Harry gazed at the Dursely's sitting at the table. Dudley was in the living room. Vernon and Petunia just gave him pale looks. The threats from last year appeared to be fresh in their minds.
"I'm leaving."
They seemed to brighten.
"If anyone asks after me tell them I'm away at camp or something. They should leave you alone then. I doubt any will come anyways." He said.
They nodded quickly.
"Till next time." He said bowing.
Then he popped away, Hedwig on his shoulder, Ne around his neck, his shrunken belonging in his pocket.
.--.
Harry gazed at the small pet shop for a second time. He slipped in the door and found D dusting the place with animals hanging off him. The man slowly turned towards him.
"I knew we would see each other again." He smiled cheerfully, though Harry saw the hidden edges to the smile.
"I was wondering if I could stay here for the summer." Harry replied. "I could pay or work it off."
D gave him an evaluating look.
"You may stay. In return I wish is for you to take good care of Ne and Hedwig."
"Already done." Harry said.
"And maybe some help around the place should I need it."
"Done."
D gave a smirk. Harry could swear the shadows seemed more ominous as he did so, and the animals seemed more human as they watched with calculating eyes.
.--.
Harry fingered the gold coin in his hands. It was a galleon. But this one he had used his magic to remove the picture of the goblin and the axe, leaving it a blank gold coin. At Gringotts there were about five pounds to every galleon. This was so muggles could afford to use them. The gold that made up the galleon was worth much more. Harry smirked as he closed his hand around the coin before slipping it in a pouch at his side which held a couple more wiped gold coins. He headed off towards a pawn shop. These few coins would give him quite a bit of muggle money. Of course he would never tell the goblins of what he did. They wouldn't like it. He knew he wasn't even supposed to change the coin. Actually it was supposed to be impossible, but his magic was odd like that.
.--.
Harry watched the man curiously as he glared at the broom store and stalked off to sit on a bench at the ice cream store setting a broom he carried beside him. Harry glided over and sat beside him.
"What was that?" He asked.
The man blinked in surprise at him then frowned.
"I came up with a new broom design." He grumbled.
Harry raised a brow and looked the broom over again. It had a long black carved handle and strong bristles for the tail. It had some good charms around it by the amount of magic surrounding it.
"Oh? And why is that so bad?" he asked.
"No one will sponsor me. I can't get the funds to get it on the market, upgrade it, or even work on it more." He sighed in frustration.
"Why not?"
"Most brooms sold, if you haven't noticed, all are made by companies that already have brooms out. It's like only broom companies can make brooms good enough to be sold. So most people don't accept anything some nobody makes. But then most good quidditch players had their brooms either made by individuals who made one or two, or by companies that pay them to ride their brooms."
Harry nodded absently.
"So you think you're broom is good enough to be sold."
The man nodded.
"Yes. Usually if someone comes up with a good broom design they either sell it to a company, start their own company which takes a lot of money, or just keep it to themselves. I'm an average guy. I don't have the money to make my own company and if I sold it I would barely make what it cost to make this one broom." He snapped.
Harry looked over the broom again.
"Is this the final copy?" he asked.
"Not completely." The man said. "It needs a few more charms and some I can't do myself. I would need a charms master to put the safety charms on it also before it would be able to be sold."
Harry ran his fingers over the broom.
"What name did you have in mind?"
The man sighed in resignation.
"I had wanted to call it the firebolt."
Harry gave a small smirk.
"And if I was interested in funding your research and building, would you take some more time to make it even better"
"Of course." The man answered idly not fully listening.
"How much would you need?"
"To get the safety charms, around a hundred galleons to hire a charms master for a day.. For the research about the same amount. For the materials about the same amount also as I can get a good deal. But to actually make more then just one I would have to sell it to some company or sell them as I make them. If I did that I would still need a contract with a business to sell them in. That would take some influence or money."
He sighed again. Harry tallied it up and silently thought a moment.
"So if I gave you about five hundred galleons you could start to improve on it and make more."
"Yes."
"Done."
The man nodded absently. Then he gave a great jolt and leapt to his feet.
"What?! You would do that!?"
Harry nodded. Then the man looked suspicious.
"What would you want for it?"
"A part of the profit obviously."
"How much?"
Harry thought a moment.
"Thirty percent."
The man thought a moment.
"Deal. But how can a kid like you get the money."
Harry gave a smirk. He had quite a bit in the vault his godfather and father left him.
"Inheritance of sorts." He replied.
"And you would do it, trusting me?"
"We write up a contract and I'll give you the money. I can also help you get a contract with a business to sell with when the time comes."
The man held out a hand.
"Deal."
They shook and the partnership began.
.--.
Harry pulled his hair back and tied it with some twine. He brushed the dirt off his ragged pants and coat and looked at the taller kid beside him. The kid appeared to be fifteen with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Let's get going."
Harry gave a nod.
"What's today's lesson?" He asked.
The kid gave a grin.
"I've taught you lock picking, pick pocketing, and how to survive out here in the streets. Next is knife fighting and fist fighting."
Harry gave a small smirk. He had been out on the streets for a week now. All his things were at the pet store safe, but he had wanted to learn on the streets. He would leave after a while. But first he was going to learn everything he could about the streets, how to steal, how to survive.
.--.
Harry threw the knife fluidly. It spun silently before embedding in the wall right beside the man's head. The man gave a delighted laugh. The man beside him gave a bark like laugh also.
"So the little kitten has claws." The first tittered.
Harry held a second silver knife in his hand and held his other hand out ready to call upon fire. The first man had long black hair, light blue eyes that seemed like ice, pale skin, and an unreal grace and beauty around him. The second man had long shaggy blonde hair, sharp teeth, amber eyes, and a handsome feral look. Harry could feel they were not human. He drew up the answers easily. Vampire. Werewolf. But it was odd to see together, actually acting friendly to one another. They were almost enemies. Unlike many believed most vampires and werewolves didn't hate each other. They didn't get along well, and avoided one another, but they didn't instinctively hate each other. It was still rare though, to see two as friends.
Harry had been taking a trip to a small store in Knockturn alley for some potion ingredients and books when the vampire had snuck up on him, thinking him a free meal. Harry had easily leapt back ready to attack, the knife flying. He studied both men and they studied him. They pushed away from the wall, the vampire pulling his knife from the wall and tossing it back to him. Their eyes never parted, though Harry knew everything the werewolf did also. Slowly they circled one another staying a few feet apart.
Suddenly the vampire lurched forwards in a move to graceful and fluid to be human. One moment he was five feet back, the next he was only a foot away. Harry's instincts kicked in, those he had gotten from learning how to brawl in the streets. He leaned to his right avoiding the claws and slashed with his knife. He felt it slice through flesh, just barely. The vampire lifted his hand and licked the small cut as Harry danced back. A predatory grin stretched the man's face.
"Ooh, you are good for a child."
Harry danced away as the werewolf lunged. He could tell they were playing with him. If they had wanted him he had no trouble knowing they would have him. They circled on either side of him. The vampire slipped at him again and he felt claws tare up his arm. He barely flinched from the pain, not even bothering to look at the long, bloody marks down his arm. He knew how deep they were already, and how much blood he would loose from them. He pulled back from the claws and slashed out again, this time fire sprouting around his blade. The man hissed as the flames licked his coat as he pulled back.
The werewolf lunged in on his other side and the flames burst around Harry protectively wrapping him a cocoon of flames. Harry aimed his knife at the man but he was too fast. The two both pulled back watching him cautiously. The flames surrounding him slowly extinguished. He looked at them with hard green eyes and they both stepped back again. They had seen into him with that look. They had seen little human. He relaxed his stance as he knew they wouldn't attack again.
"A fire elementist." The vampire said. "I have never seen any elementist so young, or any elementist with such control, not in at least four hundred years."
Harry looked at the vampire again. He looked about twenty five. Harry knew that he wasn't so young though. He could be a thousand and still look young. He also had the aura of an ancient though meaning when he was turned he either gained all his sire's power and knowledge making him an ancient, or he could be thousands of years old and an ancient himself. The werewolf seemed to be old to. It wasn't well known but werewolves lived much longer then wizards if they could survive all the transformations. Wizards could live to a hundred and fifty in many cases. Werewolves usually died young though because of the strain the transformations caused. Unless of course, the werewolf accepted the wolf inside him. It would make transformations easier.
Harry looked at the two. They were powerful. He could not hope to win against them with just knives. His fire could help, as could his magic but he was reluctant to use magic as he didn't know to much wandless and with his wand he would be found. Harry stayed still as the vampire glided over to him. He leaned over slightly, cupping Harry's face with his hands. Harry let him look deep into his eyes. The man seemed to try and read him.
"You are powerful." He whispered.
Harry gave him a flat stare that seemed to say, I know. Ne suddenly slid from under his black cloak. Ne hissed at the vampire making the man draw back and stared at the snake a moment.
:Do you need help Harry: Ne asked eyeing the two.
:Maybe.: He answered clearly.
The two gave him studying looks.
"A Parseltongue also." The werewolf growled in amusement.
Ne hissed at both of them in a threatening manner.
"Child, would you like some training?" The vampire purred.
"What sort of training?" Harry asked tilting his head.
They both stepped up to him. The vampire leaning over his face again, his fingers running over Harry's cheeks. The Werewolf stepped around to his back and looked at him over his shoulder grinning.
"We could teach you many things." The vampire cooed. "We could teach you how to really fight, how to duel. We could teach you steal. We could teach you how to hide and not be found. How to vanish and reappear. We could teach you history, laws. We could teach you how to seduce, how to tempt, how to ensnare. We could teach you lies and deception along with the bitter truths. We could teach you how to kill."
"We could teach you to hunt." The werewolf took over. "We could teach you how to take control. How to manipulate. We could teach you how to lose, how to win. We could teach you hove to fool, how to trick. We could teach you how to live, how to die. We could teach you how to negotiate, how to betray. We could teach you how to hate, how to love."
Harry shuddered as their breath mingled over his skin. So tempting. The vampire held out a hand and the Werewolf stepped beside him also holding out a hand.
:Ne, go back to D'sss.:
:You accept.: The snake stated.
:Yesss.:
:Fine. I ssshall wait for you with Hedwig.:
:Thank you.:
:Thisss may dessstroy you.: The snake said as it slithered to the ground.
:Or it may be jussst what I need.:
:It may. I will sssee you sssoon.:
:Yessss.: Harry said. :I ssshall sssee you soon.:
Then he took both hands.
.--.
End Of Chapter 9.