Chapter 6—Out and About town
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The Harry hunt by the Ministry and Dumbdumb continued but as time passed the hunt slowed as Voldemort was destroying and the wizards were in fear and hiding in their homes.
Time passed, Diagon Alley, the Knockturn Alley and Hogsmeade Village were attacked . The muggle towns were not spared and Azkaban was attacked and its denizens released to aid the Dark Lord. The only bright side of that raid was an escape, a week earlier, by an inmate Sirius Black.
/Scene Break/
"Well Harry it looks like you have adjusted to real potion making." Nick laughed.
"Yes you have definitely shown me the error of Snape's way; I get the feeling that you will let me brew a potion in the next year or two." I laughed.
"Actually Nick has been bragging on you and will let you start your first potion soon." Penny was actually needling Nick by saying that.
"Well yes that's a possibility when he returns from his break from us, I think a month should do it don't you think? He asked Penny.
"Are you kicking me out?" I asked with tongue in cheek.
"Yes and No, you need a break so back to the real world for you. Penny and I will also be gone collecting some herbs and such for our potion." Nick was leading me on.
"And such? For our potion?" I asked.
"Now don't get nosey or we will make it a two month vacation, so pack up tonight and we will get you a port-key home." Nick chuckled.
"Well packing I will do and be ready in two hours to vacate the premises that I am not wanted at, so there." We all had a quick laugh and I did just that, packed.
You know that living for 600 years gets you some special knowledge and abilities. The port-key dumped me on my bum in my own living room in Knockturn Alley. The port-key somehow ignored all the wards. I did a soothing bath and hit the bed early. The next morning I visited Sharptooth to see what was new, old and bothersome.
/Scene Break/
Gringotts on the way to Charing Cross Road:
"So SharpTooth what have I been missing?
"Nothing is happening of great interest other that your old trust vault will be filling this August, so Dumbledore will be back acting as your guardian. Not that he will get in as the estate is sealed pending a magical heir. Knowing Dumbledore he will have some new law up his sleeve."
"Is there anything that can stop or slow him down? I asked. "In the muggle world they freeze money when more than one group is requesting ownership. Is there nothing like that in the wizard world?"
"Of course there is but who is going to challenge Dumbledore? SharpTooth asked.
"Well if you send a human to the Dursley's and state there is a small fortune if they challenge the distribution as my muggle guardians, I am sure they will sigh paperwork. Would that be enough to jam up the access?" I smiled and tried to show many teeth.
SharpTooth started laughing, "Oh yes it would and since it's our vault and the challenge is between a muggle and a wizard we would be the deciding court. I'm sure that we could slow the release for a year or more. Then maybe you as the past owner could contest the whole thing. Signing these papers contesting our decision, just after we make our decision the whole thing could be delayed further." SharpTooth was again with the teeth thing as I signed the paper work, leaving the date blank.
I was informed that Mr. Jones had made a bit of interest on his accounts so I was ahead and not behind money wise. I then trotted off to Charring Cross Road and shopping. By now my hair was long and blond and a bandana covered my scar. With a dragon tooth earring I was looking the part of a pirate. What I did need was some clothes that fit as I had been growing at an alarming rate or so my clothes told me.
A quick pace got me to Oxford Street and the stores and it was a short while later that I was lugging a ton of bags. The taxi would be my answer after a quick-lunch at the café by the book shop. My eyes bulged out at the sight of Daphne and Tracey; they were quite the beauties these days and got my blood boiling. I stopped by to say hello and got my wish which was to join them.
"Well my lovely ladies what's new at Hogwarts and your lives?"
"Well you cute little devil you have been missed by many." Purred Daphne and I almost fainted, Tracey was usually the mouth and Daphne was the quite one.
"Why thank you, I must say you're filling out those clothes quit well, want to have a date tonight?"
"As long as Tracey comes along so it's socially acceptable, I will be happy to accompany you on a date" that almost floored me. I was just responding to the "cute" remark. We then made a meeting place and continued our conversation.
"So Harry what have you been up too besides becoming so yummy? Tracey asked with enough sex in her voice to make me squirm.
"I have been training and found that our Master Potion Master Snape is a fraud. Not only does he have a lousy personality, can't teach but he doesn't know potions like everyone says he does."
"You jest and insult our head of house?" Daphne acted insulted but it was obviously an act.
"You bet your pretty blond hair, I've got the best of the best making me like an apprentice and working me to death to be honest."
"Who would that be?" Daphne asked.
"Err, I may not be able to answer that as I am not sure he wants to let people know he has a klutz like me working for him, so is casual muggle clothing ok with you guys for tonight?
We chatted over a lot of areas and we finally agreed to meet at six at the Leaky Cauldron.
/Scene Break/
Man oh man when Daphne showed I was in a total meltdown. She had tight jeans; high heel boots and a top that said grab me! I think that's why Tracey was there.
I got them into a taxi and then to a cinema with the works, jew-jew beans, popcorn and drinks. The movie was a hit with the girls so I could care less. I then asked where they would like to eat, Indian, Italian, German or pizza. Pizza won and the war of what topping started. I just bought three pizzas and we shared. Unfortunately they had to be back by ten so I bravely asked, "So tomorrow, another date or are you busy?" I had a date for ten in the morning I just needed to figure where to take them.
Now I was excited and couldn't believe how this was happening to me. I have a date and girls calling me cute and just wow! There was no way that I was going to get to sleep with all this running around in me so I hit the computer for a little surfing. I found a site that caught my interest. Making a long dull story short I get these two hackers with the weird names of 'BitMan' and 'Sparks' chatting on-line with me. They are mad over government this and government that but they hit the right word, "Manipulation". I get their site logged under 'Favorites' on the computer and they give me several set of numbers to enter along with a password should I like to chat. A computer wiz I am not but it killed a few hours and I was now tired.
/Scene Break/
By the third date I was the happiest jerk in town. I really overloaded the magical girls by taking them to a muggle amusement park. While Tracey stuffed her face with cotton candy Daphne was grabbing me for dear life on a roller coaster. Now I am a slow male but after a coke Daphne was ready for the roller coaster and Tracey was looking to be somewhere else. I was hugged, squeezed and as the car came to a stop given a peck on the cheek by Daphne. I dragged her over to a bench and had a chat with her.
"Daphne I am a dumb male and maybe I am just reading this whole thing wrong but…" Here is where I was going to shock her and maybe let me know if she liked me. I did remember what she said at our first meeting but dam-it things change. "Daphne will you marry me?"
"She calmly turned to me and said "Just not yet, I have my parents to convince but if they keep being stubborn I may run off with you." She gently reached up and pushed my jaw closed and gave me a kiss on the lips. "And they said you were slow, you catch on quick it's just a shame you lost your titles and money."
"Well I may be slow with relationships but money and I are still friends. They may have gotten the bulk but I still got a chunk. So where do you want to go tomorrow and can we ditch Tracey, she is not having much fun." I was still running on adrenalin and not sure where all this courage was coming from.
"Sorry dear but Tracey is my parents insurance that I don't do something wrong but if you don't mind we can bring Tracey's boyfriend with us?" she purred and I was hooked for life.
That night I had a real argument with myself. Yes Daphne, No Daphne, it wasn't fair to Daphne, hell who cared she was just what I wanted to snuggle with and that is when I decided to go to bed, dreams are so nice when you can't have the real thing.
/Scene Break/
The month went by to fast and I had to return but Daphne understood and promised to keep the marriage contracts away and if not we would run off together. Nick and Penny were laughing like hell but something was wrong, it was like they had a secret not yet shared. Hedwick was kept busy with Daphne and my correspondence.
"Nick is it alright to tell Daphne that I am studying under you and Penny?"
"Not yet Harry, there is a few things that must be done first but then you will get the go ahead from us. AND right now you have your first potion to brew and this book to read."
The potion was difficult but the book was tedious. Once the potion was finished Nick told me to drink a vial of it and I looked at him like, WHAT!
"You want me to drink an unknown potion, or is this a test of some sort?" My voice was raised a bit higher than normal.
"In a way it's sort of a test to see if you trust me, so drink."
He said drink it so I did and nothing happened; he then assigned another potion which was super difficult. The thing with potions was they really were like cooking for the Dursley's. The hard part that Snape never told us was the fine points. What's a dash or a pinch? How do you define stir slowly or stir vigorously. In the Dursley's kitchen a pinch of salt was how big your fingers were and didn't overly affect the taste but in potions a pinch of fairy dust could cause all hell to break out if you used the salt definition. Teaching is an art and Snape was artless, Nick was an artist. He finally broke down and told me the potion was a nutrient concoction and the elves would be putting in my food for the next month.
The stupid potion was the right color and Nick handed me two vials and said drink. Interesting, with Snape it was to see if you died or got sick, with Nick it was yet to be determined but he was up to something. So another potion was assigned, but this one was dumped and reassigned and in the end I had to drink a vial. So it went, luckily most potions only took a few days at the most to brew. The next was so complicated that I almost quit before I started but Nick just said, "Give it a whirl" and so I started the two-week potion.
Two week and three days later Nick tested the potion nodded his head and told me to drink about a half pint of the shit. Hell Dragon dung would taste better, even Pomfrey's skeleton grow was better tasting and then I felt hot, sick and the last thing I remember is the floor speeding to my face.
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