Harry Potter: Hydrus Black

"The Pure-bloods have more money anyway, plus, now I can jack up the prices," the redhead shrugged, though he did miss some of the people that had left, like Katie Bell and his other former teammates. "By the way, Kingsley came to see me. Wanted to know if I knew where you were. Thank Merlin, I couldn't tell him anything," he informed his friend.

"Any idea why he wants to find me?" the green-eyed teen asked, thinking of quite a few things the Ministry would want him for.

"He didn't say, just that he wanted to talk to you," George answered. He was concerned about Harry, what with the talks of him being a Dark Lord, even if there was no proof of any wrong doing. The redhead was glad the younger man did the adoption ritual, now he would be harder to find.

"Look, George, come by my house later tonight. There are a few things I want to tell you," Hydrus requested.

"Alright, Harry, I'll pop by after the store is closed."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, you might want to take a gander at what's happening in the Alley. Before you ask, yes I did it and I'll tell you how tonight," the immortal suggested. Then he donned his Invisibility Cloak and left the store. He didn't want to explain this anywhere they could be overheard, and with the Minister trying to track him down, he wouldn't put it past him to put listening charms up at WWW. Even though the silencing charm worked well, he didn't want to chance it.

A vindictive smile was plastered to his face while he watched the ghosts take their revenge. The street was emptier than it had been when he went into George's shop. It looked like the few that were left were either too scared to run, or hadn't been haunted and were simply watching those that were with thoughtful looks on their faces. It made Hydrus feel a little better that not all of the Pure-Bloods thought he had turned evil.

When he got to the house, he wrote another note to Neville, asking him to inform any neutral family, who didn't support the people persecuting Harry or just didn't care about gossip, to get their gold out of Gringotts and look to moving. The more people he got to leave this backwards society the better for his plans. He had Kreacher deliver it, knowing that his friend would not recognize the house elf as his.

He then went to the kitchen to make a light supper of fish and salad along with a hearty dessert of chocolate cake, for him and George. When he was done he put it under a stasis charm and settled down with a fantasy book to wait for his business partner.

It was seven-thirty when George popped in.

"Come on, I've made supper," was the younger man's greeting as he put his book down, stood and waved the redhead to the kitchen.

"Thanks, it seems like forever since I've eaten," George replied and followed his friend.

The two talked of business over the meal and through dessert. When they were done, Hydrus levitated the dishes into the sink and guided his friend into the study.

The study was orderly and comfortable. The furniture was old, but in good shape, magic was wonderful. There was a sofa and three chairs that surrounded a large antique coffee table. An unlit fireplace was along one wall, not a Floo. Pictures of the ocean adorn parts of the walls, the new Black had had Kreacher take down all the portraits of the Blacks and put them in the attic. He'd put them back up when he left. A medium sized desk was on the opposite wall from the fireplace with scattered pieces of used parchments on its surface. There were three bookcases taking up the rest of the wall space, with some books and a few trinkets. All in all, it was a cozy room and it looked completely different then when the Order was occupying the house.

George took a seat in one of the old-fashioned chairs. "So, what did you want to tell me, Harry?"

"First off, I don't go by Harry Potter anymore. I've taken up the name, Hydrus Black. You might do better calling me by my new first name in public, it'll get less attention," he said nervously as he sat on the sofa.

"Hydrus? The water snake? Suits you," George said smiling, causing the young wizard to relax a little. He should have known George would take this in stride. "However, if you're gonna pass yourself off as a Black you better think of a middle name," he added.

"Yeah, I thought it was fitting. I'll see if I can find something that works with Hydrus, something meaningful." he shrugged and then straightened. "I want to explain what happened in the Alley today. Did you see the ghosts?"

George nodded and said, "I saw, can't figure out how you did that though. Saw lots of people trying to banish them, but nothing worked."

The dark-haired teen summoned the Resurrection Stone and showed it to the redhead. "Dumbledore left this to me in his will. It's the same stone that Beedle the Bard wrote about in the Tale of the Three Brothers," he explained. "I did a bit more research and found a way to bring vengeful ghost back."

"The Deathly Hallows," whispered George as he looked hungrily at the stone.

"George," Hydrus said loudly, snapping the redhead's attention back to him. "Look, I can call Fred's spirit for a short while. Only if you promise to never ask me again. He doesn't have any unfinished business, since the Death Eater that fired the spell is dead, so the time he's here will be painful for him."

"I solemnly swear that I will never ask to see my twin after this," George immediately said, he would promise anything just to see his brother once more.