With one last glance at Harry, Hitomi returned downstairs. For his part, Harry plopped immediately onto the futon, not even bothering to remove his robe. Folding his wings around himself like a protective shroud, Harry fell quickly asleep, the life-changing events of the past day weighing heavily on his mind.
Chapter Five: A Familiar Face Joins the Force – A New Romance Blooms?
Disclaimer: If you've seen it before, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's mine. Naturally, I'm making no money off this.
Harry awoke the next morning in a strange, but oddly familiar room. His head still felt like it had taken a direct hammer blow from the Whomping Willow. Harry tried to think of the circumstances that had brought him here. He could remember meeting Grilthauk, and visiting his family vault. Then, he could vaguely recall following the old goblin through another passageway at Gringotts and into a dark forest, and being attacked by strange, black-garbed figures, losing his wand in the struggle, and fleeing into a village. After that, everything started to blur. He had a slight, hazy mental picture of himself standing before an ominous-looking sword on a black dais. The Demarr Devil Blade, he reasoned. Harry couldn't remember exactly how he had come into contact with the sword, or how he had managed to end up in this sparsely furnished, but comfortable room. Given the fact that he was in no serious pain, aside from the headache, and that he wasn't physically restrained in any manner, Harry decided that he wasn't in any particular danger at the moment, and to look around.
He stumbled down a wooden staircase into a large room. A quick glance out the front window indicated that it was still dark outside. Odd, Harry thought, he could remember it being dark when he entered the forest the previous day, and his body felt well rested. He could see men and women going about their daily tasks outside. A soft female voice behind Harry diverted his attention from the scene.
"Oh, you're awake? Did you sleep well, my lo...Harry?"
Harry turned back in the direction of the voice. He looked over the young woman. Raven black hair, soft Oriental features, captivating brown eyes. Harry, in his confused state, identified the figure before him with the only person he knew that fit her general physique.
"Cho...?"
A glimmer of hurt crossed her features, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
"No, Hitomi. Don't you remember?"
Oh, real smooth, Harry thought. He could have kicked himself. He didn't really feel all that guilty about the slip, but realized that there was no point to doing anything to hurt her feelings any further, like telling a blatant lie, so he simply decided to be honest.
"My apologies. I'm not even really sure where I am at the moment. I just woke up with a killer headache, and I'm still trying to piece together what exactly happened last night and how I got here."
A slight smile told Harry that his mistake was forgiven.
"Oh, of course. You've been through quite an ordeal. It's no wonder your mind is fragmented. Please, come with me. I'll draw you a bath and get you a change of clothing."
With that, Hitomi softly, almost reverently, took Harry by the wrist and led him back upstairs into the house's bathing room. He would have been perfectly capable of following her on his own, but he certainly had no problem with the contact, so he simply indulged her by allowing her to lead him along. Upon arrival, she let go of his wrist and drew up a hot bath. Motioning for Harry to disrobe and step into the bath with that same soft smile, she made for the door. Upon hearing the soft click indicating that she was gone, Harry took off his silk robe. He noted with a twinge of annoyance that it was effectively ruined, with two gaping holes in the back from where his wings had originally broken through in Grilthauk's office. Harry removed his undergarments and stretched his wings to full span as he prepared to enter the wooden tub. The fumes from the warm, scented water began to lift the haze surrounding his mind somewhat.
"Your wings are beautiful, Harry..."
Harry turned back, to see Hitomi still standing there, gazing unabashedly at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She had never left the room. Harry was slightly surprised, as he had quickly pegged her as being rather timid. He decided to have a little bit of fun with her.
"Yes, I think so too. So, are you planning on watching me bathe?"
"Of course. Does that bother you?"
"Not necessarily. I don't have anything to be shy about. But realize that I get to watch you in the bath as well, should I want to."
Again, that soft smile. Harry was beginning to realize that it was no indicator of shyness or timidity. He wondered what that smile really meant.
"As you wish, Harry. I have nothing to hide."
Perhaps as an attempt to validate her statement, she nonchalantly slipped the top of her tight-fitting robe off of her shoulders and down her body a bit, exposing her breasts enough to indicate that she was wearing nothing underneath. Harry cocked an eyebrow and tore his eyes from the admittedly splendid view, unwilling to be caught staring. She was a bit better endowed than he had thought. Not large, but definitely by no means small. Well, Harry thought, she certainly wasn't anywhere near as timid as he had thought her to be. Or was it his dakaathi charm that was causing her to act this way? Without further ado, he plunged into the tub.
Harry could still feel the young woman's eyes on him as he bathed. As he lathered his body, he could feel the last vestiges of his disorientation melting away. The scented, medicated water, hot enough to melt wrought iron, felt like a small burst of heaven against his tired body. Significantly cleaned and rejuvenated, Harry stood up, back facing the still watching Hitomi, and reached for a towel. His hand had barely moved before he could feel a towel drying his back and legs, moving around to the front of his body. Once finished, the towel wrapped around his waist, and a soft hand on Harry's shoulder gently turned him around.
Harry looked down slightly. He met Hitomi's brown eyes as the latter tied the towel off at his waist. She was so close, he couldn't resist the urge to move those last few inches and capture her soft pink lips with his own. As soon as they met, she pulled back, that same soft smile adorning her face.
"I'm certain grandpa is awake and waiting for breakfast, Harry. Your robe is on the table over here. As soon as you're dressed, come and meet us in the dining room."
She left, running her hand slightly along Harry's chest and shoulder as she did so. She was obviously interested in him, so he took no offense to her pulling back. Harry really didn't want Kenzo to come into the room and find him tongue wrestling with his granddaughter, anyway. There'd be enough time later. He had the entire summer, after all.
Harry looked over at the robe Hitomi had left for him. It was a Japanese yukata, white with forest green print. She had made two large incisions in the back for Harry to feed his wings through. It suited him very well, he thought. He put the garment on, hopefully correctly, and started for his shoes, only to find them missing. In their place, Harry saw a pair of padded wooden sandals. After fitting those onto his feet, Harry started back downstairs for the dining room.
Upon arrival, he found not only Kenzo and Hitomi sitting at the table, but Grilthauk as well. And seated to Grilthauk's right was another familiar figure. One with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing flashy robes and dragonhide boots. A single dragon fang earring pierced his left ear. It was Bill Weasley, member of the Order of the Phoenix and Ron's eldest brother. Harry had only met Bill once or twice, but was fairly certain that his loyalties lied staunchly with the old man, just like those of the rest of his family, barring Percy. He had no idea what the redhead was doing there, but figured that Grilthauk had something to do with it, given Bill's employment at Gringotts. Remembering that doubting the old goblin's loyalties just the previous evening had nearly caused Harry to make a gigantic blunder, he took his seat warily, eyeing Bill. Kenzo turned to Harry.
"Good morning, young lord. I hope you slept well?"
"Yes, just fine, sir."
"Please, Kenzo."
"Okay, Kenzo. I woke up with a bit of a headache, but a hot bath cleared that up nicely."
"Yes, our medicated water always does the trick. You must be hungry. Hitomi, please prepare and bring in the morning meal."
The young woman nodded and left for the kitchen, taking one last glance back at Harry. Grilthauk took advantage of the silence to speak up.
"Now, Harry, you must be wondering why I've brought Mr. Weasley here this morning."
Harry sneered inwardly, but kept his face impassive.
"Why, yes, Grilthauk, I must say that I am. Please explain."
"Very well. You may have assumed that Mr. Weasley's loyalties are to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, but that is only partially correct. He is, in fact, an Order member, but he has also been secretly supplying Gringotts with detailed information about the Order's activities for the entire duration of his time back in Britain. It is for that purpose that we recalled him to begin with. Beyond that, he has been relaying to us any snippets he manages to gleam of both the Ministry and Voldemort through the Order. He has been an invaluable resource to Gringotts.
We, after all, have a vested interest in the goings on outside our doors, and not many wizards are willing to trust a goblin with any sort of sensitive information."
Bill was a spy? Harry was a bit surprised at that, but figured that he was a good fit for the role, with his suave personality and natural good looks. At least more fitting than Snape. Still, that did nothing to quell Harry's misgivings about the man.
"Yes, that's all fine and good, but I'd still bet my last galleon that he's going to go and snitch my location to the old man as soon as he leaves here."
Bill shot Harry a disarming smile, which did little to faze the young part-dakaath.
"Harry, I'm shocked and appalled. Don't worry, mate. The President has told me everything about what's going on here, and I'm on your side. I'll swear a wizard's oath to the effect, if it'll make you feel more secure."
Kenzo looked between the two with a sinister smile of his own.
"Do not worry, young lord. If nothing else, my people are on your side, and if he does in fact show himself to be untrue to our cause, we will hold him to a full interrogation of our own. I can assure you that his death would be most unpleasant. However, I can see burden of truth within his eyes, and I am not easily fooled, even at my old age. There is nothing to be apprehensive about."
Harry nodded.
"Very well. Tell me, Bill, is the Order aware that I've left Privet Drive yet?"
"Not yet, Harry. You only left yesterday, after all. That was a pretty risky move you pulled, by the way. I don't know how long you thought you'd be able to fool us, but I'd give it two more days at most before the game's up. Moody can see through the walls of the house, and Lupin can tell whether or not you're there by scent."
Harry hadn't thought of Lupin, but it didn't matter now.
"Good, let Dumbledore sweat for awhile. It's the least he deserves. Anyway, why are you on my side in all this? You do know what we're planning to do, don't you?"
"Let's just say that I agree with you on a lot of issues."
At this point, Hitomi returned with a breakfast of grilled fish, steamed rice and miso soup, with tea to drink. Definitely not the morning fare that Harry was used to, but it was actually quite good. Harry wasn't sure whether or not to attribute it to her cooking skills, though. After all, even Aunt Petunia could steam rice properly. He could feel her eyes on him on more than one occasion as he ate. Harry ate his meal quickly, and waited quietly for the rest of the host to finish. Grilthauk was the first to speak up again.
"As I was saying before, Harry, I have brought Mr. Weasley here for a specific reason. His tenure as a curse breaker for Gringotts had led him to become quite the accomplished duelist, and he is tactically gifted as well. I have relieved him of current duties at the bank temporarily, and have asked him to assist in your training over the course of your stay here. He will spend his working days here in the village with you, and will continue to tend to his Order duties as well."
"And you will vouch for his loyalty as well?"
Harry directed a sidelong glance at Bill as he said this, only to see the redhead give a small nod of approval, perhaps impressed with the fact that he wasn't willing to trust easily, even for his best mate's family.
"Yes, Harry. I can assure you that my trust is not easily given. Mr. Weasley is completely loyal to our cause. Now, we ought to head back down to the Evans compound and retrieve the supplies that you will need for your training.
Mr. Weasley will accompany us."
"I'll be needing my wand back, first of all. It got knocked into the forest during my struggle with the Shinn Kohaku last night."
Kenzo immediately produced Harry's wand from the waist of his yukata.
"Here you are, young lord. I instructed a few of the men from the village to find it last night, after you went to sleep. Thankfully, its color stood out amongst the foliage."
Harry nodded at the village leader and stood, with Grilthauk and Bill following. Upon reaching the door, Harry turned back around and saw Hitomi still looking at him, almost expectantly. Harry sighed inwardly, guessing what she wanted.
"Would you like to come with us? That is, if you don't mind, Kenzo?"
Hitomi turned to her grandfather with pleading eyes. The old Shinn Kohaku leader responded with a smile.
"If she would like to go, I have no objections."
She strode over to the rest of the small party without a word. A part-demon, an old goblin, a kunoichi, and wizarding Britain's answer to Indiana Jones...what a crew, Harry thought wordlessly. They ventured through the still darkened forest, Harry and Hitomi bringing up the rear.
"Is this your first time out of the forest, Hitomi? You seemed rather anxious about coming along, after all."
She turned to look at Harry.
"Yes, our people have been living in this forest, secluded from the rest of the world, for the last fifty years, ever since the fall of the Great Grindelwald. We have long awaited the day for his descendent to take up arms and call us to battle again, to free us from our curse."
"Curse...?"
Hitomi looked away, almost shamefully.
"You should ask grandpa about that, Harry."
Harry understood, and let the subject drop.
Presently, they reached the entrance to Gringotts. The winding passageway led back to the main lobby of the bank, as Harry rearranged his hair to conceal his scar and folded his wings around his body so that they blended in with the yukata he wore. Harry was confident that his Japanese outfit combined with the physical changes from his dakaathi transformation would make him nearly impossible to recognize to even those who knew him best, and so he took no particular care to look out for patrolling Order members. Hitomi was a bit startled at all the noise, having spent her entire life in a quiet village, but hid her discomfort well. Grilthauk led the way to his office, which was now cleaned of debris, but still empty and ruined, and from there down into the Evans compound. Bill jumped at the sight of the Nidhogg, which roared and advanced threateningly at both him and Hitomi, until Harry calmed the beast with a small motion. Bill turned to Harry.
"Merlin's beard, Harry. Charlie would auction off his first-born son for a look at this thing."
"I assumed the same about Hagrid. Speaking of which, we perhaps ought to discuss the possibilities of manufacturing his rock cakes as artillery."
Bill retorted with a mock chiding voice.
"That's not nice, Harry. I'd pity whoever might happen to take a hit from one of Hagrid's concoctions at high velocity. Not even Voldemort deserves that."
Grilthauk looked at the pair with a calculating expression that indicated that he was actually considering the idea. They reached the vault door. Harry borrowed Hitomi's small dagger and pricked his finger, smearing the blood on the door in order to gain access. Once inside, they decided to split up into two groups in order to cover territory quickly. Grilthauk handed a magically enlarged bag to Bill, who was instructed head for the library to retrieve whatever tomes he felt Harry might need for his training, as well as a book on chaotic magic. Hitomi went with Bill, while Grilthauk took Harry to the magical creature room, to the latter's confusion.
"Grilthauk, why are we here?"
"I believe that you may benefit from taking one or two of the creatures from this room and raising them as familiars. These pets are magically bonded to your line, and will be more steadfastly loyal to you than any soldier ever could. Besides, I am certain there will come a time where their protection will make the difference in saving your life."
Harry wasn't entirely convinced, but decided to heed the old goblin's advice.
"How should I know which ones to take?"
"Just wander around, Harry. If my knowledge of the way these eggs work is correct, you will feel a sort of connection to the ones best suited to you."
Slightly annoyed and more than a little skeptical, Harry began to traverse the rows and columns of eggs that filled the massive room. After a few minutes of wandering, Harry did indeed feel drawn to a pair of striped eggs situated near a remote corner of the room. One was orange with black stripes, the other white with black stripes. Harry motioned for Grilthauk to come over.
"These are the ones, Harry? Good, now simply lay the palms of your hands against them."
"Right."
Harry did so, and the eggs began to glow magically and heat up. After a minute or so, they hatched, revealing a pair of tiger cubs underneath. One seemed to be of the Bengal variety, the other was a Siberian White. They were rather cute, Harry supposed, but they seemed no more dangerous than muggle animals.
"Grilthauk...these are just muggle tigers. They aren't going to stand up against Death Eaters or the like."
"Do not be so judgmental, Harry. Try to think of a spell that might tell you more about them before drawing any conclusions. This place is warded against the Ministry's underage magic detectors, so have no worries on that front."
A revealing spell, perhaps? One for animals...Harry decided to test his limited knowledge of Latin and spell design. Oh, he was certain the spell did exist already, but he didn't actually know it. Here goes nothing, Harry thought.
"Revelo Anima."
Somehow, it worked. Harry could "see" the biographical information about each creature in his mind. Apparently, the two tigers were magical cousins of the two muggle species, now very much endangered. The Bengal had an affinity to fire, with claws and teeth capable of melting solid rock on contact, and breath of searing flames. The Siberian White had similar abilities, but with an affinity to cold. Its claws and teeth were capable of freezing molten steel within a coffin of ice, and its breath could inflict severe frostbite. Apparently the Bengal was a male and the Siberian White was a female. Harry decided to name them Grindelwald and Khariana, respectively, after his great-grandparents. The cubs nodded slightly as he made the decision, almost as if they understood without needing to be told. Amazing, Harry acknowledged. He turned back to Grilthauk.
"Well, are we finished here, Grilthauk?"
"I believe so, Harry. Let us go back to meet Bill and the young lady."
As they passed the room containing the arkanite ore, Grilthauk stopped Harry.
"What is it?"
"I would like your permission to take a large quantity of the arkanite to be melted down into a magical steel alloy, with which to coat the weapons and armor of the goblin forces, as well as to tip our arrows. We goblins cannot fight with wands as you wizards do. This alloy may provide us the edge we need to stand equal to human opponents."
Harry nodded. It was a good idea, and he didn't really have much use for the metal himself. He did want some left over for his personal use, though, just in case.
"Yes, that'll be fine. Just make sure to leave a sizable quantity left over for my own use. I'm sure I'll have need of it at some point. We can leave the vault doors open when we depart. Just have some of the goblins come down to retrieve the material. I'll instruct the Nidhogg to let them pass freely. Just don't forget to close the vault back up when you're finished."
"Very well, Harry. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Think nothing of it."
The two, dakaath and goblin, returned to the main hall of the complex, where Bill and Hitomi were already waiting. Grindelwald and Khariana trailed behind Harry at a few paces. Hitomi squealed girlishly at the sight of the two cubs, having never seen many animals aside from those used for food in the village, and played with them for a moment. Harry turned to the eldest Weasley son.
"Find anything good, Bill?"
"Did I ever. Some of these books are absolutely priceless. I've never even heard of most of these spells. Voldemort, and Dumbledore, for that matter, would go to surprising lengths to get their hands on any of these, to say nothing of collectors."
"Excellent. Maybe you'll get something out of this whole training deal as well, then. Shall we head back to the village, then?"
Grilthauk nodded.
"An excellent suggestion, Harry. Bill?"
"It's getting near lunch hour. I have to apparate over to Headquarters and give Dumbledore my midday report. Basically tell the old man that nothing out of the ordinary's happened. He wants me to look into that energy burst that happened here yesterday. Don't worry, Harry, my occlumency's strong enough that he won't be able to sneak into my head without my knowing, and he has no reason to suspect me. I'll join you lot back in the village in a few hours."
"Right, take care, Bill."
Bill nodded and left ahead of the rest of the group. Harry and Grilthauk turned to leave as well. The two cubs followed Harry, as well as a slightly blushing Hitomi. Their journey back to the forest entrance was uneventful, at which point Grilthauk took his leave of the two. After all, he had his own business to attend to as Gringotts President, and also needed to oversee the retrieval of the arkanite. Harry and Hitomi began the trek back to the village alone with the cubs.
"It's always dark here. Why is that?"
Hitomi turned to Harry.
"It's a constant reminder. Grandpa can tell you more about it."
Harry nodded, assuming it had something to do with that curse Hitomi was unwilling to discuss earlier. He decided to take a chance, and took her hand in his as they walked. She only smiled, and they continued to walk wordlessly. It was nice, Harry thought. He didn't feel himself falling in love really, nor did he have that odd butterfly sensation that had always seemed to accompany his encounters with Cho Chang. He did, however, note that he enjoyed being in Hitomi's company more than usual. They reached the village a little too quickly for Harry's liking, and he released her hand. Grindelwald and Khariana ran into the small garden behind Kenzo's abode and played in the grass, as Harry and Hitomi went inside.
They had a small lunch of chicken and rice with Kenzo, which consisted mostly of small talk about Harry's life before coming to the village. Harry entertained the two Shinn Kohaku with tales of his adventures at Hogwarts, taking no particular pleasure in the subject himself. Before long, Bill returned as promised, confirming that nothing untoward had happened with the old man, and that Dumbledore and the Order were still unaware of Harry's departure from the Dursleys'. After taking a cup of tea, Bill instructed Harry to accompany him back into the garden, where the first of their lessons would take place.
There really wasn't much to the day's training, given by a small lighting fire. Bill only had a few hours before he was expected back from work. He mostly instructed Harry on proper magical dueling form, and reviewed some of the more basic light-oriented combat spells, such as stunners and basic Hogwarts curriculum charms and jinxes. It was all stuff that Harry had already learned in Charms, and in Defense during those odd years where there had miraculously been a competent teacher. The lesson was finished quickly, giving Bill an hour or so to sit and talk with Harry.
"Tell me, Bill, why are you really doing this? Helping me, I mean. I'm sure you know that I'm eventually going to have to stand against Dumbledore. Are you really willing to become an outcast within your family, like Percy? Besides, people will revile me as a dark wizard for what I'm planning to do, and perhaps rightly so. Do you really want to throw your lot in with me? There's still time to back out. One quick Obliviate and you can go back to where you were before today. I wouldn't hold a grudge against you."
Bill looked at Harry, complete seriousness in his eyes.
"I know exactly what I'm doing, Harry. First, please don't ever compare me to Percy again. And I mean, ever. Percy is motivated entirely by ambition and greed, with no sense of what's right and what's wrong, and he has no real loyalty to anybody but himself. He's no better than the likes of Lucius Malfoy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Percy bearing the Dark Mark himself."
"I didn't mean to compare your motivations to his, Bill..."
"I know, Harry. I was just saying. Now, I've chosen to throw my lot in with you because you're willing to do what needs to be done. Why do you think I chose to pursue a career at Gringotts? Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living, but I started here simply to avoid working for the Ministry. It's rotten and corrupt, Harry, more than even you know, and something has to be done. Voldemort? Don't make me laugh. He's just a base creature, with no plan for our world's future. He simply wants to pillage and burn and kill. It won't stop when or if he defeats Dumbledore, or you, he'll keep going until there's nothing left. He must be stopped, Harry, as quickly as possible. That's why I joined the Order, not for any loyalty to its leader."
Bill paused to take a breath.
"As for fighting against Dumbledore, his time has passed, Harry. He couldn't lead us in the first war, and he can't in this one. If nothing changes, it's only a matter of time until Voldemort wipes us out. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a good man and that he means only the best. But he's a very old man, Harry, and he's so used to his position as guardian in our world now that I don't think he's even emotionally able to step aside. Our world is going to continue on this downward spiral as long as he's in charge, and doing nothing, and he has to be removed, even if by force. Our world's future belongs to us, Harry, and we have to seize it with our own hands. After talking with the President, I'm convinced that you're the one that can do it, and I'll follow you to the bitter end, that I promise."
Harry didn't know what to say, aside from one thing.
"Thanks, Bill. I promise that I won't let you down."
"I know you won't, Harry. Get some rest tonight. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We'll be starting in on the basics of the Dark Arts. I plan to have you ready and able to take on even the most seasoned of Death Eaters by the summer's end. I have to be heading back to the Burrow, mum's expecting me for supper. See you tomorrow, Harry."
"Later, Bill."
With that, Bill left. Harry was pleasantly surprised with how easily he was able to talk with the eldest Weasley. Bill possessed a level of maturity that the likes of Ron and the twins couldn't even begin to understand.
Dinner was a rather uneventful affair. Hitomi had prepared a tasty meal of tempura and cucumber salad, but Harry had so much on his mind after his conversation with Bill that he took little notice of his companions. The few times he looked up at Hitomi, she was always looking right at him. Had he been more astute, Harry would have noticed Kenzo looking at the pair of them with a knowing grin. Earlier, Harry had meant to ask Kenzo more about the Shinn Kohaku and that "curse" Hitomi had mentioned, but it simply slipped his mind.
After finishing his meal, excusing himself and washing up, Harry headed up to his room with the intention of reading over some basic Dark Arts material in order to be better prepared for the next day's training with Bill. What he found was Hitomi sprawled out on his futon, smiling up at him with that unreadable smile of hers.
"Did you have a difficult time with Bill, Harry? You seemed distracted at supper."
Harry looked down at her guardedly.
"No, we mostly talked. But yes, I had a lot to think about."
"So, you didn't get around to much training, then?"
"There wasn't enough time."
"Then, you have no excuse to avoid training now?"
Harry was starting to get a bit irritated with the veiled questions, but kept his voice neutral.
"What training are you talking about, Hitomi? I need to rest for tomorrow."
Her smile became a bit more pronounced.
"No, I'm afraid I can't allow that, Harry..."
Now he was annoyed, and oblivious, as it would turn out. He never got a chance to retort, as she was latched onto him with a speed that only a trained Shinn Kohaku could hope to match. Harry didn't have a prayer. Her lips melted against his ear, tongue darting in as she pulled him down onto the futon. Needless to say, Harry was stunned. She pulled out and nipped playfully on his earlobe before whispering.
"This training, Harry."
[Content removed.
(End Chapter Five)
Author's Note: Chapter Five completed, my longest yet. I hope that the scene at the end wasn't too graphic for anybody, but I can't really see how it could have been. I intended to get through Harry's month in the village in this one chapter, but after introducing Bill (an idea that came to me on a whim), things just took off, and I'll need another chapter or two, I think.