All Hail the Dark Lord, Or Something Idiotic Like That

Something Resembling a Plan-ish pt2

A/N: Not my story! Original available on ao3

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Briefly, he weighed the pros and cons of using just a bit more wandless magic to expand them, but he was already feeling very tired from what he'd done so far and didn't want to be unable to defend himself if he ran into trouble on the way to London.

*****

Tight shoes and ill-fitting clothes and all, Harry grabbed his old wand and used just a bit of wandless magic to unlock his bedroom door and sneak downstairs. It was laughably easy to get out of the house and actually very irritating how easy it was for Harry to spot his Order watcher and avoid the snoring lump in the bushes. Really! It was shameful. Granted, he'd lived through a war, a police state where he was part of the rebellion, and his business in general also tended to be on the shadier side, but still, these people were mostly aurors and knew they were guarding a supposedly defenseless child that had already been attacked once over the summer!

Trying to quell his irritation with the knowledge that he was 27 now and poor-defenseless Harry was dead for all intents and purposes, he ran several streets over and behind a closed department store before he raised his old wand outwards to call the Knight Bus. One loud crack later and an offensively purple bus appeared before a young man Harry didn't think he'd ever seen before jumped out.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded..." the lanky man trailed off once he got a look at the pierced, tattooed, muscled, wild hair flying, and poorly dressed wizard in front of him. "You ok, mate?" He frowned in a mix of concern and worry at what Harry might do or if he were dangerous.

"I'm fine," Harry tried to look unassuming, mostly unsuccessfully. "I had a bit of trouble with the missus. She threw me out in me skivvies and cast an incendio at all my stuff. Thankfully, I was holding my wand and me mate down the street lent me some clothes," he gave a wry chuckle at the end. He wasn't sure where the accent he was trying to put on came from. He thought it might be a mix of Hagrid and Mundungus, but thankfully the Knight Bus conductor seemed to buy it.

"Merlin, you've had a rough night of it then. Sounds like you really put your foot in it," he laughed and stepped aside for Harry to board the bus. "I'm guessing the Leaky to get a room?"

"Called it in one," Harry answered wryly.

"You got fare?" The man frowned now, rightfully thinking that might be a bit of a challenge.

Harry had scrounged enough from his school trunk for fare though and handed it over, with the extra for hot chocolate. Merlin, he could use some hot chocolate! He just missed spilling his delightfully chocolatey drink on himself as the bus was off once more with a lurch and bang. Though Percy regularly assured him that no one would recognize him anymore, Harry still hadn't been anywhere in wixen society for years without a heavy glamour, so it was with a deep sigh and grin over the rim of his mug that he took a moment to enjoy anonymity while in his own skin.

There were a few stops before him, so Harry had just finished his hot chocolate when the bus screeched to a halt outside of the Leaky Cauldron. "Thanks, mate!" He waved to the conductor.

"Good luck with the missus!" He yelled back before the bus was off again.

"Am I the missus?" Percy stepped forward from the shadows with an amused raise of his eyebrow.

"No, she was being entirely unreasonable," Harry grinned widely at him and took his hand, needing to be reassured he'd made the trip in one piece. "Burned all my clothes you see...I have no idea what brought it on...might have been when she learned I'm gay, but your guess is as good as mine."