"May I come in?
"Pardon me?" Harry looked up from the article in Transfiguration Today and smiled slightly. Standing before him was the same girl he had met in Ollivander's shop. Tonks, he thought...
"Can I come in? Almost all the seats are taken..."
Harry nodded silently, took his bag off the chair, made room, and motioned to the ice cream vendor.
"Another double with blueberries, and for this young lady...
"Standard vanilla," Tonks said, embarrassed. "I think we met earlier today at Ollivander's shop, didn't we?
"Correction — we met at Ollivander's, and then you, Miss Tonks, followed me for the last three hours, changing your appearance every few minutes...
"How did you... I mean, I would never... And anyway, it's impossible to prove!
"Well, why not? — Harry returned melancholically to his magazine, waiting for his order to arrive." — It's very provable. The sands of time, your memories and mine... Besides, some of your disguises are too different from your usual appearance, and therefore difficult for you to maintain, which results in a rather comical picture of a young witch tangled up in her own feet or a slightly awkward old woman walking with the grace of a twenty-year-old girl...
"How did you know I'm a shape-shifter?!"
"The smell," Harry realised that they wouldn't let him read in peace, so he decided to at least feign interest and keep the conversation going. "Every creature or person has their own special scent, which I can smell. A werewolf smells like dog fur, a vampire smells like blood and death. A dryad smells like pine needles. And a shape-shifter usually smells like plasticine or wet clay.
"But perfume..."
"It's a mental smell," Harry explained. "People who practise mental disciplines can always sense who is in front of them, regardless of how successful their external disguise is. You can paint a parrot brown and put it in a tree hollow, but it won't become an owl... It's the same with entities...
"You seem to know a lot for... How old are you, sixteen?
"Fifteen," Harry corrected. "And we didn't drink brotherhood... However, if you prefer, I can switch to 'you' too. And you look about twenty-two?
"And yet, where did you get all this knowledge? They don't teach this in school...
"It depends on what school...
A waiter approached them and placed two large bowls of ice cream on the table. Harry nodded silently, took eight sickles out of his pocket, gave them to Mr. Fortescue, the owner of the café, and indicated with a glance that he had no intention of ordering anything else and expected no change. Fortescue immediately hurried away from their lifeless gaze, and Harry happily tucked into his dessert.
"You're fifteen..."
"Yes," Harry confirmed.
"So you go to Hogwarts...
"Yes.
"And in which house, if I may ask?
"No, you don't," Harry sighed. "Miss Tonks, let's skip all this introduction. Why are you hanging around me? It's not just because of the rain, is it?
"Maybe you're just curious about me?
"After what I said about my anatomical interest in metamorphs? And while I was trying out a new wand? And so curious that you followed me around for almost three hours?
"Um...
"Besides, Miss... I'm very grateful for the escort, but does an Auror have Wizengamot's permission to conduct surveillance on me? Or is this your own initiative and training?
"I don't understand what you mean.
"Really? — Harry took the badge with Tonks's name on it out of his pocket, which he had stolen from the unfortunate Metamorphmagus during his visit to Flourish and Blotts. In the crowd that was there, it was easy to snatch a badge that was sticking out of a pocket. — Then what's this?
"Oh! — Tonks blushed. "Give it back!
"What about the magic word?"
"I'll arrest you!
"On what grounds? Harry was clearly enjoying himself. For the first time in a long time, he could allow himself to engage in a verbal duel with someone other than the master who always beat him hands down. And it couldn't be said that Harry didn't like this new experience or find it boring.
"For theft!
"And the evidence? The badge is small and inconspicuous; it could easily have fallen out or got caught on something in the crowd. What about me? I just picked it up off the street and didn't have time to take it to the nearest Auror post to hand in my find.
"You... You..." Tonks blushed. "I'm sure you're studying at Slytherin..."
"Even if that were true, I don't see the connection between my attempt to be a good citizen and your conclusions.
"All the dark wizards and servants of You-Know-Who studied at Slytherin..."
"Who is You-Know-Who?
"The Dark Lord.
"I don't think any of the world's famous liches care about the house their servants belong to. Most of the time, they just recruit anyone they can find into their dead army.
"No, that's not true! I'm talking about the Dark Lord, not some random lich...
"Only the undead have the right to bear that title. Otherwise, they are imposters who will not be respected by those in the know," Harry said, handing Tonks her badge. "Don't lose it again..."
"Thanks," the girl took the badge, but almost immediately dropped it on the table. "Ouch! It burns! What did you do to it?!"
"Me?" Harry feigned surprise. "Nothing, I just picked it up off the street. Maybe it automatically activated its anti-theft protection when it was lost? Or maybe it just doesn't like you?"
Tonks frowned and reached for her wand, but her hands found only emptiness in her holster. Smiling broadly, Harry silently handed her the weapon he had stolen along with the badge. Winking at the completely bewildered girl, Harry finished the last spoonful of ice cream.
"I'm sorry. It was nice talking to you, but I have to go.
"We're not done!
"Let's leave the diplomatic niceties and negotiations for our next meeting," Harry smiled. "For some reason, I have a feeling it will definitely happen..."
***
"So, did you remember everything I told you?
"Yes, mentor.
"Repeat it.
"No necromancy above the second order. No corpses in the castle. Don't skip the general exercises, even if you feel close to torpor {?}[torpor, or sopor, a deep depression of consciousness observed in many serious illnesses. A torporous state is close to a comatose state, differing from the latter in that it allows for mental activity, albeit to a very limited extent]. No thaumaturgy on people. Avoid personal encounters with Dumbledore as much as possible. If you do meet him, do not eat or drink anything in his office, and do not look him in the eyes. Do not participate in political games. If you decide to indulge in a short-term infatuation, choose someone from among Muggle-borns. Do not get drunk, do not cause trouble, behave as well as possible.
"Well done," said the master, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Good luck, then. Bring some life into this sleepy kingdom.
"Won't you see me to the station?
"No," the master shook his head. "What's the point, if you're just going to break the rules again on the train?
"That makes sense. Can I then...
"Mr. Boney can't be accompanied," the master leaned his back against the wall. "You can carry one bag yourself, you're not a child.
"But why?! He doesn't even smell like a corpse... Almost...
"Exactly, 'almost'.
" Fine," Harry lowered his gaze to the floor. "But can we at least take Johnny?
"Who's that?" Gideon asked suspiciously. Knowing the young necromancer's character, the name "Johnny" could very well refer to a reanimated skeleton of a young manticore.
"A hamster.
"No.
"But why?! His previous owners didn't even have time to bury him properly! And the fact that he was bitten by dogs before — is that my fault?
"Aren't you tired of dragging all that filth home from the graveyard?
"It's not junk, it's experiments!
"Fine, it's experimental filth," Gideon shook his head. "Are you happy now?
"I'm satisfied.
"Well, if you're happy, see you in winter! Just don't forget to write...
"Yes! Can I...
"Send me a live owl — I'm not going to babysit it...
"But what if...
"And the messenger spirit too.
"But...
"No! No messenger of death, no animated owls, no crows, no zombie parrots!
"All right," Harry smiled slightly. After all, the master hadn't forbidden him to send a reanimated cat or a transfigured bird. "Then I should be going, right?
"Yes. Off to the station, and don't let me see you until winter...
Harry nodded, picked up his bag, saluted the master, and disappeared with a soft pop. Gideon shook his head and looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Eternal, why am I being punished so severely?
But Harry, of course, didn't hear him. A moment later, he emerged from the vortex of transgression, nearly knocking over a red-haired slacker of about sixteen, wrapped in a red-trimmed cloak.
"Watch where you're going!
"I'm sorry, I can't see where to get out of the transgression.
Although, actually, the redhead was to blame — he shouldn't have been standing right in front of the transgression site — Harry decided not to make a fuss. Who knows, maybe he had just transgressed himself and was just catching his breath — after all, not everyone can calmly endure the sensations caused by the magic of space. So instead, he hurried to step aside so as not to block the way for others moving around — and only then did he look around.
It was an ordinary platform, only designed in the style of the mid-nineteenth century. The crowd consisted mainly of teenagers on their way to school, accompanied by their parents. Some had come with one parent (mostly mothers), others with their entire families. Some were accompanied by a whole entourage, which probably included all their mums, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles up to the fifth generation. And a huge steam locomotive was already sounding its first warning whistle. That meant there were five minutes left before departure. Harry sighed, enjoying the pleasant smell of smoke from the locomotive, and headed towards the nearest carriage in search of a free seat.
At that moment, somewhere far away in Scotland, the headmaster of Hogwarts shuddered with an unusually disturbing feeling. The school year was about to officially begin. There was a terrible spirit of celebration in the air...
However, neither Albus Dumbledore nor any of the students or teachers had any idea who the castle would bring to them...
***
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