Chapter 14 - Those Are My Hangers

Much to Harry's dislike, Tonks had prevented him from looking for Brooklyn like he had planned on. She promised him that she would take him to her the next day on the condition that he promised not to make a scene seeing as they would be out in public, to which he reluctantly agreed.

Brooklyn now worked in your everyday muggle restaurant as a waitress. Tonks, who happened to be in the area one day, walked into it and spotted her immediately. According to Tonks, Brooklyn took her lunch break when they have their daily meetings. She also claimed it was her who encouraged them to continue meeting.

He, of course, didn't believe a word that came out of her mouth.

Brooklyn, concerned about him? After walking out on him like that, highly unlikely. He was envisioning Tonks bringing him up and her cringing at the sound of his name.

Yeah, that was much more likely.

They had been to Gringott's to exchange for some muggle money and were also dressed appropriately. He immediately picked out a restaurant along the block and would have made a less than unobtrusive entrance if Tonks wasn't preemptively holding him back. Consequently, they both entered the restaurant, seemingly unnoticed, taking a seat at a booth near the front.

Harry stared glumly out to the street. He suddenly didn't want to see her. Yes, he still had the urge to yell at her, but the fact that the time had come to see her made him strangely nervous.

"That's why she doesn't want to see you." Tonks said. "She's just as nervous as you are."
"I'm not nervous." He shot back quickly.
"Whatever you say Harry."

A smile suddenly appeared on Tonks' face and his body stiffened in response.

"Hey Tonks! I'll be right back, I just have to tell Matt I'm going on break."

He had been slouching quite low in the seat and she obviously hasn't seen him yet.

"Don't do anything stupid, Harry. I'm warning you…" He felt the end of her wand poke at his knee under the table. "By the way, she usually sits across from me, so I suggest you move over and make room for her."
"Alright, I'm ba-" Brooklyn's abrupt stop in her sentence meant that she must have finally seen him.

He turned his head upward to look at her. Her appearance reminded him much of how she looked when they first met and she had most likely lost all of the desperately needed weight she had gained while with him and then some. She appeared to be quite shaken and wasn't breaking eye contact. His devious side made a swift return. If he wasn't allowed to make a scene, he was certainly going to make this the most uncomfortable experience for her as he possibly could.

He put on the most disgustingly sweet smile he could muster. "Hey Brook, care to sit down?" He moved over so there was just enough room for her to sit without falling off the edge. "Come now, I insist."

She hesitantly sat next to him, mumbling thanks. She tried her best not to come into any physical contact with him, but he had made that next to impossible for her to accomplish. He was trying his hardest not to smirk at her discomfort, but he just couldn't help himself.

"Something wrong, Brook? You seem awfully edgy." He said suggestively.
"Well, considering I am on the edge of the seat…" she said with a rude tone to it.
"Oh how inconsiderate of me!" He said dramatically, sliding over barely an inch. "Is that better?"
She merely nodded her head and turned her attention toward Tonks. "I didn't know you were bringing someone today."
Harry took the liberty of responding to this. "My curiosity got the best of me, seeing as how Tonks always seems to be busy this time of day, so I just decided to tag along. What a coincidence that we happen to stumble in here…wouldn't you say Tonks?"

Tonks only glared at him and began to prod at his knee with her wand. Like that would stop him…

"So, since Tonks here has blantently never known that you've been here before, I must ask…since when do you work here?" Harry asked with the utmost fake curiosity.
"I-uh...started here about a month ago." Brooklyn said, now only halfway sitting on the seat.
"Oh now look, you're about to fall out of the booth, let me help you."

He was actually mad at himself at the moment for not pushing her to the ground instead. She only slightly recoiled when he pulled her back onto the seat, making her sit unnervingly close to him. She was practically in his lap by now.

Tonks had apparently seen enough of his antics and sent a hex that made it feel like he had just received an electric shock. This did not please Harry.

"I'm only doing what you said Tonks." He said innocently. "You told me not to cause a scene. I thought I was acting quite appropriately."
"Harry…" Tonks warned.
"We should probably take this outside." Brooklyn suggested.
"What a fan-tas-tic idea!" He said.

He practically shoved Brooklyn out of the seat and they all made a hasty exit. It didn't take long for Harry to react.

"What the hell is your problem!" He shouted at Brooklyn. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out!"
"Harry, don't make me hex you in front of muggles." Tonks said sternly.
"Oh shut it, Tonks!" He shouted, before turning back to his verbal assault on Brooklyn. "Why would you do this to me! You bloodly well knew that I didn't want you to leave and you damn well knew that I would want to see you again."
"You know why I left and you knew I didn't want to see you again, Harry!" Brooklyn defended.
"Don't even start with that bullshit! I know exactly the topics of conversation you and Tonks partake in and let's just say that I happen to be one of the most talked about subject matter."
"Only because you keep making a fool of yourself and it's all over The Daily Prophet!"
"I am about to hex both you!" Tonks hissed lowly.
"And you think that I'll actually believe that!" He said, completely ignoring Tonks' threat. "How dim do you think I am Brook!"
"Fairly dim since you can't seem to recall that I hate being called that." She shot back.
"Don't you even think that I'll fall for that pathetic attempt to change the subject!"

As they continued to gain more and more stares from passing onlookers, a low thundering was arising in the distance. None of them were aware of the angry mass of newly converted werewolves and giants that were ordered to attack the muggle town.

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Everything had happened so fast. The past few minutes were considerably filled with blurred events that resulted with him now standing in the Prime Minister of England's office.

And to make matters even better, he was now shouting at the Prime Minister.

Well, he was actually shouting at a fair amount of people by now.

Tonks had apparated him and Brooklyn out of there as soon as she spotted the first werewolf run into town. She dropped them off at Grimmauld Place before disapparating, leaving them for merely thirty seconds before reappearing and apparating them to their present location.

He had been so consumed with his argument with Brooklyn he hadn't a clue as to why they were not so inconspicuously apparating in front of muggles.

The muggle town was currently being secluded, adorned with spells so muggles wouldn't go near, as well as memory altering charms for the muggles who were witnessing the attack that was trying to be put under control.

But now Harry was being forced into seclusion…

Heaven forbid something happen to Harry Potter before the big showdown with Voldemort could take place. It's not like they actually cared for his wellbeing, they just wanted him alive since he was the only one that could kill him.

As far as Harry was concerned, no one gave a damn about him, they just wanted to use him. And the fact that no one was stepping up and defending him just proved his theory. Everyone was egocentric and he was expected to think of the fate of the entire human race…he was never allowed to be selfish.

Alas, all of the arguing in the world could not prevent his looming exile.

The least they could do was send him some company. At least that's what he was trying to convince them of, having them send him to wherever they were hiding Lupin.

His attempts were in vain. To go to Lupin meant to compromise his safety. Whose security that would be at stake was never exactly specified. No matter, he was to be transported immediately to an unidentified place by muggles, whose memories would be obliterated upon their return.

Literally no one would know his location.

Harry thought this was an intrinsically awful idea. How was he suppose to know when it was 'okay' for him to return? He was reassured that he would be reached when his services were needed.

This was not good enough for him and he was not going to go quietly.

He immediately drew his wand on his muggle escorts, ready to hex them if they so much as got within ten feet of him.

He was taken off guard when two aurors grabbed him from behind, knocking his wand to the ground, leaving him to his futile struggles.

It was when he felt his hands being bound behind him that a voice of protest that was not his own was finally heard.

"Minister, don't you think this is a bit extreme?" Shacklebot said. "He's not a prisoner."
"Will you cooperate?" The Minister asked him.
Harry defiantly looked at him. "Being forced into the same situation my godfather was doesn't exactly rank too high on my list of things I want to do, so no."
"You must understand, we are not doing this to punish you." McGonagall said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're doing this for the greater good, and as usual I get to suffer the consequences." He spat.

The auror who had bound his hands had led him over to the muggle escorts. He hung his head in complete defeat. He was about to be led to a place were he would slowly, but surely lose his mind from the lack of human contact like Sirius.

"I'll go with him." A barely audible voice said.

By the time he turned his head in the direction of the voice, everyone else had also. Standing with her arms crossed over her chest, and head hanging much like his had been, was Brooklyn. She glanced up momentarily to meet the puzzled stares. Her gaze met the floor once again before ever reaching his hopeful eyes.

"And just who exactly are you and why are you even here?" The Minister asked.
"She is a friend of Harry's who was present when the attack took place." Tonks answered for her.
"It would be risking his safety; the girl's family would want to know of her whereabouts and surely wouldn't agree to such a thing."
"I have no family, sir." Brooklyn said flatly.
Tonks merely nodded, validating Brooklyn's statement.
"No. It's still too dangerous. He will go alone."
"Let the girl go, what harm can it really do?" McGonagall spoke up. "It would only benefit Harry to have contact with another."

The matter of letting him have human contact apparently needed to be discussed and he found himself, as well as Brooklyn, waiting outside of the Prime Minister's office. Harry, whose hands were still bound behind his back, slid down the wall until he came to the ground. Brooklyn stood on the opposite side of the hallway, her eyes fixated on the ground.

They waited in the hallway in silence for nearly fifteen minutes until the door opened again. He had no time to even try to get up as he was pulled up by an auror and dragged into the office once again.

The Minister of Magic approached him. "Your friend will be allowed to accompany you on the condition that you fully cooperate. You will be taking on a new identity and you will make it your top priority to not stray from it. You will not leave the location until sent for, nor will you have contact with anyone until then. Do you accept these terms?"
"Fine." This by no means was a good situation to him, but it was better than being by himself.
"His hands…" Shacklebot said.

A moment later his hands were free, leaving him to rub his wrists. Without being told, he made his way over to the two muggle escorts, Brooklyn lagging behind him. They were both shown to a car and entered the back seat on opposite sides. As they drove farther out of the city and into the country, Harry began to wonder if the awkward silence would desist. If she willingly offered to go with him, why would she be so determinately avoiding looking anywhere in his direction? If she was going to be like this the duration of their stay at wherever they were going, he rather her have not come at all.

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"You have got to be kidding me…" Brooklyn said upon entering the small house that was to be their residence for an unspecified amount of time.

She was not referring to the house's appearance; she was referring to the events that had taken place outside moments prior…

There really wasn't anything that could be done about it. While one of the muggles took out their luggage, the other one handed Harry an envelope. It was their lie they were about to live for the duration of their stay.

They were now a newly eloped couple, Ryan and Katelyn Studemont...rings came courtesy from Tonks herself.

The note said this was 'payback' for the way they acted at the restaurant.

He was about to show Brooklyn the letter so they could come up with a better lie, when he spotted two quickly approaching muggles. He turned the envelope upside-down, catching the rings in his hand. Sorting through the three rings, he shoved the largest one on his finger and then grabbed her hand, shoving the remaining two on hers. Just as he had told her to play along, their new neighbors came to introduce themselves...

"This isn't my ideal situation either…" He said irritably, throwing the contents of his suitcase at the nearest dresser. "And no, I'm not taking the couch."
"Oh yes you are!" She shot back, trying to open the closet that appeared to be stuck.
"No, I am not!" He slammed shut one of the dresser drawers, various articles of clothing sticking out. "Move!"

He shoved her out of the way and with a few strong pulls, the closet door finally opened.

"They couldn't provide you with better accommodations?" She said incredulously, empting the contents of her suitcase into the closet. "And to think they value your life above all others…"
"They don't value my life; they're just using me to save their own." He spat, grabbing a hanger from the closet.
"Hey, I need those!"
"Not all of them!"
"You have most of the dresser drawers, so I get the hangers!"
"I really don't recall you being this irritating." He said, putting his jacket on the hanger in his hand and placing it on the rack.
She shook his jacket off of the hanger, letting it fall to the floor before replacing it with her jacket. "You were always this irritating, I have quite a clear memory of it."
"Then why are you here!"
"Because I felt bad, okay! Forgive me for having a conscience that gets me to make completely horrible decisions!"
He picked up his jacket and put it on top of the dresser. "Well, thank you for making such a horrible decision."

He left the room, deciding to survey the rest of their nightmarish accommodation they had been provided.

He'd make sure to get the hangers when she wasn't looking.