Chapter 2: Time is Money
As yet Harry hadn't been able to get the strange events of the day out of his mind. The Sakura girl, the Dementor, her powers. It had struck him that Sakura was the girl from his dreams (ha ha, no!). She'd said she'd been looking for someone. Who was it? That, like so many of his other questions, was unanswerable. So he contented himself with writing to Ron and Hermione.
That same night three things happened. 1. Vernon came home in a good mood 2. Petunia received a letter stating she had won a trip to see her favourite game show "Monkey Madness" and 3. Dudley received a passing mark on his Health test (now how did that happen?)
As a result Vernon decided to take them all (including Harry after Petunia's insistence) to see "Monkey Madness" live.
Now Harry had never seen an episode of "Monkey Madness" but was pretty sure it went something along the lines of a person having to...
1. Dunk their heads in a bucket of molasses and grab all the ping-pong balls with their mouths.
2. Jumping into a tank of hundred dollar bills to find the hidden one dollar.
3. Guessing who in the audience had the most money in their pockets at that moment and...
4. Wrestling whoever had the most money to pocket the money they had in their account.
Harry reckoned they'd correctly named the show. Only monkeys would play it!
So they set out the next morning for the evening performance. Vernon and Petunia were humming the Monkey Madness theme song while Dudley insisted on going over and over about the motorcycle he wanted along with the stereo system they were buying him. Harry wasn't sure he would make it to their destination before his sanity deserted him for good!
They stopped at the gas station and Vernon bought them ice creams (excluding Harry) and again later on at the plaza to buy Dudley's stereo system (they arranged with the clerk to have his motorcycle shipped by the time they'd returned that evening).
Once Harry could have sworn he'd seen the Sakura girl waiting at an intersection but pushed it from his mind as Vernon pulled up at the back of the stage.
"Everyone out!" Vernon barked and they got from the car as a black van pulled up beside them.
The sliding doors opened regally and out jumped who (Harry guessed to be) that nights' performers.
A tall black man with a cheery smile on his face, a thin woman who was plastered in makeup and a young man not more then seventeen Harry figured.
Watching them unpile equipment from the back of the van Harry felt a strange sensation run up his spine and turned to see the seventeen-year-old turning his attention back to the boxes he was supposed to be carrying.
As Vernon led them in through the side door Harry had the feeling he was watched the whole way. Yeah, they shouldn't have come here.
* * *
They were one of the first in their seats by the time the show started, not to mention the most prepared!
Three containers of popcorn, three large cans of drink and four large chocolate bars (Petunia was eating a Subway sandwich, Dudley was having seconds of everything!).
They were third row from the front,close enough to see everything but far enough away that they would be alright if anything exciting happened as Vernon put it. Harry wondered what his uncle meant by "exciting".
"And now ever faithful ladies and gentlemen..."
NOT! thought Harry.
"...I would like to introduce the three stars of tonight's show..." the announcer gestured to a curtain hiding the "monkeys". "Reynald Rickson from Sydney, Australia."
The black man Harry had seen in the parking lot walked onto the stage, his smile as wide as ever!
"Florida Santabury from Texas, U.S.A..."
The coated make-up woman came out to stand beside Reynald.
"And young Syaoran Li from Tomoeda, Japan! Let's give them all a big round of applause!"
The audience broke into an immediate up roar. Harry wondered if they came here just to scream a lot. His attention was once again brought back to the young man who's name was Syaoran who seemed to be watching him when he thought Harry wouldn't notice. Strange...
And so the show began...
Reynald retrieved six of the ten ping-pong balls,better then Syaoran who succeeded in getting four. Florida refused to put her head in the molasses so sustained a zero for that round.
During the commercial brake Reynald and Syaoran washed the molasses from their faces and the giant tub of hundred dollar bills was set up. The audience was once again reminded of the need for silence during the instructions (especially to Dudley who was making an awful racket gulping down his food!).
The show began again and Reynald managed to find the one dollar, followed by Florida. Syaoran was not as successful yet was the only one to guess correctly who in the audience had the most money, Harry.
Before they had entered each audience member had been required to show the amount they were carrying with them. The Dursley's (or Vernon, the only one who had brought money) had spent most of it beforehand. Harry had brought spending money of his own since he had known for a fact the Dursley's wouldn't buy him anything. Still, it was only ten dollars. Apparently it was more then what everyone else had however! (Not that that was saying much since there were only around ten other candidates two of whom were children) So that was how he'd come to standing in front of Syaoran Li from Tomoeda, Japan after the next commercial brake in a ring that somewhat resembled those you see on boxing channels.
He was supposed to fight Syaoran first then the other two until a winner was chosen (the show host wanted them to make it last until they gave them the queue to finish).
The announcer rang the starting bell and Harry braced himself for the agile-looking boy's attack. He had never been particularly strong but perhaps he could hold his own until the announcers stopped them! But Syaoran never made a move.
He stood there, eyes fixed on Harry as the audience muttered protests at the delay. Then, slowly, Syaoran raised his right hand to grasp the string amulet he wore over his shoulder bringing it out in front of him as he closed his eyes.
Before him Harry witnessed the changing of the innocent looking amulet into a VERY sharp, not to mention shiny sword, as if it had been recently cleaned. Harry knew for certain by the way this boy had been acting towards him that he wasn't there to make Harry's life any easier!
As Syaoran began to advance Harry backed to the ring realizing that time around him had stopped leaving only him and his opponent free to move.
"Who are you?" he got a straighter answer then what he'd gotten from Sakura.
"I am Syaoran Li. I come from Tomoeda, Japan. I am a descendant of the powerful sorcerer Clow Reed, creator of the Clow Cards which I had once sought to return to their rightful heir when they fell to the hands of a naive child but now I have a new purpose." He walked faster, raising his sword as Harry grasped in his pocket for his wand. "I serve the powerful Lord Voldemort and thus am sworn to see the end of you, Harry Potter!"
He was running toward Harry now who's wand seemed to have disappeared in the recesses of his pocket just when he needed it the most! Harry jumped from the deadly sword's path as his hand finally found his wand handle.
"ACCIO SWORD!" he cried as Syaoran swung at him again.
For a second the sword hung in the air before returning faithfully to its master. Syaoran smiled.
"If that's the best you can do I'm disappointed. I'll show you what I can do!" Pulling a piece of inscripted paper from his jacket he called a chant as it flew to connect with his sword. "God of Fire, come forth!"
Spirals of fire whipped from the paper and Harry could not only feel but smell the scent of his own charred flesh and clothes. What spells did he have that could possibly defeat the power of the Gods themselves? The answer was shouted from behind him by a familiar feminine voice.
"WATER!"
From every where it seemed water rained down upon the flames reducing them to smoking puddles of steam. It was from this steamy mist that the Sakura girl walked into the ring.
"No!" Syaoran cried, taking a step back. "Why now, Card Mistress?"
"Because I am here on behalf of Dumbledore!" she told him. "It is my duty to protect Harry Potter from the likes of you as it is your duty to destroy him so face my wrath before you vent your own upon him!" Raising her star staff all the cards from her pocket flew to circle it and glow with a blinding pink colour.
"Not today." Syaoran told her, pulling out another inscripted paper while backing to the opposite side of the ring. "I have used too much power stopping Time. I will return when I am stronger and you are weaker. As it was meant Voldemort will destroy you, Harry Potter!" With that he shouted the chant of the Wind and was gone before Sakura could call upon the Shield to block the gales.
Gingerly Harry got to his feet, leaning on the railing as the burns on his bare skin began to sting.
"Oh Harry I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner!" Sakura came to study the damage caused by the fire. "I'm not much of a nurse but I did study healing magic after the transformation of the Clow Cards."
"The Clow Cards?" Harry asked. "The same Syaoran talked of?"
"Yes. I must go, Time's magic is wearing low and I must not be seen here with you. Don't worry I will come to your room tonight to address to your burns," she paused as she saw Harry open his mouth, "and your questions." With that she jumped from the ring and was gone as everyone awoke from Time's dream.
Harry was sent home immediately after the discovery of his injuries. Due to this fact the Dursleys were cross with Harry for cutting short their live show and took as long as possible to get home.
Then Petunia shoved him in the bathroom and lathered his skin in some sort of foul smelling substance that not only stunk, it stung!
As a result it was a very unhappy boy who went to his room that night half praying for the soundest of sleeps and the other listening hard for his promised nighttime visitor.
As yet Harry hadn't been able to get the strange events of the day out of his mind. The Sakura girl, the Dementor, her powers. It had struck him that Sakura was the girl from his dreams (ha ha, no!). She'd said she'd been looking for someone. Who was it? That, like so many of his other questions, was unanswerable. So he contented himself with writing to Ron and Hermione.
That same night three things happened. 1. Vernon came home in a good mood 2. Petunia received a letter stating she had won a trip to see her favourite game show "Monkey Madness" and 3. Dudley received a passing mark on his Health test (now how did that happen?)
As a result Vernon decided to take them all (including Harry after Petunia's insistence) to see "Monkey Madness" live.
Now Harry had never seen an episode of "Monkey Madness" but was pretty sure it went something along the lines of a person having to...
1. Dunk their heads in a bucket of molasses and grab all the ping-pong balls with their mouths.
2. Jumping into a tank of hundred dollar bills to find the hidden one dollar.
3. Guessing who in the audience had the most money in their pockets at that moment and...
4. Wrestling whoever had the most money to pocket the money they had in their account.
Harry reckoned they'd correctly named the show. Only monkeys would play it!
So they set out the next morning for the evening performance. Vernon and Petunia were humming the Monkey Madness theme song while Dudley insisted on going over and over about the motorcycle he wanted along with the stereo system they were buying him. Harry wasn't sure he would make it to their destination before his sanity deserted him for good!
They stopped at the gas station and Vernon bought them ice creams (excluding Harry) and again later on at the plaza to buy Dudley's stereo system (they arranged with the clerk to have his motorcycle shipped by the time they'd returned that evening).
Once Harry could have sworn he'd seen the Sakura girl waiting at an intersection but pushed it from his mind as Vernon pulled up at the back of the stage.
"Everyone out!" Vernon barked and they got from the car as a black van pulled up beside them.
The sliding doors opened regally and out jumped who (Harry guessed to be) that nights' performers.
A tall black man with a cheery smile on his face, a thin woman who was plastered in makeup and a young man not more then seventeen Harry figured.
Watching them unpile equipment from the back of the van Harry felt a strange sensation run up his spine and turned to see the seventeen-year-old turning his attention back to the boxes he was supposed to be carrying.
As Vernon led them in through the side door Harry had the feeling he was watched the whole way. Yeah, they shouldn't have come here.
* * *
They were one of the first in their seats by the time the show started, not to mention the most prepared!
Three containers of popcorn, three large cans of drink and four large chocolate bars (Petunia was eating a Subway sandwich, Dudley was having seconds of everything!).
They were third row from the front,close enough to see everything but far enough away that they would be alright if anything exciting happened as Vernon put it. Harry wondered what his uncle meant by "exciting".
"And now ever faithful ladies and gentlemen..."
NOT! thought Harry.
"...I would like to introduce the three stars of tonight's show..." the announcer gestured to a curtain hiding the "monkeys". "Reynald Rickson from Sydney, Australia."
The black man Harry had seen in the parking lot walked onto the stage, his smile as wide as ever!
"Florida Santabury from Texas, U.S.A..."
The coated make-up woman came out to stand beside Reynald.
"And young Syaoran Li from Tomoeda, Japan! Let's give them all a big round of applause!"
The audience broke into an immediate up roar. Harry wondered if they came here just to scream a lot. His attention was once again brought back to the young man who's name was Syaoran who seemed to be watching him when he thought Harry wouldn't notice. Strange...
And so the show began...
Reynald retrieved six of the ten ping-pong balls,better then Syaoran who succeeded in getting four. Florida refused to put her head in the molasses so sustained a zero for that round.
During the commercial brake Reynald and Syaoran washed the molasses from their faces and the giant tub of hundred dollar bills was set up. The audience was once again reminded of the need for silence during the instructions (especially to Dudley who was making an awful racket gulping down his food!).
The show began again and Reynald managed to find the one dollar, followed by Florida. Syaoran was not as successful yet was the only one to guess correctly who in the audience had the most money, Harry.
Before they had entered each audience member had been required to show the amount they were carrying with them. The Dursley's (or Vernon, the only one who had brought money) had spent most of it beforehand. Harry had brought spending money of his own since he had known for a fact the Dursley's wouldn't buy him anything. Still, it was only ten dollars. Apparently it was more then what everyone else had however! (Not that that was saying much since there were only around ten other candidates two of whom were children) So that was how he'd come to standing in front of Syaoran Li from Tomoeda, Japan after the next commercial brake in a ring that somewhat resembled those you see on boxing channels.
He was supposed to fight Syaoran first then the other two until a winner was chosen (the show host wanted them to make it last until they gave them the queue to finish).
The announcer rang the starting bell and Harry braced himself for the agile-looking boy's attack. He had never been particularly strong but perhaps he could hold his own until the announcers stopped them! But Syaoran never made a move.
He stood there, eyes fixed on Harry as the audience muttered protests at the delay. Then, slowly, Syaoran raised his right hand to grasp the string amulet he wore over his shoulder bringing it out in front of him as he closed his eyes.
Before him Harry witnessed the changing of the innocent looking amulet into a VERY sharp, not to mention shiny sword, as if it had been recently cleaned. Harry knew for certain by the way this boy had been acting towards him that he wasn't there to make Harry's life any easier!
As Syaoran began to advance Harry backed to the ring realizing that time around him had stopped leaving only him and his opponent free to move.
"Who are you?" he got a straighter answer then what he'd gotten from Sakura.
"I am Syaoran Li. I come from Tomoeda, Japan. I am a descendant of the powerful sorcerer Clow Reed, creator of the Clow Cards which I had once sought to return to their rightful heir when they fell to the hands of a naive child but now I have a new purpose." He walked faster, raising his sword as Harry grasped in his pocket for his wand. "I serve the powerful Lord Voldemort and thus am sworn to see the end of you, Harry Potter!"
He was running toward Harry now who's wand seemed to have disappeared in the recesses of his pocket just when he needed it the most! Harry jumped from the deadly sword's path as his hand finally found his wand handle.
"ACCIO SWORD!" he cried as Syaoran swung at him again.
For a second the sword hung in the air before returning faithfully to its master. Syaoran smiled.
"If that's the best you can do I'm disappointed. I'll show you what I can do!" Pulling a piece of inscripted paper from his jacket he called a chant as it flew to connect with his sword. "God of Fire, come forth!"
Spirals of fire whipped from the paper and Harry could not only feel but smell the scent of his own charred flesh and clothes. What spells did he have that could possibly defeat the power of the Gods themselves? The answer was shouted from behind him by a familiar feminine voice.
"WATER!"
From every where it seemed water rained down upon the flames reducing them to smoking puddles of steam. It was from this steamy mist that the Sakura girl walked into the ring.
"No!" Syaoran cried, taking a step back. "Why now, Card Mistress?"
"Because I am here on behalf of Dumbledore!" she told him. "It is my duty to protect Harry Potter from the likes of you as it is your duty to destroy him so face my wrath before you vent your own upon him!" Raising her star staff all the cards from her pocket flew to circle it and glow with a blinding pink colour.
"Not today." Syaoran told her, pulling out another inscripted paper while backing to the opposite side of the ring. "I have used too much power stopping Time. I will return when I am stronger and you are weaker. As it was meant Voldemort will destroy you, Harry Potter!" With that he shouted the chant of the Wind and was gone before Sakura could call upon the Shield to block the gales.
Gingerly Harry got to his feet, leaning on the railing as the burns on his bare skin began to sting.
"Oh Harry I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner!" Sakura came to study the damage caused by the fire. "I'm not much of a nurse but I did study healing magic after the transformation of the Clow Cards."
"The Clow Cards?" Harry asked. "The same Syaoran talked of?"
"Yes. I must go, Time's magic is wearing low and I must not be seen here with you. Don't worry I will come to your room tonight to address to your burns," she paused as she saw Harry open his mouth, "and your questions." With that she jumped from the ring and was gone as everyone awoke from Time's dream.
Harry was sent home immediately after the discovery of his injuries. Due to this fact the Dursleys were cross with Harry for cutting short their live show and took as long as possible to get home.
Then Petunia shoved him in the bathroom and lathered his skin in some sort of foul smelling substance that not only stunk, it stung!
As a result it was a very unhappy boy who went to his room that night half praying for the soundest of sleeps and the other listening hard for his promised nighttime visitor.