I do not own Harry Potter, only any OC that may or may not appear in my stories.
Hello guys, Badger here. So...it's been a while since the previous chapter. A long while. Writers Block can be a bitch, can't it? I'm glad to see that people are still interested in this story and that people are looking forward to seeing this story continue, after I posted that quick update. I'm surprised that after all this time, people still love this story and want to see what happens next. I would've thought that after all this time, people would no longer be interested so I was surprised, when I posted the update, I recieved a good amount of comments from people who were happy to see this story return and seemed to understand why I was gone for so long.
Anyway, I won't leave you waiting any longer. You probably just want to read the next chapter. I wouldn't be surprised if you ignored these Authors Notes. So I won't leave you waiting. Read on enjoy and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 8
How We Earn An Income
Voldemort paced back and forth in his throne room. He was still enraged about Dumbledore finding Harry Potter before him. With Harry now in the Sanctuary of Dumbledore and his Order, Voldemort knew he had no chance of finding him, he would be hidden under a Fidelius. Even if he knew the location of where Potter was being kept, Voldemort knew better then to storm the place. He was the most feared and powerful Dark Lord in history, after all. He was a bona fide Slytherin, through and through. And as a Slytherin one thing he was known for, was cunning. If he couldn't find Harry, then he will have to wait, for the next school year to begin. No doubt Potter would go to Hogwarts. When he does, Voldemort will have his spies use that time to bring the boy to their cause.
This would prove to be a good way for the Malfoy Patriarch to regain his trust, after the whole Chamber of Secrets fiasco which saw the destruction of one of his Horcruxes. If the boys son, Draco, is able to manipulate and bring Potter to the dark, then the Malfoy Patriarch would have earned his trust and forgiveness. Voldemort wasn't a patient man, but he could wait.
All in good time.
…
Things were, unusually, quiet in Grimmauld Place. Unusual, yet welcome. Instead of blasting their music and shaking the corridors walls, The Outcasts were joining the other occupants for breakfast, where Ace was talking to someone on, what Hermione called, a cell phone that Muggles used to talk to one another, like a portable Floo Network. Arthur Weasley, unsurprisingly, was the most fascinated by the contraption. As Ace continued to talk to the unknown person on the other side of the phone call, the other members of The Outcasts shared a pack of cigarettes amongst themselves, much to the disapproval of Mrs Weasley, but bit her tongue to keep herself from saying something.
"I don't see why we can't perform next week" Ace said "How much will you pay…you're kidding….no, that will be fine, thank you, I'll let the others know…thank you"
Ace removed the phone from his ear and, clicking a button, there was a beep signalling the end of the call. The Outcasts, as well as everyone else in the room, looked at Ace, with a look of intrigue, wondering who he was talking to.
"That was Amanda from The Blues Nightclub" Ace said to Lightning, accepting a cigarette from the othered pack "She wants us to perform there next Saturday at her monthly Gala Party…originally she had another band performing but they dropped out unexpectedly"
"I want to call them bastards, as Amanda is a lovely woman, but at the same time I want to thank them" Lightning replied "How much is she offering?"
"Well, after the success of our last performance there, she's offering 250'000" Ace said, a smile on his face "However, depends on how things go, she'll raise it to 350'000"
"350'000 for a simple gig?" Remus spoke up, surprised
"To be fair, 350'000 is nothing compared to other bands" Ghost shrugged, taking a drag of her cigarette "I think The Rolling Stones are somewhere in the millions to hire"
"So you're taking the gig?" Aiden asked
"Of course we are" Lightning said, looking at his brother, with an incredulous look on his face "How else will we make a living, in fact, I'm sure Amanda will be more than happy to keep a table reserved for you lot, if you'd like to watch us perform"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that" Dumbledore spoke up, stepping through the doorway, James and Lily close behind him "Nor can I allow you to go and perform"
"You say that as if you have any right, or say, to what goes on in our lives" Lightning replied, with forced calmness "Which, might I add, you do not…this is our life, this is how we make a living…it's how we've been earning an income for years"
…
Lightning felt slightly nervous. A feeling that was shared by the others, as they waited to be called onto stage. Tonight was there first official gig. Up until this point, they merely played on the street. About a year ago, Ice and Buzz ditched them, taking whatever little money they had along with them, leaving the four of them with nothing. With nothing in reserve for food and other supplies, the four of them knew they needed a more long term solution to earning some money. They had been receiving less in their food dives and other scams, as people were figuring out what they were doing, and James' pickpocketing only got them so far. A solution was found when James said how, he had always wanted to play in a band. This led to the group acquiring band equipment, by stealing them. After spending months practicing every day, they eventually went to the streets to perform in hopes of getting some money.
To begin with, they didn't earn much but as they kept performing, they found themselves earning more. After a while they found themselves being approached by an owner of a bar who offered them a gig for a few hundred pounds. They were hesitant about it, but they ultimately accepted. Now though, they wished that they had thought about it more thoroughly. This wasn't passersby on the street who just toss a few coins and move on with their day, these were people who were actually going to sit and watch them perform for about an hour!
"Is anyone else regretting every decision they've made up to this point?" Ace asked, who was finding the strings of his guitar very intriguing
"Relax, you guys are going to be great" Aila said, patting her brother on the shoulder
"Easy for you to say, you aren't performing on stage" Ace gave her a small glare, though there was no heat in it
"Well….yeah, that's true" Aila replied "still it's the thought that counts right?"
Ace rolled his eyes. There was a few moments of silence, before they heard the owner of the bar begin talking to everyone, who were patiently waiting for the performance, announcing the band for the night, where they then heard applause and cheers. Lightning took a calming breath before leading his friends out on stage.
…
"I'm afraid I can't allow it Harry" Dumbledore said, ignoring the heated glares Lightning was giving him for using his real name "With Voldemort and his Death Eaters still at large, I can't risk you being out there and possibly being attacked, especially when you haven't received any magical education and training…if Voldemort finds you…"
"Then I will personally thank him for attacking us all those years ago" Lightning replied, interrupting the ancient Headmaster "I enjoy my life now and, it wouldn't have happened if he didn't choose to pay a social call"
"Look, Harry…" Dumbledore started
"Dumbledore, enough!" Sirius spoke up, causing Dumbledore to internally seethe, as he didn't like being interrupted "I agree with Lightning, you don't have a say in his life…and if they have a gig, they have every right to go…and plus, it would be a lovely day out for the kids…they've been cooped up in this dreary place for days now…they deserve at least one day out to enjoy themselves and with people like us there to watch over them, they'll be perfectly safe"
One thing Dumbledore hated, was his authority being challenged. He was Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard alive since Merlin himself, the Leader of the Light. His word was law. Why couldn't they understand that. However, he could tell that Harry wasn't going to budge on the matter. The look in the boys eyes was one of stubbornness and he wasn't blinking. Dumbledore sighed, knowing he was going to lose either way.
"Fine, I'll allow, though I don't like it" Dumbledore said, the tone of his voice evidence to that statement "I just ask that you keep safe"
"Can we come too?" Lily asked
She and James wanted to try and make amends with their son, so they can be a family again. Hearing that her son had a gig, gave them a perfect opportunity for it, and it would allow them to support their son and his band, even if Heavy Metal wasn't exactly their kind of music. Lily's question made everyone look to The Outcasts, wondering what the answer would be.
The other Outcasts looked to Lightning, making it clear that his word was final in matters of the band. Lightning looked to Ace, who merely shrugged his shoulders, as he pulled out a deck of playing cards and began shuffling them.
"They're your family, man" He said "It's your decision, whatever you say, we'll agree with"
Lightning sighed, before he looked to his parents, meeting their gaze, his eyes narrowing. He may not be the smartest person in the world, but he knew why they wanted to go to the gig. By showing support to him and his band, they hoped they can start getting into his good books, so they can start being a family again. Unfortunately for them, they were about 14 years too late for that. At first, he was about to say no, but his eyes twitched seeing the look in his mother's eyes, that were practically begging for them to go. Lightning closed his eyes, as he sighed. He was going to hate himself for what he was about to say. He already hated himself for thinking it.
"Fine, you can come" He said "Just don't bother us when we're there"
"Thank you Harry" Lily said, with watery eyes
"It's Lightning" Lighting growled out "Now if you don't mind, I want to enjoy the rest of my breakfast, in peace"
"Ah, yes" Dumbledore spoke up "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut breakfast early this morning, I've called a quick Order meeting, so I need to ask for the children to leave temporarily"
"You have a habit of doing this" Lightning commented as he and The Outcasts left the room, after taking a few pieces of toast and other snacks with them
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore cleared the table, as the rest of the children left the room, with all the unused plates and bowls floating into the cupboards and the food placed on the counters, with a warming charm, to keep them warmed up for later.
…
"So will it be possible to reserve the largest table you have?" Ace asked, as he spoke with Amanda on the phone "Large enough to seat between twelve to fifteen people…yeah, I know it's quite a lot, so what's your verdict…oh, that's great, I'll let Lightning know…see you next week…bye"
Ace ended the call and placed the phone back in his pocket, just as he turned the corner, where he bumped into someone, causing them to fall back, but he was able to catch them before they fell to the ground and helped them back to their feet, where he saw it was the youngest of the Weasley children, and the only daughter, Ginny.
"I'm sorry for knocking you down there" Ace said, with a sheepish smile "I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings there"
"No, it's okay, it's my fault" Ginny said, before noticing that Ace was still holding onto her "You can let go, by the way"
"Oh, sorry" Ace replied, letting go and taking a step back, putting his hands in his pockets "So…the only daughter in your family, is that difficult at all?"
"A little" Ginny shrugged "Having 6 brothers isn't what's difficult though, it's the fact that because I'm a girl, my mother keeps trying to make me become a house wife like her"
"Parents can be the worst sometimes, can't they?" Ace asked, dramatically
"Sometimes" Ginny smiled "So, may I ask, what happened to your parents?"
"Died" James sighed "Killed by a wizard who, as far as we know, hasn't been found yet"
"Oh, I'm sorry" Ginny said, gently touching his arm
"It's fine, it happened years ago" James gave her a sad smile "We were raised by the Albrights, who were family friends, but social services believed they were unfit to raise children and took us away from them, so we ran away and…well, you know the rest"
Ginny nodded and the two stood there in silence for a few moments. They stood there, staring at one another, until they both cleared their throats, and took a step back, with Ginny removing her hand from his arm, both looking around a little awkwardly.
"I umm…I need to get back to the others" Ace said, eventually "We need to practice for the gig next week"
"Of course, I'll see you later" Ginny said
Ace nodded and gave her a small salute as he walked around her and disappeared down the corridor. Ginny watched him leave, biting her lip slightly. There seemed to be more then just the 'bad boy' attitude he gives off. She hoped to find out more about him. And she couldn't wait to see The Outcasts play next week.
…
And that is the new chapter done. After six months hiatus. Again, I'm surprised people are still interested in this story.
After getting a clearer head, I took some time to read through the previous 7 chapters, to remind myself on what I've done, so I can see where to move this story onwards from here and I think I've got a good vision for what to do for the time being. As I continue to update, my vision on where to take this story should become even clearer. The only limit here is my imagination. There are multiple directions this story could go in.
That is all for now though. If you have a story idea you would like to request, feel free to let me know and if I like the concept, I will do it. I do take requests. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time.
Badger out
