Chapter Two: Consequences
Anakin gulped as he continued to stare into his master's eyes, not able to break the fierce gaze no matter how hard he tried. Reaching along their bond he sensed anger, disgust, disappointment and… fear? Filing that away for later inquiry Anakin said quite possibly the worst thing he could have said in that situation.
Smiling at Harry, the Padawan said charmingly, "Hi Master, what are you doing here?" Harry's expression grew darker and he leaned forward to grab the bag off the table, putting it in a pocket in his robe. Glaring at Anakin again, he said quietly in a tone that both Padawans likened to durasteel sheathed in ice, "I never would have thought that you would do something so unbelievably stupid Padawan. I am extremely disappointed in you, not to mention utterly ashamed."
Switching his gaze to Jett, who shrank back under the dark glare, he said softly, "Your master is quite worried about your whereabouts Padawan Ayton. I will leave it up to you to explain tonight's exploits to him."
He then turned and walked out of the bar at a fast pace. He was still holding Anakin's braid like a leash so the Padawan had no choice but to follow or have his braid pulled out by the roots. Jett got up and walked silently out after his friend, his mind bringing up all sorts of horrible punishments that his master could use. He also felt deeply sorry for his friend; Harry looked like he was considering murdering Anakin.
Up in Heaven, three people were worriedly watching the scene as Harry stalked out of the bar, followed by the two Padawans.
"Uh oh, someone's in trouble" Sirius commented. James and Lily nodded, before Sirius continued, "One of you needs to go calm your son down otherwise he might very well send Anakin to join us and then where would the galaxy be?"
James and Lily looked at each other before James vanished, presumably to try and convince Harry that killing Anakin would be a very bad idea. After a few minutes though he returned, looking frustrated.
"He's too annoyed right now to listen to me, but I don't think he's planning on Padawan homicide although I think that Anakin believes he is, which isn't such a bad thing right at this moment."
Sirius nodded and commented, "Yeah, of all the stupid things to do. Well, we'd better leave Harry to it, he won't appreciate an audience, even if we are dead, and Anakin definitely won't. We can check back with him later."
While this conversation was happening, Harry had started his speeder and was flying back to the Temple, with the two Padawans in the back. The atmosphere was tense and the occupants of the vehicle were silent. Jett was too scared to talk; Anakin was feeling too miserable and sick to talk, and he was more than a little intimidated as well, while Harry was simply too angry to talk, not to mention that he needed to cool off before he dealt with the situation. When he reached the Temple he saw Ryan standing by the door. He stopped the speeder in the parking bay and as he got out he heard a slight whimper from Jett as he spotted his master waiting by the front door.
Harry turned round to face the two Padawans. His anger had cooled enough so that when he spoke to Anakin his tone had lost some of its edge though it was no less cold and authoritative.
"Home, now Padawan" he said as he stood aside to let Anakin past. Anakin stumbled slightly as he passed Harry, the alcohol catching up with him and making him less sure footed than he normally was. Harry steadied him until he could walk again and then gave him a slight push in the direction of the entrance.
He then turned back to Jett. He hadn't missed the whimper that had come from Jett's direction and saw that the Padawan was genuinely scared of the consequences of what had happened. He sighed and sat down in the front passenger seat, facing Jett.
"Jett, did you know what Anakin had planned tonight?" he questioned, gentling his tone as he saw that Jett was on the verge of tears. The Padawan in question shook his head and answered, "No sir, I didn't want to go out, when he came and asked me if I wanted to go out I thought he meant round the Temple. I couldn't leave when we were in the city, as we only had one speeder. I, I'm sorry."
Harry considered what he'd heard and then asked, "Why didn't you call your master, or me?" Jett shook his head. "I didn't want to be seen as a tattletale. And, well.." he trailed off and glanced at his master, and Harry understood.
"If you'd called one of us you'd have been in trouble too" he finished. Jett nodded miserably and Harry made a quick decision.
"Do you want me to explain the situation to your master?" he offered. Jett looked up at him, seeing a hint of Harry's normal gentle manner underneath the annoyance at Anakin. Finally he nodded. "Would you?" he almost whispered. Harry nodded and rose from the seat, holding out his hand. Jett took it and got out of the speeder, following Harry as he walked towards Ryan.
Jett stopped when he was almost at the door and watched as Harry spoke quietly with Ryan. After a few minutes he walked back to Jett and gave him a gentle push in the direction of his master.
"Go on, he won't kill you" he said softly. Jett looked up at him and blinked. "Thankyou Knight Potter. I'll, um, see you later?" Harry nodded before walking past the two Jedi and up the hall. He needed to see a certain Jedi Councilor before speaking to his Padawan otherwise things would not end well.
Luck was with him, as Mace was at home. His former master took one look at him before pulling Harry through the door and shutting it. Harry collapsed on the couch and Mace took a seat next to him.
"Trouble with Anakin?" Mace asked sympathetically. Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I found him in a bar, drinking Corellian rum and he was about to start using glitterstim. Glitterstim for Force sake! It's the most addictive and lethal spice in the entire galaxy and he, oh hell."
Harry dropped his head in his hands before continuing, in a slightly muffled voice, "I couldn't help thinking about Daren when I saw Anakin tonight. Even now, I'm having trouble separating the two situations. I'm just happy I was able to stop Anakin before he started. What am I going to do?"
Mace looked at Harry. His former Padawan looked upset, angry, and scared. He had good reason to be scared; he'd lost one of his friends, Daren to a glitterstim addiction and he didn't want to lose Anakin the same way. Mace reached out and cautiously laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, not knowing whether Harry wanted the comfort or not.
Harry accepted the hand and then looked up. "I know the two situations are different but everything came flooding back when I found them tonight." Mace looked sharply at him and said, "Them?" Harry laughed hollowly. "My Padawan not only got himself drunk, he dragged his best friend, Padawan Ayton along with him although I have it on good authority that Padawan Ayton didn't drink any alcohol and was in fact completely unwilling. But my original question still stands Mace, what the hell do I do?"
Mace sat back and considered the situation. Anakin had landed himself in a lot of hot water that much was clear. It was also clear that Harry was struggling to keep the situation with Anakin and the past situation with his friend separate. Finally he said, "Meditate for a while Harry, clear your mind, and lock the memories away. You need a clear head to deal with Anakin and you can't do that with all those memories swirling round. What were you planning on doing with regards to what happened?"
Harry looked at his former master and smiled grimly. "I was planning on giving him a rather large reality check but I.." he trailed off and suddenly grinned. Mace gave him a worried look but Harry merely said, "Don't worry Mace I'm not crazy. I just thought of the perfect way to teach my Padawan a lesson he won't forget, and I've got you to thank for it."
Getting up he hugged Mace briefly before closing his eyes and breathing in and out a few times, clearing his mind and calming himself down. When he opened his eyes, they were clear and determined, and he was back in control of his emotions. Smiling in a slightly feral manner at his former master he opened the door before saying, "I'll see you later Mace, I have a Padawan that is in need of a hefty dose of reality."
He walked down the hallways to his home and opened the door. As he closed it he heard sounds from the fresher, and went to investigate. He stepped inside to find Anakin crouched in front of the toilet, busy returning all the excess alcohol he'd drunk.
Anakin was feeling miserable. He hadn't been in the apartment for more than 5 seconds before he ran for the fresher. He had then stayed there, vomiting continuously as his system informed him that it violently disagreed with the amount of alcohol he'd drunk. The Padawan now felt utterly miserable and very sorry for himself. He didn't notice his master enter the apartment, nor did he sense him standing behind him. He did notice though, when a pair of hands steadied him while he finished throwing up and then those same hands gave him a facecloth and a glass of water. Moving on automatic Anakin rinsed his mouth and wiped his face before realizing who had helped him.
He began to stammer apologies only to stop when Harry held up a hand. "Not now Padawan, you're sick and in no condition to listen to what I have to say. Go to bed and we'll discuss this latest escapade in the morning."
Anakin nodded miserably. He did feel unwell but he felt worse knowing that things were definitely not alright between him and his master. Harry watched Anakin leave the fresher, not needing their bond to know that his Padawan was feeling very sick, from a combination of excess alcohol and guilt. While he was still annoyed at Anakin's behavior he wasn't cold-hearted enough to ignore the fact that his apprentice was obviously suffering, and while it was self-inflicted, that was no excuse for him to ignore it. Thus, when Anakin had changed and was in bed, Harry went in to check on him, and found Anakin asleep but still looking like death warmed up. Using the Force, Harry was able to sense that he was not in life threatening danger, he was just ill. He tucked the blankets more firmly round Anakin, as he didn't want him getting cold before leaving the room. The hangover in the morning should teach Anakin about the dangers of overindulging in drink while Harry was now going to prepare the second part of the lesson – one that would hopefully shock some sense into his apprentice and that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
The next morning, Anakin groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt terrible, his eyes felt like they were filled with sand, his stomach was churning and he felt as if he was going to throw up again. He then covered his ears as he heard Harry's voice from outside his bedroom door.
"Up Padawan, breakfast is in five minutes." Anakin gave an inarticulate moan in response, the hangover he had magnified his master's voice to unbelievable levels, even though Harry had only spoken at normal volume. Harry heard the moan and smirked, it would seem that Anakin was already discovering the delights of the morning after effects of alcohol overindulgence. Whistling, he went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast, even though he was certain that he was going to be eating the majority of it.He glancedtowards the bedrooms as he heard stumbling footsteps and then as he heard the door of the fresher closing, he shook his head and placed a large glass of water on the table where Anakin normally sat. He then sat down and served himself, waiting for Anakin to make an appearance.
After a few minutes the Padawan came out to the common area, sitting down opposite his master. Harry looked up and raised an eyebrow, Anakin looked terrible. The 15 year old glanced at the food and then looked up at Harry.
"Still feeding me then" he said with an attempt at humour. His attempt fell flat as Harry looked at him bleakly before replying in a tone as flat as Anakin's joke, "My relatives used to not feed me for days on end whenever I did something they didn't like, I'm not about to do the same thing to you no matter how annoyed I may be."
Anakin looked down, before serving himself some food and beginning to eat. He didn't feel like eating but he knew he needed to, and Harry wouldn't let him leave without him eating something. He spotted the water and drank it almost in one go before getting up to refill it. Harry had finished his own meal by the time Anakin was halfway through his, drinking about 3 glasses of water in the process. Harry rose, and said, "Meet me in the common room when you're finished Anakin and we'll discuss what happened last night."
Anakin winced as he watched Harry walk away from him, from the tone of the Knight's voice there would be no way of talking himself out of trouble.
'Not that I've ever been able to before' he thought as he finished his breakfast and took the dishes to the sink in the kitchen before walking out to the common room. He stopped upon seeing the stone bowl on the small table with Harry standing behind it.
He took a hesitant step forward and Harry looked at him. In a too-calm, even tone of voice he said, "Sit down Anakin." Anakin looked at his master and then obeyed, wondering how he could present the events of the previous night so that they didn't look quite as bad. He couldn't think of any way to do itthough and resigned himself to a thorough chewing-out. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what kind of punishment Harry had in mind, the Knight had never hit him, not once, but the Padawan couldn't help wondering if this time he'd finally pushed Harry far enough that he would consider it.
Sitting across from him, Harry was able to easily read his Padawan's thoughts. He smirked slightly, there was no chance of him ever hitting Anakin, it wasn't his preferred style of discipline. He knew how sensitive Anakin was when it came to disappointing him, which was why often a reprimand was the only thing needed for the apprentice to correct his behavior. On occasions when something more serious was needed, Harry preferred to ground Anakin. This could be harsher than it sounded, as it included the fact that if the pair was assigned a mission while the Padawan was grounded, the Padawan would stay behind and the Master would go alone. This had only happened once over the last few years and Anakin had been very careful to get himself grounded as little as possible after that. That wasn't to say that he didn't get in trouble, he did, but not badly enough to force Harry use that method of discipline.
Now though, Harry looked at his apprentice coolly and said, "Right. How about we begin by you telling me, in detail, exactly what you did last night, beginning from the time you walked out the door."
Anakin met Harry's gaze and then dropped his eyes, preferring to look at the floor than having to see the disappointment in Harry's eyes. Harry's sharp, "Look at me Padawan" forced Anakin to keep his eyes on Harry's as he told his master the events of the previous night. He sat and watched as Harry's expression grew darker and darker until by the end Anakin wanted to run to the farthest corner of the galaxy and hide. Harry closed his eyes and took a couple of breaths, reining in his temper with an effort.
In a too-calm tone Harry said, "Let me get this straight. You told me you were going to study. Then you went out, proceeded to convince Padawan Ayton to accompany you, and went to a bar. There, you used a mind trick to gain entrance, and also acquire a large amount of alcohol. After drinking enough to make you seriously ill, you were about to start using glitterstim on top of that!"
Taking another breath Harry hissed out "What the HELL were you thinking last night Anakin!"
Anakin winced, the story had sounded so much better when he'd told it. Still, his defiant nature asserted itself and he muttered, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. What harm could it do?"
Harry clenched his teeth, now certain that his chosen method was right. Shoving memories of Daren aside he said mildly, "What harm could it do? How about you take a look in here and find the answer to your question. I don't think you'll like it though."
With that Harry pushed the Pensieve towards his Padawan. "Just stick a finger in it" he said, sticking his own finger in at the same time as Anakin did. Together the two were sucked into Harry's memory.
They landed outside the bar that Harry had found Anakin and Jett in the previous night. Anakin looked round, seeing a younger version of his master, as well as another Padawan that he didn't know coming up to them.
"Harry come on we'll have fun" the other Padawan said. The younger version of Harry said, "Daren, we may be over 18 but we've got that test tomorrow. Let's go home, we can come back tomorrow."
Daren shook his head and headed into the bar. Harry hesitated and then followed. Behind him, Anakin and the older version of Harry followed. They soon spotted the pair at a table near where Anakin and Jett had been sitting.
"Look what I got Harry" Daren said enthusiastically. Looking over Daren's shoulder Anakin was able to see a small quantity of glitterstim. He drew back at the same time as the younger version of Harry moved forwards and grabbed it.
"Are you crazy Daren that could get you expelled" Harry snapped. Daren snorted and replied, "Don't be such a worrywart Harry, what harm could it do." Anakin glanced at his master, shocked. He hadn't taken possible expulsion into consideration and was grateful that Harry was handling the matter himself rather than involving the Council. He also didn't miss the fact that he had said the same thing as Daren.
Daren shook his head and grabbed the bag back, before beginning to smoke the spice. Harry retreated and stared in shock. After a while Daren looked up, his eyes glassy and he seemed out of it. "Hey Harry, I can see purple kaadus." Harry shook his head in dismay.
"Watch" Harry said quietly to Anakin, who couldn't tear his eyes away from the memory.
Daren was helped back to the Temple by Harry who was concerned for his friend. After a sleepless night Daren was ok and had come down off the high that the drug had given him. Things seemed alright but Harry was still worried.
Two weeks later Daren was hooked on the drug. The initial use hadn't been just a one time thing; he had more stashed in his room and had secretly been using it, not telling Harry because Harry had threatened to tell either Mace or Daren's Master about that night. His behavior became more erratic as the addiction took its toll.
Anakin was watching in horror as the drug that he had thought was recreational slowly destroyed his master's friend. It took just over 2 months for Daren to die from the spice addiction as the Padawan could not get through the day without a fix. He wasn't able to hide it from his master and he was quickly put into a drug rehab centre. However, the nature of the drug, as well as the fact that Daren was a Jedi, meant that when the withdrawal symptoms hit, they were twice as severe as they would normally be. Daren's body simply couldn't cope and he died in the rehab centre, with his master, Harry and Mace present. As the younger version of Harry broke down in tears as his friend died, the older version, as well as Anakin came out of the Pensieve.
Harry looked at Anakin keenly, needing to know if the memory had had any impact at all. It seemed to have had some effect as his Padawan was shaking and wide eyed, his breathing was short and fast, as if he was holding back tears. Slowly, Anakin looked at Harry.
"Master, can I have that spice back?" he asked. Harry looked at him, before asking in disbelief, "Did that memory have NO effect whatsoever Anakin?" Anakin shook his head. "Yes Master it did. Please, give it to me."
Harry looked at him, and then slowly held it out. Anakin put the bag on the table and then drew his lightsaber and activated it. After activating it he thrust the point of it into the bag. The spice smoked, and the bag caught fire. When the spice was totally destroyed, Anakin shut off the weapon and then sank back down onto his chair. In a choked voice he said, "I'm so sorry Master, I didn't realize what could happen. I'll never touch it again I promise."
Harry looked at him searchingly, and then nodded. "I believe you Padawan but there's something I need to know. Was that your first time?" Anakin looked at his master and nodded wordlessly. He looked into Harry's eyes, hoping that his master had forgiven him.
Reading his mind, Harry said, "I'm still disappointed with what you did Anakin, and you're not off the hook yet, but yes I do forgive you. You'll have to earn back my trust though."
That statement hit the Padawan hard, he was happy that he was forgiven but the loss of his master's trust was a sore blow. Harry didn't trust easily and once that trust was gone, it was difficult to gain back. Finally he unstuck his vocal cords and asked, "What do you mean, I'm not off the hook yet?"
Harry looked at him steadily before replying, "You lied to me, you pressured your friend into doing what both you and he knew was wrong, you misused the Force by mind-tricking the guard and the bartender and you had an illegal drug in your possession. If you weren't a Jedi you'd be in jail right now. You will be grounded for the next 2 months, during which you will be doing a lot of meditation on the reasons why using the Force in the way you did is not allowed, as well as on the Jedi Code, specifically the part about Padawans not being allowed to lie to their Masters. You will also be apologizing to Master Wolfe for dragging Jett into your misadventure.
Anakin's face fell further and further as he listened. Meditation was his least favorite activity, he found it difficult to sit still and quiet his mind, he preferred what Harry called active meditation where his mind was cleared and focused through movement. He also dreaded facing Ryan; the other Master was reputed to have a tongue almost as sharp as Harry's and he didn't look forward to the meeting. He dragged his attention back as Harry continued,
"When you have free time, you will also be researching the effects of glitterstim, and the reasons why it is an illegal drug. I expect that research to be as thorough as possible, if you want to visit that rehab centre to talk with some of the healers there then I can certainly arrange it."
Anakin shook his head. "I won't need that Master. Um, how am I going to earn back your trust?"
Harry gave his apprentice a cold look and answered, "You will have my trust back when you've proven yourself trustworthy. Right now I don't trust you to be alone outside the Temple. It is for that reason that you will wear this for the next two months."
As he held up a small tracking device, Anakin groaned. The device was one that meant that he had to actively check in by pressing a button on the side. The device would transmit his location and the time of transmission to a datapad in their apartment. He looked at it with distaste and Harry's gaze softened slightly.
"I didn't want to resort to this but you've not given me much of a choice Anakin. I'm setting the approved location to be the Temple. If you have a class trip that takes you outside the Temple in the next 2 months you will tell me when it is and where and I will know that you're not out of bounds on that day. I know when your classes are so we'll set the timer to check in after each class and once classes finish, then every half hour after that."
Harry's reasoning for the time between check ins was that half an hour did not give Anakin time to slip out of the Temple and round the city and get back in before the time was up. Harry handed the tracker to Anakin who immediately stuck it in a pouch on his belt. There was no reason for him to outwardly display the fact that he'd majorly screwed up, and he wanted to keep the teasing to a minimum.
Over the next two months, Anakin kept to the restrictions that Harry had imposed on him, faithfully checking in after each class and every half hour after that. The tracker was turned off once Anakin was asleep at night, because Harry had set the door to chime a soft alarm if it was opened again once both of them were in bed. Anakin didn't know this and it was a way for Harry to see if Anakin would try and slip out at night. He found his trust in his Padawan increasing over the months as Anakin never once failed to do what he had been told. The report on glitterstim had indeed been thorough, a little too thorough for Harry's tastes. He hadn't expected a 20 page report after all, he'd been expecting a maximum of 10 or 12. The apology to Ryan had been carried off with none of Anakin's usual charm, the humility and sincere regret that Anakin had displayed had managed to make Ryan warm up to him a lot sooner than Harry expected.
He knew that Anakin was hurt by his lack of trust but by making the apprentice earn it back he knew that Anakin would appreciate it all the more once he had it again. Harry intended to tell him that he'd regained his trust at the end of the two months but there was no reason to let him know that early. It would undermine the effectiveness of the discipline.
The end of the two months came and Anakin came into their apartment and dropped his datapads on the couch, before sitting down and fidgeting slightly. Harry looked up in amusement, knowing full well why Anakin was fidgety but not wanting to acknowledge it yet.
"Do you have something you want to say Padawan?" he asked calmly. Anakin looked at him and then said, "Um, yes, I'd like to apologise once again for my stupid behavior 2 months ago and I'll never repeat it, ever again."
Harry smiled before asking, "If you could go back in time and do things again, would you repeat your previous actions?" Anakin shook his head vehemently.
"No Master, I'd clonk my younger self over the head with my lightsaber before I'd let myself do that."
Now Harry grinned outright. "You might be interested to know that I was very close to doing exactly that Anakin. Nevertheless, you've handled yourself well over the last two months and done exactly as I wanted. I think you've proven that I can trust you again. Hand over that tracker and I'll disable it."
Anakin handed over the tracker and watched as Harry deactivated it in front of him before putting both tracker and datapad back in a drawer. Sitting back down Harry locked eyes with his apprentice and spoke quietly.
"You might not believe this but I didn't like the last two months anymore than you did. I love you, and I didn't want to lose you like Daren. That's the reason I was so hard on you. I do trust you Anakin."
Anakin was extremely relieved to see the normal warmth and affection present in Harry's eyes when he looked at him. He hadn't liked the coldness over the previous months and it had hurt more than he'd been willing to admit. Hearing that he had indeed regained Harry's trust made him all the more determined to never lose it again. He swallowed before saying,
"Thankyou Master. Um, did you stop loving me over the last two months?" He was caught by surprise when Harry yanked him forward and trapped him in a fierce hug.
Speaking quietly and forcefully Harry responded, "No. I have never stopped loving you. You disappointed me greatly but I never stopped loving you. If you want proof of that then how about this."
Harry stopped for a minute before continuing, "You could smash the Jedi Code into subatomic particles, burn down the Temple and throw the remains into a black hole, or even join the Sith and I would not stop loving you." Drawing back to give Anakin a crooked grin he finished with, "I wouldn't be very happy with you if you did that but I would still love you. Nothing that you do will ever change that."
Anakin looked relieved. "I'm glad of that Master; I didn't want to think that I'd lost the closest thing that I'll ever have to a father." Harry snorted. "Well that's nice Anakin because I consider you to be my son, maybe not biologically but in every other way you are."
As Anakin grinned in relief, the underlying tension that had existed between Master and Padawan evaporated and things went back to normal. Harry then stood up and stretched. "I hope you're not too tired Padawan because the Council want to see us now, regarding a mission for the two of us."
Anakin leapt up and said, "Mission? Where? When? Why aren't we up there now? Come on."
Harry laughed as he replied, "Yes Anakin a mission. We're going to Earth."
