Chapter Three: Chance Meetings
"It is never so much a goodbye, as a simple farewell. It is not as though you will never see each other again."
Fey's words were still ringing in Harry's ears when the two of them stepped out of the small alleyway within Diagon Alley where they had appeared moments earlier. She had told this to an upset Kailyn, who had a lot that she had wanted to talk to Harry about still. He wondered briefly if the elfwoman had any idea the effects of her words on him or not, and as he chanced a quick glance to her face to see if she was watching him, he saw a smile pulling at her lips.
"It has been a very long time since I've come to a place like this," she explained when she saw him watching her. She was wearing her long green living dress that he had seen her for the first time in, and had a small golden circlet on the top of her long golden hair. He also noticed for the first time that she had a ring on one hand, a bracelet on one wrist, and was wearing a necklace - and all the jewelry looked older than any piece that he had ever seen before. "It should be interesting to find what we are looking for."
"Just what are we looking for?" Harry asked. It was almost too large a change for him to be able to ask any question that he wanted to, and knowing full well that he would get a complete answer.
"I need to get a few items repaired," she explained. She then motioned further down the street. "I believe it will be this way. After that, we will be looking for your friends, whom I believe Talisien said would be here today doing their shopping."
As the two walked down the street, Harry groaned to himself as he saw the stares that followed them. A few people tried to walk up to speak with him, and more than once he heard whispers about "That's the Boy-Who-Lived!" and "If anyone would know how to protect their homes, it would be him!"
He was more surprised, however, by how many people seemed to be paying attention to the elfwoman more than to him. He knew from previous experience that elves were rare, so he shouldn't have been too surprised, but it seemed that a lot of wizards in the small community at least knew of her, even if they didn't know who she was. "It's that the Queen of Vlaine?" "What would she be doing with the Boy-Who-Lived?" "Has she brought more supplies from the hidden forest?"
Although a lot of people seemed to be talking about them, no one actually came up to them, and when they entered the small shop that held the sign "Odds and Ends for the Odds and Ends" over top in crooked writing, he couldn't help but ask why.
"It is a simple enough spell to use when one is in a hurry," Fey told him simply. "Keeps people at bay, unless you wish to speak with them. My husband uses it all the time at balls and formal events. He hates them with a passion."
"It is indeed an honour to be graced by your presence, my lady," a small man called from behind the counter as the two approached it. "I trust all is well within the forest?"
Upon closer inspection, Harry realized that the man was not entirely human, though he definitely wasn't all elf, either. Another half breed, he supposed, which was why he had never really noticed it before. It was hard to spot if one wasn't looking. That, and he had never actually come into the store before.
"It is indeed, Vinital," she said with a smile. "But I was wondering if I might be able to borrow your skills for a moment. I have two items which are in desperate need of repairs or refinement, and speed is of the essence."
Vinital nodded and nervously fiddled with the chain that was around his neck as she held out an arm to him. Harry was startled to see an invisibility cloak draped over her arm, and in her hand was a broken mirror. And old, chipped, dirty, broken mirror.
"Hey!" Harry said suddenly as he clued in. "Those are mine!"
Fey looked at him as though considering him for a moment before replying. "Indeed they are, Harry, but they need fixing," she said. "The mirror should never have been broken, and the cloak is getting too short for you to fit under."
Harry had to admit that both facts were true as the man took them and went out back through the left door. As soon as it had banged shut, though, he returned through the right door and placed both items on the counter. The mirror had been replaced, and Harry could tell that there was more fabric as a part of the cloak.
"Playing with time," he muttered to himself, remembering his own experiences with time travel in his third year at Hogwarts. Thoughts on such matters, however, reminded him of the loss of his godfather all over again, which in turn reminded him of all the pain and suffering he had caused his classmates in the previous year.
"Calm your mind," Fey said at once in a tone that caught him offguard. She had never spoken to him in anything other than a gentle voice, but this one was harsh and strict. "Do not let it be clouded by past mistakes." She then looked back to Vinital before he could reply. "Thank you, Vinital. How much do I owe you?"
"My lady, just being given the chance to gaze on your visage is payment enough. Though I wouldn't mind a closer look at your necklace, if you have an extra minute or two..."
"I will not take it off," she said simply, and held it up to him as close as she could get it without removing the chain. "It is a symbol of my bonds."
"Yes, yes," Vinital muttered to himself. "Like the ring and bracelet, too, I know. He has fine taste, you know..."
Fey smiled indulgently to him. "I know. He picked me, didn't he?"
"Ah... my lady, that's not quite what I..."
She picked up the items as he was stumbling over his words, and then handed them to Harry. "Our next stop is to find your friends, I believe."
Harry stopped walking as he looked into the mirror than she had just handed to him. He could see several different faces looking back at him suddenly, but as he looked a little closer, he found that he could only see his own. He looked tired, but more alive than he had felt in a long time. The time he had spent, the few days anyway, within the safety of the forest had apparently done him some good. His black hair was still as messy as ever, and the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, which was a little red from all the pain that had pulsed through it a couple of months earlier, was still clear as day.
"I say Harry, this a new hobby of yours?"
"I don't know, mate, I'd say this must be an impostor... couldn't possibly be our Harry. Not looking like that and all, after we heard he was half dead somewhere!"
Harry looked up in surprise to find himself looking at the entrance to a very colourful shop with three large W's painted on the glass window. Two tall red haired boys were standing in the doorway looking at him, bemused expressions on their faces.
"I think our backer's a little nuts, Fred."
"If he wasn't, he wouldn't have backed us, remember George?"
"True, true," the first boy muttered.
"Hey you two," Harry said with a grin. It looked like their joke shop was still a large success, as there were dozens of witches and wizards inside looking about. "Long time no see."
"You could say that again. Care to explain just what happened? We have a few minutes, if you've got the time, anyway."
"What George means, Harry, is that we are going to take you inside and we want the full story before we are forced to hear Mum's watered down version of events."
Harry couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "Alright. But first, I'd like you to meet..." he stopped as he looked up to Fey to introduce her, and found her gone. He turned quickly to try and find her, but she was no where in sight. When he turned back to the Weasley twins, they looked confused. "Uh... never mind."
Once Harry had told the twins what had happened - leaving out a few parts like Rozan and Kailyn - they seemed suitably impressed. "Now, you will have to tell us how you managed to get to the middle of Diagon Alley without attracting a crowd, Harry," Fred said after a moment had passed.
"Where are your manners, Fred?" George asked in a surprised tone as he held out a platter of sweets to Harry. "Hungry?"
Looking at the tray, Harry recognized at least one of the candies as Yellow Canary Drops, and had the sneaking suspicion that they were trying to pull one up on him. "Not right now thanks," he said. "But you two go ahead."
"He's onto us already, George." The first twin clouted the second on the shoulder, and then grasped Harry's as well. "You did us a great favour, you know, Harry. Glad you're as sharp as always."
Harry grinned again, and then stood up. "Look, I've got to try and find the others out there. I understand that Ron and Hermione at least are picking up their books right now, and I should try and catch up with them."
Both twins nodded. "Alright. Need a guard to get there?"
"Why?"
The two exchanged glances, and then shook their heads in unison. "You're really out of it, mate. Everyone's asking about you. Seems like everyone wants to hear your story first hand, that's all. Be a blimey miracle if you got to the bookstore in one piece."
"I'll run," Harry promised them, and then stepped outside.
True to his word, he ran down the street to Flourish and Blotts as fast as he could. True to their word, a lot of people were trying to catch him as he went for what they all seemed to call "A quick word." He ignored them all and actually slammed the door shut behind him when he entered, causing everyone who was in the store to look to the entrance.
"Harry?" He looked over quickly to where he heard Ron's voice, but saw nothing except a pair of arms grabbing him tightly and swinging him around.
"Thank god you're alright... oh Harry... we were so worried!" Hermione said urgently to him as she held him. She released him after a moment, and he grinned as Ron clouted him on the shoulder. His friends had grown some over the summer - Ron was much taller again, and he was sure that his friend was going to be pushing six feet any day. Hermione looked... well... he couldn't really describe how she looked, except amazing. She had grown up quite a bit, and had filled out as a young woman more than anything over the summer.
"I'm fine," he reassured her quickly.
"Sure you are," Ginny said from behind him as she, too, gave him a quick hug. "Just like every message to Lupin, right?"
Harry's mood darkened almost at once, but before he could reply, Hermione had pulled out a letter from he pocket. "Harry, I got my OWLs a few days ago while you were missing!" she exclaimed, holding it out for him to look at. "I got Outstanding on my theory and practical of Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts - though I think that would be because of you more than anything else - History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy! I only got an Exceeds Expectations in Astrology, though... that was so unfair! How were we supposed to concentrate during all that?"
She was so animated in her discussion that it was obvious that she was trying to drop a hint to him, and he understood pretty quickly. She hadn't told the others what they had talked about on the phone, and he should play along. "That's great, Hermione!" he exclaimed as he looked over the letter. "Fourteen Outstandings out of sixteen? That has to be a new record! And sixteen out of sixteen OWLs?"
"Mine's not quite so good, but I'm happy," Ron explained as he pulled out his letter. "I mean, an Outstanding in my theory and practical Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Outstanding in my theory of Charms, Herbology and Transfiguration, Exceeds Expectations for practical for them, and Acceptable in theory and practical Potions, Divination and History."
"So that's what, ten OWLs then? Your Mum must be thrilled."
"Bill and Charlie did better," Ron grinned to him. "But yeah, she's happy." He then sighed. "But I guess I can't go for Auror... I didn't make it with Potions."
"Any idea how I did?" Harry asked, looking to both of them in turn.
"I have your letter right here," Luna's dreamy voice sounded from behind Ginny, and she stepped out from behind a stack of books. "Ronald dropped it earlier, and I picked it up for you."
"Er... thanks," Harry said with a smile to her. "How did you do?"
"Nine OWLs, much more than I expected. Don't know what I'm going to do with them, though..."
Harry nodded simply and ripped open his letter. He could practically feel his eyes bulge out as he looked it over. "I got an O in Potions! An O!" he said excitedly. "In both parts! Same as Defense Against the Dark Arts, Magical Creatures, and Charms, and an E in Transfiguration, Herbology and Astrology... guess I tied you there, Hermione," he said teasingly. He then looked back. "And the less said about History the better."
"Well, it looked like we all avoided any Trolls," Hermione said. "Good job, Harry."
"Hang on, mate, what about Divination? And what did you get in History?" Ron asked him as he crumpled his letter and shoved it into his pocket.
"Doesn't matter," Harry said quickly. "So, anyone have a book list?"
"Accio parchment!" Ron said as drew his wand deftly. The piece of paper slipped out of Harry's hand and into his own. "Wow..." he breathed. "Didn't think that would actually work..."
"Give that back, Ron!"
"Woah... they took the mickey right out of you for those, didn't they?"
"Yeah," Harry mumbled, grabbing at it again. He was about to shove it back in his pocket again, but then sighed and handed it to Hermione, who was looking back and forth and making it obvious that she wanted to know the rest of his results.
"Trolls, Harry?" she asked in surprise. "I'm... I mean I'm sorry - I didn't mean-"
"Never mind, Hermione," he said quickly. "Doesn't matter. I didn't need them for an Auror position anyway."
There was an unsteady silence in the group, and then Hermione pulled out the book list for the term. For sixth years, it had the complete book list for all years as well as any available courses for them listed on it. "Do you know what you're taking this year, Harry?"
"Uh..."
"Well, you said Auror, right?" she asked as though he hadn't said anything. "So Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and one extra."
"Magical Creatures, obviously," he said quickly. "Hagrid's still the teacher, right?"
"Um, I guess so," she said, biting her lip as though trying to decide something.
"He's a good teacher, Hermione," Ron said quickly. "So just take the class already!"
"I'm already taking an extra class, though," she pointed out. "I'm sticking with Arithmancy."
"Yeah, well I'm just in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Magical Creatures, and I guess Herbology," Ron said a little glumly. He then brightened up. "But I have to say, not taking anything from Snape this year is going to be sweet!"
"Take it, Hermione," Harry said quickly. "You won't regret it. Trust me." He found himself looking deeply into her chocolate brown eyes as she looked to him, and she nodded slowly. "It'll be worth it."
"So where were you, anyway?" Ginny asked as they started to look for their books.
Harry looked around as though trying to see who could be listening, and then shook his head. "I'll tell you all later, alright? Everyone here staying at the same place?"
"Luna's not," Ron pointed out. "But I'll tell you later, alright?"
"Thank you, Ronald." He blushed almost as red as his hair as she looked at him, and Harry raised an eyebrow to Hermione to ask the question without words. She shrugged in response, and they went back to looking.
In the end, they ended up with a good stack of books. The Standard Book of Spells Grade Six, which contained spells that they could need for any class, Transfiguring Your Mouse into a Dolphin and Other Complex Animals for their transfiguration class, Advanced Charms - obviously for charms, and Mystical and Rare Creatures of the Lost World for Hagrid's class. They were all pleased to note that this time, at least, the book was not going to try and eat them. Harry and Hermione both picked up copies of NEWT Level Dangerous Potions, and Hermione also picked up Advanced Arithmancy and the Devoted, while Ron got the Plants that Were Thought to be Lost text.
"So, its a relief not to have a book for the Defense Against the Dark Arts, eh Harry?" Ron asked with a wink to his friend behind Hermione's back. She turned around in an instant.
"What do you mean a relief? Just how are we supposed to get ready if we don't even have a text book to look over first? I mean, with NEWTs only a year away and all, what is he playing at?"
"She does this every time its mentioned," Ron explained to Harry, completely ignoring her statement. Harry nodded, but then looked to her anyway.
"I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Any idea who it is yet?" Ron asked them both. Hermione shook her head, and Harry followed suit, figuring it best to play along with her story for whatever reason.
As the group left the store, a snide voice caught their attention, and Harry felt his muscles tense in an instant. "So, it's Potter with the Mudblood, two Weasels, and Loony Lovegood..." The voice made his skin crawl, and the group all saw Malfoy standing further down the street, flanked by his two goons on either side.
"Get lost, Malfoy!" Ron snapped at once.
"I will make sure you pay, Potter, for putting my father in jail. Mark my words, I will get you sometime during the year. Remember, I'm still a Prefect, while you're just a run of the mill student who has to listen to my commands."
"Yeah," Harry said with a bit of heat in his voice. "And you are also still a git." He turned to walk away from Malfoy towards the exit to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron, but froze when he heard Hermione and Ginny both scream a warning to him.
He turned in an instant as he dropped his books and pulled his wand out. "Protego!" he shouted as he held his wand before him. He lowered it almost at once, however, as he took in the scene before him.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all pressed up against the wall of Flourish and Blotts, held there by a sticky yellowish substance. The smell of tree sap was almost overpowering. Harry caught a glimpse of green as he watched, but that was all that seemed out of place.
"What just happened?" Ron whispered to Harry.
"What was that spell?" Hermione added.
Harry shook his head. "I didn't do that..."
"He put up a Shielding Charm," Luna pointed out. "It must have been their own spells."
"Attacking while you had your back turned!" Ginny said harshly. She looked almost as furious as Harry felt inside. "Oh, I wish a Professor had been around to see that... I bet he wouldn't even get a chance to come back to Hogwarts this year!"
Harry didn't reply as he caught sight of a raven haired girl further down the street. She looked up to him, and they made brief eye contact for a moment before she looked away and continued on her way. Hermione seemed to have noticed, as she jabbed him in the arm.
"Wasn't that..."
"Yeah," Harry replied. "That was Cho. So?"
"It never would have worked out, Harry," she said reassuringly.
Harry just shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he countered. "That sort of thing is one of the furthest from my mind right now." `The fact that I have to kill or be killed sort of takes precedence...' he thought to himself. After a moment of looking at the three of them stuck to the wall, Harry turned to the others. "Do you reckon that the DA will keep going this year?"
"If Dumbledore says so, then I suppose so. But we should have a competent teacher this year, right Harry?" Hermione asked, almost anxious to hear his answer.
"I expect that we will, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the teaching last year." `It was just what came about because of it...'
"It was just what came afterwards that wasn't so great, right mate?" Ron pointed out the very thought that had been on Harry's mind.
"I'm going to go pick up a couple of more books, then," Harry explained. "I guess I'll see you all at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"I'll help you, Harry," Hermione offered. "I know where all the best books are in there, anyway," she pointed out when the others looked to her.
"That's our Hermione," Ron said with a grin. "Not only has she memorized every book she's ever read, she also did it to the bloody store, too..."
Once the two were inside the store again, and both were sure that the others had moved on, they turned to one another right away.
"So what happened?"
"You didn't tell them anything, did you?"
They both stopped, and Harry grinned. "You first."
"What happened, Harry?" Hermione asked in a whisper. "I was so worried... Dumbledore was at my house when you called - I was trying to convince him to let you leave your house early this year - and then you called and he went to help, but he couldn't! No one could get very close to your house at all with apparation - something I expect the Death Eaters had a hand in - and then you vanished!"
"Hermione," Harry said, interrupting her before she could go on. When she looked to him, almost surprised that he had stopped her, he shrugged. "Rozan saved my life. No question. And then the Wanderer showed up and took me away before the house blew apart. I got all my things out, though."
"You've met the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Hermione said excitedly. "What's he like? Is he going to be good? Really good? Lupin good?"
Harry thought back to the only times he had seen the elf. The lightning spell came instantly to mind. "Yeah... he's good alright. He should be able to teach us a few things. I'd expect he could even teach Dumbledore a bit!"
She nodded as though trying to commit the information to memory, and then smiled to him. "I didn't want to tell them how often we had spoken. They seemed upset enough that I knew something about your summer, while all they had were Lupin's notes. I figured it was your place anyway to tell them about Rozan."
"I don't want to," Harry mumbled, looking away from her as he paid for the three books that they had selected.
"Why not?" she asked in surprise.
He shrugged. "I just don't. I don't mind you knowing, but I don't want everyone to know that I was
getting training with my mind with a wolf, and not another wizard." As the two left the bookstore, Harry turned
back to the still stuck three Slytherin students. "Still sticking around, I see? Well, have fun!" He then
walked to the Leaky Cauldron with Hermione, laughing about the stunt, even though neither had any idea what had
happened to them. All Harry knew was that his Shielding Charm hadn't reflected a single curse, jinx, or
charm."
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Harry noticed several things when he stepped into the Leaky Cauldron a few minutes later. The first was that the bar
was unusually empty for mid afternoon. The second was that everyone in the bar, he knew, and had spoken to recently,
aside from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. The third thing he knew was that Mrs. Weasley was wrapping him in her arms with a
great welcoming hug.
"Oh, Harry, thank goodness you are alright. I mean, Dumbledore assured us that you were, but my first thought was that you were the first of the younger victims of this war, and I was so worried of losing my half adopted son!" To say she was bursting to see him again was a definite understatement.
"Molly, let him breath," Arthur Weasley suggested to his wife as she let go on him. he then held a hand out to the young wizard. "Good to see you again, Harry. I hate to rush things, but Tom can only keep this place empty for us for so long. We've got cars waiting out front for us... it might be a bit of a tight squeeze with all of us, but we'll manage."
When the five children piled into the back and both Arthur and Molly sat up front, Harry found himself with more room in the car than he had had when he was driven home with his cousin and Aunt and Uncle at the end of the school term last year. He could reach out and still not bump into anyone. They were obviously in Ministry cars again. The stack of books that he had bought were sitting securely in front of him, as was a bundle of potion ingredients that Hermione had apparently picked up for him earlier in case he needed them.
As they drove down the street, Harry's mind started churning again. He knew where they were going. The streets of London seemed to go by much faster than usual, which made sense as Harry suddenly did not want to arrive. He was returning to the house that had belonged to Sirius Black, his late godfather... the house that was used for the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Everything would remind him of his godfather, and he knew right away that it would not be a pleasant time in that house for quite a while still. It was going to be a long month until school started again.
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Still from within…
The Shadows
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