Fey Rhapsody

Chapter 2: Second Chance

Harry couldn't help but fold in on himself as he trailed Rhiane through the vaulted entry of the main UN business center of Europe. Diplomats and politicians strode around them followed by secretary's and assistants making more noise than a crowd at the football as they spoke in jabbering languages and loud, angry tones. Harry drew closer to the woman that had been awarded custody of him by the muggle courts. It had only been a few weeks since his rescue from the Dursleys and the court appearances. She'd managed by some miracle to keep the whole thing under wraps and no one had yet to actually approach them from the wizarding world. Something Harry was actually very grateful for. He didn't think he could go back now anyway. The physical scaring of his Uncle's torture was gone, but the mental... was still fresh as an open wound and Harry blamed all his pain on wizards, Voldemort and Dumbledore most of all.

Rhiane lead him toward the back wall of the lobby and hit the button beside the elevator before she leaned against the marble wall and studied her young charge.

"How are you holding up?" She asked at last. Beside them the elevator pinged and opened, releasing a torrent of business men with briefcases, all talking in complicated terms about their work before breathing sighs and going on to tell the others of their next trip to Australia or Russia. Harry remained silent until they entered the now quiet lift and descended to a floor below ground level.

"I'm fine." He replied in a quiet voice. He rarely yelled anymore, except for when the nightmares of Voldemort, Cedric and Vernon plagued his sleep. "I can't believe no one has found me yet, that's all." Rhiane hummed softly in partial agreement.

"They won't be able to track you down unless they say you in the street." Rhiane answered. "Even then, they'd have quite a time seeing through my glamour." Her reminders of the measures she'd taken to keep his identity secret where somewhat reassuring to Harry. She'd given him a new appearance, something nearly opposite from what he looked like normally. He had wavy strawberry blonde hair somewhat like Rhiane's and bright cerulean blue eyes that twinkled with a light that Harry couldn't feel. He was shorter than he'd been before as well, the faerie magic somehow cutting off his height as well, making him look like a child of twelve instead of his actual sixteen years. The elevator pinged again as it reached its subterranean destination. The doors slid open to reveal another armored set on the other side of a small and very plain room. Harry felt a little sick at the sight of it though, it reminded him too much of the box that had been his room up until a few weeks ago.

Rhiane must have sensed his discomfort because she wasted no time in placing her hand on a palm reader and keying in a code to the pad beside it. The steal doors hissed and opened revealing a red-carpeted hallway on the other side. The doors slid shut behind them as they entered and Rhiane directed them down a set of stairs to a set of glass doors. She smiled and opened then with a flourish.

"Welcome Harry, to the paranormal investigations division." Computer terminals and monitors that resembled something out of a movie lined the walls of the room beyond. Random beeps and flashes worked their way around the room and Harry swore he could see Hogwarts on one of the monitors before they approached a figure hunched over a terminal on a swiveling chair. He was muttering to himself as he rapidly typed, sending information across the nearest screen at an incredible rate and so obviously un aware of their arrival. Rhiane cleared her throat loudly and Harry was treated to the sight of the brunette on the chair nearly jumping out of his skin before he toppled to the floor with a large crash. Harry attempted to hold back a giggle while beside him Rhiane groaned in exasperation. Her partner had all the co-ordination of a blind, deaf and dumb bird.

"Harry, I know you've seen him at the hospital in England, but this is my partner Alexander Sith. He runs all the equipment we use to track down sources of magic all over the planet." Harry waved shyly and moved closer to Rhiane as he looked around once more and this time he really did see and image of Hogwarts.

"Rhiane? How did you get these pictures?" He asked, putting his face right up near the screen where an overhead view of the school of magic was displayed. Rhiane looked over his shoulder before she tapped a few keys and the whole bank of monitors was filled with images of the wizarding world. Diagon alley, the ministries of magic and even Grimuald Place where displayed as if the security measures didn't even exist.

"We get the pictures from satellites." Alex moved over to them and began to explain. "I... well I made a special sensor that can be applied to a camera on a satellite based on Maxwell's illusion magic and with it we can see anything hidden by similar energy signatures." He half rushed his words and kept on pushing his glasses up his nose every few minutes as he rooted around a pile of papers and photos to find a pen and something to write on. "So what did you say the castle was called again?" he asked, meeting Harry's eyes hopefully.

"Hogwarts." Harry answered quietly. "Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry... where I should have gone on September 1st." his tone was dark as he fought off bad memories and flashbacks. Alex seemed to notice and busied himself writing while Rhiane steered him away. She lead him into another room that clearly looked lived in. A wave of her hand later Harry was back in his own form, a sickly looking, gangly teen who still looked dangerously thin. Rhiane frowned at this but said nothing. She turned toward the rest of the room.

"This is where we'll be staying from now on, little one." She used the nickname she'd given him the day he'd woken up in hospital. Harry didn't know why she called him that but it didn't bother him. It was comforting and friendly compared to some of the names he'd been called over the years... Harry shook his head to clear that train of though and turned his attention back to Rhiane. "The people who set this department up decided that we could live here. Alex needed to be close to his computers and I couldn't be bothered going and finding an apartment nearby so..." she shrugged and flipped a switch on a nearby wall. "This is home sweet home." The switch she'd flipped had turned on a large television screen on the far wall displaying the bright and sunny exterior of the UN building; Rhiane smiled slightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I really couldn't get on without a window so Alex set up cameras in the street outside so we could watch and see what was happening." She glanced at the screen as a faintly glowing person passed the end of the street and disappeared without ever noticing that a hidden observer was scrutinizing him. "As you can see, it also doubles as a magic detector." Harry stared at it a little longer while Rhiane vanished from the room. By the time he'd pulled his eyes away from the street she'd returned with lunch. He sat down on an overstuffed couch and curled reflexively into a ball. Rhiane frowned again. They sat in a comfortable silence for some time watching the street for any unusual activity before the red haired fey descendant finally broke the peace.

"Harry... I was wondering. Would you like to work here?" Harry jumped, startled from his thoughts by her voice.

"What?" he asked, surprised at the question. Rhiane tipped her head to one side thoughtfully.

"Well, Alex and I are the only ones here and other than us and a few people with higher clearance can acknowledge your existence, so if you stay no one can find you." She gave him a small smile. "Besides, I'm your guardian and know one would contest. Also you have more knowledge of modern magic than I do and after you mentioned the name of that castle Alex is going to try and find out what you know anyway." She suddenly caught the surprised look on his face and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think I should have mentioned that..." She trailed off, only vaguely aware of the thoughts rushing through his head by the expressions that played across his face for anyone to see. However, in his mind Harry was in the middle of an internal struggle.

The technology he'd seen in the other room had got him thinking. If Rhiane and Alex had managed to see past the protections then they already had a hand up on the wizarding world. He was torn between the worry that his world would become exposed and destroyed and the worry he felt for his newly adopted family member should the Ministry of Magic discover what they knew. On the other hand though if they could truly see through the illusions that hid the wizarding world, then maybe he also had a chance to track down Voldemort's hideout. All it took was the presence of a concealing spell... Rhiane's head shot around when her young charge abruptly sat up straighter. His eyes where glowing bright green in his new found eagerness. She gave him a questioning look and the faintest of smiles came to his face under his still quite nervous expression.

"Do you... do you think that... if I help you out... will you help me do something?" Rhiane caught the speculative gleam in his eyes and wondered what he could want. Harry licked his lip in a nervous gesture. "I'm not exactly loved right now by the wizarding world..." he began, remembering how even though he wasn't being publicly declared a liar about Voldemort's return there where still many who stood against him. "...and I sure as hell want nothing to do with them, especially Dumbledore for what he did to me..." he trailed off again, a flicker of pain echoed in his face alongside anger before the emotions where ruthlessly squashed. "...but there was this dark wizard... he killed my parents and gave me this." He waved his hand absently at his forehead. Rhiane finally caught on to what Harry was getting at.

"I see." She said slowly. "You want to track down this wizard don't you." Harry looked apprehensive and hopeful at the same time as he stared up at her with wide green eyes. He needn't have bothered with trying to persuade her. Rhiane had agreed from the moment he'd begun to speak. It was the longest he'd talked in her presence so far on his own steam and she wasn't going to deny him anything he spoke up for. He sagged almost in relief when she smiled.

"Alright then, you're hired."

THE BOY WHO LIVED MISSING!

It was discovered late last week that the boy-who-lived, otherwise known as Harry Potter was in fact missing from his summer residence. When approached about this surely disturbing happening, the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore would reveal nothing of the boy hero's whereabouts' leaving this reporter to believe that he might not be in the wizarding world any longer. Sources say that his uncle and cousin, Vernon and Dudley Dursley where arrested the night of his disappearance. Under what charges have yet to be determined but the currently hospitalized Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter's aunt has been reported to claim seeing the ghost of the late Lily Potter coming for her son. Speculation had also arisen that the newly revived dark lord might be behind the disappearance. This reporter wishes to express his hopes that the savior of the wizarding world hasn't been taken and that he is safe where ever his is.

Special correspondent

Tad Lee'tell.

Draco Malfoy looked down at the image of Potter that was splashed across the front page of the daily prophet with a remarkably blank expression given the situation. He was sitting in a café in muggle London of all places, trying to get away from the attentions of the bumbling wizards that had all scorned him in Diagon Alley. Ever since his father's capture, trial and escape from Azkaban, the Malfoy name had taken a beating. Not that it mattered to him anymore though. His father had tried to get him to join the Death Eaters, but failed to do so when Draco refused entirely. Of course, he was still waiting for the news that his father had disowned him. He could expect nothing less from his family. Especially, as his mother was siding with Voldemort.

Letting out a sigh he folded up the paper and stowed it the backpack that lay at his feet before he looked at his watch. His eye's widened as he realized he was going to miss his plane to New York and leapt to his feet. Leaving the money for his bill behind he got up and left the small café heading straight for Heathrow airport and leaving the world he'd known behind.

Okay... Just so you know I'm placing the UN building in New York for now. I have no idea if there is a UN building there or not and no mater how hard I try I just can't find out where it really is, but as you can already guess from the big give away I just dropped in that last paragraph Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are going to cross paths.... Hmmm maybe I can change this into a semi fluffy fic after all

HANDS UP WHO WANTS A HARRY AND DRACO PAIRING!!! -

Don't forget to review!

Cya