Phoenix Hawk Chapter 1
AN: No, you weren't seeing things - if you were an early bird on Saturday morning when I first posted the prologue, you probably saw one version of that prologue before I swapped it for a different one. The ONLY difference, I had to add the AN and a disclaimer. Things I am constantly forgetting at this point in my career. Because of that, I gift this next chapter early to make up for the confusion. Many apologies. *bows*
Disclaimer: Author makes no claims on anything owned by the wondrous JKR. Please do not sue for having an overactive imagination! Thank you
Harry reached his apartment building and instead of taking the usual route to the penthouse suite, he moved along the side of the building to an alley and to the apparition point. From there, it was one quick spell to his apartment.
"Master Harrys!", called a high pitched, squeaky voice, "Yous home safe!" And he was stopped in his tracks by a small body colliding with his left leg.
Harry laughed, "Hello Dibby! Yes I'm home, and glad of it. Where's your mother?"
The small being turned up its' face, to gaze adoringly on the legendary Harry Potter, "Mumsy is in the kitchen, sirs!"
"Then we should get there, Dibby!" And Harry moved off, the house elf squealing in joy for the impromptu ride.
"Winky!", he called, "I hope you aren't bothering with a meal for me, I'm too tired." He honestly was, but wanted to check on her, and make sure everything was okay. Winky eased his life greatly, but he did his damnedest to not take advantage of her or any elf he bonded or employed.
"Master Harry, it is good you are homes. Dibby misseded you muchly," came the reply from the female elf standing on a stool in the kitchen before the stove. She stirred a large stew pot before turning to wave a hand at the cutting board. There some carrots sat waiting to be chopped. A knife rose from the butcher table and proceeded to roughly chop the carrots up and then lay back down. The carrot pieces left the cutting board as if thrown to the pot and dropped inside with soft plops.
"This food is for lunches tomorrow, as Winky is knowing very well you never eat right when you get back. Much as that makes Winky sad," she tried again to guilt trip him. It never worked, having stopped after he complained of not being able to sleep well on a full belly with mission exhaustion. It was now a game to them.
"Winky, if I ate your cooking all the time, Belfry would fire me for getting fat! Is there anything I need to know before I go to bed?" Harry spoke from the kitchen entryway. Dibby had relinquished his ride and ran into the kitchen to help his mother.
"No Master Harrys, everything is okay, and can be waiting. The owls wants to see you, but has no messages that can't also be waiting," Winky informed him.
"Sounds good. I look forward to that stew for lunch. We have the next thirty for our other work, if you want to get the ball rolling in the morning to fly back to England." Dibby began hopping up and down in excitement.
"Yes Dibby, you'll be with us, on the aeroplane," Harry informed the young elf, who gave a loud, happy squeak and charged his legs again. Winky laughed at her son's behavior and finished the stew. She knew Harry would not leave the young elf behind no matter what.
Theirs was an odd family, but it worked out for them, and while there were other elves in Harry's employ, none were quite so close as Winky and Dibby.
Harry and Dibby talked briefly about the aeroplane, reconfirming it was the Challenger 605 Harry had purchased last year to make their Transatlantic travels easier. They spent 10 minutes on that discussion before Dibby was satisfied and Harry could leave to go on to bed.
He went to his office where the owls had their perches. Their sleeping aerie was in another part of the house, but if Harry was home, they usually kept to the office if they thought he might need them. He slowly opened the door, not wanting to truly disturb them, but knowing they'd be awake and waiting for him if they hadn't gone out to hunt. A low hoot came from inside the darkened room, answering the unspoken question.
"Hi guys, you can tell I'm home," Harry said, as he pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Two pairs of lantern yellow eyes blinked at him from within the office. He moved towards them, managing to avoid any obstacles solely by memory of knowing where every object and piece of furniture was kept. One owl chirrupped at him, a welcoming sound. Harry reached out his hands, and caressed the heads of each bird softly, scratching their favorite spots for a few minutes.
"You are always waiting when I return home. I don't know how you know, Fudai, but you do. Your mother was like that," he said to the one who was trying to purr and meld into his fingers at the same time. The other bird just accepted his attention as her due before gently nibbling his fingers with her beak and then pulling away to go back to sleep. He quietly chuckled at that, "The missus has a point, my dear fellow, it is bed time for all us raptors. Good night my friend." And with a final caress, Harry departed from his office to find his rest.
AN- yes they are short, for now. My chapters are the length they want to be. I will not force them longer when they elect for short and concise. TTFN.