Harry Potter/Pet Shop of Horrors/The Pagemaster

Harry ran. He ran as fast as he could, tripping and slipping in the downpour, his snowy owl held in his arms with care. His only cape he had, the only one Vernon hadn't known about, was twisting about his frame as he held most of it to keep his girl dry in the vicious thunderstorm. It was close to an hour after the brutal damage dealt out to the defenseless owl and time was running out for poor Hedwig.

"Where is it?" he moaned in fright, his best friend dying in his arms. He felt the stickiness of blood dribbling down his arm despite his best efforts to stop it, tears flowing down his face to mingle with the rain. It was with a suddenness that he saw the lamp in the store front marking it, the new pet shop that claimed to have the best and the most exotic creatures and even boasted to have their own veterinary clinic. Harry felt his lungs release a sigh as he made his way to the darkened store. "Please let someone be here, please let someone be here," he chanted before banging on the door.

"Someone, help! Hedwig's hurt!"

The door opened silently but too quickly for Harry to catch himself properly. He fell forward and twisted his wrist since he had tried to catch himself single-handed. He groaned at the pain but grit his teeth and pressed himself up to look up—and up and up—to see a man that could compete with Veela and probably win with his looks. Only the extremely flat chest that had a semi-tight sleeveless sleeping shirt on gave evidence that it was guy, though.

"Help Hedwig. Please!" Harry nearly begged, his body trembling with cold and fear. Fear for his friend and maybe a little for this man standing so silent above him. "She's been hurt."

"Let me see her," he commanded softly in a tone Harry recognized as absolute authority. He didn't like that tone but he had no one else to help him right now.

"Hedwig, I need you to let him look at you, okay girl?" Harry whispered to his owl, his hand stroking her red flecked feathers softly before handing her off to the man. It was as if she had been electrified, the beautiful owl screeching in obvious displeasure, flapping her wings and showing one was near pulverized. Harry stood to lean over her as the man held her gently but firmly away from him. "Hedwig! Hedwig, please! I can't help you this time. I don't know how. Please, just let him heal you . . . please, girl."

Harry's voice was slowly getting softer, his eyes trying to shed the moisture gathered there but he held them back. "I couldn't stand it if you died. Com'on, Hed-girl, let him help you."

Hedwig settled down, her bright topaz eyes staring at him in what Harry would have called love if he had known that a human, let alone Hedwig, could give him that true emotion. As it was, he took it as a warm affection like any other beast would have for their care giver and feeder. He grinned softly at her and let the strange man take off to wherever, slipping down the wall near the door as he cradled his wrist to his chest. It was already swelling but he knew it wasn't broken . . . it didn't hurt enough for that. He blinked bleary eyes, little food combining with extreme exhaustion making him light headed. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

"I smell a mortal."

Harry jolted as he caught the words, sitting up to see what it was that had said it. It wasn't human . . . "Who's there?"

"Why did my lord let that human mortal in? It isss insssssulting to ussss beasssstssssss."

Harry looked down and blinked in mild acknowledgment at the brilliantly colored snake that could have been a gem made alive the red was so perfectly that of a fresh ruby. He snorted. "Bloody sssnakesss are all the bloody well sssame. If it'sss not a reptile then why wasss it even born. I ssswear to Merlin, you're a bunch of bloody painsss in our collective human arsssesss."

The snake reared back in shock and Harry chuckled tiredly. "Yeah, I can understand you. Blame Voldemort . . . if you even know who that issss," he murmured. His head went thunk on the wall as he let his body fall into a numbed sleep, head lolling against his shoulders. He was unaware of just what kind of ruckus he had unleashed by talking to the snake.

"MASTER! MASTER, the mortal can hear me!"

The strange man looked, not down, but directly ahead as if talking to a full grown man. "Anyone can hear you, Kusanagi-san. You're being loud enough."

The snake seemed to try and grab a hold of himself. "That is not what I meant, Count D, and you know it! The human boy can speak the snake language!"

Count D stilled for a moment in his work, the owl passed out from blood loss but not dying any more. "What was that, Kusanagi-san? Mortals cannot speak the language of the beast anymore. The talent is lost to them and their closed-mindedness."

"Not this one, D," warned the reptile. With an imperious flick of his tail, Kusanagi was gone and Count D resumed his work, setting the wing and binding it after deciding to finish washing off the avian in the morning.

He put Hedwig in a soft nest of covers reserved to injured avian beasts, the owl not even stirring telling of how hurt and tired she was from her ordeal. Cleaning up, he stepped from the room . . . and into several of the animals within his care. One, a young albino falcon child handed him a book that was eerily familiar.

"Pagemaster, why have you permitted yourself to be taken again. It is undignified for a fellow god to be handled thus."

The book in his hand shook and shuddered, scroll-like pages appearing from nothing as a man took shape on the other side. There stood a man, tall and thin, his hair and beard like rolls of parchment curling down to his waist. A stately blue robe hung from his frame, a gold sash holding the fabric tightly to his waif thin waist. When he spoke, his words were like a breeze ruffling paper. "D, it has been a while, nephew."

D nodded. "That is has, Uncle. Why are you among the mortal plains?"

The old man ran a thin hand through his parchment beard. "There is one within your shop that is an Ancestor of ours. Grandfather Myrrlin truly has left a Legacy if the power of his blood has yet to diminish even as it is held by a mortal."

D felt a thrill of shock in his system, something that didn't happen often. "You are certain, Uncle?"

The old man laughed smugly. "Of course I am, my boy! My grandfather would be disappointed in such a small mistake if it had occurred. Come, let us see this Legacy of Myrrlin."

The sight in the entryway was saddening. There lay the boy, small and defenseless in sleep, glasses slipping off his nose. It was the sheer damage done to his arm that arrested their stately walk. Pagemaster knelt at his side, tenderly taking the wrist in his hand, smoothing surprisingly soft and smooth fingers over the swollen joint. The teen groaned in pain but didn't awaken. This was just as worrisome if not more so. No child should be used to high levels of pain.

"Get some ice and a bandage, nephew. He is in need of attention too."

D did as he was bade by his elder, the animals watching it all happen with slightly confused eyes. It was not often their master did as another ordered. As he came back through, he plucked herbs from the walls that would help sooth the bruising and numb some of the pain. By the time they were finished, Pagemaster was as furious as D had ever seen his uncle.

"When I had felt the Legacy, I had thought he would have been cared for. But no," he said in a thunder deep voice that reverberated through the whole shop, "he is severely neglected, in pain, and I assume traumatized. When I get my hands on the perpetrator, I will force a bit of truth down their throat!"

D nodded, his eyes far away. "It is unfortunate for his grievous injury, Uncle, but this have to wait. He will sleep here this night. On the morrow, we will wait for him to awaken since I very much doubt he would go far without Hedwig at his side."

Pagemaster nodded his assent and swirled away into his book once again. D left the book in the front room on a counter, leaving to finish his night's rest.

`':,~*~,:'`

Harry stirred from where he lay, wondering why his bed had a back that he was obviously snuggled into. That and it was far too soft. He opened his eyes intent on getting breakfast started when he noticed something that sent terror through him. He didn't recognize where he was.

He was up and over the back of the couch in one smooth move, back to the wall and eyes darting around, searching for anyone or anything. His mind was blurry on last night, his utter exhaustion leaving blind spots in his memory. A soft twinge brought part of his attention to his wrist, the bandage startling him more than being somewhere new had. His sight caught movement and he brought up his wand without a thought, the wood humming in his hand and his eyes started glowing eerily.

There was the man from last night, his dark eyes wide and looking slightly shocked at the teen. Harry didn't drop his stance but he did let his heart slow and his body slowly unwind. "Where is Hedwig? Is she alright?"

The man nodded hesitantly. "Yes, young Legacy. If you will disarm, follow me to your friend."

Harry sheathed the wand with a flick of his wrist, pulling the long – much too long – sleeves back above his wrist. "I had thought I hadn't made it," he confessed almost timidly from his earlier ferocity. "Will she be able to fly again?"

The man nodded. "She should. I was able to save most of her nerves and all of her bone and skin. Within the week she will be restless to be in the air again."

Harry nodded. "May I ask your name?"

D again gave another surprised look. He had never had a human ask for his name in such a manner and he was quite . . . old in mind if not in body. "Yes, young Legacy. You may address me as Count D or just D."

Harry looked at him. "I'm Harry. It is a pleasure to meet you, Count D."

D opened the door just in front of him, pushing on the lattice worked wooden doors. Hedwig was scratching at the covers bored, her topaz-copper eyes blinking slowly. Once her eyes lit upon Harry, she screeched in greeting, her impatience to be out right now and with her human was more than she could stand with him right there and smiling softly at her. She went wild, Harry's smile slipping off.

"Hedwig, girl, calm down! Please," he admonished as he made his way over to his friend, unlocking the door without a care and helping her stand on his arm. "You silly bird, you could have hurt yourself even worse!" he scolded mildly, rubbing his fingers all along her chest and back. "Silly, silly girl."

Just then his stomach gurgled, the sound amusing as the boy turned a light shade of red. "Ah . . ." he stuttered out as Hedwig hooted in amusement. Even Count D suffered a momentary lapse as he chuckled into his hand softly. "Um . . . sorry?"

D waved his apology away. "Tis nothing, Harry. Come, have breakfast with me."

Barely trusting the man, Harry nodded warily as he once again followed, this time to solid oak doors that opened into a large kitchen-dining room combo that was more kitchen than dining room. Unfortunately, Count D didn't seem to know what to do with his kitchen. Harry, after watching for ten agonizing minutes while D burned two plates of eggs, shooed the man to the table and took over, trashing the spoiled eggs and starting over.

"I swear. Am I the only man that can cook or what? Is there some unwritten law that forbids men from being able to pick up a spatula and not kill food? I have seen bad attempts at cooking before but never this bad and I'm surprised he hasn't got food poisoning by now!" Harry ranted under his breath much to the amusement and enjoyment of the beasts within the shop and D though the rant was directed at him.

Hedwig, not to be left too long, hooted at her human, the boy grinning over his shoulder at her. "I'm making your bacon, you silly girl. Like I would forget you." He picked up a plate and moved over to the table, breaking the slices of bacon into smaller manageable bits she could pick up with ease. Setting the plate down with a clink, he went back to the stove with a small smile.

Count D was a bit more perplexed and astonished than what he was used to – which was usually not at all – as he stared at the enigma that was Harry, the last of the Legacy. The boy was wary, that was sure, of human contact. However . . . he showed a great kindness to his avian. Showered her with attention and almost spoiling her. Not quite, but almost. Most of the humans neglected usually tried to advance their misery on others, but he seemed more than content to give another living being what he himself could not achieve. It boggled D's mind.

There was a tentative knock on the door and a familiar blond head poked in. Ah, Detective Leon . . .

"Come and join us for breakfast, Detective."

A tall blond man stood in the door, his trademark brown trench coat brushing along his slacks as he twitched nervously. Harry smiled over at him. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Ah . . ." he murmured inaudibly. Harry looked at him as he finally made his request. "Sunny side up, please."

Fifteen minutes later and a feast of breakfast foods made the table almost groan, Leon sitting nearby D and Harry three seats down and on the other side of the table. The man might have saved Hedwig's life but he was wary all the same.

Hedwig nipped his ear almost sharply telling him to listen to her and her instincts. D was a good man. Harry silently argued it was because she was an owl that D liked her, he was human and therefore couldn't care less. Their staring contest was amusing to D while Leon stuffed his face obliviously. When Hedwig whopped Harry over the head with her uninjured wing, D had to stifle a small chuckle. It was amusing and odd to see such a sibling like relationship between species. However, D welcomed it. He could remember a time when any beast was considered family, brother and sister, or friend.

After cleaning the dishes and covering the leftovers, what Harry didn't sneak to the animals that "hid" behind the door, the ebony-haired teen helped Hedwig up to his shoulder. "I can't thank you enough," he murmured softly as his fingers coaxed a relaxed coo from the snowy owl. "You saved my friend and for that I am grateful. If you ever need anything, let me know."

D pondered the human child, his eyes almost softening. "There are a few things I want you to have and do not say no." He watched as the human boy had trouble keeping his words. "It is a favor to me for you to do this. It will benefit you enormously, but it is a favor to me paid in full."

He took a bag with the shop logo and put first a pan for the incense and a box of matches, four bundles of a red and purple incense, three books, one dish of treats for Hedwig, and a think blanket with owls of every kind stitched into it. Harry dutifully took the bag even as he felt a twinge that he shouldn't take advantage of Count D's hospitality. D didn't give him time to pretest as he pushed him out of the store, the tall and thin man waving him off with a cheery-ish smile that Harry found was half scary.

"Is it me, Hedwig, or is that man a little weird?"

Hedwig chortled into a wing at the thought of her human calling anyone else weird when he himself was not that typical. Harry practically heard the words and rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't you even think it! I am not that bad."