Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a crummy computer and a several text books.
Remus Lupin ran tired hands threw his hair. It had been three days since he entered the Dursley's home to collect Harry, to find the house empty and no sign of the Boy-Who-Lived. Only a short note held any clue as to what Harry was thinking, and as far as Remus could figure, the boy had simply had enough. He looked out the window of the knight bus and watched the reflection of his companion in the mirror. Snape neither seemed worried or interested, and –at least to Remus- trying to pretend that being assigned to find the child was not only useless, but a waste of time. Remus smirked at the man's reflection, he was such a good actor.
Harry was floating. Alright, so he really wasn't floating, but it felt like it. Slowly he pried his eyes open and looked around. Dawn was watching him solemnly and Gekko was diverting his attention between Harry and the pizza.
"What happened?" He tried to say, but it sounded more like an incoherent mumble. He began to sit up but Dawn held him down by the shoulders. "You need to relax while the leaf is working, just stay still for a few minutes longer." Harry laid his head back down on the kitchen floor. Dawn relaxed her grip on him and leaned back, sitting cross-legged beside him.
"The leaf you just consumed is a foreign inhibitor, it stops any magical signature from entering your body, and it's great for those pesky possession issues." She rested her head on her palms, "It should stop those nasty dreams of yours, and take the pain away." Harry nodded, not really believing her, but not knowing what to say. "As for the scar, we can cover that up with some waterproof makeup, that way you won't have to hide behind your hair all the time." Again, Harry nodded, feeling dizzy.
Gekko hopped down from his stool and sat down beside Dawn, "You know, you never said who you were hiding from." He said conversationally, Harry thought he sounded like a miniature adult, almost like Lupin, maybe it was werewolf thing.
Harry sighed, "That's a long story kid; let's just say I'm hiding from everybody."
"Oh, so you're a recluse and a hermit with a prominent fear of the government?"
"What?" Harry exclaimed, and Dawn laughed. Gekko grinned, "At least, that was the problem with that Dude from the Outer Limits."
Harry and Dawn looked at him blankly, and Gekko, realizing he was the only one who was cultured in the ways of the media, burst into laughter. Dawn and Harry looked at each other and shrugged before joining him.
"You're rather insane, my young friend." Dawn said, clapping him on the back. "I think you can get up now Harry, the pizza's getting cold." She stood up and held out a hand to Harry, after a split seconds hesitation he took it, and allowed her to pull him to his feet.
They all resumed there position around the pizza box, and had been eating steadily for ten minutes, before Dawn started talking. "I'm thinking we'll head over to the pub after we eat, so you can meet Alfred and start you on your work. Alfred is going to train you as the Bartender, we've been getting a lot more jackasses around lately and Alfred can't be a bouncer and serve drinks at the same time. I need someone to be behind the counter while he keeps the peace." She lifted a glass of water to lips. "Plus, another pair of hands would welcome when I'm trying to do my paperwork." She took a drink.
Harry nodded mutely and nibbled on his pepperoni, lost in thought. His scar wasn't hurting, but it felt strange, like someone was putting cold water on it and not letting it dry. He raised his hand to rub his forehead and Dawn grabbed his wrist.
"Let it be for now, child." She murmured quietly, placing his hand on the table. Harry blinked in surprise, and nodded, resuming his consumption of the cheesy pie.
"Cecilia, you're breaking my heart, you're shakin' my confidence daily…"Gekko sang happily, breaking the tense silence that fell over the trio. Harry, who remembered the song from a long forgotten memory smiled slightly, and tapped his foot along with the little boy's soprano voice.
"Jubilation, she loves me again, I fall on the floor and I'm laughing..." Gekko grinned at Harry and Dawn, hopping off his seat and moving to the fridge, taking out a goblet of smoking liquid that he quickly downed. He made a face of disgust and shuddered. "You know, you really don't have to send away for this stuff, you can just lock me in my room…save me from the taste." Dawn smirked at him, "Consider it for my peace of mind."
Harry looked between the two, "Wolfsbane potion?" He asked, taking an educated guess. Dawn nodded and Gekko grinned.
"Tastes like shit, if you ask me." He said cheerily, plopping back onto his stool.
"So I heard…in much more censored terms."
Gekko grinned "Yeah, Pity sugar makes it useless."
Harry had a sense of dejavu, for some reason. "You wouldn't happen to related to anyone with the last name of Lupin, would you?" He asked, only half-joking. Dawn watched Harry carefully, and Gekko shook his head.
"My last name's Rods, I bunk with my uncle down the hall-when I'm not here at least-I don't know any of my other family. My parents died when I was little, so I'm stuck with him."
"I still say you should live here full time love, I don't much like that Uncle of yours." She scowled her displeasure at Gekko's relations. Gekko shrugged, "It's just a place to stash my stuff, besides he is my legal guardian, so I'm kinda stuck with him." Dawn scowled again, transferring her gaze to her pizza crust.
"So, what about you? You can't avoid my query forever, you can try, but I have the innate gift of being a royal pain in the ass." Gekko smiled at him innocently, with the face of an angel. Harry wondered if this is what Satan looked like.
"I'm skipping out on some unpleasant business" Harry said carefully. He glanced at Dawn, who smiled encouragingly.
"Have you ever heard of a Psychopath named Voldemort?" Harry had half expected a sharp intake of breath, wincing, and the general hubbub that came with the saying of the Dark Lord's name. Unfortunately, Gekko just shook his head and Dawn simply smiled, reminding Harry violently of Dumbledore.
"Well, he wants to kill me, because he thinks that I have the power to kill him, which I don't." Harry explained shortly. Gekko blinked thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the counter. "That sounds pretty serious. Don't you have anyone from the wizarding world to protect you?" He asked.
"I do, but if I stayed where I was I would have put them in danger. I'm not ready to watch people I love die." Harry answered very quietly, not listening to voice in the back of his head that said again.
"Well, that makes sense, if I had to leave to protect my family –well Dawn, not so much my Uncle-I'd skip town too." Gekko replied sincerely. Dawn smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Thank-you hon, but don't worry about me. We should probably get going, you and Gekko should get washed up, and Harry don't forget to cover your scar." Harry nodded and the two boys headed upstairs, while Dawn watched them, with a thoughtful expression on her face.
Alfred was a large dark man with short dreadlocks and cheery black eyes, a cockney accent and a rare talent for insulting everyone and everything without using a single swearword. Harry shook hands with the bartender and (being introduced as Cameron) and was lead behind the bar to learn the trade of bartending.
"Now lad, the first thing yeh' need to know about 'Keepin' is when people need to be cut off. If they've justa 'bout keeled o'er then ring up a cabbie an' ave' them rolled 'ome. Understood?"
Harry nodded up at the big man before looking around the bar. It was much like the Three Broomsticks, brightly lit and cheery-looking; though it had a large empty space in the middle of the room that was covered in a highly polished wooden floor (whereas the Three Broomsticks was filled with tables and chairs) that Harry assumed was for dancing. Not to mention that Gekko was doing a fair stint of break dancing in the middle of it. The few patrons that were here on a week night watched him in amusement, adults smiling at the antics of innocence. Harry shook his head and turned back to Alfred, who was watching him in amusement. "The' recipes to mix drinks are next to the' sink behind you. Most customers here only by pint's, but every once in while we get young fella's a itchin' ta' try something new. The most yeh' hafta' worry 'bout is keepin' up with teh' rush."
Alfred clapped Harry on the shoulder and left him to his own devices. He served a couple of customers who were speaking in hushed tones and proceeded to wipe off the counter (even though it was almost completely dust free). Harry found himself relaxing, the quiet atmosphere of the bar was peaceful and happy, a good place to have a drink and read the paper.
Unknowingly, Harry started listening to the two men sitting on stools while he was cleaning, "-And I reckon he's gone for good, but no one has said anything yet, you know how they are about Harry Potter, The Dark Lord wouldn't tell any one but his most trusted servants about the brat's whereabouts." Harry's whole body tensed, his movements becoming mechanical as he listened further. The man next to him scowled. "Keep your voice down!" He scolded, and then, more quietly "I heard that the doddering fool of a Headmaster sent a werewolf and the traitor out to find him." He paused and took a drink of beer. "There won't be much of him to find though, when our Lord gets to him first."
Harry stared unseeingly at the counter. So they knew, well, he couldn't expect them to not worry, he wondered if Dumbledore was really worried about Harry going missing, or that his soldier wasn't reporting for duty. A surge of anger swept through Harry, he wondered belatedly if Voldemort could feel it when he –Harry- was angry, and He hoped it hurt The Dark Lord as much as it hurt him. He threw down his towel, and motioned to Alfred to take over for him (raising his arm with two fingers held out in the peace sign, just like Alfred showed him). "I have to talk with Dawn for a minute, I'll be right back." He explained, and went to the backroom were Dawn was fluently cursing at someone over the phone. "No, I don't care if he's busy; I want my order shipped now, not tomorrow! I thank you to tell him bloody that!" She slammed the phone and turned to Harry, "Sorry about that" she said lightly, "What's on your mind?"
"There are to death Eaters in your pub." He told her matter-of-factly, as if he was merely commenting on the weather and not on people who would love to kill him.
She grinned "Really? Well, this should be fun…" she smirked in strange (and rather scary) manner and walked to the door. She paused at the doorframe and turned to Harry, "Ready for your first lesson in Aura Magic? Follow me," -and left Harry to run after her.
Harry watched as Dawn approached the two men, both of whom were rather young, in their mid-twenties at least. Dawn gave both men a flirtatious smile and wrapped am arm around both of them. The two men exchanged surprise looks and smiled at the Sorcerer in a manner that made Harry feel slightly sick. Dawn let go of the Death Eater's and beckoned them to follow her to the backroom, where she past Harry with a wink and a motion to follow her. Harry trailed her quietly, glancing back to see Alfred giving him a thumbs-up sign.
Harry followed her into the office and saw that the two men were unconscious on the floor. Dawn was standing over them with an amused smile on her face.
"Well," She drawled, "What would you like to do with them?"
Harry blinked, he knew Dawn was going to catch the two Death Eaters, but he didn't really think beyond that initial step.
"Er-we should question them, I think. I don't know how to make a truth potion though, so-"
"And question them we shall!" Interjected Dawn, "It's time for your first lesson."
Harry looked at her blankly, wondering if his roommate had gone mad. What was he supposed to learn from this?
"Um, I'm not sure what you me"- He was once again cut off by his mentor.
"Now Harry, in order to be able to use your powers to its full extent, you need to be able to see other peoples auras. I want you to close your eyes and focus on the scumbags on the floor, imagine an outline surrounding them and relax. When you see that outline, try to bend it in your mind, when that happens, think of the spells you learned at Hogwarts, and imagine them being executed on those two, just don't say the spell aloud, don't even think of the name, just imagine the effect of a spell working on them, understand?"
Harry swallowed and nodded, his mouth having gone quite dry. Dawn moved behind him to close the office door, and Harry closed his eyes.
At first all Harry noticed was his breathing, and that he probably looked rather silly, with vague thoughts of what Hermione would say if she knew what he was about to attempt. Realizing he wasn't exactly staying on topic he thought about the men on the floor. Slowly, a dim light began to outline the two forms, Harry almost opened his eyes in surprise, but instinct told him to keep them closed. Harry imagined himself reaching out and putting his hand over the aura, and raised his hand up in the air, imagining the light was going with him. He heard a gasp from the Death Eater and quickly put his hand down, his heart pounding in his chest. The light had moved with his hand. Harry took a deep breath and raised his hand again, thinking of some spell that would help him question the two men. He couldn't think of anything. He hadn't learnt any spells that would force someone to tell him the truth, or, had he? He thought of the Cruciatus curse and of Bellatrix Lestrange, he wondered if they knew where she was. Voldemort tortured his prisoners for information, could Harry do the same? Neville's face suddenly appeared before him, white and in pain, the same as he had when Lucius Malfoy had said crucio in the death room. Harry swallowed in trepidation; he knew he couldn't be like Voldemort and torture these men. It was only that a part of him-the part that squirmed with some sort of satisfaction when Bellatrix had screamed with pain at the Ministry of Magic-wanted to see these men to also scream, and that part wanted it badly.
Harry –with his eyes closed- walked over to the nearest man a placed his hand on his head. The light around the body shifted and settled over Harry's hand, feeling like he had just placed his palm under some warm sand (which was strange, seeing as how he had never been to the beach) and was almost completely floored by the amount of power that he felt in the light. Harry didn't think that this meant that the wizard was at all very powerful, but the aura felt like it was connected to Harry in a strange way, he wasn't sure what though…
In Harry's minds eye he started seeing flashes of things. The young man standing in the circle of Death Eaters, his being branded with the dark mark, grinning at his brother beside him baring the same cursed tattoo, who at the moment, was lying unconscious next to him…and then quietly, as if Harry didn't want to stem the flow of images that were coursing through his brain, he asked him 'Why are you here?' The man stirred, and a voice answered in Harry's head, The Dark Lord wants the child…The Potter boy who still lives…he wishes for his demise…
Harry nodded, 'What is your Dark Lord planning?'
'I know not, I am not worthy of his attention, nor is my brother…'
Harry felt himself frown… 'Do not lie to me; I can make your life be a very painful thing.'
But Harry knew that the wizard wasn't lying, he opened his eyes and moved away from him; feel as though he had run for several miles. He also noticed that everything he saw had a white sheen to it, residual effects from concentrating he supposed; he could see the aura of everything. Dawn looked at him questioningly. "Well? Anything useful?" Harry shook his head, "Nah, I already know Voldemort wants to kill me, but now he's knows I've left the protection of Dumbledore and-What?" He stared at Dawn, who had jumped slightly in surprise, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I knew Dumbledore," She said quietly, "I haven't seen him in years, he must be around one hundred and sixty now…no matter, He's isn't to be trusted at any rate, I tell you later…continue" She smiled at him to proceed, but Harry noticed that her usually open and friendly expression seemed a bit…shuttered, like she was hiding something. Harry shrugged at her "That's about it really, I heard him talking about how Dumbledore sent a werewolf and traitor after me-I think that's means Lupin and Snape-I didn't think to ask him before I broke connection. I hope Snape isn't spying for the order, I think Voldemort knows he's a traitor." He added as an after thought, and in some surprise, because he meant it.
Dawn nodded thoughtfully, "Lupin eh? I heard you mention him before, Father figure?"
Harry shrugged a bit in embarrassment "Sort of, I guess, he knew my dad when he was alive."
Dawn smiled at him and looked pointedly to the two wizards lying on the floor. "What do you want to do with them?" She asked him.
Harry grinned; "I think they should take trip to Hogwarts, along with a note asking for a one way trip to Azkaban…"He looked at her apprehensively, as if he thought he said something wrong. Surprisingly, Dawn grinned and said in a quietly menacing tone, "You know Harry; I can't think of a better idea than that, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
Harry smiled.
Whew! That took a while, over three thousand words! It may be a while before I get the next chappie up, I'm hoping to get some shippiness in there next time. I also am rethinking my idea of a Ginny/Harry pairing; does anybody have any ideas for an unlikely pairing? And Not Draco, because I've already thought of that (it's a back burner idea, I really enjoy the fact that they hate each other, I don't know if I could pull it off….Maybe Zabini? Or Susan Bones….hmmm, things to ponder...). Also, I think Hermione and Ron may have a moment…(it's for you, ej). Well. Ciao! And don't forget to R&R!