Races & Racehorses
January 19th
When Tommy told Harry that he'd take him to a horse race, Harry didn't really believe him. It sounded great, which was probably why Harry didn't think it would happen.
Harry could barely sleep on Saturday night, thinking all night about the races. Arthur said that Tommy didn't go for ‘women or wine' and Harry really wanted to spend the whole day seeing the horses, watching them race.
So it probably wasn't going to happen.
"Harry?" Remus knocked on Harry's bedroom door early on Sunday, waking Harry up. "Tommy will be here soon."
Harry was wide awake then, jumping out of bed and hurrying to get dressed. Sirius had brought Harry a trunk full of clothes, an ‘apology gift' he called it. Harry was excited while he dug through them, finding something to wear for the race.
"Remus?" Harry opened his door and yelled out of it. "What do people wear to races?"
Because Harry had never been before, but he was going.
"Dark trousers, one of your school shirts," Remus called back. "Add your coat and cap and you'll be fine."
"Thanks!" Harry dressed exactly as Remus told him to, hurrying as quickly as he could. Harry wanted to be ready the second Tommy arrived, he didn't want to miss anything.
Harry paused to look in the mirror, turning to make sure he looked alright. Harry sort of looked like Tommy did with the cap and brown trousers, it wasn't a bad thing.
"Were you and Tommy ever more than friends?" Harry asked Remus when he joined him in the living room. Remus seemed to choke on his coffee and he turned a horrible shade of semi-purple.
Harry waited, sort of assuming that was all the answer he needed.
"We - no." Remus cleared his throat and his face slowly returned to his normal shade. "Tommy and I were never more than friends."
"Sure," Harry said skeptically. There was something between Remus and Tommy, Harry was sure of it. Tommy might give Harry a different answer if he asked him, but Tommy was scarier than Remus was. Not… really scary. Harry wasn't scared of him, he did see other people act terrified of Tommy.
It was a bit of a riot - Tommy was a skinny bloke with big blue eyes who smoked a lot and people would dart out of his path when he walked and rush to get him anything he wanted.
"I heard Tommy was talking about getting you a horse," Remus said. It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, not that Harry wanted to push the issue. "You like riding that much?"
"I do like to ride," Harry said. "I don't think he's getting me a horse though, but he said I can ride his anytime I wanted as long as he wasn't using her."
"Ah," Remus smiled. "You've won Tommy over. Don't let him fool you, Tommy's never been one to share his belongings with others."
"I think he only puts up with me because he likes you," Harry said, very subtly. "He's nice though, a bit terrifying, but so is Hermione."
"Hermione Granger?" Remus started to smile, though Harry wasn't joking. "She's terrifying?"
"Remus, she caught Snape on fire," Harry told him seriously. "We were eleven, and she caught Snape on fire as a distraction. That's mental."
"I…" Remus stared at Harry for a second before he nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose that is somewhat terrifying. I wouldn't mention it to Tommy, if you don't mind, he may try to recruit her to the Peaky Blinders."
Harry had a great image of Hermione running around with her wand, catching blokes on fire and lecturing everyone for smoking. Really, it didn't make her all that different from Remus.
"You should eat something, Harry," Remus said. "There's toast and eggs in the kitchen. It's rather a long drive to London."
Harry helped himself to food and brought Remus a plate as well. The eggs were delicious and the toast was just perfect - something Harry was sure to tell Remus.
"I enjoy cooking," Remus said. "Truthfully, I may talk with Tommy about giving the Garrison over to Arthur and I. I imagine that we would be more than adequate at running things."
"I bet he would," Harry said. "That would be fun, running a pub."
"It could be, couldn't it?" Remus said. "Perhaps if the races go well today then I'll talk with Tommy about it. Arthur needs something to distract himself, keep his head away from the war. With Sirius and Barty living there, it would be an ideal place for me to set up most of my operations."
"Do you - do you miss teaching?" Harry asked hesitantly. Remus seemed to like it, it made Harry feel badly that he gave up his job just to… kidnap Harry.
Alright, and maybe it was more than a kidnapping by then. Harry didn't like to think about it, but Remus had been rather disturbed by Harry's boggart. And Remus mentioned that he didn't think Harry was safe at Hogwarts - though apparently it wasn't Sirius who Remus was worried about, but Dumbledore himself.
Or, at least, that was the feeling Harry got about the whole thing.
"Hm? Oh, heavens, no." Remus chuckled and shook his head. "I enjoy teaching you, the other students though? Horrid beasts, truly. I don't know how Minerva kept her sanity all these years. They made me want to drink daily."
Harry politely didn't point out that Remus still drank daily anyway, though he supposed it was usually with Arthur. Thankfully, there was a crisp knock on the door and Harry jumped right out of his chair. Harry honestly didn't think it was actually going to happen, going to the race, and he was ecstatic when it was Tommy standing in the doorway.
"Harry." Tommy nodded his head shortly at Harry. He looked past him to see Remus and Harry swore that a muscle in his jaw twitched. "Remus."
"Tommy," Remus said, much more warmly than Tommy had been. Harry was sort of dying to understand what the history between them was… they seemed very intense at times around each other.
"We best be off," Tommy told Harry. He seemed unwilling to look directly at Remus, but he did it briefly. "John is running the betting house today, if you have no other obligations, you should join him."
"Sounds fine to me," Remus said. Remus was grinning like something about Tommy was amusing him… Harry really wanted to know what there was between them.
"Alright," Harry eagerly agreed with Tommy's order. He waved to Remus after he pulled on his coat. "I'll see you later, bye."
"Be safe," Remus told him. "Defend yourself if you need to."
Harry couldn't imagine what he would need to ‘defend himself' against at a horse race. Maybe against being trampled by a horse? They wouldn't be running all over the place, would they?
Harry suddenly had a great number of questions he wanted to ask Tommy, but he managed to stay quiet while they climbed in Tommy's automobile. It was a nice one, shiny black metal and quieter than Uncle Vernon's had been. Tommy seemed relaxed while he drove and smoked, one hand resting on the window of his door and the other on the steering wheel.
"You are staring," Tommy said, abruptly startling Harry from what had been a pretty obvious stare. Tommy's eyes flicked to the side, one of his eyebrows rose a very small amount. "If you have questions, you are permitted to ask them. I assure you, I'll tell you when I get tired of answering them."
Harry grinned, even if he wasn't sure that it was a joke. Tommy hadn't been tired of Harry's questions yet, so he figured he was safe to ask a few of them.
"Are horse races dangerous?" Harry asked first. "Also, were you and Remus ever together?"
Two questions - equally important. If either of them caught Tommy by surprise, he was very good at hiding it. Tommy made a quiet hum that Harry took to mean he was thinking and Harry waited patiently for answers.
"Horse races are not dangerous, I tend to be dangerous, which I imagine is what Remus's warning was for," Tommy eventually said. "And no, Harry, Remus and I were never lovers. I understand that Remus may flaunt his preference in lovers to the world, but you would do best to not discuss such afflictions to others."
An affliction?
"You mean… being with blokes?" Harry checked. "That's the affliction?"
"Yes, Harry," Tommy said calmly. "I believe that Small Heath only tolerates Remus's past preferences because he's known to be a dangerous gypsy cursed by the moon. You would be given no such leniency."
Harry worked through that for a few minutes in silence. Remus was attracted to blokes, but it was okay because people were too scared of him to tell him it wasn't okay. If Harry was attracted to blokes, he'd - what? Be beaten up? Sneered at?
Was Harry really scared of either of those things? Was he even attracted to blokes? Harry never thought about it before, but… well, Oliver Wood was terribly fit, but so was Angelina Johnson. If Harry wanted to be attracted to blokes, he would be, and if someone wanted to beat him up over it… well, Remus didn't seem like he'd love the idea of Harry getting his arse kicked.
"I didn't say I was, I was just curious about you and Remus," Harry said stubbornly. "You two act a bit strange around each other, that was all."
"Our history is extensive," Tommy said. "My family coddles him, I see his many flaws. Remus is as much of a menace as he is an asset. I suppose that would make for strange behavior at times."
"I don't think Remus is that flawed," Harry said. Sure, Remus kidnapped him and brought a death eater in their home and forgave Sirius before Harry was ready to even see him - but he also adopted Harry and said he'd never have to go back to Privet Drive and called Harry family.
"You have the benefit of innocence," Tommy said - it sounded like an insult, though Harry doubted if it was meant to be. "I assure you, Remus is no saint."
Neither was Tommy though, he seemed just as unstable as Remus could be, and he said himself that he could be dangerous. Harry didn't feel afraid of him though, Tommy seemed like… like… like maybe he'd kill someone for someone in his family or his men who worked for him, but Harry didn't think he'd kill any of his family.
Tommy was meant to kill Danny and only pretended to, giving him a second chance to live his life and get better. Remus did that too - gave people second chances. Sirius might have been innocent, but Harry wasn't going to forget anytime soon that Barty had been a death eater.
Harry didn't want to spoil their day by arguing about Remus though, instead Harry tentatively asked Tommy about the upcoming race and was relieved when Tommy started talking about that instead. The talk about the horses, the way that bets worked, and the jobs that Tommy wanted to find for his men carried them clear to London.
The further they drove from Small Heath, the more relaxed Tommy seemed to be. Harry never really considered Tommy terribly stressed until they got out of his automobile and Harry saw the loose lines in his body, the easy way he tucked his hands in his pockets.
Harry tried to mimic his posture, his walk, and thought he was doing a fair job at it. Then Tommy looked over at him, his lips twitched, and Harry began walking normally.
"Sorry," Harry muttered, embarrassed to be caught. Harry knew that Tommy was flawed, but he was brilliant as well. People listened to him, respected him, asked him for his opinions on things. Tommy seemed terribly sad at times, but Harry liked him, he wouldn't be unhappy to be more like him.
"No matter," Tommy said, always so even and calm. "Here we are, head up and eyes straight, lad. That's the best way to always move."
Harry did lift his head up and looked straight ahead while Tommy took them through the gate for the arena - pitch? Field?
Whatever it was called, Harry loved it immediately.
There were people milling around leisurely, women dressed up in fancy dresses and colorful hats. There were men standing in clusters, sharing cigars and talking loudly about their bets and the horses.
Harry didn't see any horses on the track that ran in an oval in the center of the field, but he could smell the earthy scent that Tommy's stables shared. All of the sights, sounds, and smells had Harry bouncing some while he walked, excited to see a real professional horse race.
"I will show you the stables, then I need to run a few errands before the races begin," Tommy told Harry. "You are free to browse and stay in the main areas, I will find you."
Harry didn't have any problem with that, he wasn't a child who needed babysat. Harry could definitely entertain himself while Tommy did whatever errands he needed to do; Harry remembered something about him getting his men jobs in the races for bets or something.
Maybe scams, it sounded like scams when Polly explained the bets to Harry before. Not that Harry cared, it wasn't really his business, not as long as it didn't keep him from seeing the race.
They had to walk through an underground tunnel to get to the stables. There was a man in the alley, guarding the gate, but he only nodded at Tommy and tipped his cap when they passed.
"One of my own," Tommy told Harry. "Having loyal men in good places is key to keeping things running smoothly."
Harry didn't know why he never thought about it before, but he realized that Tommy would be a really good Slytherin. He was cunning, smart, and definitely able to get what he wanted most of the time.
And since Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and Barty Crouch Junior was a Ravenclaw, Harry knew that Tommy being a Slytherin really didn't mean he was evil. A bit insane and unstable, but not a bad bloke.
The stables drove away any of Harry's thoughts of Hogwarts though. As soon as they stepped out of the tunnel and into the stables, Harry felt his body relaxing at the familiar sounds of horses neighing and the simple smells of a stable.
"Brilliant," Harry breathed, his head swiveling side to side while they slowly walked down the aisles and took in the horses.
Tommy glanced over at Harry and the cool ice that usually filled his eyes had melted, leaving something warm and blue in its place. "Quite," he agreed. "I'll leave you to browse, I'll find you shortly."
Harry nodded rather distractedly, more interested in the many different horses than he was whatever errands Tommy had.
Each horse was different, special. They all had their names on plaques attached to their stable door. Their names were sometimes funny, things like Candy Bucket and Birdie's Baby, but some of them made Harry imagine they were fast.
One horse that Harry paused outside of his stall was definitely fast, Harry could tell just looking at him. The horse's name was Demon of War and his dark eyes did seem a bit demonic. He was huge, much larger than Amaris, with a speckled grey coat and a more muscular looking body.
Harry started to reach out to pet him when someone caught him.
"He bites."
It was too late, Harry was already reaching out, but he was pleasantly surprised when Demon didn't bite him and instead let Harry pet his face gently.
"Oh." A boy walked around Demon and grinned when he saw Demon nuzzling his face in Harry's hand. "Would ya look at that?" he said in a thick accent. "He doesn't usually like strangers."
Harry looked away from Demon for a moment and then firmly swung his gaze back to the horse, ignoring the boy and the way Harry's face heated up.
The boy was - was nice looking, he was probably a bit older than Harry, but much taller. The short sleeved shirt he wore showed lean arms, tanned by the sun with a few scars here and there. It was his smile that made Harry's face burn though, a really good smile.
"Sorry," Harry said, not sorry enough to stop petting Demon. "I didn't mean to bother you, I - I just like your horse."
"He isn't mine," the boy said, leaning against Demon easily. "I just take care of him. You're not one of us, are you?"
"I… no?" Harry said. If he didn't know what ‘one of us' meant then he probably wasn't one of them. "I'm Harry," he said. "I just wanted to see the horses."
"Taylor," the boy said. He reached out and unlocked the pen gate. "Demon boy is up for the first race, you wanna wish him luck?"
Yeah, Harry really did. Harry slipped in the pen and grinned when Demon started nuzzling him hard. For a horse that didn't like strangers, he was rather sweet.
"You here to watch the race?" Taylor asked him, slipping a piece of straw in his mouth to chew. "No offense, mate, but you don't look like much of a jockey."
"I'm here for the race," Harry explained. "My - er… my dad's friend brought me."
Remus was sort of like Harry's dad, he supposed. He did kidnap and adopt Harry, he said they were family. It was an easy enough explanation.
"If you're bettin' you should bet on this boy here," Taylor said, patting Demon on the side. "It's his first year, he's ready for a race."
Harry wasn't betting because betting sounded like a scam in one way or another - also he didn't think they'd take galleons… Also he didn't bring any galleons.
"Are you riding him?" Harry asked. It was easier to talk to Taylor if Harry looked at Demon and not Taylor's very brown eyes.
"Me? No." Taylor chuckled. "I'm just a stable boy, mate. I wasn't made for jockeying."
Yeah, that kind of made sense. Tommy said jockeys were thin, light, Taylor looked… strong. He looked strong and fit.
Not much of a seeker either.
"Oi! Anderson!" A bloke walked down the stable hall, glaring at Taylor. "The fuck are you doin', boy? Get that beast ready to go!" He paused when he saw Harry, but his glare didn't lessen any. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked roughly. "Get your grubby paws off my horse."
"Sorry." Harry lifted his hands off the horse immediately and would have left the stall if the man wasn't blocking him. "I was just - just wishing him luck," Harry said. "He's a good horse."
"Good?" The man laughed and Harry cringed internally, he seemed rather horrid. "He's a fuckin' means to an end, laddie. Get the hell away from him."
Harry didn't get a chance to say that he couldn't because he was being blocked in before Tommy returned, popping up at the perfect time.
"Perhaps if you moved your blind arse, my charge would be able to comply," Tommy said coolly, not needing to glare to make the man cower. "Harry, come along."
Harry managed a nod when Taylor opened the gate for him and winked, then Harry moved quickly to Tommy's side. The other man was scowling darkly at Tommy, but he didn't say anything until they started walking away, back toward the race track.
"Fuckin' gypsies," he said before it sounded like he spat on the ground.
Harry looked at Tommy, but Tommy only shook his head shortly. Tommy wasn't a gypsy though, that was what they called Harry and Remus - gypsies instead of wizards.
"Sorry," Harry said when they were outside of the stables and surrounded by crowds for the races again. "I wasn't trying to cause trouble."
"You seem to be the type of child that troubles finds regardless of your intentions," Tommy said. He didn't seem unhappy, he only paused for a moment to light a cigarette. "For future's sake, Harry, you should avoid going around horses on the day of a race. It's gotten children killed before."
For - for petting a horse? That was insane.
"Why would someone kill a kid for petting a horse?" Harry asked, trailing alongside Tommy around the track. Tommy wasn't headed to the stands, but to the side of the track nearest the main gates.
"Horse owners invest money in their horses, they bet their livelihoods on having a horse that will win races," Tommy explained. "Children have been used by their competitors in the past to injure other horses, keep them from placing well. A gypsy child could be shot on sight and the owner would send their horse to race with their blood still cooling."
That was horrifying, actually. So Tommy was wrong and Remus was right - horse races could be dangerous.
"Why did that man call you a gypsy?" Harry asked when they were Tommy seemed to want to be. There were a lot of men around them, swapping around bits of paper and watching the clock as it counted down to the race. It was noisy, Harry didn't think anyone was paying enough attention to them to hear Harry's question.
"My mother was Romany, as is Polly, the Shelbys are all gypsies," Tommy said, pausing to glance down at Harry briefly. "Not in the same sense as you and Remus, though I believe you would know many more curses than I."
Not really. Harry's education was kind of cut short. Remus had the books to teach Harry, but nothing they covered yet included curses.
The volume of the others got louder then and Harry saw that horses were beginning to be led out on the track. Harry was easily able to find Demon of War with a man leading him along to the starting line. The other horses were all massive, beautiful horses that were made for speed.
If Harry could ride a racehorse, just one time… it would probably be just as good as flying, he was sure of it.
Harry squeezed through the crowd to get as close to the fence as he could, giving himself a good view of the track. Someone was shouting a countdown and there was an announcer introducing the horses; the entire crowd seemed to be buzzing with excitement and Harry finally understood what it must be like to be in the stands during a quidditch match.
"Did you place any bets?" Harry asked Tommy, seeing that he had followed him. He pointed at Demon and grinned as the horse proudly tossed its head after the jockey mounted him. "I would bet on him."
"That's because you are much like Remus," Tommy said. "See how he fidgets? This is his first race, he's not trained enough, not ready. The other horses know what's expected of them, they are prepared to push themselves."
Harry thought that Tommy was counting Demon out too early, but he turned out to be right.
As soon as a horn blared, the horses all took off and Harry eagerly began cheering for Demon as others were for the horse they favored. Demon did great at first, keeping up pace and almost taking the lead on the first straight, but when the others turned gracefully at the bend, Demon twisted and turned and seemed to fight against it.
"C'mon," Harry breathed, gripping the fence hard as if he could will the horse to win. "Go, Demon, go."
The jockey got Demon back in the race, pushing him down the next straight and catching back up to the others. Harry really thought he was going to at least finish in a good place, then on the next turn Demon started fighting again.
"Demon of War looks like he'd rather be anywhere else!" the announcer said, setting the crowd off in jeers and mocking laughter. Harry only winced when Demon reared up and refused to take the turn, just as the jockey struck him with a strap to try and push him.
Demon buckled at the knees, knocking the jockey off, and then he rolled and started galloping away.
"And Demon of War is out, just as Birdie's Baby takes first place!"
"Untrained," Tommy tsk'd. "I would say that the horse won't run another race."
"Yeah." Harry was disappointed, he seemed like such a good horse. "I guess he didn't like it."
"His owner certainly won't be pleased," Tommy said. "Race horses are huge investments, having to put one down is a loss to any man."
"Yeah… wait. What?" Harry looked up at Tommy as he realized what he said. "Put him down? Like kill him? They'll kill Demon just because he didn't win?"
Tommy raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Do you expect him to continue paying for his food and care when there will be nothing for him to gain?"
"But you have Amaris!" Harry said. "You don't gain anything from her! They can't just kill Demon because he doesn't like to race!"
"I am different from his owner," Tommy said, entirely too calmly. "I ride for pleasure, he raises horses for profit."
Harry watched Demon of War be led off the track and felt his heart breaking for him. "That's awful," Harry said. "Just because he didn't win this race doesn't mean he couldn't win another one."
Tommy hummed while the second round of horses were being led out. Harry's excitement about it all sort of dimmed when me imagined the losing horses all being shot down, killed for not winning.
So it wasn't much like a quidditch match after all.
"You believe that Demon of War could be useful?" Tommy asked Harry.
"I believe he shouldn't be killed for losing," Harry said. "Does everything have to be useful?"
"In my world? Yes," Tommy said bluntly. His gaze softened when he saw the stubborn tilt to Harry's chin. "In the soft world of a child? I suppose not. Come along then, let's see if Demon of War's owner will be willing to negotiate with gypsies."
Harry didn't know what Tommy planned on doing, but if it meant they could keep a horse from being put down then he was completely willing to go along with it.