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3. Bleus Introduces Harry to the Magic of Jazz

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦: 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘻𝘻

| 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕒 |

[Move over, Maggie, you're hogging the quill... yes, you are! Hand it over, it's my turn!]

Hello hello hello! The superior twin here! How are you my lovelies? Im gonna take over the story tellin' now if you dont mind i just find that I am much better at it thanks.

[Magnus, stop judging my grammar, it's fine!]

Right. So where were we? Robbing the malfoys, meeting an Elf, running into Harry Potter on the Knight Bus, blah, blah, blah all the boring stuff out of the way. Alright then.

So, we'd just gotten off the bus thank god and now we were left standin' on the bridge in the middle of the night. I quite liked the city at night. The moon reflected off the water in the distance and the lights gave off a certain feng shui that other places couldn't quite capture. It was peaceful and gorgous and i just adored it

magnus, who doesnt much appreciate the simple things in life the way I do, didnt spare our view much of a glance but i was more than happy to soak it all in after that horrid horrid trip on the bus. My brother was smirking at the famous boy tagging along with us. "So," he said. "Neville, eh?"

"It was the first name I could think of," Harry said, looking very awkward about it. Mighta been that my brother was a slytherin and harry and I are both Gryffindors which means they dont particularly get on becuz our two houses just never have; I myself find it difficult to actually like my brother from time to time, he's a right mess, honestly (but more on inter-house drama later).

"why were you thinking of Longbottom, Potter?" Magnus asked, still smirking.

"Er..."

"Shut up, Magnus," i told him. He was so very thick sometimes.

Anyway, Harry is very nerdy but I suppose it could be in a cute sort of way (cute for a boy anyway) he was very tall and had extremely messy hair that might have worked for him if he learned to style it better and his glasses often looked askew on his face so i reckoned he needed a new, better, more, stylish pair, or even just some bloody contacts. And his scar... well, I think it's horrid, but I think some people might find it attractive so its fine i guess. his eyes are alright, this endeering sort of green shade... yes, well, over all he looks alright, but there is always room for improvement.

Take my brother for instance. he was an utterly hopeless case. I was forced to always fix his clothes due to his absolutely horrid eye for fashion. Color coordination is something he was born with out, somedays i am certain that he was colour blind. His hair... no. Just no. It was horridly thin and it was an odd shade too as if it couldnt decide between being brown and being blonde so genetics just stopped somewhere in between. It could have worked for him if he let me fix it but something about boys like him and harry... i dunno it's like they think looking nice is a crime or something.

I on the other hand am completely flawless besides this one horrid tooth that looks a bit taller than the rest but then that's hardly noticeable at all unless you're really looking for it. My hair was a perfect shade of dark blonde that complimented my eyes quite nicely if i do say so myself. Clearly i had fallen at the better end of the gene pool.

"Why did you need a fake name?" I asked, and I do hope my creticing wasn't misconstrued as me checking him out. I don't much fancy boys.

"Well, I... erm... sort of...erm..." He mumbled something under his breath.

I stared at him, becuz it sounded to me like he'd said, "bluh-beh-bluh" which... is oviously not an actual word so... "Sorry? Didn't catch that..."

Harry winced as if I were asking him to recall something extremely painful to talk about. "I blew up my aunt..."

"You what?" I could hear my brother burst into a fit of uncontrolled giggles at this statement. Ever since getting sorted into Slytherin he'd obtained a rather morbid sense of humor. Harry however didnt seem to think it was quite so funny. "Magnus, shut up!" I punched him and he did just that. "How do you mean? Blew her up?"

"Yeah," Magnus spoke up, trying not to start laughing again. "Are we talkin', like, full on Violet Beauregarde or..?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ignore him." Harry nodded, and I knew he didn't need my permission to ignore my idiot brother but the sentiment is there. "What happened?"

"Er..." We weren't that close, Harry and me, and so I could understand his not wanting to tell me. Perhaps, I was prying a bit... "Well," he said after a moment. "She was insulting my parents, and I got mad, and..." He shrugged helplessly, then added quickly, "It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"

But of course this sent Magnus off in another fit of laughter anyway. He doubled over, clutching his sides, completely beside himself. I, on the other hand, was much more sympathetic. Harry looked absolutely guilt ridden and I felt a little sorry for him.

His parents were killed, you know, in the most awful way you can think of. Murdered by You-Know-I-Have-a-Stupid-Name-If-No-one-Can-be-Bothered-to-Say-it-Properly before he could even form proper memories of them. We were somewhat in the same boat there. I don't know what happened to my mum and dad but i know they were dead. I assume they must have been killed in the Wizard War too either by the Lame Lord or his followers. But, I reckoned Id never know for sure, seeing as how there wasn't anyone to tell me their story.

I'd spent hours upon hours imagining who they might have been... how they'd met and fallen in love... I had this whole great big epic romance written out in my head telling of such things. Tragedies of war... baring two children in the middle of the worst times... battling together side by side... Oh well. It's all just a silly little fantasy really nothin' to fuss about. And anyway this scene isnt about me.

My point was that I felt empathetic at Harry and his situation. He was forced to live with his aunt and uncle and cousin, who from the way he tells it, were not very good to him. I couldn't blame him much for loosing his control like that.

"I couldn't stay there any longer after that," Harry told us. "And I thought the Ministry of Magic would expel me, anyway..."

"So, you decided you'd be one of us street kids from now on, did you?" Magnus asked, standing upright now. Even with the shadows of the night hiding most of his face he looked mildly annoyed. He put on a voice, mocking Harry. "'Never mind the nice, cozy house I've been living in, I'll just go slum it with the homeless, 'cause that sounds like a blast, doesn't it?'"

Harry scowled, and I worried for a moment I might have to break up a fight between the two. "Well, if you want to go live with them I'll gladly trade places with you!"

Magnus snorted, and he put on one of his most irritating smirks. "Sure, Potter. Let's trade. You stay here on the streets if you think you can survive for more than three seconds, and I'll go live with your aunt and uncle. I'd love to actually have a bed for once." I wasn't sure if he was trying to egg Harry on or if this was just his sense of humor shining through, but I kept myself between the pair of them just to be safe; and I tried glaring at my brother to shut up but unfortunately, Harry was just as temperamental as Magnus.

Boys. Honestly.

"They wouldn't give you a bed just like that," Harry rolled his eyes, clearly thinking he was stupid. "They'd put you in the cupboard and keep you locked in there all year if they could!"

Magnus grinned as if that isnt one of the most awful things to be heard. "Sounds cozy."

Harry glared at him harshly. "You wouldn't think so if you'd been forced to sleep there for eleven years!" He was shouting now.

Oh boy...

"You know where a really uncomfortable place to sleep is?" Magnus asked. "The ground."

"Guys, c'mon..." I muttered, holding my arms out at each of them becuz it really looked like they might jump at one another any second and try to beat each others lights out. "Let's not compare traumas here..."

I wasn't sure if they were listening. They just kept glarin' at the other, both lookin' like they wanted to hit the other and the moonlight was reflecting off the lense of Harry's glasses, making him look quite deadly.

After a point Magnus rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine." And with that he spun around and stalked off into the night.

I smiled at Harry apologetically "Sorry about him... He's a bit of an ass."

harry huffed. "I've noticed." I helped him with his trunk and the cage for his pet owl Hedwig as we started after Magus, Harry still glaring at his back. "How do you stand him?"

I shrugged. Alright, I admit from time to time I hate my brother quite a bit. When he steals the last slice of pizza for instance or when he insists on controlling every single little thing. But see the thing is I'm still very much protective of him. He is my brother after all. "He's not that bad, actually." Harry grunted with disagreement. "No, really! He's alright, I promise. He's just..." I struggled to find the right words. Describing my brother to others has always been a near impossible feat. "Complicated..."

he made a noise that im sure wasnt meant to be rude... oh well. Perhaps someday things will be different...

"here," magnus said, coming to a stop at an alleyway. It was marked with a graffitied picture of an elephant wearing a top hat so we could always find out way back to it (our friend Zynk had done it). "If you walk around with all that you're going to get mugged," he added, pointing at Harry's trunk and bird cage when harry looked a bit slow on the uptake. "You can stash it here or whatever. It's where Tilly and I keep ours."

When harry still looked worried about just leaving his things here, Magnus said, "The cats will watch 'em."

"the...cats...?" harry asked me. I pointed at the spot behind the dumpster where magnus and me always hid our own trunks during the holidays. There were a dozen or so alley cats milling about, looking up at us with bored expressions. "They're animagi," i told harry.

"Ani... mag ── what?" Harry blinked dumbly.

"you know... like Professor McGonagall..?"

"What?"

Magnus let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "'Least you're pretty, Potter." and with another dramatic turn he was off again, disappearing into the night, leaving poor harry more befuddled than ever before.

"What?" harry asked again.

I laughed and helped him stuff the trunk and bird cage with magnus and my things. As we walked i caught him taking in all the night life which i had grown accustomed to over the years. the neon lights... the people roaming about... the cars zipping past in a blur on the street... Big Ben the clock tower glowing in the distance... the London Eye's blue lights shining over the River Thames....

As I've said the city was quite lovely at night and i was glad that there was at least one other person who shared my appreciation for it. With all the hustle and bustle of the big city it was easy to forget the wonders of the place, especially when you were in the middle of it all the time...

We stopped on a platform over looking the river. this was absolutely one of my favorite views. The lights reflecting off the water's surface, the colours mixing and mingling together, making a serene image i would have loved to capture in a painting if only i knew how to paint...

"Do you have somewhere to go?" i asked harry. As i said, I adore the city but really it isn't a place to stay long term, not on the streets anyway and not alone, especially if you're not used to fending for yourself like that. I know Harry can fend for himself (see our first and second year at Hogwarts for reference) but i dunno. Surviving the streets was a lot different than surviving a long dead creep intent on zombifying himself. If you didn't know what you were doing or who you could depend on you wouldn't last long.

Ugh. I'm beginning to sound like Magnus now, sorry... i just didn't want to see anyone get hurt, alright? plus id much rather not have any more kids in my god awful situation if there didnt have to be.

Harry shrugged, which gave me the impression he didnt really have a plan. i wondered if he had fully grasped the concept of his situation yet. Not that im judging. I myself am quite impulsive. "Anywhere is better than the Dursleys..."

"Right..." i said slowly. "But you've still got to sleep somewhere..."

"well, where do you and your brother sleep?" harry asked. "Should We have followed him by the way?" he looked around to see where magnus had gotten off too, maybe just trying to avoid the conversation so he didnt have to admit to himself how stupidly impulsive hed been tonight.

"He'll be along," I said, running my hand over the railing of the platform. This was a rather depressing topic of discussion for the both of us i suppose... "and honestly it depends on the night."

"haven't you got anyone?" now it was harrys turn to look concerned for me. I was a bit shocked by the sudden turn of the tables but i guess we were in the same boat now anyway and we might as well extend sympathy towards one another.

"Not really," i shrugged. "I think we had a gran once but I don't know what happened to her." he nodded slowly with the same sympathetic expression i felt id been wearing all night. "Oh well..." I ran my hand through my hair, frowning becuz it was a tangled mess and I wouldn't be able to brush it properly until i got to hogwarts which made me want to cry; i could already feel the tangles knotting up in great big, balls of catastrophe that would have taken ages to get under control without the use of magic. I made a mental note to ask my friend Lavender for a really good spell or potion for the problem when i saw her next. She was a genius when it came to such things...

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere...oh look, Bleus is here!"

Harry looked up just in time to see the floating saxophone next to his head before the instrument was whisked away. More were zipping through the air ── trumpets, trombones, clarinets, flutes, french horns ── all playing themselves a jolly little tune without anyone holding them as if by... well, you know. The instruments circled around the platform and at the center was our good friend Bleus Isle conducting them with his wand.

He's an elderly man, very worse for wear, with a greying beard and shabby hygiene conditions, but his eyes, a deep charcoal brown, always shown with as much life as the city itself. You'd never catch him frowning despite his ghastly attire ── an old tattered fedora, a filthy tweed jacket with more patches than anything, and slacks that desperately needed a wash.

Harry was grinning at the performance; or maybe it was at the ignorance of the muggle crowd that was beginning to form, all wondering just how Bleus was managing to hold up all those instruments. Was it strings? was it an optical illusion? they'd never know.

He went through all the classics. Ceora, Birdland, Summertime, Dream a Little Dream of Me...

During the chorus of Keep That Same Old Feeling Harry and I were joined again by my brother who wasn't alone.

"Oh, no! You're here too?"

I couldn't help grinning at the eleven year old boy who was following Magnus. He pretended he didn't like us but i knew we were some of his favorite people; i mean whats not to love?

His name was Kip. He and his mother, Tammi, were often between houses even though she was already working three different jobs trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle for her son and more often than not they ended up sleeping in their car. It didn't help that he was a very magical boy who often accidentally exploded things and got them evicted from places (not that it was on purpose).

I think her being a muggle might have made that a bit harder to explain to the landlords than normal too. She had him very young and was on her second child now which got her a nasty rep but who cares what people think. Tammi is lovely.

i could tell she was under a lot of stress as of late (probably becuz of the three jobs), becuz she had dark bags under her eyes and it looked as if she hadnt slept in ages. Her short brown hair was tussled around as if shed forgotten to brush it but even so she looked positively flawless with glowing skin like a goddess and a tall, skinny frame like a supermodel.

she must have only just gotten off her shift at the corner store thats a block away becuz she was still wearing jeans and her name tag (which was upside down as a testimit to how tired she was).

I ran my fingers through Kip's hair, just becuz i knew it would drive him mad. "You need a hair cut." and it was true.

His curly hair was getting rather unruly, but otherwise he looked fairly sensible. decent fashion sense (for an eleven year old anyway). his skin was a touch darker than his mums but besides that the pair of them looked identical. Same brown eyes, same shade of hair, same body frame. Same... uh... fierceness.

Kip huffed and shoved my hand away. "You gonna cut it?" Somehow he managed to make the question sound like a threat.

"id love to if you've got any scissors," I admitted. he rolled his eyes and looked at his mother for help.

only tammi was a bit busy rifling through her purse, muttering to herself. Shed always bring magnus and me some candy from the corner store when shed finished her shift. i suppose thats what she was looking for.

"I'd love if you could cut his hair actually, Mati," she said after a moment, apparently realising her input was needed for the conversation. Magnus laughed at  Kip's misfortune; Kip huffed in displeasure.

as i expected, tammi passed my brother and i a few dozen pieces of candy each when shed finished going through her purse. Then she looked up and saw a new face.

"Who's this?" Tammi asked, looking up at Harry who was standing about like the awkward mess he was.

"Oh, that's Harry," i told her. "Harry, this is Tammi and Kip."

"Isn't he that famous chap?" Tammi asked. She had made sure to stay very well informed on wizard history since discovering her son was magical. Harry looked uncomfortable at this question though and did an awkward sort of shrug. "Do you want some candy, Harry? Here..." She reached in her purse and shoved a Violet Crumble at him.

"Er...thanks?" harry said awkwardly.

"Why don't i get candy?" Kip complained.

"You're a menace, that's why," Magnus told him.

"Shove off," Kip said.

"Kip!" Tammi scolded.

"What? He started it!" Kip glared at Magnus when he started laughing again. "You wait. When she's not lookin'..."

"Ooh," Magnus gasped. "I'm so frightened."

harry was watching them with a look that was somewhere between amusement and that same awkwardness like he wasnt so sure how to interact with these new people but was starting to relax a bit.

It was at this point the music stopped and Bleus made his way over, but the show wasn't over yet. The crowd watched as he held his hand out to Tammi. "Care to join me for this one, love? I could teach you a thing or two..."

Tammi, momentarily caught off guard, huffed. she checked her watch. "Ive got twenty minutes before ive got to be at the food joint...Guess we're doin' this, then. Mati, hold my purse!"

She handed the bag off to me and stepped up to Bleus. i helped myself to more candy from the corner store and waited for the show to start. Tammi and Bleus always preformed splendidly together.

"You couldn't teach me a lesson in long distance spittin'." She moved forward, back him up towards the center of the platform again, the crowd following, holding on to every word.

Harry, who had Oviously never seen an Annie Get Your Gun performance before, looked mildly concerned for a moment before she went on singing, "Anything you can do, I can do better! I can do anything better than you."

"No, you can't," Bleus sang back.

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't."

"Yes I can, yes I can!"

They went on singing and dancing, the musical instruments playing by themselves; the crowd was loving it. Both gave spectacular performances as usual; on the, "can you bake a pie?" "no" "neither can i" part Tammi had them all rolling with laughter. And by the time they got to "i can live on bread and cheese" "so can a rat" people were tossing money into Blues' hat, which he had laid down by a near by bench. Magnus dropped a few pouches of gold coins stolen from the malfoys party guests in there too. I thought Bleus might be able to buy himself a better hat and suit or maybe tune up his instruments with that much money.

When the show was over, the crowd dispersed, Bleus picking up his hat, smiling at everyone, saying, "much obliged. Thank you, thank you. You're so kind." And then he and Tammi made their way back over to us.

"That was brilliant, you two!" i complimented.

"Why thank you, Mati," Bleus beamed. His eyes drifted over to harry. "Ah, a new face. Hello, there, son."

"er, hi," harry said, waving awkwardly. He was still holding the candy bar Tammi had given him like he wasnt sure what to do with it. He watched as Bleus flicked his wand to put away the instruments. "I thought that wizards couldnt do magic in front of muggles?"

"ah, they dont know no better" bleus told him with a knowing grin. "besides music doesnt care where you come from. Music doesnt care if you be a wizard, a witch, a squib, muggle, or somethin' inbetween."

Magnus and i had heard this speech more times than i could count but i always liked hearing the passion in his voice when he gave it. he got a rather misty look in his eyes here, the way he always did when he went on about his love for the fine arts. it was quite endearing.

"Music is for everyone to enjoy. For all cultures and all ethnicities. for all creatures and beings a like. It has brought individuals together for millions of years, forming an unbreakable bond between us; one good song is all we need. One good song and we're all livin' in harmony, In peace, as one whole people, one whole world. No division. No hidin'. No hatin'. No secrecy. And that's what real magic looks like, son."

Bleus gave a curt nod as if he had made a fantastic point and was proud of himself for it. "Some'n every one of us could use if ya ask me. so yeah, it dont matter none who sees. none at all." 

Harry nodded but i got the distinct idea that he had no idea what Bleus was on about. To be fair neither did i. He was about as enthusiastic for music as Oliver wood was for quidditch (wizard football). endearing, as i said before, but otherwise just a lot of rambly nonsense.

"Magnus." Bleus voice had taken on a sort of edge sudddnly, not quite repremanding but not entirely amused either. He held up one of the galleons from inside his hat. "Have you been stealing again?"

Magus jumped in the most oviously fake way he could manage. "Wha - who? me? no! I'd never!"

"Mhm." bleus waggled the coin at him as if to say 'bad, bad, bad' but then he dropped it back in the hat and kept it anyway so i dont think he cared that much.

Tammi shook her head in my direction. "mati you really shouldnt let him do that."

i gapped at her. "Wha - why am i being scolded? He's the one who's done it!"

magnus laughed. "I do the crime, you do the time." i glared at him.

"That dog," harry said suddenly pointing across the street. We all followed his gaze to a big black dog watching our group from across the street. "It was at little whinning too!"

"Little whinning?" tammi frowned. "Thats a long way from london. Are you sure its not just a dog that looks the same?"

"Maybe... could be..." harry said but he looked unsure.

"Unless hes an animagus," Magnus shrugged when everyone looked at him. "Im just sayin'."

Bleus watched the dog for a moment, like he was in deep thought and then suddenly he stood stalk still, looking between Harry and my brother and me as if noticing us for the first time. His voice was much louder than necessary when he spoke next. "What the hell are all you kids doin' out on the streets at a time like this?"

"we're always on the streets," Magnus reminded looking confused.

"Doncha know there's a manic on the lose!?"

"yeah his name is Magnus," I said but bleus didnt think it was very funny; he went on as if he hadnt heard. "And there's someone from the ministry out lookin' for the two of you! Tall bloke in a fedora. Was pokin' 'round askin' questions earlier..."

he gave us his best, stern grandfatherly look, which was quite startling since i had never seen the old man this way before. "You shouldnt be out here! go to the leaky cauldron and ask tom for a room. And stay there til you go off to school! I mean it, you hear me? i dont wanna see any one of yas out here again until this whole prisoner of azkaban mess is sorted! Understood?"

"alright..." I looked at Magnus and Harry, utterly confused. Why was he being so... odd?

"Kip i want you to stay with them as well while i go to work," Tammi told her son. "I'll drive everyone. See you Bleus." 

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