizard.'
And Raine could not think of an argument that seemed valid. He just stared back into his father's grey eyes with wonder.
'You understand what I am saying?' his father asked. Raine nodded. 'Good. Because it was difficult to tell you.'
Raine frowned. 'Why didn't you earlier? Did mom not know or something?'
Tyrell hesitated for a moment. The question had come.
'Raine… there's something that you should know.'
A/N: What do you think? Review to tell me. I love criticism, good or bad. However, I hate pointless. Keep it clean! Chapter Two in a week. Or maybe a few days, if reviews are coming in.