Chapter 6 Henchgirl's Yummy Soft Drinks

Disclaimer: Do NOT Drink Mr. Black's Black Cola, or YOU WILL DIE.

"I think it's time to move on," Harry said with a sigh. "Not that it hasn't been fun

"What are your plans?" Henchgirl asked with a frown.

"Canada," Harry replied. "I'm going to follow the advice of that shopkeeper and get a few lessons from that guy with the unpronounceable name."

"Then?" Henchgirl prompted.

"Then I'm going to . . . Harry Potter is going to take his final exams," Harry continued. "After that . . . after that I don't know."

"You don't have to go to Canada to take that course," Henchgirl said with a sad smile. "We arranged for Mr. K to teach a few of them on the island."

"He's a wizard?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I don't know," Henchgirl replied. "But he did have a book of useful spells for the arboreal forest, interesting guy."

"Thanks Henchgirl," Harry said. "Could you point me the way to his class?"

"I'll do one better," Henchgirl spoke quickly. "I'll take it with you."

"Oh?"

"Never know when it might be useful to know how to survive in the Canadian forest," Henchgirl continued. "Let's go."

"Ok," Harry agreed. "It'll be fun."

IIIIIIIIII

"Well," Luna began. "That was fun."

"It was certainly interesting," Hermione ventured. "I know that I've certainly never seen a hot spring explode like that."

"That's what happens when you trap Crumbats in a spring," Luna explained. "They get all agitated and produce hot water."

"That doesn't . . ." Hermione froze, she couldn't believe she was encouraging Luna to keep talking.

"Then they explode," Luna finished. "Everyone knows that."

"So it wasn't a build up of pressure coupled with old pipes?" Hermione said with a smirk.

"That's just what they want you to think," Luna agreed. "On the plus side, I got a lead on where Harry might be."

"Where," Hermione demanded.

"One of my father's contacts told me that there's an information merchant near here," Luna said. "He might be able to tell us something."

"Let's go," Hermione all but screamed.

"There's just one problem," Luna whispered.

"What?" Hermione hissed.

"Well . . ."

"Tell me"

"He might try to kill us," Luna admitted. "Or Harry if he can find him, father's contact thinks that he might be a dark wizard."

"We can take care of ourselves," Hermione snapped. "Now come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can hurt Harry for worrying us like that."

"Ok," Luna agreed.

The two girls wandered around town for several hours until Hermione couldn't take it anymore, "when are we going to get there?"

"When are we going to get where?" Luna asked innocently.

"What?" Hermione asked flatly.

"What what?" Luna replied.

"Where have we been going," Hermione spoke slowly, as if to a child.

"I don't know," Luna blinked. "I've been following you, where are we going Hermione?"

"How should I know," Hermione said, forcing herself to calm. "You're the one who knows where the information merchant is."

"That's right," Luna agreed.

"So where are we going?"

"I don't know," Luna said. "I thought we already established that."

"I meant, where is the information merchant?" Hermione said with false calm.

"Over by that group of Aurors," Luna said. "Although I don't think they call them Aurors here . . . do you know what they call them Hermione?"

"What group of Aurors?" Hermione looked around for several seconds before she placed them. "Let's go."

"Ok," Luna agreed.

Hermione marched up to the woman that seemed to be directing things and looked her straight in the eye.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked in accented English.

"I have business with the man on the ground," Hermione replied.

"What kind of business?" The woman asked, eyes narrowing.

"I think he might be able to help me find a friend of mine," Hermione replied. "When can I talk to him?"

"Never," the woman said with a grin. "Bastard died of a massive triple heart attack."

"A what?" Hermione asked dumbly.

"You heard me," the woman replied. "Now why don't you tell me who you are."

"I'm Ms. White," Luna spoke up. "And she's Mrs. Pinkish-Blue."

"Pinkish-Blue?" Hermione echoed.

"I think I've heard of you," the woman turned to Luna. "You wouldn't happen to be a reporter for the Quibbler would you?"

"Yes I am," Luna agreed. "But I'm going to say I'm not, I'm undercover don't you know."

"I . . . see," the woman said slowly. "So tell me, have you ever met Mr. Black?"

"Oh yes," Luna said quickly. "We both have, he taught us many interesting things."

"Like what?" The woman demanded.

"Like how to give someone a triple heart attack," Luna replied. "Isn't that how you said the information broker died?"

"Yes it is," the woman said thoughtfully. "Glad Black finally got around to this one."

"What'd he do?" Luna asked.

"He's been selling young witches," the woman replied.

"Selling young witches?" Hermione re-entered the conversation.

"Brothels and spell components," the woman explained. "Nasty bit of work, with him dead and the records we've found I think we'll be able to end the trade."

"And if you don't," Luna said with a grin. "I'm sure Mr. Black will kill them all, thank you for your time."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed in a daze.

"Well," Luna remarked as they walked off. "It looks like we need to be more careful."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed numbly. "More careful . . . maybe we should wait till Tonks and Remus arrive before we do any more looking."

"Oh pish tosh applesauce," Luna snorted. "We don't have to do that, but if it makes you feel better we could go to a safer location for a little while."

"Where," Hermione demanded.

"Holland," Luna replied. "It is the place that Mr. Black first appeared."

"I guess," Hermione agreed slowly. "Lets go."

"Yay," Luna cheered.

IIIIIIIIII

"Hey Harry," Henchgirl said in delight. "Let me show you something."

"Make it quick," Harry said with a forced grin. "I'm going to Canada later today and I'd like to arrive while there's still a bit of light."

"Ok," Henchgirl agreed in a subdued tone. "Remember when I mentioned that I wanted to make my own drink company?"

"I think so," Harry said with a nod.

"Well I did it," Henchgirl said proudly. A wave of her arm conjured several glass bottles with colorful labels, "take a look, take a drink, and tell me what you think."

"Henchgirl's Yummy Citrus Soda," Harry read the first label. "Henchgirl's Yummy Cola, Henchgirl's Yummy Orange Drink, Henchgirl's Yummy Potassium Flavored Soda?" Harry said the last one with a raised eyebrow.

"That one's my favorite," Henchgirl said with a grin.

"Do any of these have a name that doesn't start with 'Henchgirl's Yummy?'" Harry asked with a smirk.

"That one," Henchgirl said, pointing to a black bottle with a skull and crossbones on the label.

"Mr. Black's Black Cola," Harry read aloud. "Warning, if you drink this you will die a horrifically painful death. Really, we mean it, only Mr. Black can drink this and not die. If you drink this, then it will take a few weeks to die in horrifically horrible agony . . . you can legally sell this?"

"It comes with one of these," Henchgirl handed a smaller white bottle over.

"Henchgirl's Yummy antidote," Harry read. "When mixed with Mr. Black's Black Cola it makes it taste yummy . . . and you won't die."

"Yup," Henchgirl agreed. "Neat huh?"

"Uh . . . riiiight," Harry decided not to say what he was thinking. "I'd better be off then."

"Talk to the Professor before you go," Henchgirl commanded. "He's got something he'd like to show you."

"Ok," Harry agreed. "I'll go there now then."

"Good," Henchgirl said firmly. "See you soon."

Harry walked out of Henchgirl's laboratory and down the hall to the Professor's workshop. Walking through the open door, Harry called out a greeting. "Hey Professor, Henchgirl said she had something to show me."

"Yes I do," the Professor agreed. "It is a new spell."

"Oh? What does it do?"

"It's based on the same principles behind the vanishing cabinet," the Professor explained. But instead of having two connecting cabinets, we will have two connecting closets, or halls, or . . . well, the list goes on."

"Explain," Harry commanded.

"Let us say that we wished to connect one of the tunnels beneath the keep to one of the Gringotts tunnels," the Professor began. "With this charm, we could. Let's say that you wished to connect your closet to the closet of a little child so that you could jump out at night and scare the hell out of them, with this charm you could. Let us say that . . ."

"I get it," Harry interrupted. "Sounds very useful."

"And I'd like you to test it," the Professor said nervously. "By connecting . . . say a tunnel under your new cabin in Canada to a tunnel under the keep, it would have the added and unforeseen advantage of allowing you to visit easily."

"Henchgirl and the Doctor forced you to do this didn't they," Harry said with a grin.

"They most certainly did not," the Professor replied.

"Be honest," Harry said with a grin.

"Henchgirl and the Doctor threatened to do terrible things to me if I didn't invent something like this," the Professor began with a barely concealed shudder. "Terrible things."

"So . . ."

"But they didn't force me to do anything," the Professor finished.

"Pretty fine distinction," Harry replied. "But I suppose that I can see it. How do you know there's going to be a tunnel under my cabin? Or am I expected to dig one."

"Old mine shafts," the Professor explained. "The area had a major gold rush almost a hundred years ago, your cabin and the mine shafts under it are remnants of the time. The Architect has looked over both and declared them fit for goblin habitation."

"Thanks," Harry spoke slowly. "Thank you."

"What are friends for," the Professor said with a modest shrug. "Take this button, it's a portkey that will drop you off in the nearest town."

"Goodbye," Harry said as the portkey dragged him off.

AN: Thanks go to Nonjon, the use of vanishing cabinets in one of his stories gave me the idea.