Some Dangerous Liaisons

A/N: This is a fairly short chapter but I needed to introduce two important characters that will affect later chapters of the story. Please bear with me, I have a lot planned for this story, but it's just getting thru these introductory chapters this is giving me a headache.

Please review!


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Cha-Cha-Changesssss

“Give me another drink, Tom, my man”, Fadien Bulstrode bellowed.

The twenty-five year old man was on his way to getting shit-faced drunk. He was on his third “Devil’s Snare”. He was trying to work up his courage for his task that evening. He needed to get his nerves right. Tom, the innkeeper of the Leaky Cauldron, passed him a sinister looking foaming beverage.

“That’s right, just keep them coming.” Fadien turned up the goblet, the cold liquid scorching its way down his throat. He exhaled deeply, enjoying the burn.

A raven-haired young man sat down in the seat next to him and ordered a drink. The new wizard ran his hands through his disheveled hair, revealing his golden forehead. Fadien did a double take when he saw the lightening shaped scar on the boy’s otherwise flawless skin.

“Hey, I know who you are! You’re Harry Potter, right?”

The boy turned his eyeglass encased jade eyes to look at him.

“Not tonight”. Harry replied sullenly. He looked back down at his drink and brought it slowly to his lips.

Fadien grinned, “It looks like you need something a lot stronger than that. Tom, another Snare please…and one for my new friend here.”

Tom slammed down two more drinks on the bar top. He glanced quickly at the wizarding hero. The boy looked miserable.

“It’s on the house, for young Mr. Potter,” he said gruffly, “not you.”

Fadien raised an amused eyebrow. “Tom, I thought we were friends! You wound me deeply with your hostility.” He placed a hand over his heart. Tom grunted, but refrained from commenting. He went to help another patron.

Fadien turned back to Harry and stuck out his hand. “I’m Fadien, Fadien Bulstrode. Nice to meet you.”

Harry didn’t extend his hand. He looked curiously at him. “Bulstrode? Why does that name sound familiar?”

“I got a sister at Hogwarts, 7th year. Her name’s Millicent.”

Harry snorted. ”Oh yeah..I know who she is. She’s a Slytherin.”

He recalled Hermione and the Polyjuice potion fiasco from second year. He eyed Fadien suspiciously, the Slytherin affiliation sending off alarms in his mind.

Fadien smirked. “Oh hey, I’m no death eater. I hate that shit! I got all kinds of friends, muggles, mudbloods…you name it. I am every wizard’s friend. That dark lord shit is bad for business…I’m all for peace and love.”

He smiled happily at Harry. Harry laughed and shook his head. “Hey, I’m all for that…especially the peace part.”

His brow furrowed and he turned back to his drink.

Fadien studied Harry curiously. He had heard the stories of the Boy Who Lived. And now here was the Boy Wonder in the flesh. Fadien rarely paid any attention to wizard happenings, but even he couldn’t ignore the return of Voldemort. It was a shame that this very good looking kid was destined to fight that monster.

Fadien didn’t realize that the Boy Who Lived was so young. He looked to be about the same age as his sister, he mused. Despite Harry’s age, Fadien noticed there was a dark aura that surrounded him. It radiated out of him in waves. Fadien was used to that sort of vibration. He had been around dark magic and had many friends who dealt in various dark subjects. Hell, his partner in crime was a werewolf.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He swung around, annoyed at being disturbed. His annoyance quickly turned to pleasure at seeing the man beside of him. Said partner in crime, Nicos, was standing there, looking irritated.

“Fadien, we have to go. We’re going to be late. I don’t want to hear the crap this time.” The werewolf said impatiently. Fadien nodded, swallowed the rest of his drink, and then brightened. He pulled Nicos around to the Harry’s side.

“Harry, meet my friend Nicos. Nicos, this is the famous Harry Potter.” He said gallantly. Nicos’ eyes burned an eerie gold as he looked appreciatively at Harry.

“Harry Potter! I never thought I would see you up close and personal. I can now say it was well worth the wait. Nice to see you, in the flesh.” Nicos’ eyes seemed to be devouring Harry.

“Listen man, we have to go. But how would you like to hang out with us tomorrow? We can have a really good time. You look like you need to have some fun! If you want, meet us here at say 11 o’clock. Is that good?” Fadien asked.

Harry thought over the offer. It was not in his nature to go and hang out with perfect strangers, especially strangers with Slytherin family members. Maybe it was the alcohol that messed with his common sense, but Harry found himself saying, ““Yeah, that sounds fine, I got a room here, so…I’m game.”

Fadien thumped Harry on the back. “Cool, see ya tomorrow.” He tossed some galleons on the bar.

“Enjoy your drink.” The two men left the bar and walked out.

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He didn’t have a good night at all. After Fadien had left, Harry had knocked back about two more of the Snares. Tom and another patron had to carry him up to his room. Harry woke up face down on the bed. He was mildly surprised and disappointed that he hadn’t suffocated. He was still in his clothes and shoes from the day before and he smelled of stale beer and vomit.

He looked around the room. What had made that noise? He realized it was an owl tapping very loudly outside of his window. He recognized little Pig, Ron’s owl. Ron had owled him then? He stumbled across the room and opened the window. The cool morning air felt good on his face, but the sunlight sent shooting pain through his temples. He quickly plucked the letter from the owl and opened it. The letter wasn’t from Ron, but Hermione.

Harry,

I just wanted to know if you were alright. You left without saying goodbye, even though Professor Lupin told us that you did. Are you ok? Ginny has slept pretty much since yesterday. Oh Harry, she is so sorry for what happened. Please don’t hold it against her. She has not been herself since you left for Romania. I know that she really wants to apologize for her behavior. Ron has been pretty quiet. He hasn’t really said anything about what happened. Please send word so that we know that you are ok.

Love,

Hermoine

Harry was racked with guilt. The Weasley’s were more his family then the Dursley’s had ever been, but he didn’t want to see any of them right now. That horribly embarrassing scene with Ginny felt like it had happened to someone else. The episode seemed distant now in his foggy brain.

He felt like they were all going to blame him for Ginny’s meltdown. Why are things always so complicated when it came to him?

He wrote a quick response to send back with the small bird, which was waiting patiently. He told her that he was staying at the Leaky Cauldron and that he would stay there until it was time for school. He also told her that he needed some space and that he would contact her again soon.

He showered, dressed and went down to the tavern for a spot of breakfast. He was just finishing his toast when Fadien and Nicos entered. Fadien waved at him enthusiastically.

“Morning, Harry!” He called out, waving him over. Nicos stood silent, glowering. Harry wondered what was pissing off the other man, but decided it would be impolite to ask.

Fadien grasped Harry around the shoulders as he ushered him out of the Leaky Cauldron. But they were not headed in the direction of Diagon Alley. They went out onto Charing Cross Road instead. Harry paused as he looked out at the muggle street.

“Where are we going?” He asked.

Fadien grinned widely. “We are doing Muggle London. You will see that we can still get things done outside of Diagon Alley.”

Harry considered this revelation. He had almost forgotten that for the first eleven years of his life, he had lived his life as a muggle. Every summer he had gone back to Surry to live with his hated relatives. Harry couldn’t believe that he had forgotten that. He burst out laughing. Fadien and Nicos exchanged surprised looks.

“Are you ok with that Harry?” Nicos asked. “Have you been in the muggle world before?"

Harry turned his flushed face to both men. He was still laughing hard. “Yeah, it’s fine. I just had a momentary lapse in my sanity. Let’s do this!”

Their first stop was a music store in the West End, near Leicester Square. Fadien purchased several CD’s. He was well stocked with muggle money. He seemed to be well known in the area, as several people called out his name in greeting. Fadien’s easy smile and charming personality had put the Gryffindor at ease. They had chatted excessively on the subway train, so Harry knew quite a bit about the older man. Nicos was more reserved, but he seemed friendly enough.

Their next destination was a dimly lit shop in the Notting Hill area. They were greeted by a beautiful black woman wearing a brightly colored green shirt and dark skirt. Her hair was twisted in pleasant braids that came about shoulder-length. She flashed a breath taking smile at all of them.

“Sooo…Fadien, who is this delicious snack you have brought me.” She licked her lips at the sight of Harry. He felt himself blush.

“Celeste, this is Harry Potter.”

Several people in the shop turned to look. Harry instantly realized that not all of the people in this muggle shop were actually muggles. He became sure of it when Celeste moved toward him, studying his features.

“Ahhh..now I know why Rita Skeeter focuses on you so much. You should sue that Daily Prophet; those pictures don’t do you justice at all.”

She clicked her tongue at him approvingly. Harry noticed that she had several piercings on her body. She noticed him noticing her and smiled.

“I have a lot more that you can’t see, I would be happy to show those to you as well. I like them young.” She winked mischievously at him.

Harry didn’t think he could turn any redder.

Fadien took that moment to speak up. “Uhhh, I have some business”. Celeste jerked her head toward the back of the shop. “You know the drill.”

She turned her attention back to Harry.

“Hey handsome, you should get your ear pierced. That would look very sexy on you. Come sit down, and you can pick out something that you like.” It was not a request.

Harry hesitated. He had never thought to get his ear pierced, even though he had seen them on dozens of men. He shrugged. Why not? He sat down in the empty chair that Celeste had offered. She produced a book for him to look at and then handed him a red colored drink. Harry looked at it inquisitively.

“Basic pain reducing potion. Muggles think its Kool-Aid. That’s why my shop is the most popular. No one ever feels any pain when they get pierced or tattooed. I’m an enterprising witch. I may as well make some money. There’s a lot more of them then us, right?”

Harry found the perfect earring. It was a black lightening bolt, with a reddish, orange hue that shimmered and glowed when light shone on it. Harry felt that it was a symbol of his Firebolt, and the black color symbolizing Sirius.

Celeste also managed to talk Harry into getting a wizard tattoo. This meant that drawing would actually move, just like the pictures in their world. Harry chose a beautiful orange colored Easter lily, carefully entwined with the antlers of a stag, in honor of his parents. He had it done over his heart.

Celeste stood in front of him and continued to study him. Harry had the most beautiful green eyes. She nodded to herself, confirming her thoughts.

“The glasses have to go. Not only do you have the most piercing eyes I’ve ever seen, but how can you expect to defeat You-Know-Who if you are crawling around on the ground talking about ‘I can’t see without my glasses’. Do you really expect them to stay on your face as you are being Crucio’d? I pray that you beat him, but if not, you have to go out in style.”

She was dead serious.

Harry snorted with laughter. In spite of her words, which he knew she meant with no malice, he found the idea hilarious. He didn’t want to point out that his glasses had stayed on his face during several battles with both Voldemort and the Death Eaters. But she was right though. It was time for a change.

“Do your worst”, he said good-naturedly.

“Oh baby…the things I could do with you,” Celeste said with a smirk. “Now just sit back and relax. You can have this done a number of ways. There’s a potion that will repair your vision, or I can do the spell. The spell wears off after about six months though, so you would need to cast it again. The potion’s permanent.”

Harry knew that Hermione would have been the only one who would have thought to do this for him.

“I’ll take the potion.”

“I thought so.” She walked to a cabinet in the back of the shop. She returned to him with a small glass of what looked like water. He looked at it with interest.

“It’s glamoured to look like water. The actual Illuminare potion is bright pink. Don’t want muggles asking too many questions. Drink up.”

Harry turned up the glass. The potion tasted sickeningly sweet and Harry gagged on it. It felt like sugar had been injected directly into his veins. He felt a slight tingling sensation in his eyes and then suddenly he everything was blurry.

“Hey! Everything’s blurry.” He turned to face Celeste, who was standing next to him.

She laughed. “Here, you need to take your glasses off, silly.” She pulled the well worn spectacles from his face.

Harry blinked and marveled when Celeste’s face came into perfect focus. He grinned broadly.

“I take it you’re pleased. Have a look in the mirror.” She placed a large mirror in his hand.

Harry gazed into his own eyes and could actually see what was reflected back. He turned his head to admire the new earring. The mirror spoke up quietly, “Oh…you’re hot.” Harry blushed again.

“Oh, you’ll have to beat them off with a stick, Harry Potter. If you thought you had attention before, wait until they see you now.” Celeste reached out a manicured hand and brushed back a lock of midnight hair. “Now, let’s go shopping.”

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Harry returned to the Leaky Cauldron late that night, laden down with packages. Celeste had loudly announced to her store that she was adopting Harry as her son for the afternoon. She had to finish her “masterpiece” as she was now calling him. She took him to Oxford and Bond Streets, famous for their shopping districts. He even got to go to Harrod’s, a store he had always wanted to visit as a child. Dudley had gone, but not him. Harry felt bittersweet as he finally entered the grand store. Harry had never been shopping before. Not like this anyway. Celeste was even able to change his galleons into muggle money. Celeste was a true-one stop shop.

She left him with kind words of encouragement and extracted a promise from him that he would come back to visit her.

Harry sat down on his bed, looking at all of his purchases. Fadien had left long before Harry had been done with Celeste. He told Harry about a party he was throwing that weekend. After giving Harry the address, they left Harry at the store.

Harry had noticed that both men looked a little unnerved, but Harry didn’t have the slightest idea why. He didn’t know what business they had conducted in the back, but perhaps it didn’t go as well as they had hoped. Harry took a long look at himself in the mirror. It was the first time he had been able to do that without having to squint. He shrugged and headed down to his new favorite place, the bar.

Although Fadien was not a Death Eater and didn’t really care about the battle dividing the wizard world, he did practice dark arts. He was good natured and pleasant enough, but he was not above stealing or lying to get what he wanted. Unbeknownst to Harry, Fadien was a minor drug dealer in both the muggle and wizard worlds and was excellent at mixing his own drugs.

His appointment the evening he met Harry was to acquire a dark item that had once belonged to the Dark Lord Grindelwald. The famed Albus Dumbledore had defeated the wizard many years ago, but several of his items were still around. This particular item, the actual heart of the lord, was known to extend the life and potency of any potion, spell or drug. With the heart of Grindelwald, Fadien would be able to blow any competition out of the water and create a whole new customer base.

Fadien didn’t normally invite strangers to go along with him, but he thought what a coup it would be to have the “Boy Who Lived” in his pocket. Only time would tell, if Harry would be a friend or customer. Fadien would prefer the latter.


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