'NO', Fawkes spelt. 'HAVE NEW FACE NOT KNOWN', he paused for Kannan to read the tiles before shuffling them around, again, to read, 'NOT EVEN GRINGOTTS WILL KNOW THIS FACE', followed by another shuffle and 'NOT LOOK LIKE HARRY POTTER'.
The phoenix flew up onto the chest of drawers again and tapped his beak against the mirror above it. Kannan stood and took three steps over to stand in front of the mirror. The face that stared back at him wasn't Harry Potter. No one looking for Harry would look at Kannan, he looked far more like Sirius than he did James or Harry, even if his eyes were still the same brilliant green. But his cheekbones were higher and his forehead taller, over a fine nose and lush full lips, Kannan looked more like a forties Hollywood heartthrob, more like a true Black. Not the boy next door looks of the Potters.
"Wow… I look nothing like Harry, anymore." Kannan breathed before his eyes widened. "I could see Hermione…"
Kannan hurried to turn the lights on, before heading for the vintage styled steamer trunk that he kept in the base of his wardrobe, dragging it into the middle of the room. He carefully looked at it, trying to remember the order that Professor Flitwick had told him to use, once he had his memories back.
"Right, I need to hold here and place my other hand here and… I am not Harry James Potter." As he said the last few words, the trunk clicked and unlocked, the lid cracking open a fraction. He lifted the lid and pressed the Gryffindor part of the Hogwarts' crest that was embossed on the inside of the lid, letting a hidden compartment open and the pieces of his beautiful phoenix feather wand fall out, along with a Gringotts key.
The pieces of the wand were gently replaced in the hidden compartment and Kannan dug around in the trunk to pull out the coin pouch that held a few coins and placed his unused Gringotts' key in it. He stood and reclosed the trunk, sliding it over to the foot of the bed. Then he opened the wardrobe again and pulled out clothes and a long heavy woollen coat.
"Not exactly wizarding, but more acceptable than a jacket, I suppose. I can always stop at Madam Malkin's for a decent wizarding robe but first I have to get there." He suddenly grinned. "Well, maybe losing my job wasn't such a bad thing after all. Now, I've plenty of time to take the train to London. Once I get a wand, I can apparate back for my appointment with Dr Grey."
Fawkes trilled and flicked his tail feathers.
"Thanks, Fawkes, but if you took me that would draw too much attention."
Fawkes moved the scrabble tiles around until two new words were revealed. 'KINGS CROSS' they read.
"King's Cross?" Kannan asked and the phoenix trilled and nodded. "I assume you mean platform 9¾? It's August, isn't the platform closed during holidays?"
Fawkes moved more tiles. 'ONLY FROM MUGGLE SIDE'
"Ah, so the floo's are still connected and the apparition points can be used."
The phoenix nodded.
"But that could still mean there's people around, so you taking me there would be very visible. I kind of want to stay unnoticed."
'ONLY SEE WHAT I WANT SEEN' The tiles spelt out.
Kannan huffed a sigh. "Alright then, give me a minute to get dressed."
Fawkes trilled and flew up to roost on Kannan's bedstead.
"Hey Fawkes? I meant to ask. Why did you come to me? And how long will you be staying?" Kannan pulled on a pair of plain Black trousers and a light blue shirt, a thick woollen jumper over the top was followed by a pair of socks and his heavy work boots.
Fawkes huffed and flew back to the tiles. 'ALBUS ASK ME HELP YOU', 'I ONLY VISITING' and 'YOU FLY AWAY I STAY HOGWARTS MINNIE'
"Minnie?"
'MINERVA'
"Professor McGonagall?" He asked, as he slung his dark woollen trench coat around his shoulders and picked up his wallet and the feathers.
Fawkes nodded.
"Would you like to take the scrabble tiles with you? You could talk to her, then. Sort of."
Fawkes sang a song of bright and happy joy.
"Okay. I'll get a basket for you to keep them in, while I'm out. For now, I'll tie them up in a handkerchief." Kannan swept up the tiles into the centre of a handkerchief and tied it off with a bit of string. "There you go, you can hold that in your claws." A trill sounded, as Kannan tucked the coin pouch into a pocket of the coat, the feathers into an inside pocket and his wallet into his hip-pocket. A warm scarf and a pair of lined leather gloves were added to the look. "Alright, Fawkes. I think I'm ready. Anything you think I've forgotten?"
Fawkes didn't answer, instead he flew up and hovered in front of Kannan, the handkerchief hanging from on foot, and trilled. There was a flash of light and a feeling of intense happiness and when the light faded, Kannan stood in an alcove on platform 9¾.
"Brilliant. Thanks Fawkes. Why don't you head back to Hogwarts for the day? I won't be heading home until later this afternoon. I'll call you when I get there." Fawkes trilled a reply to Kannan's offer and before Kannan could blink, he was gone.
Kannan took a deep breath and sent up a prayer that Fawkes was right, that no one had seen them arrive. He stepped from the alcove and headed down the platform to the public floo's.
"Morning, sir." The station attendant nodded to him.
"Good morning. How much for floo-powder to reach the Cauldron?" Kannan asked.
"Just a κnut, sir, but it'd be quicker to apparate." The attendant suggested.
"Yeah, kinda can't at the moment. Gotta get a new wand, mine had a little accident with a set of stairs. The stairs stayed in one piece, the wand didn't." Kannan grimaced.
"Ooh ouch," The elderly man winced. "Well, Ollivander's back in his shop, so you might find a match there."
"I was thinking more along the lines of custom, actually." Kannan said.
"Ah, going into the Aurors, then?"
"It's what I worked towards, all my school career." Kannan smiled. It had been, even if it wasn't what he wanted to do, anymore.
"Well, you'll be wanting Blishwick's then. Fenton Blishwick is a mistress at her craft, but expensive. Floo to the Alley directly, there's a public floo just off the Cauldron, but make sure to visit Gringotts, Fenton charges for her wands, how much depends on the cores, but usually they cost a lot." The attendant accepted Kannan's κnut and held out a pot of floo-powder.
"Oh, okay. Thanks for the warning." Kannan took a small fistful of powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley." He made sure to speak slowly and clearly, before tossing the powder at his feet, he wanted no repeats of the summer before his second year.
The green flames surrounded him, and he waited slightly anxiously for them to fade. This time he felt the slowing of the network as he neared his destination and readied himself to step forward. And it was a good thing he did. He stumbled on exit, but managed to keep his feet, thankfully. Off to right he could see the alley, directly opposite him was Sugarplum's Sweetshop and beside that was Potage's Cauldron shop. Kannan took a deep breath and headed off into the alley.
First stop was Gringotts and it was the one that he was the most concerned about. What if they realised that he had been Harry Potter? He could only hope they wouldn't.
Ten minutes and he was in and out of Gringotts, the goblins were either, none the wiser or they just didn't care. Given their attitude towards most wizards, it could have been either. Or both. But Kannan now had a wallet that connected to his vault, that he could access anywhere in the wizarding world with a card that he could use anywhere in the muggle world. He did warn the goblins that he was planning on travelling overseas, mostly by muggle transport, so to expect a number of large muggle transactions. They simply nodded and offered their condolences at Mr Potter's conviction and Exile.
From there, he headed straight to Blishwick's, figuring that getting started on his wands and the staff that Fawkes wanted him to have, was more important than breakfast, surely it would take the wandsmith some time to make a custom wand? And that's exactly what happened. He was walked through choosing woods for his wands and staff core, apparently staffs had a core of, in Kannan's case, phoenix feather and a core of wood to channel it, all surrounded by an outer staff-shell of a different wood to balance the combined power of the inner cores. Then there was the issue of the magical cores and Kannan explaining that he'd been told to add his own blood to the feathers that he was providing. Madam Blishwick simply nodded and produced a phial, stating that for each wand she would need thirteen drops of blood and thirty-three for the staff. Once she had the phial, he was told to come back in an hour.
He made his way back to the Cauldron, taking a seat in one of the low booths and ordering a breakfast of bacon and eggs, with tea and toast. Minutes after a tray was slid onto the table in front of him, a voice caught his attention.
"So, you're going? You're choosing them over me? Like you did with Harry?" Ron Weasley's voice was just as harsh now as it was the night that he left Harry and Hermione during the Hunt.
"They are my parents, Ron. My parents. Yes, I'm going." Hermione answered just as harshly.
"They're muggles!" Ron snarled.
"They're my parents." Hermione replied.
"They're muggles!"
"They're my parents!"
"They're muggles! You're a witch. Forget them."
"They. Are. My. Parents. I will not forget them." Hermione snarled back.
SMACK! The crack of Ron's hand hitting Hermione cheek created a silence in a way that their arguing hadn't.
"Leave them." Ron ordered. "You will stay here."
"No, I won't." Hermione whispered.
Ron raised a hand to hit Hermione again, only to find his wrist encircled by an unknown hand.
"That. Is. Quite. Enough. Mr. Weasley." Kannan's voice was hard and cold, enough to make Ron freeze. "Miss Granger? Please sit down. Barkeeper, please call the Aurors." He turned his head partially to speak over his shoulder before turning back to Ron. "How dare you raise a hand to a woman? Particularly, a woman holding a child."
Ron drew himself up and made an attempt to bluster, but this man scared the doxie-dung out of him.
"None of your bloody business, pal. Beat it." The redhead sneered.
"No. It very definitely is my business. Just like it's everyone's business. You hit a woman, in public, you idiot. That's just not on. What gives you the right to order someone around? Huh? Nothing, that's what."
"She's my fiancé, I can order her around, if I want." Ron blustered.
"Here, keep it. We're through." Hermione reached passed Kannan and slapped a hand into Ron's chest. As her hand withdrew, a glittering golden ring fell to the ground. "Consider yourself single."
The floo flared and three Aurors emerged, followed by the Minister for Magic.
"Excellent timing." Tom the barkeeper commented. "This idiot." He pointed at Ron. "Hit Miss Granger, while she was holding the baby."
"Mr Weasley, please tell me you didn't?" The Minister sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"She wouldn't listen! I told her to stay but she's determined that she's going to Australia to find a pair of muggles!" Ron answered, too stunned that the Aurors had slapped a pair of magic-suppressing cuffs around his wrists.
"They're her parents, Weasley, she's entitled to retrieve them." The Minister replied.
"I don't give a damn who they are, they're bloody muggles, and she's a witch, she should forget about them." Ron snarled.
The Minister sighed and shook his head. "Miss Granger? Will you be pressing charges?"
"On the condition that I never have to speak to Ron, Ginevra or Molly Weasley again? No, I won't. But I want it noted that, that is the only reason I'm not and if they ignore that, then yes, the charges go ahead." Hermione said, lifting a fussing baby into her arms.
"Very well. Proudfoot, take Miss Granger to the DMLE, get a statement and write up a charge sheet with a conditional suspension of citation. And see to a healer for her, too, please. Savage, Williamson, take Mr Weasley to the cells, get a statement from him and try and impress on him the severity of his actions. Please remind him that this one incident, has effectively removed any chance of him entering the Auror corps and explain why that is." The Minister turned to Hermione's rescuer and his brows rose. "Kannan Grimm?!" He gasped.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt!" Kannan replied in the same way, while still making it clear that his response was faked.
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here? In Diagon, I mean. Last I heard you were adamant that you'd had enough of the wizarding world."
"Yes, that's so very true and this?" Kannan waved a finger in Ron's direction and then in a circle. "This is a clear reminder of that. But… I had a visitor last night, the uninvited sort."
"Magical?" Kingsley frowned.
"Oh, definitely. An… old friend." Kannan watch Kingsley's frown deepen. "Insults were thrown, words were exchanged and… well… stairs were involved and… I'm waiting on Madam Blishwick to finish up making me a set of custom wands." Kannan grimaced.
"Are you pressing charges?"
"Oh, lord, no. By the time he dropped me at King's Cross, we'd worked it all out. He's been trying to get me to do something for a while now, and I've been typically oblivious to it. The irony is, that I was already working towards it, but hadn't mentioned it to anyone. So… yeah… He was a bit put out with me."
"But he still took you to King's Cross? Why didn't he bring you straight to Diagon?" Kingsley asked, puzzled.
Kannan grinned. "I recall you once said, travelling his way was travelling in 'style', but it's a bit flashy for my taste."
Kingsley's eyes narrowed before widening in surprise. "Oh, god, him? Tends to apparate in a burst of sparks? That's who you're talking about? Him?"
Kannan laughed. "If he wasn't so inherently good, I'd have been terrified."
"I can imagine." Kingsley laughed with him. "Are you busy today? I have something that I think you need to know about. Not life threatening, just… complicated. It's actually why I came with the Aurors when Miss Granger's name was mentioned. I meant to speak to her and Mr Weasley about it, but having found you, here is far better."
"Uh… a little. Depends on how long you think this will take?" Kannan tilted his head.
"Hours, many hours."
"Crap. Well, in that case, you're just going to have to wait until after lunch."
"Kannan…"
"No, Kingsley." Kannan held up a hand. "I've a little less than half an hour and I have to be back at Blishwick's to get my wands. In an hour I have a medical appointment, given the mental injuries I had a few months ago, I need a medical certificate if I plan to travel by muggle methods, outside this country. That usually takes about an hour. After that? I can meet you."
"Ah. Fair enough. Come to my office. You know where that is, right?"
"No, but I know how to get to the Ministry. I'm sure someone there can direct me." Kannan sighed.
"I'll have someone meet you in the atrium. And I'll have something brought in for lunch, so come as soon as you can."
"It's that important?"
"It involves the Grimm family, so yes." Kingsley nodded at Kannan's raised brow.