DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything here.
Warning: language, see intro
A/N: Dedicated to all of my reviewers who helped me to keep writing this.
Chapter 4: Revelations, New Looks, and Old Friends
Briar Malfoy did not like mysteries. He was very deliberate in rooting out every detail of a situation before he got himself into it. This was one of the things that made him a very popular name in the underground market. He prided himself on being the best at finding every detail about a person or thing that caught his interest. He could find his target's dirtiest secrets, their most carefully hidden agendas; he could study their personalities and predict what they would do in a situation before even they did. He managed to find information on the cleanest of people. It wasn't that he was into blackmail or extortion; on the contrary, he loved the layers and careful detailing it took to cover up such things carefully, successfully. It was a well circulated rumor that at age ten he was hacking into military spy networks for fun. It was also a very true rumor with the exception being his age; he was cracking military security by age eight. Therefore it was incredibly infuriating to know that an emerald eyed child had slipped under his radar.
He had only just flipped on the news at his house to find the faces of his charges. There were already news stations taking interest in the boys' disappearance. It should have taken much longer to reach this stage. It hadn't even been 24 hours yet! Teenagers ran away all the time… Kidnapping? He grinded his teeth together as he listened to the reporter. What evidence? Bloody hell. That's the Ministry of Magic's number. Who the hell is Harry Potter? And why don't I already know?
XXXxxx
Dudley Dursley was attempting to make soup. Canned soup. And he was failing.
"Bloody hell why is it still lumpy? Stop laughing you asshole and come help. It's cold too."
"Wow D. you're helpless. One can of soup one can of water mix over heat. How do you mess up canned soup?" Benny J picked himself off the floor and went to help. "No wonder it's cold, you have the wrong burner on! How on earth did you not notice you had the wrong burner on!?"
"Hey guys, what's going on?" a voice asked sleepily from the doorway.
"Harry! You should be in bed!" Dudley scolded gently.
"Hey Little Bit! Dudley was massacring lunch! Hungry?" He winked and grinned.
"Do you need help? I can do that." Harry slid himself between the boys expertly, slipping the pot out of his cousin's hand and moving the pot to the hot burner. He adjusted the temperature and took the whisk from the other boy before either could say a word against it.
"He's good." Benny said enviously glancing between the doorway and the raven haired teen.
"Harry you shouldn't be up. I can figure this out. Prince said something about multiple fractures. We were going to bring you soup in bed."
"Thank you." Harry blinked up at his cousin uncertain how to react. He said he wouldn't hurt me, and he doesn't seem mad, but I always cook. I don't see what the big deal is; he never minded when I was hurt before. I don't need coddling. I like to cook even. What does being hurt have to do with anything?
"See look you got the lumps out for me. I can heat it up. Why don't you take it easy for a while? Please?" he added to make it sound less like an order.
"I – okay Dudley." He fidgeted passing over the whisk and slipping back out of the room. I don't understand people.
Harry crawled back in the bed, visibly cringing at the thought of going back to sleep, but willing to lie down to appease the other boys.
XXXxxx
The Prince stormed out of his house, overnight bag in hand, and headed for the tube station. Six back alley passages and half an hour later, he slunk into a cheesy tourist shop. Carefully avoiding people he slipped through a door labeled 'Employees Only'.
He moved a stack of boxes sideways and slipped into a tunnel. Carefully he replaced the boxes to hide his exit before resuming his rampage.
"Scorpius you son of a bitch! What the hell is going on?" Briar never cursed, so it was a fairly good indicator of his mood that he wasn't even fully in the room before going off on the older man behind the desk.
"Good morning to you too nephew. Or afternoon, rather. What can I do for you?"
"You can cut the crap and tell me why the MOM is looking so hard for some preteen when there's a war going on?" he glared slipping into Prince mode.
Scorpius actually dropped the teacup he was holding into his lap. The Prince glared harder. That was not an anticipated reaction. This was going to be a horrid day.
"I never told you the Harry Potter stories?"
"Obviously not uncle. Care to elaborate now?" his voice dropped into quieter and more dangerous tones.
"Yes, well… You know that shortly before you were brought to me the Dark Lord known as Voldemort fell?
"Correct. And?"
"Well I guess we never discussed how he fell. No one knows exactly what happened that night, but the upstart heir of Slytherin went to knock off the Potters personally. All of them. The parents each took an AK and Voldemort turned on the kid with another AK. The kid survived the attack and only part of the dark lord did. Harry Potter has been famous since before he was out of diapers."
"He reversed a killing curse?" Briar asked going numb. Who would cast something so vile at a child?
"Who knows? A killing curse was defiantly cast after Lilly Potter died, the wards recorded as much, but after that everything went to hell. I say it was a combination of things. The little brat's shown he has power; his mother was an Unspeakable, and practically a Charms Mistress, and James Potter wasn't lacking in power or creativity himself. If they experimented with protection wards while in hiding, they might have come close enough to something for the boy's natural defenses to do something with the curse."
"That's plausible."
"Better than Dumbbell's theory: LOVE did it." Scorpius scoffed.
"As if other mothers hadn't died protecting their children." The Prince sneered, but his eyes were dark as he thought of his own mother.
"So anyways the kid on the news is probably the most sought after person in the wizarding world right now: weapon of the Light, foe of the Dark. According to the general populace, he's supposed to win or lose this war."
"So if he's so important, why is this the first I've heard of him?" he snapped, grey eyes flashing dangerously.
"Well you don't associate with the wizarding world at all. I suppose it was an oversight on my part in teaching you history…" Scorpius waved off his concern and anger.
"Any other oversights?" he asked mildly.
"Well I should hope not, but you will probably hack my files later anyways to read up if I know you at all."
"Naturally."
"So what really has you in a huff? You don't usually concern yourself with the other World. Your newest assignment?"
"Yeah the loudmouth with 'connections'. It's sickening how they're acting. It's an insult to all us honest Family members." The Prince lied easily.
"Ouch. I did warn you to say no."
"Shut up. I ought to get back soon anyways, before they do something stupid—er."
"Go, go. I understand. Hey maybe you could look into the Harry Potter kid. He would be worth quite a bit to just about anyone…"
"You know how I feel about that place. Unless the kid falls into my lap, I want nothing to do with this search. I plan on avoiding it all together." The Prince shrugged honestly.
"Too bad really. Take care Briar, my Prince."
"Always."
XXXxxx
The Prince entered the apartment silently. He passed the two boys in the living room, noting with some disgust that neither had even noticed him. He carried his bag straight to the blue room. Green eyes flashed to him before he was fully in the room. The Prince gave him a small nod of approval and quickly took in the lunch tray off to the side and the book in his lap.
"A romance novel wizardling?"
"It's not my fault that's all there is to read in this place!" Harry blushed furiously. "And I gotta stay in bed."
"Yes I know. I recall leaving you those instructions. I will see about finding other books for you. Did you actually eat that lunch or just pick at it?"
"I ate most of it."
"Good. I brought potions." He dug through his bag quickly offering no further explanation. He offered four vials to the boy. "Drink."
"What are they?"
"You agreed to follow my instructions without question. Drink."
Harry studied the blank expression for a moment before setting down the book and accepting the potions. His hands shook unsteadily for a moment but he managed to drink the nasty concoctions without spilling.
"Good wizardling." He murmured gently, his hands efficiently taking back the vials and slipping them back into the case.
Harry didn't know whether to beam proudly or be insulted for being treated like a dog. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest defensively, "now what?"
"Now you rest while I get things started with your cousin. I am going to set up some security in your room now, an alarm for that window and a security camera. The other rooms will have the same. Just ignore me."
"You're going to put a camera in my room?" Harry looked at him in alarm.
"You won't even notice it. It's more to make sure no one breaks into your room than to spy on you. I have much better things to do with my time than watch some preteen read trashy romance." The Prince spoke in a low lazy voice, amused at his concern. He made a slow circuit of the room touching things.
"I'm fifteen! I'm gonna be sixteen soon. I'm not a preteen." Harry flushed pink hating how defensive he got around this Malfoy.
"I'm arming this window," he continued in that low voice, "don't open it without getting me first. The alarm is silent and I will be coming in with my weapon out."
"That gun? You use it?" the younger boy chewed on his lip.
"Correct. There is little point in carrying a gun if you do not intend to use it. Now get some rest. If you are well enough to get up tomorrow, we can begin your transformation. Your cousin I will start with this afternoon." He turned and left before the green eyed child could respond.
XXXxxx
Harry blinked at the closed doors. What about the camera? He didn't do that did he? Green eyes scanned the room anxiously. I don't understand him. A Malfoy in the muggle world. I don't get it. And he's always so…odd. He's dangerous but not and he swore that oath…I am so confused. He turned back to the book with a sigh. Romance is better than sleeping I guess.
XXXxxx
The Prince finished bugging the entire house before he finally snapped at the two teens in front of the telly. "I hope you plan on paying better attention to your safety than this. I could have come to hurt you, or the little bit, and you wouldn't have noticed." He lounged back against the wall.
"Harry!"
"He's fine, I've already checked on him. It's you boys I'm upset over. This is not a game. You must be more aware of your surroundings."
"Well it is your job to be unnoticed. You can't really blame us." Benny snapped.
"If I was making any kind of effort to remain unnoticed I would not. As it is you boys are either dangerously oblivious or fools."
"That's not fair-" Dudley started.
"Either you shape up and start paying attention or you can forget about ever leaving this place. I will not jeopardize your safety for the sake of letting you dress up and play secret agent games. You hired me to protect you and to hide you. It has become disturbingly obvious that you cannot look out for yourselves.
"I have put a security system in place. No windows are to be opened ant ht front door stays shut. Do not test me on this. Also do not make any phone calls or answer any calls to the home line. We are done discussing this."
Hope you liked that. Sorry for the wait. I will try to update more reliably.