Advent '10 - December 13th
December 13th - 12 days to go
Harry had to admit that the place that Selena took him to was very nice.
He had been wary at first as there had been two very tall blond guys standing outside the door. They gave his hard looks and Harry had the distinct feeling he should be remembering something but Selena dragged him past them before he could gather his thoughts.
They didn't stop him either so Harry guessed it wasn't all that important. Even if it did seem familiar.
The inside more than made up for it though, it was welcoming, with cosy booths and a small stage at one side.
Selena waved to another blond guy behind the bar who, again, stared at Harry, before dragging him to sit in a small booth off to the side. Harry felt a moment of unease at having his back to the door but that passed quickly as Selena ordered for them both.
"So," she said, giving him her full attention. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"
"That sounds like a really bad pickup line, you know." Harry pointed out with a grin, "Whatever will your husband say?"
Selena laughed. "Oh," she waved him off, "Bill knows that he's the only man in my life."
"Madam, I am hurt." Harry held a hand to his chest, "And here I thought we were having a good time."
Selena laughed and Harry joined her. It was strange; he normally didn't manage to form such an easy camaraderie with people. Especially strangers. But there was something about her; it felt like he had known her his entire life.
Maybe it was her something in her nature. He had felt the same with Luna.
That brought him up short and he looked over her speculatively. Maybe she did have a bit of seer in her after all.
He stayed silent and let Selena chat at him for the most part until their food arrived. It was brought over by another very tall blond man who glared at Harry as he set the food on the table.
Harry thought it was just him but Selena turned to him after the man left and raised an eyebrow.
"Wonder what's up his butt?"
Harry snorted. "Oh good, you noticed it too."
"Honey," Selena looked at him, "I'd have to be blind not to. Wonder why they're acting like that though…"
Again, Harry knew he was missing something. Something important. It was frustrating how close he was to remembering it but just couldn't.
He sighed and poked at his gumbo. Then glared at it suspiciously.
"You know…" he said after a moments pause. "I'm almost afraid to eat this now. They might have poisoned it."
Selena shrugged and nodded. "Normally I'd say don't be silly. But this time…" she glanced over at the multitude of gathering men that were appearing and glaring at Harry. One of them was whispering something to Nicolette and gesturing towards them, "you may be onto something."
Harry's stomach let out another growl and he poked at his food mournfully. It really did smell good. Meaty and spicy.
He was startled when Selena leant across the table and switched plates with him.
"What?" He asked in shock.
Selena winked at him. "Gumbo is too good to waste. Especially if you've never tried it before. Which, might I add, is a crime. Now eat up, you're too skinny as it is."
"Yes mum." He frowned, "But what if it really is poisoned?"
Selena shrugged, "Well, they all saw me switch dishes with you so if it is then they should come running when they see me about to take a bite."
Harry watched in half amusement, half trepidation as she slowly and exaggeratedly raised a spoonful of the broth like dish to her mouth.
No one rushed over to save her and she made a big deal out of chewing and swallowing, smacking her lips when she was done.
"Well," she said, "I don't feel dead. If I'm dead you'd tell me right?"
Harry grinned at her "I promise." He took a mouthful of his own dish and moaned as the flavours burst across his tongue.
This was delicious! How had he never come across this before?
A chuckle brought him out of his blissed out state.
"Good?" Selena asked with a chuckle.
Harry nodded and took another bite.
Halfway through the meal they started chatting about anything and everything. Selena told him about her stall and her family and Harry told her about why he was travelling - the muggle version of course. He didn't want to make his new friend think he was crazy right off the bat.
Though with the things she was telling him about her sisters and the suspicion he had that she had seer blood in her veins made him wonder if she wouldn't be as freaked out as most.
It was only as they finished their meals and sat back, Harry being careful not to actually touch the back of the seat, that they realised that the other customers had all but disappeared.
Both Harry and Selena frowned as the glanced around the room.
"I wonder what's up?" Selena said.
Harry shrugged as his gut twisted, "Maybe lunch hour is over?"
"But it's never been this quiet…"
Harry swallowed and took another look. That was when he noticed that whilst there were no customers, there were a bunch of tall angry looking men gathered around the doorway, staring at him.
Okay. Now this really was familiar.
But what were the chances…
"Harry?" Selena asked as he stood up.
But before he could answer or make any kind of reassurance the door at the opposite end of the bar slammed open.
In strode a tall guy with brown hair. He was wearing a wetsuit that was still glistening with water and he had fury in his eyes.
Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as his heart stuttered for a moment and picked up double time.
This was the guy. The one he had felt a connection too.
He was getting closer and all Harry could do was watch.
Even though he had last seen him at a distance Harry could never mistake this guy for someone else.
This was the guy from Japan!
This was…
"Oh shit." Harry said, his brain catching up with him.
He ran around the booth until it was between him and the very angry man. The man stopped.
"What is your name." It came out more as a statement rather than a question as it was spat out between clenched teeth.
Harry knew he had to lie. "Harry Potter." His mouth answered for him. He made a noise of frustration and edged away as the man started to stalk closer. "What's yours?"
Great. Now he sounded like a six year old.
"Savitar."
Harry flinched and Savitar smirked as he caught it. "Ah, heard of me have you?"
"Yeah…"
"Did you also hear about the part where those bars you destroyed were mine?"
"…It might have come up in conversation…"
"Oh," Savitar nodded, circling the booth and keeping Harry in his sights, "did you also hear about the part where I annihilate anyone who even thinks about doing something so stupid?"
"That part I missed."
Harry made sure that there was always something between them. He didn't want to have to use it in front of Selena but if it came down to his life, which he thought it might actually do, he would.
"Do you know what happened to the last people who pissed me off?" Savitar said conversationally.
"You crossed them off your Christmas card list?" Harry asked hopefully.
Savitar growled. "I wiped out their species."
Harry's eyes widened. "Ah," he said faintly, "well that's one way to deal with your problems." He stumbled over a chair and quickly righted himself, not wanting to turn his back to the pissed off homicidal nutcase. "May I recommend anger management classes? I think you may find them helpful."
Savitar smiled toothily, "Do you always back-talk the person about to kill you?"
"Actually yeah."
Savitar frowned and slowed down.
Harry, seeing this, continued to babble. "I blame Tom though, I mean really, what did he expect? He spent all of my teen years abducting me and trying to kill me in really elaborate ways.
"After the first few times it just wasn't scary anymore, even got a bit boring when he would say the same dark lord speech over and over again.
"'Harry, I'm going to kill you,' and 'with you dead I will take over the world' and 'I cannot be defeated by a mere child'.
"It might have worked except every time I managed to get away and, well, I was a teenager. We tend to back-talk. And sarcasm. We use that a lot."
Savitar, who was just standing there by this time, and the rest of the were's stared at him blankly. Harry shifted nervously.
"Um, yes. So the moral of that story is I do tend to back-talk. It's a bad habit. I apologise."
It seemed everything was okay when Savitar disappeared into thin air and reappeared behind him. Harry gave out a startled yell and scrambled away.
"Who are your lieutenants?" Savitar growled at him.
"I dunno what you-"
"Your lieutenants! I know you have them!"
Harry turned to sprint to the exit but Savitar just appeared for thin air right in front of him.
Harry ran into his chest and bounced of it, staggering back somewhat dazed. But before he could gather his wits to turn and run a hand shot out and latched itself around his throat, tightening and lifting him off the ground.
Harry choked and clawed at Savitar's wrist, his feet kicking uselessly in the air.
"Answer me!" Savitar shouted in his face.
"I only have one lieutenant!" Harry choked out. "One!"
"What is his name!" Savitar squeezed hard to make sure that Harry would answer truthfully.
"A-Acheron!" Harry wheezed out, "His name is Acheron but I call him Ash for short!"
Savitar stared at him in disbelief before anger turned to fury. "Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not lying!"
Savitar pulled Harry closer and snarled "Where is he then?" right in his face.
"I-" Harry gasped, "Probably in my bed! He's a pillow hog!"
Savitar looked at him in hatred, "Now I know you're lying to me."
"I'm not! I swear!"
"Harry!" He heard Selena shout.
When Harry managed to glance out of the corner of his eye he saw that she was struggling in the grip of one of the blond men.
He gave a gurgle and kicked at Savitar, trying to hit him in the crotch.
He missed, hitting him in the thigh instead. Harry felt smug for all of two seconds when Savitar grunted, before the grip on his throat tightened.
"Tell me why I shouldn't rip your throat our right now." He snarled at him.
Harry made a desperate choking sound. His vision was starting to tunnel, darkness obscuring the edges. Desperately he grabbed hold of the wrist and used it as leverage to wrap his legs around Savitar's chest, allowing him to lean further away from him and try and get his throat out of the crushing grip.
It almost seemed to be working but then Savitar shook him like a rag-doll.
He was loosing energy fast and he knew that if he let go of the hand keeping him up to grab his wand then he wasn't going to survive.
The only thing left he could think of doing was apparate. Hopefully the guy would be shocked at the sensation of being squeezed through a tube enough so that he would loosen his hold.
Plan made he tightened his hold and side-along'd to the only place he knew in this city that wasn't filled with muggles. His hotel room.
They reappeared in the empty rooms with a loud crack. At first Harry had thought his plan had worked as Savitar seemed rather dazed and his grip weakened. But before he could twist out Savitar regained his wits and slammed Harry into the wall.
Harry's back protested and Harry was helpless to do anything but arch into Savitar and scream at the overload of sensation. Through it he barely felt it when his glamour spell flickered and faded.
When Harry's nerve endings had finally calmed down he relaxed back, panting, to see Savitar staring at him in fascination.
"Do you always make sure interesting noises?"
Harry groaned and tugged at the hand that was still wrapped around his throat.
"I wonder…" Savitar muttered, then threw Harry on the bed.
Harry landed on his back and let out a long moan, arching again, as his abused nerve endings were battered. Exhausted, he tried to push himself off the bed but stopped, letting out a dry sob, when the sheets dragged across his back.
"So where is he?" Savitar said, stalking towards him, "Where's Ash?"
At the mention of his name Ash bounced from Harry's pillow and onto his chest, letting out an angry squeak at the man who was hurting his master.
Savitar stared down at the black puffball. For once his brain refused to compute what was happening.
When Harry found himself not dead after a minute he levered himself up on one elbow, panting, to see Savitar staring over him with a 'what the fuck' face. "Wh-" was all he managed to rasp out of his abused throat before he descended into a coughing fit.
"That. Is Ash."
Harry nodded and put a hand over Ash protectively.
"And he's your lieutenant." Savitar said blankly.
"Yes?" Harry croaked out.
"And he is lieutenant of what exactly?"
Ash gave out a sharp trill and the rest of Harry's puffskeins appeared, settling on his stomach and chest when he collapsed back onto the bed.
Harry tried to shift them off, tell them to go and hide so the crazy man wouldn't kill them, but they refused to move. Instead they stuck their tongues out at Savitar and waved them threateningly.
Savitar just stared at them.
"What are they."
"Um…puffskeins."
"I've never heard of them."
"Okay?"
There was silence as Harry lay on the bed and Savitar just stared at the balls of fluff, transfixed.
Eventually Harry's curiosity won out, and even though he knew it was a bad idea, he couldn't help but ask "Aren't you going to kill me now?"
Savitar tilted his head to the side, fascinated by the way the puffskeins seemed to tilt with him.
Harry, seeing that imminent death wasn't forthcoming at this very moment decided now was a perfect time to try and build some bridges.
"You know I am very sorry about your…places. Especially the one in Japan. That one went wrong."
This snapped Savitar out of whatever spell the fur balls had cast on him. He scowled at Harry.
"Why the hell did you do it in the first place? I specifically stated no fighting."
"But it wasn't really fighting," Harry protested, "It was just pranking!"
Savitar raised an eyebrow. "You went from country to country causing mayhem because you were pranking my were's?"
"Yes." Harry nodded.
"And why were you doing that?"
Harry looked away and started to blush, mumbling something under his breath.
Savitar smirked. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"It was decided that they were all too uptight and sexually frustrated." Harry grit out, completely mortified.
Against his better judgement Savitar let out a laugh and sat down on Fred's bed, opposite Harry.
Harry's blush deepened. To distract himself he shooed his pets off him and manoeuvred himself until he was sitting cross-legged on his own bed.
"I understand that."
"You…you do?" Harry asked in some surprise. "Does that mean you aren't going to rip out my throat?"
"Oh no, I'm going to do that. After all, what else can I do? I have to set an example." He paused, "Even if some of the things were rather funny."
"Wait!" Harry called out nervously as Savitar stood, "What if…what if I can come up with a reason?"
Savitar thought about this for a moment. "Usually," he said slowly, "I'd just kill you all…but you've entertained me. Even if the were's are bitching at me more than usual." He looked at Harry, "Okay. You have one shot. If you can convince me then I won't kill you."
Harry swallowed and said slowly. "What if…you joined in?"
Savitar narrowed his eyes.
"Because!" Harry continued quickly, "You could pretend…like it was all a test? And they failed because…obviously…no one can get one over on you?" Harry licked his lips, "And so that means…that you've been in on it from the start and you could tell them that their organisation sucks and that they've…grown complacent?" Harry ended with a grimace.
Savitar stared at him for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Acceptable." He smiled evilly, "And this means I can punish them for their complete failure and they can't bitch and whine at me anymore."
Harry stayed silent.
"Fine." Savitar turned back to Harry. "You've convinced me to let you keep your life for now. Go back to Sanctuary tomorrow."
Harry nodded and Savitar smirked at him before disappearing into thin air.
After a ten second pause all the air in Harry's lungs left him in a huge rush and he collapsed back onto the bed, only jerking a little when his back was once again abused.
"Oh my God…" he groaned, absentmindedly petting Ash when he settled onto his chest. "I thought I was gonna die…"
Ash let out a sympathetic purr.
Harry was just un-tensing when the door slammed open. He jerked upright, sending Ash flying off the bed with an alarmed squeak.
Fred and George looked at the rather tense form of Harry in surprise. The three of them stared at one another until Fred held out a water bottle. "We got the portkey?"
"It's set for the day after tomorrow."
Harry sighed, "Okay. That's good. I've gotta meet with someone tomorrow."
"Oooh!" Fred and George grinned.
"Is it a woman?" Fred asked at the same time George asked, "Is it a man?"
Harry paled when he thought of Selena. He hoped the were's didn't hurt her, though from what he saw when he was being choked they were just restraining her from trying to save him, so there was hope.
"Both." He said, "I've got to meet both."
Fred and George nodded and settled on their beds, lying back. Harry followed their lead, settling on his front and reaching over the side of the bed to pick up Ash when he let out an annoyed trill.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted." Harry admitted, closing his eyes with a yawn.
"Is it something to do with those hand shaped bruises on your throat?" Fred asked.
"Maybe."
"Aw, our wittle Harry has finally started to come into his Black inheritance!" George sniggered.
Harry didn't need to have his eyes open to give them the finger.