A Song of Change

Chapter 4

Tom was in the back of Borgin and Burkes, this tacky voodoo shop he worked at, staring at his laptop in disbelief. How could someone like Harry James Potter be running some lowly music store? More importantly, how did Tom not know about him before? He was much more competent than his scraggly appearance made him look.

Harry Potter had won copious amounts of awards from a young age. Many were dedicated to different themes like a acting, singing, and free hand drawing. He was also recognized for his large instrumental range. A few of the instruments he could play were the piano, violin, guitar, and saxophone. He was fully equipped to give lessons to both young and old, if not for his skill, then for his people skills. Many of the news outlets that interviewed him raved about his calm temperament and his endearing smile.

Yet, his accomplishments don't stop there. Oh, no. He was also very talented in school. Music school that is. He went to the renowned Hogwarts Academy of Musical Arts, whose headmaster had been Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore until he took over Phoenix Records with his old time friend Gellert Grindelwald. Tom also attended Hogwarts, and had been trying to get a deal with Phoenix Records. That, of course, would be a lot easier if Dumbledore didn't have it out for him. The reason he didn't know about Harry was because he was a few years younger than Tom, and therefore automatically labeled as less than.

It now made sense why Dumbledore, of all people, was looking for him. Harry, who had been praised as 'The Chosen One' by the teachers for his musical talent had slipped out of Dumbledore's bony hands. It would have been a huge loss for his company.

Harry Potter sounded like someone who would wear a casual suit to the studio, spend ample time in the bathroom doing their hair, and would get expensive haircuts to amplify his features. He sounded like the people Tom normally found himself surrounded with. The reality was much different.

Harry Potter, instead, wore a total of six presentable outfits and seemed like he couldn't afford good hair products. He could also put his hair up in a man bun if he grew it a little longer. The man could do with a haircut, hair gel, and some better clothes.

What confused Tom was, why didn't Harry have those already?

Most, if not all of the competitions Harry had competed in and won gave quite generous ammounts of money as prizes.

He ran his own music store and gave individual lessons to a lengthy list of children.

The store he ran used to belong to his parents, who were not unwelthy by any means as Tom found out though research, so Harry should have gained a large inheritance.

With all of these signs pointing towards Harry having the money to spoil himself, why didn't he? All of the other artists he'd been around, blessed with copious amounts of talent or without, seem to have deemed themselves worthy of designer brands, large houses, and glitter-filled careers.

Draco Malfoy and his older brothers Lucius and Abraxas were perfect examples of this. They all had platinum blond hair, except for Abraxas who had more yellow hair. They all had pale skin, high cheekbones, and steel-blue eyes. They could be carbon copies of each other if it weren't due to the height difference caused by an age difference.

Draco Malfoy, the youngest of the three, was a spoilt brat. That was Tom's opinion anyway. He idolized his older brother Lucius and tried to mimic his every move, though it comes off as unnatural. Draco squawks about his talent, or lack there of, like a baby dragon looking for it's gold coins. He was the same age as Harry, about 23, but he behaved like a high schooler. He walked around in the finest clothes and drove the most sleek cars that money could buy, but called on his daddy whenever something didn't go his way.

Lucius Malfoy, who was slightly more tolerable than his younger counterpart, didn't perform. He was a manager. Where the younger Malfoy flaunted his nonexistent talent, Lucius flaunted his much more credible clients. His body was a display for the most finely crafted suits that got thrown out and replaced on a monthly basis. He walked around with his nose in the air, as if nobody was worth a level stare. Tom tolerated him because he would need him as a connection once he finally made his way into Phoenix Records.

Abraxas Malfoy, the most tolerable of the three, was the same age as Tom. At the ripe age of 26, Lucius found that it is not the clothes that make the man, but his ability. Abraxas dressed in tasteful, but laid back attire in order to give off an easygoing feeling. Don't get him wrong though, all of his outfits are at least the cost of a small apartment in LA. His clothes inspired respect without causing him to seem cold and closed off. This would end his career as a singer. Tom planed to work with Lucius once he secured a place at the record company.

Thinking of his associates, and then thinking back to Harry, Tom felt unsettled. He couldn't accept that an artist of Tom's caliber was running a music store instead of out in the spotlight. He could have to fix that. Tom remembered a social gathering at Malfoy Manor in a few months. That was ample time to gain Harry's trust and lure him to the party. Once Harry realized how intoxicating the limelight was, he's forever be in Tom's debt.

It'd also be a bonus to take something from Dumbledore.

It's the little things that Tom favors.