Mind Trap

Disclaimer: see Chapter the First

Interlude 3/?

Harry and Jason settled into a routine. Harry got up at six o'clock everyday, washed and dressed in Dudley's hand-me-downs, and organised his study materials. At six-thirty, he got Jason up and they breakfasted together. Jason was free to do as he pleased until luncheon, during which time Harry studied and took notes. Afterwards, he would practice his least harmful spells on Jason. After a light supper, the two went out to lure a victim for the harsher spells, Healing and Obliviating them after taking any valuables. But it took time to settle in comfortably. The most pressing problem arose with Tom's protests.

*Flashback*

"Mr. Potter! I really must protest! You can't trust a little guttersnipe like that one. He'll slit your throat in the middle of the night and steal your gold. I feel responsible for you, and I cannot in good conscience allow this." The elder wizard gesticulated wildly during his rant, nearly knocking a bottle of Ogden's off the shelf behind the bar.

"Tom, please calm down. He is a child, a starved and unfortunate child. He will stay with me until I deem him healthy. I am aware of the possible risk, but Jason and I have an understanding. Furthermore, it is a risk for me to take and only I may decide what I will and will not do. Part of responsibility is the acceptance of consequences. Good evening." Tom gaped at him slightly, suprised by the young hero's tone. It ws only then that Harry realised he was out of character, and sighed as he tried to mend his blunder. " Tom, I was raised by three muggles who were not fond of me and in fact detested magic. I was emotionally abused, sometimes physically as well, and starved of sustenance. I empathise with this boy more than you know. Let me take care of him." Tom nodded with reluctant understanding.

"As you wish, Mr. Potter."

Jason was able to hold his tongue until they got to Harry's room, the questions bursting out of the young boy as soon as the privacy wards and silencing spells were up. "You're 'Arry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? Why didn't you just say so?"

Harry sighed again. The real him was Slytherin through and through. If the boy stuck around long, he would have to teach him alot about how to behave and how to think. "Because we were in a disreputable place known as Knockturn Alley, not the best place for the icon of the Light to be spotted. I need my activities to remain secret. If we go any further, I will need you to give me a Squib's Oath that you will not reveal any knowledge of me or my activities, that is not already public knowledge, by either word or deed or lack thereof, by intention or not."

"I so swear." Jason was quick to agree.

They spent the night telling each other their life's stories, and Harry explained what Dumbledore had done to him. Jason was naturally appalled. The boy silently vowed to himself and whatever gods were listening to remain with the older boy until death or banishment, for his new... friend, guardian, companion, whatever, had endured even more than he, and deserved so much more than what he was given.

*End Flashback*

The barkeeper was used to his two young patrons, and smiled at them like an indulgent uncle. He never questioned them and even went so far as to stall fans and admirers of the young hero as they went out for the evening. The boys slipped out the door and and through Diagon Alley, on the prowl for a test subject. After their bonding session and getting to know Jason, Harry couldn't find it in himself to put the younger boy through the excrusiating pain that many of the curses would cause, never mind the permanent damage that may occur if he did it incorrectly. Mostly the spells he tested on the boy were minor and were intended to aid his Healing studies: cuts, bruises, a cracked bone or two, but always painless.

Harry reserved the painful and life-threatening experiments for his hapless random victims. Slashing hexes, permanent transfigurations, mulitiple bone fractures, internal bleeding, dismemberment, etc; Dark and Light and slightly Grey curses. Then he Healed them all and stole the memory. Jason was no stranger to violence, and actively helped Harry capture his lab rats, working as a team with the brunette boy.

Three weeks after arriving in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry finished off his practical books and had both mastered and memorized all the spells contained therein. In Banned Spells and Rituals: 5000BC to 2000BC he found a spell which allowed the caster to absorb knowledge by simply touching the book, object, or person and saying the activation word of the spell. Once the entire phrase was said, only the activation word was needed then on. He went through the rest of his books rapidly.

"Well Jason, it looks like I'm all out of reading material. But before restocking, I want to take the two of us shopping. Though Dudley's clothes resized are sufficient for us, I want to get the real deal: clothing never worn by anyone else, made just for us. Then there is miscellaneous other things I want to get." Jason followed him into Diagon Alley eagerly. He was devoted to Harry, considering himself something along the lines of a manservant or bodyservant. Harry was the only one to ever care for and protect him other than his mother, a dead street whore. He gave the older boy his complete loyalty and trust. If he had been in Hogwart's, he would have been a Hufflepuff. He also liked Harry's dry and sarcastic wit. He felt protected, which was something new and precious for Jason.

On one of their previous evening excursions, a wizard mistook him for a catamite whore, and Harry his pimp. The older boy told him differently, but was forced to violence when the wizard refused to believe him. The man ended up with a crushed hand and a permanent impotence curse. No one payed any mind to the commotion they made.

They left the Leaky Cauldron early in the morning, and were in Diagon Alley in time to see the shopkeepers just opening their doors. Harry was careful to avoid Fred and George Weasley's shop on his way to Madame Malkin's. He ordered full wardrobes for the both of them, knowing it would cut into his finances but considering it a necessity. After taking care of the delivery information and payment, they went in search of luggage, specifically multicompartment trunks, one for he and Jason to share, one for his study materials. They found ones suitable for their needs in a dirty little shop on a side street near the Library. From there, Harry stocked up on pre-made potions, Light, Dark, and Grey, in both Diagon and Knockturn Alley. He stopped the shopping spree only when he noticed how drooping and exhausted Jason was, and guided them both back to the pub subtly, saving Jason his pride.

It wasn't until the next day that Harry finally made his way back to the Library. Dispite telling Jason about the place, Harry wanted to keep it's exact location just to himself. He dismissed Jason for the day, telling him to relax and have fun, ignoring the younger boy's protests. Harry knew Jason would attempt to follow him, and so felt pressed to harsh measures. He placed a time controlled Body-Binding curse on the boy, forcing him to remain motionless for fifteen minutes, more than enough time for the Boy-Who-Lived to gain entrance to the Library. A brief stab of guilt hit him at the suprised look on Jason's face, but it was quickly bannished.

Grabbing a satchle packed with writing materials, Harry left.