Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff that you recognize. Check chapter one for specifics
Thanks for all the enthusiastic reviews.
Italic writing means thought.
Well here is the next chapter...
The next morning Harry woke up in a panic. WHERE THE HELL AM I?... A cave, wait, the events of the previous day came crashing back to him. As he sat there thinking about the recent turn of events, a huge smile began stretching its way across his face, I'm free! Nothing can hold me, not Dumbledore, not the ministry, and especially not Voldemort, not that he ever managed well before. Harry sprung out of bed, and went off in search of Griffin, a new found spring in every step. He found him tending to a shiny new green dirt bike.
Griffin looked up as Harry approached, "Oh, like it do ya?"
"Wicked! Is that a cowesucky," Harry had always wanted a motorbike, ever since he had his first dream about Sirius's bike, but he knew very little about them.
"It's 'Kawasaki', and yes, it is. This one's yours, that Yamaha over there," he nodded to his left, "is mine, don't touch it. The skill it takes to ride one of these is dead useful, and it'll help you to learn to Jump a vehicle… Well let's get started." Griffin put the gas can away, grabbed some things that looked like sticks with rectangles on one end, and Jumped away.
Harry stood in shock at being given a motorcycle for a moment, before shaking his head, and Jumping through Griffin's Jump scar, nearly knocking the Yamaha over, in the process. He landed in a heap, on the dessert floor.
Griffin chuckled, "You'll have to work on that. Ok, these things," he pointed to the sticks that he just stuck randomly in the ground, "these are Makiwara, punching pads, you hit them. I'm going to teach you Karate, and how to coordinate it with your Jumps, to fight like this." Griffin started a roundhouse kick aimed at Harry's head, Jumped halfway through, and hit a target roughly fifteen feet behind where he started. He started doing complex combos, sometimes stringing together three or more Jumps in a straight line in order to get the momentum required to dislodge one of the Makiwara.
"I've never seen anything like that before," Harry said, when Griffin Jumped back over to him. He then realized that he had no idea where they were, "Where are we, anyway?"
"I call it the 'empty quarter' but it's just a bit of Mexican dessert. We will train here, and if you need to run quickly, Jump here, or a few other places before you go to my lair. They can't follow through multiple Jump scars with only one of their portal machines."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Two weeks later, at Grimmauld Place, Ginny was sitting alone at the kitchen table. She had been in a bad way, ever since Harry's 'Death' she stopped wearing anything that wasn't black, would hardly talk, didn't eat much, and never got a full night's sleep, and nothing anyone did seemed to help, from Quiddatch in the basement, to swimming in the den, both ideas that the Twins suggested. She was taking it hard.
"Brilliant!" Ginny whispered, the most excited she had been since before the Order meeting. This was the best idea she'd had in a long time. Getting up, she walked over to the fireplace, reached for
the floo powder, and hesitated, Oh, what the hell! Nothing she does to me for this will be worse than I've been feeling, with that thought, she took a pinch of floo powder and threw it in the fire, "The leaky Cauldron"
A few minutes, later and Ginny found herself looking at the door to the shop that she had come for, Just where Bill said it'd be. She read the sign once more, "Mikey's Magical Ink and Hair," and went in.
The man behind the counter looked up and said, "What can I do for you?"
"Hi, I'd like to get a permanent streak put in my hair, and a tattoo," Ginny said, somewhat nervously.
"Sorry miss, we don't tattoo, or give anything permanent to minors. Come back in a couple years," he said, and went back to his magazine.
Ginny, not one to be discouraged walked over and closed his magazine. "Are you Mikey?" She said, a devious smirk playing its way onto her face.
"Yea, what's it t…"
Ginny's smirk grew, and Mikey would never admit it, but he found the small redhead quite intimidating. "I believe you owe my brother Bill, for his help with the four headed chicken and the improperly charmed bear trap," she watched as horror streaked across his face.
"You wouldn…"
"You don't know me well enough to know what I may or may not do… So your safest bet is to do what I asked for… and you won't owe my brother anymore. Just tell him that you help me," Ginny finished, her smirk changing to a grin.
He seemed to be in a bit of a dilemma, "Ughhh, fine, what do you want?"
Great, I didn't think that would be so easy, "I want a permanent black streak above my right eye, and a lightning bolt tattoo, in everlasting color changing ink, on the back of my left hand."
"Right, you know that the only way to remove the streak is to come back in and have us do it?" Ginny nodded. "The Tattoo is non-removable, and the ink will go in black, but you can change its color with a thought," as he said this, several of his tattoos cycled the color spectrum.
Forty five minutes later Ginny left the shop, twirling the midnight black streak around her right pointer finger, and playing with the colors of the two inch long lightning bolt on her left hand, finally settling on a green that matched Harry's eyes. Now he will always be with me, on my heart-hand, Ginny thought, with her first genuine smile in weeks, albeit a sad one.
Ginny made it back quickly, and was now sitting at the kitchen table. She sighed, and began to absently cycle the spectrum on her tattoo. She never really liked it at Grimmauld Place, and now with
both Sirius and Harry gone, the dingey old place seemed to be getting darker. Ginny got up and headed for the stairs, hoping that Ron and Hermione might be up to a game of exploding snap, or even just talking. She climbed the stairs to Ron's room, Harry's bed had been moved out, probably put in Sirius's old room with all of his other stuff. Ginny was snapped from her thoughts by the sight that greeted her when she walked into Ron's room.
"Mmm, Ron," Hermione moaned, snogging Ron thoroughly. They were sitting in the big red armchair that was put in place of Harry's old bed, Hermione on top of Ron.
"Hem hem," Ginny impersonated Umbridge, and watched in amusement as Ron stood abruptly, sending Hermione to the floor, and causing Ginny to laugh. "I'm glad that you to finally got your acts together, we've been waiting for ages. Harry… bet me, on the train home, that you would get together before his… his birthday," Ginny said, with a sad smile.
"Ginny, you could have knock… WAIT, you're talking again," Ron said, pulling Hermione up from the floor. "Sorry 'mione," He whispered.
"Yea and… GINNY, what did you do to your hair," Hermione asked, shocked. Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley was passing the door at that time.
"What about Ginny's hair dear? It looks like normal to me," Mrs. Weasley said, sticking her head in the door, and looking at Ginny from the back.
"Hi, Mum," Ginny turned to face her Mum, a bit nervously.
"GINIRVA MOLLY WEASLEY, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?" Mrs. Weasley screamed, breaking her own rule, and cursing.
Ginny squared her shoulders defiantly, and replied, "I had it done for Harry. It's the same color as his hair, and over my right eye; his scar was over his right eye." Ginny started to tear up slightly, but she wouldn't cry, she needed to be strong now.
Mrs. Weasley's face softened as her only daughter explained her reasons, "We all miss him, dear." She seemed to be thinking about something, "You can keep it for now."
"Good, because it's permanent," Ginny said, with a nervous smile. She tried to hide her left hand, I don't want to deal with this now, but Mrs. Weasley's eyes were drawn by the movement.
She grabbed Ginny's left wrist, and pulled it close. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, A TATTOO! Where did you get these?" Mrs. Weasley was shaking her wrist, it was quite painful. "Well? I'm waiting!"
Ginny pulled her wrist free from her mother's grip, rubbing her wrist, she replied, "I went to Diagon Ally." Seeing her mother take a breath to continue her rant, Ginny took a leaf out of the twin's book, and interrupted her, "Have you even noticed that the tattoo is in the shape of Harry's lightning bolt? Or that it's the same color as his eyes? Nooooo, all you care is that it isn't PROPER!" Ginny lost her
control over her tears, and said desperately, almost pleading with her Mum to understand, "It's for Harry, now I'll always a reminder of him with me."
"Oh Ginny, you really loved him didn't you?" Mrs. Weasley said softly.
Ginny shook her head, "No, not loved… Love, I still love him." With that she ran from the room, leaving a complete silence in her wake.
Hermione turned to Mrs. Weasley, "I'm sorry, but I have to say this… Those things are good for Ginny. Before you came in, Ginny was the most cheerful she's been since… it happened." She took a moment to regain her composure, "She actually laughed. I read once, that people deal with loss differently; this is what worked for Ginny. Muggles get tattoos of loved ones quite often, after a loss. I'm sure that Ginny would love your approval."
"I…" Mrs. Weasley was at a loss, she reacted without considering any of this. "I'm just going to go find her then," and she left to find her only daughter.
0o0o0o0o0o0
It was three days before Harry's sixteenth birthday, and Griffin had given him the day off. After weeks of intensive training with the Makiwara, riding dirt bikes all over, Jumping out of the way of paintballs, Jumper vs. Jumper battles both using paintball guns and using Karate, Harry was nearly matched with Griffin. Just a few days back, Harry tagged along on one of Griffins Paladin hunts, and took out two of the three of them, but not before getting tazered and falling into a freezing lake. Harry wanted to take on some Death Eaters.
"We'll need to get you a disguise," Griffin replied, when Harry asked him about it.
"Yea, I think black cargo jeans, a black hoody, and my mirrored dirt bike goggles will work fine. The hood will help hide my hair and scar, and the goggles might partially cover it too, as well as make sure that none of my friends recognize my eyes, probably hide my face a bit too," Harry said, sneezing harshly for the hundredth time that day. "Fuck'n Paladin."
Griffin laughed, and said, "Well, make sure you don't let them throw you into a lake next time, especially if that lake is in Greenland. That disguise should work, I'll have to get you a holster for that MP7A1, attach it to your thigh."
"Yea, this sling is annoying, and ma…" Harry broke into a sneezing fit. "Anyway, I need the holster to have a spot for the silencer, and it has to fit the gun in with the reflex sight on."
"I know, I'm not stupid, a bit crazy maybe, but not stupid. I've been do'n this stuff for years," Griffin said, pretending to be annoyed.
"Yea, well, you do…" Harry started shaking uncontrollably, and fell. He stopped inches from the floor, magic crackling around him, and he started to float up to about four feet off the cave floor, a
torrent of wind swirling around him, like a cocoon. Hedwig, who tracked Harry to the cave a day after he arrived there, flew as close as she was able, and perched on the back of a chair.
"Crap," Griffin said, hands on his head, and looking around franticly. "Harry… bugger! Wake up, come on! Wake up, brother! OUCH! I didn't expect that," Griffin, in his worry, tried to shake Harry's shoulder; he didn't get within six inches before he was zapped. Griffin was concerned, he and Harry had formed a brotherly bond, and Harry was the first real friend he had had, in years. Griffins life was very similar to Harry's, neither of them could decide who had had it tougher, and they seemed to understand each other very well because of it, much like Fred and George Weasley, though not quite to that extent.
Griffin took a calming breath, "Well, he doesn't seem to be in any pain. Not much I could do anyway, can't exactly take him to hospital, can't risk bringing anyone here. Oh well." Griffin Jumped away to get some supplies, and a birthday gift for Harry.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Three days later, the thirty first of July, the cocoon calmed and became still, then with a great rush, it swirled again, and a mist of pure darkness was expelled from Harry's scar, he then floated to the ground. He started to come out of his strange magical cocoon. He was feeling strange, good; there was a buzzing feeling throughout his body, like barley contained power that was just itching to break loose. Blinking his eyes open, he noticed that everything was blurry; he reached up and touched his glasses, What's wrong with these things? He pulled them off, and everything was sharp and crystal clear, Wicked! He looked around, Griffin was asleep on a nearby chair, Hedwig perched on its back. Wow! This is even better than how the glasses were!
"He… Hed," his throat was to dry to talk. I could really use a glass of water, Harry thought. The next instant, he felt his magic react, and there was a glass of water floating in front of him. Whoa, I guess I can do wandless magic now? Harry drank down the water quickly, and patted Hedwig as she landed on his shoulder. "Hey, Hedwig. I'm fine now, go hunt," Harry said, realizing that she probably never left his side while he was out of it, However long that was.
Harry got completely out of bed, What the hell? He was taller, about two and a half to three inches, as far as he could tell. I hope this works, he thought, and waved his hand, thinking of a tall mirror. An ornate mirror, resembling the Mirror of Erised, appeared before him, and he only had a split second, in which he realized, Erised… Desire, the Mirror of Desire, clever, before he got a look at himself. He still looked very much the same, with the exception of his height, and the very noticeable, blood red, streak that ran from the top of his head to his right eye, right over his scar.
"Wicked, this'll help my disguise. No one would expect me to put a streak in my hair," Harry grinned. He thought about his disguise, and then he was wearing it, his mirrored dirt bike goggles on, the hood of his black hoody pulled up, black cargo pants that would let him move easily, and the new holster that Griffin got him while he was out of it, it was a powerful and intimidating look, his new height, and blood red streak of hair, adding all the more to the look. He tried a climate control charm on the hoody, thinking the incantation Professor Flitwick had taught him the year before, Much better; it
was too hot without it. Harry spent the next half hour trying all sorts of spells, and discovered that he did not need an incantation for transfiguration, conjuration, and some charms, like levitation, shielding and summoning, and a few others. He did however need the incantation for any offensive magic he tried, meaning defense against the dark arts. He tried some new charms on his MP7A1, a self maintenance charm, unbreakable charm, and a permanent refilling charm on the clip.
"Oh, good, you're up," Griffin said, after being woken up by the noise Harry was making.
"How long have I been out," Harry said, moving his goggles to hang around his neck, and vanishing the mirror and the various items that he conjured, or transfigured.
"Quite a while really, three days. I was getting board, had to stop hunting Paladins, and the PS3's on the fritz, I think that your magic cocoon thing messed with it," He pointed to the T.V. with his thumb. "Oh, yea, right," he said, remembering, "happy birthday." He handed Harry a box with some newspaper wrapped loosely around it.
"What, too cheap to wrap it properly?" Harry teased good naturedly, they really were like brothers. Harry pulled the paper off and saw a new iPod Touch.
"A Jumper's best friend that is. It has a world clock in there," Griffin said, then added, "and you're lucky you got anything, I could have just ignored you. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and all that."
Harry ignored him, and looked back at the iPod, "Wicked! I wonder if I could get it to run on magic," he took hold of his magic, and pushed it into the iPod. He had no clue how he was doing it, pure instinct took over, like when he played Quidditch, or dueling. He managed to solve the battery problem with a simple, permanent refilling charm, and moved on to the magical interference problem, that, he didn't know how he fixed, just that he did, after that the same happened when he tried to get the wifi to work no matter where he was, he then added an unbreakable charm, and the last thing he did was add an on screen option for a very loud speaker charm. This will rock next time I'm in battle, now I just need music, the next thing he knew, all of his favorite bands, wizard and muggle alike, were on it. "Wow! I have no idea how I just did that, but I'm glad I did," Harry said, looking up to see Griffin staring at him.
"Well, I guess you're not felling any worse from your… whatever it was. You actually look healthier, and that red streak will help keep your identity hidden," He paused. "Are you doing that on purpose?"
"What," Harry asked, sitting down on one of their recliners. He put his feet up, and conjured a cup of hot tea.
"Power seems to be… radiating… off you," Griffin copied Harry, and sat in the other recliner, accepting the coffee Harry had just conjured. "Should be fun the next time we find some Paladins', scare the shit out of 'em," he laughed.
"No, I'm not," Harry said, grinning at the mental image of Paladins running from him. "After I finish my tea, I'm going to Grimmauld Place; I want to get my stuff. Now that I have this disguise and the
red in my hair, not to mention the fact that my magical signature has been completely altered…" Harry trailed off, a bewildered expression on his face. "How did I know that, what the hell?"
"How would I know? You're the one with the magic, not me; I didn't even know it existed before I met you."
"Must be part of whatever it was that happened to me. I'm going to finish my tea, have something to eat, then I'm going to Grimmauld Place. You can't come, I'm keyed into the wards, you're not, you'll set the alarm off if you come," Harry explained, and went to the refrigerator to get some food.
The diffirance between Jumping ans Apparition, in this story, will be further explained in the next chapter. I'll say this though, while wards cannot stop Jumpers, they can detect them once inside the perimeter.
The next chapter will be interesting, and have a bit of action in it.Oh, here is a hint as to what will come in the next two chapters. Can you say Blue Oyster Cult? How about Ok Go?
Reviews are welcome!