A/N I finally decided I'd try to start this story up again. I'm not sure how it will turn out, or even if it will be remotely good. But I will try my hardest. That is the best I can give you all, and it doesn't seem like much for all you loyal readers. But it is the best I can do, thank you to my readers, I am very grateful for you all. Now the story…
i Nope, just a promise to a dear friend. /i Harry thought with a grin. i Now will you, please, be quiet /i
They watched the two rings come to life with different people; clowns, stunt performers, animals of all different kinds performed their acts. Harry was quite amazed by the tricks they did, many seemed to be based around muggle everyday things. A couple clowns on one end of a ring inspected a hose that was connected to a pump at the other end of the ring. While another group of clowns started pumping the pump. The crowd exploded with laughter as the two clowns inspecting the hose became drenched with the water that sprayed from it.
Harry laughed along, but for a different reason. All around he watched the wizards and witches watch the show, and laugh at the incredible things they saw before them. It was amazing, these everyday things that he had grown accustomed to and overlooked his whole life brought so much amazement to this crowd. He grinned as he looked over at Draco, and saw him laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes.
He turned back to the rings, and watched a parade of twelve horses march out of the side entrance. Beautiful horses of every color. Harry loved horses, they were always so pretty, and he had never seen so many in his life. He watched as the horse woman guided the twelve horses from the top of a large white mare. She shook her hair out, laughing as the act of shaking their manes rippled down the line of horses. Every act she did, the horses mimicked down the line. The white mare drew a tight circle and every horse followed in pursuit. The mare reared up on her hind legs, and walked a couple of steps, and every horse followed.
The horsewoman trotted the white mare in a circle, quickly catching up to the red horse at the end of the line. She pulled the mare to a stop, and each horse down the line stopped, forming a circle. The horse woman got off the horse, and walked into the middle of the horses' circle. She stood in the middle of the ring, her head down, and from the ceiling came the most beautiful music. She started out slowly, swaying in time to the music, then moved into more complicated dance moves.
It wasn't like a Veela's dance, nothing so testosterone focused, but it wove a spell all the same. Harry could see it affecting the others around him. People slowly started relaxing, and their smiles grew larger as they watched the woman dance. Each step she took seemed to weave a new part of a spell, Harry could feel it, which was strange in itself. He stared at her, and some how knew what spell she was weaving. It was a spell to create a happy atmosphere inside the tent.
i How do we know what spell is being cast? /i Draco asked, his voice shaking slightly.
i I have no idea. Maybe it came with the mind reading. /i Harry replied, watching the woman move with awe. She twirled and whirled in the circle of horses, and the horse gracefully swayed, and stamped their feet to the music. The woman closed up her dance with a flourished twist, and collapsed to her knees. Harry and Draco were right there with everyone as they jumped to their feet, applause erupting. They screamed and hollered with the best of them, and after a while they sat back down in their seat.
i Oh wow, that was incredible. /i Draco said as he looked over at Harry.
i I know! I've never heard of that kind of spell casting. /i Harry agreed.
i I have, but I've never seen it done. Its a rare talent, not many people know how to use it. /i Draco replied.
i I would love to talk to her. /i Harry said, thoughts of learning the craft filled his head.
i You already have. Take a look at who it is. /i Draco said as the woman stood up and bowed to the crowd. It took Harry a moment to focus on the woman, her dark hair was down, flowing freely around her face, framing it and there was so much makeup on her face, but he saw her. He knew who it was. Rayne, god she was beautiful. The light sparkled in her hair and Harry knew there was some sort of glitter in her hair. He whispered a spell under his breath, and her face came into sharp focus as if she was standing right in front of him. Her lips were slightly parted, as she breathed heavily, her chest rose and fell with each breath. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she scanned the crowd.
i Ha! I knew you liked her! /i Draco said with a laugh. Harry rolled his eyes, and settled back in his seat to watch the tight rope act. He watched Draco's glee as he watched the man walk across the rope without anything magical to keep him from falling. Harry swore to himself to take Draco to a muggle circus one day.
"Come on! We were invited to meet her out back. You don't want to keep her waiting do you?" Draco teased, he turned slightly to see if Harry was following him. Harry grinned at his friend as he slid easily through the crowd.
"I'm coming, jeez, calm down will you." Harry replied. i You know I have never seen this side of you. I think I like the old Draco better. /i Harry teased. Draco rolled his eyes, and pushed his way out of the tent's door. Harry followed quietly, and they walked around behind the tent.
"Hey, you aren't allowed back here." A gruff voice said. Harry and Draco turned to look at the owner of the voice. A large man stood, leaning against the side of a trailer. Though large was an understatement. The man was huge, bigger then huge. Harry recognized him as the weight lifter from the show.
"Rayne told us we could come back and visit her." Harry said politely.
The man looked Harry up and down, and then shifted his eyes over to Draco. His eyes narrowed at the sneer on Draco's face, and he grumbled. "What is your business with her?"
"James! Drake!" A silky voice said from the shadows. The three men turned towards the voice and Rayne stepped towards them. "There you are. I was worried you weren't going to stop by to visit, but I see my fears were silly and unnecessary. Brute, this is James and Drake, they are friends of mine." She linked arms with both Harry, and slipped her arm around Draco's. "They are stopping by for a visit so stop being such a meanie." She shot him a glowing smile and to both Harry's and Draco's amazement the big man smiled kindly back at her.
"All right Rayne, I was just making sure." He growled, his voice was so low.
Rayne lead Harry and Draco towards the stables, a long trailer with a huge ramp leading to the inside, and stood in the light of the lamp. "So did you guys like the show?" She asked, leaning against the wall.
"Very much so." Harry replied with a grin.
"I can't believe you did that stuff without magic! That was incredible! And your dance, how did you learn to weave a spell through dance?" Draco burst out. Harry watched Rayne's eyes grow slightly large at the comment of her spell dance.
"How did you know I wove a spell when I was dancing?" Rayne asked softly.
"Just a talent we've always had. We can tell when a spell is being made." Harry said, equally softly. Rayne looked at him, her eyes asking the question that she wouldn't voice. He just shrugged his shoulders, and moved to the side as one of the handlers lead a horse into the stables.
Draco motioned to the door, sensing the discomfort. "Do we want to go in?" He asked.
Rayne smiled, "That is a good idea." She pushed herself off the wall, and headed in the direction of the handler. She walked down the hall, and waved her hands to the stalls on either side. "This is where we keep the horses."
"Obviously." Draco said, with a snort, Rayne laughed at him.
"Yes, obviously." She walked further down the hall, heading towards another ramp at the end.
"So do you spell the trailer to move on its own, or do you move it manually?" Harry asked, as he looked around.
"Manually?" Draco asked, confused.
"We spell it, its a lot easier to move it, and a lot less energy wasted." She looked over her shoulder at him. "How'd you know we'd be able to move it manually, and why doesn't he know what you're talking about?" She asked, suspicion rising in her voice.
"Well, I grew up with my mother who's a muggle, and I never knew my father. So I have knowledge about both worlds. My father was remarried to a witch, so Drake here, has lived in the wizarding world his whole life. So he doesn't really have much of an idea as to the muggle world. We actually just found out that we were brothers. We used to be terrible enemies."
i Nice lie. You're quick, James. /i
"Oh, well, its good that you to are friends now. So how is it just finding out that you have a brother?" Rayne asked, her smile back on her lovely face.
Harry started to reply but the shrill scream of a terrified horse stopped him. Rayne's face morphed from happy to scared and worried, as she raced out the trailer and turned to the back. Draco and Harry followed at the same rushing pace. They turned the corner and nearly crashed into Rayne, who was staring at something in horror.
About twenty yards away, a man was clutching the reins of a large black horse, forcing him to keep four legs on the ground as he struggled to rise to his hind legs. The man raised his hand, and the whip shone in the light. He brought it crashing down on the horse's rump, the horse let out another frightened scream, and tried to rise up on two legs. The man yanked on the reins, forcing the horse down. He rose the whip again, and was surprised to find it flying out of his hands. Draco easily caught the whip, as he kept his wand trained on the man. Harry walked forward, and felt someone start walking behind him. He didn't have to turn to know it was Rayne, her soft footfalls were vastly different from Draco's.
"You handle him, I'll tend to the horse." He said softly as he crossed in front of her, heading to the horse. The horse's eyes were wide, filled with fear and anger. The whites were showing as it watched Harry walk in front of him.
"What do you think you are doing?" Rayne snapped He stood next to the horse, and reached out to take the reins from the man. He glared at Harry but didn't give him the reins. Harry let his hand drop, and waited for the man's answer.
"The horse wasn't learning to take a rider. Being kind wasn't working, so I tried a more disciplining way." The man said, a fake smile reached his lips, and he pulled the horse back from Rayne and Harry.
The horse stomped his feet, and placed them firmly on the ground. The man glared at the horse. "See it does not know how to follow the handler. It needs to be disciplined."
Harry saw Rayne trembling, and he quickly moved to take the reins from the man. Harry caught him off guard, and was able to get the reins away from him before Rayne struck. He didn't have a chance to defend himself. She put her whole weight into it, and drove with the shoulder. He was knocked down flat before he had a chance to raise his hands to block her punch. The horse skidded away from them, tugging on the reins.
The man stayed on the ground, looking up at Rayne in surprise and anger. He spit on the ground, and Harry noticed it was red. The horse's nostrils flared, as his eyes rolled around and he was trembling. Harry gently laid a hand on his shoulder and the horse skidded away from him. Harry took a step towards him, but didn't try to place a hand on him again. The horse eyed him anxiously but didn't struggle to get further away.
"All of this over a stupid horse that no one can ride in the first place!" The man hissed as he threw a rock at the horse. The horse reared, screaming as it went up on two legs.
Harry gently pulled on the reins, as he placed his hand on the horse's shoulder again and whispered soothingly to the horse. "Shh, its all right, boy. Its all right. Shh." The horse came down on four legs, and Harry put enough pressure on the reins and his shoulder to keep him from going up again. Harry rubbed the horse's neck, and whispered into his ear. He rubbed him between the ears, gently around the neck. He kept in the horse's sight as he ran his hand trough the horse's silky mane. The horse calmed down slightly. The trembling stopped, and his nostrils stopped flaring. Harry gently pulled on the reins, taking the horse away from the screaming match that was happening only a few feet away. Draco was in there, screaming about animal cruelty, and Rayne was chewing him out for throwing the stone.
Harry led the horse as far from them as he could get but still be with in shouting range. He unclasped a side of the reins, and turned it into a lead. The horse snorted at him, as he continued to draw little circles behind his ears. Harry took the horses calm moment to get a truly good look at him. The horse stood tall, and wide, and was build to handle tough weather. His muscles rippled as he walked. Everything about him was dark, his mane, his tail, his coat. There was no other color to him. Harry gently ran his hands down the horse's legs, checking for any injuries. He found a few scratches on his legs, and long gashes on his rump from the whip. The horse skidded away from his as his hands gently touched one of the gashes. Harry placed a calming hand on the horse's back, and placed a hand over the gash. He muttered a healing spell and the wound quickly knitted itself together. The horse turned to look at him, his eyes grateful.
Harry laughed softly. "You are welcome." The horse snorted and blew into Harry's hair. Harry rubbed the horse's cheek, and buried his face into the horse's neck.
"James." A soft voice said from behind him. He turned to Rayne, and smiled gently. She looked at him with wide eyes. "I have never seen that horse take to anyone so quickly. What did you do?"
Harry looked at the horse, then back at Rayne. "I don't know. I guess I just have a way with him or something." She walked up to the horse, and place a hand on his shoulder. The horse moved away slightly, eyeing Rayne with suspicion.
"Even I can't get near him." She chuckled. She turned her blue eyes to him. "Marco, the handler, is in the ringleader's office. He's getting fired."
"Not quite." A deep voice said from the direction of the stables. Harry and Rayne turned quickly, caught off guard. A broad shouldered man, in a red coat walked towards them. "I saw what all happened, you have a wonderful gift with horses." He said, when he reached them, he held his hand out for Harry. Harry took it and immediately noticed the strong grip, not crushing but strong. Harry smiled slightly, as the man surveyed him up and down. "I am the ringleader, Mr. Hunting. And I am looking for a new horse handler." He grinned at Harry. "You wouldn't by any chance be looking for a job would you?"
Harry grinned back. "That would be awesome." Then he had a though. "But I cannot leave my brother."
"Don't worry Ha-James. I've already been offered a job. Seems the guy was also a rider, and I've been riding since I was little. So I was offered a job too." Draco said, as he walked up to them. The horse snorted at the crowd and danced away. Harry laid a hand on the horse, mentally sending soothing thoughts to the horse.
i You can mind link with animals? Way cool! /i Draco asked.
i Its more like since I can read a person's intentions, I can also read animals emotions, so I can force some back onto them. Its weird and complicating. /i Harry explained.
"You two don't have anything else to be doing do you? Or can you join right away?" Mr. Hunting asked.
"Well, all we're doing now is traveling, but so does you circus, so it really doesn't matter. Now we just actually have a course planned out." Draco explained.
"Great, if you'll come into my trailer, I'll tell you what you are going to be doing. We're heading out tomorrow for Dublin, stopping at a few towns along the way, so we'll have to make this fast. Tomorrow you can meet everyone, and they'll show you what to do. Oh, and you can have Marco's trailer, he lived by himself because he was one of our top handlers, but you two can share it. Now if you'll just follow me. James, give Rayne the horse, she can bed him down." Mr. Hunting smiled, turned and started for his trailer.
Harry smiled at Rayne as he handed her the reins. "Be careful with him, he's still skittish."
"I will. You know James, I'm really glad I met you." Rayne said, sincerely.
"Yeah, me too." He said softly, then he turned and followed Draco and Mr. Hunting to the trailer.
He breathed deeply, this was it. His last few moments as Harry Potter. He smiled and fully excepted becoming James Brooke. This was the last of Harry Potter, no more using him, no more wanting him to be someone he wasn't. It was a new beginning. For the both of them. Him and Drake. More then just brothers, blood brothers. Things were going to be different from now on. His smile grew wider as he entered the trailer's door as James Brooke, the new horse handler for Hunting's Circus. Yeah, life was good.
AN; Once again I am sooooo sorry for the long delay. I am well aware that it has been a year. But life changes things and sometimes, you just can't find the time. I love all my readers and I thank you to those who have reviewed. You guys are so awesome! A little warning though, from now on Harry is going to be referred to as James and Draco will be Drake, even when they mind talk to each other. They are becoming James and Drake fully. But it will go back to normal once everyone catches up with them. So with that little hint, I leave you. Press the button down there and give me more motive to write the next chapter, though I cannot promise it too soon. Thank you all! You are truly wonderful.