AN: Revised as of May 13, 2013 GMT 9:12 PM.
Not many changes to it so it doesn't matter if you reread it or not. Most of the changes or in the first part of the chapter, and has some hints on why Harry is acting the way he is (a little OC).
Chapter 11: T.G.R Inc.
20 minutes later, Oxford Dueling Stadium
"Stupefy," muttered Harry, as he made a jab with his wand. His aim remained true, despite his fatigue, and yet another Death Eater crumpled onto the floor in a helpless heap.
Harry let go of the breath he had unconsciously been holding in. He refused, however, to let his guard down just yet, and remained crouched in the shadows of a staircase, despite being but a few meters from the exit. His eyes were sharp, like a hawk's, and continuously scanned the area in search of any threats. Behind him, Edward and Anna waited with trembling wands drawn.
"I'll go out first to make sure the area's clear." Harry whispered to them. He did not wait for their reply.
He abruptly rolled forward, breaking cover, and used the momentum to push himself into a standing position. An incantation was on the tip of his tongue and his wand was already in motion before his mind could even take stock of the situation. Fortunately enough, it proved to be an unnecessary effort as there was no one conscious in the vicinity.
He was aware, however, that looks could be deceiving and decided to be extra sure. It wasn't just his life at stake, after all.
"Homenum Revelio." There were no glows that indicated human presence, aside from those that Harry was already aware of. Satisfied, he let the glows fade out with a swish of his wand.
"It's safe." Harry said. Anna and Edward crawled out from underneath the staircase. Harry gestured towards the exit, and turned to face away from it, covering their backs from any surprises. He waited a few seconds after he heard their footsteps before backpedaling.
"Faster! We have to cover the exits before Potter gets away!"
Harry cursed inwardly as he heard more people coming at him. They were rapidly closing the distance too and it would only be a matter of time before they rounded the corner and had a clear shot at him. Harry glanced over his shoulder, estimating the distance left to cover, and cursed again. They'd be exposed for far too long and he didn't have enough magic for another fight. He looked at his gloves, and sighed. They wouldn't be of much help either, having already burned out from overload earlier that day.
Neither would he risk a stray spell hitting one of his siblings. The footsteps became louder, and he made his choice.
He whirled around and swiped his wand in a horizontal arc in the same motion with what little strength he had left, sending out a gush of pressurized air that propelled a surprised Edward and a screeching Anna rapidly towards the exit. Harry waited a second to make sure his spell had deposited them outside of the stadium, before turning around to face the oncoming threat. The terrorists with their distinct dark robes and skull masks fanned out of the corner just as he did.
"Drop your wand, Potter! You're outnumbered and outclassed." One of them said.
Harry raised his wand in response, yet was aware that he hadn't the strength to cast anything more than a levitation charm without possibly destabilizing his core.
For the first time since he started fighting to get out, Harry felt tired. Weakly, he dropped to one knee, panting heavily. His strength was sapped from the fight and he had pushed his body and his core to its limit. It was a testament to his willpower that he lasted this long, but sheer willpower alone was no longer enough. His body had reached a breaking point.
Without looking up, he could tell that the Death Eaters approaching, slowly surrounding him. Harry smiled to himself. They were safe. That was enough.
Harry closed his eyes, silently accepting that his journey would end here. He never thought that three low level Death Eaters would be the ones to finally take him down. He had thought Voldemort might do him in, or perhaps one of his Lieutenants. He had thought he might have succumbed to poison, or Dragons, or even Dementors. For it to end like this was a travesty.
It was downright insulting. Was fate mocking him?
His nostrils flared angrily. To hell with damaged magical cores. If he was going down, he'd take as many of the bastards as he could with him. He slammed his right palm into the ground, ignoring his nerves as they screamed at him to stop. He lifted his head, a look of hatred etched on his face now. His eyes burned with a fire - it was a look of a man possessed.
The Death Eaters took an unconscious step back when they saw it.
Harry slammed his hands into the floor again, a small puddle of blood beginning to form where he had struck.
The earth began to rumble, as if it was waking from a deep sleep. "What the hell is going on?" The Death Eater to his right asked.
"It's Potter's-" A piece of the ceiling had knocked the man unconscious before he could finish what he was saying.
He slammed again.
The floor cracked, threatening to split open and consume them all.
"Stupefy!"
Slam.
The ground trembled more violently than before, causing the spell to go wide.
Harry raised his right palm higher into the air this time, preparing to slam into the ground one last time. "You'll bring down the whole ceiling and kill us all!" shrieked one of the Death Eaters.
Harry looked the man in the eye. "I know." It was whispered softly, though the wind carried his words. The man's eyes widened.
A soft buzz rung in his ears, but he ignored it in favor of the task at hand. Harry brought his hand down hard. Just before his hand made contact with the concrete floor, he felt something hit him. The force of it wasn't that strong, but given his weakened state, it was enough to send him sprawling forward, preventing Harry from sealing his own tomb.
He closed his eyes and waited for the darkness to take him.
Harry felt his body get lifted into the air and dragged away from the scene. Harry did not struggle, and wondered briefly if his soul was passing on. He mused whether he would get sent to Heaven or Hell for a while, before the cruel glare of the sun greeted him.
Harry blinked stupidly. "I'm not dead?" He asked aloud to no one in particular. He felt his body lower into the ground and the ticklish sensation of grass at his back.
An imposing man hovered over Harry, thankfully shading Harry from the sun for a while. "No, not just yet, Mr. Potter." The man knelt then helped Harry sit up from the bed of grass he had been placed on. He handed Harry a potion. "It's a Pep'r Up." He said when he saw Harry look uncertainly at the offered vial.
Strangely enough, Harry felt compelled to trust the man, and accepted his offer. Harry drank it quickly then coughed as some of it went down the wrong end of his windpipe.
"Take it easy, lad." The man said.
"HARRY!" The man found himself unceremoniously pushed out of the way by two very concerned Potters.
"Are you alright?" Anna asked. Harry noted the bruises on her arms.
He pointed to them. "S-sorry a-about push…pushing you t-two out." Harry managed to say before coughing, worrying them even more. "The landing w-was a bit r-r-rougher than I h-had planned." He said weakly.
"You saved our lives Harry!" Edward exclaimed. "A few bruises are hardly anything to worry about."
"Will you be alright?" Anna asked.
"Yes, he will." The three of them turned to look at the man who had been sidelined. "You did a remarkable job fighting off those terrorists in there, Mr. Potter. The name's Augustus, head of security for T.G.R Summit Holdings. My employer would like to speak with you."
"When?" Harry asked.
"Now would be best." Augustus said, offering Harry a piece of rope. "This portkey will take you straight to our Headquarters in Diagon Alley."
"What he needs now is a Healer!" Anna protested.
"I understand your concerns for your brother, Ms. Potter. There will be a Healer on site to tend to his wounds before the meeting. Now, I must insist you take the portkey."
Harry looked at the rope, then back at the stadium. "My dad's still inside."
Augustus sighed audibly, and looked around. The area surrounding the stadium was full of activity now. Worried parents and children were tended to by Healers, while the blue robed Aurors rushed about securing the Perimeter. "I'll take care of it after you leave. My men, the security detail of T.G.R, are waiting for me to enter the complex and take control of the stadium. We'll find your father and get him out as soon as you leave." Augustus promised.
Harry struggled with himself for a while. A part of him desperately wanted to trust the man. Yet, years of fighting had made him understand the necessity of caution. Here was a stranger, who despite having saved his life, was still an unknown. He had never heard of this T.G.R before, and didn't even know if it existed. For all he knew, the portkey might dump him at the bottom of the ocean, where his body would never be found.
Harry looked past the man and noticed there were quite a few men observing them from a distance. Those were probably Augustus's men. Oddly enough, Harry found himself becoming more comfortable with the idea of taking the portkey, and he found his left hand moving on its own to touch the magical device.
Augustus frowned momentarily as he watched the young man have an internal debate, before smiling widely again. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter. You shan't be harmed at T.G.R. You have my word." He promised.
As if by magic, the struggle inside Harry ended. He smiled at Augustus, and reached out towards the rope. Then, he was gone from the field.
Augustus walked away from the Potter siblings and withdrew a mirror from his robes. A face appeared on the mirror. "Potter has been transported."
T.G.R. Headquarters
"Copy that, Potter has arrived."
"No, the Healer is still working on him."
"Yes, the boss insists that you do."
"How am I supposed to know what he wants with them? It's not as if he tells me everything."
"I'll talk to you later. He is going to talk to Potter now."
T.G.R. Headquarters, Interview Room
Harry looked on passively as the door slid open to reveal a man clad in gray robes. "Thank you, Healer. You may leave now." His voice was smooth, but stern, leaving no room for argument in the matter. He gave the Healer a small nod, and waited until the man was out of the room before closing the door. He turned to face Harry again.
Harry took a closer look at the man. He was of average height, and had a light tan to his skin. His hair had been gelled back and was well kept. The man's face was handsome enough, and Harry would say the man was barely in his sixties, though he looked to be in his thirties still. His smile was disarming, instantly compelling its recipient to trust the man.
What struck Harry the most, though, were his eyes.
They were black, dark orbs that seemed to go through you. His eyes were contemplative and intense, vaguely hypnotizing even. Behind them though, Harry could see the man was thinking, planning, calculating. He felt drawn to the man.
They stayed as they were for a while, content with studying each other.
"Welcome, Mr. Potter, to T.G.R. HQ." The man began, opening his arms in welcome. The feeling of trust he had before only intensified when he heard his voice.
Harry tilted his head. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know who you are, but you clearly know who I am."
The man's smile grew even larger. "My name's Thomas and this," he gestured to the room at large, "is my company."
Harry looked around at the rather plain room to distract himself. He struggled to control his mouth from spilling out every secret he knew, and instead decided to keep it occupied by being cheeky. "Your company is limited to a room?" He leaned forward, ignoring the look of shock Thomas had. "Not much to look at is it?"
Extra cheeky.
Thomas chuckled. "The newspapers do no justice to your cheek."
"It's the newspapers." Harry drawled. "If they did justice to anything, you might think they'd start reporting facts instead of fiction. I mean honestly, I've been called a misogynist at least a dozen times now for putting Lockhart in custody. It's certainly not my fault the favorite eye candy of British witches just happened to be a criminal as well."
"Quite right, Mr. Potter."
They lapsed into silence once more. "So why am I here anyway?" Harry asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.
"Unofficially, you're here because I find myself intrigued by you." Thomas admitted.
"Your curiosity towards me, I hope, is in a completely platonic sense? Because I'm going to have to put a stop to your efforts to woo me right now if you're gay." Harry said plainly.
Thomas seemed unaffected by his jibe at his sexuality. "Rest assured, my interest is completely intellectual. Officially, you are here as part of the debriefing over the Death Eater attack on Oxford Stadium."
Harry raised a brow. "I wasn't aware that your company had jurisdiction now. I am almost certain that this should concern Aurors more than a private company."
"Not when said private company owns the property in question." Thomas answered immediately. "Ministry War Decree 903, private company's get first rights over debriefing witnesses provided all information is forwarded to Ministry Aurors within 36 hours of an interview." He stated from memory.
"T.G.R. owns Oxford Stadium." Harry said skeptically. "What kind of name is T.G.R anyway?"
"T.G.R. is the initials of the company's founder. The full name is actually T.G.R. Holdings, Inc.." Thomas said.
"Your company's founder named the company after himself? That's rather vain of him."
Thomas shrugged nonchalantly, remaining completely unaffected by Harry's efforts to get a reaction from him. "He founded the company, he gets to name it." He opened the manila folder that had been ignored, and withdrew a pen from his robes.
It was Harry's turn to look surprised. "That's quite unconventional of you to use muggle equipment."
"We find that being unconventional has its advantages." He uncapped the pen. "Shall we begin with the debriefing?"
"Do I have an actual choice in the matter or are you just giving me the illusion that I have one?" Harry asked.
"Let's go with the latter. Any reason you can think of why the Death Eaters would target you in particular?"
"You mean aside from the fact that I am incredibly annoying? I suppose to get at my dad. Then again, considering that the other duelists were targeted too, I would have to say that the Death Eaters were after hostages rather than specific targets." Harry said.
"What reason would they have to do that?"
"How would I know? I'm not a Death Eater. But if I had to guess, I'd say either to train up an army of child soldiers or to use them as leverage against the Ministry." Harry paused, before asking a question of his own. "Why are you asking me for my opinion anyway? I'm a thirteen year old, hormonal wizard."
"Your speculations, if nothing else, are amusing enough." Thomas said, scribbling a few notes down. "Besides, we have to make a show of taking this seriously and what not for the Aurors. They have a mandatory line of questioning I have to follow to maintain the 'quality' of these interrogations. It's all rather ridiculous really." He pushed the manila folder towards Harry. "I took the liberty of filling up the general information sheet based on the Ministry's records. Here, see for yourself."
"Name, age, medical history?" Harry read. He looked at Thomas to see if he was reading things right. Thomas urged him to continue. "Blood status, civil status, place of residence…am I being debriefed or am I being stalked?"
"A little of both I suppose."
"Why does your company have access to Ministry records anyway? Aren't you into real estate or something?" Harry asked.
"Technically, we are a company that's job is to own other companies." Thomas answered.
"Well, isn't that redundant?"
"It's for legalities sake."
"Yes, that makes it so much better."
"Do you take anything seriously?" Thomas asked, more curious than angry.
"I find that taking life too seriously in general will, more often than not, stress you out more than necessary."
"Well, as I was saying, one of our companies is involved in real estate. One of our main concerns though, is privately contracted security. We deal with wards, curse breaking, bodyguards and defensive accessories. The nature of our business, given our 'importance' to the war effort, allows us access to what is usually sensitive information." Thomas explained. He paused, as if waiting for something. "What, no comment this time?"
"It's no fun if you're expecting it." Harry replied. "Will there be any more questions?"
Thomas looked over his papers. "I don't think so. We still have to stay here for another hour though – Ministry policy regarding these things, I'm afraid."
"The Ministry's policy is to waste time." Harry commented.
"Apparently so." Thomas agreed. "We might as well make the best of it though. Tell me, do you play chess?"
"On occasion, I find it to be a stimulating activity." Harry said.
Thomas drew his wand, and tapped the table thrice. A square segment of steel popped up, splitting from the table until it was only connected by a central hinge. Mechanically, it rotated one eighty, revealing a standard 8 by 8 chess board, before it merged with the table again. "E4." The king's pawn sprang into life, and moved forward two squares. Thomas gestured to Harry.
"C5." Harry said.
Thomas looked at his pawn with curiosity. "That's an interesting choice for a move. C3."
"Standard wizarding lines always did bore me. E5."
"Knight to F3. I suppose you prefer muggle openings?"
"Knight C6. Some of them have remarkable skill in the game."
"I take it then that you do not buy into the whole blood supremacy nonsense?" Thomas asked, looking at Harry rather than board. "D4."
Harry snorted. "Considering my mother is a muggle born, and therefore I am a half-blood, I think that's a fair assessment. C5 capture D4." The pawn drew its hammer, and whacked the other piece with enough force to send it off the board. Harry watched it with morbid fascination.
"C3 capture D4." This time, Harry's piece went flying. "Point taken."
"Quite an interesting effect. I don't think I've ever seen a board that knocks pieces away instead of destroying the piece." Harry commented. "Knight to F6. I suppose, based on your comment, you don't but into any of that as well?"
"Knight C3. I'm a half-blood myself, to be frank. I don't think I could kill off my muggle half if it came to it." Thomas said.
"Pawn to D4, capture."
"Knight D4, capture."
"Bishop to B4. How actively involved is your company in the war, anyway?" Harry asked.
"Knight capture C6." Thomas paused. "I'd say we have quite a vested interest in the war. We supply the Ministry with quite a lot of things. Most of an Auror's gear is produced by my company nowadays."
"B2 to C6. Then this war has made you a rich man."
"I could be richer." Thomas said with a shrug. "E5."
"Ambitious aren't we?" Harry asked, referring to both their game and their discussion. "Bishop to C3, check."
Thomas smirked. "I was in Slytherin after all. Got to keep that House spirit alive, eh? B2 to C3, capture. What about you though? Any idea what you want to be when you grow up?"
"Knight to D5." Harry moved after a few seconds of staring at the board. "I haven't given it quite as much thought."
Thomas frowned. "You don't strike me as the type to leave these things unplanned. Queen to G4. In fact, if your dueling style is anything to go by, I'd say you are rather obsessive about planning."
"King's side castling." Harry was barely looking at the board anymore. "I plan when it's necessary."
"Bishop to H6." Thomas said with a smirk. "I have an offer for you, Harry."
"I'm listening."
"The special adjustment you made to your gloves are quite interesting. Some of my men who saw you in action are already raving about the genius behind the idea. While I wouldn't go as far as to call it a revolutionary invention, it does represent a significant amount of development and research on your part. That means a lot of time and a lot of effort."
Harry nodded, agreeing. "That's true enough."
"As I'm sure you are somewhat aware, there are very few people nowadays who are capable, much less willing, to commit to recreating runic chains as complex as yours." Thomas leaned forward. "I'd like to buy and patent your formula."
Harry had a thoughtful look on his face before opening his mouth. Thomas watched him with anticipation. "Rook to E8."
"Huh?" Thomas' face scrunched up. He looked down, and saw it was his turn. "Queen to G7, checkmate. You really should pay more attention next time we play." He chided.
"I would, but I wasn't trying to win. Just trying to prove a point." Harry replied.
"Which is?"
"That you are a man who is proud." Harry said pointedly. "By beating me at the game, you're inciting nothing but ill will, when you should be doing the reverse in order to convince me to accept your proposition."
Thomas looked confused. "So you're saying I should have thrown the game?"
"Yes." Harry replied matter-of-factly. "In any case, I can't quite accept your proposition. Like you, I take pride in what I accomplish. For you it is beating a thirteen year old at chess, for me it's creating a complex magical artifact, but the feeling is the same. I'm not going to sell off my work for some gold." Harry scoffed. "I do have an alternate proposition though. I'll give you my formula, you market it to the Ministry at an overpriced value, and we share in the profits, 50-50." Harry leaned back into his chair.
"You are smarter than I thought." Thomas looked conflicted, debating with himself whether to accept the deal or not. "Alright, I think I can work with what you're offering."
"Our thirty minutes are up. It's been a pleasure, sir." Harry stood up, offering Thomas his hand.
Thomas stood and shook it. "The pleasure was mine, Mr. Potter. I'll have my lawyers contact yours then?" Harry nodded, and Thomas gestured to the door. "One of my men will show you the way out and hand you a portkey back to Hogwarts."
"And my dad? Has he been found?"
"He was found unconscious at the stadium, but otherwise unharmed. He is reporting back at Ministry as we speak." Thomas said.
"Thank you." Harry left the room.
Thomas waved his wand to shut the door. He turned around to see a masked wizard cancel his disillusionment charm. "Was that really wise?" The wizard asked. "You slipped up quite a few details. The Dark Lord will not be pleased."
Thomas glared at him. "I'm quite sure he'll be angry, Yaxley, but he and I both understand that sometimes compromise is necessary. Reassure him that this has changed nothing."
Yaxley tilted his head. "Of course, sir."
Omake 2: Thanks to stonegnome1
Lockhart's Lawyers
Barrister Spectre listened patiently as his client, Gilderoy Lockhart, regaled him with his, quite boring, tale. "Let me get this straight." He began. "You challenged this boy, Harry Potter, to a duel and lost?"
"Yes, I've already told you that." Lockhart answered irritably. Clearly it was still a sore subject for him.
"Now, you want to sue him for assault charges?" Lockhart nodded. "Are you daft man?!" Spectre shouted. "Had he actually been the one to challenge you perhaps, mind you, perhaps I could have made a case. But with this, you're just asking to lose outright. The Wizengamot would never bother with our case."
Lockhart bristled. "I don't care much for losing. Just make it happen! I want Potter to pay."
Spectre pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, he just really hated his job. "Gilderoy, think about it this way. If we proceed against Mr. Potter we will have to explain why a well known expert in the dark arts was defeated by a third year who was home schooled because he was recovering from a disease which reduced his magical power. Think of the affect on your book sales."
Lockhart thought about it for a moment, clearly weighing the implication it might have on his sales –and more importantly – his fans. "Hmm…you make a good point. I suppose I could let him off just this one time. Mercy is a virtue after all."
Spectre agreed with him outwardly, glad that he had averted yet another catastrophe. He sighed happily and relaxed as he watched one of his richer clients walk out happy. "Well at least we won't be getting into trouble with Potter anymore."
AN: Yeah! Another chapter finished!
For those interested, I have placed the game notation below.
E4 c5
C3 e5
Nf3 Nc6
D4 cxd4
Cxd4 Nf6
Nc3 exd4
NxD4 Bb4
NxC6 BxC6
E5 Bxc3+
bxc3 Nd5
Qg4 O-O
Bh6 Re8
Qg7++