A/n: Thanks to AthenaKitty, Greyhound Master, When Pandas Rule The World, Black's Phoenix, Shadow00, ThunderGod, Shadowed Rains, IWuvMyKenshyPoo, Gryffindors, ERMonkey Burner Of Cookies, Shinigami, Heather, Sirius009 and jbcna.
And thanks to those of you awesome people that are nice and will click that happy blue button once you finish reading this chapter.
All It Takes
Chapter Three
"This might feel a bit weird, Lad." Moody said, pulling out a pointy wooden stick from his robes. Harry shied back slightly as the wand tapped him lightly on his head. He felt as if someone had cracked an egg on his head… and it was cold. The feeling trickled down his spine.
He watched in awe as Moody performed the charm twice more. Once on the motorcycle, and once on himself.
"That'll pretty much cover it, lad." Moody said gruffly. Well, Harry assumed it was Moody. All he saw was a man-shaped distortion in the air. But he trusted the man, and he felt Moody's strong hands wrap around his waist and pick him up. He was set on the invisible bike. He saw a sparkle in the air, and Moody cast another spell.
"That was a bit of a binding charm Lad. It's to keep us from falling off." Moody explained. Harry nodded mutely as a reply. Moody revved the engine a few times, and he felt a peculiar sensation as he left the ground.
He was riding with a wizard that looked like a pirate on a magical motorcycle through the air, and they were camouflaged so well that he could barely make out his hands in front of his face.
Harry smiled and watched the tiny houses and tiny people so far below them. People raking the freshly fallen leaves from their lawn, people getting in one last lawn-mowing before winter… He hoped he wouldn't have to mow the lawn, though with Moody being able to use magic like that, he didn't expect that he would.
The same magic that he would be able to use someday. Harry fell into a contented sleep, and dreamed about dragons and unicorns and a world where they all existed.
The motorcycle touched down gently at the end of Moody's driveway. He stopped it for a moment so he could disable all the security spells around the house. You could never be too careful these days. He drove the rest of the way up the drive and opened the door to his garage with the wave of his wand. Even with the area expanding spells, the garage was overflowing.
He banished everything that fell out back inside with a wave of his wand. He walked the bike into a small hollow he'd made that was safe from collapsing rubbish. Moody scooped up Harry, who was still fast asleep and brought himself, Harry and the bike back into the visible spectrum.
He closed the garage door and made his way into his house. He disabled all the traps and curses waiting for those foolish enough to enter and let out a low sigh.
'What were you thinking Dumbledore? I'd make a terrible father…' Moody thought.
Initially when Dumbledore had suggested he raise Harry Potter, Moody had flat out refused. But then Dumbledore pulled out a trick from under his sleeve. A trick Moody had all but forgotten about.
"And what if I call upon your Wizard's Debt, Alastor?" Albus had asked.
Albus Dumbledore had saved his life, years ago in the early stages of the first war with Voldemort. Alastor had yet to repay his debt. So, Moody had sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face for several minutes, before saying "You fight dirty."
"I know, my friend. I know." Albus had replied.
And so, he was stuck. He would have to leave most of his paranoid ways behind him, in order to raise The-Boy-Who-Lived. Moody hadn't been happy about his choice, but he had no other options. It was, after all, a Wizard's Debt.
Moody laid Harry down in a nice soft bed. It was to be Harry's room. He hadn't had time to clean it up yet, and it was still stacked with musty old books, but it was a bed.
Moody closed the door behind him, and sighed. With a curse of Dumbledore's name he got to work. He needed to get this place in a livable situation before Harry awoke. And for that, he was going to need help. Lots of help.
Moody tossed a fistful of Floo Powder into the fireplace.
"Albus Dumbledore." He said. The wise old Headmaster's face appeared instantly in the flickering green flames.
"What can I do for you, old friend?" Albus asked.
"You…" Alastor growled. "You can get the order back together again, for one last mission. I am going out to get some lunch, and by the time I return, this house had better be spotless and organized."
Albus actually shied back at the anger in his old friend's voice. "Right away…" Dumbledore answered with a sigh. The fireplace connection was severed, and Moody walked out of the house.
'It'd better be good…' Moody thought as he left the house and apparated to a Muggle supermarket. The horrified muttering people made as he stomped through the store was music to his ears.
