05-Aug-2002
Parallel
A Harry Potter/Gundam Wing fanfic by Stormy
Rating: R
Pairings: 1x2 (more to be announced)
Warnings: Shonen ai (1x2), possible SBxRL (haven't decided yet ^^)
Spoilers: TPS, CoS, PoA, GoF, (HP) Endless Waltz (GW)
Additional Notes: Well, we know what happened most of it anyway. Heero is Harry and vice versa. So...what happens next? ^^ Special thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far, especially Shinigami and Autumn Ice who have reviewed most of the chapters combined, as well as nell-and-paru, Ranma, and Katrina. I appreciate the feedback from everyone. ^^ It's very inspiring (hint, hint).
Also: While Harry's name is still going to pop up here and there, he is going to be called Heero for the most part.
Sirius watched Duo's tired eyes fixate on the still form of his lover, his godson, and felt a wave of pity wash over him. It was so much to take in and absorb, and from what he'd bits of information he'd been able to glean from his trips to their headquarters, they had already had a pretty harsh life. The story about the 'hail of bullets' his godson had apparently hurtled through only six short weeks ago had made the skin on the back of his neck crawl, and his gut had twisted worse then someone suffering the effects of a Stomach Turner curse.
He glanced at Harry no, he corrected himself. It really is Heero now. The lightning-shaped scar was the only familiar feature on the otherwise alien face. Harry's skin, normally pale from years of being cooped up under the stairs in his aunt and uncle's house, was now a golden brown. His body was no longer bordering on skeletal indeed, his life in the future and the adjustments Heero and Duo had alluded to had given him a trim and fit build, muscular but not overly so. There were a few additional scars on his arms and legs, revealed when Duo had pulled off Heero's jacket so he could rest more comfortably.
Sirius couldn't help but grin as he noticed Heero's hair sticking out messily in all directions. At least one thing had remained constant.
And his eyes... silently, Sirius bemoaned the loss of Harry's expressive and distinctive green eyes. They had been Lily's eyes, piercing and gentle, calm and fiery. Still, he reflected, it was better to see a change in Harry's appearance and personality then it was to lose him altogether. When he was sleeping, and yes Dumbledore had assured them that Heero was merely asleep now the expression on his face was one made familiar to him over the past few years of keeping vigil over his godson in the hospital wing.
Remus stood silently next to him, his own eyes roving over the 'new Harry', and Sirius took comfort in the other man's solid presence. He watched as Duo stroked his hand down Heero's arm and back up to flick a dangling forelock of hair away from his face. The closeness between the two was nearly tangible in its existence; it simply couldn't be denied.
That Harry/Heero was gay didn't bother him. Surprised yes, but he was hardly going to turn his own godson away. He'd had so little time with Harry before this whole mess had started that Harry could have been a cross-dressing converted Slytherin with a whole bloody harem for all he cared. Not that it really mattered though - it seemed like Heero didn't really care too much about what they all thought of him.
That made him sigh, and Remus turned his head slightly, catching the worried and apprehensive look on his face. "Sirius?"
"Will he remember me?" Sirius asked quietly. "Will he remember any of us? Any of it?" He gave a short laugh, dry in the strange stillness that had fallen over the group after Duo's outburst a short while ago. "I used to wish that his bad memories could be wiped out, that he could forget everything that had happened to him. Cedric, Voldemort, all the injuries he suffered I wanted him to be able to get back some of that innocence every child should have. He was never a child, Remus. He was never allowed to be one." His dark eyes met golden brown. "But now he doesn't remember any of the good times that came with the bad. Not to mention he's got a whole new stack of memories that we're I'm not even a part of."
Remus gazed at him sadly, wanting to comfort him, Sirius could tell. His old friend was like an open book when it came to those he cared about. "I know Siri."
"What do you plan to do?"
A quiet voice cut into their discussion, weary and resigned. Sirius blinked and he and Remus both turned their eyes on the boy perched on the edge of the couch, holding his braid in his hands, twisting it in what Sirius was coming to recognize as a nervous gesture. "What?"
"What do you plan to do?" Duo repeated, his purple eyes watching warily, as though unsure of what to expect. "Are you going to take him away with you? Wipe his memory? Fill in the blanks and then leave him here?" His voice rose with every sentence.
"I don't know," Sirius admitted quietly. "This poses an enormous complication."
"To which I may have a solution," came a gentle voice. Sirius and Remus nodded politely as Dumbledore walked over to them. The elderly wizard looked about as tired as Duo did.
"Sir?" Remus cleared his throat. "How much will Heero remember?"
"I believe he remembers most of his life as Harry," Albus said quietly. "But the knowledge manifested as nightmares and dreams, and so Heero has come to accept it as false. It will take time, for Heero to adjust to having two full sets of memories in his head. It will take a great deal of time and patience."
Sirius blanched. Patience had never been his strongest attribute. But for Harry Heero, he grumbled again, he would do his best. But that still left Duo's question unanswered.
"But what happens now?"
Dumbledore smiled.
"I think a good rest would benefit everyone for now," he said, gazing around the room.
Duo had claimed the couch with Heero, but Hermione and Ron had snagged the other one and had accidentally dozed off in the lull following their discovery about Heero. Snape was in the other room, already at work trying to track down the merger they had mentioned. Minerva was reading one of the texts they had used in the initial spell to get to the future in the first place, and assisting Severus when she could. Duo sighed.
"I don't suppose you could do that 'apperporting' trick again and take me and Heero home?" he asked wistfully. "A couch is never as comfortable as your own bed."
"Apperporting?" Remus repeated, one eyebrow raised. Dumbledore chuckled.
"I believe he meant apparating, Remus," he clarified. "And I agree with you whole-heartedly Mr. Maxwell. Perhaps some time to sleep and reflect would be best."
"But sir"Sirius bit his lip as he looked from Heero to the Headmaster and back. Duo quirked an eyebrow at him and grinned.
"You can come with us if you want. We have a spare bedroom." His tone darkened just a bit. "It's not like we can run away from you guys, if that's what you're thinking. Not with all this magic stuff and all."
"I didn't mean it like that," Sirius murmured. "I just... it took so long to find him. I don't want to lose him again."
Duo's eyes narrowed as he caught the older man's words and he stared at Sirius, as though judging his sincerity for himself. Apparently Sirius passed his test, because the braided boy nodded and smiled again.
"I just hope I can keep my stomach in line this time," he chuckled. Sirius recalled the first jump they had made and the sick expression on Duo's face, and he gave a small laugh of his own.
"But now you know what to expect," he reminded him. Stepping up to the pair, he turned to Remus and Dumbledore. "I'll bring them back tomorrow."
"After work," Duo said yawning. "Just because you guys have plans, doesn't mean we didn't already."
"It's quite all right," Dumbledore nodded. "Take your time. There's no rush right now. Though I expect Ron and Hermione will be quite... agitated when they wake up and find you three missing."
Duo frowned and thought about that for a few seconds, glancing down at Heero. Then he smiled. "We can bring them to HQ tomorrow. We can get one of the grunts to give 'em the guided tour to keep them occupied. Me and Heero are pretty caught up, but we're gonna have to explain a few things to the Lady and the others. Especially if you plan on taking Heero on an extended vacation." He stared hard at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded slowly. It was obvious that Gundam pilots didn't miss very much. Duo Maxwell was a very sharp young man.
"Is that the woman you kissed just before dragging Heero down the stairwell the other day?" Sirius inquired, grinning. Duo laughed.
"I'm one of the few people who can away with flirting like that," he said proudly. "She'll never admit it, but she loves me." He grinned cockily at Sirius and Remus, violet eyes flashing impishly. "Everyone does."
Sirius let out a loud guffaw of a laugh at the self-assured tone of voice. He really did like the kid. Looking at the indulgent smile on Remus's face, he knew the werewolf did too. There was something so likeable about the boy. They knew from his previous actions that the laughing face and slight build concealed a skilled and deadly fighter, but it was so easy to be fooled. Heero seemed to need someone like that. Harry needed someone like that. Suddenly, Sirius was glad that if he couldn't have been there for Harry's second trip through life, at least had had someone like Duo to look after him.
"Perhaps you'd best be going," Dumbledore urged, his eyes still sparkling with laughter. Sirius nodded and Duo recited the address of the apartment he and Heero had gotten soon after the war had ended. Sirius focused on the address, willing his magic to obey him. As a last thought, he specified 'the living room'. It wouldn't do to crash land in the loo or something.
With a soft pop, the three of them, Heero in Duo's arms and Sirius gripping the American's arm, disappeared.
Sirius's first thought when he apparated into Heero and Duo's home, was that it was very small. He immediately berated himself for that thought he was just used to comparing with Black Manor, or the Potter Mansion. Even Godric's Hollow, modest as is it was, was gigantic the living room he appeared in could have fit in one of the Hollow's closets.
He knew muggles were used to smaller spaces, unless of course they were very rich, and so he very wisely decided against making any such comments out loud. Instead, he turned to the pale-faced and quietly swearing Duo who was trying not to drop Heero as he adjusted to the instant transport.
"Need some help?"
Duo looked up with reluctant relief. "Please?"
Sirius nodded, and easily scooped Heero into his arms. "Where to?"
"Follow me." With another jaw-cracking yawn Sirius noted with a start it was extremely late the American pilot led the way down the hall, his braid twitching behind him like the tail of a cat. Sirius chuckled at the thought of Padfoot chasing that tail like a chew toy and followed.
The room Duo led him to, was actually very nice. It was fairly large in comparison to the living room, as though the design had placed a greater emphasis on the spaciousness of the bedrooms, and the large kitchen they had passed. The walls were painted a pale shade of blue, with a few posters of what Sirius assumed was some muggle band that probably wouldn't come into existence for him for a few centuries. He looked around the room, noting the few personal trinkets littered about, including a battered teddy bear sitting on the dresser next to what looked like a smaller, plush version of Duo with bat wings. He chuckled and Duo, hearing the sound, rolled his eyes when he saw what the wizard was looking at, flushing a faint shade of red. "It was gift," was all he would say, going over to the bed. The blankets and pillows on the bed were of a variety of colours and sizes, haphazardly tossed about and he knocked a few to the floor in order to make room for Heero. He pulled the sheets back and watched Sirius gently place the sleeping boy on it, before pulling them back up. He paused to brush the hair out of Heero's face as he had done back at the hotel. Sirius didn't comment. Then he straightened. "I'll show you your room."
Sirius gave one last look at his godson and followed the boy out of the room. Duo led him to one that was smaller, but no less pleasant, following a similar colour scheme in regards to the walls, but there were only a few pillows on the bed in various shades of blue and grey.
Duo leaned against the doorframe, yawning again. "I need a drink," he muttered. "You want something Sirius?"
Sirius sat on the bed, testing it out with a few bounces. He sent a tired grin at Duo. "I'll be out in a minute."
Duo nodded and disappeared. Sirius flung himself against the mattress, finding it not to plush yet not too firm. It felt wonderful, especially to someone who was still unused to sleeping on anything other then the ground.
Staring up at the ceiling, Sirius closed his eyes as he thought back at all that had happened over the past few weeks. The shocking discovery of the previous few hours was the icing on the proverbial cake. There was so much he didn't know about his godson before that final battle with Voldemort. Now he knew even less.
His fists clenched as he realized just how much he had lost. Opening his eyes, he stared unseeing at the ceiling. James, Lily... I'm so sorry...
Duo looked up as Sirius walked into the kitchen. He had taken off his robes, and was wearing a pair of black jeans and a plain black tee shirt underneath. Duo took in his attire with an amused smirk. "Living up to your name?"
Sirius blinked and looked down at himself. He grinned sheepishly. "Well..."
Chuckling, Duo waved him over to the table as he opened the fridge. "Anything you want in particular?"
"What are you having?"
"Screwdriver," came the prompt reply. Duo pulled out a pitcher of orange juice and a jug of something else. Sirius read the label and his eyebrows rose.
"You drink?"
"On occasion," Duo said nonchalantly as he mixed the vodka into the orange juice. "Sometimes it helps."
"Helps what?"
"To block out the screaming," Duo said simply, sitting across from him. Sirius arched an eyebrow at him but Duo didn't elaborate. He handed a glass to Sirius who sniffed it once and then tasted it. He made a face.
"Not very sweet."
"Ahhh... but that is not the general purpose of alcohol," Duo said, wagging his finger. "Taste is secondary."
Sirius shook his head and grabbed both their glasses, taking them to the sink. Duo blinked. "Hey"
With a wave of his wand, two large mugs appeared in front of them. Duo looked from them to Sirius. "What is it?"
"Butterbeer," Sirius grinned, taking one for himself. "Serves the same purpose as muggle alcohol. It just tastes better, and you need a whole lot more." He winked.
"Sounds good to me. Cheers!" Duo chuckled, and tried it out. A smile appeared on his face. "Not bad, Black."
Sirius nodded and started on his own. As he enjoyed his butterbeer, his eyes roved around the kitchen curiously. They lit on a dagger on the counter and a revolver on top of the fridge. Looking the other way, He saw folders stamped 'Top Secret' resting on top of the microwave-machine that Lily had once told him that was all he was allowed to use in her muggle-style kitchen after he and James had accidentally blown up the oven.
A few pictures clung to the fridge and Sirius squinted at them. Heero and Duo were dressed in matching uniforms, sitting with three other boys that looked every bit as young as they did. The blonde looked to be even younger. Sirius frowned.
Duo noticed the look and followed his gaze to the picture of him and the other Gundam pilots in their Preventor Uniforms.
"What's up?"
"You look so young," Sirius said quietly, still staring at the photo. "All of you. Yet you're all hardened warriors." He looked back at Duo, his hands closing around the butterbeer mug. "What kind of world does this to children? Makes them kill?"
Duo was silent for a long minute before looking up at Sirius with ancient eyes. "One that felt it didn't have any choice."
Sirius drained the last of his butterbeer as he thought about Harry being the world's saviour at age one. In a weird way, he understood. With that depressing thought, he looked at the empty mug in front of him, and nodded firmly.
"We're gonna need a lot more."
It was nearly three o'clock before Duo decided he had to get at least some sleep before his alarm went off at seven. He told Sirius that he and Heero didn't have to be at the Preventor's HQ until ten so he could sleep as long as he wanted.
"What about you?" Sirius asked, a bit fuzzily from the butterbeer.
"Gundam pilots don't need a lot of sleep," Duo said airily, only weaving slightly. "Heero needs even less then I do most of the time, but one of the rules I made now states he can not get out of bed before the alarm. He's learning."
Sirius chuckled. "You really care about him, don't you?"
Duo shook his head. "No. I love him. There's a difference." He smiled at Sirius. "You know, none of you probably noticed it tonight, but Heero likes you. All of you. To a certain extent, he even trusts a few of you, which is pretty damn amazing."
"He does?"
Duo nodded. "I can tell. I've gotten used to deciphering Heero-speech. I can even tell you what the individual grunts mean."
That actually deflated Sirius a little. "He never used to be like that."
"I know." Sirius looked up to see Duo smiling at him a little sadly. "From what you've said, Heero is nothing like what you were expecting. He's had it rougher here, but don't even think about pitying him. He won't stand for it, and you'll probably end up driving him away."
Sirius nodded slowly. "Thanks for the tip."
Duo waved at him. "De nada." Yawning one last time, he turned and staggered for the bedroom he shared with Heero.
Sirius headed for the bathroom and performed a quick cleaning spell on his teeth, and then splashed his face with water. Turning the light off, he went back to the room Duo had given him for the night, climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.
End Chapter 7
Feedback please? Honestly, it encourages me to write faster!
Stormy
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