Phoenix Hawk Chapter 2
Disclaimer – Do not own, playing in the sandbox. Please don't sue because I have an overactive imagination!
After spending time with the owls, he managed to get some sleep. His next conscious thought was a reminder to call his overseas partners to arrange meetings. Harry got up and showered before returning to his office to start his working vacation. Winky had left his brunch under a stasis spell on the antique desk he sat down behind. He ate while sorting his mail.
The quiet sounds of envelopes tearing, parchment rustling and pen scratching woke his snowy owl, who chirruped an inquiry at his master.
"No Fudai, rest today, all right? I will have Tomo take the outgoing mail over to Belfry's mail room. I'll need you and Kizaki along for the ride back to Great Britain," Harry explained to his familiar. Fudai barked softly, the other owl in the room still asleep. At least there weren't eggs or chicks to worry about, yet. The owls wouldn't leave them behind, and while Harry expected something soon, he and the elves were prepared. He currently suspected Kizaki's sleep pattern as having come from a prolonged mating. Fudai flew the short distance from perch to desktop for some attention that Harry gladly provided. Fudai had much the same favorite scratching and rubbing areas as his mother, Harry's beloved Hedwig.
It had come as something of a surprise the day he'd received a note via a Hogwarts owl four years ago.* Written by Hagrid, it asked Harry if had any time to visit an old friend. Harry was still in the initial stages of his company, Three Brothers, and living in a refurbished Grimmauld. Once he checked his schedule, he sent a reply back to Hagrid, setting a time to visit two days later for lunch.
**Flashback**
Harry apparated to Hogsmeade, using the approved point beside the Three Broomsticks. He'd arrived with enough time to run a few errands before meeting Hagrid at the landmark eatery. He strode down main street, doing a bit of window shopping before ducking inside Scrivenshaft's for a few minutes to place an order. He checked on the status of an order of crystals with a jeweler before he noticed he had a stalker.
'Hm, who's this now?', he thought to himself. Coming out of the jeweler's, he caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of his eye. 'Ah bloody hell, not today,' was his next thought. He didn't need a confrontation with a Weasley, not out here. Shaking his head, he went on to his final errand, at the bookstore. His red headed stalker followed him, and managed to keep out of direct line of sight, but Harry had grown paranoid since the war. He was always able to spot her, and keep her in view.
He raised a small, undetectable shield and turned down a random aisle in the bookstore, hoping to catch this Weasley. Having had a hand in training the last four of that family's children for the war, he expected jinxes to fly at any moment. But either the location or some unknown reason stayed the other's wand.
"Harry?", came the soft, feminine voice of his heart's betrayer. "It is you, isn't it?", Ginny Weasley said, moving closer to his position.
"Good day to you, Miss Weasley," he said, stiffly formal.
"Oh Harry, does it have to be like that? Mum missing you visiting," she claimed, sounding much put upon.
'Ha!', he thought, 'Lying cow. You both were the ones to believe the Prophet's lies, again'. He fairly growled in aggravation.
"I'm sure she does, Miss Weasley. Please convey my deepest apologies that my business has thus far kept me too busy to engage in social frivolities," Harry's voice was cold. He really cared about the Weasleys as a family, but certain members tended to piss him off regularly with their antics. The youngest two, along with their mother being prime examples.
"Harry! There's nothing frivolous about spending time with your family!", Ginny was clearly frustrated, signs of the famous Weasley temper starting to appear on her face.
"Ah, but the Weasley clan is NOT my family," Harry boldly stated, which was only the truth. Throughout his youth he'd been treated as both a near son, and a pariah at turns. With the actual war, Harry'd been both smothered, and ignored. Ginny herself had demanded more than he'd ever been willing to give when they dated, especially when they tried again after the war. But the war had taken a hidden toll on Harry, and very few had been able to help him through that time.
"Harry!", Ginny exclaimed, truly angry now, "That's not true!"
He'd had enough. They were done as a couple, regardless of her attempts to get back with him.
"Really Ginevra? Where was your family during my second year, your first? What about that late summer rescue? Did your parents EVER believe the twins and Ron about the bars on my bedroom window?" Harry went on the attack, starting with the obvious, "Where were they when Sirius escaped? It was damned convenient that you won that award at the Ministry and generated a news story with a lovely family photo on the front page with that damned rat practically front and center! Why did no one realize that rat had completely tripled it's normal lifespan by then?"
Ginny screeched, her wand snapping up in the tell tale movements of her infamous Bat Bogey Hex, quickly followed by a Boil Hex. Both spells splash harmlessly off Harry's shield, but the energy shattered several shelves of books to his left, dropping books and scattering the few patrons.
"Temper Weasley. That's property damage, finable and worth 10 days at the DMLE," Harry sniggered. He doubted she could pay the fine if he called the Hit Wizards*. He' deal with the store owner later.
"Damn you Harry!", she cried. Realizing he was shielded, all Ginny could do now was yell at him, or retreat.
"Been to Hell, Ginevra, don't care for a repeat experience." He was deliberately taunting her now.
"I'll show you hell, Harry Potter!", she snarled, charging him. He finally reeled off a spell. Just a simple Petrificus that naturally stopped her in her tracks. She tipped forward, but he leaned forward and caught her by the shoulders.
"This is a modified Petrificus, Weasley," he purred in her ear, eyes gleaming. "It'll wear off in about an hour, and hopefully, you'll have cooled off by then. But knowing the Weasley temper as intimately as I do, I need to put your somewhere safe." He cast a levitation spell and hauled her to the shop counter by her feet.
"May I use your Floo?", he asked the counter girl, who nodded, wide-eyed with fright. "Thank you. Come along Miss Weasley." He moved to the fireplace and triggered the Floo, throwing the specialized ash mixture within and calling out, "Weasley Wizard Wheezes" in a clear tone.
"George!", he called when the connection was made.
"O partner, my partner!", came the cheerful voice of George Weasley.
"Special red delivery, my favorite menace," Harry called, to warn the man.
"O ho, what'd she do now?", George's head poked through the Floo. He spied her still form floating behind Harry crouched on the flagstones and began laughing.
"The usual, but with some willful destruction of property. I'll handle it, unless someone calls the Hit Wizards," Harry said.
"She'll never learn. Classic insanity," George chortled. Harry grinned, they'd enjoyed catching up on Muggle influences expanding their business ventures. The insanity he spoke of was the type where one keeps trying a thing, and expecting different results. Except, in this case, it never happens.
"Shall I send her through? I need to finish up here and then meet Hagrid for lunch,"Harry inquired politely, green eyes sparking mischief.
"Sure, sure. Send the package through. Time delay?", George said, pulling his head out of the fire.
"Sixty minutes, well, fifty at this point," Harry explained, grabbing Ginny's ankle and roughly tugging. She'd have squawked if the spell allowed for it. Quickly, Harry shoved her still floating body through the open Floo, knowing the levitation spell would collapse once he took his attention off her. He wasn't sure if George would catch her, but honestly didn't care.
"Thanks George! We still on for Friday, half 5?"
"Yeah mate, usual haunt?" George called, having grabbed Ginny on his side.
"Sounds fine, remember the others. See ya then!" And Harry let the connection close once the last of Ginny's long, auburn hair had cleared the hearth.
Harry sighed and stood up, dusting off his jeans. He turned back to the counter girl. "Is the owner on premises today?", he asked solicitously. She nodded and darted away, returning a few moments later with a balding, older wizard who looked ready to cause another scene.
"Good sir, please accept my heart felt apologies on the state of your shop and allow me to make reparations," Harry got right to the heart of the matter.
"Lord Potter! I didn't know you were present. Oh this mess," the owner fussed, his earlier temper forgotten.
"Sir, I would like you to send me the bill for the repairs and replacing the destroyed stock. It was entirely my fault the incident took place, so I feel the need to correct it," Harry pushed.
"Oh, all right, sir. As you wish. I'll have the area roped off for now. Where would you like me to send the information?", the shop owner readily accepted. Harry pulled out a small leather billfold.
"Here is my owl address. Send all the paperwork here and everything will be taken care of. I had a few books to pick up today, so I'll do that and get out of your way, shall I?", Harry handed over the pale ivory card with gold lettering, spelling out a postal drop.
"Of course. I'll leave you to your shopping, m'lord," the owner took the card and bowed, thus excusing himself from Harry, who was already turning to finish shopping. Not fifteen minutes later, he's got everything he needs and checks outs. He shrinks the stack of books and pockets them and heads for the Three Broomsticks.
* first – On the owl thing, which I am making up out of whole cloth. If the parent owls aren't there to hatch and care for the owlet, the magic of the owlery could effectively cause the egg to go into stasis.
* second - According to HP Lexicon, Hit Wizards are responsible for catching every day criminals, whereas Aurors are responsible for catching Dark Wizards.