Dealer
That night, just like the ones before it. Was spent wide awake flipping through the notebook. Hyun-seok had always been adamant on not wasting time, so Harry was following his example. He used his inability to sleep for more practice.
He wasn't able to fall asleep most nights because of the injuries he'd get from Vernon, Dudley and his gang. Then there were also the nightmares.
Two nightmares that have been plaguing him night after night. One about Voldemort. The bloody bastard. And another about the Dursleys' death.
The latter was the more frequent one. Anytime he managed to fall asleep, there was a 9/10 chance he'd have that very nightmare.
Where he stood frozen in the doorway to the Dursleys' living room, as the Dursleys got mutilated by some shadowy creature. One that shook Harry to his core the first time he had said nightmare.
It was made of a dense, black, swirling smoke that left any features it had blurred and completely unrecognizable.
All but its eyes, no irises, no eye white, just a mesmerizing acidic green, mixing with all kinds of different shades and dripping down the creature's featureless face like tears. Coincidentally, or concerningly. That acidic green was just, oh so similar to his own.
Each time he had that nightmare, the creature would kill the Dursleys in different ways. Each time those ways were ones he'd thought about when he'd be lying on 'his' bedroom floor in agony. Strangling Dudley with a barbed wire. Ripping Vernon to pieces, limb by limb and gutting him like a fish.
Harry would stand at the entrance of the living room as he'd watch the creature gut Vernon. He didn't want to admit it but seeing him, and him specifically getting brutally murdered was something that made Harry happy. Why? He didn't know. How could he feel pure joy seeing someone have their organs ripped out? He didn't know. But he did. And he doesn't feel bad about it.
But one death that always made Harry feel uneasy was when the creature would beat Aunt Petunia to the ground, clasp her face with its monstrous hand, drilling its sharp, slightly curved nails which resembled that of an owl into the sides of her face. Drawing blood that'd resemble the strawberry syrup he'd use to decorate Aunt Petunia's cakes with. As it ran down the sides of her face. Whereas Aunt Petunia would be freaking out, desperately trying to get the creature to let go.
She'd dig her own nails into the creature's abnormally large hand, try to pry it away from her face. Simultaneously screaming for someone to help her. Her efforts were of course, always in vain.
The more she'd try freeing herself the tighter the creature's hold on her face got. So tight in fact that Harry would hear a cracking sound, bones cracking. Something Harry was oh too familiar with. Which is why Petunia's screams didn't affect him in the slightest. A small voice in his head would block out her screams and continuously repeat how, she deserved it.
Petunia's eyes would threaten to pop out of their sockets, and they always did. Popping out and hanging down the sides of her face. Still attached to her head but not inside it.
Then, and only then would the creature's face split. Its mouth would open, though it wasn't a regular mouth. No, nothing about the creature was regular. Its mouth would seem to be peeling itself apart as if it were attached, as if it were ripping the skin of its face to create a mouth it never had to begin with. The swirling smoke would start separating as if it were melted cheese.
It's you—
Its almost demonic voice would send shivers down Harry's spine every time he'd hear it, though Harry would never hear the rest of the words that would come out of the creature's mouth.
The creature would lock eyes with Harry as it conjured acidic green flames, setting Petunia's entire head on fire and as her screams echoed and got tuned out again. He'd feel his heart stop and before he knew it he'd wake up gasping for air.
Barely able to take a single breath. It'd feel like someone or something was sat on his chest trying to suffocate him. He'd need to sit up, get up onto his feet to be able to breathe.
That was enough to make Harry avoid trying to sleep altogether. And truly, the only downside he's felt from staying up so long was slight fatigue.
Harry knew it wasn't, but truly he'd rather lie to himself than actually face it.
So he was sure he'd be fine, once he was back at school things would go back to normal. They always do. At least for Him.
Harry shook his head, he needed to stop thinking about it. It'll only make things worse.
Harry glanced out of the window. The sun was starting to rise. Aunt Petunia will be up soon to open the door. He'll have to fake being asleep, either that or she'll get suspicious. His door is now unlocked after all, so he can't let her know it was him who unlocked it.
Harry grabbed his notebook off 'his' desk and put it back into his trunk alongside his wand. Getting up he walked over to 'his' bed and pulled 'his' blanket off. Quickly getting in, taking off his glasses and putting them on the bedside table. Lying down, Harry smiled. Things were—in his eyes, going relatively well.
It made him happy. Very happy. Maybe his fourth year will also go well. In all honesty he hopes this time it’s a normal year. Not a dangerous adventure with Ron and Hermione.
No, a calm year. A calm year, where he hangs out with Neville, and Luna. Maybe even Theo. A calm year, where he can possibly go in depth into potions.
Hyun-seok had sparked an unexplainable interest in the subject. Now that Harry knew it wasn't him fucking things up completely every time. And that he could in fact, make a simple potion on his own if he actually tried. He, for once. Wanted to learn more.
He wants to go deeper into the subject, learn everything there is about it. He'll try to make Snape tolerate him more next year. He wants to actually put in effort, he wants to try. Actually attempt to do well. And he will.
Breakfast was the same. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, beans. The usual. It didn't take Harry too much time to be done. And while the Dursleys ate, he cleaned up the kitchen. Finishing before them and getting on with his other stuff.
Today wasn't busy, they didn't have anyone coming over. Vernon would be at work. Dudley was going to a water park with Pierce and his family. Aunt Petunia was going to stay home. Harry had a shift at the Taylors’ store and could go over to granny Bugs' house if he's fast enough with his shores. He has customers. He shouldn't keep them waiting.
And so, Harry flies through his chores. Mopping the floors, wiping the dust, hanging up the laundry to dry, ect. All Harry had left was the garden. Pulling out any weeds and watering the flowers. This wasn't a chore anymore. At least not in Harry's eyes. Gardening was fun, it's become a therapeutic process for Harry.
He was currently in the garden finishing up. He'd pulled out a couple weeds. And was now filling up the watering can to water the flowers. His hydrangeas aren't going to give up. Even if Theo's were gorgeous, he could still compete. Maybe.
Harry had finished in record time, as usual for his Tuesdays. Tuesdays were work days. Chores had to be done by the time Vernon's car was long out of sight.
Petunia wasn't bothered by his efficiency. If anything, she liked it. Chores done, house clean and Harry out of sight. That was her ideal Tuesday.
Dudley wasn't a problem today. He and the little sadist were gone, so the rest of their gang won't do anything without them. Harry was free to come and go today, at least for a while.
Once Harry got everything done. He went back up to 'his' room and closed the door. Approaching 'his' bed he reached under and took out a loose floorboard. Under it, the several hundred pounds he's made this summer. Almost a thousand.
He was so–so grateful for Sirius. He'd given Harry advice on what jobs he could take up to get some money. Harry had taken up two at first and a third not too long ago. Today was packed. Auntie Olive would be waiting for him. He had Domi to meet up with, Carlo, Alec and of course granny Bugs.
Not wanting to waste any time Harry grabs a hundred just in case. Puts the floor board back in place and heads for his trunk. Taking out a bag. With a few packs of cigarettes. Not enough.
Domi said his business was getting popular. So, he should restock soon. He'd sold almost everything last week. And now that he was gaining even more traction, he should up his stock numbers too.
Closing his trunk he got up. Rolling the bag up and stuffing it into the pocket of the jacket Professor Lupin had gotten him. A big, maroon jacket with big pockeets and a hood. He headed downstairs. Aunt Petunia was in the kitchen. She won't see him.
Quickly making his way out of the door, Harry set off products in hand. His first stop, the Taylors’ store. Auntie Olive had groceries that needed delivery. Getting to the store was an easy task with how many times he'd come and go each shift. He knew the way by heart, and the store owners knew him just as well.
"Well, good morning Harry. Ready for work?" A cheerful brunette behind the counter, in her mid to late thirties, asked the very minute Harry stepped foot into the store. A bright, contagious smile on her face.
Harry smiled back and nodded. Heading into the store.
The store owner, Auntie Olive. Was a really kind person. At the beginning of the summer Harry came asking if there were any shops that had open positions for jobs he could take on, and she'd offered him a position as a delivery boy instead. She paid well too, each delivery was fifteen pounds. The faster he was, the more he'd earn.
Auntie Olive would give him an extra ten pounds for every four deliveries. On busy days Harry would make a little over a hundred pounds.
“Today's gonna be busy, I already have five deliveries waiting, and Will is packing up two more.” Auntie Olive spoke as she pulled out two bags from under the counter.
“Here are the first two.” She handed them to Harry.
“Alright, then I'll head out right away.” Harry replied, taking the bags and looking at the addresses on the tags. Though suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder.
Glancing behind him he saw Mister Taylor, Auntie Olive's husband and the other owner of the store. The man extended his arm, handing Harry a chocolate bar that the boy eyed for a moment then took.
Over the summer Harry had learnt that arguing with Mister Taylor was like arguing with a brick wall. The man won't budge no matter how hard he tries. So he's just given up. He was sure Mister Taylor knew about the way he was being treated, either that or the man suspected it. Because he'd give Harry a small snack or chocolate bar whenever he'd finish a delivery and come back to the store for the next one.
The man was so hellbent on feeding Harry he'd caught him once at lunch time when Harry was coming back from his last delivery of the day and forced him to have lunch with him and his wife. Though Harry wasn't complaining, Auntie Olive's food was always amazing. He just wished he could stomach more than half a plate before getting nauseous.
“Also here,” Before Harry knew it the man handed him a bag.
“Temperatures have been spiking this week, I wouldn't want you to overheat, kid.”
Harry took the bag and peeked inside it, finding a half frozen water bottle and a cold juice box. He smiled, as always Mister Taylor was there to look after him. Harry really appreciated the man's concern.
“Alright, I'll be off.”
The man smiled and walked back to whatever corner of the store he was working in.
As Harry walked out of the store he couldn't help the fuzzy feeling in his chest. It always felt like that when he thought about the people that made an effort to look after him. With Hyun-seok, with Sirius, Auntie Olive and Mister Taylor. And then there's also Theo, yesterday when he let him rant about his feelings, when he comforted him. His chest felt fuzzy then too.
He likes this feeling. He likes it a lot. Harry hoped he'd feel it more often.
The deliveries today were easy. Close to the store and not too heavy, making going back and forth between the houses and the store much easier. He'd finish everything in two and a half hours which was a new record for him. Arriving back at the store he was greeted with a familiar face going back and forth with Auntie Olive.
“I'm sorry dear, but I can't sell your cigarettes anymore. Last time you said they were for your father, but I've recently heard you live alone.” she spoke firmly, her tone laced with slight disappointment at being deceived.
The person she was scolding, was none other than Theo.
“I promise you that's not true, you must have heard wrong—” Theo tried defending his story as best he could.
Harry smiled at the scene. He himself knew best just how persistent the Taylors were, neither the Mr nor the Mrs would budge once they made up their mind. He walked over to Theo and nudged him.
“You should stop trying, she isn't gonna change her mind.”
Theo looked over, eyes widening slightly at seeing the boy.
“Harry, what are you doing here?” Theo asked.
“I just finished work.” He turned to Auntie Olive. “Here's the payment.” He handed her the money he got from the last delivery.
“Oh, thank you dear.” The woman took the money and put it into the cash register. Looking back at the boys she started. “I take it you two are friends?”
Harry nodded. “Sort of yeah.”
The woman smiled. “Well then Harry, please tell your friend I don't sell cigarettes to children.”
“I will.” Harry grabbed Theo's arm and pulled him away from the front counter and towards the door.
“What are you doing?” Theo asked as he let himself be dragged away by Harry.
“Helping you, you want cigarettes, right? Then come with me.” Harry kept talking as he dragged the other boy out of the store and onto the street.
“You don't seem that concerned about a fourteen year old smoking…” Theo pointed out.
Harry shrugged as he kept walking, Theo now walking beside him.
“Well, I'm thirteen and I smoke. If I said anything about you It'd be hypocritical.”
“You smoke?”
Harry nodded. “Though, only when things with the Dursleys get extra shitty and I just need a break.”
Theo nodded in understanding. “So, where exactly are we going?”
“My cigarette supplier. After that we're heading to a high school.”
“And why's that?” Theo questioned.
“The students there rely on cigarettes to get through the day, but most of them get monitored so much by their parents and teachers they can't buy them the normal way. So I come in, give them what they want and in turn they get their friends to buy from me and they spread the word.”
Theo looked a little stunned, but also intrigued. “How do you come up with something like that?”
Harry smiled at the question. “The thing is I didn't…”
Harry paused, contemplating if he should talk about Sirius. No, at least not now.
“I got in touch with someone close to my mom…we write letters to each other and they always answer any questions I have.”
Harry paused for a moment as the two arrived at a busy street. Both stopping to let the cars pass.
“I asked them about possible jobs, and they told me about what my mom used to do each summer to get extra money. She knew a guy whose dad was closely associated with a cigarette manufacturer and started buying as much as she could from him and selling it to high schoolers and upper classmen from her sister's muggle school.”
“Damn…” Theo mumbled, sounding genuinely impressed. As the red light turned green, the cars stopped. Allowing the two boys to cross.
“What's even better is the business got so big she started sneaking them into Hogwarts and selling them to other students.”
Theo grinned at hearing that. “Now that is how business driven people should be. Sounds like your mom had a very, pureblooded work ethic.”
Harry raised a brow unimpressed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, in pureblood society the only actual rule in business that's followed by everyone is do anything you have to do, but make a good profit from it.”
“You mean there isn't any rule about, I don't know…not doing business with muggles? Or any other shady or prejudice stuff?” Harry asked.
“Nope, some try pretending there is but it's all bullshit. I mean last year Draco made me and Blaise sneak out of the school and go to Gringotts…he'd somehow found out about a purity test they'd been keeping under wraps and bribed them into letting him take it.”
“Wait…” Harry shouted. “Malfoy?!”
A wide grin spread on Theo's face. “Yes, Malfoy.”
Harry was stunned. “Did you see the test results?” He asked.
“Yep, Malfoy's a halfblood.” Theo answered.
Harry's eyes widened. “no way…how?!”
“He'd been digging into his family's history. And turns out before the statue of secrecy the Malfoy family was meddling with muggles for centuries. Making business deals, helping them with their magic, even marrying muggles…”
Harry was shocked. The Malfoys, the ones that held themselves at such a high standard. Were half-bloods.
“That discovery shattered the already thin trust Draco had for his dad. It made Draco throw out everything he believed about his father and his family.”
“That's unbelievable…Malfoy being the daddy's boy he's been since first year and all.” Harry commented.
“Yeah, well that daddy's boy has been losing the trust and respect he had for his father ever since the start of second year, and last year it all came to a boiling point.”
Harry smiled. “If that's the case then maybe Malfoy might actually become tolerable…brilliant.”
Theo huffed out a laugh. “If I'm being honest, I'd say you'll like him if you give him a chance, he's actually growing up into…a somewhat sensible guy.”
Harry shrugged. “I'll believe it once I see it.”