Disclaimer: I don't own JK Rowlings world… you must have rocks in your head if you thought I did.

Summary: Leonis discovers the stranger's identity and wishes he was the man he robbed.

Chapter Four. Honour Amongst Thieves

Leonis stared into the black fathomless eyes of the man before him. He hung limp in defeat his feet were at least three feat of the ground. Leonis bowed his head and looked at the man from his boots and slowly let his glance travel up to the stranger's nose. Swallowing at the hard lump that had formed in his throat he cleared his voice to say, "Sir I have not stole from you."

The stranger cocked his eyebrow regal and wore an incredulous expression. "Did you mean to call me a liar boy?" Leonis was jostled around as the man shook him sharply.

"Well," Leonis replied cringing. "I don't think you're lying intentionally."

"There you go again." The man shook Leonis again. "Contradicting me."

"I wasn't," Leonis snapped indignantly. He wasn't going to take the fall for someone else's theft.

For the briefest moments Leonis thought he saw amusement flicker in the depths of the man's dark eyes. However a moment later the stranger's expression hardened.

"Oh for pity sake, leave me in peace," the chieftain complained rubbing his wrinkly forehead. "You're giving me a dreadful headache."

The tall stranger sighed through his bared teeth and gently lowered Leonis to the floor. Before the little thief could make his get away his wrist was grabbed and he was bustled through the door.

The stranger led him through the milling crowds in a vice like grip. Leonis did his utmost to dig in his heels and free himself but the stranger merely ignored him and continued on his merry way as if Leonis' efforts were no more than a fly fighting against him.

"Let me go!" Leonis demanded pulling away with all the strength his small lithe body could manage.

The stranger stared ahead but his grip tightened. "I don't think that is possible, milad."

Leonis gritted his teeth in annoyance and decided it was time to implement his plan for emergencies. Quick as a flash of lightening he kicked viciously at the stranger's shins.

The stranger let over with an awfully rude oath and grabbed his shins effectively letting go of Leonis. Leonis, who had done this little trick countless number of times, was ready and ran to his freedom leaving the stranger behind him.

He ran past the butcher and the baker. He continued past the smelly apothecary. Around the bend and ducked into the ally way and came face to face with…

Leonis came skidding to a halt and back stepped as quickly as he could. "Wizard," he murmured under his breath staring at the same bemused stranger that he had escaped from.

The stranger's lips tightened as he strode forward, plucked Leonis into his strong arms and clamped his hand tightly over his mouth to stop him from advertising his magically tendencies.

Leonis squirmed and wriggled like a newly caught fish from a stream. But the stranger seemed unperturbed as he securely tucked him under his arm and held him fast.

The next moment Leonis felt incredibly dizzy and somewhat ill. He shut his eyes tightly as the world seemed to swim in front of his eyes. He violently swallowed down the bile, which left a terrible after taste and tickled the back of his throat.

"Catch your breath," a voice said somewhere above him.

Leonis felt himself being lowered onto soft ground. He groaned and landed on all fours and covered his eyes so that he would not have to look at where he was.

"Slow breaths now."

Leonis despite his rebellious streak decided it was wise to do as the voice suggested. He slowed his breathing and pulled himself up so that he was sitting. He uncovered his eyes slowly only to find himself sitting in the middle of a field not in a dirty ally way.

The stranger was standing slightly over him looking out over the fields. Confident that Leonis could not run away.

"Who… who are you?" Leonis asked between great gulps of air.

The stranger turned to him and offered his hand. Leonis stared at the outstretched hand and decided not to take the assistance. He stood staring defiantly at the stranger. The stranger wiped his hands unperturbed on his trousers. "Godric… Godric Gryffindor."

"Well," Leonis returned sharply. "That's a funny name."

"So is Leonis," Godric replied with a slight yawn and because he thought it would annoy Leonis he ruffled his hair. "What your mother was thinking I'll never know…"

"Take me back!" Leonis exclaimed feeling slightly panicked.

Godric studied the boy carefully in front of him for the first time take in his features. He long ginger blonde hair was thick like his mothers. It was coarse however and tied back with a spare piece of leather. Leonis was defiantly on the short side of tall: Godric doubted he would have the stamina of a warrior like himself. His nose was slim like his mothers but Leonis had his large dark eyes. Godric looked down at what he was wearing, no shoes only a piece of hide he had obviously nicked. His pants were obviously made for a man, they had been hacked off to form long shorts or was it short longs? His pants were held up with a piece of tattered twine…

"How dare you treat me like this!" Leonis was screeching.

Godric regarded him coolly. "And the man whom you stole from should say how dare you!"

Leonis pouted and with practice footing turn and ran in the opposite direction. Godric, however pulled out his wand lazily, "Accio Leonis!"

Leonis squealed in horror as a magical force picked him up and dragged him through the air into the waiting arms of Godric. Godric could have laughed to see Leonis' little legs still determinedly running in mid air but had other problems to think of in the next moment.

As expected Leonis crashed into Godric, now screaming, and starting to kick, bite and slap harshly. Loosing his normally good balanced Godric tumbled over. However he did not allow himself to let go of the fighting boy. With a practice ease of a well trained wrestler, one of seven boys you had to be good, Godric grabbed Leonis's wrists flipped him onto his back and held the hysterical boy down.

"L-leet mmeeee gooooo," Leonis wailed. "T – t-ake me back?"

"Oh where?" Godric snapped his voice dripping with sarcasm. This simple mission did not seem so simple any more. "Do you want me to take you back to the chieftain."

"Yyyyeeessss!"

Godric rolled his eyes. "Don't be silly boy."

"Ddddooon't kill meeee!"

Godric rolled off the boy impatiently and hurled him to his feet. "I'm not going to kill you, silly. Now come."

Godric tried to drag Leonis through the field but Leonis had other ideas. "NO!" Leonis cried digged in his heels. Godric, who always thought himself a patient man, snarled and picked up the scrawny lad and tucked him once more under his arm.

"I suggest you get used to apparating, Leonis. Because if you can't calm down you'll be finding yourself doing a lot of it."

Godric apparated to the back of a small inn with Leonis limply gasping for breath again. Leonis was simply annoyed that Godric seemed so unaffected by the awful mode of transport.

"Now are you going to be a good lad or do I need to put a full body binding curse on you?" Godric asked. Leonis stared up at him imagining that he could wipe the genial smirk of Godric's face. He didn't even know what a full body binding curse did! But he figured that whatever it was it could not be a pleasant curse so he rolled his eyes and nodded his head to the side.

"Good," Godric said pushing open the door with Leonis still tucked under his arm. "At this rate we should get along brilliantly," he added ruefully.

"I don't intend staying long enough to get along brilliantly," Leonis snapped wriggly furiously.

"Ah no wriggling," Godric warned seriously as a barmaid entered from the side. "Ah Lydia me dear would you mind drawing some water? I have a young gent to find under all this grime."

Godric nodded at Leonis whose smile, if at all possible, became more pronounce. "I don't need a bath!"

"I'll bring you a brush to scrub him too," the barmaid Lydia said taking a detailed assessment of the boy tucked under Godric's arm. "Looks like he needs it all right. Your usual room, Mister Gryffindor sir."

Lydia was accustomed to Godric dragging in young charges from all walks of life during this time of year so she was overtly surprised to see a young dirty scallywag under his armpit. She watched Godric turn and steadily walk up the stairs with his usual long confident gate and turned with a chuckle. She could never see Mister Slytherin with a young ragamuffin under his arm ignoring the insults and the kicks, nor could she see Mistress Ravenclaw. And dear Hufflepuff was just too gentle and womanly to do so. No it was always Godric who landed with retrieving the difficult youngsters.

By the time Godric reached the top of the stairs Leonis had given up on his tirades of insults and wriggling. "Now that wasn't too unpleasant was it?" Godric asked. Leonis shook his head wishing this man would shut up.

"You're a wizard," Leonis snarled accusingly. Godric blinked slowly as if the accusation concerned him very little.

"Of that I am aware."

Godric watched in fascination as Leonis' eyes narrowed in suspicion much like his mother's when she first found out about his interesting abilities.

"You would be as well."

"I most certainly am not?" Leonis snorted looking hurt and insulted.

Godric sighed heavily he had been through this conversation countless number of times. But never with a bastard son he had sired…

"Have you ever done some when you're angry or scared? Something unnatural?"

"I'm never scared," Leonis stated with false bravado but Godric could see the answer clearly in his eyes. Yes. He had…

"So what was it? Turning a shop keeper into a toad?" Godric asked blithely.

"No," Leonis replied sulking. "I burned a bishop."

"Oh?" Godric said slightly amused. He had never heard of that one. "That was erm – interesting…"

"He accused my mother of witchcraft. He had her burnt at the stake. So I want none of you… and your… your…"

Godric's eyes dulled to hear of Aimee's unfortunate fate. He quailed and found himself short of breath. He grasped desperately for the bed post before sinking to a heap. The Book of Names only told him that Aimee was deceased not of her terrible end.

Leonis noticed this moment of weakness. "What is wrong with you?" he asked sharply. "It's not like she ever meant anything to you."

Godric glanced up at Leonis clutching his heart at the same time. For a moment he felt as if he was in great pain. "I knew your mother."

"What?"

"I knew her."

Leonis sniffed and kicked at the wooden floor. "How?"

Godric closed his eyes and swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "I was very young Leonis when I knew her. She was a beautiful woman. I was her…her… lover… I never knew that she – that you…."

"That I what?" Leonis inquired sceptically.

"That you existed," Godric finished. "If I had known I would have found you sooner."

Godric watched Leonis carefully. He could clearly see the boy's mind slowly fitting the pieces together in his mind and filling the gaps. Obviously he was trying to find evidence to dispute what Godric was saying.

"Are you saying…?"

"Yes," Godric murmured sadly. "Leonis, I am your father…"