Harry's Summer Vacation

Thirty minutes later, the four were pulling up to a massive, almost forbidding building on the Western edge of Roanapur.  Harry ended up carrying Sawyer once more, and she guided them up a flight of metal stairs to a fire door.

Inside, Harry looked around a little as he carried the slightly built woman to her couch.  The windows were all covered, and the decor was very western.  Couch, overstuffed chairs, and a coffee table all stood before a large projection television, and towards the back he could see the kitchen.

"Huh.  I not know this was above U.G. Pork," Shenhua commented, peering around.  "You have good taste, Sawyer."

Lotton sat the bag of food down that Harry had bought.  As Harry dug in, he asked, "So, we stand in the insidious lair of the largest legal employer in Roanapur.  It's very nicely appointed."

"Thank you," Sawyer buzzed out, reclining fully on the couch while gesturing for them to sit down.  "It wasn't... easy getting all of... this in Roanapur."

"So, Healer.  You is Harry?"  Harry nodded, his mouth now full of bacon cheeseburger.  "You do good work on me."

Harry shrugged at the praise.  "I'm told my work is 'passable'.  I keep forgetting the painkiller spells."

Lotton nodded at that.  "I have heard of that.  A common error among beginning healers.  Regular physicians tend not to have that issue, but they can't simply wave a wand and make everything better."

"Well, it happens a lot to me," Harry admitted after a sip of Coke.  "I keep forgetting that other people have less of a pain tolerance.  How are you feeling, Miss Shenhua?"

"Feeling great now!  And please, just Shenhua.  Formals is not required."

"Lotton is sufficient as well."

"Sawyer."

He smiled at that.  "Harry, then."

"I will admit to a bit of envy," Lotton began, sipping at his bottle of water.  "My father's magic was sealed in the seventies, and it affected me.  Thankfully, my father never looked down on me for it, nor anyone in the mixed magical community I grew up in in Reno."

"Sealed?  I didn't know that a person's magic could be sealed," Harry stated incredulously.

Lotton smiled a little at that.  "My father was originally British.  He attempted to enter government service in the Ministry's martial branch, but was rejected for his blood being 'insufficiently pure'.  A few years later, our home was attacked by Death Eaters.  Once my mother and I were clear, my father forced them to abandon their efforts.  According to my father, he hunted them down for almost two years.  It took the Dark Lord himself to seal my father's skills, and even then he had to have some of the more insane members of his followers harrying him at every opportunity."

Harry's eyebrows creased at that.  "Wait, your dad was the guy who wiped out half of Voldemort's Inner Circle?"  

Lotton nodded at that.  "Voldemort somehow managed to use a ritual meant strictly for the use of the Ministry to seal his magic.  A ritual designed to be used against serial offenders of the Statute of Secrecy.  But it took the Lestranges and the Carrows to keep my father off-guard long enough for it to stick.  He escaped by using an emergency portkey."

"Damn.  My investment manager talked about him.  How he was all sorts of gifted and such.  And Voldemort..."  Harry's voice trailed off there, leaving the other three looking at each other in confusion.

"If...  If something can be done," Harry muttered to himself, "then it can sometimes be undone.  If...  Maybe..."

"Harry?" Lotton softly asked, leaning forward a little.  "What are you saying?"

"If...  I think that there is a possibility of reversing what happened to your dad," Harry admitted, looking Lotton directly in the sunglasses.  "Let me do some research on this before anything else.  I wouldn't want to give anyone false hope over something this important."

Lotton's eyes grew wide at that.  "That is fair.  The consultants that my father went to couldn't even identify the ritual.  Why do you believe....  Ah.  Of course."

Lotton was silent for a moment before Shenhua blurted out, "Well not keep to self!  What is obvious?"

"Harry Potter," Lotton began, "who killed Voldemort as an infant, if the tales are accurate.  The natural, nearly pre-ordained nemesis of Voldemort.  That's you, isn't it?"

Harry rolled his eyes before nodding.  "Yeah, that's me.  The whole Boy-Who-Lived thing is a crock.  I mean, how does a fifteen month old baby defeat what everyone thinks of as the most evil Dark Lord in memory?  Throwing a dirty nappy at him?  Chucking stuffed animals that are miraculously magical weapons?"

"That would be... metal as hell," Sawyer buzzed out, her shoulders shaking with mirth.

Harry's head slowly drifted to one side as he considered that.  "Yeah, that would be metal as hell, wouldn't it?" he mused aloud.  "But yes, I'm Harry Potter, Hero of Magical Britain, for all the fucking good it's done me," he ended with as mutter.

"If you could accomplish such a feat, my family would owe you greatly," Lotton admitted.  

"Like I said, I don't know yet, so don't get your hopes too high," Harry warned.  "Research first, then we can work out the potential of pay, alright?"

"Absolutely," Lotton replied smoothly.  "I expect no less.  Now," he continued, shifting verbal gears, "I had not expected Sawyer the Cleaner to actually own the largest pork processing facility in Thailand.  Most impressive.  How did you accomplish such a feat?"

Sawyer blushed a little at the praise, saying, "Big card game.  Me and members... of an African mob.  Only other person... left was deep in the hole.  He placed U.G. Pork... in the pot against my winnings.  He lost."

"Hah!  I bet he no like how that went down," Shenhua commented.

"I was seventeen... and already cleaning... mostly for the Triad.  He sent hired guns... to scare me into... signing it back over.  I sent them back... in bags.  Not my most... elegant work.  Once the fear... set in, I went... after him.  Took everything.  That was three years ago.  Now I supply... most of the region with pork.  All at USDA standards.  Highest pork standards... in southeast Asia."

"Most impressive.  Essential services as a disposal expert, and the largest legal employer in the city.  You have my most ardent respect, Sawyer," Lotton gracefully admitted with a sitting bow.

"Seriously, why you not host at club?" Shenhua huffed out.  "You got look, got hot voice, know how to accessorize and make nice talk.  Why not?"

Lotton's cheeks pinked a little at that.  "I... don't do well with crowds.  Or loud music.  And I'm allergic to alcohol.  All of these preclude me from employment in that industry."

"Hmf.  I would go to host club with someone like you there," Shenhua groused, folding her arms huffily.  "Some people not be having taste."

"Sawyer, how are your legs?" Harry asked.

"Getting better," she admitted, smiling slightly.  "Thank you for being... willing to carry me."

"Sure thing," Harry replied, smiling in return.  Harry then cringed, opened his mouth as if he was going to say something to someone next to him before closing it.  Seeing all three of them look at him in confusion, he said, "Sorry, it's an internal thing."

Lotton nodded at that.  "That's fair.  We all have our own thoughts, and sometimes the unworthy ones attempt to flee."

Harry considered that for a moment.  On one hand, this was Roanapur, where personal privacy was held at a premium.  On the other hand, Lotton had been quite forthcoming with him, and Sawyer had let him into her home after having met him less than an hour earlier.  And everyone was sharing openly.

And then the memory of Roth's voice floated up.  'You and Lara have good instincts.  You just have to be able to trust them.'

Harry sighed, then began, "It's like this.  Have any of you heard of House Magics?"  Lotton and Sawyer shook their heads, while Shenhua nodded hers.  "House Magics are basically magical knowledge that is exclusive to a family.  It's spells, effects, and so on.  And those magics tend to be focused on the Head of House, the person leading the family.

"A couple of months ago, I got ahold of an ancient set of House Magics.  Apparently me not fully merging with them is rarely done, and I really like having the advisor in the back of my head.  Until now, where he is heckling me.  Usually I can just tell him off, but ranting to thin air isn't generally seen as a good look.  And it turns out that I'm shit at the internal chatting."

"Oh, that is odd," Shenhua claimed.  "Yeah, usually new head takes in magics, not hold at side.  And what is he heckling you over?"

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, saying, "Because I think that Sawyer is really cute."

Sawyer's blush hit incandescent levels even as Lotton blinked and Shenhua smirked.  "Ah, so he dirty minded, yes?"

"He really likes Revy.  Like, a lot.  I respect Revy, but I don't really like her like that.  Whereas Salim is clearly an ass man.  I basically have the fun, dirty-minded uncle in the back of my head."

Lotton snickered a little at that as Shenhua's smirk broke into a toothy grin.  Meanwhile Sawyer slowly shrunk down into the couch, looking bashful (and still blushing).

"Anyways, yeah.  That's why I did that.  Thankfully he isn't doing a running commentary while I walk down the street, but there are times, especially when I hit the Red Light District for some of the food carts."

"Aiyah, that be annoying," Shenhua commented, her smile not fading.  "But at least we know what look for when that happen, yes?  Sawyer, you have big TV.  Movie buff?"

Her blush finally beginning to fade, Sawyer replied with, "Video games.  I managed to... snag a Playstation early... in the year in Japan.  Also have Famicoms... and Sega consoles."

"If you're interested," Lotton cut in, "I could bring over my Super Famicom with the link cable.  Maybe play some head-to-head?"

"That would be... great.  We'll have to talk... about it later."

"Unfortunately, I've been awake all day," Harry said, standing up.  "Lotton, would it be possible for you to drive me back?"

He nodded.  "It shouldn't be an issue.  I should drop the car off to Miller's people.  Shenhua, would you like a ride home?"

"No thank you," Shenhua replied, her eyes sparkling a little.  "I think I stay here.  Sawyer and I have girl talk, yes?"

"That would be fine.  Harry, can I... get your number?"

On the drive back, Harry asked, "Do I want to know what 'girl talk' is going to mean?"

Lotton smiled at the question.  "You're what, fourteen or fifteen?  Given Sawyer's blush, it's likely that she thinks you are cute as well.  They'll probably be discussing that over snacks."

"Argh.  I can't believe Salim timed it like that."

"Ancient house, right?  Logically, if he wanted you to admit to it rather than internalize and agonize over it like a teenager, then his timing was impeccable," Lotton calmly disagreed, taking a somewhat longer route back towards the waterfront.  "If he is as you describe, then he would not be in favor of holding out, instead being one to simply pursue one's desires."

"I guess," Harry reluctantly admitted.

"But in all seriousness," Lotton began, "do you really think that you can help my father?"

"There are... unique circumstances that make it a possibility," Harry cautiously began.  "Between House Magics, the stuff I'm learning with the Healer's Guild, and other sources, I might be able to do something.  It's pretty much just a theory at this stage."

"I see.  And I understand not wanting to make any promises at this juncture."

21 August, 1994
Harry's Apartment

Unfortunately for Harry, he still woke up at his usual time, regardless of how little sleep he'd actually gotten.  Groaning, he still shook himself before starting his morning coffee.

As the unit brewed, he said, "So, was Lotton right?  You know, about me not internalizing?"

'No.  That was me heckling you,' Salim replied, a smirk very evident in his voice.

"God damn disembodied voices," Harry muttered, looking over the map of the city he'd gotten from a departing tourist a few days prior.  "Hmm.  For breakfast maybe... Korean?  Vietnamese?"

'Given your nutritional requirements, may I advise Hindi?'

"Huh.  Good point.  And there's a Hindi place not too far.  Far enough for a walk to wake up the appetite.  So, just heckling?"

'Well, mostly,' Salim admitted.  'Your tastes in women tend to run counter to the tastes of the previous holders.  Then again, in those days surgery and clothing didn't exist to modify a woman's features.  The identifiers for a healthy woman were much more honest than they are today.'

"That's fair, I suppose," Harry commented, pouring himself a cup.  "So, Sawyer.  Opinions?"

'Attractive, in a chronically diseased waif sort of way,' Salim brutally stated.  'The base appearance is not conventionally beautiful.  Narrow hips, minimal breasts, and the scars are concerning.  The dark circles under her eyes indicate a general, long-term lack of restfulness.'

"Fuck, tell me how you really feel," Harry murmured around his steaming mug.  "And I'm not one to judge on scars; you know that."

'I wasn't talking about the one on her throat,' Salim stated.  'That was clearly from an incident outside of her control.  I was mentioning the scars on her wrists.  Those indicate a tendency to self harm, or repeated attempts of suicide.'

"Ah."  Harry paused for a moment, recalling the medical spells that he'd cast less than six hours ago.  "Except that none of them are fresh.  All of them read more than a year old."

'As for the positives, she clearly has a good mind if she is able to run two separate businesses.  Large-scale swine butchering as well as corpse disposal?  Most impressive.  And her musculature is well developed, from what I could tell when you carried her.'

"True.  Still cute to me; I don't care what you say."

'Nor should you.  Although her reaction was priceless.  Clearly you both think each other attractive.  Not a bad thing at all, especially at this stage in your life.  And if I'm right, you two are only about five years apart in age.  It's not a bad thing to see an older, more experienced woman as attractive, so long as you don't limit yourself to 'one and done', as I believe the phrase goes.'

"Wow.  You are really leaning into the Dirty Uncle bit aren't you?"

Harry could feel Salim smiling at that.  'Yes, I like being the fun, dirty-minded elder figure.  I don't believe that I've ever been able to do that before.  It's quite entertaining.'

"I bet," Harry muttered, washing his coffee cup before getting dressed.  He'd discovered that sleeping in anything more than bare skin was extremely uncomfortable, especially with the air conditioning barely cutting into the oppressive humidity.

'However, I will admit that my timing could be better.  I just couldn't resist when I saw how she was looking at you, all while knowing that you were seeing her in the same way.'

"Yeah, yeah," Harry replied as he tied up his boots.  "So, it's Sunday.  The Lagoon is out with the customer, I don't have work today with Gurrimurra.  What should I do..."

'I recommend against mental diving until at least Tuesday,' Salim commented.  'You went in for far too long yesterday, and need to recover.  However, perhaps we should hit the various shops, see what hobby things are out there that might interest you.'

Two hours later (and three separate breakfasts; it turned out that Harry got hungry when he was tired), he walked into a small shop.  Twenty minutes of resisting the owner trying to upsell, Harry finally walked out with a fairly inexpensive RC car.  He walked down the street, mentally noting what stores were open on a Sunday morning as he trundled along, the streets almost empty in the clear, warm mid-morning.

Finally he arrived at the Lagoon Company's dock office.  Looking it over, he noted that it was less grubby than before it burned down, but was otherwise unchanged.  A handful of men were fiddling with something on the corner of the building.

"Excuse me," Harry said, slowly walking up.  One of the them, a Chinese man in a nice, tan suit, looked at him.  "Would you be willing to tell me what you're doing so that I can inform Dutch?"

The man who looked over nodded to the other three before walking over to Harry.  "And you are?"

"Harry Potter, sir."

"I see.  Dutch called our boss to reconnect the utilities.  I am Biu Yuen, assistant to Mr. Chang."

"Okay.  Dutch mentioned that last night.  Thank you for this," Harry replied, bowing.

Biu's eyebrows rose at the sign of respect.  "Sure thing.  What are you doing here, anyways?"

"I was planning on using the alley next to the office to test my RC car," Harry answered, holding up the box.  "Can't really do it at my apartment, and I don't know if Roanapur even has any parks."

"This city has three," Biu commented.  "Nearest one is on the south end of the city.  And I wouldn't go there."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm one of Mr. Chang's men, and I wouldn't go there.  Leave it at that."

"Yes, sir," Harry dutifully replied, not having a clue while mentally noting to ask Revy or Dutch about it later.

"Run along, kid.  Go use the alley; just stay out of the way."

Three hours of playing with the little gas-powered car later, and Harry had discovered that he really enjoyed it.  Packing it all up, he saw that the men were gone, so he entered the dock office to check out his handiwork.

Everything was there, seemingly in it's place.  The tool boxes looked new, as did the tools.  The fuel drums also looked new, but Harry discovered them to be empty after rapping on them to check the levels like Benny had showed him.

The office itself was also seemingly intact.  The books on the shelves were there, and readable.  The paperwork that he himself had been going over a couple of days prior were even there, completely intact.  The only things that hadn't survived were the contents of Dutch's bottles of scotch.

Harry spent the rest of the day studying the artifacts in the trunk that he was paid, using the techniques gleaned from Himiko and Tom to figure out what all the stuff did.

Monday arrived, and Harry spent the morning with breakfast, haggling with a merchant over the price of raw green jade, and haggling with another merchant over the price of Ironwood and Pyinkado woods in amounts less than a truck load.  The afternoon and evening was spent at the clinic, where Harry had to assist with a difficult birth in addition to being judged (again, still) over his bedside manner when it came to injuries.

Tuesday came along, and Harry received a text from Benny: The Black Lagoon would enter port that morning, and to meet them at the city office on Thursday.