Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ It's Just Twelve Inches of Wood ❯ Out of the Rut ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: The Coven 
Chapter One. Read and review! ^_^
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.10.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 742 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter One. Read and review! ^_^
Non Anime: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.10.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 742 | Status: Work In Progress
<b>Disclaimer:</b> This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. <b>No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.</b>
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So, this is the first chapter of a small project some authors from AFF.net started and I'm REALLY curious about the outcome. Hopefully, you're too. If you want to contact any of the authors and they don't have an account on here, then please go to the Coven profile/bio in order to get their links. ~Slytherine
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<b>REVIEWS give the writer a good feeling and bring them good luck, did you know that?</b>
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<b>Author: ZooArmy
Wonderful Beta: DracaMalfoy</b>
and THANKS to<b>GRABALLZ</b> for fixing the first part of the chapter. It's perfect.
Warnings: None for this chapter.
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<b>`IT'S JUST 12INCHES OF WOOD'</b>
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So, this is the first chapter of a small project some authors from AFF.net started and I'm REALLY curious about the outcome. Hopefully, you're too. If you want to contact any of the authors and they don't have an account on here, then please go to the Coven profile/bio in order to get their links. ~Slytherine
.
<b>REVIEWS give the writer a good feeling and bring them good luck, did you know that?</b>
.
.
<b>Author: ZooArmy
Wonderful Beta: DracaMalfoy</b>
and THANKS to<b>GRABALLZ</b> for fixing the first part of the chapter. It's perfect.
Warnings: None for this chapter.
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<b>`IT'S JUST 12INCHES OF WOOD'</b>
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Harry stood in front of the shop window and stared at the display dumbly, too deep into thoughts to notice anything. Was this what he wanted for real? Yes, he thought - actually - hopefully. If not, he could still drop out, he told himself and sighed heavily.
This morning he had found the small advertisement in the Daily Prophet and thought it would be perfect for him. He would travel a lot, get out of his rut. A rut that wasn't much than sleeping, eating, sports, meeting friends and a lot of bore.
After his last year at Hogwarts and the defeat of Voldemort his life had gotten a bit… he struggled for words… okay, okay, his life was unfulfilled and without sense - at the moment, mind you.
And here he stood to change a thing about it. Wasn't that proof enough that he wanted to give his life some sense again? Yes, he wanted this! Definitely. Harry looked up and down the street before he went to the entrance and stepped into the shop. A small bell, above the door, announced his appearance.
It was shortly before closing hour and the shop was completely empty, except for him. He heard the rolling of the shelf ladder and only seconds later the shop owner Ollivander appeared on his ladder with a broad grin.
“Ah, Mr Potter, I wondered how long it would take you to find the entrance of my shop and stop staring at my empty shop window?”
`Oi.', Harry thought, but seemingly the old man hadn't changed much through the war. He had been forced to close his shop shortly before hell broke free in the wizarding world and Diagon Alley wasn't a safe place anymore.
Now, one year after Harry's victory, the wand-maker was back and seemed to be his usual self. Maybe a bit older and haggard, the brunette thought.
“What can I do for you, Mr Potter?” He shook himself out of his thoughts. This happened too often lately. Ollivander stood behind the counter and he, Harry, hadn't even noticed him coming down his ladder.
“I… I've seen your advertisement in the Daily Prophet this morning.”
“Aah,” The small man's eyes lit up. “So, you've given up on your plans to become an Auror? If I may so express myself that was a good decision in my opinion.”
Harry wrung his hands nervously. Ollivander was a nice man, no doubt there, but sometimes his behaviour was `a bit' scary. “Yes, er, since the defeat of Voldemort…” the man didn't flinch and Harry scrunched his eyebrows. “I don't feel like becoming an Auror anymore. I endangered my life long enough, I think. Maybe I'll try later, in five years or so.”
Why did Ollivander stop smiling? Had he said something wrong? Harry recalled what he had said seconds ago, but nothing had been offensive and mentioning Voldemort hadn't scared him either. What was the problem?
“Oh, Mr Potter, if you're looking for something unperilous this won't be the right profession for you. After all… procuring ingredients for wands, integrants I might say, are not easy. You would travel with a partner, but obtaining phoenix feathers, unicorn blood, elf-hair or Centaur tail hair, to name but a few, is nothing to treat lightly.”
Harry gulped painfully. Maybe Ollivander was right. He wanted to do this until he was sure what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but danger again? Nice and easy sounded good for a while, but would he stay sane? Didn't he need excitement in his life? The last year had been split somewhat. The first half he had used to heal - physically and mentally. He hadn't thought much about fighting, protecting or danger. Everything he had wanted was to get his life back and away from media that hunted him like Death Eaters did before.
The second half of the year had been…excruciatingly long. The flood of reporters had ebbed down to a sufferable amount and Harry had free-time on his hand. If he'd have had so much time on his hand while being at school, he thought, he'd have written nothing but perfect tests and gotten perfect marks, because he'd have had A LOT of time to study.
Getting a girl- or boyfriend was out of question, as well. It wasn't like he hadn't tried, but many people didn't dare approach him, because of his `status'. Once, in a club, a girl had fainted when he had asked her to dance. Another time a boy had bolted, when he had asked him to dance, all the time screeching `Oh my god, this is too much. This is too much'. And those people who didn't faint, bolt and dare approach him, he soon found out, were only obsessed with him as `the saviour' or wanted their five minutes of fame.
All in all the last six months had been horribly lonely. His friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Weasley, née Granger, had tried to spend as much time possible with him, but their jobs kept them busy. Ron had turned his second childhood dream into reality and run through Auror training. His first childhood dream, to become professional Quidditch player, would most likely stay what it was - a dream. Hermione worked at the ministry, but never really told what exactly she was occupied with, always saying it was confidential.
“-ter? Mr Potter?” Harry snapped out of his trance-like state and scolded himself mentally for loosing himself in his thoughts again.
“I'm sorry, Ollivander.”
“Oh it's nothing. Why don't you stroll a bit around the shop to think about your decision while I close the shop?” Harry nodded. Actually he had come to a decision already. He wouldn't survive another year, or even half-year, full of nothingness and without some action, but obtaining permission to look through shelves laden with boxes and boxes full of wands was too tempting to tell Olivander his decision now.
He stepped into the first aisle and was in awe. He couldn't see the end of the aisle; the shelves on both sides seemed to go on for ever.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ollivander looked after Harry Potter until he vanished inside one of the many magical aisles. If that boy would work for him, he could be rather sure to get every needed ingredient from every ever so dangerous place. Before the war, he had felt strong and young enough to travel the magical world of Great Britain or Russia, once he had been in Sweden as well, but now he felt emaciated.
He was still of unimpaired mental faculties to manufacture wands, but his body… his body didn't follow his mind anymore and he thought hiring two young, adventurous men to get him everything necessary was the best idea he had in a long time.
Ollivander went over to the shop entrance and turned the `Open - Closed' sign around, showing outwards `Closed - we're back for you in 13h 59min 55sec' and the time counted down. He pulled the key out of his pocket and put the key in the lock.
A knock was heard from outside and pulled him out of his musing and every evening routine. He looked through the glass of the door, saw a familiar face and opened the door. The small bell chimed again. “Good evening, Ollivander, is it already due closing hour?”
“Good evening, Mr Malfoy. I hope it's a good sign to see you so soon again.” Ollivander said good-humoured and received a small smile from Malfoy, what was more than many people would ever receive.
“Yes, I hope so myself. The post is still vacant?” Draco asked hopefully and stepped around the small man into the shop.
“Oh, does that mean you made a decision and want to work for me?” Draco only nodded and Ollivander produced right away a piece of parchment out of the blue. “That's wonderful, Mr Malfoy. This is the contract. The payment will be…”
“I don't care about the payment. I don't do this for money, but to do something.” Draco butt in. He pulled out his wand and signed the contract without reading it, let alone making sure that his name was written correct.
“Don't you want to read the contract?” Ollivander asked stunned, but rolled the parchment up and let it disappear in a small cloud of smoke.
“No. You can send me a copy to Malfoy manor. I've got to go now. I wish you a good night, Ollivander.” Draco opened the door and stepped out.
“Ah, Mr Malfoy.” Draco turned around and looked at the old man that seemed a bit taller now that he had stepped two steps down. “Please, be here tomorrow morning nine o'clock.” The blond young man nodded and the older man closed the door slowly.
“Ollivander!” Draco called and the wand-maker paused. “Eurm, thank you, for giving me this chance and trusting me.” He apparated away, before the other had a chance to respond. Ollivander closed the door and locked it.
“Mr Potter?” The small man called and heard the well-known sound of his shelf ladder.
“I wanted to do this, since I entered this shop for the first time.” Harry said happily, when he appeared on the ladder and came to a halt at the beginning of the shelf. “Did you have another customer yet? I heard the small bell.” The brunette climbed down the ladder and went over to the shop-owner.
“Ah yes, that was your partner-to-be. That is, if you want the job.”
“Who will be my partner?” Harry asked, not even trying to hide his nosiness.
“Will be? Does that mean wandering my shelves helped you and you made a decision? But as I already said, it's no job to expect office work.”
Harry snorted and looked down at Ollivander. “I thought that much and I want to do it.” The boy-who-lived stretched out his hand and held it out for the other. “Will I get the job?” Ollivander took the hand and shook it with a firm grip.
“Yes, Mr Potter, when you'll have signed this contract…” like before, he produced a piece of parchment out of the blue. “you'll be one half of my two new assistants, providing me with ingredients.” Harry grabbed the roll of parchment and unrolled it slowly. “The payment will be…”
“I don't care about the payment. I don't do this for money, but to do something.” Harry butt in. If Ollivander had a déjà-vu he didn't show it at all.
Unlike Draco, Harry read the contract from first to last line and signed it afterwards without questions or objections. The wand-maker let the labour contract vanish again in a puff of smoke and see Harry to the door. “I await you to be here tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.” Ollivander said while unlocking and opening the door.
“Alright, Ollivander. Have a good night.”
Harry waved once more through the closed door and apparated away to his flat in a suburb of London. The moment he felt the floor under his feet he hit his palm against his forehead. Blimey, he'd forgotten to ask who his partner would become. Well, he would know it in some hours and it couldn't be that bad, could it?
He had made a right decision, a good decision, Harry thought when he went over to his bathroom and stripped down on the way, leaving a trail of clothes behind. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. Cold water hit him mercilessly and he jumped aside. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't remembered to wait a moment before stepping under the water jet, not to loose vital body parts by frostbite.
As soon as the water had a pleasant temperature, close to scalding hot, he began washing his body and hair. He turned the water off, when he was done and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel from the rack he towelled himself, threw the wet towel over the shower glass door and went out into the living room - stark naked.
“Harry!” Hermione screeched and the brunette thought his heart would cease to beat. He looked with huge shocked eyes at his two best friends sitting on his sofa and tried to cover himself as fast and effectively as possible. “Where have you been?” the girl yelled. Ron sat next to her, looking like he felt sorry for Golden Boy.
“Er, under the shower.” Harry said dumbfounded.
“No, you pillock. Where have you been all day? I've tried to fire-call you all day, because we haven't seen us for full week.”
“Herm, if you haven't noticed yet I'm naked and I start freezing.” Harry said sarcastically, sounding a bit annoyed and embarrassed at the same time.
“Merlin, as if you've something I haven't seen already.” Hermione retorted and pursed her lips.
“What? You've seen Harry naked?” Ron yelled.
“No, Ronald! But seen one, seen `em all.” Hermione retorted again and rolled her eyes.
“But, but, I don't look like…”
“HEY! Could you please stop discussing my genitals?” Harry cried before he stormed off to his bedroom. He came out again, wearing jersey pants and muscle shirt and flopped down on one armchair. “So, why again did you intrude my home?”
“We didn't intrude your home!” Hermione said indignantly.
“You're here. Inside my flat. Without my consent. - That's trespass.” Harry said, an evil smirk on his face.
Hermione's mouth stood wide open and Ron needed to suppress his laughter. “That's… That's… oh, Harryyyy. AAARGH. Just tell me where you've been.”
The brunette chuckled amused and threw his legs over one armrest. He picked at his nails as if nothing concerned him. “I was in Hogsmeade all day and then I got a job.”
This time both his best friend's mouths stood wide open and he enjoyed the display with relish. His little revenge for `burgling' his flat for the umpteenth time. “You… WHAT? Oh, Harry that's great. What, where will you work?”
“I'll work for Ollivander and travel around to get him his ingredients to manufacture wands.”
“That's so cool.” Ron said.
“Uhum.” Harry answered.
“That's dangerous.” Hermione said.
“Uhum.” Harry answered.
“You're nuts.” Hermione said.
“Yeah, I always had such feeling.” Harry said dryly and Hermione glared daggers at him. “Herm, cool down, I won't travel alone. I have a partner I'll get to know tomorrow.” He could see the relief in the girl's eyes and needed to bite the inside of his cheek not to groan or roll his eyes.
About one hour later, the married couple left the flat and Harry grabbed some food from the fridge and snuggled in a large blanket in front of the telly.
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He had been so nervous this morning that he hadn't eaten breakfast, just the thought of food nauseated him. And now he stood in front of Ollivander's, half an hour early. He had tried to look good, you could never know if your partner would be a real cutie or maybe handsome. He looked good, not overdressed, but good. He wore a mint green button-up shirt instead of a t-shirt and black well-fitting jeans instead of loose-fitting one. The only thing that drove him up the walls was, as ever, his hair. It was a mess.
In the end he had given up, threw his brush in the bin and apparated to Diagon Alley, only noticing that he was early when he stood in front of the closed wand shop. Harry read the small sign in the door. `Closed - we're back for you in 00h 29min 14sec'. He was about to turn around and look for something to do for the next 30minutes, when the door opened and Ollivander yelled from the inside. “Come in. It looks like rain.”
Harry didn't need to think twice. He took the two steps and went into the shop that looked so small from the outside, and closed the door with another chime of the small golden bell. “Good morning, Ollivander.” He called into the empty shop.
“Good morning, Mr Potter.” The wand-maker looked out of one aisle. “Aren't you a bit early?” Harry smiled sheepishly. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” The small man asked and a bar stool appeared next to the counter that Harry could sit easy.
“Yes, coffee would be wonderful, thank you.” A loud rumble was heard outside and in a blink of an eye, rain fell in sheets. Harry took the bar stool and sighed in relief. By now he would have been drenched, if Ollivander hadn't let him in. The sky was pitch-black and was only relumined with lightning that was closely followed by thunder.
`A nice way to start a new job.', Harry thought. Ollivander appeared with a mug of hot steaming coffee, a sugar basin and coffee cream on a small tray. “Thank you, but don't you drink one as well?” Harry asked confused and poured a bit coffee cream in his coffee.
“Nah, the caffeine isn't good for my…” they were interrupted by the small bell. Golden Boy looked over to the entrance and saw a tall, lean figure clad in black stepping into the shop. His face was hidden under the hood of his cloak and the water dripped off the fabric and pooled on the floor in a small puddle.
Harry stared flagrantly and thought that he just had witnessed the sexiest made-for-a-movie appearance ever. “Good morning, Ollivander.” The foreigner said and Harry tried not to think anything. What if the other was ugly or even worse, dumb as a pole?
“Good morning, Mr Malfoy. Seems like the weather wasn't on your side, huh?”
`MR MALFOY???', Harry's mind screamed at him. This couldn't… this wasn't… no, no, there were more Malfoy's around, right? RIGHT? This couldn't be… The foreigner took his hood down… it was… bollocks… it really was Draco sodding Malfoy with all his blond hair and pale skin and grey eyes.
Harry groaned loudly and slammed his head on the counter top. He had thought of Malfoy as sexy. Yuck! The green eyed young man lifted his head after a moment and looked into two pairs of eyes that watched him suspiciously. “Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy” Ollivander said when he procured another bar stool for Malfoy and placed it on the other end of the counter. “I think you know each other. And now you will become my two assistants.” The small man vanished again to get another coffee.
He felt Malfoy's eyes on him and wanted to slam his head back on the top. What had he done to deserve this? Was god that angry with him? He lifted his eyes and stared back at the git in black.
“Potter.” Malfoy said and Harry didn't know what he should make of it. The Slytherin prick had said his name neither with contempt nor with any niceness. Was he bloody Switzerland, or why did he keep it neutral?
“Malfoy.” He said and tried too to put no emotion in this one word. The blond only smirked and Harry thought he was back at Hogwarts. All the emotions that only a Malfoy could create in him flared up again. Malfoy's smirk only broadened when he glared at the snake and suddenly it dawned on Harry.
The bloody git toyed with him; he wanted to see Harry erupt because of him. The brunette's anger vanished at once and a smirk appeared on his lips that rivalled Malfoy's.
`Someone cheered too soon. No way will that happen ever again, Malfoy.' Harry thought when he brought his mug to his lips, never leaving Malfoy out of his eyes.
This morning he had found the small advertisement in the Daily Prophet and thought it would be perfect for him. He would travel a lot, get out of his rut. A rut that wasn't much than sleeping, eating, sports, meeting friends and a lot of bore.
After his last year at Hogwarts and the defeat of Voldemort his life had gotten a bit… he struggled for words… okay, okay, his life was unfulfilled and without sense - at the moment, mind you.
And here he stood to change a thing about it. Wasn't that proof enough that he wanted to give his life some sense again? Yes, he wanted this! Definitely. Harry looked up and down the street before he went to the entrance and stepped into the shop. A small bell, above the door, announced his appearance.
It was shortly before closing hour and the shop was completely empty, except for him. He heard the rolling of the shelf ladder and only seconds later the shop owner Ollivander appeared on his ladder with a broad grin.
“Ah, Mr Potter, I wondered how long it would take you to find the entrance of my shop and stop staring at my empty shop window?”
`Oi.', Harry thought, but seemingly the old man hadn't changed much through the war. He had been forced to close his shop shortly before hell broke free in the wizarding world and Diagon Alley wasn't a safe place anymore.
Now, one year after Harry's victory, the wand-maker was back and seemed to be his usual self. Maybe a bit older and haggard, the brunette thought.
“What can I do for you, Mr Potter?” He shook himself out of his thoughts. This happened too often lately. Ollivander stood behind the counter and he, Harry, hadn't even noticed him coming down his ladder.
“I… I've seen your advertisement in the Daily Prophet this morning.”
“Aah,” The small man's eyes lit up. “So, you've given up on your plans to become an Auror? If I may so express myself that was a good decision in my opinion.”
Harry wrung his hands nervously. Ollivander was a nice man, no doubt there, but sometimes his behaviour was `a bit' scary. “Yes, er, since the defeat of Voldemort…” the man didn't flinch and Harry scrunched his eyebrows. “I don't feel like becoming an Auror anymore. I endangered my life long enough, I think. Maybe I'll try later, in five years or so.”
Why did Ollivander stop smiling? Had he said something wrong? Harry recalled what he had said seconds ago, but nothing had been offensive and mentioning Voldemort hadn't scared him either. What was the problem?
“Oh, Mr Potter, if you're looking for something unperilous this won't be the right profession for you. After all… procuring ingredients for wands, integrants I might say, are not easy. You would travel with a partner, but obtaining phoenix feathers, unicorn blood, elf-hair or Centaur tail hair, to name but a few, is nothing to treat lightly.”
Harry gulped painfully. Maybe Ollivander was right. He wanted to do this until he was sure what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but danger again? Nice and easy sounded good for a while, but would he stay sane? Didn't he need excitement in his life? The last year had been split somewhat. The first half he had used to heal - physically and mentally. He hadn't thought much about fighting, protecting or danger. Everything he had wanted was to get his life back and away from media that hunted him like Death Eaters did before.
The second half of the year had been…excruciatingly long. The flood of reporters had ebbed down to a sufferable amount and Harry had free-time on his hand. If he'd have had so much time on his hand while being at school, he thought, he'd have written nothing but perfect tests and gotten perfect marks, because he'd have had A LOT of time to study.
Getting a girl- or boyfriend was out of question, as well. It wasn't like he hadn't tried, but many people didn't dare approach him, because of his `status'. Once, in a club, a girl had fainted when he had asked her to dance. Another time a boy had bolted, when he had asked him to dance, all the time screeching `Oh my god, this is too much. This is too much'. And those people who didn't faint, bolt and dare approach him, he soon found out, were only obsessed with him as `the saviour' or wanted their five minutes of fame.
All in all the last six months had been horribly lonely. His friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Weasley, née Granger, had tried to spend as much time possible with him, but their jobs kept them busy. Ron had turned his second childhood dream into reality and run through Auror training. His first childhood dream, to become professional Quidditch player, would most likely stay what it was - a dream. Hermione worked at the ministry, but never really told what exactly she was occupied with, always saying it was confidential.
“-ter? Mr Potter?” Harry snapped out of his trance-like state and scolded himself mentally for loosing himself in his thoughts again.
“I'm sorry, Ollivander.”
“Oh it's nothing. Why don't you stroll a bit around the shop to think about your decision while I close the shop?” Harry nodded. Actually he had come to a decision already. He wouldn't survive another year, or even half-year, full of nothingness and without some action, but obtaining permission to look through shelves laden with boxes and boxes full of wands was too tempting to tell Olivander his decision now.
He stepped into the first aisle and was in awe. He couldn't see the end of the aisle; the shelves on both sides seemed to go on for ever.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ollivander looked after Harry Potter until he vanished inside one of the many magical aisles. If that boy would work for him, he could be rather sure to get every needed ingredient from every ever so dangerous place. Before the war, he had felt strong and young enough to travel the magical world of Great Britain or Russia, once he had been in Sweden as well, but now he felt emaciated.
He was still of unimpaired mental faculties to manufacture wands, but his body… his body didn't follow his mind anymore and he thought hiring two young, adventurous men to get him everything necessary was the best idea he had in a long time.
Ollivander went over to the shop entrance and turned the `Open - Closed' sign around, showing outwards `Closed - we're back for you in 13h 59min 55sec' and the time counted down. He pulled the key out of his pocket and put the key in the lock.
A knock was heard from outside and pulled him out of his musing and every evening routine. He looked through the glass of the door, saw a familiar face and opened the door. The small bell chimed again. “Good evening, Ollivander, is it already due closing hour?”
“Good evening, Mr Malfoy. I hope it's a good sign to see you so soon again.” Ollivander said good-humoured and received a small smile from Malfoy, what was more than many people would ever receive.
“Yes, I hope so myself. The post is still vacant?” Draco asked hopefully and stepped around the small man into the shop.
“Oh, does that mean you made a decision and want to work for me?” Draco only nodded and Ollivander produced right away a piece of parchment out of the blue. “That's wonderful, Mr Malfoy. This is the contract. The payment will be…”
“I don't care about the payment. I don't do this for money, but to do something.” Draco butt in. He pulled out his wand and signed the contract without reading it, let alone making sure that his name was written correct.
“Don't you want to read the contract?” Ollivander asked stunned, but rolled the parchment up and let it disappear in a small cloud of smoke.
“No. You can send me a copy to Malfoy manor. I've got to go now. I wish you a good night, Ollivander.” Draco opened the door and stepped out.
“Ah, Mr Malfoy.” Draco turned around and looked at the old man that seemed a bit taller now that he had stepped two steps down. “Please, be here tomorrow morning nine o'clock.” The blond young man nodded and the older man closed the door slowly.
“Ollivander!” Draco called and the wand-maker paused. “Eurm, thank you, for giving me this chance and trusting me.” He apparated away, before the other had a chance to respond. Ollivander closed the door and locked it.
“Mr Potter?” The small man called and heard the well-known sound of his shelf ladder.
“I wanted to do this, since I entered this shop for the first time.” Harry said happily, when he appeared on the ladder and came to a halt at the beginning of the shelf. “Did you have another customer yet? I heard the small bell.” The brunette climbed down the ladder and went over to the shop-owner.
“Ah yes, that was your partner-to-be. That is, if you want the job.”
“Who will be my partner?” Harry asked, not even trying to hide his nosiness.
“Will be? Does that mean wandering my shelves helped you and you made a decision? But as I already said, it's no job to expect office work.”
Harry snorted and looked down at Ollivander. “I thought that much and I want to do it.” The boy-who-lived stretched out his hand and held it out for the other. “Will I get the job?” Ollivander took the hand and shook it with a firm grip.
“Yes, Mr Potter, when you'll have signed this contract…” like before, he produced a piece of parchment out of the blue. “you'll be one half of my two new assistants, providing me with ingredients.” Harry grabbed the roll of parchment and unrolled it slowly. “The payment will be…”
“I don't care about the payment. I don't do this for money, but to do something.” Harry butt in. If Ollivander had a déjà-vu he didn't show it at all.
Unlike Draco, Harry read the contract from first to last line and signed it afterwards without questions or objections. The wand-maker let the labour contract vanish again in a puff of smoke and see Harry to the door. “I await you to be here tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.” Ollivander said while unlocking and opening the door.
“Alright, Ollivander. Have a good night.”
Harry waved once more through the closed door and apparated away to his flat in a suburb of London. The moment he felt the floor under his feet he hit his palm against his forehead. Blimey, he'd forgotten to ask who his partner would become. Well, he would know it in some hours and it couldn't be that bad, could it?
He had made a right decision, a good decision, Harry thought when he went over to his bathroom and stripped down on the way, leaving a trail of clothes behind. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. Cold water hit him mercilessly and he jumped aside. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't remembered to wait a moment before stepping under the water jet, not to loose vital body parts by frostbite.
As soon as the water had a pleasant temperature, close to scalding hot, he began washing his body and hair. He turned the water off, when he was done and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel from the rack he towelled himself, threw the wet towel over the shower glass door and went out into the living room - stark naked.
“Harry!” Hermione screeched and the brunette thought his heart would cease to beat. He looked with huge shocked eyes at his two best friends sitting on his sofa and tried to cover himself as fast and effectively as possible. “Where have you been?” the girl yelled. Ron sat next to her, looking like he felt sorry for Golden Boy.
“Er, under the shower.” Harry said dumbfounded.
“No, you pillock. Where have you been all day? I've tried to fire-call you all day, because we haven't seen us for full week.”
“Herm, if you haven't noticed yet I'm naked and I start freezing.” Harry said sarcastically, sounding a bit annoyed and embarrassed at the same time.
“Merlin, as if you've something I haven't seen already.” Hermione retorted and pursed her lips.
“What? You've seen Harry naked?” Ron yelled.
“No, Ronald! But seen one, seen `em all.” Hermione retorted again and rolled her eyes.
“But, but, I don't look like…”
“HEY! Could you please stop discussing my genitals?” Harry cried before he stormed off to his bedroom. He came out again, wearing jersey pants and muscle shirt and flopped down on one armchair. “So, why again did you intrude my home?”
“We didn't intrude your home!” Hermione said indignantly.
“You're here. Inside my flat. Without my consent. - That's trespass.” Harry said, an evil smirk on his face.
Hermione's mouth stood wide open and Ron needed to suppress his laughter. “That's… That's… oh, Harryyyy. AAARGH. Just tell me where you've been.”
The brunette chuckled amused and threw his legs over one armrest. He picked at his nails as if nothing concerned him. “I was in Hogsmeade all day and then I got a job.”
This time both his best friend's mouths stood wide open and he enjoyed the display with relish. His little revenge for `burgling' his flat for the umpteenth time. “You… WHAT? Oh, Harry that's great. What, where will you work?”
“I'll work for Ollivander and travel around to get him his ingredients to manufacture wands.”
“That's so cool.” Ron said.
“Uhum.” Harry answered.
“That's dangerous.” Hermione said.
“Uhum.” Harry answered.
“You're nuts.” Hermione said.
“Yeah, I always had such feeling.” Harry said dryly and Hermione glared daggers at him. “Herm, cool down, I won't travel alone. I have a partner I'll get to know tomorrow.” He could see the relief in the girl's eyes and needed to bite the inside of his cheek not to groan or roll his eyes.
About one hour later, the married couple left the flat and Harry grabbed some food from the fridge and snuggled in a large blanket in front of the telly.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
He had been so nervous this morning that he hadn't eaten breakfast, just the thought of food nauseated him. And now he stood in front of Ollivander's, half an hour early. He had tried to look good, you could never know if your partner would be a real cutie or maybe handsome. He looked good, not overdressed, but good. He wore a mint green button-up shirt instead of a t-shirt and black well-fitting jeans instead of loose-fitting one. The only thing that drove him up the walls was, as ever, his hair. It was a mess.
In the end he had given up, threw his brush in the bin and apparated to Diagon Alley, only noticing that he was early when he stood in front of the closed wand shop. Harry read the small sign in the door. `Closed - we're back for you in 00h 29min 14sec'. He was about to turn around and look for something to do for the next 30minutes, when the door opened and Ollivander yelled from the inside. “Come in. It looks like rain.”
Harry didn't need to think twice. He took the two steps and went into the shop that looked so small from the outside, and closed the door with another chime of the small golden bell. “Good morning, Ollivander.” He called into the empty shop.
“Good morning, Mr Potter.” The wand-maker looked out of one aisle. “Aren't you a bit early?” Harry smiled sheepishly. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” The small man asked and a bar stool appeared next to the counter that Harry could sit easy.
“Yes, coffee would be wonderful, thank you.” A loud rumble was heard outside and in a blink of an eye, rain fell in sheets. Harry took the bar stool and sighed in relief. By now he would have been drenched, if Ollivander hadn't let him in. The sky was pitch-black and was only relumined with lightning that was closely followed by thunder.
`A nice way to start a new job.', Harry thought. Ollivander appeared with a mug of hot steaming coffee, a sugar basin and coffee cream on a small tray. “Thank you, but don't you drink one as well?” Harry asked confused and poured a bit coffee cream in his coffee.
“Nah, the caffeine isn't good for my…” they were interrupted by the small bell. Golden Boy looked over to the entrance and saw a tall, lean figure clad in black stepping into the shop. His face was hidden under the hood of his cloak and the water dripped off the fabric and pooled on the floor in a small puddle.
Harry stared flagrantly and thought that he just had witnessed the sexiest made-for-a-movie appearance ever. “Good morning, Ollivander.” The foreigner said and Harry tried not to think anything. What if the other was ugly or even worse, dumb as a pole?
“Good morning, Mr Malfoy. Seems like the weather wasn't on your side, huh?”
`MR MALFOY???', Harry's mind screamed at him. This couldn't… this wasn't… no, no, there were more Malfoy's around, right? RIGHT? This couldn't be… The foreigner took his hood down… it was… bollocks… it really was Draco sodding Malfoy with all his blond hair and pale skin and grey eyes.
Harry groaned loudly and slammed his head on the counter top. He had thought of Malfoy as sexy. Yuck! The green eyed young man lifted his head after a moment and looked into two pairs of eyes that watched him suspiciously. “Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy” Ollivander said when he procured another bar stool for Malfoy and placed it on the other end of the counter. “I think you know each other. And now you will become my two assistants.” The small man vanished again to get another coffee.
He felt Malfoy's eyes on him and wanted to slam his head back on the top. What had he done to deserve this? Was god that angry with him? He lifted his eyes and stared back at the git in black.
“Potter.” Malfoy said and Harry didn't know what he should make of it. The Slytherin prick had said his name neither with contempt nor with any niceness. Was he bloody Switzerland, or why did he keep it neutral?
“Malfoy.” He said and tried too to put no emotion in this one word. The blond only smirked and Harry thought he was back at Hogwarts. All the emotions that only a Malfoy could create in him flared up again. Malfoy's smirk only broadened when he glared at the snake and suddenly it dawned on Harry.
The bloody git toyed with him; he wanted to see Harry erupt because of him. The brunette's anger vanished at once and a smirk appeared on his lips that rivalled Malfoy's.
`Someone cheered too soon. No way will that happen ever again, Malfoy.' Harry thought when he brought his mug to his lips, never leaving Malfoy out of his eyes.