The Payback

Harry sat alone in his room. He wasn't sure if he was thinking, ignoring his thoughts, or wallowing in his own silent self-pity. His brain could barely comprehend the state it was in. He alternated between blankly staring at the door Marner had moments ago hurriedly exited through and staring at his fingernails.

He was soon trying to keep his mind blank, but he repeatedly failed miserably.

The former supply room turned bedroom held a seemingly therapeutic atmosphere. It was pleasantly warm, perhaps warmer than the rooms of the other inmates despite its subterranial location. Above all of that, it was comfortable.

Five or six balls of a warm light bounced joyfully around the room at Harry's unconscious command, radiating a calmness that was perfectly suited for mediation. It was a simple creation and did not take too much power to manage. Harry had used it daily for years for temperature control and light, which naturally led to Harry's ability to create them and maintain them so easily. It would be very gloomy and chilly in his room otherwise.

Yet, Harry barely paid the beautiful, magical lights any attention. His mind was currently preoccupied.

Marner's paled, frightened face during their hasty conversation flashed through Harry's mind like misty, unordered scenes from a scary movie without the intense, clichéd music.

"Harry, listen to me-."

"Leave while you have the chance." Harry had said with conviction.

Marner shook his head stubbornly. "What they could do to me will not compare with what they are talking about doing to you!"

"All the more reason you should leave. What's the point in you getting hurt while they are after me." Marner had placed a hand on Harry's shoulder as if to physically remove him from the room. "I refuse to leave. I am not going to run away from them."

Harry sighed. He needed something to take his mind off of the conversation. He concentrated and used his powers to conjure a mirror. He had no items on the ugly banal beige walls. He was sure that without his powers, he would have surely gone mad in the cold, dark, empty room.

He made the mirror large enough so that he could see from his toes to most of his upper body. He had learned through painful trial and error not to try and conjure large objects, but to conjure small things and then make them larger. It took much less concentration and power, and did not leave him burned out.

He scrutinized himself slowly from head to foot. He filled the secondhand clothes that he wore pretty well. They were old, used clothes brought by Marner. They had come in a packet signed by an 'unknown sender' a few months ago. Marner had gone to his parents begging for his old things so that Harry could wear something other than the court's administered clothes.

That was pretty brave of him, since his parents hate his very being.

Harry was not able to keep all of the clothes of course. Some of the officers found several articles too "good" for an "animal" like him. Harry was allowed to keep two outfits, which had been slightly too big for him at the time he received them.

Through boxing and the multiple manual labor chastisements he had received over the past years, he had managed to grow somewhat into the clothes. He used his powers in the end to make the clothes fit him properly.

He had muscle tone, though it was something that he considered a consequence of punishments and puberty. He wasn't a bodybuilder.

Muscles are okay, but acne... I'm just lucky that I don't have too much of it!

He had never called himself handsome, and he was definitely not terrible to look at, but he still winced when he observed his reflection. There were quite a few small scars on his face from the many dangerous encounters he had faced. With the lights he had conjured earlier rotating continuously around the room, the scars danced as though they were alive.

"I could've taken better care of myself," his breath briefly misting the mirror as he shrunk it to a smaller size.

"Why should I fight? All it does is cause more problems."

"And where would I go, Marner! I've got no one-."

"You have me! Damnit Harry, you can come with me. I can help you!"

"You'd only get yourself in trouble with the law. Best let things run their course."

"Do you want to get killed?! That is what they are aiming for!"

"Let 'em do their worst."

"Harry, listen to me-."

Harry enlarged the mirror again until it took up a third of the wall and traced the long, faded scar that stretched diagonally across his face. He remembered the day he received that infamous scar very well. It had been his first day in captivity. He had tried to kill an officer.

He glanced over the lightening scar on his forehead. The Dursley's most likely lied about his parents dying in a car crash and him getting the scar as a result. He had heard it from the tall, platinum blond-haired guy at Masons, but even without the cryptic message that guy had given him, his gut told him that his parents did not just die in a car crash.

Boy, if that could see me now. I'm in solitary confinement close to crying and shaking in front of a mirror that I created with my supernatural powers because a group of officers are coming to beat the shit out of me, and there is nothing I can do about it.

He inhaled a shaky breath. "I've got nothing to worry about." He felt stinging in the corners of his eyes. "Somebody will hear it… somebody will come.

Just like they did for the nurse… A cynical voice spoke from the depths of his mind.

With shaking hands, he ran his fingers over his other scars, feeling their depth and remembering the stories behind them. It was a distraction from reality, one that he definitely needed.

The balls of light swirled faster, and more in sync, around the room, casting a steady bright light and giving off a warmth that Harry desperately needed.

He felt cold inside, and everything was suddenly becoming colder.

He left the mirror and shrank it before sitting down on his softened bed. He stared at the paneled, leaky ceiling as though he was able to look through it. He toyed with his odd silver band. It, too, seemed to pulse with anxiety.

"I'll be okay. I'm protected by the law, after all." The lights spun faster.

"Harry, I brought you those books that you liked to read from the library. I want you to wrap them up in a blanket, shrink them, and put them in your pocket." Marner had said, setting the books on the ground with a 'THUD'.

Harry, who had been playing with a stream of fire, had looked at Marner with unmasked surprise. "Am I going somewhere?"

Marner had sat down next to him and taken his arm. "Harry, the guard you attacked… He was related to another officer and very popular with the others." Harry had just nodded. He had known at that very moment, something was not right. "He wants payback."

"What are they gonna to have me do this time?" Harry asked, thinking of the horrible manual punishments the guards usually gave to him

"No, it's nothing like that… It's worst." Marner removed his hand. "He and a few others want personal revenge."

Harry just laughed. "They ain't got the balls."

"Harry, I'm serious." Harry felt his heart drop at the unusual emotions in Marner's voice.

The lights spun so quickly that it was hard to see where one began and another ended. It was a single ring of blinding light and extensive heat. They made a whooshing sound that was similar to that made by airplanes or other speeding objects. Harry could not make it stop; he had lost control of his pulse, his powers and emotions. He covered his face with his hands when the lights became unbearable.

With the suddenness of a candle being blown out, the light was extinguished and the ring disappeared; everything was silent and cold. The warmth, the light - the illusion of security and safety - all of the things he had depended on, had vanished. Harry felt his breath become ragged. He felt every beat of his heart as though it were a drum, beating the Funeral March.

"Why me?" He asked the cold darkness of his room. The tears were flowing now.

He sat up angrily and wiped them away. Now was not the time to show weakness. He didn't doubt that the officers would do whatever they wanted with him and blame it on accident or Harry's own fault. He had heard of difficult boys going missing or having strange "accidents", but he had never believed in the rumors.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!" He yelled at the ceiling. The mirror shook and rumbled on the wall.

In a blur of silver, the shrunken mirror found itself completely embedded in the wall on the opposite side of the room. It did not break.

Harry got up and conjured another bright ball of light in his hands. It reminded him of a Dragon Ball character he had seen in a comic book in one of the inmate's rooms. It was from that image and movies that they were allowed to view that Harry had an idea of what he wanted his powers to do. He could do interesting things with water as well but only in the shower. He found conjuring water and then manipulating it with his powers to be one of the hardest things to do.

Manipulating water and waiting for my impending demise belong together as the hardest things to do.

He could not bear sitting on that self-made, comfortable bed, knowing the reality of his impeding future. Or lack thereof.

He needed something to do. Books were uninteresting now, but he still wrapped the ones that Marner had brought in a thin white sheet and shrunk them. They fit perfectly in his pants' pocket.

He did not have any possessions. Everything that was in any way valuable and interesting brought to him was snatched away by the lovely guards. Harry was not angry; annoyed but not angry. Material things truly meant nothing to him. He did not need anything.

He leaned again the wall in the dark room. He sunk to the floor. He closed his eyes in agony.

"Harry, I'm serious."

"Marner?"

"They want revenge. They went as far as to ask your warden for permission to punish you! It took a while, but he granted in the end, as long as his name stays out of it."

"Bastard. I always hated him"

"They are going to be watching your every move, waiting for the perfect time."

Harry had looked at him. He had been completely stunned. "What am I going to do?"

"Leave. Runaway, I don't care where! But I won't be able to live with myself if-."

Harry lost control. "And where would I go, Marner! I've got no one-."

Suddenly, with snakelike precision, Harry crept to one side of his door and unlocked it with a thought. The door clicked softly. Harry held his breath. He cracked the door a tiny bit. Suddenly there was movement and noises from the other side of the door.

Fear raked through him. "Shit."

He locked the door, as silently as he could. The rustling and the voices increased in volume. His ears seemed to burn from the intensity of the sound.

He backed away slowly from the door.

They've got me barricaded!

"I should've left! Marner was fucking right, I should've left!" He whispered furiously to himself, tugging at his hair in frustration.

He felt suddenly trapped. He was. He spun around in circles, trying to think of a way to get out of the room.

He gave up. Resignation reigned, but his remorse of not following Marner remained.

"I can't walk through walls! I'm not a fucking ghost." He sat down on the bed. "I should've left with Marner."

He felt himself go invisible. It felt as though he had taken a dip in an egg-bath. It was not going to be much help now; he was not going to the library. Plus, it wouldn't do me any good if I went invisible when they came in and I wasn't able to hold the invisibility while they searched for me!

He returned to his old visible self.

He spent the rest of the night practicing everything he could with his powers. He conjured all that he could and manipulated all that he was able to. Balls and beams of fire and light flew through the room. The pulse was a now a steady burn going through his body. The metal band that he had been required to wear on leg glowed a pinkish hue.

He stood in the middle, directing the flow of everything like a conductor would an orchestra. He pushed and bypassed all limits to his powers that he had thus discovered. The silver band on this leg vibrated angrily, but he did not pay any more attention to it.

He pushed his powers until his body ached and the very air was saturated with lights of different colors, fires that did not give off heat. It was a powerful stress release. He continued until physically and emotionally he could not do more.

Soon, after minutes of strenuous conducting, his powers could not maintain the external displays. With a disappointing silence, everything he strained to maintain collapsed. Breathing heavily, he laid himself down on his now uncomfortable bed. I've finally killed my powers… He drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

He awoke to the feeling of something hard hitting him rapidly in the back. He groaned in pain and rolled over to face his attacker.

One of the officers stood there looking at him, both excited and anxious.

Harry's heart dropped to his stomach immediately. He knew why the officer was there. It was the punishment that he'd been promised for attacking that one officer. There was no way to avoid it.

The grinning officer pulled him roughly out of bed. He ached all over from his over-exertion with his powers, but his pulse slowly dulled the pain down until it turned into a slight numbness.

He moved mechanically as the officer dragged him up a flight of stairs to the main floor and out of the building.

There was an orange hue in the early morning autumn sky. Harry kept his eye on it. It would probably be the last time he would see it. He inhaled shaky breaths. He knew hell awaited him wherever he was going.

The officer dragged him into the building that housed the other inmates. Harry could hear the whistles and loud bangs as the wake-up calls were being made.

A few boys on the first floor saw him and the officer. When Harry saw them wince, he knew that they knew what was going on. Yet, I'm not going to get any help. The boys, who probably could and would want to help, were most likely too frightened to do so.

The officer led him to the shower stalls for the boys, a small crowd had gathered behind them and was following them from a safe distance. The procession came to a halt, and the officer kicked the door open. Harry went cold all over as he saw a few other officers waiting in there along with the one he had head-butted.

"So Potter-." The officer he had head-butted said. He had a medical patch wrapped around his head.

"We didn't come here to talk to the bastard, Rodger!" The one who brought Harry said pushing Harry into the middle.

Five against one is always a fair number!

The door clicked shut, Harry summoned all of the strength he could with his powers.

No one moved except Harry, who moved in a slow circular pattern, trying to keep everyone in his sight. He inspected each of them as a lion would his prey. He had gone from victim mode to attack mode. He would not go down without a good fight.

They all were looking at him, waiting. He remembered them all. They had all played 'Break Potter' at one point or another, and they had all lost. Harry had made each one of them look like a moron in the past. And now they are going to try to kill me and get away with it.

Well, I'm gonna take as many of them down with me as possible.

Harry narrowed his eyes as his eyes came to a red-haired officer. He knew then who would be the first to throw a punch.

It would be the officer who had smacked Harry three or four years ago for looking at him in the cafeteria. Harry had cut the seam on the waist of his trousers, with his powers. And when the man stood in the buff before entire establishment, Harry then promptly kicked him in the privates.

The officer's nickname "Scrambled Eggs" stuck with him to that very day.

Harry's instinct had predicted accurately. "Scrambled" darted forward and swung his meaty fist at Harry. Harry caught the punch and pushed him back. They both went flying. Harry picked himself up quickly. He hesitated for one second, and he was suddenly grabbed by someone from behind.

Moving at an angle that caused his back to crack and ache, Harry threw his weight onto the man and wrestled him to the ground.

He could hear the sound of many voices outside. He could not pay the sound much attention. Officers attacked him fiercely as he struggled on the floor. He attacked back with such ferocity that his sanity could have been questioned. His fists flew and his legs kicked as with a mind of their own. Soon his mind began to piece together sounds and movements that were not coming from within the bathroom.

There was obviously a crowd outside the door.

Crowds attracted attention, attention that could be dangerous to the officers.

Attention could also attract help for him. He just needed to hang on long enough for the possible help to come. Besides, Marner is trying to alert the proper authorities. I just need to hang in until they come.

His pulse helped him threw everything he had strength-wise at them, but they were prepared. Somehow, they managed to trip him with what he believed was water. Two of them held his hands and dragged him into a standing position.

He stared at the wall and used his powers to numb the pain as hit after hit fell upon him. Suddenly, raw pain flashed through him. He screamed as he felt the electric pulse of a stun-gun burn through him.

The bastard laughed.

He thrashed so violently that they were forced to let him fall to the ground. He curled up in a ball and protected his face. The sounds outside the door were growing louder.

Hang on just a little longer...

He pushed his powers to their limits once again as he felt the electric pulse surge through him one more time. His powers barely helped with the pain. He screamed. They kicked him and punched him in his fetal position.

A scream tore from his throat as one of the officers began hitting him with their baton furiously. Harry thrashed on the ground, covered in his own blood. Then he felt the electric blaze of the stun gun once more. His powers faltered completely.

Pain beyond anything he had every felt before, surged through him as he felt the extent of their aggression. He only wished that it would end. He begged, praying to any god that existed, for an end.

There was the sound of the door bursting open. Harry saw the blurred figures of two or three individuals rush in. They were not large guys, but they were bigger than Harry from muscle. His pain had such control over his mind that he almost did not realize that they were guys he had helped in the past, 'loner' kids like him, attacking the officers. Soon the odds were against the officers who had grown tired in their game with Harry.

He then heard Marner's voice, along with those of other men. Help is here. He could not see them, but he knew that they were there.

Harry gave a grim smile, coughed up some blood, and then the blackness he had seen so many times before met him once again.

6 months later…

"…finds the actions of the officers and officials beyond atrocious! The court rules in favor of Mr. Potter." The judge then banged his gravel to finalize the statement and silence the court. "Reimbursement will be paid for the medical and psychological expenses of Mr. Potter, and the other three inmates harmed in that disgraceful abuse of power to the proper authorities. Compensation in an amount of money will be paid to each individual. Such a disgusting misuse of power has never been seen and never will be seen in this county again. I have never…"

Harry's mind drifted away as the judge gave the five officers and the Warden a violent verbal lashing. Harry had never seen the man so angry. His very eyes seemed to spit fire everywhere.

The poor court scribe was sweating furiously. She was trying catch every word spewing forth from the judge's mouth.

Harry's attorney sat back in his chair, satisfied with the results. Like he actually did something! The man has been sitting on his arse in the same suit that he wore when I first entered the courtroom years ago.

Harry looked around the courtroom and smiled at the astonished faces of the three guys who had helped him when the officers attacked him. He had no idea of what they were planning on doing with their money. The future was uncertain, but he knew that theirs would include freedom.

He had no such luck. Even if his bail for Masons was paid for with the compensation, he would still have a sentence under his belt. If they took him back to Sirkins, he would have to stay there until his eighteen birthday. And who knows what they will do to me then!

He looked at the ceiling as a way to distract himself from the proceedings. There was a new image there. Harry did not remember ever thinking to look up at the ceiling. It was really quite beautiful with angels and wise-looking men. And as he thought more about it, the seats seemed more comfortable than before.

I wonder much it cost to make such a work of art! The court talks about spending thousands of pounds on charity, yet somehow the rescue homes are getting shut down, the children set on the street without money or hope, and this place is getting cozier and more luxurious! It's a wonder that no one else noticed this.

"Mr. Potter. Are you not feeling well?" The judge asked pointedly to Harry, who had his head thrown back and was openly staring at the ceiling with a grimace on his face.

No, I'm not well. I actually a little sick of how the court is taking government funds and using them to renovate, when the money could go into the care for children. He wanted to say that, but a little sane voice in the back of his head told him not to.

Nevertheless, the judge's eyebrows touched his hairline slowly. Harry realized that he had yet to respond.

Keeping with his innocent act, and thinking quickly, he said, "I had a question, but I didn't want to interrupt… your majesty."

There were intakes of breath; Harry knew immediately that he had said the right thing.

A small wave of chattering and laughter flowed through the courtroom. It took all of the self-control he had, to keep his smirk in his mind and off of his face.

The judge blinked and shook his head. The court scribe typed the last words and placed her reddening face in her hands. "And what was that question, Mr. Potter?" He said over the half-muffled laughter and sniggers in the court.

He thought quickly, and said what had really been on his mind before he noticed the ceiling. "Where will I be relocated to? Will I be forced to finish my time in Sirkins or-"

The judge barely took a breathing pause. "Mr. Potter sentences at Sirkins will be considered fulfilled, and he shall be moved to the vicinity and custody of Masons. I will not have a repetition of these events." A tense silence followed these words. "I do believe Mr. Potter has faced once again the cruelness of the world, only this time he had not been able to completely defend himself."

There was an awkward moment as the murmuring began and Harry felt more people looking at him than usual and more concentrated than normal. Harry hated when people gave him those soul-searching glances, hoping to find that harmless, misunderstood boy that they read about in fiction novels. Harry sat straighter and rock-like through the inquiring looks and loud whispers.

The judge banged his gravel suddenly, and everyone started out of their skin. The judge was glowering. "I do not believe that I was finished." He admonished. "Mr. Potter has spent six years in this facility. I will be looking into his file to see if any other sickening cases of-." He pulled out the case report from the warden's attorney. "- 'inevitable accidental outbursts of frustration' have been committed by the officials!"

He all but threw the file back at the reddening attorney. Harry caught himself gasping along with the rest of the people in the court. If only I had a camera to take a picture of the warden's face! The man looked as though he had been sentenced to castration.

Harry was not sure if they were directed at the judge's actions or the document, but it really did not matter.

"Mr. Potter shall be released to the custody of the Masons in four days. He shall spend four days under the protection of this court." He looked directly at the officers. "We don't want any more accidents, do we?" The men nodded in fear.

"Judge Omnis, this is outrageously unfair against my clients." The attorney started forward. Harry almost felt sorry for the man as the judge changed the focus of his fury

"I do not need to say that the actions of your clients were beyond outrageous! I will say, however, if you dare speak without permission, you will be sharing a cell along with your clients. Take a seat!" He spoke with a deadly undertone.

The attorney did not need a second warning.

The room went still as the judge continued. "The accused are charged with attempted murder. An atonement of three- no- five thousand pounds will be paid to Mr. Potter; Mr. Caner, Mr. Topfer, and Mr. Gardner shall be granted with a total of three thousand pounds," The ex-officers looked absolutely mortified, "-a piece!"

A woman, presumably the wife from one of the officers, screamed and fainted.

"Get these beasts out of my sight!" The judge yelled, and he then added as an after-thought, "and get that woman some medical attention."

I can buy my freedom. Five thousand pounds! I could buy this court if I wanted to!

Harry could have collapsed to the floor if it weren't for his attorney escorting him. There were shouts of outrage and questions as he was taken through the doors of the antechamber.

He looked over his left shoulder to Marner who was walking a few steps behind him in a crowd of witnesses. The man was absolutely stunned by the result.

Cameras were flashing. Harry could hear the reporters and their questions, but he had no stomach to answer.

When he looked over at Harry, Harry mentally sent him a message. I guess it's good that I took the beating! Marner only shook his head and continued to push his way through the crowds.

"You know more than you show!" Harry laughingly said to Marner as they exited the cafeteria alone and headed to get some fresh air after their lunch sponsored by the court.

Marner laughed. "I know manipulation when I see it."

"I did not manipulate the judge." Harry said honestly. "I'm quite sure that he manipulated me."

"Why would he do that? He has nothing to gain by helping you!" Marner said putting an arm on his shoulder. It was a common gesture between the two of them.

Harry winced at the contact. Marner yanked his arm back and eyed Harry in suspicion.

"I think you should take a day or two and go to a doctor." He said concerned. He knew Harry would not wince unless something was causing him true pain.

"I'm fully healed! You heard what the doctor said over lunch. I made a 'miraculous and thorough' recovery. He was so proud of himself! He really saved my life." Harry said with a hand on his heart.

Marner looked around them and shook his head before leaning in to whisper, "You know as well as I do that the doctor had just as little to do with your recovery as the pope did! It was your powers that saved your life."

"Well-."

"And I did not mean a physical doctor, I meant a therapist."

Harry snorted. "You would have to make me." He folded his arms, making sure to puff out his chest as much as possible.

"I just might." He growled. Harry felt unsure for a moment. "Stop doing that, you look like a stuffed bird."

They descended into a silence. They walked the long, empty halls with a blanket of tension above them. Both of them wanted to say something, neither knowing how to. Harry bit his bottom lip and looked at his shoes. He hated feeling so insecure.

"Harry-." "Marner-." They said in the same moment

They halted and looked at each other before sharing a loud laugh.

Marner shook his head. "We've known each other for years, talked about everything from sex to extraordinary powers, yet we still act like complete strangers when it comes to discussing normal matters."

Harry smiled. Marner might not have any powers, but he could still read Harry like an open, large-print book.

Speaking of books...

"Thanks for the books from the library; they really helped me while I was in the hospital. I've never enjoyed Chemistry, Physic, and Edgar Allen Poe so much than when I was confronted with needles."

Marner gave a small laugh. "No problem, of course." There was silence and they slowly continued walking.

"We're doing it again, aren't we?" Harry asked as they headed down the stairs to the first level. They both sighed and turned to each other on the stairs.

"Harry-." "Marner-."

There was no laughter this time.

An impulse of looking into Marner's mind and seeing what he was thinking at the moment flashed through Harry. He immediately felt disgusted with himself by the very idea of practically, mentally raping someone, especially Marner.

The man had been there for Harry through every single problem that Harry had faced over the past few years. Harry had been around the man from his assignment as Harry's aide at Masons, to his 'mysterious' relocation to Sirkins, and while at Sirkins, they built a pretty close relationship.

And yet somehow we still can't talk about sensitive stuff!

Marner sighed suddenly and spoke with a seemingly stiff tongue. "Harry, would you like to live with me?"

Harry froze. That was definitely unexpected. Had it had been any other person in the world to ask such a question, Harry would not have hesitated to give an answer of 'no'.

He was unsure of what he should say. "Marner, I don't know..." Marner's face fell and Harry felt his own heart break a little.

Marner looked away for a moment. "I feared you would say that. I know that it could be a bit queer living with a gay man, but-"

"No, you idiot!" Harry snapped at him, was honestly offended. He bit his lip. "I'm just trying to say... When we hung out and talked at Sirkins, it was... Us living together will be different. We will see each other more often and from a more personal side, you know. I would hope that this never happens, but I think we will get tired or even angry at each other... I don't want our friendship to end. I hope it won't, but-."

Marner used his fingers to close Harry's lips rather roughly. "Harry, you're rambling." He slowly removed his fingers.

"But what if-." He quickly clamped his fingers back down on Harry's lips.

"Just nod, yes or no." Harry slowly nodded up and down. "Good." He removed his fingers and pulled Harry into a tight hug. "And if it makes you feel better, it could just end up being temporary. I just want to make sure you stay safe while you are not legally under my supervision"

"Hey, none of that touchy-feely shit." Harry said with an evil smile as Marner removed his arms. "So, it's 'queer to live with a gay man', I ne-."

"Harry, drop it!" Marner said putting his reddening face in his hands. "I knew you were going to make a joke about that."

"Hey, if you use 'gay' two times in a sentence, do they cancel each other out and turn 'straight'?"

"Harry." Marner growled, pouting and looking threatening at the same time. How cute!

Harry shook his head. God, he's rubbing off on me!

Rubbing! He chuckled slightly at his own sexual innuendo.

"Care to share with the rest of the class!" Marner said.

Harry sent his last thoughts to the man and watched him redden in satisfaction.

"I don't care what you say. There is a horny gay guy inside of you somewhere." Marner said with small laugh.

"Hey! Are you coming on to me? There will be no horny blokes inside of me!" They walked down the staircase to the first floor laughing uncontrollably.

"Mr. Potter, a word please." The judge said walking out a door adjacent to the base of the grand staircase, one that Harry had never noticed was there.

Harry and Marner were startled and sobered up immediately before looking at each other. That man was just too creepy sometimes. The judge turned and walked back through the door without waiting for a reply. Harry and Marner shared another confused look and slowly followed him.

Harry leaned towards Marner. They were both nearly the same height. Harry was definitely a bit tall for his age and Marner was slightly shorter than the normal twenty-eight year-old man.

"Do you know what he wants?" Harry whispered.

"I can't say I do." Marner whispered back.

They were in a corridor that Harry was sure held the offices for the court officials. It was plain and reminded him terribly of Sirkins.

The doors were made from the same material as those from Sirkins. They too held golden plates on them, each with the name of the person labeled in dark letters. Harry wondered briefly if the man who designed Sirkins was the same who designed this building.

The judge slowed to a stop outside a door that was made differently than the others. It was more elegant looking with an older wood type and darker, non-transparent window. The judge's nameplate shined in the glow of the hall lights. Judge Marcellius Omnis

The judge looked intensely down both sides of the hall. What is he afraid of? Marner shook his head, a clear sign that he too had no clue.

Harry blinked, a bit confused. He had not noticed that he had transmitted the thought to Marner. Interesting, can he hear all of my thoughts?

Before he or Marner had the opportunity to answer his question, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown stick. It was polished and adorned with a golden handgrip. It seemed to be very strong and important.

Harry sensed something odd about that particular stick. He was almost wary of it. His pulse began an attentive, steady rhythm, as if waiting for something to happen.

The judge flicked the stick in his hand.

The door unlocked and flew open as if someone had opened it silently. No one was there beside them.

Harry and Marner both jumped back. Harry's pulse exploded defensively and uncontrollably around him like a tangible shield. Marner gasped and took a few steps back as he felt Harry's powers. Harry looked to the judge with disbelief mixing his every word and thought. "You're- You're-."

"Please enter the office, everything shall be explained." He explained in a voice that demanded obedience.

Marner moved and, ignoring the tangible feeling of Harry's powers, quickly pulled Harry, who seemed cemented into the floor, into the office without hesitation. The door closed swiftly behind them again without anymore touching it.

.

.