Butterfly 09 - LM/HP
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My friend, Mykaila, came back from Turkey this week. She bought me a diary (and Sarah said it was expensive, because she got one last year) and it looks just like Tom Riddle’s, except that the cover is leather with metal corners. It even has yellow pages. I said it was brilliant when I thanked her. Her brother said, “Until it starts writing back”. Grin. Thought I’d share my amusement. Mykaila didn’t get it, cause she doesn’t like Harry Potter, but Andrew and me found it funny.
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Words: 3,435
Chapter 9
July 31st 1988. Little Whinging.
The phone was ringing.
Evan knew he should answer it, but he didn’t want to let Harry go. His arms tightened around the boy, pulling their bodies closer together. Harry’s face was pressed against his neck, and Evan had felt the tears stop some time ago, but he hadn’t let go then, and he wouldn’t let go now.
“You should answer the phone,” the Death Eater told Harry. The child just nuzzled his face against Evan’s neck in response. Neither of them made to get up.
The answering machine picked up, and Evan turned his head to face Vernon’s corpse as the woman from social services started speaking down the line.
“Hello, this is Amelia Denning. I am ringing to remind you of our visit in two days time. There are just a few things we need to go over with your solicitor, so if you could call me back and give me their phone number, I would grateful appreciate it. I will see you soon, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley.”
A beep filled the room as the woman hung up.
“What are we going to do?” Harry whispered, pulling away from Evan.
The elder Wizard stood, helping the child up as well. “The same thing we do every night, Pinkie.” He grinned, leading Harry towards the back door. “Try to take over the world.”
“I’m being serious!”
“So am I!” The man mocked. He pulled his wand out, once they were outside of the range of the wards and pointed it at his throat. Harry didn’t hear what he said, but the next time he spoke, he sounded like Vernon Dursley. “Go inside and find a scissors, or a razor. I’m going to put the Muggle in the basement, and put back up the wards. Don’t worry; I’ll take them down before Social Services arrive! I’m going to get Lucius. While I’m gone, I want you to remove all of the Muggle’s hair. All of it, Harry, understand?”
“Even… down there?” The child asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
“Wipe that look off of your face. I’m the one who has to ingest it.” Harry gave him a confused look, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of any reason for Evan needing to eat hair.
“A potion? Which one?”
“You’ll see.” Evan ushered them into the house again and moved towards the phone. He dialled Petunia’s mobile number. The Dursleys were one of those families who left their address books, fully filled out, right beside their phone. When the phone picked up, he began to talk. “Pet, I was thinking, maybe you should take Dudley to a hotel, stay a few days. Until it’s safe.”
“Vernon, what happened?” Petunia breathed. Evan could almost imagine her clutching at her chest as she spoke. “Was it… his kind?”
“I didn’t mean to, pet. I swear. But he made me so angry. Maybe you should keep Dudley away, just for a while, just until I know they aren’t watching anymore.”
“Did you hurt him?” She asked, her voice cool, but not accusing.
“Yes. But he’ll be fine, pet. Wasn’t anything the little freak didn’t have coming anyway.” Evan scowled. He knew he was speaking, but it was Vernon’s voice he could hear and he could see Harry flinching at the words. It left a sour taste in his mouth. “I have to go now,” he said, cutting into whatever she was in the process of saying. He had the overwhelming need to get off of the phone. “Bye.” He hung up. Her ‘I love you’ was interrupted by the ring tone, and Evan dropped the phone and dragged Harry into a hug.
He couldn’t cancel the spell on his voice until he left the house. “I need to leave now. I’ll move the Muggle first.” Harry was holding a scissors and a roll of zip-lock bags when Evan came out of the basement. “The wards are up. Get started, I’ll be back soon.”
XXX
July 31st 1988. Malfoy Manor.
Evan hadn’t apparated in so long. The trip from Surrey to the Leaky Cauldron had left him dizzy and out of sorts. The barman, Tom, had taken pity on him and handed him a shot of Firewhiskey without needing to be asked. Once Evan had paid for the drink, Tom handed over a bag of floo powder, absolutely free.
“Help yourself,” he said, slapping Evan lightly on the shoulder. “How’s your boy?” He asked then, waiting for an answer before walking away.
Evan stepped out of the fireplace in Lucius’ study without a speck of dust on him. He brushed down his arms anyway, giving a stiff nod at the blond who was watching him. Draco was in the room as well, standing as close to his father’s side as he could manage. When Evan was clear of the fireplace, Draco came forward, waiting for Caen to floo through.
“He isn’t coming.” Evan said rather rudely. “I need to speak with you, Lucius.” The blond’s eyebrows rose, but he stood up from his chair and moved towards his fellow Death Eater. “He’s dead. And I find myself in need of your assistance once again.”
Lucius smoothed down his robes, offering a reassuring smile at his son and moved towards the fireplace. “Don’t worry, Draco. I’m sure Caen is fine. Mr. Alfred is speaking of someone else.” Hesitantly, Draco allowed Evan to shoo him from the study. “Evan! What have you done?” The blond hissed, grabbing the bowl of floo powder off of the mantelpiece.
“What I needed to do.” Evan took a handful, but it slid through his fingers as he clenched his hand in anger. “He had his hands all over… he was trying to force himself on… he had no right! He deserved worse than I gave him, Lucius.” He took the bowl off of Lucius, hands clenching tightly around the rim.
“You know how much trouble you’ve probably caused? A MONTH, Evan, just one more month and Harry would have been out of there anyway. You couldn’t wait?” The blond Wizard scolded, his face pinched with anger.
“He was trying to rape my son.” Evan roared the r-word, throwing the bowl towards the fireplace, where it shattered with a crash. “If it were Draco, if I had Draco pinned down, naked, and was trying to force him, fuck him, what would you do? Would you have waited?” Evan sneered. He reached out to grab Lucius, but the man snapped his right arm forward, wand outstretched and pointed at the brunette.
“I would have disarmed you, and allowed the authorities to do their job.” Lucius said, his voice tense and his back stiff.
Evan eyed his left hand, which was clenched so tightly the knuckles had turned bone white. “Liar.” The animagus snarled. “You would have killed me, and loved every moment of it. I have no regrets.”
Lucius lowered his wand. “You’ve probably terrified Harry, you know.” He clicked his fingers, and a House Elf appeared. They watched in silence as the creature cleaned up the broken shards and dashes of floo powder. A new bowl replaced the old one on the mantelpiece before the creature popped out of the room.
“I’ve seen you. You watch him when you think I’m not looking. You stare at him, at my son, and I have done nothing to you. Nothing. I have let you watch him, fantasise about him, because I know you would not hurt him.” Lucius had gone impossibly still, his pale cheeks flushed in embarrassment and shame. He watched Evan now, cautiously raising his wand again. “Do you honestly believe Harry’s first time should have been underneath that disgusting Muggle? Would that not have terrified him more than my actions?”
Lucius’ expression changed again, his lips curled upwards into a sneer, and his eyes darkened in anger. “I believe you should have waited. For me.” Sparks jetted from the end of Lucius’ wand. Anger at the thought of anyone touching Harry spiked through him. “How can I be of assistance?” He asked some time later, when he had calmed.
“Firstly, I will continue to allow your fascination to flourish, as long as nothing occurs against Harry’s will or inclination. You will not hurt my son.” Lucius nodded in agreement. He had no intention of acting on any sort of desire with a child who hadn’t even reached Hogwarts age yet. “You are friends with Snape, are you not? I need a Potion from him.”
“How is that going to help you? The Muggle is dead! What will you tell the Aurors?”
“Tell them? Why, nothing, Lucius. I will be taking the Polyjuice Potion that you will insist Severus makes for you. Maybe you could pretend Draco has taken an interest in learning, and Severus can brew it as an example?”
“You wish to involve Draco?” Lucius asked with narrowed eyes.
“It is about time the child learnt who Harry really is.” Evan shrugged. “The woman will be away from the house for a few days. She always flees when the Muggle starts drinking. I informed her that she should stay away for a little while longer. Social Services are visiting in two days. Without the Muggle there, with me as the Muggle, it should not be too hard to change their minds. Harry will be safer if he does not leave that house.”
“And it affords you the time to torment the remaining two Muggles, no?” Lucius smirked.
“That hadn’t even occurred to me,” Evan said with a snort. “Floo Snape. I need that potion by tomorrow.” Evan stepped back into the fireplace, and threw down a handful of powder. “The Leaky Cauldron.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Lucius told him, just before Evan disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
XXX
July 31st 1988. Little Whinging.
Harry had left the bags of hair in the basement, beside Vernon’s body. He was sitting in the kitchen with Mrs. Figg, staring out into the garden as the woman spoke about her dead husband. Evan and Lucius apparated into the garden at the same time. Harry’s eyes widened as he turned to face Mrs. Figg. Fortunately, the old woman had missed the arrival of the two Death Eaters because her purse had fallen onto the floor and she was busy scooping up her belongings.
“Uh,” Harry started, before clearing his throat. When he spoke again, he was practically shouting, wanting to make sure that Evan could hear him. “Mrs. Figg, thank you for stopping by, but you really don’t have to wait. Uncle Vernon told Aunt Petunia to take Dudley to a hotel for a few nights. They won’t be back any time soon.”
Arabella frowned, “than you can’t stay here alone. Come on, young man, you can stay with me.” She straightened up and grabbed hold of Harry’s arm. Surprisingly strong, she managed to drag Harry from his chair.
Vernon’s voice suddenly filtered through from the garden, but when Harry looked there was no sign of anybody. Lucius had disillusioned them both, and Evan had changed his voice again. He kicked the garden fence, muttering, “Bloody gate. Should make the boy fix it. Blinding hell! Think I just got a splinter. Blasted fence.” He kicked it again.
Mrs. Figg watched with wide eyes. “You said they were gone?”
“No, no,” Harry corrected in a whisper, “just Aunt Petunia and Dudley.”
“Oh well that changes things then. I suppose I can’t just drag you off, though god knows that man wouldn’t care what happened to you. Well, dear, I better leave.” Harry walked her to the door and smiled as she pulled him into a quick hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
Harry watched until she was out of sight before closing the door and running back to the kitchen. “It’s ok now.” Evan and Lucius appeared again, and entered the kitchen.
“How are you?” Lucius asked, reaching out to squeeze the boy’s hand softly. Evan suppressed a chuckle, his fingers against his mouth as he tried to hide how his lips twitched. Lucius immediately dropped the hand, not moving to place a kiss against it this time, and took a step away from the eight-year-old.
“Have you finished?” Evan asked. He slung an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulled the boy against his side.
“Yes, they are in the basement with him.”
“Go wait in the garden.” He told Harry. Harry walked outside as Evan led Lucius down into the basement.
They came out a moment later, struggling to carry the large body between them. They had levitated him up the basement stairs, but had to cancel the charm as they made their way through the kitchen. A flick of Lucius’ wand disrupted the earth beside Harry’s feet. He scrambled backwards, afraid of falling into the large hole that suddenly appeared in the ground. The dirt that had been there, was sitting in a pile beside Lucius now. The two Death Eaters dumped the body into the hole. Evan cast a handful of spells, ‘Preserving Charms’ he said, and together, he and Lucius spelled the dirt back into the grave. When they were finished, it looked as it had before they started. Nothing, not even a blade of grass, had changed.
“In a few years, when the Dark Lord returns, Vernon will have to look as if he has been alive. That’s why we preserved the body. We can fake his death later, when it is safe for you to leave here.”
“We aren’t going? But-” Harry began, eyes wide as he looked between the two adults.
“You and I will be staying here. Lucius and a friend of his will be helping us. Social Services will have no choice but to relinquish guardianship to me. Everything will work out for the best, my child, I promise you. I will keep you safe now.” Evan held out his arms, and Harry watched him warily for a moment, before throwing himself forward into Rosier’s embrace.
“What Potion are you using?” Harry asked, his face pressed to Evan’s chest.
“Go look it up. Lazy.” Evan chastised lightly. He was sure it wouldn’t take Harry too long to figure it out. After all, he did own a copy of ‘Moste Potent Potions’. The Polyjuice Potion was one of the author’s favourites.
XXX
August 2nd 1988. Little Whinging.
Petunia arrived home half an hour before Miss Denning did. She looked around the house with her eyes narrowed, looking for any evidence that Vernon had hurt the freak while she was gone. Lord knows men never clean up their messes, and Petunia wanted everything to be neat and tidy and perfect when Social Services came to talk about Dudley.
Their lawyer was meant to be there, but he must have been held up in traffic. Petunia didn’t ring him, as that was Vernon’s job and she trusted him to do it.
Evan appeared in the doorway of their bedroom. It wasn’t somewhere he looked forward to sleeping, but for now it would have to do. Petunia moved closer to him, her bony arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled his head down for an ‘Eskimo kiss’. Evan rubbed his nose once she pulled away, wiping his hand on his trousers then in distaste.
“We need to clear something up, pet,” he said in Vernon Dursley’s voice. Petunia sat on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside her invitingly. His face was expressionless, but he sat stiffly, shifting away as Petunia moved closer. “The boy will be staying here. Both of them. That woman from social services will not be taking the boys away.”
“But, but, we don’t want Potter, remember?” She stuttered.
“Things change.”
“What have they done to you?” She gasped, jumping away from him. Her hand was pressed over her heart as she started sobbing. “His kind have done something to you, haven’t they? What have they done?” She looked like she wanted to hug him, and Evan hoped she didn’t, but she also looked like she was afraid to come near him. Just in case whatever the Wizards had ‘done’ to him was contagious.
“Harry will be staying. He will be sleeping in his own bedroom: Dudley doesn’t need two. And you will not get him to do anything in this house that he doesn’t want to do. Do you understand me, dear?” Evan hissed, eyes narrowing.
Petunia was crying to hard to speak, but she managed to nod her head. Evan was half way down the stairs before Petunia had composed herself. She ran after him, “don’t worry,” she promised, “I’ll get you help.”
“Who will believe you, pet? Mrs. Figg, the crazy cat lady? Andy Abraham from Winchley Drive, who thinks he can fly? Old Man Roberts, who’s as crazy as Mrs. Figg? No one will believe you. There is nothing you can do.” He carried on down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as the doorbell rang. “Potter will be staying.”
“Where is your lawyer?” Amelia Denning asked as she entered the house.
“We have no need for him.” ‘Vernon’ answered. Petunia gasped, her mouth opened but no words came out. Dudley stood by her side, red faced from crying at finding Harry in his ‘second’ bedroom. The fatter boy scowled as the redheaded woman reached out to shake his hand. She held her hand out to Harry, who for once was dressed decently (in clothes Draco had loaned him). Harry gripped her hand lightly and shook once.
“Well then, we may as well get started.”
The doorbell rang again. Harry opened it with a frown. He didn’t recognize the man at the door, but the way he reached out to shake Harry’s hand, but instead kissed the back of it, was very familiar. Lucius waited outside. “Amelia?” He called, and the woman came out to greet him.
“Jason, what are you doing here?” She asked, frowning. He was supposed to be working on a placement for the two boys for September. He wasn’t supposed to be at Number 4. As one of the solicitors for Social Services, Jason Rathbone had plenty of work to do, but very little of it involved meeting the children he actually represented.
“There’s been a change of plans.” Lucius’ voice was his own when he spoke, and Miss Denning gave a gasp of fright as a pointed stick was suddenly levelled in her face. “Imperio.” He handed over a folded up sheet of paper. He had about five. The remaining four he handed to Evan. “Sign them,” he instructed.
Amelia did as she was told, and then she was Obliviated. Evan signed his papers. He dipped the pen he was given into a vial of his own blood, which he pulled out of his pocket. ‘Evan Rosier’ glistened on the page, the sun brightening the red until it sparkled. He blew on it to dry it, and handed the adoption papers over to Amelia Denning.
“Thank you for your co-operation, miss. My family are very much excited about taking care of young Harry.”
“Don’t worry about any follow-up meetings,” Lucius told her, strengthening the Imperius just in case. They walked into the house.
A car started up outside, and Miss. Denning drove away. The papers that handed Harry over into Evan’s guardianship were folded up on the passenger seat and the first thing she was going to do when she got to work was hand them over to her assistance to file.
When the door was closed, Lucius’ Polyjuice wore off. Evan took a sip out of a whiskey flask he had in his other pocket, and offered a tight smile to the blond.
“That went well?” Harry asked.
Lucius looked at Harry and smiled widely. “Very well, I believe.”
The three Wizards turned to face Petunia and Dudley. The two Muggles were watching them, opened mouthed, their backs pressed against the wall. Petunia was blinking frantically, her mouth working silently. Dudley scowled, stepped in front of his mother, and placed his hands on his hips. “Get out of our house, freaks!” He hissed at Lucius and Harry. “Daddy, tell them!”
Evan tilted his head to one side. He looked between Harry and Dudley and smirked. His hand flew out, and clipped the boy across the cheek, sending him sprawling back into his mother.
Dudley whimpered. “Daddy?”
“VERNON!” Petunia screeched.
He ignored both of them. Evan turned to Harry instead, pulled the boy against his side. Harry watched the other two quietly, as Evan spoke. “Things are going to change.” He promised them.
XXX
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To anyway who didn’t see that coming, you need to go and re-read the Prologue.
Thanks for reading. And yes, I know, Inkheart wasn’t published until after Harry graduates Hogwarts (but whatever).
...Off to work i go now...
Words: 3,173
Chapter 10
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