Potter, Harry James. BlackStaff
Apprentice Arc
ISDH
There was a Storm Coming.
He could feel it in his bones.
He leaned on his staff, as he watched the Mundanes. Most ignored him. Just an old man in a cloak leaning on a twisted wooden stick…
He grinned to himself, most Arcane tried too hard to blend. Or focused on the wrong details.
A flicker caught his eye as a young witch pushed a trolley out of a brick support post. His weathered eye raked over her. 'First-Born. Third-year.' He cocked his head, as he scanned her trolley. 'Kneasel Bound. Good second choice.' He flicked his fingers at her, casting a tracking hex, just as two Mundanes closed on her from the crowd. 'Loving family, that will be a con, but we will see…'
Another flicker and a black skinned boy in a sports jersey rode a trolley out of the pillar. "Nah, Too wild." He muttered to himself. Over the next fifteen minutes he watched as Arcane after Arcane merged with the Mundane. And each of the youngsters had a reason why He would not choose them.
Them out stumbled a smaller boy. 'Owl Bound. Power Held in Check, not in peak physical form…' He stood up straight. This Boy had something…
Then he saw who was collecting the boy…
He frowned. His senses were telling him something was off.
He Limped closer, digging a Monocle from his vest pocket. He scanned the boy as he closed in.
"Come Along Boy!" The Fat man Rumbled at the small wizard.
The Boy flinched at the call, clearly not wanting to go…
"Excuse Me." The Young wizard looked up at him, "What year are you at Hogwarts?"
The Fat Man froze, before coloring.
"Third" the lad answered.
"Good, good." He nods, "Then I can Offer you an Opportunity that you and the Mundane there might be in the mood for."
"Mundane?" the Lad asks, the light glinting off his glasses as he quirks a brow at me.
"Non Magic using people."
"Oh, Muggle." the lad nods.
"Some people find that term offensive, so the Foundation uses the word Mundane. Users are first Users, then placed by form like Arcane, Divine, or Mystic, then there is the Disciplines." He folds his hands on top of his staff, as he leans on it. "More about that later. My Offer to You; Apprenticeship. I will teach you skills and arts not taught in that school of yours during the summer, and on the first, return you here to catch the train." He smiled at the lad, before looking at the fatman, "Of Course there is the matter of compensation."
The Fat man shifted colors yet again, "Compensation?"
"Yes, not knowing the full details, but I can tell that neither of you are happy with your current… arrangement. The Foundation likes to recruit from the Mundane side of the divide because it is easier for them to embrace the Arcane then for the Arcane to embrace the Mundane. Something to do with the mindset from all the inbreeding."
Harry snorted.
Vernon squinted at the newcomer."Just what are you offering and asking. We are good…"
"No you are not." the The newcomer stood upright, "But you work hard to project that image. I am offering the Lad an Opportunity to further his Craft skills, outside of your watch. A chance to enter a field that is respected, well paying, and, best for you two, the training is outside of England. That means that you, Sir, get to claim you sent the boy to say, Military School. For you, after signing these papers," He pulled a tri-folded pack of papers, and offered them to the Hefty man, "a weekly sum is delivered to you, or deposited into your account of choice. Now the amount is only three to five hundred pounds, but every week, like clockwork. If the Lad also works for the Foundation while at school, you will receive a bonus."
Vernon peered at the paperwork, "I sign this, you take the boy, I get a few pounds…" He glared at the man, "What is the catch?"
"The Boy is mine to train, as I see fit. No Contact with you or your family, no one from my side of Our people will contact you, in fact, with the Lad gone, only his Headmaster would be interested in him, and I do believe that he has a lot on his plate, and will not notice the Lad is gone until almost September." He grinned, "When they show up, you just pass off your copy of the paperwork, keep mum on the payments, and slam the door in their faces."
Vernon peered at the man," And if they bring the Boy back?"
"If the Lad is brought to your place," The man shifted, "by Anyone other than myself, I will be there shortly to remove him, and compensate you properly. The Lad is contracted to me, once you sign, for the next Four years. After that, he will be of Age, and has no need to darken your door, unless invited." He offered a biro.
Vernon snatched the pen, leaned on the trunk to sign the paperwork, and all but threw the papers to the man.
The Outland Wizard grinned, pulling an envelope from under his duster, "There is just this," He tossed the packet on the trunk, behind the owl, as he collected the papers, and tore off the pink sheet. "And your copy."
Vernon grabbed the sheet, the packet, "Mind him, Boy." and waddled off.
"Just like that?" Harry asked the Man.
"Yes and No." He Turned to walk towards the nearest coffee shop. "I need to talk with you, learn about you, and see if you are up to joining the Black-Staff Corps. Worst comes to worse, we spend the next four summers training you, then pass you off to the Hit-wizard corps."
Harry leaned heavily to get the trolley to move as they headed to the cafe. "What does all this mean?"
Easing onto a stool, the older wizard sighed, "It means that if things go perfectly, you will be a Law Officer, on the international level. Otherwise, you just get more schooling, and combat training. Plus, You never have to go to that House again, never see that Man or his family, unless you ask to see them."
"And it is completely legal?"
"Yes and No. The British Ministry does not like us using their First Gens and Mundane Raised to fill our ranks, but we get so many petitions to join, that it is a moot point. If they treated their so called half-bloods and Mundanes better, we could be called on it by the ICW." He frowned, "You know what the ICW is, correct?"
"No, Not really. I do know that Dumbledore is the Supreme Mugwump." Harry frowned at the guy, "Harry Potter," he offered his hand, "I think I missed your name."
"How silly of me." He took the small hand. "Jason Smythe. Blackstaff. Battle Mage, third tier, fourth circle."
"BlackStaff?"
Jason tapped the walking stick on the ground. "One part Badge of Office, one part Combat Focus. We are the Magical counterpart to your SAS and MI5, on a Global scale. Think Magical Interpol Elite. We answer to the ICW which is like the magical United Nations. We handle the issues that the local Ministries can not, will not, for some reason or other. In fact we were all set to storm these Isles to burn out your last Dark Lord, when you ended him."
"One, it was my Mother who Ended him." Harry hissed, "Gave her Life, to save mine. Two, He was a Half Blood born with the Name Tom Riddle. And Three, He is not completely Dead."
Jason paled. "Well looks like Command will be wanting to talk to you." He looked about, "Seeing as the service here is less than what I was hoping for, How about we handle Gringotts now, and catch a late supper at the Cauldron. In the meantime, Ice Cream?"
"Okay." Harry looked at his trunk and Owl. "My things?"
Jason popped the trunk with the staff causing it to shrink, and Harry to pocket it. "When we get to the Alley, release your Owl, no reason for her to be cramped up just because you are not at school." As Harry picked up the Cage, he hooked his hand under the Lad's left arm, "Oh, who was the Mundane-born that had the orange Kneasel. Female, your year, frizzy hair?"
Before the Lad could answer, he cast his mind out, grabbed the Location and 'Jumped'
121
Black eased the Hippogriff down into the Back Alley behind the London House of the Black Estate. As the Bird-horse trotted along the ground, Sirius looked about, before dispelling the invisibility charm. At the small servant gate, he flicked his stolen wand, and allowed the beast to shoulder into the back patio/garden.
Glaring up at the Line House, Black failed to notice his mounts spooking a large rat in the undergrowth, and the Brute lunged, completely throwing the Human from his back. A squeak, a crunch, and the feathered head tossed in victory, before swallowing his snack.
"Hey featherbrain, Wait until I climb down next time." Black muttered as he climbed to his feet. He stepped to the back door, and slashed his palm of his left hand, and grabbed the handle with his now bloody hand. The Wards flared, burning ice flashed through his blood, before the Black English Oak door clicked, and swung in.
As He entered, the Wards scraped over his skin, realigning to his magic core.
He made his way, in the dark, to the Top Floor. Pushing into his Mother's Room, he opened the French Doors onto the back of the House. He whistled, and then jumped to the side as Buckbeak Leaped into the air, and landed on the ledge. "Make yourself at home, This was my Mother's room, Hated the Hag, feel free to shred the bed and trappings to pad your nest."
"Bad Master and Nasty Bird make a mess of Mistress Chamber." a hatchet faced elf stood at the door. "Kretcher will remove Bad Master…"
"Stand Down, Elf." Padfoot grunted. "The Bird is a guest of House Black. Mind your manners, or I will feed you to him."
Kretcher stood up straight,"Bad Master not pleased with Kretcher's service?" his hatchet nose rising into the air, "Kretcher get the Wall?"
"No, you dirty elf, " Black sighed, "This house is a mess."
12321
Lupin grumbled as he swung down from the train, adjusted his patched tweed coat and stumbled along with the masses of muggles. The former professor had decided to travel as a muggle, to throw off those who might be seeking a werewolf head and or pelt. Catching the train at the nearest Muggle town, allowed the shabby wizard to vanish in plain sight without the use of magic.
He stumbled out into the sunlight, before hailing a cab. Giving the cabby the address to the Black townhouse, he settled back to ride. Arriving in the dreary park, he paid the man, and exited the car.
As the black cab drove off he looked about, before placing his wand to his throat and howling. Soon a door across the way opened and a black dog stuck its head out and barked. By the time Lupin reached the door, Padfoot had resumed his human form, and welcomed the werewolf inside.
12321
Harry drew in a deep breath. One minute he was standing in Train Station, the next he was three doors from the Bank in Diagon Alley. Only it felt as if he had left his innards behind. "One, Hermione Granger. Gryff like me, scary smart, but slow on the Draw and lite on the action." Another breath, "Two, what was that?"
"That was a Translocation Shift. Also referred to as a 'jump'. Similar to the 'Popping' that the adult Brit Arcanes do, but without the noise and less chance of leaving bits of yourself behind. It is one of the first three things you will be trained in once we get you to Headquarters." the Wizard strode up to the bank, hobbling as he went.
Harry scurried after, after releasing Hedwig from her cage. A quick tap of his wand as he was scrambling up the steps saw the now palm sized cage slide into his pocket as the wand was stuck under his watch band. The goblin guards at the door sneered at the near trespass, but let the wizards pass without a word.
Inside the cool chamber of the Bank's lobby, the veteran LEO sighed and looked at the lad at his side. "So, This Hermione. What can you tell me about her. Is she a rule breaker or a by the Book player?" He moved to the closest que, the lad following.
Harry snorted. "By the Book, more ways than one. While she is a good friend, my best friend in fact, She can be a bit of a drag in the day to day. I received a new broom from my Godfather, and She ran to our Head of House, worried it might be cursed…." Harry Shrugged, "It was From Sirius Black afterall."
"You know Black?"
"Yeah, he is my sworn Godfather." the line moved, "He is innocent after all."
Smythe sighed, "Command will Surely want to speak with you. At least you are not sitting any four X classed beasts."
"Well there was a Basilisk last year…"