Delays, Disappointment, and Dating - Part 4

Uncle Vernon had regularly threatened to send him to an orphanage, and he'd often thought he'd have been better off. Now, he knew he wouldn't have enjoyed this life, either. He

might have been better off physically, but he would have hated the forced conformity. He was certain he would have ended up in loads of trouble, and he shivered at the strange similarity he once again felt with a young Tom Riddle.

He didn't like the place and wanted to get out as soon as possible. He needed to find a quiet spot that was likely to be unoccupied in the evening hours. Peering into one office, he saw a janitor fixing a broken shelf on a bookcase.

"You here to fix the computer?" the man asked, glancing only briefly at Harry. He was old and grizzled, reminding Harry slightly of Mad Eye Moody.

"Er…yeah," Harry said uncertainly.

"Ruth said she'd sent you along. This one just mucked up as well," the man said, banging on the bookcase. "Can you take a look at it, too?"

"That looks like a really old bookcase," Harry said, sitting at the desk and pretending to examine the computer. "I imagine they don't get new furniture here very often."

"Nah, we make do with what we have. They stored a bunch of the old furniture from before they renovated the place downstairs in the storeroom. We bring it up whenever some of the new stuff breaks. They just don't make furniture the way they used to. The old stuff might look rough, but it's much sturdier than the crap they make nowadays," the man said.

Harry nodded in what he hoped was a sympathetic manner. "Do they keep any old computers down in that storeroom? Ones that could be used for spare parts?" Harry asked, thinking fast. "It might save you something on the invoice."

The man shrugged. "I dunno. You can check. The door at the end of the corridor leads down there. Can you fix that one?" he asked.

Harry looked at the computer, having no idea what was wrong with it or how to repair it. He glanced over at the janitor, whose back was to him. He discreetly waved his wand and wordlessly cast a Reparo spell.

The computer hummed almost happily.

"It's all set," Harry said. "Nice to meet you."

The man nodded gruffly but didn't reply. Harry hurried down the corridor and slipped inside the door to the storeroom. Thankfully, it was unlocked.

Harry was overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the underground storage space. Rows and rows of metal-framed beds and wardrobes were stacked over every bit of available space. Searching them would likely take all night.

Harry slipped the Spell Detectors out of his pocket and placed them on the end of his nose. He got lucky getting down here; maybe he'd be lucky again. He quickly perused the room, but could see no trace of red that would indicate Dark spells. They'd have to return tonight and look more carefully. For now, he had to get back to the others.

That night, Harry side-along Apparated with Hermione into the dusty storeroom, giving her a chance to look around and get familiar with the layout. Then they Apparated back to the small inn where they'd rented a couple of rooms and brought Ron and Ginny back with them.

"This place is kind of creepy," Ron said, glancing warily at all the old furniture stored in piles. The air was dank and musty, and the dim light from their wands cast long shadows on the walls. "I wonder why this room is so deep underground."