15 December 2002
Parallel
A Harry Potter/Gundam Wing fanfic by Stormy
Rating: R
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4
Summary: Heero Yuy and Harry Potter. Transcending time and space, the mystery of what became of Harry Potter is about to unfold.
Warnings: Shonen ai (1x2), possible SBxRL (Should I or shouldn´t I? ^^)
Spoilers: TPS, CoS, PoA, GoF, (HP), Endless Waltz (GW)
Additional Notes: Qwerty – I love you, simply because you said you don´t mind how long I take to get additional chapters out. Not only did you say you liked the story, but you took the pressure off. ^^ THANK YOU! I noticed a few new readers – thanks for the lovely reviews Otaku Freak! Teardrop, welcome aboard – and I´m glad you liked the little 'shower scene'. ^^ Jass, I'm gonna hold you to that promise. ^^ Shinimegami – thanks for writing. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Please, continue grovelling. ^^ Just kidding. Everyone else? *hugs*
Everyone is still waiting for inevitable meeting with Malfoy. ^^ My oh my, what have I got planned? ^^ As for whether or not the boys are magical…you're going to have to wait and see. ^^
Additionally, no ones pointed this out yet, but as I've read the chapters after their arrival at Hogwarts, it occurred to me that just by seeing the castle, it could mean they're magical, without needing to run through Minerva's tests. My defence for this would be the fact that they were deliberately brought to Hogwarts. I'm sure sometime in the past, the muggle parents of young wizards and witches were brought in for parent-teacher conferences or something – there has to be a spell to allow invited guests to see Hogwarts. And therein lies my defence for this oversight. ^^ Make of it as you will.
The crackling sounds of the fire merrily burning in the Headmaster's office was oddly comforting, bringing to Heero's mind memories of impromptu camping trips with the other pilots on short missions. Despite the seriousness of the acts they had to perform, those times were always lightened by Duo's laughter, or Quatre's quiet excitement over living without proper housing.
On rare occasions, Trowa would entertain them at either Duo or Quatre's request with juggling or tumbling. It was those camping trips coupled with Trowa's infinite patience that had refined Duo's knife-throwing ability.
Sometimes Wufei could be cajoled into telling one of the stories he had learned growing up, or would fence with Heero leaving the others as referee's and scorekeepers. Heero snorted – or cheerleader, in Duo's case. A blush appeared high on his cheekbones; so faint it was nearly unnoticeable. Duo had put those pompoms to creative use.
The heat from the fire warmed him outside even as the memories warmed him from the inside, and he felt himself relax, the uncharacteristic nervousness that had sprung upon him upon entering the large room melting away. Blaming the nerves on 'Harry', Heero finally turned away from the fire and faced his godfather and the Headmaster silently.
It was painfully obvious there were so many things they wanted to ask him yet they seemed hesitant, as though unsure how he would take their questioning. Well, Sirius looked that way. Dumbledore was watching him quietly, silently evaluating and judging, the twinkle in his eyes somewhat tempered by the knowledge of what was to come.
"It's good to have you back." Dumbledore leaned forward in his large, comfortable chair, catching Heero's gaze and holding it unwaveringly. An additional tendril of warmth filled Heero as he met the Headmaster's gaze, sensing the sincerity with which the sentiment was delivered. He nodded and let a small smile of his own appear.
"Thank you sir." He inclined his head towards the two of them. "Where do you want me to start?"
Sirius snorted, smiling faintly at his godson. "I'm tempted to say the beginning, but I know how long that is, and I don't know how much I'll be able to listen too. Duo gave me quite a few hints." His brow creased. "Did he really shoot you twice?"
Heero chuckled. "Three times, actually. The first two were warning shots – the third was an accident on both our parts."
Sirius growled and threw his hands up in frustration, rounding on Dumbledore. Pointing at Heero, he said, "See? He's going to give me a heart attack."
Dumbledore looked amused at Sirius's mock-horror but he turned a concerned look at the slight figure before him. His gaze was assessing again. "Heero?"
"Hm?"
"I do not want to bring up any truly unpleasant memories for you my boy." The headmaster seemed to be remembering a painful time that Heero had a good idea of. "But you know that some things need to be brought to light if they are to heal. Your time in the future obviously had its share of hardships for you."
Heero shrugged. "It did." He cocked his head to one side, and a wry smile graced his Asian features. "Though I did learn a great deal about handling pain."
Sirius did not look comforted at that blasé statement. Dumbledore merely looked intrigued. "Can you explain, Heero?"
The small light that had been steadily growing in blue pools was suddenly dampened by a rising darkness, and the smile dropped away from Heero's face, replaced by the smooth mask of indifference that he had come to rely on a great deal. "I suppose."
Across from him, Fawkes trilled a quiet note of encouragement, a sweet note that seemed to gain solidarity, slipping inside his heart, a familiar presence he welcomed, and he smiled back at the phoenix, his mask unable to fool the ancient bird. Glancing at his godfather and Dumbledore, he sat rigidly on his chair, his eyes fading a bit as he looked back into his memories and began to speak.
He spoke of being alone and then being found. Of guns and war techniques and battle drills. Of doctors and tests and constant repression. Of the loneliness he was condemned too but somehow it wasn't able to break him.
His voice cracked as he spoke of a little girl and her puppy and the feelings that had swept through him when he saw the small dog curled up in death's embrace, knowing its owner had shared the same fate and that it was his fault. Twice Sirius seemed on the verge of leaving his seat to comfort him, but twin cobalt lasers pinned him in his seat.
Then his tone shifted as he spoke of his arrival on earth. He told them of a young girl destined to be queen, her obsession with him despite the threat he posed to her safety. Of her insistence on interfering in matters that were not her concern, and then his threats to her.
Then his eyes softened as he recounted his first meeting with the boy who would become the most important person in his world. He told a rapt Sirius how Duo had shot him in defence of the future queen and how she took his side anyway, bandaging his wounds and yelling at Duo for having the gall to shoot him. He laughed as he described the daring rescue at the hospital Duo had pulled off and though he heard the gasp Sirius let out as he described hurling himself out of the hospital window, over the cliff, with no intention of pulling the parachute cord Duo had pressed in his hand, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he spoke of Relena's scream piercing his subconscious like a knife, looking back up at Duo even as he fell headfirst and seeing the horror on the American boy's face. It was that horror that made him pull the cord finally, but the lateness of his move resulted in a broken leg as he hit the cliff side and rolled the rest of the way to the beach.
That was when Duo had spoken the magical words, Heero told them softly. The idea of the American being his only friend was unimportant – it was the simple word friend that had caught Heero's attention, even in his half-conscious state. Heero had never had a friend before. The thought of having one came in handy during his recovery period after he blew up his Gundam with him still in it. Sirius turned so pale at the story of his narrow brush with death and so Heero glossed over many of the finer details.
Heero talked until his voice was in danger of disappearing. He told them of capture of the pilot's, and how at one point Wufei and Duo had been deprived of air as a method of extermination until they had escaped. He recounted the history of the 'second half' of the war – what was referred to by so many as the 'Endless Waltz' of humanity. The ending of that war culminated with him in a hospital again, but again, Duo came to the rescue he remembered with a smile, charging through a pack of well-wishers and irritating blondes to drag his boyfriend out the back entrance. From there was the creation of the Preventers of which he became one of the inner circle. Duo was his partner first and foremost, but he worked equally well with any of the other pilots. They often planned their own missions, pretty much given free reign by Lady Une as she was fully aware of the extent of their knowledge.
"And you know what happens next," Heero finished tiredly. His throat was uncomfortably dry, and he smiled his thanks as Dumbledore conjured a cold goblet of pumpkin juice for him.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken for that length of time. Duo probably would have dropped dead from shock – either that, or two minutes into it, he would have pulled out a stopwatch so he could record the conversation for prosperity – or blackmail, he realized with a blush as he recalled how many times his life partner's name had come up.
Taking another sip, he studied the two main authority figures of his previous life, comparing the current versions with those of his memories. He hadn't had much time to note the differences before – his mind was still trying to process two separate timelines, as well as adjust to returning to a world he had once been a part of.
Sirius looked better, he noted with interest. His skin wasn't as pale as it had been, suggesting that a good deal of time had been spent outdoors. His hair had been stringy and dirty the last time they'd met thanks to spending a good portion of his freedom as a dog and no easy access to modern conveniences. Now it was thick and shiny, longer too, reaching down the middle of his shoulder blades. Part of it was hastily tied back in a loose ponytail, and the rest hung out in strands. He wore new robes –well, Heero reasoned, new to him at any rate. Robes that weren't dirty, worn through or patched. He wasn't as thin either – his cheeks were no longer the hollow gaunt pockets they had been.
All in all, he looked much healthier. Younger too. Heero eyed his godfather critically and wondered just what the relationship between him and Remus was. It was obvious someone was taking good care of the ex-convict. Before his second life, he would never have considered his godfather and his pseudo-uncle as a couple, but growing up in such different circumstances had given him a much more mature outlook on many things, relationships being one of them.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked much like he always did. Maybe there were a few more crows feet lining his eyes and forehead, but his beard and hair were the same length, his eyes still the same shade of blue, even if the twinkle was a little muted by the concern so evident there.
No, the main differences were with him. Harry was not the dominant part of his personality, not after having been so completely and totally suppressed for nearly sixteen years. Heero had the memories and the magical ability, but he was aware that he was not the boy they knew. He had the feeling that Sirius and Dumbledore were starting to realize that.
"What kind of missions did you run?" Sirius asked quietly, still watching his godson. He had his wand out and was twisting the dogwood stick, a nervous gesture Heero noted idly. He blinked.
"Reconnaissance, mostly. As Gundam pilots, we're highly trained at infiltration as well as strategic attacks and defence, but primarily we acted as scouts first before coming back to incorporate an appropriate amount of troops into a plan." Heero's eyes faded again as he delved into his memories – the fresher ones, that is. "Sometimes all of us would be needed for a mission, other times Lady Une would split us up into teams for joint or separate missions." He smiled. "We work best together, and she knows that. She also knows the importance of having appropriate defences, and prevented us from destroying our Gundams after the war ended. They would be held in secure custody and used only in extreme emergencies. At least, that's what she planned."
"What happened?"
"Quatre's personal armed guard, the Maguanacs, took our Gundams from her secure facility and took them to one of Quatre's safe houses. It was a good thing too," Heero added. "Duo was about to rescue Deathscythe with or without us. We get kind of protective about our Gundams."
"I've heard you mention these Gundams before," Sirius said slowly. "I know they're machines."
"Forty-foot tall robots," Heero nodded. "Though if you call them robots in front of Wufei, he'll attack you with that katana of his."
Sirius grinned.
"Quite an interesting group you have," Dumbledore chuckled. "They are very courageous young men."
"They are," Heero agreed softly. "They are all very important to me – they would die for me, and I would lay down my life for any of them in a heart beat." His eyes darkened. "During war, alliances are tentative at best. I was a loner at first – I was trained to rely on myself alone, and that emotions and ties were nothing but mere distractions."
"What changed your mind?" Sirius stared at him as though he were afraid to hear the answer. Heero smiled faintly.
"Nearly getting killed has a way of springing an epiphany on a person," he replied. "When Doctor J said that the Gundams would not fall into Oz hands, I set off the self-destruct mode fully expecting to die with my Gundam. By what we considered miraculous but I now realize must have been some form of my magic trying to protect me, I survived. I was nursed back to health by Trowa and his sister Katharine – I had to depend on them completely for nearly a month." His eyes fell again on the flickering flames, the shadows drawing his attention. "I had destroyed a ship full of peaceful delegates – the ones who could have ended the war. It was an accident, one perfectly planned by the head of Oz, but it was still my fault." Heero's eyes closed. "When I recovered, I tracked down the families of those I killed and offered them a chance for retribution against me. They all declined."
"Retribution?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
Heero merely glanced at him with a blank face. "Yes."
Sirius shivered and seemed to decide not to ask. Heero was grateful.
"I had accepted that I had a lot to atone for, and a lot of work left to do in the war. We all had our dark moments – Trowa lost his memory, Quatre was taken over by the Zero system – a computer program designed to make any pilot of a mobile or Gundam suit a killing machine – and blew up a colony in a mad rage. Wufei's entire colony was destroyed in front of him and he switched sides in his confusion before waking up and helping us stop the fighting." Heero reached for his goblet again.
"So you've killed," Sirius said quietly. "And from what I understand, you've killed a lot of people."
Heero nodded, meeting Sirius's eyes squarely. A flicker of fear raced through his veins as he listened to the muted tone of his godfather's voice. What Heero had done in his second life was hard enough to understand in someone else. But Heero had the feeling that the more he talked, the more disappointed they got. After all, their Harry wasn't a killer. A pawn, maybe, in a magical war, but not a cold-blooded killer. Steeling himself, Heero shrugged.
"Yes. But if you're asking for a total, I couldn't tell you. Start in the hundreds and work your way up." Heero narrowed his eyes. "After all, we never counted how many were inside when we blew up each base."
The cold voice nearly stopped Sirius in his tracks, but he must have heard and recognized the defensive note behind it because instead of anger, concern chased the blankness out of his stare.
"I see," was all he said, and he sat back, studying the boy again. Heero watched him carefully, trying to figure out what the man was thinking, but Sirius had a masking expression that would rival any poker face Heero could come up with.
"We find ourselves in an unusual situation then," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Fawkes seemed to echo his sentiments, nodding his feathered head up and down. "Yet like any darkness, there will always be a light. I regret that your second upbringing was even harsher then the first, Heero, but I am glad that the training and skills you've received were so thorough."
Heero cocked his head to the other side. "Sir?"
"Times are changing child. Changing and passing. With the passing of time, other forces grow stronger." Dumbledore sighed. "As much as I imagine most of the wizarding world would wish it, I fear we have not seen the last of Voldemort. Your skills are probably now on par with any Auror – it's merely the magical side we must work on so that you may protect yourself."
Heero felt himself bristling slightly. "I am able to take care of myself sir."
"Heero," Sirius said gently. "We're just worried about your safety. You've been gone for six weeks – we thought you were gone for good. Can you blame us for not wanting a repeat?"
Heero's first instinct was to repeat that he was capable of handling himself, but he clamped his jaw shut with an effort. He knew his words would make no difference. After all, Sirius himself had said it – six weeks. To them, he was the same Harry, only gone just over a month, not a lifetime.
Heero watched the two men comment to each other on possible training classes and felt faint stirrings of anger in his belly. Perhaps Harry would have been eager for the classes, and for the offer of protection he heard Sirius make, but he was not Harry. Not anymore. Or at least, not exclusively.
For Heero, the last time he'd been in anything resembling a school, for any length of time, was at Hogwarts. The schools he and Duo had infiltrated had been diversions, something they'd barely acknowledged. Their training was sufficient in that they knew more about physics, chemistry, computer programming, geography and mathematics then most of the teachers. Even if there had been a class they didn't do well in, a few simple clicks on the keyboard from Heero eliminated any truly bad marks. Had they been able to keep transcripts of their work rather then destroy all traces of their presence, they would have had an impressive record to showcase.
Heero watched Sirius and Dumbledore plan out his coming years at Hogwarts and frowned. He wasn't as dependent as Harry had been – not by a long shot. He also knew that as his friends, like Ron and Hermione before them, they would fall under the category of 'needing protection' and Heero knew full well how his fellow pilots would take it. Quatre, unable to be rude to anyone, would smile and thank the headmaster and then apologize profusely when he broke the rules. Wufei would simply ignore them, as he had no allegiance to Hogwarts, and would follow Heero's lead instead. Trowa would do what Quatre did. And Duo?
Heero shuddered to think what Duo would do if he thought he was being babysat. He had once seen the American play a deadly game of 'tag' with Oz guards, 'hide and seek' with Lady Une, and Duo's mouth had gotten him into more hot water then any of the other pilots combined when they had been captured by Oz. He shuddered again.
The movement caught Sirius's attention. "Harry? Are you okay?"
Heero. "I'm fine," he said quietly. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to being called that again."
Sirius looked confused, and then contrite. "I'm sorry Heero. I have to keep reminding myself." He shrugged. "But you better get used to it. The wizarding world still knows you as Harry, and so will the school when it starts up."
"But I don't look anything like I used too," Heero commented. "I fail to see why it's so hard to see me as someone else."
Sirius smiled. "I told you – that hair is vintage James Potter. And you have your scar, and that's something no one will ever forget." His smile vanished. "Heero, I'm really sorry about the mix-up."
Heero saw the sincerity and nodded. He wasn't mad at Sirius after all – Dumbledore either really. He was just going to have to show them he no longer required a twenty-four hour caretaker—
"ARGH!"
Sirius leaped out of his chair as Heero gave a hoarse cry of pain, hands clamping tightly to his forehead. The boy staggered and would have fallen had not Sirius caught him.
"Harry?" he blurted out again, instantly realizing what was happening. Heero's eyes rolled up into his head, and beneath the shaggy fringe of bangs, his scar seemed to pulse with a life of its own. "Albus?"
Dumbledore reached Heero's other side and they lay him down on the carpeted floor gently. "I suspect you know what is happening?"
"Voldemort," Sirius hissed, his worried eyes fixed firmly on his godson.
All of a sudden, Heero's back arched and his fingers dug into the wood beneath him, a cry of pain escaping him. Then he collapsed again, but the pain seemed to be gone from his face, and his scar was a mere mark again. After a few minutes that to Sirius, seemed like hours, Heero's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed confusedly at the ceiling, fixating on Sirius when his godfather's face appeared overhead.
"Heero?"
"I forgot how much that hurt," Heero rasped. He shook his head and pushed himself up slowly, ignoring the hand Dumbledore held out to him but allowing Sirius's arm to brace him up from behind. "I can honestly say that was something I didn't miss."
"Heero?" Dumbledore asked, his brow creasing. Heero glanced at him.
"What do you think?" he said with sigh. "Voldemort isn't as dead as we'd like him to be." He suddenly laughed.
Sirius blinked at the snickering boy incredulously. "Heero?"
Heero shook his head again. "Wufei was right. Never assume your target's down without hard proof." He smiled wryly, staring at the wall in bemusement. "Maybe a bullet in the head after an Avada Kadavra would do the trick."
He noted the silence that followed that statement and shrugged. "It was just an idea."
He got to his feet. "Are we done the Q&A session for now?"
"I suppose so," Dumbledore said slowly, watching the boy-who-was-not-a-boy. Sirius looked from Heero to the headmaster and back again. His eyes were wider then usual.
"Then I think I'm going to go and find out what kind of trouble Duo's into." Heero nodded curtly to the headmaster and his godfather before turning and striding out of the office.
"He doesn't seem very…worried," Sirius commented after a minute. "Much less afraid or despairing."
"Time will tell if that's a good thing," Dumbledore said gravely. Then his eyes twinkled again. "But I have faith in Heero, Sirius. If nothing else, his story of the wars he's fought and the role's he's played, prove that he does the right thing. His heart is still there – it's just trying to cope with two lives of living in darkness." He smiled. "And I'm certain he's happy to re-discover he still has family left here."
"Sir?" Sirius blinked.
"You know very well I mean you, Sirius." Dumbledore nodded firmly. "Family you are, even if not by blood."
Sirius flushed but didn't argue. "Why didn't you ask him about what he saw?"
"I've learned that I have to let Harry – now Heero – come to me with information," Dumbledore said quietly. "And right now, he doesn't trust me. Not completely."
"What? That's ridiculous!" Sirius looked outraged. Dumbledore held up his hands in a calming gesture.
"Peace, Sirius. It's quite all right. After all, to us he's been gone six weeks. But he's been gone a whole lifetime. He needs to trust me all over again, and I am content to wait for now." Dumbledore sighed. "Though I await the day he doesn't look at me with such suspicion. I would never harm the boy, yet he seems to think I will." His eyes were sad.
Sirius just looked at him, at a lost as to what to say. Dumbledore suddenly clapped his hands briskly.
"Well, that's enough self-pity I dare say." He nodded at Sirius. "Are you not going to join your godson?"
"What makes you think he wants me there—"
"Coming Sirius?" Heero stuck his head back in the door and for a split second, Sirius thought he saw a flash of green amongst the dark blue of his godson's eyes. He glanced, amused, at Dumbledore and then nodded, smiling.
"Of course!" Sirius turned and hit the ground in dog form, bounding out of Dumbledore's office, side by side with Heero. Dumbledore watched them leave.
"Yes," he murmured. "Time will tell."
End Chapter 15
Duh, Duh, Duh – another one bites the dust! ^^
I've been having sporadic internet service for nearly a week now, and a technician won't be here until next Friday to fix it up, so don't expect another chapter so soon. I'm lucky enough to get this up – all day today the internet has had an hour of outage per every ten minutes I get online which is barely enough time to upload this, check the formatting and do any reloading if necessary PLUS check my email – which I haven't really been able to do lately. But I'll do my best!
Next chapter deals with the pilots – who has magic and who doesn't? We'll see…^^
If you happen to think of it, say a prayer for (if you believe in that), or send a cyber-kick to, my computer and make it work properly. Only then will you get more chapters. ^^ Here's hoping the techs call with an earlier appointment then next week.
FEEDBACK IS GRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT! ^^ Tony the tiger really encourages this. ^^ I like Frosted Flakes.
Stormy
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