Harry of the Blood Rose
When the letters arrived it wasn't Hogwarts that Harry found an invitation to, but another school. What will this do to our hero as a new life in a school for Assassins awaits him? answer to DZ2s The Other School Challenge.
Hello, and welcome to my first reposting of a Vault entry as an actual story! now, this is going to take more of a back burner to my Devils of the Void NEW!, at least for now. I have made some alterations to this chapter since I posted it in my Vault so make sure you read it. I have also screwed around with the time frame, so rather than being set in the 90s, it is now the not too distant future at an unspecified time. now, enough babbling from me, lets get this party started!
I OWN NOTHING YOU MAY RECOGNISE!
Chapter 1
When Harry Potter woke up that morning he had no idea that in a few short hours his life would be turned completely upside down. It had started of normally enough, being woken by his Aunt banging on his cupboard door, yelling at him to make breakfast, getting up, making enough food to feed the entire street, getting a cuff round the head from his uncle for taking to long and trying to keep his meager breakfast down at the sight of his pig of a cousin eat enough food to keep one normal family of four going for a week. It wasn't until he was sent to get the mail that things got strange. sitting with the normal bills and what looked like a postcard was not one, but two letters addressed to him.
The first was made of a thick, heavy parchment and had a wax seal on the back consisting of four animals, a lion, a badger, a raven and a snake, surrounding a capital H. there was also something surrounding the letter, almost like an aura that told Harry to pick it up and take it to the kitchen to open in front of his Uncle. It was addressed in green ink and an exaggerated cursive to:
Harry James Potter,
Cupboard under the stairs,
Number 4 Privet Drive,
Surrey.
The other letter was made of crisp, white paper and also had a crest stamped on the back, although in ink rather than wax. this crest was a rose with two daggers crossed beneath it and the letters BRIMAE in a circle around it. The letter was addressed in Blood red text to:
Harry James Potter,
Number 4 Privet Drive,
Surrey.
Now Harry wasn't stupid, even if he did have the lowest marks in school, and knew exactly what would happen if he took these letters into the kitchen. His Uncle would take them of him and likely destroy them. So he did the smart thing and darted to his cupboard, hiding the paper letter under his mattress, before taking the rest of them threw. He really didn't want anything to do with the other letter as it was clear that whoever had sent it knew exactly where he slept and did nothing.
After a shouting match with his uncle, who predictably went mad at the sight of the letter addressed to Harry, the boy was thrown into his cupboard and the door was locked. not that the boy minded though as it gave him the chance to read the one he had hidden. He opened the envelope and pulled out the contents, finding it to be a black tablet, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. As soon as the tablet was free of the envelope, a bright blue light shone from it, rapidly scanning Harry and the cupboard.
"Recipricent confirmed, Location secure, commencing message," said the tablet in a mechanical voice, before the light reappeared and projected a hologram of a man with messy silver hair, small glasses on his nose, dressed in a black suit with a green scarf around his neck and a cane in his hand. despite the colour of his hair, he looked young, only in his mid-thirties.
"Good day to you Potential student," said the man, "My name is Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of the Bloody Rose Academy of Magical Assassination and Espionage. If you have received this and managed to activate it, then you have been invited to attend my school."
the image changed to show an overhead shot of a large campus with several buildings, lots of paths that wound between trees and gardens and what looked like a shooting range and assault cause.
"Bloody Rose Academy is a unique establishment founded centuries ago to train Elite independent Black Ops operatives," continued the voice of Ozpin, "The school takes both magical and Mundane students and strives to give both sets a balanced education that will allow them to work in both worlds."
The hologram changed to show a large building with groups of kids milling around outside, talking and laughing together
"The students are housed on site in groups to teach teamwork, an important aspect of the work they will be involved in upon graduation."
the shot of the school vanished to be replaced by Ozpins avatar.
"Should you decide to attend, an operative will be sent to answer any questions you may have, along with helping you get your school supplies. I truly hope to see you in the new school year."
the hologram winked out, leaving just a black screen with YES and NO flashing. Harry sat there, completely blown away by what he had just seen. truth be told his mind was stuck on one single aspect. If it was a boarding school, that meant he could be free of the Dursleys for an entire year! Everything else, the Black Ops training and Assassination part of the school name, simply faded away before that one point. The ten, soon to be eleven, year old boy eagerly jabbed the YES icon, causing the screen to flash green and give a dinging sound. Harry sat back with a smile on his face. Soon hed be away from here!
"WARNING, this message will self destruct," said the tablet.
"Oh oh."
BOOM!
A few weeks had passed since Harry had received the invitation to Bloody Rose and the whole thing had faded from Harry's mind in the face of the sheer insanity that was plaguing the Dursley household. whoever had sent the other letter clearly knew that Harry hadn't received it and they were doing whatever it took to get it to him. even after Vernon nailed up the letterbox and the cracks around the door, they still managed to get them threw in some really stupid ways. However, it was the sunday after the first of the letters appeared that something happened. that something was the representative of Bloody Rose coming to collect Harry.
The day actually started off pretty normally, even if Vernon had gone of the deep end slightly and had developed a twitch in his left eye and mustache, and the family were sitting in the living room enjoying a delightful lunch as Harry served them tea and cakes. At that moment, the doorbell rang.
"Now who could that be?" asked Vernon, getting to his feet and leaving the room.
The fat man opened the door, preparing to give whoever was disturbing them a tongue lashing for visiting on a sunday, only for the words to die on his tongue at the sight of the person standing on the doorstep.
It was a woman who looked about 34 and was dressed in a formal white shirt, with a black business overcoat and matching skirt, green tie, stockings and high heeled shoes. she had long black hair that was parted in the fringe so that two bangs fell to the side and a third fell between her eyes and tied back in a ponytail at the back. she had a stern face, but that didn't distract from her beauty, nor did her attire diminish her gorgeous figure.
"Can I help you?" asked Vernon, his instincts telling him that pissing this woman off was not a good idea.
"I believe so," said the woman with a faint hint of an accent, "My name is Chifuyu Orimura and I'm looking for a Harry Potter."
as soon as his nephew's name crossed the womans lips, Vernon turned purple.
"Theres no one by that name here," he spat, "Now get off my porch before I call the police!"
He slammed the door shut and stormed back into the front room, grabbing Harry by the hair.
"You little freak! what did you tell them?!" he screamed, bringing his fist back to punch the small boy who was cowering in fear.
Before he could though, the front door slammed into the ground and a gunshot rang out, the bullet slamming into Vernons shoulder, forcing him to let go of his nephew in favor of grabbing his wounded limb as his face went white, Petunia screamed and Dudley fell of his chair, sending crisps scattering everywhere.
"I had a feeling something was wrong," said Chifuyu as she stepped into the room, a smoking gun in her hand, "And it looks like I was right."
"Y-you bitch," snarled Vernon, "You shot me! I'll have you arrested for this!"
to the fat bigots surprise Chifuyu just laughed.
"You can try, but I guarantee it won't stick," she said, "You on the other hand will go down for child abuse, gross negligence and embezzlement of funds."
Vernon went white as the woman turned to a paper white Petunia.
"Hello Petunia, you're just as I remember," she said.
"What are you doing here?" hissed Petunia.
"I'm here to pick up a new student," said Chifuyu, before turning to the still shaking Harry, "And I take it that your Harry?"
"Y-yes," said the boy.
The woman studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You look just like her," she muttered, "You have your fathers hair, but the rest is all Lily."
Harrys eyes went wide.
"You knew my parents?"
"Your mother more than your father," said Chifuyu, "Your Grandfather and my father were old teammates so we grew up together. We stayed friends even after she went to Hogwarts and I went to Bloody Rose."
"Can you tell me about them?" asked Harry in a pleading voice, his eyes glistening at the thought of learning something substantial about his parents.
"Later," said Chifuyu, "I promise I'll tell you everything you want to know later. but for now we need to go. Its already lunchtime and we need to get your school stuff."
"OK!" chirped Harry eagerly, practically bouncing with excitement.
At that moment, Vernon seemed to get his bluster back.
"He will not be going," He said, "We swore when we took him we'd put a stop to all this nonsense!"
Chifuyu scowled and turned to the fat man who shrank back at the look in her eyes.
"Oh, and how would you have gone about that?" she hissed, her grip on her gun tightening.
"W-well, I-i," spluttered Vernon as he tried to come up with a response.
"Well that hardly matters anymore," said Chifuyu, "Because I'm taking him. there is no way I'm leaving my friends son in a place like this. I'll have the custody transfer papers to you in a week. sign them, or else.."
she trailed off menacingly before slipping her gun back under her jacket and steering Harry out of the room.
"Can you tell me a little about my parents now?" asked Harry a few hours later as he sat in the passenger seat of Chifuyus car.
"Hehe, alright, what do you already know about them?" asked the woman, glancing at her new charge out of the corner of her eye.
"Only that they were drunks who died in a car crash," said the boy, looking down sadly, only to yelp in pain as Chifuyu slammed on the brakes, only just avoiding the car in front.
"WHAT?!" she shouted, spinning to face the now scared boy, "Who the hell told you that?!"
"M-my aunt did," stuttered Harry, curling up into a tiny ball in the seat.
Chifuyu took a deep breath and calmed down, but not before muttering a few choice words.
"Look Harry, you can forget anything those...people, told you about Lily and James Potter," she said, starting the car again, "While I didn't know James all that well, I do know that he was a good man and most certainly not a drunk."
The woman took a deep breath and began to tell Harry all about his parents, including the fact they were a Witch and a Wizard. by the time she was finished with the story and answering questions they were pulling into a car park near Charing Cross Road.
"Alright, stick close Harry, I would hate to loose you in London," said Chifuyu as she slammed the door and locked the car after Harry was out.
The tall woman lead Harry down the road, past a broken down pub that everyone seemed to be ignoring, and into a small pawn shop a few doors down. The bell rang as they entered, waking the old proprietor behind the counter from his nap.
The old man was just that, with wrinkled skin, wispy hair that stuck up like he'd just stuck his finger in a plug socket and wide, misty eyes.
"Ah, Chifuyu, its been a while," said the man, getting to his feet. in spite of his appearance, his voice was strong, "What can I do for you today? surely your Yukihira can't have broken again already, can it?"
the woman blushed lightly and looked away.
"No it has not old man," she said, "I'm just here to get a new student outfitted."
she pointed at Harry who was hiding behind her legs.
"Ah, you'll be Stevens Grandson," he said, moving round the counter to get a better look at the boy, "Yes, I can see some of my old team mate in you. My name is Qrow Ollivander, Weaponsmith of the Bloody Rose."
"Nice to meet you sir," said Harry, stepping out from behind his guide.
"Oh no need for any of this sir nonsense," said Qrow, "Now, come through to the back and we'll get you outfitted."
The old weaponsmith lead the boy and his guide through the door behind the counter and down a flight of stares that lead into what had to be the largest room Harry had ever seen. it stretched out into the distance in all directions and it was stuffed to capacity with shelves and shelves containing weapons and clothing of all kinds. Old Qrow lead his customers down several aisles until he reached several racks of clothing that held what looked like school uniforms of all sizes.
"Lets see now, hmm," the old man muttered, looking at Harry with a critical eye that made Harry shift uneasily, before turning to the racks and grabbing a few uniforms, "These should fit. go try them on."
He pointed at a curtained of booth of to the side. Harry took the clothes and dashed behind the curtain, eagerly stripping of his cousins cast offs and into the uniform.
it was incredibly comfortable, made of a light but strong fabric that Harry couldn't identify and conformed to his body like a second skin, yet still allowing enough freedom to move easily. the outfit consisted of smart, black trousers, a white dress shirt with a red tie and a black blazer with a blood red rose emblem on the breast pocket.
Harry stepped out from behind the curtain to find Qrow and Chifuyu looking at him with appraising eyes.
"Not bad Harry, it suits you," said the woman while the old man just hummed in thought.
"Yes, but its still missing something," he said, before snapping his fingers and moving to a shelf of to the side, returning a moment later with a black fedora with a red ribbon wrapped around the brim. The old man plonked the hat on his head, before stepping back, nodding with satisfaction.
"Perfect!"
Harry looked at himself and the mirror and found that he was forced to agree with the old shopkeeper. the entire look combined changed him from a scrawny preteen into a decent looking young man.
"Now on to the interesting bit," said Qrow, rubbing his hands together and cackling, "The weapons."
Harry was lead away from the clothing section and into another, this one stuffed to capacity with weapons. Qrow was practically skipping with glee as he looked around, occasionally picking up a weapon before shaking his head and putting it back down.
"The picking of a weapon is important for any fighter," he said when Harry asked what he was doing, "It is vitally important you get it right. A person with the wrong weapon for them will never reach their full potential and I pride myself in always choosing the correct weapon for each new student when they come to me."
Harry stopped talking after that and settled for just wandering around, studying the weapons with interest. eventually he came to a shelf that, unlike the others which were groaning under hundreds of weapons each, only had four different weapons on it. Curious, Harry moved closer. Two of the weapons were Desert Eagles, seemingly simple guns in comparison to some of the weapons here. One was white while the other was black and both had elegant cursive script picked out in gold down the barrels. the grips were the opposite colour to the rest of the gun with a large E picked out in the same cursive gold as the text on the barrels.
Crossed above the case was a pair of short swords, again fairly simple but for their colouration, the same as the guns below them, one white, one black. attached to the hilts of the swords were small charms that were shaped like birds in flight and an E was engraved on each scabbard above the hilt.
"Oh yes, I'm not surprised you found those," said a voice from right behind Harry making him jump and spin to find Qrow standing behind him, "Those are my family treasures. The guns are enchanted and can fire bolts of magical energy rather than metal bullets, while the swords can weave illusions to mess with the perception of your opponent. The guns are Schwarz and Weiß, while the swords are Nebel and Schatten."
Harry turned back to look at the weapons, a faint stirring of longing in his chest before he turned away. He turned back when he heard the click of a lock to see Qrow had opened the case and was now holding out the weapons to him.
"Take them."
"What? I can't do that!" said Harry, shocked that the man would offer him the treasures of his family, "There your family's heirlooms!"
"No, there weapons," said Qrow, "And weapons are not meant to sit in a case gathering dust. they are meant to be used by a worthy wielder. That wielder is you, Harry Potter."
Harry hesitated, before looking up as a hand rested on his shoulder.
"Take them," said Chifuyu, "He wouldn't have offered if he didn't think you were worthy of them."
Harry gulped and reached out, taking the weapons with shaking hands.
"Thank you," he said, "I will ensure than no harm ever comes to these."
"I know you won't," said the old man, "Come on, lets get a belt for them."
The old man lead Harry over to a rack of belts, grabbing one with slots for both gun holsters and swords that was designed to be easy to hide.
"Oh, and before I forget, take this too," said Qrow, handing Harry a shoulder holster with a .25 Berretta, "This is yours by right. every member of your family has carried it since your Great-grandfather."
Soon Harry was back on the street with Chifuyu, feeling the weight of the weapons hidden under his jacket.
"Oh, before I forget, I need to give you this," said Chifuyu, handing Harry a card.
the young boy looked at it and saw it was an ID with his photograph, date of birth etc, as well as the logo of Bloody Rose Academy printed on it. What confused the boy though was the extra letter in the name box. Rather than just Harry J. Potter, it instead said Harry J. B. Potter.
"Um, I think theres a mistake here," said the boy, tugging on Chifuyus sleeve, "I don't have a B in my name."
"Actually, you do," said Chifuyu, "The B comes from your Great-grandfather who changed his name to Evens when he retired so he and his family wouldn't be targeted. It still shows up on official documents though and your family takes pride in it."
"So what does it stand for?" asked Harry, eager for more information about his family.
Chifuyu smirked and ruffled the young mans hair, earning a pout.
"You'll find out soon enough,"said the woman, "Now we get dinner, then get you to Rose Island ready for the start of school."
Harry nodded, following after his guide as he took the first steps on the path that would change the course of history.
END! and so ends the first chapter of this story. I feel it would be prudent to mention that i've been watching Aria of the Scarlet Ammo lately which is what gave me this idea. Why do I say that you ask? well, there are a few clues hidden in the chapter as to why. I bet any spy nuts out there will be able to guess with ease. now make sure to leave me a review and have a good xmas!