Chapter 31: London Calling
40,000 Feet Above the Atlantic
Harry frowned as he took a sip of his orange juice. It was freshly squeezed, according to the flight attendent, but Harry bet it was from the carton. He thought about mentioning this to his father who was seated next to him, but he didn't.
Because Gold had a look on his face.
A very scary look.
He had it ever since he woke up and told him they were going to England when he was released from the hospital.
Harry sighed. Gold looked at him. "You don't like your orange juice?"
Harry gave him a pointed look. "You look like you're going to kill someone."
"I always look like I'm going to kill someone, dearie." Gold said before taking a sip of his mimosa and added. "Especially in the morning."
Harry shook his head. "Dad, I get that you're upset."
Yeah, he was calling Gold dad now. To be honest, Harry wasn't completely comfortable with it. But he couldn't exactly call him Gold anymore, not when he knew his father was really Rumpelstiltskin.
"Do you?" Gold said. "I'm not upset."
A humph came from the seat next to him.
That would be Belle.
They had been fighting ever since he woke up. Cold war. Harry had seen it before with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon would get a little too friendly with his latest secretary and Petunia wouldn't' talk to him for a week. Or maybe Aunt Petunia spent a little too much money at the department store on something obscene like a fur coat and Uncle Vernon couldn't afford to go to a football match. Definite fight.
But about what, Harry didn't know.
They were really quiet about it. Unlike Petunia and Vernon. But whatever it was, you could tell made his father pissed. Pissed enough to scrap the whole New York trip and go straight onto the UK trip.
Harry didn't want to go back to England. Well, he did and he didn't. He was hoping that somehow while he was there showing Gold around Diagon Ally that maybe he'd convince him to somehow let him go to Hogwarts, but he honestly knew better.
Especially since the Gold way of teaching magic made much more sense and he now could brew a potion without having a panic attack.
While he was thinking this Gold was going on how he was in fact not upset. He had been saying that from the moment he saw Harry at the hospital.
"I'm not mad." He said looking at Harry, "Well, not at you. But I do wish you wouldn't have ran off."
Harry sighed. "I found out about the fairytale thing. Can you exactly blame me for running off?"
Gold sighed. "You don't run away from your problems, dearie. I thought that was a part of your Griffin nonsense."
"It's Gryffindor. And you called it nonsense, so I don't need to follow it. Obviously."
Gold rolled his eyes. "If running away is the best option then yes, you do that. But running away was not the best case in this scenario. Did you even let Belle explain things?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, but you shouldn't have kept secrets from me."
"I am the parent, Harry." Gold said. "I don't have to be transparent with you of it's for your own good. And to be fair, I told you the parts that mattered."
"You didn't tell me you were Rumpelstiltskin. Spins straw to gold, barters babies, and gets people to try to guess his name."
"Those fairytales are highly exaggerated." Gold said, "The truth is much more complicated."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes," Gold said. "Do you really think I'd want some idiot's baby? No. I'd make a better deal."
"So, there haven't been any baby bartering?"
"Well, there might've been one." Gold said, "But…"
"It's complicated." Harry said, "I think that's your answer for every single answer."
"Well, yes, generally everything in life is complicated."
Harry didn't think it was. Or he used to not think it was. Take a couple of months ago, he would've viewed the world entirely black and white. Voldemort. Slytherins. Snape. Pure evil. Dumbledore. Gryffindors. They were good. But now he had to wonder, was his father right? Regina and Gold for the most part weren't horrible people, but they didn't deny what they had done in the past.
It was definite food for thought.
But even as he thought about that, tried to accept whom his father and sister were, it was still weird.
He hadn't really seen Regina since she visited him in the hospital; she was dealing with the Moe French situation as she called it.
Belle sighed, "Rumple, he's not even listening to you."
"He is too." Rumple said. "Aren't you, son?"
"Honestly, I'm trying to figure out why you two are having a Cold War." Harry said. He was being bitterly direct right now—it was a part of the pain potions he was on. Plus, he was tired of the sighing from Belle. It didn't suit her.
Deep down inside, he felt that a lot of their unrest was his fault. He didn't dare tell them this, he knew it would be pointless.
Belle and Gold would tell him it wasn't his fault. But it was. If he hadn't been walking at night, Humpty would've never gotten a hold of him. And Belle and Gold as a result wouldn't be fighting.
Because he was pretty sure that's what they had been fighting over, though he couldn't prove it.
Belle sighed, "We're not fighting, sweetie."
"I'm not stupid." Harry said glaring at her.
"Don't talk to your…Belle that way." Gold said.
Well, he was still defending her that was a plus. Even though Harry had his own fantasies involving his future stepmother, he wasn't stupid. He was eleven, she had to be at least in her mid to late twenties. And by the way she looked at his father nothing was going to happen. Even if they were fighting, you still could see how deeply they cared for each other.
Harry shook his head. "Well, you two do think I'm stupid. You've been fighting since I woke up. Probably because Belle's dad kidnapped me. Which I'm sorry about."
"That wasn't your fault, Harry." Belle said. "My father he's not in a good place."
Gold snorted.
"Well, he's not, Rumple."
"You're making excuses for him."
Harry sighed. "So, this is what the problem is."
"This isn't any of your business, dearie." Gold said.
Harry rolled his eyes. "The man kidnapped me and tried to shoot me, I think it is."
"My point exactly." Gold said now approving of what Harry said. "See, Belle."
She sighed, "I know Papa was wrong, but he's not normally like that. And you know what…"
"Do you want him to walk, Belle?" Harry knew it was probably wrong to cut his Belle off like that. But he wanted to know. Did Belle think her father should walk free from his crimes?
Belle frowned. "Of course, not! I just, I just, want him back in Storybrooke. Is that too much to ask?"
"It is since they have no jurisdiction." His father chimed in.
Belle glared at him.
So, this was what the fight was about. It seemed sort of silly to Harry. Really, why did it matter where Moe French was? He was going to jail, either way. He tried to kill him.
However, he had a feeling that if he told Belle this she'd cry. And even though those pain medications of his gave him a loose tongue, he controlled himself because he didn't want to see Belle crying. Especially on the airplane. Being in the air with bad orange juice was terrible enough as it was.
He sighed changing the topic, "I hate airplanes."
"So, do I." Gold said. "Alas, I don't know the UK so it's not like I can poof us there."
"It's called apparate." Harry said.
Gold shrugged. "I like the word poof."
Belle turned back to her magazine. Harry took a glance and almost grimaced when he saw the article, "Ten Things In Bed That Will Have Him Doing Anything For You".
Two and a Half Hours Later: London, England
Heathrow was exactly as Harry remembered it. Large, crowded, and confusing. His father seemed to walk around though with ease. Odd, the limp was no longer there. Harry hadn't seen it in a few days, but this was the first time he really noticed it.
Gold seemed to walk with purpose, even though Harry knew he had no idea where he was.
Harry had been to London plenty of times. But he never really got to enjoy the city. When he was a child, he went to the city and sat in the car while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia took Dudley to the various museums and historical sites in the city. Then there was last year when he went to Diagon Ally which was fabulous, but he had only seen the ally. Not the city.
So was not the case with Gold. Well, really Belle. Her mood seemed to brighten up tremendously when they saw the famous Big Ben. Parliament. The Double deckers. Everything that ridiculously cheesy and touristy she ooed and awed and said it was just like the books.
Harry had to admit it was pretty cool.
She had even managed to get Gold to let them ditch the town car and go on one of those buses. And while Gold begrudgingly seemed to go, though Harry suspected his father was secretly happy he dropped the whole Free Humpty thing.
Harry was sort of enjoying the whole tourist thing that he forgot about the whole wizarding thing until during a meal of fish and chips. Gold asked him how to get to this Diagon Ally.
Harry looked shocked. "We're going there today?"
"Well, we already checked into our hotel, didn't we?" Gold asked.
Yes, they did. Big old place. And expensive place too. Like one of the places Uncle Vernon would have a fancy dinner at.
"But jetlag." Harry said.
"Best way to fight it is to stay up. Besides, you've been telling me all about these shops at this Diagon Ally. And I need a new cauldron."
"You use stainless steel to make your potions." Harry said. "You said cauldrons were antiquated."
Gold sighed. "Well, I want to see the place regardless."
"It will be fun." Belle said trying to cheer him up.
It didn't work.
Going into the Leakey Cauldron was a lot different now than it was a year ago. He wasn't in Hagrid's shadow. And no one really gave much attention to Gold. Though Gold was certainly wrinkling his nose at the place.
"Seriously, a bar?"
"It's a pub." Belle clarified.
"Same difference." Gold said. "The entrance to the wizarding world is a sad pub. I bet you can't even get a decent pint here."
Belle rolled her eyes. "Come on, there's no need staying here."
But Gold kept staring at his surroundings. "Interesting. There's magic here, Belle."
"Yes, entrance to the wizarding world."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on."
"And now he's interested." Gold said more to himself than to anyone else.
He did follow reluctantly though to the entrance of the ally.
Gold wasn't in awe of the place like Harry was. But he did seem amused and didn't seem that out of place, despite wearing the fact he was wearing a suit and everyone else was in robes. Perhaps it helped that it was a Tom Ford suit—Harry was finally starting to pick up on all the various designers his father wore.
Belle was a little more awe struck than Gold and dragged them into the nearest bookstore. Harry thought it might as well have been a good time to get his books for school next year. Because despite what Gold said, he was going back to Hogwarts. He couldn't leave his friends.
Harry glanced through the second year spell book and was sort of surprised when he discovered that he knew most of them already via Gold's school of magic. And more. Some of these spells were really pointless. Who needed to learn how to turn a snake into a goblet? Who wanted to drink out of a snake goblet?
"Are you going to Hogwarts?"
Harry turned around to see a man he didn't recognize. Blond, tall, like a movie star with teeth that couldn't be real.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Do you know who I am?" The man asked.
"Someone who is annoying me." Again, a residual side effect of the potion as well as hanging out with his father and sister way too much and jet lag.
"Nonsense. I am Gilderoy Lockhart, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Really, this was Quirrell's replacement? That was about right, one hack for the other. He hoped Lockhart wasn't homicidal. He doubted it, he probably wouldn't want to get blood on those robes of his.
Harry shook his head. "I really doubt Dumbledore would hire you."
"Have you read my books?" Lockhart asked in shock. "Surely, you haven't or you wouldn't be questioning the great Gilderoy Lockhart. Order of Merlin third class."
"Third class, that's suppose to be impressive? What happened to first?"
Lockhart shook his head. "Blasphemy. You know what, son. I am the generous sort of chap, so I am going to further your education by giving you a whole set of my books. You'd like that wouldn't you?"
"Um, no. Can you just go away?"
"Come on now, it will be a perfect photo op."
"Photo op?" Harry said. "I don't…"
Did the man listen to him…no. And Gold was busy looking at Ten Ways to Kill Your Enemy Without Turning Them Into a Gastropod to notice what was going on. Either that or snogging with Belle. It seemed like they had resolved their issues for now if only because they were in a bookstore. And books seemed to be like jewelry or chocolate for Belle.
Used to Harry would've just let the photos bet taken, but he was different now. He didn't know what it was, but something this summer—or maybe it was all the potions he had taken that day—made him less of a pushover.
Not that he had ever really been a pushover before, but he wouldn't have wanted to cause a scene. Now, he knew what he had to do.
"Wait," He said as Lockhart's photographer was taking photos of them. "I really don't think my dad would approve of this."
"Your father will love the free books." Lockhart said, "Plus, it will look good for his son to be associating with such a highly acclaimed wizard."
"No." Harry said, "He won't. He's a solicitor. A very litigious one, who likes suing people in his spare time. I think having my privacy rights violated would warrant a lawsuit."
Lockhart laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
"It's not a joke."
Lockhart turned around to see Gold glaring at him.
Gold rolled his eyes before waving his hand towards the photographer. The camera was gone in seconds. First it exploded and then it was a pile of ashes.
Lockhart and the photographer scared at him aghast.
"What?" Gold said. "You weren't allowed to take those photos in the first place. Did you really think I was going to let you keep that film, dearie?"
"But…but…you used no wand."
Gold rolled his eyes yet again. It was really amazing how no one in his family had managed not to have an eye pop out or whatever with the amount of rolling they did. "Really? Go."
There was something about his mood that had darkened. Looking at Harry he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine, but annoyed that Dumbledore would hire that guy to be a professor. And he apparently wrote books too."
"They probably have lots of pictures." Gold said. "Did you find anything actually worth while to buy?"
Harry shrugged. "The second year spell book seems a little easy."
"Let me see." Gold snapped.
Flipping through the volume Harry handed him, he shook his head. "Typical. Don't worry Belle's finding some more appropriate texts to supplement your education. You and I need to go to the bank."
"The bank?" Harry asked. "Why do we need to go to Gringotts?"
"Answers." Gold said, "I need answers."