Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 18: Falling into Enemy hands
Harry grew to love performing in front of the crowd over the next five weeks; each performance boosting his confidence as the crowds grew larger. The ringmaster actually started offering two shows per day after the second week in order to accommodate the growing numbers. Beauty and the other snakes quickly began attracting far more attention during the walk-throughs that the ringmaster allowed before each show since Harry could often be found tending to the large python or the other numerous snakes that had chosen to remain with him.
Beauty's new cage was a hit all on its own (with both the snake and the crowds) as it literally looked like Harry had picked up a section of an actual rainforest instead of secretly creating it from scratch with the help of his magic and a number of supplies he'd sent Trowa to buy with money from his trunk. Beauty's old cage had been turned into a second snake habitat for the wild snakes that Harry used in their act, the cage divided horizontally into five sections that were interconnected to allow the snakes to move around as needed. Harry had cheated and used magic to enhance both cages to make them easier to maintain so that all of the snakes were comfortable with extra space added discreetly so that none of the snakes would feel crowded.
Feeding all one hundred and fifteen of the snakes that opted to stick around (Harry supplementing their numbers with additional wild snakes as needed for their act) was a chore and a half but Harry managed to purchase an assortment of mice, rats, gerbils, and hamsters (again with Trowa's help) that he turned out into the new snake habitat. He'd also collected wild field mice, shrews, and voles (that he treated for parasites and diseases) so that there were plenty of options for the snakes to choose from. He even made the rodents a few areas that were protected from the snakes so they could breed without fear while the snakes culled the numbers whenever they ventured beyond safe zones for food (much like they would in nature).
It didn't take long for Harry to fall into a comfortable routine while they continued to stay with the circus as the troupe traveled across continental Europe (spending roughly four or five days in each area). Each morning, after Harry woke up, he'd spend an hour practicing the katas and the exercises that Wufei and the Maganacs had taught him before practicing the other skills that he'd been taught by the pilots (this included knife throwing, shooting practice – Trowa having started teaching him how to clean and use the pistols that Heero had given him, and crowd watching). He even spent an hour each day on the replacement laptop he'd talked Trowa into purchasing for him working on various academic lessons (mostly math, grammar, and typing) so he wouldn't fall behind and disappoint Quatre when he next saw the blonde.
Two hours before lunch, he'd join Trowa and they'd practice their act, working on any new tricks they had decided to add in, before they would join Cathy for the noon meal. Afterwards, Harry would hang out with Beauty in her cage while the crowds circulated amongst the various animal cages and answer questions about the many different types of snakes he worked with and even bring out one or two of the non-venomous ones for people to pet once he grew more comfortable dealing with strangers. Trowa would usually be somewhere close by during this time to watch over Harry in case any of the visitors grew rowdy or sought to cause trouble for Harry or the snakes (since the crowd easily mistook him as the child he appeared to be).
At one thirty, Harry would move the wild snakes into their crate (Beauty only participating in the evening show when she was bored or the ringmaster wanted to impress some official or other) before heading back to the trailer in order to dress for the two o'clock show. He would then meet Trowa and Cathy just outside the employee entrance to the main tent by two-fifteen. By five after three, their performance was over and Harry returned the snakes to their habitat before joining the rest of the performers to take a final bow. After that Harry would have two hours in which to rest, eat supper, change into a clean outfit, and prepare for the evening performance at six.
The nighttime crowds were usually filled with important dignitaries, military officers, high-ranking officials, politicians, and other important people; that usually meant that the acts performed by the actors each evening were slightly longer and more involved than the earlier afternoon shows. It was after one such evening showing during Harry's fifth week as a performer with the circus, within the Duchy of Luxembourg, that the ringmaster was approached by a couple of high profile individuals who wished to hire a number of the performers for a private showing and make a deal with the ringmaster.
The ringmaster, ever ready to make a little extra money, consented to both propositions without bothering to consult the performers in question; which included Harry, Trowa, and Cathy as well as a few of the other popular acts. Trowa tried to talk the ringmaster out of sending their small act the moment he heard the news but was unsuccessful. Harry later asked him why and learned that Treize Khushrenada (the current leader of OZ) was rumored to be based out of Luxembourg Castle (which was the proposed venue of the private performance).
Harry had immediately understood the implications and took care to pack up anything he didn't want to leave behind in case they needed to leave unexpectedly in the event that trouble came calling (making a point to hide his cord of trunks and his wand holster with a Disillusionment Charm as a precaution). He also chose the snakes he'd be taking with him very carefully, taking only those in excellent health, that were also in their prime. He also stuck to the deadlier snakes since they would be more effective if they needed to fight their way out (leaving Beauty and the rest of the snakes safely tucked away in their cages).
The drive through the capital city was nerve wracking for Harry as the closer they got to their destination the larger the knot of dread inside his stomach grew. He managed to pass it off as nervous excitement to Cathy though Harry knew Trowa was well aware of what was bothering him. Once they arrived, Harry buried his nervousness as best he could by playing the part of a curious and excited tourist who'd never been inside of a castle before (drawing deeply upon his memories of the first time he'd seen Hogwarts and how he'd felt at the time). His wide eyes taking in everything and everyone as he chattered non-stop to both Trowa and Cathy about seemingly random items he spotted as they were led through the castle; the epitome of an excited, awed, and hyperactive child.
They were soon led outside to a large meticulously manicured lawn where their equipment and props had been delivered earlier that morning and Harry darted forward to check on the snakes. After making certain the critters hadn't suffered during transport, Harry lent a hand to the workers assembling the snake crate. He then spent a good ten minutes making certain all of the doors and the ramp functioned as they should to insure that none of the snakes would be injured.
Harry had the opportunity to let off some steam shortly after that as he noticed someone mishandling one of the boxes containing some of his snakes. He actually embarrassed the man as he verbally cursed him six ways from Sunday about proper handling of live animals before diving into the box to check on the animals in question; thankfully, the snakes were merely irritated and not injured. Harry then spent a good twenty minutes calming them down and promising to make certain they weren't treated so roughly the next time they were transported.
Unknown to Harry, there were a small handful of individuals paying extra close attention to his every move as he went about preparing for the show they were supposed to give. One of those individuals was a man with long blonde hair and a masked helmet that hid the upper half of his face; a man Harry would have recognized instantly if he'd seen him.
An hour and a half later, Harry (dressed in black slacks and an unbuttoned emerald green silk dress shirt with silver boots, belt, and tie) was skipping out onto the temporary stage to play his fumbling kid routine. As his eyes swung over the audience he happened to catch sight of a terrifyingly familiar mask and he actually tripped for real over his own feet. He managed to cover up the blunder by pretending that it was part of the act, though his heart was pounding like mad in his chest and his ears had begun ringing.
How he managed to get through the rest of his short solo performance, Harry didn't have a clue but he'd never been more relived to see Trowa and Cathy as he was when the pilot and the young woman joined him on stage ten minutes into Harry's performance. Before he threw the first ball at Trowa, he used his thumbnail to write a short message onto the small ball and knew the instant Trowa read the message as the pilot had given Harry a sharp look before throwing the ball back to trigger the crate's ramp.
Harry was forced to forget about the masked man in the audience at that point as he needed to focus on what he was doing least he fumble one of the blades and hurt himself or one of the snakes. His performance that afternoon exceeded his earlier performances as he played a few of his new tricks while juggling the fifteen blades that Trowa had thrown to him; changing the pattern he threw them in, tossing a few from behind his back, and even bouncing a couple off his foot by the flat of the blade. When the last blade flew from his hand and hit the target, this time forming a spiral instead of the usual circle, Harry bowed low and tripped forward when he happened to catch sight of the masked man once more.
Luckily the snakes were well used to Harry's strange antics by this time and they neither took offense nor hesitated in performing their assigned task as they swarmed over Harry before picking him up and carrying him away to the crate. Once inside, Harry wasted no time in moving all but a few of the snakes into his supply trunk where they'd be safe from harm because he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of dread he felt as he kept seeing that first memory of the masked man (from the day he'd faked the destruction of Wing) staring down at him. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Cathy and Trowa knocking on the crate at first and when he did finally hear them pounding loudly, he had the insane urge to simply ignore them.
He shook off the urge a heartbeat later, climbed up to the top, opened the door, and gave a huge fake yawn as he stretched out his arms and peered over the side of the box while rubbing his eyes sleepily. He drew the next part of their act out as long as he could, trying to talk the other two into allowing him to keep at least one snake with him before he finally hid the last five snakes beneath his shirt and reluctantly vacated the crate. He darted off the stage two minutes later and wrapped his arms around his stomach the moment he was out of sight in order to keep himself from throwing up.
When it was time for him to go back out at the end of their act, Harry went in chasing one of the snakes he'd 'snuck' out of the crate only to hide it behind his back once he 'caught' it again. The rest of the cast poured onto the stage at that point as their act had, for once, been the last act of the entire show and Harry actually gave a genuine smile of relief as he bowed one last time, waved to the audience, and allowed Trowa to swing him up onto his shoulders as they slipped off the stage (for once actually wanting the reassurance the physical contact offered).
"Can we go home now, Trowa?" Harry asked softly as he slumped down to rest his chin on Trowa's head; his thoughts dwelling on the absent pilots as the glamor of being a circus star lost all appeal after that afternoon's performance. "I'm tired and I don't think I can take any more right now."
"We're almost finished here, kiddo. Once everything is packed up, we'll go," Trowa replied in an attempt to cheer Harry up only for Harry to shiver over the instant reminder of the other pilots.
"I miss them, Trowa," Harry admitted with a soft sigh.
"It won't be long before we see them again."
"Excuse me."
Trowa turned around at the interruption to find a young woman with short, black hair wearing a stylish black dress suit smiling at them as she flicked her eyes up to study Harry for a moment. Harry felt icy fingers creep up his spine as he recalled seeing the same women sitting beside the masked man during the show. He tightened his hold on Trowa even as he gave the appearance of slumping down further, making it look like he was about to fall asleep.
"Can I help you?" Trowa asked politely as he reached up to place his hand on Harry's knee as if to keep Harry from slipping off his perch.
"My name is Lucrezia Noin and my employer was greatly impressed with your performance," Lucrezia introduced herself as she flicked her eyes up towards Harry again at the end of her sentence. "He asked me to offer you and both of your partners an invitation to join us for the evening meal in the hopes of discussing your remarkable performance."
"I am honored to receive such an invitation; however, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline. As you can see my little brother is fairly exhausted after a long week. Today is usually his day off but he was far too excited about seeing a castle up close that I couldn't convince him to stay home and rest. He'll only grow cranky if I were to keep him from his well deserved rest for too much longer."
"We absolutely must insist you join us," a man's voice declared from behind them and Trowa spun around to find Zechs Merquise holding Cathy's arm firmly as he looked right at Harry who'd tensed further the moment he'd heard the man's familiar voice.
"Trowa…?" Cathy asked in a tremulous voice as she glanced between Zechs and the two boys.
"It appears we have a dinner invitation that we just can't say no to," Trowa reluctantly acquiesced as he allowed both Lucrezia and Zechs to guide them back to the castle.
As they reached the entrance, Trowa lifted Harry down from his shoulders and brought him around so that he was holding him in his arms while Harry automatically wrapped his arms around Trowa's neck and rested his head on Trowa's shoulder. Harry's peaceful appearance was completely at odds with his racing heart and the icy numbness that had stolen over him the moment the woman had appeared at their side. The earlier feeling of dread that had been building from the moment Trowa had told him why he'd tried to get them out of performing today settled permanently in Harry's stomach as the shadows of the castle swallowed them.
The three of them were led to a pair of guest rooms where they were offered a chance to freshen up and given an appropriate change of clothes. Harry had taken one look at the small tuxedo that had been set aside for him and shivered as he knew without a doubt that the fancy suit would fit him perfectly. Not that Harry was going to actually wear the tux; he had no intention of undressing in front of the security cameras he suspected were in the room.
He also had no intention of giving up the many blades he was wearing beneath his current outfit because half of them would not sit properly beneath the snug dress shirt that came with the tux and there was no place on the tux to hide the five snakes he had with him. And while Trowa changed into the clothes that were provided for him willingly enough (the pilot far better at hiding and accessing his various knives), he didn't try very hard to talk Harry into wearing the suit; the attempt more of a show for their suspected audience. He did at least straighten and freshen up his clothes with a discreet charm, button his shirt, and tuck the hem of the shirt into his slacks to make himself a little more presentable.
The man who came to lead them to the dining room raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Harry was still wearing his costume but didn't really seem all that surprised; confirmation that they had been watched. After being led through an endless maze of hallways (a not so subtle attempt to confuse them and make it difficult for them to find their way out) they ended up in a fancy dining room that had a long wooden table that Harry thought might have been twice the length of the house tables at Hogwarts. The overly opulent room just screamed wealth and privilege with the crystal chandeliers, priceless artwork, expensive carpets, crystal goblets, fine china, genuine silverware, and silk table cloth.
Harry couldn't help wrinkling his nose in disgust at the money on display as he easily pictured the Malfoys feeling at home in just such a room. The pint-sized teen quickly school his face into one of sleepy awe the moment he noted their arrival had drawn the attention of several individuals in the room; one of which was the masked man and the other the familiar visage of Treize Khushrenada (whose face Harry had often seen on the internet). He barely managed to bite back his groan of dismay when he found himself led to the chair directly across from the masked man as he just knew the man would spend most of the meal trying to draw Harry into a conversation or simply staring at him. The only redeeming aspect of the seating arrangements was the fact that Harry was seated between Cathy and Trowa and would not have to sit next to a stranger.
Just before they were actually given permission to be seated, they were formally introduced to a small handful of the other individuals that were attending the meal; including Treize Khushrenada, Zechs Merquise (the masked man), Lady Une (who reminded Harry of Narcissa Malfoy and who he recognized as the woman who'd threatened the colonies several weeks earlier), Duke Dermail Catalonia (head of the Romefeller Foundation), Hundelt Catalonia (Dermail's oldest son), Dorothy Catalonia (Hundelt's niece and Dermail's granddaughter), and Ken Tsubarov (Chief Engineer for the Romefeller Foundation and a man who looked like an older version of Snape with slightly better hygiene).
Harry wished more than ever that they had not been forced to attend this farce of a meal as he slid into his seat and tried not to allow his anxiety to show. He couldn't stop himself from flinching (slight though it was) when a waiter leaned around him to fill his water goblet with lemon ice water before attempting to help Harry place his napkin on his lap. Harry was a little better prepared when the man placed a bowl of clam chowder down in front of him just a few minutes later.
As those seated up and down the table began eating, Harry was never more thankful for Aunt Petunia drilling formal etiquette into his head when he was younger because otherwise he would have had absolutely no idea which spoon to use for his soup or how to behave at such a formal meal (a side effect of his aunt forever trying to reach above her station). Attire and frayed nerves aside, Harry managed to fit right in with the rest of the blue-bloods though to either side of him Trowa and Cathy, while no where near embarrassing themselves, were both obviously uncomfortable with the entire affair.
Harry ate sparingly from each of the courses that passed in front of him, extremely leery of being poisoned or drugged in addition to his stomach being twisted into knots due to his nervousness. He completely avoided the goblet of grape juice or red wine that had been poured for him at the start of the third course (he couldn't tell by look alone and he wasn't going to taste it since both juice and wine would cover the taste of any unwanted additives in the drink). He would have preferred plain ice water since the slight hint of lemon could have disguised a mild drug but he couldn't not drink anything and to ask for something special would have called far too much attention to him; so he sipped at the cool glass of water periodically, nibbled at the food in front of him, and spent more time listening to the various conversations around him rather than joining in.
At least he didn't have to worry about holding a conversation with Zechs as the man seemed content to simply watch Harry from beneath his mask. Harry on the other hand did his best to not even look at the man without making it obvious that he was trying to ignore him (not an easy feat). That he appeared to be so young worked in his favor as a twelve year old (or an eight year old given how small he was) couldn't really be expected to be good at hiding their emotions.
He was certain that his slightly wide and glassy eyed expression made him look both suitably impressed with the fancy meal and fighting exhaustion fooled their dining companions but with Zechs it was hard to know because the mask effectively hid the man's expression. In some ways, Harry found Zechs' mask far more frightening than the Death Eater masks because, while the bleached white skulls were frightening, Zechs' mask looked down right predatory and completely hid his eyes.
By the time dessert was served, Harry was feeling stiff and sore from the constant strain of trying to maintain the invisible mask he'd been wearing since he first stepped into the room and the anxiety of not knowing what to expect. On either side of him, Trowa and Cathy were far more relaxed than they had been at the beginning of the meal and Harry suspected that was partly due to the wine the two of them had been plied with throughout the meal (though Harry was almost certain that Trowa was faking his slight inebriation). Lifting up the last spoon at his place setting, Harry contemplated the final bowl that had been set in front of him.
It was filled with a gloriously sinful treat that consisted of a thick brownie (still warm) and a scoop of lightly melting real vanilla ice cream (if the small black specs scattered through the creamy white of the ice cream was any indication) both of which were generously drizzled over with hot fudge and warm caramel. On top of the ice cream was a dollop of homemade whip cream, a sprinkle of chopped nuts, chocolate shavings, and a single maraschino cherry with the stem still on it. It was a Dudley worthy dessert and that set off warning bells in Harry's head; if only because Harry never received such rich and drool worthy treats when outside of Hogwarts (bar the Knickerbocker glory Dudley had deemed inadequate during the trip to the zoo for Dudley's eleventh birthday) and even the school's deserts had never been quite so extravagant.
"Is there something wrong with your sundae, child?" Zechs inquired; the masked man addressing Harry for the first time all evening.
Harry glanced up at the man sitting across from him through his bangs as he set his spoon down the table without touching the dessert. Allowing a small pout to curve his lips, Harry flicked his eyes to Trowa (who'd already eaten a portion of his dessert) before looking up to meet the blank eyes of the mask as he hesitantly offered the man a bald faced lie, "I don't know… it looks delicious but… well… I'm allergic to chocolate and I feel bad because that means the sundae will go to waste."
"That is a tragedy," Zechs murmured and Harry got the feeling that the man had not only seen right through his lie but also knew why he'd lied in the first place; it didn't help that Trowa had glanced sharply at him the moment he'd spoken. "I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to not be able to eat chocolate every once in a while."
To Harry's horror, the man then signaled to one of the waiters serving the diner guests and ordered Harry a new sundae minus the chocolate, fudge, and brownie. It killed Harry to smile and politely thank the man as the original sundae was whisked away. Ten minutes later, when his replacement dessert arrived, Harry had no choice but to pick up his spoon and eat; least he be forced to admit to his earlier lie. The ice cream, caramel, nuts, and whip cream tasted like ash in Harry's mouth and settled in his stomach like a rock as he forced himself to appear as if he savored each bite.
He managed to eat close to a third of the sundae when he felt the need to wash the taste of it out of his mouth and he reached out to grab his water glass only to find that it had been removed at some point just before or just after his replacement dessert had arrived and all that remained was the untouched glass of reddish purple liquid. He couldn't help the small frown that flittered across his face as he reluctantly picked up the crystal goblet while allowing his eyes to casually search for his missing water glass.
Bringing the goblet up to his mouth, Harry felt eyes boring into him as he placed his mouth on the rim of the fine crystal and tipped it up so the liquid inside brushed against his lips. He then pretended to swallowed while not allowing anything to pass through his lips as he discreetly sniffed at the liquid and correctly identified it as lightly watered down wine. He made a funny face, as if in response to the taste, and set it down before wiping his mouth with his napkin and taking a bite of ice cream as if to get rid of the taste of the wine.
Harry was so focused on the charade with his drink and his sundae and completely used to the waiter stepping up behind him that he didn't pay any attention to the new man that stepped up behind him until he felt the bite of the needle in his neck followed by the burning of whatever drug they'd given him flooding through his system. Stiffening in his seat, Harry's eyes shot across the table to Zechs to see the man's slight smirk before he glanced sideways to find Trowa already unconscious and being dragged from his chair by two guards. A second glance to his left saw the scene being repeated with Cathy and Harry felt anger course through him as he shot out of his seat and up onto the table to escape the hands that had been clutching at him.
His goblet of wine was kicked in Zechs' direction; his unfinished dessert followed half a second later, and Trowa's partially eaten sundae ended up in the face of the man who'd jabbed Harry with the needle. Dodging the many hands that were now seeking him, Harry dashed nimbly down the table in hot pursuit of his quasi brother (easily jumping over the center pieces scattered along the length) as they dragged the drugged teen out of the room. He could feel the drug they had dosed him with spreading through his system with every beat of his heart while his magic worked overtime to clear the chemical from his body. The sound of a gun firing from somewhere behind him had Harry spinning and dropping low as the tranquilizer dart that had been fired at him sailed harmlessly over his head before he stood back up.
That provided just enough of a distraction that the two soldiers that had been trying to capture him pulled level with his current position and Harry only escaped their ill timed lunge by bending over backwards into a handstand and flipping himself back up onto his feet so he could dance back out of their reach once more. The next tranquilizer dart shot at him was plucked from the air and stabbed into the hand that grabbed his pant leg and Harry grinned manically when he heard man give out a girlish shriek and felt the hand immediately release him. He was then running down the center of the table once more only to slip into a foot first slide when he saw one of the unnamed guests jump up onto the table in order to block his path.
Just before he would have crashed into the man, Harry leaned to the side, grabbed hold of the table cloth, and rolled off the edge of the table. His momentum was checked by his hold on the table cloth and he threw himself beneath the table before he yanked hard on the silk cloth as he landed on his behind. He was rewarded by a loud thump as the man on the table crashed down accompanied by the sound of dozens of expensive plates, bowls, goblets, and silverware crashing to the floor. Dropping the cloth, Harry ran back in the opposite direction; keeping to the center beneath the table to avoid the legs of those still sitting at the table so as to not let them know he'd changed directions until he darted out at the last possible second and made a wild dash towards the door he'd seen them taken Trowa and Cathy through.
"For crying out loud, will somebody catch that brat!?" Duke Dermail ordered angrily.
"Ah blow it out your arse ya lily-livered pile of maggot infested nogtail crap!" Harry bellowed in reply as he blindly flipped the man off before ducking under and around yet another ineffectual guard.
"Why wasn't he given the full dose of tranquilizer?" Treize demanded from some where behind Harry.
"I did give him the full dose."
"Then why the hell hasn't the little bastard dropped like a rock?" Dermail snapped.
"Because your drugs are just as efficient and effective as you are, you scum sucking son of a wart-faced hag!" Harry taunted as he cut back towards the table once more and dove clean under to the other side before rolling back up onto his feet as he frantically tried to find another way out of the room so he could hunt down and rescue Trowa and Cathy.
'Belladonna, will you help me?' Harry asked in parseltongue as he noted that the soldiers were attempting to box him in.
'Gladly, little hatchling.'
'Thank you, beautiful; remind me to catch you an extra fat vole when all of this is over.'
The snake in question hissed in amusement and anticipation as she slid out from beneath Harry's shirt to coil around his neck as he once more scrambled up onto the table. Instead of running any further though, he pulled free a pair of his throwing knives and stood his ground as the soldiers gathered on both sides of the table. Harry unhesitatingly slashed at any of the hands that reached for him from either side while Belladonna slid down to his waste and struck at those that attempted to catch him from behind. The soldiers then got smart and tried to trip Harry up in the table cloth and the only reason Harry didn't tumble off the table was because he threw both of his knives down toward his feet and pinned the silk cloth in place; preventing them from succeeding.
Unfortunately, he did stumble though and that was enough for a pair of hands to grab hold of his right leg and his left shoulder. The hand on his leg lost a couple of fingers as he pulled out yet another pair of knives while the one holding his shoulder was met with a pair of lethal fangs. The curses directed at Harry from the owners of said hands rolled off him like water off the back of a duck as he continued to slash at any hand that moved into his line of sight. Eventually, the rabble realized that Harry wasn't going to give up and just allow them to lay hands on him and the soldiers stepped back just out of reach of Harry's blades and Belladonna's fangs.
"I must say you are a troublesome little brat," Treize announced as he and Zechs joined the partial circle pinning Harry in the middle of the table while four soldiers joined Harry on the table to prevent him from escaping to either side.
"I haven't even gotten started, you narcissistic nitwit," Harry hissed angrily. "Where have you taken my brother and Cathy?"
"Not too terribly far," Treize replied. "I imagine you would like to see them again."
Harry stilled as his head snapped around so he could meet Treize's eyes as the implied threat immediately hit home. His hands slowly dropped down to his side, the knives (including the ones stuck in the table) vanishing unnoticed back into the folds of his clothes. Belladonna slid up his back so she could coil around his neck while Harry mentally cursed the fact that he couldn't use his magic to fight his way out since that would reveal his abilities; something Heero had long ago ordered him to avoid doing unless he could hide what he was doing, make it appear like he was using technology, or he could take out any potential witnesses all at once.
He didn't so much as flinch when he felt the bite of a tranquilizer dart in the back of his right thigh. Nor did he give any indication when he felt another lodge itself in his left arm. It wasn't until the third one dug into the back of his left shoulder that Harry began to feel lethargy spreading through his body and still he didn't look away from Treize. Two more darts simultaneously landed on his left thigh and the center of his back before he sank to his knees as he lost feeling in his legs. As his vision began going dark, Harry's eyes silently promised Treize a slow and painful death if any harm befell his brother or his friend.
'Stand down Belladonna; don't give them any reason to harm you. Same goes for the rest of you guys,' Harry ordered with a softly slurred hiss. 'Don't let them search me either, if you can help it, because they'll take both you and my knives and they'll not allow you to live.'
'We will obey, speaker.'
Harry was just barely clinging to consciousness as he felt Belladonna slip beneath his shirt and hands pulled him off of the table. Fingers dug into his arms for a long minute before he heard a garbled command and felt himself being lifted into someone's arms. Forcing his eyes to focus despite the drug's determined efforts to knock him out completely, Harry looked up to see the familiar and unwelcome sight of the bird-like mask of Zechs Merquise.
"People like you are excrement filled pustules on the ass crack of society," Harry slurred out and he gave a weak sneer when he felt Zechs stumble in surprise over the fact that he was still somewhat conscious. If Zechs gave a reply in return, Harry didn't hear it as he finally succumbed to the excessive amount of tranquilizer flooding his system.
Harry slowly came to and found himself lying in the middle of an unfamiliar bed in a vaguely familiar room sometime later. His stomach churned violently as he groggily rolled to one side, pushed himself up into a sitting position, and promptly puked on the expensive satin sheets he'd been lying on. The smell of the vile greenish-gray liquid (the remains of the tranquilizer that had been used on him) that poured from his mouth made him gag and he heaved several more times until there was nothing left inside of his stomach. Moving away from the mess he'd just made, Harry scanned the room and felt the memory of the events that had occurred after his most recent performance slam into the front of his mind as his eyes fell on the tuxedo he'd spurned prior to the dinner party.
"Merlin's boil covered scrotum," Harry spat vehemently as he used the top sheet to wipe the foul taste from his mouth.
Sliding onto the floor, Harry was almost happy to note that he was still in his show costume and that the only thing they'd removed from him was his shoes. He slipped those onto his feet down to cut the chill he could feel through the rug that covered the stone floor as he glanced about the room. He stared at the door leading out into the hallway outside of the room for a long minute before he turned his back on it and headed towards the bathroom. Once inside, he locked the handle and leaned back against the door as he felt the knot of dread from what he hoped was the night before return tenfold.
Closing his eyes, he fought to keep his breathing slow and steady as he tried not to worry about how long he'd been out. He also did his best not to think about what those people were doing to Trowa and Cathy least he give into the panic that was fluttering just at the edges of his mind. After ten minutes or so, Harry opened his eyes and pushed away from the door. He opened the shower and turned the hot water on as high as it would go so that the heat from the water would create enough steam to distort any images that could be picked up by the security cameras that Harry was pretty certain had been set up in the bathroom. Some people might think that Harry was just being overly paranoid but he wasn't since Duo had taught him just how easy it was to hide a camera in this world and then went on to teach him various ways to fool the cameras without giving away the fact that he knew they were there.
While he waited for the steam to rise, Harry dug through the cupboards looking for towels, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, a pair of disposable razors, toothpaste, mouthwash, and the extra rolls of toilet paper. Once the entire bathroom was thick with steam, Harry opened twelve toilet paper rolls and removed the cardboard tubes from the center. He discreetly used his wand to shrink the rolls with an intentionally sloppy spell that would degrade over a ten or fifteen minute period of time. Harry then emptied his bladder, tossed two of the shrunken rolls into the toilet, and flushed. He waited for the toilet tank to fill back up before he dumped another two rolls into the bowl and flushed a second time.
Next, Harry stepped into the shower (fully clothed) and removed the drain cover before he dropped two of the remaining rolls down the drain. While he gave those time to flow through the pipes; Harry grabbed the bottle of shampoo he'd found, took off the lid, cast a fast acting aeration spell on the contents, and quickly screwed the lid back onto the bottle before the spell could take effect. He then released another two shrunken rolls before shoving the shampoo bottle into the drain pipe lid first and promptly glued it in place with a temporary sticking charm and one of the hand towels he'd found.
Satisfied that he'd sabotaged the shower enough for one day, Harry slipped off his necklace of invisible trunks and opened up his supply trunk. He then hurried inside to grab a slice bezoar to deal with the last vestiges of the drug they'd used to knock him out, drank down a Pepper-Up Potion and a Strengthening Solution (a small part of him noting the fact that he'd put a large dent in his healing potion supplies over the past several months), and pocketed a single dungbomb. After a moment's consideration, he took the pistols that Heero had gifted to him, checked to make certain they were fully loaded, and tucked them both into the waist of his pants at the small of his back beneath his shirt just in case he needed them; for once thankful that Trowa had been teaching him how to shoot the weapons. Harry then hurried back up out of his trunk, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower stall.
His next target was the sink that he sent the last four rolls of toilet paper down one at a time before taking the time to use the mouthwash to rinse the taste of the potions and bile from his mouth. Following those ticking time bombs was an entire tube of toothpaste that was hit with a quick-dry spell to block up the drain. He took a moment, while the room was still filled with steam, to clean and dry the clothes he was wearing with a spell before changing the color of his shirt from solid green to Gryffindor red and added the pictures of a statuesque stag, a smirking dog, and a large howling wolf on the back in honor of his father, godfather, and honorary uncle who'd taught him the spells for the pranks he was setting up (through Sirius's memories).
He then levitated two cans of shaving cream above the door where he used another sticking charm to hold them in place so they were aimed towards the floor side by side. Next, Harry opened the door just a crack and stuck the disposable razors to the door in such a way that when the door was closed, the razors would press up against the buttons to release the shaving cream from the cans. Lastly, Harry cast a low powered warming charm, followed by another aeration spell on the shaving cream cans (cast into the small spigot so that it hit the contents inside) to agitate the product for maximum effect.
Harry then tucked the two bars of soap and another can of shaving cream into his pocket not holding the prank bomb, opened the door just wide enough to slip out, and shut the door with a sharp snap to activate the shaving cream prank. Wiping the smirk from his face, Harry scowled at his gilded prison and searched every wall carefully; noting that there were no windows which meant the room was somewhere in the middle of the castle. He then pulled out the dungbomb, leaned down to set it on the floor, and kicked it under the bed where it would go off in approximately ten or fifteen minutes.
He was just contemplating his next friendly prank (read act of destructive vandalism) when he spotted a television screen that he could have sworn hadn't been in the room prior to his productive trip to the bathroom. Inching closer, Harry contemplated the seemingly benign bit of technology before dismissing it as irrelevant. He'd just turned his back on the thing when it powered on by itself, making Harry snap around to stare at the image that now appeared on the screen.
"Good morning, boy; I trust you slept well last night?" Treize greeted sardonically. "Now that you are awake it is time that you and I have a little discussion. There is an escort waiting for you outside of your door; they will guide you to me. And just in case you are thinking of pulling any cute stunts, like you did last night, I will leave you with a little gift to remind you of your place."
Already upset at being called boy, Harry was positively livid when the image changed to show Trowa tied to a chair in the middle of an otherwise empty room. His brother's head was bowed and Harry couldn't tell if he was conscious or not but the message the image was meant to convey was loud and clear. The can of shaving cream he'd tucked into his pocket punched a hole through the screen two seconds later as Harry's rage got the better of him and he threw the can at the television (a thread of accidental magic adding power to his throw to make it punch through the screen). The satisfying crunch of the monitor cracking under the assault and the brief sizzle as the electronics shorted out made Harry only feel marginally better as he turned and stalked to the door.
The door opened before he could even touch the handle and Harry glared daggers at the pair of soldiers that were clearly expecting him. Only the knowledge that Trowa was being held hostage against his good behavior allowed Harry to put a temporary leash on his temper as he grudgingly allowed the two men to lead him through the halls (one walking in front of him while the other followed on his heels). They had just reached a set of stairs leading up to a higher floor when a muffled whump sounded through the castle and it was all Harry could do not to smirk beneath the knowledge that his shampoo bomb could be considered a success. The two soldiers escorting him exchanged nervous glances over Harry's head before they continued on their way and Harry absently wondered if the toilet paper plugs had simply stopped up several pipes or if any of them had possibly ruptured a few lines.
Prank one complete Prongs and Padfoot, Harry thought to himself as he schooled his face to hide both his smugness over the successful deployment of his first official Marauder Level Prank and his simmering rage over the unspoken threat being held over Trowa's head. We should have the damage report within the hour so the prank can be properly rated on Moony's Mayhem and Madness Scale.
When Trowa finally regained consciousness, the first thing he registered was the fact that he felt like shit. His head was pounding, his mouth tasted like he'd been gargling with used motor oil and jet fuel, and his stomach was all twisted up in knots. Additionally, his brain didn't want to work, his eyes felt like someone had poured sand in them before gluing them shut, and the rest of his body felt like it was encased in wet cement.
As coherent thought slowly returned; he noted that there was an uncomfortable tightness around his ankles, his hands were secured awkwardly behind his back, there was something digging painfully into inside of his upper arms, and he was wearing a gag. It didn't take him long to come to the conclusion that he'd been drugged at some point during or after the forced dinner party and that he was currently tied to a chair. His thoughts then immediately turned to concern over what had happened to Cathy and Harry.
A bucket of ice cold water splashing over him without warning helped Trowa clear the last of the cobwebs out of his mind and he shook his head, coughed a couple of times to clear the small bit of water he'd breathed in, and peeled open his eyes to find Treize, Zechs, Une, and a couple of unfamiliar soldiers watching him. He took heart in the fact that the three familiar faces looked far less than pleased and hoped that meant that Harry had found a way to escape. That brought a feral smirk to his lips as he focused on Zechs and Treize.
A soft, muffled moan off to his right caught his attention and Trowa's heart sank a bit when he turned to find Cathy in the same predicament that he was in (minus the recent shower). He'd hoped that she might have been let go because she was completely innocent; the only thing she was guilty of was being their partner for the performances they'd given over the past five weeks. Knowing both of them had been captured, Trowa began twisting his head around every which way in and effort to search the room for some sign of Harry. He wasn't certain whether he should feel relief or trepidation over the fact that there was no sign of the pint-sized seventeen year old.
"Don't worry; we've given the foul mouthed brat special accommodations of his own," Lady Une coolly announced with a smug sneer once Trowa turned his attention back to those standing in front of him.
Trowa growled and lurched against his bonds as he glared hatefully at the woman who had heartlessly taken the Colonies hostage during the transport ambushes over a month earlier which in turn had ultimately led to their current situation. A hundred blistering curses passed over his tongue and were swallowed by the gag stuffed in his mouth but the basic sentiment had been delivered if the distasteful looks that passed over their faces were any indication. He continued to fight against the ropes until he heard a muffled whimper. Snapping his head to the side he met Cathy's frightened eyes as the soldier behind her held her by the hair as he pressed the barrel of a gun to her temple. Growling a second time, Trowa ceased struggling as he swung back to glare at Treize once more.
"Glad to see we understand each other," Treize murmured with feigned politeness. "I have a few rules you will need to abide by so please pay close attention; are you ready?"
Trowa took a couple of slow, deep breaths as he struggled to find the cold calm he used to constantly exude before Harry had thawed his heart and broken down the barriers around his emotions after they'd taken refuge with the circus. Once he felt he was in control, he gave a single sharp nod to indicate that he was listening (even if he would have preferred to punch Treize in the face instead); his face once more a blank slate.
"Perfect. Rule number one is very simple; you will do what you are told, when you are told or the lovely young woman beside you will suffer the consequences. We won't be asking much of you though, so please don't worry yourself needlessly. After all; you are nothing more than a bargaining chip."
Trowa silently seethed without allowing his emotions to show as he immediately understood what was being implied; he would live only so long as he was useful to OZ. His cooperation was being bought with Cathy's health and safety so that Trowa could be used to buy the cooperation of the Gundam Pilots with Harry's life somewhere in the equation. He'd just been given the dirty dick of dexterity; he was going to get screwed no matter what he did.
"I see there is no need to explain further; wonderful," Treize praised in a patronizing tone that grated on Trowa's nerves. "Moving on, rule two; you will keep a civil tongue in your mouth at all times. And finally, rule number three; you will encourage the child you claim is your brother to cooperate with us."
Trowa bowed his head in seeming defeat as he fought the frustration he could feel pooling in his stomach. He felt as if he'd failed Harry and the other pilots that had trusted him to keep the child-like wizard safe. He could have vanished the moment they'd learned about the private performance and taken Harry with him and they would have been miles away before anyone realized they were gone. Instead, he'd arrogantly thought that they could get away with carrying on with the show without anyone recognizing Harry.
He never should have allowed Harry to perform in the first place; that was his first mistake. He should have taken Harry and walked away instead of allowing the ringmaster to put Harry in the ring where anybody could have seen him; his guilt completely blinding him to the fact that it had actually been Harry himself that had agreed to perform.
Unaware of the predicament that Trowa and Harry had ended up in, Wufei and Duo were carefully making their separate ways back to the Winner Estate in Saudi Arabia; their progress agonizingly slow as they continuously were forced to evade the OZ troops that were searching for them and their fellow pilots. Both of them were worried about what was happening with the others but were far too focused on not getting caught to dwell on the continued silence.
At the Estate, Quatre buried himself in his responsibilities to his family in order to escape the guilt, depression, and self directed anger that Heero radiated constantly since the agreed upon radio silence had passed without any updates on the status of the others. Heero locked himself away and endlessly hacked into OZ's servers hunting for the smallest kernel of information that would indicate that OZ had picked up any of their fellow pilots or, more importantly, that Harry had been captured.
The complete lack of information was not as reassuring as one would think; the once perfect soldier finding the absence of information far more serious since there should have been something; a picture, a report, or an order to find the 'pilot' of the 'destroyed' Gundam. That there was nothing at all to be found only made Heero far more anxious and the lack of an update from Trowa on Harry's condition only compounded the matter.
AN: This chapter was a pain to write as I tried not to make Harry too strong. He'd also been handicapped due to his oath because of the order that Heero had given him regarding his magic (and yes, I realize that particular scene between Harry and Heero was not actually written out – which is why I'd referenced it in the chapter). I'd wanted to add in more about what the other pilots had been doing all this time but I just couldn't come up with enough for them to do to make adding that in feasible and the small blurb I did manage feels rough and unfinished but I didn't want to not mention them at all.
The reason why Harry and Trowa didn't just go home at the end of the agreed upon month of silence will be explained in the next chapter so I'm not going to say anything here; though I'm sure a few of you might guess. I'll try to have it up by Friday but no promises because that chapter gave me nearly as many fits as this one and I'm still hemming and hawing over whether or not I'm happy with the direction the story shoots off in from that point. The only problem is that trying to fix it now would throw off everything I've written afterwards and I really don't want to try rewriting all of it because that would be over 300,000 words that I'd have to fix.
Anyway, I doubt I'll make any significant changes to the story at this point but I will at least try to clean up what I have and smooth out any rough parts. Which is why it might take me a little longer to post it. In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the brief bit of action and mayhem that I squeezed in. I will be answering reviews from the last chapter tomorrow along with any reviews left for this chapter as I've got things I need to do before Turkey Day (which mostly involves making certain the kitchen is ready for the cooking marathon that will start tomorrow night). ~ Jenn