Once again this is Un-Betaed, Im betaing it right now...maybe you'll never know
Sorry bout this... Ok no I'm not I just keep having these ideas for stories and I see no reason not to write them.
Mehh anyway, lets just hope I can actually stick with one of these some day XD
Now with awesome side story thingy... No corrections yet though...
The meeting hall was a rowdy place. It featured drunks and half broken tables, and the smell of alcohol pervaded everything. At the counter a grizzled and scar covered man stood polishing mugs, and making small talk with the costumers. Off in the corner was a large cork board covered in papers, some were bounties, offering money for the death or capture of the depicted offender. Others offered money to complete miscellaneous jobs. People, both men and women cluttered around the board, debating which jobs to take, and of they would be working together. If you listened you could hear the older men and women discussing jobs, and offering advice to any who would listen.
It was into this backwater, and rowdy tavern that the black haired man walked, clutching a paper. The man approached the board, making his way past the others cluttering around it. He then slapped his paper onto the board with a load bang, immediately brining the noise to a close, and drawing all attention to himself.
"This man is Peter Petigrew, until recently he has been held in Azkaban." The man looked around at his audience, meeting each person's eyes. "He is charged with being a death-eater and with the death of Harry Potter, brother of Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and is extremely dangerous. He is an estimated A+ class criminal." At this point people began to shuffle away. Very few were willing to take on willing to take on a B+ criminal let alone A class. The man continued seemingly unfazed. "He has been known to use all three of the unforgivable curses and is extremely cunning. As of now his whereabouts are unknown," even more backed away, this job couldn't be worth any amount of money, "This being the case I will be acting as the tracker for this mission, I assure you there is no better man for the job." The man finished his statement with a wolfish grin. "The target can be taken dead or alive , alive however is preferable." Glancing around one more time the man grew disheartened, it seemed that only the over confident newbies were left, the veterans seemed to have decided this wasn't worth the trouble. "The reward upon the missions completion is 500,000 galleons, any takers?"
For a few moments everything was quiet, while the mans words settled in. And then chaos erupted, as the mercenaries tried to make their decisions. "Quiet!" yelled a loud and commanding voice from behind the bar. And just like that silence fell. "All you rookies are fools, thinking you can take on an A+ class criminal, you'll be dead before you ever see him!" All of the mercs. Who had been discussing looked aggravated first and then, after a heated glance from the bartender, changed to looks of resigned acceptance. The black haired man ground, he needed a partner for this, Peter wasn't going to come quietly, more then anything he needed a killer. He needed a man who would kill no questions asked, he needed a professional.
"Look boy I'm not trying to sabotage the job offer, but it seems to that you need better then this lot." The bartender gestured to the amassed crowd and then returned to cleaning his glasses, "sounds to me like you need a professional." The clamoring died down as all eyes fell on the scared man.
"Chief. You don't mean…?"
"I do Boris, if what is being said about this, Petigrew, then someone like him is needed, someone who doesn't stop until the job is done, what he needs is an emotionless demon of a man, a man like Gaia."
"Who is this Gaia?" Asked the black haired man, rejoining the conversation.
"Gaia is one of the best Mercs. I've ever met, no because he's strong I've seen plenty stronger then him, but because he doesn't stop, ever. Young too." A collective shudder ran through the building followed by fear filled nods of conformation.
The contractor felt his blood run cold, who was this Gaia, that he could command so much fear and respect for these battle hardened veterans? And what was that the bartender said? That he wasn't the strongest he'd seen?
Seeing the question in the other mans eyes the barkeep spoke up, "Gaia is feared by many people for many reasons. For some its the lack of emotion in one so young. Although honestly from what I've seen from him that comes and goes." He stopped, to turn around and replace the glass on the shelf, before turning around to continue. "No the real reason for the fear is that people have seen Gaia die, only to get up and continue fighting, as if nothing happened." At this many turned to their alcohol in both reminiscence and fear.
The black haired man scoffed, drawing heated looks from those around him. "Thats impossible, it has to be a rumor." The man stopped and released another barking laugh. "Honestly either you people are real gullible or this is some really well thought out prank."
"Its no lie, I've seen it my self." The speaker was a middle aged man, who couldn't have been older then fifty, he sported a long greying beard and many scars, all of which spoke to his experience as a mercenary. As he spoke his expression became more vacant as if he was dredging up a particularly scaring memory. "I first met Gaia on a job which we were working together on. Must have been at least B class." The man took a swig of his ale, and continue speaking, "When I first met Gaia, I was sure it was a joke. His eyes were full of life and he was young to boot, sure signs of inexperience. Now that I think about it his sword was almost the same size as his body back then. Honestly he looked ridiculous. Surely, I thought to my self, they wouldn't send a newbie on a mission to take out a group of dark wizards, it would be like signing his death warrant." The bearded man gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well it was no joke, he really was part of our team, and so we went. Gaia was all smiles, a complete child, amused with the smallest of things, always wanting to be helpful." The man's eyes seemed to brighten at this, as if recalling a pleasant memory before the brightness faded. "Then the mission began. We were waiting in ambush around the enemies' camp, reports said we would only have to expect three or four of them, and with our four man team we figured it wouldn't be much trouble. As soon as the fighting began, Gaia leapt into action, as soon as he closed the distance, the enemy stood no chance, its funny really most wizards never expect to be slashed open with a sword, so they don't prepare for it." Another life less chuckle escaped his lips. "Four enemies later and we thought we had won. Most of us were proud of Gaia for one so young he did handled himself well. Gaia was all smiles. And then the reinforcements showed up. Gaia didn't even have time to react. I can still remember the sound, of Gaia's insides exploding." The man's eyes went from vacant to haunted.
The contractor knew that Curse. It bordered on becoming an unforgivable itself, but due to its rarity was only considered highly illegal dark magic. It the curse literally caused all the bones and organs in the body to implode. There was no way anyone could survive its full effects. So why did these men talk about him as if he were alive? What the said about him dying, it couldn't be true. Could it?
"We were all stunned, seven dark wizards had ambushed us and killed the youngest of the group. We were all to surprised to do much of anything, I barely had time to put up a shield spell on myself. The other two members of the group weren't so lucky, and they suffered the same fate as Gaia had." Said the man with a grimace. "My shields gave out, and one of the dark wizards was about to finish we off, same as the rest. And then he died with a sword though his gut, Gaia's sword. And there he was. Standing with a gaping wound in his stomach, a wound which was closing rapidly. I was sure I was hallucinating, sure that I was already dead, and this was all just something I made up to ease my final moments of life, sure that no child could have soulless eyes like his, eyes that don't feel anything." His voice faded as with the end of his sentence, and he seemed to fall deep into reverie, before he shook his head, snapping out of his recollection. "By the time I released I was still alive, the other targets we all dead, and the boy, Gaia, was standing above me offering his hand to help me up. In that moment, as I looked into his soulless eyes, eyes on a face caked in blood, I came to the conclusion that the Gaia I had worked with all those days was dead, in his place stood a demon, a monster that cannot feel, that cannot die." The man trailed off again but this time he did not speak up again, he only one last deep swig of ale, and then stared into space, brining the conversation to a close.
The contractor stood in shocked silence. If what they said was true then why hadn't he heard of Gaia, someone like that, they should be know and feared, there was no way. "Why haven't I heard about this Gaia? Sounds to me that someone like that would be feared around the globe."
The bartender looked up from his idle polishing of the table to respond with a chuckle. "Come now, who would believe that a Thirteen year old was a cold blooded mercenary."
"Impossible…" Awe and fear laced his every word. "When you said young, I didn't think… dear god what will he become? What if he goes dark, we'll have more to worry about then Voldemort."
"I don't think we have to worry about that." Responded the barkeep. "Gaia doesn't have ambition, he just exists. Honestly there are few reasons Gaia's a merc, what other legal jobs would pay a child enough to get by on. The kid was lucky enough to be trained by Joshua to use a sword, other wise he wouldn't even stand a chance out there."
The black-haired man gulped, "I just hope for all our sakes, that he stays that way." Nervously the man scratched the back of his head, "alright then, I Sirius Black, request the services of Gaia."
The barkeep chuckled lightly, "No need to get all formal now mister Black, I'll contact Gaia."
The boy walked down the dirt road, he had been wandering though the open fields of Ireland for a few days now, in search of his target, nearly seven hours ago he had found the man, a one Vincent Calloch. The target was a B+ class dark wizard, and he hadn't expected much trouble.
The boy adjusted the simple sword which rested on his back, in a equally simple leather sheath, next to his faithful rucksack, trying to get it to a more comfortable position. He glanced up at the sky, his black bangs shifting so that his emerald green eyes, as well as the long scar which stretched from the upper left of his forehead to his right cheek were visible. For the first time in days the sky was clear. It was the color of blue that you could only find out in the country side, away from civilization, and not a cloud was in the sky. If it were just a few degrees warmer the day would be perfect. As it was now the boy had to wear his warmer clothing, which consisted of a green turtle neck, and a pair of khakis.
The boy attempted a smile at the sky, this should make him happy right? A day as great as this was supposed to make you happy. At least he thought it was. A few days ago he would have known, would have done so without trying. Vincent however proved his expectations wrong. And for underestimating his foe he had, had to make a payment, and just like always he paid with his emotions. Not that it mattered now. The job was complete and soon he would be paid, he would be set on food for the next few months. It would last far longer if his eating habits were not so abnormal.
He realized that he ate far more then most humans his age. Most days he could eat seven or eight courses, though when on the job he rationed himself to eat what others would, it was a skill he quickly picked up on the fact that carrying that much food around wasn't practical, even with a magically enchanted bag.
It was during these thoughts that a voice cut in from his bag, "Gaia? Gaia, you there?" the voice was gruff and commanding, in the background, Gaia could hear the faint sounds of a tavern. Gaia stopped misstep, and unslung his bag, before crouching down and rifling though its contents. After finding what he was looking for he removed his hand from the bag, clutching a small mirror. The mirror was simple, like most other things Gaia owned. It had no boarder and was about the size of his palm, however instead of his own reflection the was face of the man called 'Chief.'
Gaia gazed impassively down at the bartender "Is there something I can do for you, Chief?" Gaia's tone was flat, devoid of all emotion, a stark contrast to what the barkeep had heard just yesterday, during Gaia's last status report.
"So he managed to kill you eh?" The boy nodded in conformation. "Well anyhow, I've got a job for you, pays good, and you were specially requested. Clients a one Sirius Black. You up for it?"
How odd, thought Gaia, he wondered if this was his godfather, or some other Sirius Black. Normally Gaia wouldn't take another mission so soon after another one, he did after all only do this to support himself, and his eating habits, but he was curious and the Chief had said it paid well. "I will speak with the client, can you port key me?"
The barkeep gave a toothy smile before responding, "Of course Gaia, be ready to go in two."With those words the mirror clouded over replacing the Chief's face with Gaia's impassive one.
Doing a quick check of himself and his possessions, Gaia found noting missing. He then returned his attention to the hand mirror which he grasped tightly waiting of the the magic to take effect. The mirror glowed faintly and then Gaia gave a sudden lurch, which was followed immediately by an uncomfortable pull behind his navel as the port key became active.
Sirius sat down on a bar stool and watched as the man the mercs. called Chief, reached under the counter and removed a small had mirror. Setting it down he then reached into his pocket and removed his wand, a knurled old thing which quite obviously had a history. It was a deep ebony in color and was covered in nicks and was chipped in many places, it was a miracle the thing still worked. Idly Sirius wondered how many wands the grizzled bar keep had been through. 'Chief' then tapped his wand on the mirror and said,"Gaia?, Gaia you there?" a rustling sounded out of the mirror, as the boy presumable removed his own communication device.
Then after a few seconds of rustling a boy's voice sounded through the barkeeps mirror, it was flat and emotionless but it was a boy's voice nonetheless, "It there something I can do for you, Chief"
The man gave a grimace before replying, "So he managed to kill you eh?" Sirius flinched at that, honestly this man had no tact. "Well anyhow, I've got a job for you, pays good, and you were specially requested. Clients a one Sirius Black. You up for it?"
There was a short pause as the boy thought before replying, "I will speck with the client, can you port key me?"
Sirius watched the barkeep shoot the largest smile he had yet seen the man give, "Of course Gaia, be ready in two."
Finished speaking 'Chief' turned to him, "He'll be here in two minutes, be ready. And remember Gaia's a professional, kids aren't killers. And Gaia is a killer."
He then turned back to the mirror and tapped it with his wand again, whispering an incantation under his breath, that caused the mirror to glow faintly, as the port key became active. The space next to the mirror began to twist impossibly as the port key's magic came into effect, bringing Gaia to the tavern.
In the few seconds it took for the magic to complete Sirius wondered what a kid with Gaia's reputation would look like. Possibly a ugly hulking brute of a child with muscles that would put grown men to shame.
What he got was nothing of the sort. He wore obviously well used muggle clothing and had a sword strapped to his back in a leather sheath, slung across his shoulder was a simple rucksack. The odd thing however was his front of him stood a near replica of James' son, Daniel. The resemblance was uncanny, if it weren't for the massive scar on his face, long black hair which was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and the deep green eyes, Sirius would have thought he was Daniel. The boy's eyes were just as he had been told, emotionless and dead, aside from the obvious curiosity he was displaying, which would have been cute if it weren't for the lack of anything else in his eyes. Which was a pity really, you didn't see eyes that color every day, the only other people he knew with eyes like that was, James' wife Lily… and her son… Harry. Wait.
It couldn't be, Harry was dead. Well they never found a body, just a whole lot of blood. It took a week and a half to find even that after, Peter kidnapped and presumably killed Harry. They had searched for weeks but never found the boy. It was possible. No, this couldn't be Harry, this emotion less demon, this…killer… no that would be far to crewel a fate. But still he had to know, if not for James then at least for his peace of mind. If it was Harry, then maybe the he would return home, and the Potters would return to how they used to be.
After Harry's death they weren't the same people. James became somber and despite Sirius' best efforts laughed very little. Lily took it far worse, Sirius didn't think there was a single night then Lily didn't cry for her lost son, she blamed herself for what happened to him as illogical as it was. Daniel was in denial of Harry's death, he always said that he was still alive, and honestly there were rare times when he looked to old and sad for someone his age. Maybe Daniel was right, maybe he had sensed his twin being alive this whole time, it was to late for him not to ask.
Just as he was about to speak, Gaia chimed in a monotonous tone, "Chief, I'm going to a private room in the back to discuss the details of the mission with the client." The barkeep just nodded in response and led them to a room in the back.
It was a sparse conference room with a small wooden table and chairs. Gaia sat first and then patently waited for him to do the same. Sirius did so and then spoke, "Harry? Is that you?" god he hoped he was right, not just because he didn't want to look like a fool, but because he knew how much this could mean to the Potters.
"I am Gaia. Although there was a time when I was referred to as Harry."
Sirius' heart felt that it would leap form his chest, this was Harry he wasn't dead, the Potters would be over joyed, now to get him to them. "Come now you can drop the act, I know you names not Gaia it's Harry. Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter and brother of Daniel Potter."
Gaia shrugged, "A name is just that. A name. At some point people stopped calling me Harry, and I became Gaia. Although I am suppressed you know me. Are you the Sirius Black, the one that was named my godfather?"
While his philosophy on names was a bit depressing, it was nothing that a bit of affection from a family couldn't fix. More then that Sirius was over joyed that the boy remembered him, he had been so young the last time they had seen each other, and he had been sure Harry wouldn't remember. "Alright then Harry, I'm gonna get straight to the point." The boy nodded at this and paid the Sirius even more attention, "How do you feel about meeting you family?" Sirius closed his eyes and waited for the response, surely a tear-filled response was in order.
"Is it necessary to the mission?"
What? Did he just ask that? "Whats that supposed to mean Harry?"
"That I don't mind meeting them if its mission relevant."
Sirius had been expecting happy tears and a heart felt 'yes!', and if he was being honest, then he had even had the dark thought that maybe the boy would hate his family for not continuing the search. Never did he dream that the boy would be completely indifferent. And then it hit him. Everything they said about him was true, his emotions were gone, he didn't know if he was supposed to be happy or sad or even angry. And if everything they said was true then Harry had died, he had died more then once.
"Well I suppose it is, there son Daniel, your brother, is the one that Peter will be after." Sirius hated that the only way he could get Harry to the Potters was by making them out as important to the mission. Well if he met them then surely things would change. whether it would be for better or worse Sirius did not know.
"Can you give me details on the mission?"
"Of course. You and I will be staying at 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' while we search for a criminal named Peter Petigrew."
"Why there?"
"Petigrew's main target is Daniel and Daniel is at the school, so its reasonable to assume he will show up at some point to make an attempt on his life."
"I see. When will we be questioning the Potters for information on the target?" Maybe this was a good sign the boy was asking when he would be seeing his family. Then again it could just be part of how he worked, it was as the 'Chief' said the boy was a professional.
"Mrs. Potter works at the school as the Muggle Studies professor, as such we can question her right away, Mr. Potter is a Auror, but seeing as he is your father I'm sure he will make all haste to join us. Daniel is a student, as I have said so we should be able to see him with Mrs. Potter."
"I see, multiple separate meetings will not be necessary, it is more efficient to have one meeting when all are present." Sirius felt his heart sink for the umpteenth time that day, how many times would the boy step on his families feelings unknowingly.
"Ah yes of course, one meeting it is then. We do have a slight problem however. I was planning on having an adult with me not a child and as such did not account for it, the professors are expecting two live in adults not an adult and a child, changes may have to be made."
"I see, that is understandable. Most likely scenario?"
"You may have to stay in one of the houses until the mission is completed. You can use magic correct? I haven't seen a wand on you."
The boy shrugged, "I can't use one in my line of work, underage magic is trackable. I have had a few cases of accidental magic though."
Sirius let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. What a tragedy it would have been had the boy been a Squib on top of everything else.
The contractor handed 'Gaia' the wanted poster and watched him scan over its contents, memorizing every detail. It was minutes later then the boy finally spoke. "When do we leave?"
"Next week, thats when the school year starts, we will be arriving before the students."
"My weapon?" asked 'Gaia' gesturing to his back.
Sirius eyed the blade and was tempted to tell him it was against school rules. The boy's steely eyes reminded him however that this wasn't going to school for Harry, no he was leaving on a potentially dangerous mission, he had every right to carry the blade. "It may be needed. Bring it."
"Meeting place for travel?"
"I will be here early morning the day of."
"Understood." With those words the boy stood and stretched his and out to Sirius, waiting to seal the deal with a shake. Sirius responded in kind with a firm shake, to which the boy gave a nod. The boy mercenary then stood adjusted his sword on his back and then walked through the door, his long black ponytail trailing behind him.
Payments to the Earth — Spin off Side Story 1— Alternate Infiltration
"I see, that is understandable. Most likely scenario?"
"Yes. About that. I spoke to the headmaster, in order to hide your identity and avoid suspicion, we enrolled you as a first year." The man grimaced, obviously expressing his fear of the boys wrath.
"That seems to be a logical course of action."
"Yes well there is a slight problem…" There was another pause as the contractor tried to put thoughts to words. "…In order to deepen your cover, the headmaster has requested your entrance as a female." The man closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable. It never came.
"Yes of course, no one would expect a first year girl, to be on the hunt for a dangerous killer." The contractor started in shocked silence. What was with this kid. Most boys his age wouldn't even consider such a thing. Then again, this was Gaia, and like the 'Chief' said, Gaia was a professional.
How will I be disguised?"
The contractor fumbled about in his robe for a few moments before finally removing two vials. "These two potions are permanent 'self-altering' elixirs. One for your age, the other for gender. When the job is complete we will create two potions with the opposite effects to counter these."
And so it was that Gaia was entered into Hogwarts… a girl.