1,636Storybook Hero – Chapter 2
Harry was more than a little shocked at the number who didn't want to go home, but the reasons why made him feel right at home.
"I'm a squib," a platinum blonde teen said miserably. "I was lucky enough to get sold as a slave instead of … I could end up as anything from mistress to maid, but at least I'll have value and get to stay in the magical world."
"Mum never wanted me and wasn't shy about telling me so," a boy several years older than Harry said. "I'm treated better here than I ever was at home and – I get to learn magic! No way do I want to return to the muggle world."
"I'm far less likely to be eaten here!" a girl about his age with four arms and red hair said happily. "A live goat every now and then would be nice though."
"Spider-kin," the blonde witch , Shelly whispered nervously to Harry seeing his confusion. "They have a lot of young but few reach adulthood."
"No eating her everyone," Harry ordered and flipped a house elf a galleon. "Get this girl a goat please."
Harry discovered that much like naga, spider-kin had an advantage over humans when it came to hugging that he quite liked.
Stanley watched in shock as Harry sorted through everyone present, sending home those that wanted to go and keeping those that had good reasons to stay.
"And you want to stay because?" Harry asked a green skinned girl who was apparently a goblin, though she was as cute as Griphook was ugly.
"I'm not from a prominent enough bloodline to be anything but a fifth wife," the girl answered reluctantly. "Even though I passed the tests for home and business finance and almost passed one for diplomatic contracts, as fifth wife all I'll get to do is cook, clean and care for others children. I have more value here and may have children one day. I may even… get to do the family finances."
"You want to be an accountant?" Harry asked curiously.
"To protect and nurture a household's finances is a great honor," the girl said wistfully.
"Put her in charge of the accounts and let her look over everything," Harry told Lisa figuring it'd make the goblin girl happy for now.
"Really?" she asked as she stared into Harry's eyes as if he'd just offered her the keys to Buckingham Palace.
"Really," he assured her just before she swept him up in a hug that popped his back before kissing him and dragging Lisa off to do whatever strange and arcane rituals accountants did to generate money.
With Stanley's help two thirds of the stock was quickly returned home, either obliviated or with secrecy charms in place where needed.
Looking at the remaining third Harry found himself wishing he knew what to do with them, he was a hero right? Well heroes made things better for people, but he didn't know what he could do for people who found slavery better than any other option they had.
He wasn't much for praying as the Dursley's had always told him that God didn't like his kind (without ever telling him what his kind was) but he found himself praying for the wisdom to help them, like Hagrid had helped him.
Suddenly Harry had an idea.
"The whole buying and selling people thing is really sketchy," Harry said. "How about we just switch to indentured servitude contracts?"
"Word them right and no one could tell the difference anyway," Stanley agreed.
"What kind of training does everyone get here?" Harry asked curiously.
"Manners, deportment and cleaning to start," Lisa, the red headed witch replied.
"When they get older … entertainment courses are added," Shelly admitted.
"How about education like at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, her insinuation going over his head.
"Squibs can't learn magic and if we knew too much we could break our binds and escape," she replied.
"Squibs can learn everything but the wanded subjects," Harry disagreed. "I mean, potions is one of the most important jobs in several fields and squibs can do that fine! In fact since they don't need the wanded subjects they could specialize in potions and have a place in the magic world other than being a slave!"
A lot of the 'stock' looked interested in this idea.
"I say we put a potions heavy training course in for those that can't learn stuff that needs a wand and make them potion masters! Just walking around I've heard people complain about the lack of potion masters in England and with a little work we can fill that hole. I want people to start saying things like 'Potions? That's squib's work!' and mean it. Just because they don't have a wand doesn't mean they don't have a place in the world."
It took a while for the cheers to quiet down.
"And those of us with wands?" Shelly asked.
"Expand the training to a full Hogwarts course load. A fully trained witch or wizard could probably make us quite a bit of money just kicking back 5 or 10% of their pay to us until they're ready to buy out their contracts completely."
"Will we still buy people?" Shelly asked.
"Yeah, just legally we're accepting them for training. Money still changes hands but by doing things this way everyone is happier."
0oOo0
All the deities present turned to look at Loki.
"What? All I did was give the boy a little inspiration."
"There's a reason we call him the God of Lawyers," Thor said proudly.
"I thought it was Lord of Lies?" Hermes asked.
"Same difference," Thor said with a shrug.
0oOo0
"Is there anything I've forgotten?" Harry asked.
"Can I have a pillow?" a little boy asked tentatively.
"Yes," Harry said, "make sure everyone has comfortable bedding and Shelly, please make it so the doors lock and unlock from the inside of the cells."
"Not mine!" a young man a couple of years older than Harry spoke up.
"Why?"
"Errr … werewolf," he admitted.
"Okay, but I don't think wolves can unlock cells so it should be fine. Is there anything else?" Harry asked.
"Johnny hurt his leg," a young girl said.
"I'm fine!" Johnny, a young man in his mid-teens said nervously.
Harry turned to Stanley. "Know anyone in the healing business?"
Stanley shrugged. "I haven't seen a healer since Madame Pomfrey in Hogwarts."
"It's between years, let's call her up!" Harry said cheerfully.
0oOo0
*POP!*
"Yes?" Madame Pomfrey asked, seeing an unfamiliar house elf.
"Master Harry be asking if yous be availables to hire to look at peoples," the elf said nervously, wringing the edge of its pillowcase in its hands.
"How many?" she asked, figuring it was a former student asking if she was available to look at his children, which happened at times.
"Spolty be thinking is dozen elfs' fingers."
"How old?" she asked, trying to cover her surprise.
"Half grown and younger."
"Where?" she asked, truly confused at this point.
"House Emporium in Knockturn Alley."
"I'll be there shortly," Madame Pomfrey quickly promised, her blood running cold at the mention of the Emporium. Everyone knew where you disposed of squibs at, even if nothing had ever been proven.
"Thankee!" the elf said before popping out.
Rushing to the floo she quickly tossed in a handful of floo powder. "Minstry of Magic, Amelia Bones Office!"
0oOo0
*POP!*
"Madame be coming soon," the little elf announced.
"Excellent, thank you," Harry said causing the elf to practically explode in happiness before popping out.
"I've removed all prisoner wards and spells keeping people in," Shelly said.
"Hit the local shops for books and toys," Harry said handing her a bag of galleons. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing here for anyone to play with or have fun."
"Whee!" Seline the spider-kin girl called out, as she swung by on a web-line, managing to give Harry a kiss on the cheek before vanishing into the rafters once more.
"Except her," Harry said trying not to blush.
Stanley just shook his head beyond shock. Spider-kin were known for being antisocial dark creatures that fed on human flesh. They weren't cute little girls with crushes and speaking of crushes, it was a good thing Harry had drank that Re'em blood or several of the hugs he'd gotten from various non-humans would have crushed him.
The overjoyed goblin girl whose name turned out to be Shank-ko had briefly written up contracts for everyone to sign while rearranging the corporate structure of Harry's House Elf Emporium and had hugged Harry so hard that his back had popped despite the Re'em blood.
Stanley just watched as Harry Potter freed slaves and improved lives while (if Shank-ko's grin was a good indicator) creating a profitable business.
Stanley signed several pieces of parchment that were placed in front of him in the mistaken belief that they were secrecy agreements.
0oOo0
Amelia Bones' gaze swept over the row of aurors in front of her. "I expect you all to remain silent and unobserved until the signal is given. If anyone happens to screw this up it'll be a three drop internal, understood?"
"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" came the chorus.
"Now, Auror Tonks, who has just graduated from the Academy mind you, will be accompanying Madame Pomfrey inside. As soon as she sees enough evidence to act on she'll signal Shacklebolt. Stunners and shields only – the place is filled with children. Are there any questions?"
"Ma'am, no Ma'am!" they chorused.
"Gray in, red out!" she ordered, changing her robe to gray. "Let's move!"
0oOo0
Madame Pomfrey sipped a calming potion before passing it to Tonks. "Bottom's up."
Tonks downed the potion and returned the empty vial. "Thanks." she said before shifting into what she imagined the young Madame Pomfrey looked like. "I can't believe they finally screwed up by inviting someone reputable in."
"More than likely they simply didn't phrase things the right way and the elf took advantage of the situation," Madame Pomfrey said.
"Note to self; never anger the elves," Tonks said, checking the emergency portkey she wore.
0oOo0
"I'll need authorization so I can deposit money in your account," Shank-ko admitted handing Harry a piece of parchment.
Harry wrote a few lines before signing it and handing it back to the young goblin, who read it and quickly put up the hood of her robe to cover her blush.
Shank-ko grabbed Lisa's hand and drug the red headed witch off once more.
0oOo0
"Is that Rita Skeeter?" Preston whispered, spotting the reporter and her camera-man hiding in the mouth of a dark alley.
"How does she keep finding out what's going on?" Logan whispered back.
"Doesn't matter," Scrimgeour replied. "When Shacklebolt gives the signal I want us to hit the door first. Shack doesn't have enough experience to be the first in and as long as we're in the best position he won't raise a stink."
The three gray cloaked aurors moved a bit closer to Harry's Emporium, pretending to window shop.
0oOo0
Shelly had sent out several house elves to fill Harry's order and cleaned out one of the back rooms to house toys and extra bedding. After putting one of the older girls in charge of making sure everything was passed out she returned to Harry's side. "Better bedding and toys are being passed out," she told him before being distracted by a knock at the door. "Be right back."
0oOo0
"Let the first test commence!" Odin announced.
Athena frowned. "I thought he already passed the first test by freeing all the slaves and returning those that wanted to go home?"
Odin shrugged. "He now has to keep them safe from the 'good guys' who would return them to their former lives much to their detriment but 'let the first test, part B begin' just doesn't sound the same."
"Good point," Thor chimed in.
"Thank the creator I'm adopted," Loki muttered.
0oOo0
An hour passed with no signal from Tonks, making Shacklebolt more than a little nervous; Tonks should have seen more than enough to call them in by now.
After another five minutes he gave the signal to pass the word to Bones that there was a problem. Unfortunately Rufus' team didn't bother to check what he was signaling just that he was signaling and rushed the door.
"Shit!" Shacklebolt cursed and signaled everyone to move in.
Gray robes became red, scattering the crowd of shoppers, most of whom had good reasons to avoid auror notice, as they stormed the building.
Inside was a madhouse as children screamed and fled or threw things at the red robed wizards who had invaded their home.
Shelly had been stunned the moment she answered the door, which was probably a good thing as she'd been trampled by aurors a second later; snapping her wand and her left arm.
Stanley was the next to go down as a trio of stunners hit him while he was staring in shock.
The 'slavers' dealt with, the aurors started stunning the panicking children.
"We're all skin and bones!" Seline yelled trying to drag Harry someplace safe. "We probably taste lousy!"
A stunner to the chest dropped her like a marionette with the strings cut.
"Seline!" Harry yelled.
0oOo0
"Get a good shot of their forced entry," Rita ordered her camera-man.
Bozo ignored her with the ease of long practice as he snapped off several shots, moving out of the alley to get a better angle.
The front window of the Emporium exploded as a red robed wizard went through it, tumbling across the cobblestones.
A dark haired boy leapt through the window after him. The wind blowing back his hair and revealing a scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his brow, just before an auror popped up from inside the store and nailed him in the back of the head with a stunner, knocking him to the ground.
"Please tell me you got that?" Rita begged.
"I got that," Bozo swore as they watched in shock as the Boy-Who-Lived slowly got back up, fire dripping from his right hand only to be stunned again; this time by both the aurors at once which dropped him to the ground.
"Was it just me or was his right hand on fire?" Bozo asked.
"It looked like he was forming a fireball like a veela!" Rita said excitedly. "How does this sound for a headline? Boy-Who-Lived to become a male veela?"
AN: Typing by Godogma.
AN2: Next chapter: The great escape!