Magic Will Find a Way
By: Ryu Katanna
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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Four
The knock on the door came early the next morning. Harry looked up from Owen's laptop to see the man step away from the stove where he had been working on breakfast to answer it. Knowing this must be the company that Owen had spoken of the night before, Harry paused the video of the baby raptors hatching that he had been watching and sat up to see the two men stepping into the small bungalow.
"Mr. Masrani. Barry. Come on in. I was just working on breakfast. We have plenty if you'd like to sit down with us." Owen said as he shook Mr. Masrani's hand.
"We've already eaten, but thank you for the offer, Mr. Grady. I've just come to see what all the talk has been about. What is this about a child found sleeping with the raptors?" Mr. Masrani asked as he cast his eyes searchingly around the room before they came to settle on Harry; who was sitting up to place Owen's laptop onto the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Of course, sir. Harry, come over here." Owen called for him as he turned to shut off the stove.
"Yes, sir." Harry replied softly as he stood and made his way around the couch to join the three men near the door and braced himself for the act he knew they would have to put on while they answered questions.
"Mr. Masrani, Barry, I'd like you both to Hadrian Grady. My son." Owen introduced them with a smile as he saw Barry's eyes widen at the information.
"Your son?" Barry asked, the shock visible on his face.
"Yes, apparently so. Harry, this is Mr. Masrani. He's the owner of Jurassic World. Barry is an old friend. We served together in the SEALS, and work together with the raptors now." Owen told him, and Harry nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good morning. I'm sorry about all the trouble I've caused. I was just looking for Owen. I'd heard he worked with the raptors so I had hoped I might find him there. I didn't mean to fall into the paddock." Harry apologized sheepishly as he rubbed his hand over his arm.
"You never told me you had a son. Why didn't you say anything before you brought him home yesterday?" Barry asked as he got a better look at the kid than he had the day before only to find that there were subtle similarities to his old friend in the teen's features.
"I haven't really seen much of Hadrian since he was a baby due to my time in the service. His mother moved them to England about ten years ago. Truthfully, I haven't seen him since she married when he was five. His mom didn't want me visiting, but we kept in touch enough for her to know where to find me if I was ever needed." Owen replied as he motioned for them to all have a seat before turning back to the stove to put the finishing touches on their meal so their food wouldn't get too cold.
"So you came to see your father?" Mr. Masrani asked as they took the seats offered to them and Harry twitched before looking down at his hands like he was nervous.
"Mum... Mum died. I didn't want to stay in England. I found out where Owen was from some papers she had kept." Harry managed to say before his attention was drawn away from the two men at the table by Owen.
"Did you wash up already, Hadrian?" Owen asked firmly, already knowing the answer.
"No, sir." Harry shook his head before standing when Owen motioned to the bathroom.
"Get." Owen said and waited until he heard the water running before looking at their guests and speaking quietly.
"I have my suspicions about how his home life was, and it's not good. I made a few calls after he fell asleep. His stepfather is in jail and I saw scars when I got him into the shower yesterday. Apparently, his friend's mom is the one who put him on a plane out here. He told her I knew he was coming." He said quickly as he placed two plates on the table and heard the water shut off.
Owen implied that Harry had run away so they wouldn't continue with more questions about Harry's home life in England. The paper trail that he'd had falsified was solid, but he really wanted to avoid anyone digging any further if he could help it.
"I hope you don't mind that he'll be living with me on the island from now on, Mr. Masrani." He said as Harry came back out and the other two men tried to look like nothing had been said for Harry's sake.
"Of course not, Mr. Grady. Will you have enough room here for the boy, or should I get a contractor out here to add on to this place? He'll no doubt need a room of his own." Mr. Masrani smiled as he saw Harry seemingly ignore the glass of milk Owen had placed out while moving to pour a cup of coffee for himself.
"It would be appreciated. I hadn't expected to need much space when I took this job." Owen replied as Harry sat back down with his cup of coffee.
Harry didn't pay them much attention as he sat back down. He let Owen talk while he poured milk from the glass Owen had set out into the cup before adding sugar. Grimacing after taking a drink, Harry added more sugar, causing both Mr. Masroni and Barry to chuckle as he still had a grimace on his face when he took another drink. Owen rolled his eyes with a chuckle of his own.
"If you don't like it then don't drink it." He said as he took the cup from the teen and set it down on the table; it had been ruined after so much milk and sugar being added to it.
"Can we get some tea then? That coffee tastes bloody awful." Harry asked, slightly grumpy after having been woken so early in the morning.
Owen had told him that they would be starting the day bright and early. He just hadn't thought he meant five in the bloody morning. That would take some getting used to. Harry really wasn't a morning person in the first place. He was used to getting to sleep at least until seven. Honestly, the only upside had been when Owen had let him use his laptop to see the videos from when the raptors were small so he wouldn't be tempted to doze off again.
"Later today. We'll need to get you clothing that actually fits anyway." Owen answered before looking over to their guests who were watching the interplay.
"Well, I can see that he is alive and well even after a night spent with velociraptors. Have you been able to determine what happened?" Mr. Masrani asked as Harry started picking at his meal.
"No, we haven't. He had a cut small cut on his forehead and another one on his arm that I had to stitch up. I'm guessing both were from falling over the rail, but no other injuries other than bruising. They treated him like they would a hatchling though we don't know the reason for it." Owen explained; mixing truth with lies smoothly.
"They were protecting him. He reacted negatively to ACU when seeing their guns. The pack lept to defend him. It was very odd. They imprinted on Owen when they were born, and he doesn't even dare go in the cage with them. Hadrian, however, seemed reluctant to leave." Barry told Mr. Masrani with some amusement, and Harry shrank in his chair under the focus of their attention on him.
"I felt safe. They didn't hurt me." Harry muttered only to look up when Owen ruffled his hair.
"I'm just glad they didn't. I can only guess that as my son, he might smell like me, and they recognized him as pack because of it. He's still just a kid so they probably made some connection from him to me as my hatchling. There's really no way to be sure as what we're doing really is a new field of study." Owen said as he looked back at the other two adults.
"Would you mind if we all went to the paddock? I would like to see this behavior for myself; that is if they will still react to him the same way." Mr. Masrani asked as Owen finished his eggs.
"Oh! Can we? Please?" Harry asked wanting to see the raptors again, but still trying to act like he and Owen hadn't been a complete stranger before yesterday in front of the other two.
"We'll go for their morning feeding. I have some work to get done anyway since I was with you all day yesterday. We'll see how they react, but if I tell you to do something then you do it. Now finish your food." Owen said as he took his plate to the sink and drank his coffee while they waited on Harry.
It was shaping up to be a long day.
123
"Blue! Echo! Charlie! Delta!" Harry called from where he came to stand with Mr. Masrani and Barry a little way behind him and Owen standing next to him to watch the interactions closely.
It only took the sound of Harry's voice for all four girls to come out of the trees where their nest was. Upon seeing Harry though, they crowed around the gate.
~Hello girls.~ Harry hissed to them, catching the three adults' attention at the oddity.
Blue chittered as she got as close to Harry as she could with the bars between them. Harry just knew she was trying to check on him. He didn't know how, but he felt like his magic was making it easier to understand what their noises meant. It wasn't like how he could understand snakes, with words being exchanged. No, this was somehow more of an instinctual understanding.
~Hey, Blue. I'm alright. Alpha took care of me. See?~ Harry hissed softly as he pulled the bandage away from his arm to show the clean stitched flesh.
Before Owen could move, or anyone could call out a warning, Harry stepped up to the bars and stuck his arm through right in front of Blue's muzzle.
"Hadrian!" Owen's voice was raised as he pulled the teen away.
"It's okay. They won't hurt me. I was just showing her I'm alright!" Harry explained before pulling away and going back to the bars.
All three adults kept a sharp eye on the teen and the raptor as he reached his arm through the bars again. Blue made no aggressive moves as she sniffed at Harry's arm before making a pleased soft churl that called her sisters over. Each one stepped back after they got a good sniff of the wound and Harry. Owen noticed that each one of his girls looked toward him and sniffed before stepping back. He wrote off the peculiarity to whatever magic had done. He would question Harry later.
~Mother magic has chosen Alpha to be my father. Thank you, for protecting me until he could come.~ Harry hissed softly as he petted along Charlie's neck and receiving a hissing noise followed by a chitter in response.
Harry smiled brightly as he leaned against the bars in order to do the same for Delta and Echo. When he turned toward Blue, he was surprised to see her put her head down to sniff at his face and rubbing him gently with her muzzle and make a crooning noise before barking to her sisters. Charlie, Echo, and Delta headed back to the trees as Blue turned back to him. Leaning down, she nudged through the bars at his chest to push him back toward Owen. Stepping back, Harry felt Owen's hand on his shoulder. With the teen safely back in the Alpha's care; Blue chittered her goodbye before leaving to join her sisters.
"No fear. The child sticks himself through the bars with no fear, and they respond to it." Mr. Masrani murmured quietly as Harry and Owen turned to face him and Barry.
"I don't feel like I have a reason to fear them. When I first fell in; I thought I was going to die. It was too dark to really see and I knew I couldn't get away when they had me surrounded. I kind of just... accepted it. Instead of eating me like I thought they were going to, they took me to their nest. They protected me. I know it's not normal behavior, and I really don't know if they would do the same again with someone else. I don't think it'd be wise to risk someone's life just to test if they would accept someone else though." Harry said as they left the way-cage.
"Did you see what Blue was doing? They checked on him, but once they were sure he was fine, Blue sent him back to Owen. She didn't leave until she was certain that Owen had him." Barry almost gaped at the two of them.
"Well, their interactions are certainly something worth further study. It is a change in what we know of their behavior patterns. Have me informed if you learn anything more. For now, I have an appointment I must be getting to. It was nice meeting you, young Mr. Grady. Be careful around the raptors, and I do hope your father takes you to enjoy the rest of the park when he has time. I will have a special pass made and sent so you may get around the park. This island will be your home so long as your father works here." Mr. Masrani said as he held out his hand to shake Harry's before he did the same with Owen and Barry.
"Thank you, Mr. Masrani." Harry managed to reply before the man turned to leave only to turn back to look at him thoughtfully.
"I must say I have to wonder at how the other animals on the island would react to you if this is how the raptors have taken to you. Access will be granted with your pass provided you are there with both your father and the handler. I look forward to seeing what they will do, and to meeting you again."
Mr. Masrani was gone quickly after.
"He... he wants me to meet the other animals?" Harry asked softly in confusion as he tried to understand why the park's owner would grant him access like that.
Owen watched the park jeep leave the area before looking back at Harry. He knew Mr. Masrani might be right. Somehow, Harry was accepted easily by the raptors. If the other animals on the island took to him so easily then that would help sooth some of Owen's worries about the teen living on the island. If he didn't have to worry about the other dinosaurs then that would just leave the humans.
"Alright. Let's get the girls fed, and then I can take you to get some clothes and things you'll need from the visitor's center and the employee shop." Owen said; directing Harry to where they needed to go and watching to see that he had gone in the door to where they kept the feed stored.
"Don't forget to check the recordings from the storm yesterday, Owen. It wasn't just the raptors. I've heard from several handlers that other dinosaurs in the park also displayed unusual behavior right up until the storm ended." Barry reminded him of what he had told him of the night before on the phone.
"Alright. I'll put it on a drive to view at home when I have some time. I still need to take the kid shopping for clothes. I'll be back to my usual shifts soon. I just want to get Harry settled. I still need to figure out what he'll be doing while I'm working." Owen scratched his head at the thought.
It wasn't exactly like he could go to school. They were on an island and so there weren't really any schools he could attend. Plus, he didn't know if they taught the same things as where Harry had come from. School was another issue they would have to find time to discuss. He'd had transcripts done, but he also knew that Harry had spent the last few years in magic school. Did they teach regular subjects like math? Gah!
"Don't forget a cell phone so you can get ahold of him when you need to. I'm pretty sure he'd be happy coming with you to watch and spend time with the raptors every day though." Barry said with a laugh.
"Hoskins." Owen replied with a scowl to which he received a knowing look.
"He's going to hear about Hadrian at some point." Barry acknowledged; his face drawn tight at the man's name.
"That doesn't mean I'll be letting him near my son. I know he has another agenda, and I have a feeling what it might be. I won't let him have the chance to use Harry. He's only fourteen years old." Owen replied only for their conversation to be interrupted by the teen they were discussing peeking his head out of the door.
"You coming, Owen? I wanna see them hunt!" Harry smiled excitedly and Owen couldn't help but smile as he shook his head in amusement at the kid's enthusiasm.
"I'm coming."
123
Harry stayed near Owen for the rest of their time at the paddock. He felt like that was where he needed to be after Blue had seemingly entrusted him back into the care of their 'Alpha'. He enjoyed getting to watch the pack hunt for the first time, and he had learned more about them by how methodical they were as they surrounded the area where the meat had been hidden. Harry realized that was what they had done with him the night before last. What happened in his case really was unusual, but Harry knew that he had never been normal.
Owen borrowed one of the company vehicles from the paddock to drive them to the visitor's center. He had to leave his bike there as there was no way they would have been able to transport all of their shopping safely. There just wasn't enough room on the bike when he knew they had a lot of shopping to do. Owen was just thankful for all his hazard pay over the years as he knew he could at least afford everything his new son would need comfortably enough.
It didn't take them long to make it through the gate once Owen scanned his identification. Harry gasped before smiling in excitement at the sites that greeted them at the resort. There were people everywhere he looked, but the entire walkway was also lined with so many stores and attractions. He could see signs directing them to a few dinosaur enclosures as well as something called the Little Giants Petting Zoo. The place reminded him of both the zoo he had once visited with the Dursleys just before he turned eleven and of Diagon Alley with its many shops and people that crowded the street.
It had taken them almost six hours to get everything that Owen had deemed essential for Harry to have. Tee shirts, tank tops, shorts, jeans, cargo pants that could unzip to become shorts, socks, boxers, swim shorts, a sturdy leather belt, sleep pants and sleep shirts had been quickly bought and paid for once they had found Harry's sizes as they moved from shop to shop. They had debated on the difference between getting scented, nonscented, and natural deodorant, soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Harry finally settling on getting everything in all-natural products because he didn't want the animals to smell chemicals with their sensitive noses when he was around them. He had learned in Care of Magical Creatures that it was best for animals to smell your natural scent as to be less offensive to their noses. Finally, they had finished shopping for clothing after Harry had found a pair of trainers he liked, and Owen had picked out a sturdy pair of steel-toed work boots for Harry to wear when he would be joining him at the paddock.
Once the shopping for clothing was done Owen had pulled him into an electronics store to get him a cell phone, tablet, and accessories for both. The cell phone had included GPS tracking that would send a notification to Owen's phone when Harry left a certain area so that Owen could find him in case of an emergency because, as he said, they lived on an island with some of the most dangerous creatures in the world. He wanted Harry safe, and to do that he needed to be able to find him wherever he ended up wandering off to on said island.
The first and most important rule was that Harry was to have his phone on him at all times.
Harry's head felt like it was spinning with how much money Owen was spending on him. His objections to needing so much had been ignored with a shake of the man's head and a crooked smile as he looked at the teen knowingly. Owen just explained that Harry would be glad he had those things when he needed them, and Owen got everything at a discount after scanning his employee badge at the various stores anyway. He had told Harry he might as well get used to it as he still had some growing to do.
Harry had grumbled that he never wanted to go shopping again.
They'd had lunch at one of the restaurants between stores before Owen finally said they could call it quits after making one more stop to pick up Harry's tea and some other food for when they chose not to eat out. They'd finally returned to the bungalow in the mid-afternoon. Pulling all the bags out of the jeep, Harry and Owen had placed them on the floor next to the couch before Harry threw himself onto the couch with a groan into the pillow he had used the night before. It had taken four trips between them to get everything inside.
Four bloody trips!
"It wasn't all that bad, was it?" Owen asked with a chuckle at Harry's dramatic groan as he propped the door open to let in the cooling air.
"Things are so much easier with magic. All I had to do was stand there as Madam Malkin waived her wand when I had to get my school robes." Harry complained tiredly and rolled over to face Owen who had taken a seat on one of the dining chairs.
"Robes?" Owen asked with a raised eyebrow and Harry snorted with a laugh.
"Yes, robes. That's what I was wearing when you brought me here from the paddock. For having magic, the wizarding world was pretty much stuck in the dark ages. There wasn't even any electricity in most wizarding homes. At least that's what I was told." Harry explained with an exasperated shake of his head.
"So does that mean you don't know how to use the electronics we bought you today? You seemed fine on my laptop once I'd pulled up the video files for you this morning." Owen asked as he shuffled through the bags at his feet.
"I only figured out the videos on your laptop from watching what you were doing when you set it up for me. I knew what a computer was but they were bigger, and you had to sit at a desk to use them. I've seen a house phone before, but I thought they had to be plugged into a wall. I have no clue what a... tablet?" Harry looked at Owen to be sure he had the right word.
"A tablet. It's pretty much a handheld computer. What did you do to talk to people over distances if you didn't have phones? Write letters?" Owen asked with a furrowed brow as he started to see that he would have a lot to teach him.
"Yes. We used owl post." Harry replied with a shrug when Owen stared at him incredulously.
"Alright. We have a lot to catch you up on when it comes to technology. Come on, let's get the food and your clothes put away somewhere and then I'll teach you how to use what you got today." Owen told him as he gestured to the bags upon bags of stuff.
Harry let out another tired groan as he sat back up and moved to start unloading the bags. It had already been a long day, and now he had more to learn. He knew that he would have to though. This world seemed to run on about the same timeline as his own when it came to most things. Now he had twenty or more years worth of muggle technology to learn so he wouldn't seem like some kind of idiot.
'Bloody hell...'
123456
Well, that's it for this chapter. The next one is already done. Just have to do a final edit and then it should be ready. I have some work to get done on a few of my other stories so I don't know how quickly it'll be up, but I'll try for within the month or so. I'm officially ready for sleep now as I've been working on the next chapter on zero sleep.
Let me know what you thought!
~Ryu
