So it turns out I didn't post this chapter last week so I apologise for that but I literally had no time do anything. However I don't have a set posting pattern and I'm only going to be posting when I can, I would like to be able to say I'm organised enough to know when I can post a new chapter but I'm the least organised person in the world. Anyway I'll let you go on and read what you came here to read.
Pilot: part 2
Harry sat up in his bed his breathing harsh and ragged. His heart rate was fast and he could hear his heart beat in his head and pump against his chest. Trying to calm his speeding heart Harry took in several calming breaths, a technique he had learnt whilst he was on the island. Looking down the seventeen year old noticed his hands were balled into fists at his side each one squeezing his duvet between his fingers so tightly his knuckles were white.
He fell backwards into his bed just realising now that his skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat. As his hand brushed through his hair pulling it off of his face it stuck together in clumps too wet to fall freely. His grey t shirt was sticking to his stomach and back as he moved and his cushion was damp where his head had been.
Groaning Harry climbed out of bed. The moonlight that shone through his still open window shone enough light into the room to let him see what was around him. It was also letting in rain from the storm above them but harry ignored that. Instead he turned to the wardrobe across from him and walked over to it pulling out a cleaner and far drier shirt. As Harry pulled his night shirt off he caught site of his abdomen in the mirror where there was a pale thin line and quickly pulled the clean shirt over him knowing that the door to his room was still open.
The alarm clocking sitting on his bed side cabinet told him it was four o'clock in the morning and Harry suppressed the moan that came to his lips knowing that he wouldn't get back to sleep tonight. He closed the window being careful not to slip on the now wet floor. Trying to distract himself Harry took the closest book to him from the bookshelf in his room and sat down on the couch putting his feet up in an attempt at relaxing. No sooner had he opened the book and read the first sentence did he hear a thud come from the room opposite his.
Harry stood up and walked out of his room slowly making his way to Oliver's room. The door was slightly ajar leaving a crack big enough for him to see through. At the other end of the room Harry could see Walter kneeling down next to Oliver who had his mum on her back with his arm pressed threateningly across her throat. He pushed the door open and hovered in the doorway, grateful for the storm that masked the sound of the door opening. Not knowing whether to go in to the room or not Harry watched from the doorway as Oliver slid backwards across the floor in an attempt to put as much room as possible between him and his mum.
"I'm sorry," Oliver said looking away. "I… I'm so sorry." His mum sat up on the floor and looked at Oliver, sympathy written across her face. There was a pained look in her eyes. She could see her son suffering but had no way of helping or comforting him. Instead she reassured him, telling her son that he was home now. He didn't need to worry. Slowly, Mrs Queen moved closer to her son before pulling him into a hug which Oliver returned. Oliver looked up and noticed Harry in the doorway. He gave Harry a reassuring smile which Harry returned.
After standing in the doorway for just under ten minutes Harry decided to sneak back to his room and start the book he had decided to read. This time however, he turned on the light making sure his door was closed to stop him from distracting the other people in the house. It was four o'clock in the morning after all.
Within the next half an hour he heard someone pass his room and enter their own room down the hallway. He figured it was probably Walter as the footfalls seemed to be heavier and he knew Oliver was unnatural quiet on his feet. He ignored the person though and carried on reading getting lost in the book. It wasn't surprising either, considering he hadn't had the chance to pick up a book on the island, unless you classed the notebook Oliver had found on his dad at the very beginning.
A knock on his door had Harry looking up from the book. "Come in" he said hiding the confusion in his voice.
The door opened revealing Mrs Queen who smiled at him welcomingly. "Harry what are you still doing up?" she asked with concern.
"I erm… I couldn't sleep" he said putting down the book. "Sorry if I disturbed you. I thought if the door was closed the light wouldn't be as bad."
"It didn't disturb me. I thought it would disturb you so I was going to turn it off." Harry took notice of how red the woman's eyes were and guessed she'd probably been holding back tears at the site of Oliver.
"Oh… Okay" he replied shocked that the woman had been thinking about him, even when she had just left her son who was having enough problems as it was. She didn't need to be thinking about him and his own problems as well. For a moment her only reply was another smile before she started talking to him again.
"If you can't get to sleep and don't want to be stuck up here you can go down stairs. No one will mind if you want to use the TV." Harry thought about the offer knowing that the older woman was being sincere. Even though it made him slightly uncomfortable, Harry nodded his head. He wouldn't lie about being surprised by how welcoming and nice Oliver's family were being. He hadn't had many people act like that to him and the sudden change in the way people were acting, showing that they cared about him and his feelings came as a shock to his system. Mrs Queen almost reminded him of how he remembered Hermione being. She acted the same way, always looking out for others and making sure they were alright and comfortable themselves. But then, he didn't really know Moira, she could be a completely different person and he wouldn't know it.
"Thank you but I'm fine here" Harry replied. He'd keep the offer in mind though in case he did get bored reading. He had never been a massive fan of books when he was younger and he doubted that had changed much now, even when he was enjoying it now he knew that could change quite quickly.
"Alright then, but if you do change your mind make sure you keep the volume low, just to stop it disturbing the others."
"I will" Harry said as Mrs Queen pulled the door shut, saying a last good night before she closed it completely.
Harry soon found himself downstairs watching TV having stopped reading within half an hour of Mrs Queen leaving. It turned out that he still wasn't a huge fan of reading and could only keep it up for an hour before finding himself bored. He had hoped that reading would help him fall asleep or at least make him a little tired but had been wrong. Surprisingly it was watching TV that made Harry fall asleep, giving him a little back ground noise to sleep to.
-o-0-o-
Harry woke several hours later to footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking over the back of the couch Harry saw Oliver and Tommy walking down the stairs both of them cracking jokes at the others expense. "So it's your first time in civilisation for five years where do you want to go?" Tommy said from behind Oliver. "I know the best places in town if you get what I'm saying."
Harry heard Oliver let out a small laugh at this and couldn't help smiling himself. He'd met Tommy Merlyn last night when he came for dinner and in that time he'd gotten to know Oliver's best friend. The tall dark haired man was very calm and relaxed and often seemed to be the one to crack jokes. Some of the jokes were ones that Harry understood and others were ones that only Oliver seemed to understand, like there was a hidden meaning behind them which gave Oliver and Tommy a chance to relive a memory from before the island.
"I think a souvenir would be a nice show of friendship" Tommy said changing the subject when he noticed Harry finally awake in the room. "It would show me that you thought about me whilst you were gone. Im sure Harry got me one didn't you Harry?" Tommy asked in an attempt to be friendly.
Harry sat watching Tommy for a moment slightly confused and certain that he'd just become a part of a conversation he'd only heard half of. "I'll be waiting for my bow and hunting knife you know" he said.
Harry and Oliver shared a quick look both of them knowing that the other had a bow hidden upstairs in their rooms, waiting for a safer and more permanent place to keep them. "Yeah well not from me" Harry said picking up a placemat from the coffee table in front of him and throwing to Tommy with well practiced precision. It was better if he changed the conversation now. "It's carved from the branch of the first tree we came into contact with and it holds a dear place in mine and Oliver's hearts."
Tommy looked down at the placemat before looking back at Harry with his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Thank you Harry" he said before turning to look at Oliver. "See even the guy that didn't know me thought about me more than you did."
Oliver stared at his friend and let out an exhausted sigh. Harry and Tommy could hear the happiness of sharing a joke underneath it though. "Come on Merlyn, we have a city to visit. We'll be back later Harry" Oliver called to the seventeen year old.
"Okay" Harry said. Last night at dinner Tommy had told Oliver that he'd be showing him around Starling City the next morning. He had offered to take Harry with him but the younger man had turned him down, saying he'd rather get used to his surroundings at the Queen home first before he started outside in the city.
"By the way" Harry heard Tommy shout as Oliver pulled him out of the door. "I'm keeping the placemat" he said pocketing the 'souvenir' as he left.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the man and then ran upstairs to his room where he got ready for the rest of the day. He put on clean clothes, a pair of black jeans and a white top with a dark blue shirt on over the top of it. When he was ready he left his room and went back downstairs where he saw Thea packing a bag for school. She looked up when she heard footsteps and muttered a hurried hello to him.
"Hey" Harry said back to her as he sat back on the couch and turned up the volume of the TV.
"Oliver Queen is alive. The Starling City resident was found by fishermen on an island in the Yellow Sea three days ago along with Harry Potter a boy from England who was also on 'The Queen's Gambit' when it went down. Not much is known about Potter but Queen was a regular tabloid presence and a fixture at the many Starling City club scenes. Queen is the son of billionaire Robert Queen who was on board the 'Gambit' as well but is now officially confirmed as deceased." Harry watched the screen shocked that he was on their before turning the volume back down not needing to hear anymore about the island. He put the remote down and heard Thea walk up behind him.
"That kinda happens a lot here" she said. "It calms down after a couple of days though." Harry watched the screen in silence as it showed a picture of The Queen's Gambit before it left. He was no stranger to having people talking about him, he'd had a lot of that back in England with people he didn't know, let alone have seen before, recognising him in the streets and talking to him like they were old friends. It was an uncomfortable experience and it was one of the few times he was grateful for the Dursley's and there no nonsense behaviour, making sure they got rid of the strangers who were drawing attention to their family. It was only when he turned eleven that he really found out the reasons behind the strange behaviour. When he was just over a year old his parents were murdered by the dark lord Voldemort. And Harry, even though he couldn't remember it, had defeated him when the dark lord had tried to kill him. Because of that he had become somewhat of a celebrity in the Wizarding World and everyone knew his name and recognised him because of the scar on his forehead. A scar he'd gained that night.
"So were you with my brother the entire time on the island?" Thea asked Harry changing the subject. Harry who didn't like the direction this question was going in hesitantly answered.
"Yes" he said. There was silence as the brunette girl thought about whether she should say anything else.
"Has he changed much? From when you first met him" Thea asked after coming to a decision.
Harry sat in thought for a moment. What was he meant to say? Yes Oliver had changed. They both had. Their time on the island had changed them both physically and mentally. When they were both ship wrecked there they were weak and willing to give up but now Harry knew that he wouldn't give up. It was one of the more important things he'd learnt on the island. Especially with the plan that he and Oliver now had in mind. With everything that they were going to do. He thought about the answer, 'yes he learnt to fire a bow and I'm going to help him fight the bad guys of starling city in leather suits and with a bow and arrows'.
"A bit" he said trying his best to keep the answers short in hope that Thea would soon get bored. "He acts older" Harry said further explaining his previous answer.
Thea nodded for a second. "I… I'm sorry. The last thing you probably want to do is talk about it" she said picking up her things and heading to the door.
"No it doesn't…" Harry stopped talking and instead focused on how to say what he wanted to next without offending Thea. "I just erm… I don't really like to talk about it."
"I get that" Thea said walking towards the door a little flustered. "I really shouldn't have asked. Just forget about it." With that Thea left the house leaving Harry by himself.
Without anyone else in the building it felt like it was twice as big. In the day that Harry had stayed in the Queen family home there had always been someone other than himself there too. It meant that there was always some sort of background noise coming from another room, letting him know that he wasn't alone. Without that, there were no other noises apart from him. Even Raisa wasn't in the house at this particular moment. It made the house seem unnaturally quiet and a lot bigger. It wasn't something that made Harry feel uncomfortable though. If anything, it actually made him feel more at ease. In his life he had spent a lot of time in three places. The Dursley's, Hogwarts, and the Island. Each of them had their own way of making Harry feel comfortable. Even at the Dursley's.
There he had been left on his own most of the time, unless he was doing chores, then there he'd have had his Aunt Petunia breathing down the back of his neck, correcting him and telling him what he was doing wrong. At Hogwarts he had felt welcomed but the castle was big which meant there were times when there was no one else around him, even if the school was full of students. He had liked that. On the island he had the chance to go where he pleased with the only noises around him most of the time being the wind or animals scurrying through the undergrowth.
All of those places had had a big part in Harry's life and it was something he had slowly gotten used to. It was also something that he liked. That he could leave and go somewhere quiet when he needed to. Taking the opportunity of being in the house alone Harry spent an hour exploring the place, finding where everything was and what rooms were where. He was shocked when he found himself in a library at the back of the Queen house.
After that Harry spent the afternoon researching Adam Hunt. Harry and Oliver were going to be putting their plan into motion soon and Harry wanted to be as ready as possible for that. Oliver had returned to Starling City intent on taking the law into his own hands and stopping the people that had 'poisoned' his city. He had the list of these people in a small notebook that he had found on his father when he died and Harry had agreed to help Oliver with his mission when they returned home.
Before they had reached Starling City they had discussed who their first target was. Adam Hunt. Harry didn't know when Oliver would put their plan into motion but he hoped he would give it some time. Enough time for them to get used to being back and enough time for them to properly prepare. For now though he would find out what he could on Adam Hunt. He wasn't stupid. He knew that they could start at any moment, that they would have to start when the time was right and that could be at any time.
-o-0-o-
At one o'clock Harry decided to go the centre of Starling City itself. Adam Hunt was a business man who owned a business called Hunt Multinational and after Harry had looked up where it was exactly he went out there to see if he could see what the man was like in person.
He stood between two buildings and watched the doors of Hunt Multinational. The shadows of the alley he was in hid him from the view of any people on the street which meant Harry could watch the building comfortably.
Just in case he still wore a red jacket with the hood pulled up and over his face so if anyone did see him they wouldn't see who he was. Harry also had a pair of headphones in his ears. They weren't actually plugged into anything he just wanted to give the impression that they were. That way he would be able to hear any conversations around him without anyone realising. To anyone that did notice Harry as they walked by would only see a person standing in the shade of a building listening to music.
That was just what Harry wanted.
He was also certain that Adam Hunt would come out of the building at some point. If what he had read was true then he was sure Hunt would come out and buy lunch at some point. The man had a lot of money and he didn't mind showing people that. The thought that he would stay inside and eat food that he had brought with him to the business was ridiculous. No. Harry was certain he'd go out and get lunch. And he'd probably go somewhere expensive as well. Just as another way for him to show off he was loaded.
Whilst Harry waited he looked around at his surroundings taking everything in. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something that didn't quite fit with the other surroundings. There was a black van with peeling paint parked at the side of the road. Most of the cars that were around him were cars that were driving down the road but this one just had the driver sitting inside of it. The man sat in the front of the car with his eyes fixed on Harry. As soon as Harry looked at him though the man busied himself with some paper work in front of him.
Harry did his best to ignore it and concentrate on what he had come here for but that thought stayed in the back of his mind, keeping him on edge and his ears opened.
Half an hour passed before the Adam Hunt decided to show himself, just like Harry had thought. He was flanked by two body guards and walking next to him was a man in suit and tie. From five metres away Harry could already see that Hunt wasn't a man to be taken lightly. Adam Hunt was a tall bald man with blue eyes and sharp facial features. He wore a permanent angered expression on his face and his brow was crossed with annoyance. He walked with his back straight and every now and then glared at someone when they didn't move out of the way quickly enough. He also wore a suit that was crease free and spotless. Next to him, the man in the suit was talking to him quietly and hurriedly having to move at a light jog to keep in line with Adam Hunt's long strides. Harry waited until they passed him and then came out of the alley way following the group of four.
"I take it you're dealing with everything I told you to" Hunt said to the man next to him.
The man next to him smiled and nodded his head. "I am Mr Hunt" he said as he still hurried to stay in line with the bald man. "But it will take some time. I"-
"I don't have time!" Hunt hissed back stopping suddenly. This caused on a knock on affect where the two body guards and the man in the suit had to stop suddenly too or walk into Adam Hunt instead. Harry stopped walking too although not as fast as it would make him look suspicious. When no one was watching he moved back into an alley with his back against the wall so he could hear what was being said easily. "The court hearing is in three days. You sort out what I told you today. I've put you on the bench don't make me take you off."
"Yes Mr Hunt" the man said in a slightly shaky voice.
"And what about Laurel Lance? This attorney fighting against me. I want you to shut her up and fix this situation. Do whatever it takes." Adam Hunt managed to make his voice louder without drawing any attention to himself. Harry was grateful for this as he didn't have to strain his ears as much to hear them. He also noted that he put strain on the word 'whatever' and immediately Harry got a bad feeling.
Whilst the two men had a heated conversation a black car drove up beside them and stopped. Several car doors opened and closed and then the car drove off with Adam Hunt and his men inside. Harry walked back out of the alley thinking about what had been said. It seemed Adam Hunt was living up to his reputation. Hunt wasn't pleased with the woman going up against him in court either. Laurel Lance. Whoever she was Harry thought, she had definitely gotten into something far too high above her head. He made a mental note to tell Oliver about her when he had time but for now he'd get back to the Queen house.
-o-0-o-
Harry sat on the couch in the living room staring down at the ground in thought. The TV was on in front of him but he wasn't watching it. He hadn't even put it on. Thea had. Oliver's sister was sat on another couch in the living room next to the one Harry was on. Neither of them were actually watching the TV but it put some noise in the air to cover up the awkward silence that seemed to be lingering in the air between them. Thea sat texting on her phone, every now and then looking up from it to look at Harry. The look on her face only seeming to get more annoyed with every time she looked.
Harry noticed every time she looked up at him but chose to ignore, concentrating instead on what he'd learnt about Adam Hunt. The man was as low as he could get. He was a bully to those that worked for him and to the people he didn't. He seemed to either bribe or scare people into keeping their mouths shout about him and several people who had worked for him had turned up dead. Part of Harry wanted to go talk to the man now but he knew he had to wait. Wait until he and Oliver were both ready and knew what they were going to do. And until they knew how to right the wrongs that Adam Hunt had caused this city.
He let out a small sigh of frustration.
This seemed to be the last straw for Thea who had looked up from her phone to Harry and let out a frustrated sigh of her own. As she did this she seemed to throw her phone down next to her. "Alright, you know what. That's it" she said and Harry finally turned to look at her. "I know you said you'd rather stay here all day instead of going out to the city but if you're going to do that you can't honestly expect me to sit here watching you brood for the rest of the evening?"
Harry who seemed quite shocked by the sudden outburst looked at her for several seconds. Within a couple a seconds Thea had said more to him than she had in an entire evening and morning. "I'm not brooding" he said indignantly.
"Yeah and I'm not Thea Queen" Thea said getting up from the couch and running up the stairs. She then went into Harry's room.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked as he followed her up the stairs and watched her open his bedroom door.
"I'm getting you a jacket" she said opening his cupboard now and going through his clothes. She pulled out his red jacket and threw it over to him. Harry caught it with surprisingly good reflexes and held it out in front of him as if to inspect it.
"Why?" he asked again, still no clearer on the reasoning for Thea's sudden outburst.
Thea walked out of the room and was already down the stairs by the time Harry had closed his cupboard and bedroom door and then made it to the balcony part of the stairs. "Because" she said looking up at him whilst she got her own coat and put it on. "I am taking you to Starling City where you can relax and we can get to know one another."
"Last night you seemed to make it clear that you weren't 'babysitting' me around the city" Harry said, imitating Thea from last night.
"Yes but that was last night" she said like that cleared everything up. When Harry made no attempt at going down the stairs she carried on whilst getting some money from her purse. "I'd rather be somewhere with you where you're not going to brood all the time."
"I wasn't brooding!" Harry said running down the stairs to catch up with Thea who was now walking out of the door.
It took them twenty minutes to get to Starling city once Thea had found someone to drive them there. Now Harry was sitting in a coffee shop at a table next to a window waiting for Thea to come over from the front of the shop. The rest of the seats and tables in the shop were full and everyone was lost in their own conversations ignoring the boy that sat on his own. Normally Harry would choose to sit in a corner where he could have his back to the wall and see everyone in the room but Thea had insisted on him sitting by the window as it would be more relaxing and friendly than sitting in a darkened corner. Harry had begrudgingly left and saved a table for him and Thea by the window instead.
As he waited for Thea to turn up he sat tapping his hand on the table. No one around would be bothered by it as they weren't paying attention to him. After five minutes Thea walked over with two cups of coffee in her hand. As she sat down she slid one over to Harry who took it without a word. This was going to be an uncomfortable drink Harry thought as he took a sip of the drink not knowing what to say to Oliver's sister.
"I hope you like your coffee strong" she said taking a sip of her own drink.
"Yeah that's fine" Harry lied. If he was being honest he didn't really like coffee at all but he didn't want to tell Thea that when she had already bought him some. He'd had worse so he'd just drink the coffee and turn another one down if she offered. "Thank you" he added.
"So" Thea said dragging out the 'o' sound. "Do you know what you're planning on doing now you're back?" she asked. It was clear that she wasn't being nosey and was only curious.
The two sat in silence as Harry thought about the answer. He would be staying here and help Oliver with his crusade but it wasn't like he could tell her that. "Erm, I was planning on staying here. Oliver said I could stay at yours for as long as I wanted or needed so for now I guess Starling City is going to gain a new resident."
Thea nodded as she took another sip of her drink, her brow furrowed in thought. "You're from England right? I mean I haven't asked you and you seem to have a slight accent."
"Yeah I am" he replied. "I think it kind of faded a little whilst I was… gone."
"Are you going to go back to England at some point? To visit friends and family."
Harry smiled and stopped a bitter laugh that was threatening to spill out of his mouth. "My family were on the yacht when it went down" he said looking down at the table.
Thea closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I'm sorry" she said putting her cup down on the table. "I should have realised. I didn't mean to"-
"It doesn't matter" Harry interrupted.
"Yeah it does. I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have asked? I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. Trust me" Harry said as he looked out of the window at the people walking past them on the streets. "It's…" Harry stopped mid sentence and stared out of the window at a man across the street from him. The man looked very familiar and was watching Harry again until Harry looked at him. He then looked down and started typing something in on his phone.
"Harry?" Thea said looking at him slightly concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Pardon?" Harry said turning away from the window and looking at Thea. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Are you?" He looked back out of the window and saw the man looking at him again. The same man from the van earlier on when Harry was waiting for Adam Hunt to leave his building.
"Are you sure? You don't look it."
Harry looked back at Thea as she looked out of the window trying to find what Harry was looking at. Harry finished the last of his coffee and tried not to grimace. "Yeah I'm fine. Would you be able to go buy me another coffee please? The same as before. I'm just going to go and get some fresh air. I'll be back in a minute." With that Harry got up from the table and walked outside.
"Harry!" Thea called but he ignored it and carried on going until he'd left the shop.
He looked across the street but saw nothing. The man that had been watching him was gone. Quickly he looked around for the man in the black jumper but couldn't see anything. He looked again but this time slower, making sure he didn't miss anyone out. This time he saw the man walking around the corner and Harry started after him. His drink with Thea forgotten about. He rounded the corner and stopped again looking for the man. This time the man was walking ahead of him and Harry followed, keeping his pace fast but steady so that he didn't draw attention to himself.
When the man rounded another corner into an alley Harry ran after him and turned down the alley himself. At the end the man had stopped but stayed facing the opposite direction to Harry. "Hey" Harry shouted cautiously walking down the alley. "Hey!" he said again when he got no answer. This time his voice was louder and firmer.
Again there was no answer and Harry stopped in his tracks as his eyes narrowed. He turned suddenly when he heard a vehicle behind him. Stopping at the entrance of the alley it blocked his only escape route.
The vehicle was the same one he'd seen this morning too. The black van with peeling paint. The doors of the van opened and two men got out, one on either side. Both of them were wearing masks that covered their faces and one of them raised their arm and fired something at Harry.
Not moving in enough time Harry felt it make contact with his neck. He pulled his hand up to it fast and went to pull it out when his legs started to give way and he found himself leaning against the wall of the alley. The two men walked up to him but Harry saw four as his vision started to blur and his head swim. Behind him he could hear the other man coming towards him too and he turned around, still leaning against the wall. As his vision spun more he fell to the ground. His vision started to go black and then he passed out.
I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourite or followed this story. I'm only two chapters in and have 21 reviews already! Which to me is great and I'm just glad everyone likes the story.
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