Bittersweet Symphony
By: Amanda
Chapter Two
He sat in a corner booth of the Spiny Serpent, a dark looming pub with stranger than strange creatures and visitors that more than wizard and witch. The bartender was a handsome guy with pepper gray hair with deep prominent lines running from his eyes down to his cheeks and an attractive young female who tended was in her early twenties at best, dark brown hair pinned in a bun with a small lithe figure. The two had the same eyes and they even had the same scent of blood which told Harry they were probably father and daughter.
Their blood smelled amazing, Harry thought shivering slightly at the thought but he was fine. The whore had filled him enough for now. He would work on something more later, he couldn't go around killing frivolously even though it was easy and he was shameless.
After cursory glances around the room he rested his hands on the front of the dark blue edged book and thought about his visit to the wand shop. He didn't get a new wand or anything of the sort, to be honest Harry didn't really want a new wand, he liked his and he would feel that it was a betrayal to everything that was his wand. It was a part of him.
He juggled the idea whether Vampires or rather Lich had souls but he was sure that no one truly knew the answer to that and so he didn't dwell on it too much.
The wand shop, ah, it was a strange sort of place and Harry wouldn't have been able to get a new one without revealing who he was and that wasn't happening any time soon. But he had received some valuable information like the extraction of the tracer built into his wand could be severed with a few quick incantations that were forbidden by law.
The bloke was persuadable enough, everyone in the alley was able to be ruled by money, just like the Muggle world, money made the world go round.
He tilted his head to the side in thought even though he didn't need to do such things but it was best that he practiced being human as much as possible.
His tracer was gone and he even tested his wand on the female dead by levitating her near the rubbish bins. He didn't know enough transfiguration to do a Barty Crouch Jr. yet but in due time he would.
What he did discover was that all of his spells were amplified. His Levitation Charm had nearly torn the woman's head off as she went zooming up and hit the ragged poor excuse for a rain gutter.
He would have to take care and practice well and perhaps surpass Hermione this year. He had nothing else to do while sitting and waiting for school to start. He realized that Vampires and Lich did not sleep, he also discovered that even though they were stilled forms on the inside like statues somehow both the male and female were able to keep their hormones for sexuality and it was a known fact in one of the pages that Lich and Vampires were insatiable for sexual feasts mingled with blood.
If Harry could have, he probably would have blushed tenfold reading half of the stuff and he thought for a moment that he might have felt a little warm under the collar. He had ordered a dry sort of whisky but he didn't dare drink and instead randomly put it to his lips while using his wand discreetly to spell some of it away.
He was sure that a few knew what he was but those who didn't; he'd like to keep it that way. At least they had no clue as to who he was and he knew that would pose a nasty problem for him.
He checked the time briefly out of the corner of his eye. It was almost six and he was still going through the book of facts now that he was done with the fiction and was shocked to find that while female Vampires and Lich could not carry children or bare them the male's could produce a volatile seed to impregnate a human.
He went searching for something to hide his identity and found a section on Potions that did and did not work on Lich and Vampire.
Sadly, Veriteserum did work. Polyjuice Potion did not. Felix Felicis did not (which Harry only discovered what it was after digging into Potion book he had snatched along the way). However he was in luck for Scent Altering Potions/Charms and Eye Changing Potions/Charms worked well.
Usually, if a vampire tried human contacts they would dissolve within an hour or so because of the venom same with human hair dye and other cosmetics. Also, to humans a vampire's skin was like that of flawless marble and stone while theirs resembled a plush stuffed animal easily damageable.
There was no such thing as a Soul Mate but there were Vampires who loved and they were insanely possessive/jealous of their mate's once they acquired one. It was dangerous for both parties especially if one happened to be human but it wasn't impossible.
He sat back and pretended to nurse his drink and made his ankles cross a time or two while tapping his fingers humanly against the table. He was careful to keep them gentle knowing what would happen if he used even a margin of his strength.
He should get back to the Dursleys. He was sure that they would be grilling him about Dudley's whereabouts and he would have to remain innocent and even offer to use his 'abilities' to search but of course he would find nothing.
He'd play the perfect nephew and he really couldn't help but find a terrible bone-chilling thrill about how his uncle and aunt would react when they actually found the remains of their son.
Oh God, he really was a monster. He smiled behind his hood, what else was he to do? He could fight it all he wanted but he knew he'd be fighting a losing battle. If what the book said was true and all of his strongest traits were passed over then he was positive that his hatred for certain things and people had also been passed over.
He may have been a Golden boy Gryffindor but that didn't mean he didn't have hate in his heart. He had possessed Voldemort's Cursed Mark for more than a decade and even if the Dark Lord hadn't been around that made no difference when it came to the dark effect it had on Harry.
Harry however would be very careful how he used his hatred and thoughts; he would not be foolish to make any mistakes if he could help it.
Albus Dumbledore would definitely be one of them.
He gathered all his books and dropped a galleon beside his drink for the tender to get and swept silently out of the room. He would focus on a new wardrobe later but for now, he needed to pick up some ingredients for the potions which seemed to last longer than spells.
He needed green eyes again lest he be caught.
When Harry got home, he got the inquiries he expected. He put on his best frown along with the very temporary glamour charm that wouldn't last longer than an hour and wouldn't full any wizard not even Neville Longbottom. "That's not like Dud," he said softly as Aunt Petunia tittered in worry.
"I know!" she squeaked.
Uncle Vernon breathed deep. "He'll be fine, he's probably just off with one of his friends."
"I called all of his friends!" she squeaked in frantic.
"You know, Aunt Petunia," Harry said slowly and gently. "I know you two, don't like what I am or the people I associate with but we are known trackers with our abilities."
Her eyes sharpened and Uncle Vernon frowned. She stared at him. "Why do you care?"
Harry sighed. "Aunt Petunia, we may have had disagreements in the past and I may sometimes want to kick your bratty arse son in the mouth a time or two but I would not want my own cousin to turn up missing. Whether it means anything to you or not you are my last blood relative," he said turning his voice up to an imploring musical timber.
She quivered and bowed her head in acknowledgement. "P- please, bo- Harry?"
Uncle Vernon sat stock still. "Do it," he ordered but it had no heat. "Call them people of yours."
"Of course, I'll get right on it." As soon as he made the Potions of course, he thought whizzing from the room like he was in a hurry.
There was a small glitch in Harry's so-called swift plan; while his magic was amplified from his transformation it had no affect whatsoever on Potions. He botched the first two with disdain using his magic to clear the spills and start again. The stuff was supposed to take two days to make and he only hoped that his relatives would by the fact that it took days to reach his people.
Although, technically, Harry wasn't sure if he was supposed to call them his people. He wasn't exactly a human anymore and his disdain grew by each passing day when he received no valuable information on the happenings in his world.
He clicked his teeth as he added a sprinkle of lavender and newt. The lavender was supposed to hide rather than nullify the the traces added to his Magical Signature and it would alter to fit his looks by changing his eyes to green and if anyone asked about the glasses he would tell them he brewed the potion to correct it temporarily.
Five days and as soon as it was perfected, Harry wrinkled his nose at the scent before chugging it down while standing in front of the mirror.
The only thing he noticed was the change of his eyes and a strange sloshing sensation inside before it actually stuck to what Harry was going to deduce as the venom inside and he imagined in his mind's eye that it dissolved and hopefully he would be masked. Luckily, he was sixteen and growth spurts were expected and the only thing they could really comment on was his pale skin but the July cold weather was another good excuse to play on them.
He quickly set to writing a letter and asked Hedwig to make haste.
It was then that he told his relatives that they should receive word in a day or two.
"Currently, they are jumping from place to place to remain undetected but Hedwig is good like that, she can find anything," he assured as Aunt Petunia placed a hand to her heart and Uncle Vernon swallowed down the chunks of bacon on his plate. He said nothing and let it be; apparently, when it came to Dudley they'd do anything.
Ah, to have parents like that, huh? Harry would never know, he thought bitterly as he walked away.
oOo
Harry's human gestures were down after practicing them day in and day out while reading. He even learned to hold food in his mouth even though he longed to gag and throw it back up. It tasted like slime or glue that he tried to eat when he was a little boy.
It was disgusting to say the least.
He was sitting by the window sill on the rare sunny day, he had his hand out and the sunlight on his skin was nice but startling. He stared at the radiant glow and it was like a million beaded diamonds imbedded into his skin. He rushed a finger along it staring dazedly at it until he felt a heartbeat of an animal and the blood pumping through its veins. It wasn't Hedwig; he knew her smell and watched as a gray miniature owl fluttered through with a hooting grace.
He watched it confused as to who it was but he smelled a strange perfumed scent from the lime green letter attached to its foot.
He took the letter, surprised that the owl wasn't afraid of him. Hedwig had been spooked senseless for five whole days until landed on his head, nipped him in what she thought was a hard way and then … well she pooped on his head for his change without warning her first.
Harry forgave her. She was the only person who knew his secret and yes he treated her as a person. He wasn't human but he was a person and Hedwig wasn't human but she was more of a person than most people.
The owl landed on his shoulder and Harry was thankful Hedwig wasn't around; he didn't need her bitching to him with flaps and other incidents that were most unpleasant.
He saw loopy wild and crazy handwriting in black letters with Harry's name emblazed on the front. He turned it over twice before plucking it apart only to have a black beaded chain fall out into his lap. He could smell magic and heat coming off it along with the scent of the same perfume.
Dear Harry James Potter,
The Whistling Whimpers have spoken to me from my sleep. You know they like to make nests in my mindscape? They do all the time and they tell me the strangest things.
… Harry paused and then he laughed musically to nothing in particular.
Luna. Only one person had a mind like hers. He clearly remembered being startled by her strange words and rhymes but after what she had done for him and he didn't mean the Department of Mysteries fiasco, he would never forget. Unlike Ron and Hermione, she too had suffered at a young age and he respected her for it. Curious, he read on, if anything it would give him a little amusement for his dull days and nights.
Well, the Whistling Whimpers showed me a gnarled Gunflefang hurt you some odd nights ago. I was really worried about my dream and thought I would write to you and share it. You have strange dreams to don't you? You have those Whistling Whimpers in your mindscape, huh? Telling you things that you don't really want to know or really want to hear or believe that it is your right to invade others privacies. I am sorry about the Gunflefang and I hope that my dream was only that but just in case, I have given you a necklace I created. I hope you like it and consider it an early birthday gift. I hope this letter finds you well and that no more Gunflefangs get near you in the future.
Good-bye Harry Potter,
Luna Lovegood.
Harry stared stunned stupid, the owl made a cooing noise like that of a pigeon. What did she know? What did she see? He had deduced her weird little fairytales were more than that but he had always thought that they were a way to escape the eyes of people who would leer or jeer at her. A way to keep others out and away. It was a good rouse but did her strange little creations mean something more?
He was confused, but he had no time to dwell on it as he picked the chain up and examined it. She was an interesting person, he thought wildly curious. He sensed no harm in it, not that he would in the first place, this was Luna Lovegood not some asshole with a killer's intent and her name had been omitted along with the others in the Daily Prophet and so no one truly knew of her friendly connection with him.
To everyone, she was just the weird lunatic of Hogwarts.
Harry frowned. She was a weird lunatic about as much as he was human.
He was sure of it.
(o)
Luna – No, she's not a Seer, before you ask. To me, I have always thought Luna had a strange ability in Divination. She seems to know things before they happen and I've always thought she had an ability that Trelawney could only dream of ever having. Harry is one of the few people who she could consider her friend and thus she would be very in tune with his feelings. I've always written Luna that way and it's always worked. Hope you like. =)