The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

When Michael Met Harry

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spiritofair:

--- Quote from: Regenbogen on February 12, 2020, 01:34:06 PM ---The friendship must have come in the weeks before Grave Peril. It is mentioned somewhere in one of the first chapters, that they have been hunting ghostly appearances for weeks together.

--- End quote ---
The reason I originally asked the question is because, in Grave Peril (at least the audiobook), it says they had met 5 years earlier. 5 years seems like an awfully long time. (I wonder if it was a typo and was meant to read 5 months...) What was Harry even doing 3.5 years pre-Storm Front (I think Grave Peril is about 1.5 years after Storm Front)? According to the timeline, Harry was 26 during Storm Front, would have turned 27 around Fool Moon and then 28 around Grave Peril, so, according to Grave Peril he was 22 or 23 when he met Michael.

According to the timeline:

6 BSF: After leaving Ebenezar at age 19, Harry roamed around for a while (between nine and twenty months) before winding up in Chicago.

5 BSF: At age 20, Harry arrives in Chicago. Before he goes to work at Ragged Angel, he takes a number of jobs, one of which was as a dance partner with a senior-citizen organization.

4-5 BSF: At age 20-21, Harry starts working with Nicholas Christian (“Nick”) at Ragged Angel. He spends three years there.

4 BSF: Susan becomes a reporter at the Arcane [5 years before Grave Peril, DM 198]
— The last time Charity sees Harry before the events of Grave Peril. Michael is injured, and Charity thoroughly chews Harry out.

3 BSF: Harry finds Mister the Tailless Kitten in a trash can. [SF 88] (Thanks, Amber!)

2-3 BSF: A Restoration of Faith. Harry meets Murphy. He has 6 months left of working at Ragged Angel. Faith Astor is 10. At this time, the Vargassi family and the Jamaicans rule the Chicago mob scene.

2 BSF: At age ~23-24, Harry opens his detective business. Ortega indicates that this takes place 5 years before the events of Death Masks, which takes place in 3 ASF. [DM 13]

2 BSF: Shortly after that, Harry meets Susan (it’s described as a “couple years” before the events of Grave Peril). From SF: “She had been tracking me ever since interviewing me for a feature story, right after I’d opened up my business.”

So, yeah, according to all of this, Harry met Michael several years before Storm Front and then Michael just wasn't in the loop in Storm Front or Fool Moon. Could easily be explained by Harry being a little scared of Charity's wrath. I'm still interested in how he and Michael met, since it was pre-Restoration of Faith, and Harry must have been really inexperienced at the time. Too inexperienced to handle the kind of thing Michael typically fights.

Bad Alias:

--- Quote from: Regenbogen on February 12, 2020, 01:34:06 PM ---I can't remember, where I've read that, but I think it was in one of the books or short stories: Harry and Michael soulgazed at their first meeting.
--- End quote ---
I recall that as well. I recall something about how Michael wouldn't work with him otherwise. If anyone can recall wherever we read this, that could be helpful to answering spiritofair's question.


--- Quote ---"It's been, what, three or four years since we've talked?"
"Five years, Mr. Dresden," the woman said, shooting me a glare. "And the Good lord willing it will be five more before I have to put up with your idiocy again."
--- End quote ---
Grave Peril, Ch. 7, conversation between Charity and Harry at the jail.


--- Quote ---Forthill: I trust you have no complaints about the blessed water?
Harry: None at all. Talk about your surprised ghoul.
Michael: Harry. You've been keeping secrets again.
Harry: Contrary to what Charity thinks, Michael, I don't go running to the phone to call you every time I have a little problem.
--- End quote ---
Grave Peril, Ch. 9

So Jim says about a year before Grave Peril. Harry says three or four years since he met Charity. Charity says five years. Jim says Harry met Michael on a case and they fought the same bad guy.

For what it's worth, I think they were close immediately. They clearly have a history by Grave Peril.

g33k:

--- Quote from: spiritofair on February 12, 2020, 05:35:09 PM --- ... and Harry must have been really inexperienced at the time. Too inexperienced to handle the kind of thing Michael typically fights.
--- End quote ---

As Harry is always quick to point out, it isn't always about having the Big Stick to whack his foes with; it's about the prep-work and the thinking.

Maybe he was not as experienced or skilled as we saw him later, but he was still a (full, if Doom'ed) Wizard of the White Council, and -- with the right prep -- able to pull some very-impressive stunts.

Michael once pointed out to Harry, "What goes around, comes around.  And sometimes, you are what comes around."  I think the Almighty (and Uriel) consider Harry to be one of those assets in Michael's toolbox; a member of Team Carpenter.  Or teammates on Team TWG.  And this event was where they introduced the new teammates.

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