Wild cards
Chapter 30
…
"Thanks for this Auror Shacklebolt."
The big black Auror smiled down at the small boy, "Sure you don't want me to help?"
Harry nodded, "I should only be a couple minutes. Doesn't take that long to murder someone, does it?"
"Not in my experience."
Shack smiled as the young man went inside. Nice kid. Felt kinda sorry for Andrew though.
The bell over the door of Duels chimed and two heads turned, "Mornin Harry."
Harry smiled at Andrew and walked happily toward the counter. The last six steps became a run and ended in a flying tackle. Andrew was knocked to the floor with Harry landing on top. The young wizard shook the older man while throwing out every invective he could think of.
The other man, a tall lanky sort, leaned against the counter laughing his ass off as the small boy cursed out the adult.
"So… I'm sensing you're a little upset with me" Andrew said once Harry had run out of steam.
"Ya think!" Harry exclaimed, "You know I was almost killed, again!"
"In my defense, even I was surprised by that, thing."
Harry stared, panting and furious but lacking the energy to continue expressing it, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Would you have gone if you'd known?"
"No" probably.
"That's why. I needed you there. If things went down I knew you'd be able to take care of yourself. Like I said, I never expected that five headed horror."
Harry was at a loss. On one hand he'd just been told he was trusted yet at the same time he had almost been killed. "You're still a blockhead."
"Absolutely right."
His fury spent, Harry finally noticed the other man in the room, "Hi" he said weakly.
"Harry, this is Master I" Andrew introduced.
"Call me Ishmael" he said extending his hand.
Harry looked oddly at the man as he shook his hand, "Master? You're one of the D walkers."
"I do have that distinction" he said.
Drawing his hand away Harry realized he was holding something, something familiar.
"Why are you giving me this?" he asked, looking at he D jack like a poisonous scorpion.
"I believe the tournament organizer already delivered the other part of your prize."
They had, that morning, "But why? I thought this was just to draw out those thugs."
"And it worked" said Andrew, "they caught that Provolone fella as he tried to steal that."
"While I can think of a dozen better ways to have dealt with the situation" said Master I, "in the end a vile man is in prison. And I am saved the time of finding a new apprentice."
Harry was speechless, "I, I don't know what to say."
"Then you're already smarter than the last one" said Ishmael, "here."
Harry took the quarter sized token, "What is it?"
"A marker" said the D walker, "a permanent marker. I will show you how to use it. With this you will always be able to return to your home world no matter where you are."
"Before that" interrupted Andrew, "could we get off the floor?"
After Harry left to catch his train to school, Andrew and Ishmael remained, discussing the young man.
"I'm still surprised you were so quick to take him as your apprentice" said Andrew.
"He is very different than Simeon. If all that you have told me is true, well, we'll see."
"Master I?"
Ishmael just smiled, a secretive little smile, "You know how you mentioned that Dullahan, and the star rod."
Andrew nodded and was only a bit surprised when Ishmael took said rod from his coat, "There's more to this than the card would suggest. Good reason we made it one of the most common cards available."
Andrew inquired as to why, but Ishmael wouldn't tell. Crazy old man and his secrets.
…
It was a sight to see, the Hogwarts Express. After the week he'd had it was a miracle he was seeing it at all. But there it was. Here he was.
"Who left this trash sitting in the middle of the road? Oh, silly me, it's just you."
Harry smiled, "Hello Isolda."
"I see you survived that disaster last night."
"It's nice to know you care" he said.
"I do not" she shouted all flustered, "and don't you try to hug me again."
"You liked it."
Isolda sputtered and blushed, "Worthless ignorant cretin" she cursed, then turned up her nose and stomped away.
"Geez, what's her problem?"
Harry kept smiling, "Kimberly."
The girl in question grinned then proceeded to give him an embarrassingly thorough inspection.
"All parts accounted for" she concluded, "you continue to amaze."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Be interesting to see how you handle what's coming next."
Harry looked at her quizzically, "What's coming next?"
"Harry!"
The sudden weight on his back sent him crashing to the ground, "That" said Kimberly stifling a snicker as she walked away.
Harry didn't have to see who was on his back to know who it was, "Ya know, I knew the next time we ran into each other was going to be uncomfortable, but not like this."
He felt her sigh then shift off him, "About that."
Pushing his face off the ground he found Rhiannon sitting next to him looking very contrite.
"I'm… sssssssorrry!"
He couldn't help but snicker, "Was it really that hard to say?"
Rhiannon drooped, "Maybe. I've never said it and meant it before. Never really had friends people friends before."
People friends? Ignoring the obvious question, he decided to address the problem at hand instead. Rhiannon squeaked cutely when he hugged her, but it only took a second for her to hug back.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"
"Well that depends" said Harry pulling away, "you gonna stop running into me?"
The wild girl refused to look at him directly, "No promises."
Harry stared at her till she couldn't stand it anymore and together they broke out laughing.
"Come on, Kimberly should have found us a compartment by now" said Rhiannon.
Harry smiled, how could he not. Sure, it had been a rough road getting here but that was behind him now. Laughing as he chased after Rhiannon he was full of optimism.
After what he'd just been through, school would be a welcome switch. No crazy criminals, ancient artifacts or dangerous monsters for him, just nice quiet education.
And somewhere, in a higher plane of existence, the gods of fate, destiny, and overused writing clichés did look down and laugh uproariously.