Chapter 12 – The self-proclaimed supreme leader
Once back home, while having dinner, Albus expressed the wish to spend a day in Harry's office. Harry was surprised; it wasn't exactly a fun place where to spend a day. He asked him the reason of this request.
'I wanna see the Auror's department' he said keen.
Harry was a bit hesitant. It wasn't a place for a kid. He thought about a file he had on his desk with seriously gruesome pictures in it, about conversations with his co-workers on murderers they were looking for or heinous atrocities committed by them.
But he was flattered by his interest and reflected about if the tasks for the morrow could be rearranged as not to shock Albus with the daily violence under his eyes.
'All right.' He said at the end 'Perhaps just for the morning though, I'll take you back during lunch break'
His eyes wandered on James, he had a stony expression. He was sure he would have fancied to come too but at the same time he was also sure he would have refused if asked. Nevertheless, he tried.
As it was expected a flat denial succeeded the request. He tried again.
'Come on, you can scowl there as you can scowl at home' he said teasingly.
'Go James, it will be a chance to get out' Ginny urged him.
'I said I don't wanna go. I'm not interested'
Yes, you are. Too bad.
The next morning, they set off, side by side, in the foggy London morning, the usual drizzle was back but unless it wasn't pouring down, Harry always preferred to walk if he had the chance.
Albus was as usual in high spirit and started to chat animatedly as soon as they were out. Harry had hoped James would have changed his mind during the night, but he hadn't showed up in the morning.
Ginny ought to go to work therefore James had to spend the morning alone. He was old enough and it wasn't a big deal but still he would have preferred him having some company.
As they got close to the ministry's entrance, the groupies were waiting for him like every morning, rain or sunshine. One of them, the self-proclaimed leader who managed the delivery of letters and presents approached them, her self-appointed task was to make sure he wasn't bothered by the others and her self-granted "privilege" was to be the only one talking to him. They knew he valued being left alone and they were so devoted and ready to comply with any of his request that followed this line of conduct strictly. They were ready to do whatever he asked them to.
Harry always wondered at these girls. It would have been even too easy for him to take advantage of them if only he'd wanted to. They were always very young, changing continuously, replaced by new one when they started to get older and find jobs or anyway growing out of the teenager crush.
Some of them were looking in him for the perfect romantic love and Harry shuddered in thinking at the possible damage it could have been inflicted on them by a different person in his situation. He often wondered if their parents knew in which kind of potentially dangerous situation their daughters were putting themselves into. Courting and ready to offer themselves to a man that was almost twenty years older than them.
It was even more astounding when the letters he received weren't innocent at all. Very explicit in their contents. Did they know what they were about? It seemed disturbing that such young girls could write this kind of things to a stranger. Because despite everything this is what he was to them, a stranger.
He had had a chance to chat with the beater of the Chudley Cannons' a young man very popular with women. He had found out that he had kind of groupies too and he indeed took his pleasure with them. He didn't consider it wrong or reprehensible. He was actually surprised that Harry didn't (notwithstanding he was married), he had told him 'if they agree, why should be wrong?' but Harry wasn't sure these girls did really know what they wanted or didn't want, blinded by youth and the promise of a fun exploit with somebody famous.
The leader was called Regina. The only one Harry knew by name. She was a middle height brunette, pretty, as they usually were and very much undressed as (again) they all usually were. They never left much to imagination.
It was only a few months that she held the position and the way in which it was obtained revealed much about the true nature of these girls and her in particular.
The previous leader was rather intrusive, opposite of their usual behaviour, very eager to be photographed with Harry by reporters. Harry guilty of being too polite hadn't managed to keep her at a distance and by perseverance she had managed in her intent.
In the days that followed a picture of the two had been published by most of the publications in the magical community. Ginny, despite it wasn't seldom, was always struggling to have the required composure and every time that such a thing occurred plunged in a passive aggressive silence that could last from a couple of hours to several days depending on the woman in question. Being this a rather showy young girl, the silence threatened to be a long one and Harry, already greatly distressed in being at the centre of attention through no fault of his own, had found himself also striving to overcome her sourness.
It took him three days of unrelenting attentions, romantic endeavours, domestic efforts and steady flattering to get over it. When she finally smiled again, he was so vexed and enraged against everybody else in the magical community that stopped completely to show himself in it and was going to work by floopowder to avoid all the groupies.
One day, a week after the event, reception called him in his office requiring his presence at the entrance. A scrape was going on between the groupies so savage and fierce that the poor bloke from the law enforcement, hadn't be able to put it off and was sporting a tiger-like bloody scratch on his cheek. By the time he got to the spot Regina was the incontestable winner. With fiery eyes she was keeping pinned on the ground with a foot a much emaciated and ragged offender while the other groupies were cheering and encouraging her wildly. When they spotted him, a reverent silence fell, they drew in the claws and withdraw to let him pass. Seeing the scene, he had lost it completely. He had freed the girl and grasping them both had dragged them inside the Ministry. In a nick of time, and without a word, the offender was sent home by floopowder and Regina was taken to his office for a severe lecture. Carried away by the irritation of the last few days, he had yelled and swore so much that the poor girl had stooped to sobs after half a second meowing pitifully that she had done it for him, that she wanted only to help and many other indistinct gibberish. Harry, accustomed to scold James where he usually got back the same yelling and swearing (the latter only if Ginny wasn't present), wasn't quite expecting it and those eyes full of tears checked his anger in a flash swapping it with uneasiness. Returning to sense he realised the state of Regina: torn clothes, bloody scratches and dishevelled hair. Moved by pity but overall to avoid any accusation of something much worse than simple flirting and infidelity, had helped her in setting herself right, and covering her as much as possible with one of his t-shirt had released her into the wild where the pack was waiting in a frenzy of excitement. And her, shining with the glory of victory and enshrouded by her new precious possession (Harry's old t-shirt), felt entitled to pronounce herself new supreme leader appointed by God (Harry) and from then on had been devoted and tame as a kitten maintaining order and discipline between the ferocious beasts.
That day she greeted him with the usual dose of animation, alluring cherry lips glossed smiles and flapping of eye lashes heavily darkened by makeup. She gave him some letters making sure to brush his hand in the procedure and then she moved his attention to Albus.
He introduced him to her shoving the letters in his jean's back pocket.
She leaned to greet him allowing him a full close-up to her plunging neckline, designed to heighten her generous chest.
'Hullo Albus, nice to meet you. Such a cracking green eyes you got! Just like your father, innit?!' she cooed.
Albus was so purple, his red hair seemed almost pink by comparison; he stammered a reply trying at the same time to look and not to look to what was bountifully put on display in front of his eyes.
Harry, following Albus' gaze, had to stifle a laughter and felt impelled to save his son from the embarrassment. He excused them to Regina naming the lateness and took him away.
'Who is she?' he asked once he had recovered.
Harry explained to him.
'Do they follow you everywhere?'
'Pretty much.'
'Why?'
Different reasons; prince charming complex, sex, aggrandisement…
It was difficult to answer this question without sounding boastful or vulgar.
While they were talking, they got inside the ministry halting at reception. Albus surrounded his wand for inspection and got a name tag to attach to his shirt "Albus Severus Potter. Visitor".
He was gaping, looking mesmerised at everything surrounding them. He didn't realise the same was happening around him. People were gaping, looking at him. It didn't happen very often to be seen in the magical community with his kids and it always created a bit of uproar.
'Because I guess they like me or better, they like what they think I am' Harry continued.
'What do they think you are?'
'A kind of hero'
'But you are a hero'
It was odd how he loathed to hear people calling him a hero normally but how it sounded different when his son called him in the same way. He hated to be a hero for everybody as much as he liked to be so for his son. A lot.
'Albus, I'm not a hero'
They stopped looking at the statue in the middle of the hall. He was glad, twenty years previously, had managed to avoid one of him to be erected there. His last sentence would have sounded weak otherwise.
'You fought You-Know-Who'
'I didn't have much of a choice' he answered when they got the lift.
'Why?'
Harry didn't want to have this conversation on the lift, witch and wizards were surrounding them, the ones with which he was on first name basis greeted them eyeing Albus curiously. Internal memos were zooming in and out at every floor. He avoided answering explaining to him about them and about the different offices.
Albus was so interested he forgot his question or, at least, he didn't press the point.
On reaching the second floor, Elizabeth, like every morning, was waiting for him with a smile.
'Good morning, Harry' she greeted him.
He introduced Albus and with a stammered incomprehensible excuse left his son to her. As soon as he was around the corner, he darted to his office to clear everything that could be disturbing, scary or inappropriate to a twelve-year-old boy and to warn his co-workers about Albus' presence. In a quick bustle everything was made child proof and he could return then to collect his son who was utterly captured by Elisabeth's explanation on the functioning of a foe-glass.
'Shall we go?' Harry encouraged him with a smile, and a huge beam and an eager nodding was his reply as Albus was fast on his side. He took his share of unwanted correspondence and putting an arm around Albus's shoulder led him in the heart of the department. Although, eager as he was a second before to get inside, he got equally shy a moment later when, finally there, found himself in front of his colleagues. The flush he had manage to disperse after the Regina's encounter was back in full force being the object of a profusion of compliments and pats on the shoulder when introduced.
It took him a much longer time than with Regina to save his son from the grasp of the women of his department who were enjoying with feminine wickedness his shyness and were determined to spoil him as much as possible in the least amount of time.
It was a good half an hour before Harry was allowed to take a quietened Albus, who was drinking a juice from a can, had another one in his free hand and had his pockets full of sweets of any kind, away.