章 5: 5. A TOUCHY EMPLOYEE.
Harry woke up in his soft bed. Light streaming in from the window. His head pounded in pain and both shoulders ached.
Harry vaguely recalled the events of the previous night.
Opening his eyes and looking up at the sound of someone moving about his room.
Turning back Harry found a naked woman bent over rummaging in his trunk. Her upper body having completely disappeared inside the magically expanded trunk and her shapelly bare arse pointing towards him.
"Holy shit man! This thing is bigger on the inside!"
"By Merlin's Blue Balls!" Harry quickly turned around. "Why the bloody hell are you starkers!?"
"Oh come on! Don't tell me you're embarrassed. Prude!" she replied from within the trunk wiggling her bum suggestively.
"I just need to borrow some clothing. I've been wearing the same shit for the past month. Hey! Why do you have dresses in here?" she asked. "Look, if you're into cross dressing that's fine with me. Hey actually you might have some panties instead of just boxers so score!"
Harry turned around and tried to ignore the fact that a very naked and attractive woman was holding up his school robes in his room.
"That's not a dress! They are wizarding robes. They are actually my school uniform!" Harry replied indignantly.
"Sure looks like a dress to me. If it wasn't for the fact that I can see you're a little excited right now, I'd say you were deep in the closet so I'll take you at your word," she replied, bending back down into the trunk. "Then again … you might be playing for both teams. Hey! You DO have panties! That's unexpected!"
Harry twisted back to look at the girl with a puzzled expression and then remembered where the panties came from.
"Oh, don't wear those. They are from some of my … admirers," Harry said, turning his back to the girl again.
"You're famous or something? Aha! Here we go!" Harry turned around to see the girl slipping on a pair of boxers and one of his old Quidditch jerseys.
"You could say that. Here, let me get you some pants and socks," Harry said, fetching some clothes for her.
"Ah, clean clothes. You don't realize how much the little things like fresh clothes matter until you're stuck wearing the same thing for a month."
"So come on, let's go to the kitchen and you can tell me all about yourself while you make me food. You sort of passed out when we got here last night. Pretty happy you didn't die on me."
Harry didn't bother asking the girl what she would like for breakfast and made a rasher of bacon and some eggs along with some tea.
"Thank you for your help last night. It would have been a whole lot harder and messier otherwise," Harry explained as he moved the bacon on the frying pan.
"Well, when you pulled a huge sword out of a trashcan, I figured you might actually be able to get us out of there," she explained, pouring a fourth spoonful of sugar into her tea. "Of course, I didn't know you weren't going to use it. You do know that the pointy bit goes INTO the other guy, right?"
Harry shrugged as he sipped his tea. "They weren't very dangerous. I've killed before; killing is easy. It's easy to dehumanize your opponent, but the man whose life you just ended might be a father or an uncle; he might not be there of his own will. When the odds are in my favor, I try to use non-lethal approaches."
"In your favor? I guess it was all part of your plan to be eating dirty carpet while some two-bit thug dislocated your shoulder?" Domino replied, raising an eyebrow incredulously.
"Well, things would have been easier if I…"
Harry was interrupted by the doorbell.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Harry asked.
"Nope. Who the heck would even know I'm here? You don't even have a phone for me to make a call with."
Harry drew his wand and moved to the door. The only person who knew Harry lived here would be Kate, and they had parted ways at the Hostel.
Looking through the peephole, Harry saw Mrs. Hernandez.
"Mrs. Hernandez? How can I help you?"
The woman rushed into the apartment and grabbed Harry in a rib-crushing hug.
"You saved my boy!" she cried over and over. Behind her, Harry could see a man he assumed was her husband, a young girl around 11, as well as their son Samuel.
"Please come in."
Harry suddenly realized he was quite naked under the housecoat.
"Please, sit down. I'll just go get dressed quickly and be right back."
Harry returned a few moments later to find Mrs. Hernandez salvaging his forgotten breakfast.
"Oh Merlin. Thank you, Mrs. Hernandez," Harry exclaimed as he made his way to the oven.
"No. Go sit down and talk to my husband. We obviously interrupted your breakfast, so it's the least I can do."
Harry grudgingly agreed and sat down at his kitchen table.
"I'd like to express my gratitude for what you've done for my family. Initially, I was skeptical about my wife going to what I believed was a scam 'mystic,' but both she and my son say that you're real. Since you've returned my son to me, I have to set aside my skepticism and pride. Thank you for bringing my son back to us," the man said, sliding a small envelope towards Harry.
"I ... I can't accept this," Harry replied, avoiding eye contact with the envelope.
"Why not? Didn't you provide us with a service my wife hired you for?"
"It just doesn't feel right. Taking money from someone who has less than I do for doing the right thing," Harry explained. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I have enough money that, if I'm careful, I could live without working for the rest of my life."
"Think about it. Do policemen get paid? Firemen? Doctors? Nurses? Teachers? Soldiers? Why shouldn't you get paid? You say you have enough money to live forever? Then use this money to help more people," the man insisted, pushing the envelope closer to Harry, who reluctantly accepted it without opening it.
Mrs. Hernandez brought breakfast for Harry and Domino, gave Harry another hug, and then took her family home.
"You are so incredibly naive!" Domino exclaimed.
"Dude! Don't give me that look," she exclaimed at his cross expression. "You started a business of solving people's problems and then refuse to take their money when they hire you? That's insane. It's not like you're going around shaking people down for protection money … right?"
Harry shrugged, partly annoyed and partly in agreement.
"So last night, you started telling me about yourself. You're a magician or something?. What else can you tell me, Gandalf?"
"You're not surprised?" Harry asked.
"Giant sword out of a trashcan, hundreds of birds from thin air, people being tossed around like rag dolls … I'd have to be pretty stupid to deny it all. Now, spill the beans! This sounds crazy, and I want details."
"We can talk about it later. What are you going to do now that you're free? Do you need a lift to your parents or…"
Domino's cocky smile disappeared.
"No. I'm just a lucky girl who is surviving on the streets. I was in foster care then I ran away from my foster home. I somehow got roped into that shitty situation. But I was just looking for a job before that."
"Well, you can stay here for a few days while you figure something out if you like. I'll set up a spare room for you to use."
For a moment, the girl's expression changed to one of utter relief and gratitude before returning to her cocky demeanor.
"Let's go shopping for a few items like clothes and toiletries first," Harry offered.
They went shopping for some necessities and returned to his home.
After locking his more dangerous or rare items in his trunk, Harry stored the Triumph properly in his office.
Returning to his apartment, he heard Domino in the shower. Heading to the spare room he'd considered turning into a laboratory or workshop, Harry transfigured some debris into a bed and left linens and blankets.
As he undressed for the night, Harry pondered his current situation. The Hernandez family and Domino were right—he needed to accept payment if he was to run a detective or troubleshooting business. His wealth was significant, but running a business, especially if he hired help in the future, could be expensive.
Then there was the issue of Domino. He couldn't host every homeless person he encountered. Like Hermione's quest to free house-elves, aiding each individual homeless person wouldn't solve the problem, just address the symptom. It was also unfeasible. Even with his funds, he'd run out of money within a week just in New York.
Harry wasn't sure why he'd offered Domino a place to stay. Yes, she had saved his life, but he knew very little about her.
Harry missed his friends terribly, especially Ron and Hermione. Their constant companionship had become a cherished part of his life.
His thoughts were interrupted when Domino entered his bedroom, dropping her towel and sliding under the blankets beside him.
"Hey, do you have everything you need?" Harry asked, squinting in the bright hallway light.
Domino didn't respond and instead nestled against Harry, her body against his.
"Look, it's not that I don't find you attractive, but I … I don't want this right now," Harry explained, trying to maintain distance.
Suddenly, Domino began to question him if he is gay or something.
Harry was caught off guard and protested. " hey I'm not gay. I'm not sure what's happening. It's not about you or how you look. We just met, and I don't understand why this is happening."
"I ... I've got nothing else to offer you. You are letting me stay here, and this is all I've got," Domino admitted honestly.
Harry let out a soft sigh. "You don't owe me anything, especially not that. Look, less than a month ago, I was in a long-term relationship. We didn't break up; we were separated. I'm not ready for this, and even if I were, I wouldn't use someone like this."
Domino's voice lowered. "How are you so noble? Most guys would have jumped at this chance."
Harry's thoughts momentarily derailed at the vivid images her words conjured. Shaking it off, he continued, "You're welcome to sleep in my bed tonight, but I'd be more comfortable if you wore something."
Domino dressed in Harry's old Quidditch Jersey and a pair of knickers before settling back into bed.
That night was a sleepless one for Harry, uncomfortable with a stranger beside him.
The following week passed quickly. Somehow, Domino decided to become Harry's assistant. They restructured the business floor, relocating his office and setting up Domino in a new reception area.
Domino brought valuable computer skills to the business, leading to a shopping spree for electronics like a computer, tablet, smartphones, and an internet hookup. She also took on the task of digitizing Harry's unique book collection to preserve the knowledge within.
In an amusing turn, she created a basic website for their business and had Harry pose for various portraits needed for the site, some of which cleverly captured magical use, appearing like digital manipulations to most people.
This allowed Harry more time to focus on different projects. He conducted diagnostic charms in Central Park without much success and delved into studying his extensive book collection.
His primary project involved unraveling the identification spells used in the Marauders map and Omnioculars. Using his charms books, Sirius's old notebook, and an ancient runes book, Harry fashioned a simplified version of the Marauders map for his office and apartments. Through this map, he discovered Domino's real name: Neena Thuman.
He then bought several pairs of prescription glasses and attempted to add the identification spell to them.
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(edited chapter.)
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