wait who are you again
Chapter 2
Wait… who are you again.
I wake up to the sound of shuffling through my room as Tash makes her way to the bathroom. The sun is just coming up over the houses and its a bright yellow mixes with reds coating the walls of our room. Say what you want about the view through the day, I know it sucks but in the morning as the sun comes up. Its magnificent. It radiates a warmth that makes you feel that today is the day to accomplish anything. With a faint smile I get up, lifting and swinging my legs to the side, up and over the hammock sides. Rubbing my eyes and smacking my lips at the thought of left over lasagna for breakfast. That's if Sam didn’t have a midnight snack.
Today was the day that I come back with my huge hall of goodies, I'm sure of it, I hope. I do the normal routine, brush teeth, shower and great the day I put on a pair of jeans and a White Snake T shirt before leaving the bathroom. Entering the kitchen I'm greeted with Mickey cheerily making a cup of coffee. “do you want one little man?” he asks as he spots me as he kind of dances around the kitchen listening to some song that must be stuck in his head. He always was a morning person. Me not so much. I mean don’t get me wrong, I'm not Tash. There is just no point even trying to talk to her first thing in the morning, but I ain't all happy go Larry like Mikey.
“Please. That would be fab.” I give him a smile and squeeze by him to open the fridge and grab some left overs. “Fuck sake Saaaaaammmmmm!” He ate all of it, what a prick.
“Don't have s heart attack, I told him just to eat.” not giving him a chance
“You did what? Why? You know how much I love your left over Italian perfection.” He looks at me a bit funny. Turning his head to the side like he's looking at me for the first time.
“it isn't that good is it?” I'm just furiously nodding my head to the contrary “Huh! Well, anyway I'm taking us out for breakfast this morning. So don’t panic that little head of yours, you can get what you want and I'm paying.” I don’t argue with that. I never say no to free food. I sit on the sofa and read a book about the universe and the stars while everyone else is getting ready. Not being able to concentrate with all the noise now going on around me I give up on the reading and just nurse my cup of hot milky goodness.
Its not long before we are all ready and heading out. Mikey takes us to this cafe around the corner. Its so quaint essentially English and I love it. The clinking of cutlery on cup and saucer, the murmur of a dozen conversations all happening at once. Its almost soothing. The smell of freshly bakes buns, cakes and pastries along with the seductive aroma of a beautiful English breakfast. Oh my fucking God, I'm so getting a breakfast. If I'm right doesn’t this place sell home-made baklava? Salivating at the thought of a giant slab of baklava I follow the guys inside. Sam leads us to a table at the back against the far corner wall. Away from the counter but just to the sides of the loo and the door to the backroom.
I sit and look through the menu even though I know what I want. Mikey asks us and we tell him. I dint know why he asks he knows the answer to but sometimes theatre is fun. Going and ordering Mikey leaves us and I get up ad walk to the loo just off to the left of us. I catch someone looking at me and I see this girl just starring at me from two tables down. She would have been at least twelve. She's just looking not blinking like I might just disappear if she did. A slow pink blush mars her cheeks as she realises that I'm not looking directly at her. Her mother to her left notices the interaction and says something to the girl. She looks away embarrassed but says something to her mother. I don’t know what it is I cant lip read but that would be awesome if I could. I think nothing more of it and just continue to the bathroom. I do my thang, wash my hands and leave. Opening the loo door I nearly crash into someone.
“Oops, sorry.”
“Oh, I'm sorry I didn’t…” We both start to apologise at the same time and I look up a little and realise its the girl from table a few down from ours. We just look at each other for a second not sure really what to say, I just want to go from my breakfast but I'm getting the feeling that she wants to say something. Ever the curious little busy body I am, I wait and see what happens. Its another three, maybe four seconds before she finally blurts out.
“areyouHarryPotter.” it was so quick that you could miss it. So quick I had absolutely no idea what she said. I think she guessed this by the look on my face as she just goes bright red from embarrassment but manages but get out, at a much more reasonable pace. “Are you Harry Potter? THEE Harry Potter.” I'm taken aback. This girl knows my fucking name. What the fuck. Does she think I'm famous or something. I just look at her not knowing what to say my eyes feel like they are about to burst from there sockets. I'm scared in not afraid to admit it. I'm a criminal by trade and this girl is walking up to me like I'm some sort of fucking idol. This isn't right. This is dangerous for me. I require anonymity for protection. All thieves do.
“How? How… do you know my name?”
“Oh Merlin it is you.” Merlin? What the fuck does that mean. I can see the others looking at me now. I'm not sure if they can hear the conversation but for fucks sake I hope not, I would never live this down. “I cant believe I actually get to meet you. Are you going to Hogwarts next year, you'll be 11 then?”
“What the holy fuck is Hogwarts?”
“Its our school, we all go to it. That's where we learn magic.” she says that with a low whisper. Magic… I knew it! It does exist, it is real.” At this moment my mind was going a million miles a minute and all I could think of is its real and there are more people like me. People that go do awesome things. Not to mention the fact that there is a fucking school devoted to teaching it. Which means there is so much I don’t know, so much I can learn. What was she saying about being able to go next year.
“There are more people like me?”
“Yeah, of coarse silly, did you not know. Have you been living in the muggle world your whole life?”
“Muggle?”
“People who cant use magic.”
“There is another world?”
“Yes… you really didn’t know. The Boy-Who-Lived doesn’t even know about the world he saved?” I'm blown away by this and my mind is about to explode. She looks at me with a bit of pitty and says “I'm Alice Jennings. I'm going into my second year in September. If you like we could send letters and stuff. My Mum and Dad got me an owl so I could send letters. Where is your address? Actually doesn’t matter owls don’t need them, besides my owl, Dora, is really smart. Just use her to send a reply to me.”
I nod my head, this is amazing. Magic exists and I'm apart of it. If I believed I had magic before, then I know for damn sure now. She smiles at me and waves me off and I walk back to the guys. They are looking at me interestingly.
“Soooooo… have you got yourself a girlfriend then?” Tash looks at me expectantly and I just turn my lip up at her.
“Ewwww no. but I did make a new friend which is nice.” they all just laugh and we crack on with scrannin this delicious meal and we all talk about nonsense. I'm just finishing the few bites of my baklava when Mikey gets all serious. This grabs our attention and we listen. This is the reason he took us out. He's got a job lined up and we might not like it. What a prat. But this is work time now, there is no room to mess around.
“Ive got a line on another job. One that will pay better than anything so far. Its not going to be easy and we will have a little to no room for error. We could go away for a few years if caught. Now I know you'll think that its nothing we haven't done before but this is. Its a high class target and I mean that literally we will be doing over an MP. This is not for the faint of heart. I haven't said yes to the job, yet. I wanted to run it by you. I don’t have all the details but just knowing the target I have a rough idea about what we are getting into. If you guys say no I will understand.” He looks at all of us in turn. Its very quiet while we all contemplate everything.
“How much we looking at?” I say looking directly at him. He knows I'm game, he knows I have a thirst to prove myself to them. He smiles like he expected it of me.
“two hundred.”
“What? That's it?”
“Thousand!”
“Oooowwwww… I’m in!” everyone's eyes are bulging out of their sockets at the mention of two hundred thousand pounds. Fifty thousand each. We could do a lot with that money. Sam looks at Tash and she nods her head once. That was all he needed.
“We’re in too.” Mikey smiles at us. We talk about nothing in particular. Its not wise to talk in details about a job in public. So we head out. As I'm leaving I see that girl and her family. They all wave at me, so I wave back as the girl shouts “I will write to you and tell you all about our school. Tash gives me this ‘what the fuck’ look and I just shrug. Mikey says we ain't working today, so we all go I separate ways. Mikey goes to confirm the job, Sam goes off to his cousins to spend some time with her and her kids. Me and Tash head for the Arcade. Tash is a fifteen year old girl so she wanted to go talk to boys and I had a date with street fighter 2. That top score was mine.
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I'm on the hallway floor. The pain is excruciating. I can feel everything that's happening. I'm trying to think of a happy place but all I can think of is the pain. They hit me as they did it… with their hands, fists and belts. One even got a walking stick from beside the front door and use that as a bat.
One after another they use me, taking turns, seeing who can go the hardest, who can do the most damage. Egging each other on as again and again I'm thrust into a world of pain.
“this is what little faggot freaks get.” I hear Dudley saying over and over again as he uses me. I had no idea that this type of thing was possible. I didn’t know people did this. I had no concept of sex and why should I, why should these boys have any concept of it. We are seven or eight. How would these boys know to do this. It was then. I heard it. I sinister chuckle, low and dangerous. The stairs creaked as the fat fuck descended. Slowly taking each step as he looks at his son on top of me. Me fave down on the floor with his friends holding my arms in place. I start to shake. I know by know that he would not make things better. Things were about to get a whole lot worse. He continues to show encouragement as her slower takes each step. I cant see it but he doesn’t have on any trousers or underpants. He speaks quiet but loud enough that all of us here could here him.
“that's its my boy. You show that disgusting little freak what it only good for.” Dudley moves faster and faster. The pain not so much now I just let it happen. I don’t make a noise any more, I am just residing to my fate. A few more jerks from Dudley as he decides he's finished. He keeps a hold of my legs as he gets up. Vernon is looking down on me with disgust in his eyes. I turn my head a little to the side and can see through the corner of my eye, he's playing with himself as he looks at me. My eyes go wide as I see it. Realisation sinks in and I go bug eyed. I saw what the boys had and they were no where near the size of this. I start to make a valiant effort to get away but Vernon but an end to that swifty by kicking me in the ribs. I feel a sharp pain and hear a crack. Something is broken I know it but there is nothing I can do. I cant move and if I try he will just break more of me.
Straddling me from about he lowered himself onto me, pressing his weight onto my lower back and legs. I feel suffocated, he so heavy and cant take a break. He shifts his weight again positioning himself better. He grabs my hair and pulls as he lines himself up. I'm crying in earnest now. Sobbing as I can only imagine the pain to come. He pushed hard and fast. I scream only to have one of Dudley’ friends cover my mouth.
I wake up startled, shaking and sweating. Panting as I try to remember where I am. I'm in my hammock, I’m not there any more. I'm free from that now. I sit up grab a cigarette in the hopes to calm my nerves. Sam knows about my nightmares. He just tells me to smoke some ganja, that way I wont dream. I think I may have to look into that. No time like the present. I get up go to the living room and roll one. Mikey gets up at some point and goes to the loo and just gives me a little wave as he goes back to bed. I finish up then go to bed again. Hopefully I can sleep a few more hours.
Waking up in the morning I feel a bit heavy but I had no more dreams so I will take it as a plus. Following my normal breakfast routine then talk to Mikey. Today we plan, for tomorrow we will be rich.
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After a few days of discussing the plans over and over. We came to a conclusion that I'm the only one that will be able to get into the house unnoticed. My small stature and ability to get through a doggy door leaves me the only viable option. So as a way to easy my mind from the up and coming shit storm that will inevitably follow, I go for a five finger shopping spree.
Stopping off at this little cafe on the corner of one of the buildings just next the Newcastle College, I get myself a iced latte, decaf as I'm hyper enough as it is. I go to this outside seating area. Its a nice warm day barely a breeze, so why not enjoy a little of what the world has to offer us. I'm guess I'm in a philosophical mood, maybe the nightmares are just getting to me. Last night I managed a who night sleep with no dreams but I did smoke myself retarded so I guess that could be why. And though I'm feeling more rested than I have in a few weeks, I cant help but feel this is only temporary. Only time shall tell.
Dropping my bags under the table and sitting down. I sip my coffee through a straw. Just looking at the people around me. Its nice to get away sometimes and just spend a bit of time by yourself. Just watching the lives of others as they go about their day. I'm pulled from my mind wondering by the sound of “Harry!” the girl from the other cafe. I give her a genuine smile and wave her over. She's not alone. She has another girl with her but I think she's a but younger than her. Probably about my age. She looks to be a bit flustered. They both sit down with me. The table I’m at only has two chairs so Alice Just grabs one from an empty table and sits down next to what I can only imagine is her sister.
“Hi Harry. I was hoping to see you again, this is my sister Annie. I think she will be in your year when you go to Hogwarts. I'm sorry I haven't sent a letter, Ive been trying to write one but I keep thinking I sound so silly. Do you really not know that in the wizarding world you famous?” shaking my head. Shit, famous! I don’t want that, I’m a thief.
“I have no idea. Hell, it wasn't until I spoke to you that I even had an idea there were others like me. Its amazing and Ive been thinking about all the possibility.” I know it could be hard to understand why I find all this so easy to believe when most would not. Well, that's easy. Now that I knew there were others Ive been going out of my way to find out more. So everywhere Ive been going Ive been feeling around so any indication of others. The more actively Ive been looking the more Ive been ‘feeling’. Again and again I walk past people and I get that feeling and not just people either. Its been with buildings to, in fact they sometimes seem to radiate this sense even more than people can.
She slowly looks around make sure we are not being watched and pulled something out from her pocket. I'm thinking she's puling a knife on me or something, it wont have been the first time that someone has done that to me. So I’m mentally preparing to run when I see a stick. She puts it onto the table and looking at me with great pride in her eyes.
“This is my wand. I got it last year when we went to Diagon Ally. Its like the best place ever. I only found out I was a witch when I turned eleven and one of the teachers from the school came to talk to me and my parents after we got my letter. I was so excited. I met Professor Flitwick he was so nice but he was like, really really small.” she laughed good naturedly and I couldn’t help but join in. her enthusiasm is infectious and the more she talks about Hogwarts the more fascinated I become. He sister Annie just sits there listening too, just like me she's hooked on every word.
“When will I get my letter?” I ask leaning forward, sheer glee on my face.
“everyone seems to get them on or near their eleventh birthdays, I think, it was like that with me anyway.” My face dropping must have shown because her smile drops and she looks at me concerned. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” I just shake my head again.
“I don’t actually know when my birthday is. My parents died and Ive been living on the streets for years now. The only family I had weren’t very good to me.” she looks sadund by this. But her sister perks up and says
“I know when your birthday is.” both me and Alice turn our heads slowly to look at her. I don’t really have any emotion on my face right now I'm trying to keep it in. its not often I talk about things like this especialiy with people I don’t hardly know. “its the 31st of July.” I'm taken aback. Seriously this girl knew my birthday and I didn’t. This is so fucked up.
“Really how do you know that?”
“It was in one of the books I read. It was about famous witches and wizards. You are in there because of you defeating the Dark Lord when you were a baby.” Wow, well that's certainly something.
“Okay that brings up so many more questions. Do you have this book I could borrow please. I think it should make for an interesting read?” she nods her head with a nice big smile on their face. I can defiantly see there girls are sisters they have the same features. Small cute nose with a big bottom lip. Big blue orbs for eyes but they weren’t gormless, they had a natural curiosity about them. Both are very pretty too if you into that type of thing, I know Sam would say Alice was ‘hot’, I guess.
We talk more and I ask question after question, I learned a lot. We sat there for hours going over the different subjects that Hogwarts has to offer. Alice talked more about Diagon Ally and where about it was and how they got there. I ended up getting another two drinks for me and the girls while we talked. I even bought some cakes for us all.
All said and done it was an enjoyable afternoon. I get the bus back and I go to the flat to find that the guys are all stood around looking like someone had died. So I said just that “hey guys, who died?” they look at me incredulously. Did they not hear me come in or something. They obviously didn’t but they noticed me now. “someone wanna grab the bags, they're getting heavier and heavier. Sam runs up grabs the bags and just drops them on the floor. He looks at me and wraps me up in a tight hug.
I'm a little bit taken back by this “I'm so glad your okay.” I pat his back and smile.
“Well yeah… this is me your talking about, I'm always gravy, you know that. So what wrong what's happened?” Mikey speaks up
“We though you got killed running from the Rozers. A lad about your age was hit by a car while running. They haven't released pictures or anything but we all just assumed the worst with what the kid try to steal we had thought it definitely you.” I give him a quizzical look and he answers my unsaid question. “He tried to steal a van full of Levi’s.” I burst into laughter at this. I need to meet this kid we are kindred spirits. Finally calming down we all had a little laugh at the poor kids expense.
“Well I didn’t try stealing a van load but I did get us all a few new outfits and not to mention a nice chunk of change to go into the pot.” I put the clothe bag on the kitchen counter and pull open a smaller one. This one didn’t have cloths in, it was full of notes and cards. It looks like a few people just emptied the entirety of their wallets and purses into the bag. “There is at least £500 in there. Hopes that helps.”
“Did you take your cut?” I shake my head, he knows I never take my cut, if I want it I steal it, simple. He hands me a few notes, at least a hundred quid worth. I just give him a thankful nod and we all talk about the day we had. I did well but once again Mikey out done us all. He's been trying the longer style cons and its been doing well. This last one netted him a cool three grand. So with high spirits we enjoy a night full of fun and laughter and plenty of illicit drugs. God I love being high on spirits.