Chapter 5
By some miracle the unlikely duo made it back to the shore with relatively little trouble. The boat had tipped and rocked so hard that Harry had thought they would be thrown to the sharks, but the giant man had calmly chatted on as if the waters were as still as glass. Whatever he had been saying was easily drowned out by the rain and wind, though Harry doubted it mattered much. With how he had kept talking it was likely nothing of importance.
Once they made it to sweet, stationary, solid land Harry crumpled to his knees and wheezed in relief. If he had eaten anything that day he was sure it would be all over the ground by now.
He had not long to wonder just what was going to happen next for the large man easily lifted Harry high before plopping him into a large side seat to an otherwise dangerous looking contraption. If his aunt or uncle were to have glimpsed it, they would have spent the better part of the day muttering not so quietly about death traps and poor choices.
For once, Harry was starting to agree. What had he just gotten himself into? A large bucket was shoved onto his head and immediately shrunk to fit snug, hiding his wet hair from view and throwing the world into a gray haze. At least the rain stopped its attack on his face.
The man, Hagrid, yelled something out into the wind that he clearly wanted a response to as he kept looking at Harry expectantly. There were only so many questions that could have been asked, so Harry took the easy answer and nodded.
The bike roared to life as if it was fighting the storm as to who could blow out Harry’s minimal hearing more. It wiggled under the guidance of the giant Ashe took control of the bike. Harry sent a silent prayer to nothing that this was not a huge mistake.
It had to be. No one else was foolish enough to leave in a storm, let alone get onto a motorcycle that look more like a toy in the middle of said storm with a man that had taken them from a family that had lied to them for … okay… Harry stopped his thoughts before they could spiral further.
At least Hagrid had seemed to kind of care about him. He even gave him a helmet, something the Dursley’s had hated to provide the fees for when the school had started their bike training and safety lessons.
The city blurred by unbelievably fast. The lights nothing more than streaks in the rain as they weaved around unknown objects. Harry chalked it up to the rain against the visor for his poor visibility.
It slowly dawned on him that he had no idea where this man was even taking him. He had just walked away, willingly, with a stranger and never thought to ask any sort of questions. His primary school teachers were all most likely itching to scold him for this massive blunder. Still, it was better than the lighthouse with a madman with a gun.
As the bike slowed, Harry noticed a surprising lack of rain. There were not even clouds that suggested the storm had passed. No, the weather was calm and not a single surface looked remotely damp. Though, they were all fairly dingy. The outer walls alone would have had his uncle roaring, his aunt fainting, and Dudley itching to get into trouble.
“This way, then!” Hagrid boomed loud enough that Harry jumped. His words had sounded like they had come through a heavy filter, but for the first time they had not had a storm to compete with. His voice was higher pitched than Harry would have expected, but it carried well and was surprisingly easy to make out.
Harry tugged the helmet from his head and shook his hair free. He ran a few fingers through it in an attempt to tame the nest but found that too hard with just how damp and tangled it had become. With a sigh and resignation to his fate, Harry turned to follow Hagrid inside and instantly regretted every choice he had ever made.
The bar was loud. The clattering of dishes and cups, the few people made little difference as their drunk cheers rang painfully loud in Harry’s already abused eardrum. Under all of that, there was a low and constant hum to the place. One that worked to make his right ear ache and the usually numb to the world turn into an echo of said hum.
The hum, like a constant drone of electricity, increased slightly as a group of drunks in the far corner set off a round of colorful sparks which ended with the table unable to maintain a solid color. It rang high before settling once more into a more normal background buzz.
Hagrid, unaware to the inner struggle of his young charge, ordered drinks and led the way to a far table in the back of the bar. The ease with which he accomplished the task had Harry sure this was not a first time visit. If anything, the man was here often.
As he made to follow his giant companion, a boney hand snatched his wrist and forced Harry to pivot back around. The woman was a good deal taller than he was, but by the look on her face you would have thought she the child. Tears, large and unearthly, leaked from her round eyes as she wailed and bowed to him.
Harry, shocked and unsure as to just what was going on, muttered an apology as he wretched his arm free. His retreat was short lived as another stranger came up from his right and followed the strange woman in a deep bow. By this point, the whole bar had turned to get a look at just what had caused the commotion. Harry felt his heart pound, heard nothing but the harsh hum of the new energy, and realized he was trapped here. The door was at the far end, beyond the gathered mass, he’d never make it.
A hand, large and familiar, gripped his shoulder as Hagrid put himself between the growing group of onlookers. With a good booming shout, he sent them all back to their tables. A beat later, Harry found himself seated with a bowl of soup and a roll as the bar did its best to look as if it was not still solie focused on him.
What had he done?
Was it his hair? His eyes?
Was he so special that he would cause such a disturbance?
His eyes stung as he nibbled on the roll. He was no longer hungry, and more tired than he ever could remember being. He had also been thoroughly kidnapped, though there was little that could be done about that at this point. Especially since those around seemed far worse than Hagrid.
The man in question seemed worried that Harry had not eaten. His mouth moved in a way that suggested this fact yet Harry could no longer hear more than a murmur against the constant hum. He signed that he was not hungry, and was really just tired, but the blank stare this received had his stomach sinking further. Of course these people couldn’t understand him, why would they.
Harry muttered nothing in particular as he tried to force yet another bite. His stomach rolled in protest. He was about to attempt vocalizing his needs, something he hated doing when he had no hearing as he was never sure how loud to be, when someone approached their table.
All attempted one sided conversations had died as Hagrid moved to address the stranger. Harry had ignored the change, much like he had ignored most of what was happening around him. It was only when a hand with nails perfectly manicured into dull points flicked into his line of sight did he look up.
A woman stood inches from the table with her glare that screamed aunt Petunia locked onto Harry. She was tall and thin like his aunt, and yet she was stunning. Unlike his aunt who looked more like someone who might break if looked at wrong, this woman looked like her mere presence could break the world.
Her hair was what drew Harry’s attention the most. It was the first time he had seen hair like his. The whole top half of her head, all the way to her ears, was a white blonde. The long strands were pulled into a tight bun while the under half hung free and revealed raven black hair. It was even more distinctive than his own, and for that he was captivated.
The woman turned her sharp eyes to Hagrid as they exchanged another quick word before they were on him again. Harry shrunk into his old chair, sure that it had protested this action. It was one thing to see those eyes rip into another, but to have them turned onto himself made him feel so out of place. That was, until her fingers moved in the silent request for him to repeat himself.
Harry blinked, then blinked again.
The last thing he had expected was for anyone here to ever understand him. Come to find out the picture of grace and power could do just that, his brain broke slightly. With a deep flush, he restated his request and the woman dipped her chin. With little more than a single sentence, of what, Harry had no idea, Hagrid had jumped up to speak with the bar keep and left them alone.
Harry watched as coins for keys were exchanged and turned to send a silent thanks to the woman, only she was nowhere to be found. The crowd around had acted as if she had never been there to begin with. If Harry hadn’t already been losing his mind, he’d have said she had vanished into thin air.
The room that Hagrid had led him to was large. Far larger than any room he had ever seen and he instinctively moved to set up his bedding in the corner. Hagrid was far larger than he was so he was going to need the single bed in the room and-
Hagrid was gone.
Harry looked around the room to see that he was alone. Really alone. The key Hagrid had used to open the room sat on his rooms desk and the bed remained untouched. Harry rushed to the door as his stomach clenched. He gripped the too tall door and turned the handle as hard as he could. The idea that he had been locked away rushed through his ears only to be met with a door that swung open so violently it threw him into the hall.
He had not been locked in. The key was his own. The room was left for him, only him, and he had not been locked away.
Harry pulled himself from the floor with a groan and dusted off. Whatever game this whole adventure had turned into, he was ready to admit they had won. He was far over his head. His eyes stung with tiredness and the bed, bare and thin as it was, looked like a throne made for a king.
Quickly, Harry shut the door once more and locked it from the inside. He unlocked it just to be sure that it would follow his instructions and felt an odd sensation as the gear gave easily. He practiced locking and unlocking the door until his wrist burned, at which point he turned to fall face first into the bed.
The sleep that he fell into was restless. They had been traveling since just passed 12:30 am, and it was well into the morning when he finally laid down. The few hours he was able to steal were full of bizarre dreams, flashes of green, screams so crisp he thought they were from within his own ears, and of course the clunk of locks.
Countless times, Harry had gotten up from his fitful sleep to unlock and swing his door wide just to prove he could. He had scared a few groups doing this, but their shock never equaled Harry’s own as the door always followed his instructions.
Come late morning, Harry finally dragged his tired bones from the old bed. He washed up as best he could and hurried down to make sure he had not been late. To his surprise, Hagrid seemed to be nowhere to be found. Instead, a old man who had not been working the bar that night was busy organizing bottles on the shelf.
Harry had half a mind to head down anyway, as he was ready and there was little for him to do in the empty room, but the logical half won out. He turned on the last step and began a slow climb upwards when that now familiar hum seemed to tap on his ears. Harry turned slightly and saw that the man was watching him with an expectant gaze. Had he asked something?
“Sorry?” Harry said, the easiest way of asking for a repeat he had found.
“Said, ya might as well come eat some late breakfast.” The man repeated, his mouth moved in much the same way as his uncle’s did which made Harry believe him to be louder.
Harry was about to politely decline, as he had no money, but the hum from around his head increased once more as the man flashed a wide grin.
“No money needed, ya paid last night. Come, I’ll go fetch it.” With that, and little watch on whether Harry obeyed the strange request, the man disappeared through the - wait.
Harry blinked. His feet moved far faster than he had thought possible as they skipped the few steps and rushed him to the counter edge. The man, that bar keep, had just walked through a solid wall as if it were not there! There had to have been a trick, some trap door or something, Harry thought. He tried to look at the shelves from every angle and, no, they looked solid. He had half a mind to hop the bar to get a closer look.
Before he could decide that that was a foolish thought, however, the bricks themselves shifted and hopped out of the way as the man returned. Harry was so focused on the wall, that he missed the large tray of food the man had set in front of him. The smell of eggs, bacon, and toast caught up with him and Harry’s stomach let out a roar even he heard.
The man laughed. “Well, never thought this slop would be worth that reaction. Eat up, boy, ya got a day ahead of you.”
Harry flushed deep. The small bites he stole tasted like nothing but comfortable weight that settled into his gut made it all worth it. Once he stopped shoveling food like an animal, an action that would have sent his aunt into an episode, Harry looked at the man cleaning an old looking cutting board.
“What’s yer name, kid.” The man asked.
“Harry.”
“Potter, if I am allowed a guess at the last name?” When Harry gaped at him he only snickered. “‘Tis here, on your room sign in.”
“Oh, right.” Harry flushed again and poked at the last of the egg on his plate. “Don’t suppose you have a name?”
“I do.” The man agreed. The two sat for a moment in silence before Harry gave an unamused slow blink as the man snorted a laugh.
“May I have your name?” Harry tired again.
“Why?” The man asked in return. “Ya some kinda fairy?”
“What? No, of course not, I’m a boy. Fairies don’t even exist.”
“Don’t they?” The man asked and Harry found himself repeating that very question back. The man smiled wider. “Now, ye be askin’ the right questions. Name’s not important, most just call me Earwig.”
“Earwig.” Harry scrunched his nose as the image of the insect Flower had once pulled from Harry’s forearm flashed in his mind. It had been a thing of nightmares, with both the top and bottom half looking like it could do a good deal of damage.
Earwig laughed and nodded. “That’s it, the very same! Misunderstood critters, no less weird lookin’, said to burrow in ones brain and lay eggs.”
“They don’t!” Harry yelped and clapped his hands over his ears against the invisible foe. The dull hum felt muffled by this.
“No, child, they don’t. Though what a wonderful imagination to think they do!”
“Why do they call you Earwig?”
“Not important.” Earwig waved a towel and Harry’s empty plate appeared in his hands. The gasp it earned must have been quite loud. “The great Harry Potter unaccustomed to magic? My, now there’s a story.”
“Magic? Magic is not real. This is all just some big dream or cruel joke.” Harry muttered.
Earwig hummed as he twisted the plate held in his grasp. “If that were the case, how would this plate be mine now?”
“I don’t know.” Harry muttered.
“How would those tables be cleaning themselves?” Earwig motioned to the far tables where the chairs floated off the top and to the floor as they spoke.
“I don’t know.” Harry repeated.
“How would I know that ya be lyin’ to me?” Earwig whispered and grinned as Harry whipped around to stare at him. “Go on then, one little word. I'll even help ya, starts with an m."
“No.” Harry said, he had no idea why but this felt like a test.
Earwig only gave him a sad smile in return and flicked his gaze to the stairwell.
“Harry! There ya are!” Hagrid boomed as he entered the room. A large yawn overtook his next set of words as he approached the unlikely pair. “Thought you’d still be gettin’ some shut eye. No matter, we got a lot to do so best we get a move on.”
“A lot to do? Whatever more could we be doing?” Harry asked. He looked to Earwig who only took Hagrid’s room key with a bow and a motion to the far wall.
“Why, shopping for school supplies of course!”