Author's Note: Okay, so this is the third version of the chapter here. I've cut about thirty pages of material to get this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
Harry watched the passing London traffic and relaxed against the seat in the car. His head bobbed in time with the music playing on his CD player. Hermione's taste in music was certainly eclectic. She had introduced a bit of everything, from punk to classical, and Harry was listening to his current favorite of Enya. Some of the songs made him relax into a semi-drowsy state and Paul was quick to include the music as a part of the sessions with his aunt. The strange thing was that Harry had liked the addition. His feelings for his aunt were constantly changing and Harry was not upset at all. He wasn't sure why.
He saw the familiar streets pass and he took several deep calming breaths. He would be fine. Sensei was sitting in the front seat with his aunt and would help protect him. Aunt Petunia was ready to tear Fudge to tiny little pieces and Harry was sure she would given the slightest sign that Fudge meant Harry any ill will. Harry almost hoped Fudge would do something like that, just to see what Aunt Petunia would do. Bad thoughts, Harry.
Petunia parked the car according to Harry's instructions and Harry released his seat belt. "Here we go." Harry mumbled to himself.
"Let me go first, deshi." Sensei said as he opened his door. Sensei had shocked Harry beyond all else first thing this morning after their run. The shocking event changed Harry's outlook about his teacher again.
"Deshi." Sensei called him from the hallway. Harry excused himself from the two women and joined Sensei in the kitchen. "Something for you." Sensei said. "For your stick." How had Sensei known about his wand?
"Thank you." Harry said as Sensei presented something made out of leather. It had the same catch on it as his throwing knives.
"Roll your sleeve up." Harry took off his jacket and undid the button. His little sheath of knives was on his wrist. "Remove those." Harry nodded and Sensei helped him to strap on the new accessory. Harry took his wand out and slid it home in the holster. "Good." Sensei said. "It fits."
"Thank you, Sensei. This will make life a bit easier." Harry flexed his arm in the same way as when he wanted a knife and his wand slid into his hand, ready to be used. Wicked. Harry looked at the little sheath of throwing knives for a second before Sensei reached out and took them from him. A few quick motions attached the sheath to the holster and Harry smiled. Was it wrong to feel so comfortable with Muggle weapons in addition to his wand?
"There you two are." Petunia said from the hallway. Harry pulled down his sleeve before he turned around. "Are you ready?" She asked. Harry summoned his robe with one hand while he shrugged into his jacket.
"I'm ready." Harry told her. "What did you mean by 'two'?" Harry asked. He turned as Sensei tapped him on the shoulder. He stopped and considered what Sensei was wearing.
"My career as bodyguard has been revived." Sensei said simply.
"Huh?" Harry realized that eloquence was not a big thing right now.
"I was a bodyguard for many years before a teacher." Sensei said simply. "Where did you think I learned it?" The two sentences convinced Harry that Sensei spoke in broken sentences when it served a purpose and no other reason. Harry watched as Sensei wanted over to a cabinet and pressed a spot in the wood. It swung open and Harry's eyes bugged out. Sensei calmly loaded a gun and slid it into his own holster before taking a card out and sliding it into his pocket.
"Sensei, you don't have to come with us. I'll be just fine with Aunt Petunia." Harry told him.
"You are in my hands, deshi." Sensei told Harry. He would listen to no further arguments. He dropped a kiss on Lynn's cheek and led the way to the door. Harry wondered if a gun was able to work around magic. It was just a simple matter of physics, right? Nothing too technologically advanced, right? Harry slipped on his shoes and hung his robe over his arm until they made it to the car. Harry grumbled as Sensei forced him into the backseat. He hated the backseat. Bodyguard. Why did Harry's life have to be so complicated?
Sensei stood outside the car and looked around before motioning Harry out of the car. Harry opened his door and stood. Sensei nodded and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry could only imagine what Snape would say if he heard that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, needed a Muggle bodyguard. He cringed. That would not be a pleasant conversation.
"There you are." Paul said from behind them. "Relax. Zen sends his greetings." Paul told them with a smirk. "I feel like I'm James Bond now." Harry rolled his eyes at Paul. "Hey, double-O seven. Ready to go?"
"I'm nervous." Harry said honestly. "I know nothing is likely to happen, but…" He trailed off and shrugged.
"I understand." Paul dug into his pocket and produced a small vial. "Remus gave this to me when he stopped by yesterday." Paul told him.
"Are you sure it was Remus?" Harry questioned.
"He knew all of your safety words and could tell me my entire 'I'll hurt you if you hurt Harry' speech from when we first met." Paul said with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure it was Remus."
"What is it?" Harry asked. He pointed at the vial in curiosity.
"A calming draught. Or that's what he called it, anyway." Paul said. Harry wanted to hit himself. Of course it was a calming draught. He should have recognized it from the amount of time he had spent in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.
"Keep it for now." Harry said. "I might really need it later." Harry took a few deep breaths and then realized something odd. "Wait a minute." He said, looking back and forth between Paul and Sensei. "Why are you here?" He asked. "And why are the two of you dressed alike?"
"Ah." Paul said as he gave a quick look to Sensei. "Harry, did I ever tell you why I decided to go to university?" Harry shook his head and Paul looked a bit sheepish. "Well, Sensei and I met through bodyguard training about fifteen years ago. He was my physical defense teacher. It's what I did before I became a therapist."
"You're telling me that you worked as a bodyguard and risked your life to protect others?" Harry asked with a hint of incredulity in his words. "That's a little too much coincidence for me." Harry folded his arms. "I feel like I'm living in a bloody conspiracy." He growled.
"Language." His aunt said sharply. Harry looked at her and dropped his eyes.
"Sorry, Aunt Petunia." Harry said. "But, I still don't believe it." Harry said with a scowl.
"So I felt like a career change ten years ago and went to university." Paul shrugged. "I'm telling you the truth." He promised.
"Okay, Paul. I guess I'm just out of sorts." Harry said. "I don't want to be here." Harry told him.
"I understand, buddy. Anyway, Sensei and I are here to intimidate anyone who tries to hurt you."
"But you're Muggles!" Harry's voice broke. This was going to be too much. Harry wasn't sure if he could handle it. Playing games with the Dark Lord, yes. Meeting the Minster of Magic, no. "You can't do anything against spells!" Harry said as his breath caught in his throat. He choked on it and coughed. His throat closed and he gasped for air. Oh, no. Not another panic attack.
"Harry! Breathe, buddy." Paul talked Harry through his breathing exercise and held onto Harry's hands. The physical contact seemed to help Harry. "You're okay and no one is going to get hurt today. Sensei and I are just precautions. That's all." Paul watched as reason asserted itself over the panic in Harry's eyes. "Okay?"
"Yes." Harry answered tiredly. "Let's get this over with." He said as he stepped away from Paul. Harry jumped as his aunt pulled him into her arms.
"No one is going to hurt you, Sensei, or Paul." She told him. Harry rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. "I won't let them. The magical world hasn't seen anything yet. They think Voldemort is something to be afraid of? Ha. They haven't met me yet."
Harry's lips twitched and he smothered his laugh. It wasn't appropriate to laugh now, was it? He looked at Aunt Petunia and saw her in Voldemort's robes. His lips twitched again as he pulled away from her. He snorted and then laughed as the image continued to become one of Aunt Petunia sitting in an armchair and the Death Eaters on their knees around her. "I don't know what you said to him, but it worked." Paul said as Harry started walking out of the car park.
"Oh, nothing." Petunia said airily. Harry snorted and laughed again. That image would be dangerous later. He wouldn't want to descend into laughter in the Minister's office. That would not be the image he wanted to project to the leader of the magical world.
Speaking of images…Harry touched one of his eyebrows. Rick had helped Harry with his hair this morning and had done a surprising thing that had rather impressive results. Harry had experienced the agony of eyebrow tweezing.
It had been that morning directly after Harry's shower. The shower had felt wonderful on slightly sore muscles and a few vague injuries from Harry's dream that night. Not that he wanted to think about that. "Your aunt is here." Sensei told him as he entered Harry's room. "She brought you a suit and a…robe." Sensei presented the suit to Harry and placed a folded robe on the bed next to Harry. Harry was surprised to see that Aunt Petunia remembered that he would need a robe today. "Your dress shoes are downstairs. Rick wants to help with your hair."
"Oh, no. I'll never leave the bathroom again." Harry commented. Sensei smiled at the sentence.
"You will if you take much longer to get dressed." Rick snapped from the hallway. "Hurry up, Evan!"
"Coming. Keep your shirt on!" Sensei left the room and shut the door behind him. Harry pulled on the suit and thought it looked unfinished without the shoes. He stepped out into the hallway and Rick snatched Harry's arm and led him to the bathroom.
"We've got to get it finished before it dries. Sit!" Okay, the ordering thing was not genetic, but it was still annoying. How did the father/son pair manage to sound exactly the same? Harry submitted to Rick's fanatical hair styling frenzy. "Dad says you have a meeting with some bigwig to get your name off the news."
"Yes. He already knows me, fortunately, so it shouldn't be too hard to convince him that whoever reported my name to the news was extremely mistaken." Harry said. Rick made a noise above him as he pulled out a hair dryer. Harry closed his eyes against the hot air and made a mental note to switch from his contacts to his glasses. He wanted to appear as wizardly as possible and glasses were one of his trademarks.
"Hold still." Rick said as he rested a hand on Harry's forehead. Harry felt something metal settle on his eyebrow before intense pain assaulted his senses.
"Ow!" Harry snapped. He pushed Rick's hands away and reached up a hand to rub at the sore spot. "What did you do to me?" Harry demanded. He took away his hand to check for blood.
"I was only tweezing some stray hairs. This will give your eyebrows a bit more definition." Rick explained in a calm voice. He tilted Harry's head back and tweezed a few more hairs away before Harry had a chance to protest.
"Ow! Rick! Stop!" Harry was sure he could hear someone stifling their laughter just outside the door. "What are you, a girl in disguise?" He batted at Rick's hands and attempted to stand.
"No, don't be silly." Rick just nudged Harry back to his seat. "Stay still; I'm almost done." Rick told him.
"This is torture." Harry complained.
"You'll thank me when I'm done." Rick said with a smirk. Harry only rolled his eyes and let Rick get on with it. Two painful minutes later, Rick allowed Harry to stand. "Look at yourself in the mirror." Harry turned to the mirror and turned his face from side to side. The change was subtle. His face looked older, somehow. More mature. His hair was calm and it looked like he had been to a salon to style it. Now Harry knew how Hermione had felt during the Yule ball. He was going to turn some heads with the suit, his hair, and the eyebrows. It was exactly the image Harry wanted to project at the Ministry today. "I'm waiting." Rick said with a grin.
"Okay, okay. Thanks, Rick. It makes me look older." Harry told him. He reached up on reflex to smooth back his hair, only to be stopped by Rick. "Sorry. I'll try not to touch the hair. Thanks again."
"Get going. Dad's waiting. Good luck today." Rick said as he pulled towels out of the linen closet.
"Thanks." Harry left the bathroom and went downstairs.
"He had one of his dreams last night." Sensei's voice broke Harry out of his thoughts and Harry frowned.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Paul asked.
"One of those vision dreams?" Petunia said before Harry could answer Paul.
"I'm fine." Harry said. Sensei snorted a second later. "Really. I'll live. It was bad, but it could have been worse." Harry assured Paul and Petunia.
"Talk about this later." Sensei said firmly. "Now, we must focus on our task ahead." The group fell silent as Harry led them towards the street with the empty department store. Harry thought about his "dream", as Sensei called it. It had been bad. Very bad. What was worse was that Sensei had seen the aftermath of it all. Sensei had not been pleased.
Voldemort had been easy to deal with in the beginning. It was when Harry started to lose control of his magic that things started to go pear-shaped. Voldemort, Harry had learned, did not have the patience of a saint and loathed being disobeyed, voluntarily or involuntarily. Voldemort's words still sounded in Harry's ears, even in the light of day. My student.
The dream with Voldemort started as it always did without any kind of warning. Harry tensed as he felt familiar surroundings settle around him. He was in Voldemort's room again. He could hear the fire crackling in the grate and the soft tinkling that came when Voldemort was stirring his tea. Strange to think that the Dark Lord enjoyed a good cup of tea. Harry allowed his eyes to flutter open, as though he was just waking up, before he acknowledged the other man's presence. "Sir." Harry said as he sat up.
"It looks like you escaped the sleeping pills this evening." Voldemort said as he sipped his tea. Harry stood and went over to his own chair. Voldemort waved to the tea tray and Harry picked up his own cup.
"I feel asleep before they brought me the pills. I can't manage it often, but they'll leave me alone if I'm sleeping peacefully." Harry said.
"Make sure you 'manage' it more often." Voldemort told him firmly. Harry looked at Voldemort before dropping his eyes and nodding. He hoped he looked ashamed. It was difficult to tell when he wasn't watching Voldemort's reactions. "You are a good student, Harry. You are very talented, but that talent will be going to waste if you do not practice regularly and that is something I refuse to tolerate. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Harry wondered if this performance would qualify for an award of some type. Perhaps the "Fool the Man Trying to Kill You" award. Yes, that would be fun. "I'll figure something out." He promised.
Voldemort nodded before finishing his tea. "Wand out." He told Harry as he put his cup aside. "Levitate the cup. Make sure you do not break it."
Harry nodded and took his wand out. Levitating the cup should be easy. Harry focused and swished his wand. He smiled a bit as the cup started up. He held it there. Harry would never leave this room again if Voldemort ever figured out that levitation was easier for Harry if it was wandless magic. He felt his magic spike just then and the cup wobbled. "That should not be happening." Voldemort said.
"Yes, sir." Harry steadied the cup and returned his concentration to his task. This was rather easy. He could do this all day if need be. Granted, he wouldn't want to, because Voldemort was never a pleasant companion, but he could. His magic spiked again, worse than the last time and the spell cancelled. Harry's hand shot out and he caught the cup before it could break. He thanked the powers that be for Seeker reflexes. And Sensei's training.
"Do you think you can explain that?" Voldemort said as he own wand appeared in his hand. Harry swallowed and placed the cup back on the tray, knowing he only had five seconds to answer before Voldemort 'corrected' him.
"It felt like my magic spiked, but worse." Harry told him in hopes that the man would accept the answer and leave him alone. Harry hissed as he felt two quick stings across his chest. Sensei was not going to like that.
"You are past the stage where your magic can spike. Try again." Voldemort said dangerously. Harry cast about for something to say. What could he say? His magic was out of his control? His magic wouldn't listen to him anymore? He was better wandless? No. "Nothing to say, Harry?" Voldemort's voice sounded concerned. That only made him more dangerous.
"I'm afraid I don't have an explanation, sir. I'm not sure-" Harry fell back in his chair as the Cruciatus curse hit him. He felt a vague sensation like he had felt with Bleys, a need to end the spell by pushing it off, but he resisted. That was a skill the Dark Lord did not need to know about, if it was a skill at all. The curse ended and Harry allowed himself to collapse into the chair.
"You are going to have to try better than that." Voldemort told him. Harry jerked as he sent another two lashes at the boy. "Now, let us see how you are doing with your power control." Voldemort said as he stood.
Harry leapt to his feet and only wobbled for a minute. That was surprising. His recovery time was getting much better from these curses. Sensei would not like that either. "Stance." Voldemort warned. Harry fixed his position quickly before Voldemort could 'correct' it. Harry felt a mild sting on the inside of his knees. Yeah, that would remind him to keep his feet apart. Ouch. "Now, go up through the different power levels you have mastered. Start with the lowest and work your way up. Expelliarmus only." Harry nodded and locked his arm.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry only pushed a bit of power through his wand and was surprised to find his target already a bright white. Four quick stings landed across his back.
"I said to start at the bottom." Voldemort said slowly. "Are you hard of hearing?" He asked Harry, ready to raise his wand to further correct his student.
"No, sir." Harry said, staring at the target. "I don't have an explanation for it." Four more quick stings landed on Harry's back and he gritted his teeth.
"You should have an explanation for it!" Voldemort snapped. Harry felt several more lashes appear on his back and his knees buckled. He caught himself and took a deep breath before standing again. He fought back tears and breathed the best he could. "Now, do it correctly." Voldemort ordered.
Harry raised his wand at the target and thought of the disarming spell instead of saying it. He was relieved to find the spell start at the lowest setting. He took a breath and released it before turning to Voldemort.
The Dark Lord was eyeing him with an odd look. It was…calculating. "I think," He said, sounding more satisfied than Harry had ever heard him before, "that we have found the reason for your erratic performance." No, really? "You are a natural wordless caster."
"Pardon?" Harry asked.
"A natural wordless caster. You are able to cast spells better without saying the words than you are with saying the words. You should have figured that out on your own." Harry wanted to tell the man exactly what he thought about that, especially since he had just lashed Harry, but refrained for reasons of his own continued existence. This was a desperate game and Harry wanted to see it to the end. "I will expect all of your spells to be wordless from now on. You will be corrected if you do not follow my directions."
"Yes, sir." Harry answered. Anything to make his life easier. Using words was too much trouble nowadays. Bleys had not allowed words to be used with the wandless magic. He said that words, like wands, were nothing more than crutches for lazy wizards. Harry had not really needed words for some time. Two quick stings brought Harry out of his thoughts.
"You should really pay attention to me when I am speaking, my student. You never know what interesting things I have to tell you." Voldemort said. He raised an eyebrow at Harry.
"I'm sorry, sir. I was surprised that you think I'm ready to continue magic without saying the spells." Harry told him. That was partially true. He was surprised that Voldemort would think him powerful enough to cast all of his spells without the words. He was trying to present the opposite, that he was nothing special and should not be considered a threat. Why did his talents always work against him?
Voldemort eyed him, as though he was questioning what Harry had said. He shrugged and looked back at the target. "Do it again." He told Harry. Harry raised his wand and looked at the target. He focused and released his spell. He sighed in relief as the spell glowed a bright green. It was only a bit brighter than the last one. "Very good." Voldemort praised. Harry fought down a shudder. There was just something wrong with the bad guy praising the good guy. It was almost disturbing.
The lesson continued all the way through until Harry's target color was the bright white he had first accomplished with the spoken spell. Voldemort called a halt then and Harry lowered his wand, grateful for the reprieve. Bleys had never worked him this hard and Sensei never truly worked Harry until exhaustion, but only until sore and tired. This was so far beyond sore and tired that Harry thought he was seeing double. He looked at his wand and saw two. That wasn't right. Okay, he was seeing double. Great.
"I have been thinking." Voldemort said in a master of the universe way. Voldemort thinking always produced problems for Harry. "I think that it is time you and I met in more…adequate surroundings." Harry looked at Voldemort for a few seconds before blinking.
"More adequate surroundings, sir?" He asked. His brain was fighting hard to keep up with Voldemort, but there was only so much he could do.
"Yes." Well, that answer helped a whole lot. "I think it is time for you to come to me at night. Train face to face and not in our minds." Voldemort said simply as he conjured two chairs. He took hold of Harry's elbow and steered him into the chair. Harry took care in sitting at this point, careful of his back and chest.
"To you at night?" Harry asked. Alright, his brain was really, really slow. He was a teenager, he was sleep-deprived, and he had been tortured. He was in a bad way and only wanted to sleep.
"Yes. I'll send you a portkey to use." Voldemort said. "It will not be difficult. My bird can find anyone, anywhere, no matter what wards surround them." Voldemort told Harry. "I'll send one in the morning."
"I don't think that's a very good idea, sir." Harry knew as soon as the words left his mouth that it was the wrong thing to say. Voldemort's wand appeared in his hand and Harry felt the lashes increase by five. A Cruciatus curse followed and Harry ended curled on the floor in agony. The lashes burned with the salt-in-the-wound feeling like before and turned to fire the longer Voldemort held the curse. Harry felt a familiar presence in his head and the pain started to recede even though Voldemort continued to hold it. Who was that? Bleys?
"I trust that you will not question my judgment again, child." Voldemort's acerbic voice brought Harry out of his daze. Harry lay on the floor, unable to identify exactly when he had fallen from his chair, twitching from the spell. His muscles were in spasms and his breath hitched as he fought to control it.
"No, sir." Harry gasped out through his spasms. His throat hurt. Had he been screaming? He tried to move and failed. Oh, he hurt! He silently prayed to any deity listening to allow his life to end at that moment. He hurt too much to go on with this. He hurt too much to continue. "It's just-" he trailed off, truly afraid to continue with this. Why did he choose this? This was too hard. He was afraid.
"Just what, child?" Voldemort demanded. Harry realized that the man was calling him a child. What happened to 'young man'? "Speak up!" Voldemort demanded of Harry.
"The Death Eaters will kill me on sight." Harry said in a rush. He was more afraid of Dumbledore's spies finding him and returning him to Hogwarts before he could finish the game. He needed his freedom in order for this to work.
"Not if I order them not to." Voldemort said lightly.
"What if Dumbledore gets a hold of one?" Harry asked frantically. He put a real bit of fear in his voice. "He is a Legillmens. He might be able to know that you are training me. I hesitate to think what he would do then." Bravo, Harry! Bravo! Good excuse! Harry was impressed with himself. He could still think after being tortured. He deserved some ice cream for this, of the mint chocolate chip variety. Voldemort paused and looked Harry over.
"You truly detest the idea of Dumbledore finding you?" Voldemort asked him as Harry fought his way to a sitting position. Harry balanced himself against the chair and ignored his throbbing back the best he could.
He looked up at Voldemort and locked eyes with him. He opened his shields and brought up his feelings for Dumbledore. He felt Voldemort touch his mind lightly and Harry reaffirmed his feelings of current dislike for the headmaster. "Yes!" He hissed in Parseltongue. Voldemort's eyes widened the slightest bit and Harry felt him withdraw from his mind.
"I shall send you a robe and a mask along with a portkey then. Expect it tomorrow evening." Voldemort said in a calm voice. "You'll be just another Death Eater and under Dumbledore's notice. I look forward to seeing you in person, my student."
Harry relaxed and his head fell backwards onto the seat of the chair. "Thank you." He said sincerely. The last thing he needed was for Dumbledore to catch wind of Harry being a Death Eater. That would ruin all of Harry's plans. Harry felt a sleeping spell hit him and he fell under its power. He sank back into the world of sleep.
Harry had woken up a few minutes later from the shaking. No one was shaking him. He was shaking on his own. Harry woke with Sensei holding onto his arms and Lynn standing beside the bed. He looked from one to the other and felt a remnant of the Cruciatus course through him. His body shook with the after effects of that curse. He had to fight out of Sensei's grasp to smother his cries in his pillow. He sat up slowly once he rode the effects out and had found Lynn standing there with a pale face. She pointed at his chest where a bit of blood had seeped through his pajama top. Harry was glad that only a speck of it had shown and he was able to pull the modesty card to get Lynn out of the room when Sensei had started to remove his shirt.
He reached out and unbuttoned Harry's pajama top. Why hadn't Harry opted for the T-shirt tonight? He pushed against Sensei's hands. "No fighting." Sensei snapped. Harry's hands fell to his sides and he just breathed as his teacher removed his top. Sensei sucked in air between his teeth at the marks littering Harry's chest. "Him again, deshi?" Sensei asked, looking over the marks on Harry's chest.
Harry glanced down at his chest. The marks were more than simple lashes. The Cruciatus Curse had inflamed them, making them appear twice as bad as they were. Sensei leaned over and investigated Harry's back. He 'tsked' at the more numerous marks there. "Bad, deshi. They are very bad." Sensei told him.
"Yes, Sensei." Harry rasped. Harry gasped as it felt like every one of his nerve endings lit on fire. He shuddered and recognized the feeling as a remnant of the Cruciatus curse. Sensei held Harry's hand as Harry worked through the spasm.
The look on Sensei's face when Harry's shirt finally left his shoulders was one that Harry would remember for the rest of his natural life. Sensei had then ordered, yes ordered, Harry to remove his pajama bottoms and wait in his pants for Sensei to return. Sensei had mumbled something about being sure that Harry was not marked in other places than his chest and back. It seemed that Sensei still did not trust him to admit to injuries. Harry did as ordered; Sensei was not a person to disobey when he was in a temper. Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed when Sensei returned carrying a bowl of water. He pushed Harry back so that Harry was resting on his hands and his chest was free. "This cannot happen again, deshi." Sensei had said when he started to clean the welts left from Voldemort. "You can protect your mind from him. Do it." Sensei said, cleaning one welt none too gently. Harry hissed and pulled away from the rag. "Stay still." Sensei snapped. Harry meekly obeyed.
"Twenty-four." Sensei said some minutes later. Harry had been moved from his first position to a kneeling position on the floor with his head on his arms and his arms resting on the bed.
"Sorry?" Harry had been drifting in and out of sleep while Sensei took care of his cuts. He wasn't sure if he had heard Sensei correctly or if the number had come from that place between asleep and awake.
"Twenty-four welts." Sensei said. Harry had felt the bed tip dangerously and he clutched the blanket for support. Twenty-four? He had survived twenty-four welts and the Cruciatus? How had he managed that?
Sensei reached down and helped Harry back into a sitting position on the bed. He started to stand when the welts on the inside of Harry's knees from that mild stinging hex caught his attention. "Twenty-six." He ground out from between his teeth. Could Harry manage to run in his condition? He wanted to. He really wanted to. Sensei was scarier than Voldemort right now. "Stay still!" Sensei told Harry as he left the room again.
Harry had not moved a millimeter. Sensei returned just a few minutes later with a bowl in his hands. "This will sting." He warned Harry before reaching out with a finger. Sensei applied his strange cream to everyone one of Harry's welts and Harry wanted to tell Sensei he was mistaken. This cream of his did not sting. Oh, no. It burned. Harry was sure his skin was ready to separate from his bones. Anything would be better…
Those thoughts had stopped all at once as the burning died away and a pleasant numbness seeped through into Harry's muscles. Harry was very nearly limp when Sensei had finished. "Into new pajamas." Sensei had said as he pulled out a T-shit and sweatpants for Harry. What followed had to be the oddest experience Harry had ever had. Sensei had to dress Harry into his new pajamas. Harry had been unable to move due to the numbing effects of the cream. It was slightly embarrassing, but Harry had also never felt safer than at that moment. He knew Sensei would make sure that he was dressed, put back to bed, and protected from everything else.
Lynn arrived just a few seconds after Sensei had finished tucking Harry into bed. She carried a small mug with her. "I thought a bit of hot chocolate would help Evan get back to sleep." She said to Sensei. Sensei glanced at Harry and Harry had nodded. The hot chocolate had healing powers. Madame Pomfrey used it often enough in the hospital wing. Sensei had helped Harry drink the hot chocolate and then ordered him back to sleep. Harry had complied without protest.
Harry reached the telephone box and picked up the receiver. "Harry, what are we doing here?" Petunia asked with an obvious tone of disbelief in her voice.
"Going to the Ministry of Magic." Harry said in a low tone. He reached out and punched 62442 on the keypad. The disembodied voice questioned their business at the Ministry of Magic. "Harry Potter, Petunia Dursley," He paused and looked at Sensei and Paul. Both shook their heads. "To see the Minister of Magic." Harry finished. If they wanted to act like they were invisible, so be it. Harry listened to the voice and heard the badges appear in the coin chute. He removed them and handed one to his Aunt Petunia as the telephone box started its downward assent. He shrugged on his robe and pinned his badge to the front of it. "This will admit us to the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic." Harry told his aunt. "It's just like a lift." He reassured her. Paul and Sensei were both looking around. Harry noticed that they had unbuttoned their jackets. Were they both armed with guns?
Harry stood just inside the lift and looked around for possible threats. Magical people were going in and out of the fireplaces. The green flames of Floo powder lit the hall. Harry grinned as he remembered his first time with Floo powder. He didn't miss it. Paul and Sensei maneuvered themselves so that Sensei was in front of Harry and Paul behind Aunt Petunia. Petunia moved up to stand next to Harry. "You ready?" She asked him as she patted her hair.
"Yes." He answered her as he took a deep breath. "Just don't kill Fudge before he agrees to end the hunt, okay?" Harry smirked at her.
"Agreed, Harry." She said. "Let's go meet this man." She gave Harry a smile and Harry stepped out of the lift. He set a fast clip of a walk towards the security booth. People ignored them. Harry had found that if he kept his eyes on the ground and he walked as though he had somewhere to be at just that moment, people would ignore him. Sensei and Paul were looking out for him. He figured he didn't need to scan his surroundings constantly beyond glancing around.
"What happened to that?" Petunia asked in a low voice as they passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren. It was back together, but still held evidence of being in the path of a duel.
"Ah, that. Long story." Harry said in a quiet voice. "Really long story. There were some curses involved. Ask me again sometime." Harry told her. He fell silent as he stepped up to the security booth.
"Name?" The guard asked in a bored tone. Harry had to wonder about security here. Voldemort could just waltz in and no one would be the wiser.
"Harry Potter. This is my aunt, Petunia Dursley." Harry had the satisfaction of watching the man pale.
"Harry Potter?" The man gasped quietly. His eyes did the trademark flicker up to Harry's forehead.
"Yes. I'm afraid that I'm on a bit of a tight schedule. Can we move along, please?" Harry asked.
"Er, yes. Wand?" Harry flicked his hand and presented his wand to the man. The man scanned it and handed it back to Harry as he rattled off the statistics. Harry nodded in agreement. "Wand?" He asked Petunia.
"She's a Muggle." Harry told him. "But my legal guardian. That's why she's here." He was ready to leave. Now.
"What about the other two?" The man asked.
"My bodyguards." Harry answered flatly. "Neither own wands." Harry told the man.
"Are they wizards or Muggles?" The man asked. Okay, Harry was starting to understand Voldemort's temper a little better. This was becoming tedious.
"They have knowledge of the wizarding world." Harry told him. "Are we finished?" Harry asked with thinning patience.
"Do you carry any weapons?" Harry wanted to scream. No, this security guard couldn't make it easy, could he? Paul and Sensei glanced at each other. Paul motioned for Sensei to go first.
Harry watched as Sensei started to disarm himself. Knives and throwing blades appeared from many different places. A sharp looking object appeared from his waist, briefly, before it was replaced with the same amount of speed. A long, thin wire of some kind came from one of Sensei's pockets. Was that piano wire? Sensei wouldn't carry that, would he? Sensei ended with a quick flash of his gun and stepped back.
"Right." The security guard looked dazed. "And you?" He asked Paul, sounding fearful of actually discovering that Paul carried similar weapons. Paul stepped forward, gave the man a smile meant to comfort, but found it didn't work. Paul pulled out several items similar to Sensei's own before producing something even Harry didn't recognize. "What's those?" The man asked. Even Harry cringed at the sentence.
"Small flash and smokes." Paul said. "Completely harmless, really. They create a distraction just long enough to get our charge out of harm's way." Paul said.
"Flash and smokes?" The man questioned. Did this security guard ever stop?
"They create a flash of bright light before a smoke screen develops." Paul told him. "I can't demonstrate it here, but they are harmless and used for defensive purposes only." Paul pocketed them and opened his jacket to reveal his gun. He stepped back then and smiled at the guard.
"Alright." The guard said. Harry smirked to himself. "You're here to see the Minister?"
"Yes. Where is his office?" Harry asked. He listened closely to the directions and then thanked the guard for his helpfulness. Harry left the man, who was mumbling to himself about weird Muggles and their contraptions. Sensei positioned himself to the front of the group and followed Harry's whispered directions to the elevators.
"Harry, dear. Why are there paper airplanes flying everywhere?" Aunt Petunia's voice sounded strained.
"They're memos going from one office to another. Like email." Harry tried to explain. Bug had introduced Harry to the concept of email and Harry was still deciding on whether or not he liked it. Aunt Petunia nodded absently.
"These look more fun than email." Paul said as one paper airplane dodged him. It was screaming "urgent" at the top of its lungs.
"Yes, they are." Harry stepped into the lift and hit the appropriate button for the Minister's office. He waited patiently and hummed a bit under his breath. He disliked lifts and preferred stairs. He could see where he was going then and didn't have to worry about who was lurking on the other side.
"Calm, deshi." Sensei's voice broke through his thoughts. "Breathe deeply and calm." Harry nodded and followed his teacher's instructions. He was always surprised that just deep breathing could calm him as efficiently as a calming draught. The doors opened and Harry looked around. No wonder Fudge didn't want to lose his job!
The office itself wasn't seen yet. There was a huge entryway. The walls were very high, around twelve feet or so. The windows themselves were charmed to present a perfect spring day. Harry knew it was cloudy and overcast outside. Fudge was very lucky. The walls themselves were decorated with the portraits of past Ministers. Sensei stepped out of the lift and looked around for a threat before motioning the rest of the group out.
Sensei allowed Harry to go in the lead at that point, but insisted on walking next to him. Harry didn't mind. He'd prefer to have some protection when Fudge went into his "hero-worship" mode. The long walk stopped at two large doors, just as tall as the walls, and a desk at which sat a familiar looking figure. "Hi, Percy!" Harry greeted. "Oh, sorry." He said, seeing the name plate on the desk. "Mr. Weasley." He corrected himself. "Is the Minister in his office?"
Percy Weasley looked at the group in front of his desk and lost the ability to speak. He nodded dumbly at Harry and just stared.
"Thanks!" Harry said brightly. He turned and went to the doors. He opened the pair of them and walked into the office. Fudge was sitting a desk with a harassed look on his face. He was surrounded by stacks of parchment and paper airplanes landed on his desk with only five second intervals between each. Umbridge sat next to the desk, looking just as harassed as Fudge and twice as ugly. Harry's hand tightened. He was more aware of the scars than ever.
"Harry Potter!" Fudge shrieked in the next instant as he leapt to his feet. He hurried out from behind the desk and came forward to greet Harry.
"Minister Fudge." Harry returned. Harry smirked as Fudge was stopped by a rather menacing looking Sensei. "It's alright." He said in a low tone to Sensei. "He won't hurt me."
"Mr. Potter. Who are these, uh, people with you?" Fudge asked, motioning Harry to a small alcove in the office. It appeared to be a sitting area of sorts. A tea service appeared on a low table between Harry and Fudge. Harry made sure Aunt Petunia was seated before himself.
"Aunt Petunia, this is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic." Harry started the introductions. "Minister Fudge, my aunt and guardian, Petunia Dursley." Fudge shook Petunia's hand with enthusiasm, telling her how relieved they were that Harry was alive and in good health.
"So, you're the man sending those Auror people to my home." She said sharply. Harry hid his smile. "Not appreciated, but it's nice to meet you anyway." She gave Fudge an appraising look. "Harry's told me a lot about you." She said and smiled at Fudge. Fudge looked like he had won the Triwizard Cup.
"A Muggle's heard of me. How nice." Harry wondered exactly how many Chocolate Frogs Fudge had eaten recently. He was very…giddy. Like a schoolgirl. It worried Harry. "And these gentlemen?" He motioned to Paul and Sensei. Both men had taken up positions on other side of Harry's chair and stood like statues.
"Paul and Leonard." Harry said simply as he pointed to each one. "My bodyguards. They're not very good at conversation when they're in protection mode. It's best to ignore them." Harry offered. The sooner attention shifted away from Paul and Sensei, the better.
"Bodyguards?" Fudge asked. "Why would you need bodyguards?" Fudge seemed completely perplexed.
"Hem-hem." Harry could not believe the rush of relief he felt when he heard that rude noise from Dolores Umbridge. He looked up as though he just noticed her and smiled.
"Professor Umbridge." Harry said calmly. "Forgive me, I didn't see you there. My aunt, Petunia Dursley. Aunt Petunia, Dolores Umbridge. She taught at Hogwarts last year as my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Harry explained to his aunt.
"That's an important class." Petunia said with a smile. "Did you learn a lot?" she asked Harry.
"Some." He said with a dismissive shrug. "I don't really enjoy reading books when there are practical lessons available." Umbridge looked like she was ready to explode in all of her toadiness. Harry was tempting to make horse sounds to see if she would react, but restrained himself in favor of getting what he wanted and then leaving as quickly as possible. "Minister Fudge, I really do not wish to waste any of your valuable time." Harry said as he turned back to the man. "I only came here to ask you for one tiny favor."
"What's that, Harry?" Fudge asked as he leaned in.
"Remove my name and image from all Muggle news broadcasts." Harry said calmly. "I am fine, as you can see. I'm not being held anywhere against my will. My aunt and I picked out another boarding school for me to attend this year." Harry told the Minister.
"Why would you want to attend another boarding school? Don't you miss Hogwarts?" Fudge asked. This couldn't be easy, could it?
"Hogwarts has become a bit…much in recent years. My life has been in danger at Hogwarts every year." Harry shrugged a bit as though it really didn't concern him. "I felt I needed a break, so I picked another school and left." Harry wondered how much to tell Fudge.
"A break? From the wizarding world? That's just not done, Harry. This is your world!" Fudge appeared a little frantic.
"I'm not leaving it, Minister." Harry told him. "The Muggle world was never really my home. I'm planning on returning to Hogwarts eventually, just not right now." Harry told the man.
"You're being inconsiderate!" Umbridge interrupted. "No one knew where you were and now you're telling us that the wizarding world is not good enough for you!" Harry only raised his eyebrows as he looked at Umbridge. She was really pathetic, wasn't she?
"Now you see here!" Petunia snapped and surged to her feet. "It is not the wizarding world's business what Harry does during the school year or any other time of the year! He is an independent person, not some freak," Harry wanted to laugh, he really did. "that you stare at in a zoo!" That was disturbingly close to a dream Harry had once. "He is just a sixteen year old boy who is tired of nearly dying at the end of every term!" Harry sat back in his chair with amusement written on his features. Go, Aunt Petunia. "I will not sit here and let you make him feel as though he has some responsibility towards you, Ms. Umbridge!" Harry wanted to cheer for Aunt Petunia. "He has no responsibility but to himself."
"He is the Boy-Who-Lived. One of our celebrities. Without him, the Dark Lord would have continued his rampage!" Harry heard Sensei snort beside him, but Umbridge didn't notice.
"Actually, Mum was responsible for that." Harry said to Umbridge. "I was just left behind and every one thinks it was me." Harry shrugged as though it didn't matter. "Oh, well."
"You need to appear in wizarding public to let every one know that you are okay." Fudge said, motioning Umbridge to stay silent.
"No, I really don't. Just make a press release or something that says I'm fine and your announcement was all a mistake." Harry felt his throat close again. This was not going the way he wanted it. Harry stood and Sensei and Paul snapped to a more focused attention. "I won't take up any more of your time, Minister. After all, I'm sure you're busy." Harry started moving towards the doors when Fudge reached out and grabbed his arm. The touch only lasted a second. Sensei had knocked Fudge's arm away and Paul had produced his gun in that second. Harry could hear Fudge gulp.
"It's okay." Harry gasped. "Don't kill him." Harry gasped for air through his closed throat and sank to the floor. That second of fear caused Harry's closed throat to descend into full panic attack. "Get Umbridge out of the room." He said to Paul. Sensei blocked Fudge's path to Harry and glared at the man as Paul escorted a very upset Dolores Umbridge from the room. Once Umbridge was gone, Harry allowed his panic attack to take him. He shook the slightest bit and tried to start one of his breathing exercises. Petunia guided Harry to his chair and held one of Harry's hands.
Paul returned and got on his knees in front of Harry. "Okay, Harry. Just breathe. No one's going to hurt you here. Leonard and I are here, so is your aunt, and this nice Minister chap." Harry followed Paul's instructions for breathing. "Here, this might help." Paul produced the vial of calming draught. Harry took it and swallowed the whole dose with a slight grimace.
"There is more than one reason Harry was sent to a different school." Harry heard Petunia say as Harry was talked through his breathing exercise. "He was not getting the required treatment for these attacks of his. Muggles may not be able to do magic, but they do help with his panic attacks." She told Fudge.
"I see." Fudge fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. "Are you sure we can't convince him to stay?" Fudge asked Petunia in a desperate tone.
"I'm afraid not. Harry will return to the magical world when he is ready to return. Hounding him in the Muggle world will not do any good at all." Petunia glared at Fudge and the man quailed under her gaze.
"I'll just make sure that his name is taken from the Muggle news, then." Fudge said softly. He stood and moved to his desk as Harry started to breathe normally again. He wrote out something on a bit of parchment and the parchment folded itself into a paper airplane and zoomed away, screaming urgent at a high volume of sound.
"Thank you, Minister." Harry said with a smile. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. Those attacks come at the strangest times." Harry apologized.
"Think nothing of it." Fudge told Harry. "These things do happen, I'm sure." Fudge stood and shook Harry's hand again. "Send me a letter from time to time to let me know how you are, dear boy. I'll keep the hounds from following you."
This was better than Harry could have hoped for. Fudge was doing everything without an argument now. Panic attacks…could be useful? "Thank you again, Minister." Harry said as he and Sensei walked to the doors.
"You're welcome, Harry." Fudge said as Harry opened the doors. Sensei gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. Harry smiled at the man and nodded to Percy Weasley as he passed him. The walk back down the hallway was quick and Harry pushed the call button for the elevator. Would he be going back to St. Jude's now or in the morning? Hmm. Did they have time for lunch in London, as his teenager body was letting its displeasure known at a lack of food in the past hour? Dessert in the form of mint chocolate chip ice cream? Oh, that sounded good. The elevator doors opened and Harry's smile about mint chocolate chip faded as he saw who was in the doorway.
"Harry, my dear boy. It's good to see you."
Author's Note: This is already twenty pages long. I refuse to make it longer. Remember, the forums are for questions!