The Necromancer

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry, age 4

The genie pulled Harry into a whole new world. Harry landed in a dark room in the middle of an intricate pattern painted on the grey stone floor. A tall man wearing a white dress and lots of gold jewellery spoke in a language Harry didn’t understand. Another man, wearing a shorter dress and only a leather collar with jewels in it around his neck, pulled Harry from the circle. Harry winced at the pain shooting up his arm. A woman, also wearing a collar, said something and then took over and gently guided Harry from the dark room, up a few stone stairs and to a bright hallway with open windows that showed a large courtyard full of children of all ages doing some sort of exercises in organized rows.

The woman gestured Harry into a large room that had several beds and cabinets and instruments Harry didn’t recognize. She ushered Harry up on a bed and started undressing him, and Harry let it happen, utterly overwhelmed that he was no longer stuck in the cupboard under the stairs, and that by the looks of it he had landed himself in some sort of hospital or maybe a school. Whatever it was, Harry hoped with all his heart he could stay there.

The woman pointed at her own chest and said, “Genka.”

Harry got the idea, and repeated the gesture and said, “Harry.”

Genka smiled at him and then took her time washing him with soapy water while she made Harry swallow lots of strange little drinks.

The tall man with all the gold hanging off him entered the room, holding a large staff with all sorts of trinkets hanging from it. The man ran the staff alongside Harry’s hurt arm and at once the pain disappeared. Harry blinked at him in awe and smiled in complete gratitude and didn’t protest at all when the man, who had long, dark hair, a tanned complexion and very white teeth, fastened a leather collar around Harry’s throat.

After Harry was clean and pain-free, he was given a white dress that reached his knees, with a belt to tie around his waist. He was also handed a pair of leather sandals that Genka helped him put on because there were a lot of leather straps that tied all the way up his calves.

And then Harry was clean and wearing new clothes and comfortable shoes for the first time in his life and he beamed at Genka and the man. Genka nodded at him and gestured for him to follow the man, which Harry did.

The man walked with long strides and Harry had to jog to keep up but he didn’t mind, since he was overwhelmed with happiness at being away from the Dursleys at last.

The man steered Harry into a room that looked like an office. The walls and floor were white and made from stone, and all the furniture was constructed of dark wood with a red sheen to it. Harry admired the large desk and the many cabinets, some filled with books and scrolls of paper, others with strange metal or glass trinkets.

The man ran his staff over Harry’s head a few times, muttering some words and he must have liked what he saw because he got a bright smile on his face. He rushed towards one of the cabinets, pulled a small glass ball off the shelf and handed it to Harry.

Unsure of what to do, Harry simply held the ball with both hands and slowly but surely the ball began to glow ever brighter until the light started hurting Harry’s eyes and he squeezed them shut.

The man cried out in sheer joy, quickly yanked the ball out of Harry’s hands and then crouched in front of him, speaking very quickly while he cupped Harry’s cheeks with a pair of warm hands. Harry hadn’t a clue what the man was saying but he seemed happy enough with Harry and that was all that mattered.