Disclaimer: Harry Potter is property of the author J.K. Rowling
and those who distribute it. Arjuna is property of Shoji Kawamori and its
distributors. I do not claim any rights to either of them.
Authors Notes: This is an alternate universe Harry Potter fic I started writing a while ago when I stopped for a while and finally finished. It's roughly based on the anime Arjuna. I usually prefer writing original work to fan fiction, but this is fun for a change. This story would take place around the middle of the third book, and I realize there are some things that don't make a whole lot of sense. The portrayal of people and pollution would most likely not include wizards since they use magic and not technology, and I apologize for this and any similar inaccuracies, but it is alternate universe and it's the only way I could make it work. Feel free to flame, but please make it constructive criticism so I know where I need to improve. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
"Revelation"
It was a cool spring night. Everything was calm and everything was quite. It was the normal routine, another night soon to become another day. The way things have been since the dawn of time. But this night was different. Though at that time it only affected a single life, it would come to affect everything on this planet, and anything that would ever come to be on this planet.
In the shadows, a dark figure made its way to a small house, home to a young couple and their newborn son. It was late and their son was already in bed. Yet something kept the husband and wife from settling in and going to sleep. Perhaps they sensed something was going to happen. They tried to shrug their uneasiness off as only their imaginations, but soon their worst fears were confirmed. An intruder made a violent entrance into their home, and started attacking them. While her husband made a daring attempt to save his family, his wife ran into the room were her son slept, hoping to escape with him and find help, but to no avail. Soon the intruder over powered and slaughtered her husband and came for her next. She fought with courage, but was easily over powered. After they were both dead, the stranger went to fulfill his true purpose.
He walked over to the baby. The baby wasn't crying, nor showing any signs of fear or confusion. He just stared up at the intruder with his innocent green eyes, acknowledging his presence but unaware of what was to come. The intruder smiled slightly, yet it was not an evil smile. He knew of both their destinies, and of the importance of what he had come to do. He also knew of the danger of what he was about to attempt, but nothing would have changed his stubborn mind. He slowly lifted up his wand, and chanted a spell. There was no sound, just a flash of green light. The intruder breathed his last breath and vanished. He and the baby were both dead.
So the night went on. It was as if nothing had happened. As if it had no affect on anything. Life was constantly being given and taken away in this world. It hadn't affected any lives aside from the ones that had tragically been lost. It was only four lives out of the countless life that has ever existed on this planet. Nothing had changed, or so it appeared. Through the silence that followed, there was one who took awareness of what had happened, and knew something had to be done.
A young female voice then spoke to the lingering soul of the baby. "Little one, your fate and the fate of this planet are closely linked. If you can handle what is to come, I can save you. This planet is slowly facing its death. When the time comes, you shall become the avatar of time." Her voice had a soothing, but frail tone to it. She continued, " You will not be alone. You will be guided, and will learn your true path to take. If you are capable of becoming the avatar of time, and purifying the raaja, just this once I'll bend the balance of life. I will bring you to life."
The baby then saw visions. He saw the beauty of this world, and the horrors of destruction as it slowly died. He saw forests being cut down, nuclear wastes mutating life, toxic rivers overflowing, pesticides being put on plants, machines causing destruction... He watched as the skies darkened and as cities turned into dust. He watched civilizations turn into ruins. He heard screams and explosions. After what felt like and eternity, it stopped, and everything was quite once again. "Harry Potter..." the voice whispered. "I have faith in you. I will use my remaining power to save you, and you shall become the avatar of time. Goodbye for now. We shall meet again."
The room started glowing beautifully. The stars grew brighter and the air became silent. Birds and small animals awoke from their sleep. The auroras surrounding the baby became stronger and stronger. Then it stopped. Harry Potter was alive once again, looking exactly as he had before except for a strange mark on his forehead shaped like a bolt of lightning. He fell into a peaceful sleep, as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until the next morning that he would be discovered, and placed into the care of his only living relatives. But for now, he slept; unbeknownst of what was to come.
Thirteen Years Later...
Harry stared out the balcony, breathing in the fresh air in attempt to clear his head. He was supposed to be at his potions class, but had to cut when he started feeling strange. Ever since he was little, he would sometimes have strange visions. For him it wasn't uncommon, but it was happening more and more and they kept getting worse. He rarely told anyone about what he would see because he knew they would think something was wrong with him. They just wouldn't understand. No one seemed to really understand him. Even Harry couldn't sometimes. He knew that there was something more to his past then what he knew. His parents were murdered one night by a crazed wizard who easily killed them, but ended up killing himself when he tried to kill Harry. So his aunt and uncle raised him. They were kind, but not like family. They had told him that his parents were killed in a car crash until he was 11, the same year he started going to Hogwarts. Even though he knew how his parents died, he really knew nothing else. No one seemed to. No one knew why the wizard came, why he could not kill Harry, how come he died, and why Harry lived. The attack had left him with a strange scar on his forehead shaped like a bolt of lighting. It was all a mystery, and it had always left Harry feeling incomplete. He knew that there was more to the story then that, and he had a right to know what it was. But he didn't, and he had lived his life not knowing and not understanding the strange things that often happened to him. In time he learned to accept it.
He closed his eyes for a minute, thinking about what he had seen. First there was silence, it was a peaceful spring night. The stars were shining and everything was beautiful, but something else was to come. That was all he saw, for it soon faded into an exploding building with people running and screaming in confusion. Next he saw a group of people at some kind of meeting, all sitting around a giant table talking quietly, discussing something he sensed was of great importance. Next he saw a somewhat sad vision of a crippled child lying on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines, barely able to breath. She had long gold hair and brilliant green, almost gold eyes that gazed emptily into the white ceiling. It was almost as if she weren't there, as if her soul were someplace else, her mind and body in separate places. She faintly smiled, and slowly closed her eyes. A commotion began, and soon everything was quiet. Then there was only sadness and sorrow. These images repeated had repeated themselves in his mind, and he did not know what they were or what they meant.
He kept staring, deep in thought, when his friend Hermione came and interrupted. "Why weren't you at potions class?" she asked.
"I wasn't feeling good." Harry said, without making eye contact. "You don't look so good," Hermione said, "But Snape thinks lowly enough of you as it is, you shouldn't go cutting his classes. Did you go to the hospital wing?"
"No." Harry said. "It was very strange. I don't think they'd understand." Hermione glared at him and said, "How would you know if you never asked them about it?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. I feel fine now." Harry said. Hermione stared at him. "Well, okay. But Snapes not going to be happy with you." She said, and left.
'Snapes never happy with me' Harry thought. Snape was his potions teacher, and he seemed to have some kind of grudge against Harry in particular. Harry often wondered why, but could never figure it out. Sure, he didn't seem to really like anyone except some slytherin students, but he was nastier to Harry then anyone else.
Harry looked down at the ground, and saw birds digging through the dirt in search of worms and insects to eat. 'Why is it that birds dig through the filthy ground to eat worms when they can fly, and just eat other flying creatures?' he wondered. He couldn't imagine why they would choose to stay on land when they had the option to fly. Perhaps they sometimes tired of flying rested on the ground, as if to toy with the idea of being earthbound. Harry then stopped his daydreaming and started to head back to his dorm. He was about half way there when he stopped after seeing something move in the shadows. He looked closer, and a small cat walked out. It was as white as fresh snow, except for the tips of its paws, ears and tail which were a silvery baby blue that gradually faded into white. It had bright green-flecked gold eyes, and gave him an almost human smile, purred, and quickly walked away.
Harry stared on for a while before he continued. It wasn't uncommon to see cats around the school since a lot of students kept them as pets, but he had never seen such a beautiful cat. What he really couldn't get over was its smile. It had a type of expression on its face he didn't think cats were capable of having. It seemed too human. He met his friend, Ron, and soon forgot about the cat as they both went to get something to eat.
Within a few days, Harry's birthday arrived. The day started off normal, and he went to all his normal classes. Then something strange happened in the middle of his changing class. Everyone else seemed blind to it, but Harry saw something strange outside the window. The air seemed to be darker, despite the sunny skies, and a strange form appeared in the sky. It was large, dark and long. It vaguely looked like a centipede, but it had a type of beauty that Harry had not seen or felt before. Somehow it didn't seem evil, but it was causing destruction. "Psst. Ron, do you see that?" Harry whispered. "See what?" Ron said, looking over to the direction Harry had been motioning to.
"That weird bug thing. You can't see it? That's strange..." Harry said. When he first noticed it and realized no one else saw it, he began to think he was hallucinating. He did not like the idea at all, it was bad enough that he was having attacks where he'd see things in his mind, and now he was seeing things in real places. Maybe he would need some kind of help or medical attention. He was experienced at people thinking he was a little crazy, and knew better then to ask anyone else. He managed to ignore it despite his incredible urge to find out what it was and why no one else saw it. Eventually it vanished, but the dangerous [energy]* about it still lingered.
He went on about his normal day, despite the strange feeling the earlier events had led to. He felt like something was new, something was different despite how normal everything seemed. He thought it might be because he had just turned thirteen, though it had been awhile since any of his birthdays have felt different from the day before. Somehow this one was different...
After dark, Harry and Ron headed to their dorms. Once they were right outside their dorm, they crossed paths with the very same cat Harry had passed the day before. It seemed to almost glow in the dark hallway. "I wonder who's cat that is." Ron said, "I don't think it belongs to anyone around here, so it shouldn't be wandering around here." "Maybe someone just got it," Harry said. "Maybe," Ron said, "but somehow I doubt it. I think I'll ask around to see if anyone owns him. If not, we should try to get him out of here, I don't want a cat wandering around our rooms." Ron never did seem to like cats very much. Harry felt somewhat attracted to it, and couldn't understand Ron's negative attitude toward the cat. But he just shrugged, and they went into their rooms together, and then went to bed.
Somehow Harry could not fall asleep... He could not take his mind off of what he saw earlier in the day. There was something extremely real about it. He eventually got out of bed to look out the window to see if anything strange was there, but was interrupted when a voice whispered, "Hello Harry."
Harry turned around and saw the white cat standing right behind him. No one else was around, and the cat was in full eye contact with him. "Did you say that?" He asked. Even though the idea of a talking cat surprised him, it wouldn't be all that strange in a place like Hogwarts. After a slight pause, she said, "Yes I did. Congratulations on your thirteenth birthday."
Harry waited for her to say something else, but she was silent, so he asked, "Who are you? How did you know my name and how did you know it's my birthday?" She stepped a little closer and said, "I've known you since you were little, and I've been waiting for this day to come for a long time." Harry tried to figure out what she was talking about, but couldn't understand. He had never seen her before aside from recently. Not knowing what else to say, he said, "So how can you talk?" She looked a little dumbfounded by his question, and asked, "Isn't this normal for wizards?"
"Well... It may be, I can't really be sure, I've only known I was a wizard for a few years now. For all I know, it could be a lot more common then I realize." He said, a little embarrassed that he knew so little. "Oh. I don't really know much about how things work around here either, but I don't want to be a strange site. It could be bad if I were to draw too much attention," the cat said. Harry was confused, but began sensing there was something more about her he should know. "Just why are you here?" he demanded. She calmly looked up and said, "You saw that before, didn't you? I know you can see things. It must be really strange sometimes, but what you see is a lot more real and important then you realize."
Somehow Harry immediately knew what she was talking about, and suddenly became excited. Maybe she held some kind of answer to the strange things that happened to him over the years, maybe even his past. "What do you know about that? Do you know what it is that's been happening to me?" He asked quickly.
"There's a lot I know about you. More than you would be able to understand or accept right now, but you will eventually learn everything. I will tell you this though, you are very important to the fate of this planet. That "monster" you saw outside before was called a raaja. The raaja are capable of poisoning the land and causing great destruction. They are created by chemicals and dangerous creations of humans and will kill this planet if they don't become purified. There are only two ways to purify the raaja, but only one is possible right now. You must become the avatar of time, and purify the raaja."
Silence and confusion followed. "What are you talking about? You think you can just walk up to me and tell me I have to fight that thing and expect me to do it? I don't understand what you're talking about, but there's no way I'd ever be able to do anything about what you call the 'raaja', even if I wanted to. It's huge, and it's powerful. I'd never be able to stop it." Harry said. "Actually, you really do know a lot more then you give credit to yourself. You'll eventually be able to understand all of what's happened and is going to happen to you, but now you are still foolish and inexperienced. Do you honestly think size matters? The smallest organism in your body can make all the difference to whether you do or don't survive. Please, purify the raaja. I promise to tell you all about what you've been longing to know for so long if you just do this for your planet. This is what your meant to do, I promise you that." She said.
Harry would have immediately shunned the idea of fighting the raaja. He would never believe that some weird animal knew more about his past or future then he did, and would think everything she had said was crazy. At least, he thought he would. It seemed he didn't even know himself as well as he thought, because he started to feel a longing to do what the cat said, even though he normally would have thought what she said was wrong. He couldn't figure out why he felt like that, but decided it wasn't important. Right now it felt like all that was important was following his instincts. "What do I do?" He asked, slightly hesitant. She smiled, and said, "Come with me."
She led him to the window, where they climbed out and onto the roof, and carefully climbed down the stonewalls of the school. It was not an easy task for Harry. He didn't even know he could do it. Somehow he was already starting to feel different from before, almost stronger, but not quite. This new emotion was strange... He began feeling more confused then he had been before. He didn't know what to expect, or what was to come, and he blindly followed the white cat into the forbidden forest. Though this worried him, it didn't surprise him. Somehow, he knew he would be led through there, he could sense it. It was almost as if he knew what was happening, but didn't at the same time.
They continued walking until they walked through a bunch of bushes, and came to an open field. The cat stopped. Harry scanned the field, but did not see the monster from before. At first he didn't see anything, until he looked up at the sky, and saw bright auroras. The whole sky seemed to be an array of colors. It was truly a beautiful sight. As he admired it, he suddenly began to sense something. It was the same energy he felt from the monster. He looked straight ahead, and watched as it materialized in the air. It looked much larger and stronger then it had through his classroom window. It stared straight at him. Suddenly, a realization of what was happening hit him. He suddenly realized the dangers and foolishness of what he had done. Even if there was no raaja, he had still snuck out at night and entered the forbidden forest. He started feeling regret for what he had done, but as he was thinking this, he suddenly snapped into reality as the raja lunged for him, like a snake pouncing on a mouse. He managed to dodge its attack, and started running as fast as he could. The cat followed him. As they were running, she panted out, "You can't just run away from it! That will only make things worse!" In a panic, Harry asked, "What I am supposed to do then?! I can't take that thing on!" "Yes, you can. You just aren't doing it right! Calm down, and listen to me!!" As she said this, Harry reluctantly slowed down, and stopped. Before he had time to say anything, she calmly said, "To unleash your spiritual powers, you must first calm your mind. Focus on the mark on your forehead. Once your mind becomes clear, your instincts should take affect. You have known how to do this since before you were born. You just forgot it with time."
Though Harry didn't think anything would happen, he managed to clear his mind, and it was surprisingly easy. He almost forgot where he was and what he was doing. Seconds felt much more like hours. Suddenly, his body took over his mind. The mark on his forehead was glowing, and he slowly lifted his hands in the air. As he did so, a large glowing bow materialized into his hands, along with a large crystal arrow. Once they formed, colorful lights shone out of them, and all seemed to point to one particular spot on the raaja's chest. Somehow, Harry knew this was where he had hit the raaja. He prepared the bow, and then shot an arrow out. It would have been a perfect shot, but the raaja was too fast, and dodged the arrow. Once it dodged the arrow, it tried to attack Harry. Despite this, Harry was not worried. What appeared to be blue flames formed at his feet, and he floated into the air. It was as if he had become another being entirely. He continued to rise upward until he was at a perfect position to shoot the raaja. Lights started shining out of his arrow, swirling in an entrancing circle. The raaja had been snarling angrily, and looked as if it were going to attack again. But suddenly, its eyes calmed down, until it was perfectly still and content, staring watching the beautiful lights intently. Harry slowly pulled his arms back and shot the arrow, which smoothly landed right on the raaja's chest.
The raaja fell slowly down to earth, like a feather in the wind. There was no bang or even a thud when it hit the ground, just an enormous gust of wind. Harry started to fall out of his trance, and slowly came down to the ground. He watched in surprise as the raaja slowly disintegrated until it was a pile of dust. Plants and flowers shot out of the dust, only to droop back down as if dead. The lights shining from both Harry and the raaja suddenly vanished, and the air became pitch black. Harry stood there, shocked and amazed and what he had just accomplished, when the cat step forward and stopped in front of him. He was surprised to see a slight glow surrounding her, he could see her perfectly but would not even be able to see his hand if he held in front of his face.
"Thank you for purifying the raaja. Things will be quiet for now, but more will come," she said simply, and seemed to wait for a response. Harry didn't know what to say, except "How did I do that?"
The cat stared up at him and said, "Harry, there is something that separates you from others. What you just did is not a hard thing to do; yet for most people it is impossible. You are like the separation that exists between man and nature. Let me ask you something: if you were lost alone in the woods with no food or aid from society, do you think you'd know what to do and eat to survive?"
Harry could not understand what this had to do with his question, but he thought for a moment. "No, I guess not. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Like all humans, your body and mind have separated so far from the land it is almost unreachable. Your senses are weak and your instincts simple. You need to be taught everything from birth; what to eat, how to live, and all the basic elements of survival that are obvious to other creatures in the planet. Humans will most likely only distance themselves further from nature and the land to which they're born. But you are different. You saw the raaja and its damage; even if it was subconsciously you knew something that came to you at birth. Nobody else would have been able to resort to his or her most basic instincts as simply you did. You listened to the earth, and you knew what you had to do even though it was never explained to you. You have the ability to rid yourself of the gap between man and nature. It may not make much sense now, but it will. I'm sorry but for the time, this is all I can tell you." She was clearly finished, as she starred at him for his response.
None of what she said seemed to make any sense. What he had just done seemed so simply, and he couldn't figure out how it had to do with the gap between man and nature. Even if it had, what difference would that make? He remained quiet, feeling exhausted and tired, and realized he had no more will to protest or ask questions. Maybe some things were just meant to remain unknown. He felt a strong urge go back to his dorm and go to sleep. He looked down at the cat, and asked one last question.
"What's your name anyway?" he asked. She flashed him one of her unique smiles, and said, "You can call me Polaris, the name given to the star of the north by people, the star which all other stars appear to revolve around. Harry, let me be your guide, make the raaja pure and I promise you will come to learn everything you have ever desired to know about your family and your past, though I can't promise you will be happy with everything you will know, you will be content. This is what you were meant to do, it won't be entirely easy but I believe in you."
To his own surprise, Harry smiled and nodded in agreement. His questioning spirit had gone and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He felt strangely content and the worries he felt early all temporarily faded. But for how long, he was not sure.
Authors Notes: This is an alternate universe Harry Potter fic I started writing a while ago when I stopped for a while and finally finished. It's roughly based on the anime Arjuna. I usually prefer writing original work to fan fiction, but this is fun for a change. This story would take place around the middle of the third book, and I realize there are some things that don't make a whole lot of sense. The portrayal of people and pollution would most likely not include wizards since they use magic and not technology, and I apologize for this and any similar inaccuracies, but it is alternate universe and it's the only way I could make it work. Feel free to flame, but please make it constructive criticism so I know where I need to improve. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
"Revelation"
It was a cool spring night. Everything was calm and everything was quite. It was the normal routine, another night soon to become another day. The way things have been since the dawn of time. But this night was different. Though at that time it only affected a single life, it would come to affect everything on this planet, and anything that would ever come to be on this planet.
In the shadows, a dark figure made its way to a small house, home to a young couple and their newborn son. It was late and their son was already in bed. Yet something kept the husband and wife from settling in and going to sleep. Perhaps they sensed something was going to happen. They tried to shrug their uneasiness off as only their imaginations, but soon their worst fears were confirmed. An intruder made a violent entrance into their home, and started attacking them. While her husband made a daring attempt to save his family, his wife ran into the room were her son slept, hoping to escape with him and find help, but to no avail. Soon the intruder over powered and slaughtered her husband and came for her next. She fought with courage, but was easily over powered. After they were both dead, the stranger went to fulfill his true purpose.
He walked over to the baby. The baby wasn't crying, nor showing any signs of fear or confusion. He just stared up at the intruder with his innocent green eyes, acknowledging his presence but unaware of what was to come. The intruder smiled slightly, yet it was not an evil smile. He knew of both their destinies, and of the importance of what he had come to do. He also knew of the danger of what he was about to attempt, but nothing would have changed his stubborn mind. He slowly lifted up his wand, and chanted a spell. There was no sound, just a flash of green light. The intruder breathed his last breath and vanished. He and the baby were both dead.
So the night went on. It was as if nothing had happened. As if it had no affect on anything. Life was constantly being given and taken away in this world. It hadn't affected any lives aside from the ones that had tragically been lost. It was only four lives out of the countless life that has ever existed on this planet. Nothing had changed, or so it appeared. Through the silence that followed, there was one who took awareness of what had happened, and knew something had to be done.
A young female voice then spoke to the lingering soul of the baby. "Little one, your fate and the fate of this planet are closely linked. If you can handle what is to come, I can save you. This planet is slowly facing its death. When the time comes, you shall become the avatar of time." Her voice had a soothing, but frail tone to it. She continued, " You will not be alone. You will be guided, and will learn your true path to take. If you are capable of becoming the avatar of time, and purifying the raaja, just this once I'll bend the balance of life. I will bring you to life."
The baby then saw visions. He saw the beauty of this world, and the horrors of destruction as it slowly died. He saw forests being cut down, nuclear wastes mutating life, toxic rivers overflowing, pesticides being put on plants, machines causing destruction... He watched as the skies darkened and as cities turned into dust. He watched civilizations turn into ruins. He heard screams and explosions. After what felt like and eternity, it stopped, and everything was quite once again. "Harry Potter..." the voice whispered. "I have faith in you. I will use my remaining power to save you, and you shall become the avatar of time. Goodbye for now. We shall meet again."
The room started glowing beautifully. The stars grew brighter and the air became silent. Birds and small animals awoke from their sleep. The auroras surrounding the baby became stronger and stronger. Then it stopped. Harry Potter was alive once again, looking exactly as he had before except for a strange mark on his forehead shaped like a bolt of lightning. He fell into a peaceful sleep, as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until the next morning that he would be discovered, and placed into the care of his only living relatives. But for now, he slept; unbeknownst of what was to come.
Thirteen Years Later...
Harry stared out the balcony, breathing in the fresh air in attempt to clear his head. He was supposed to be at his potions class, but had to cut when he started feeling strange. Ever since he was little, he would sometimes have strange visions. For him it wasn't uncommon, but it was happening more and more and they kept getting worse. He rarely told anyone about what he would see because he knew they would think something was wrong with him. They just wouldn't understand. No one seemed to really understand him. Even Harry couldn't sometimes. He knew that there was something more to his past then what he knew. His parents were murdered one night by a crazed wizard who easily killed them, but ended up killing himself when he tried to kill Harry. So his aunt and uncle raised him. They were kind, but not like family. They had told him that his parents were killed in a car crash until he was 11, the same year he started going to Hogwarts. Even though he knew how his parents died, he really knew nothing else. No one seemed to. No one knew why the wizard came, why he could not kill Harry, how come he died, and why Harry lived. The attack had left him with a strange scar on his forehead shaped like a bolt of lighting. It was all a mystery, and it had always left Harry feeling incomplete. He knew that there was more to the story then that, and he had a right to know what it was. But he didn't, and he had lived his life not knowing and not understanding the strange things that often happened to him. In time he learned to accept it.
He closed his eyes for a minute, thinking about what he had seen. First there was silence, it was a peaceful spring night. The stars were shining and everything was beautiful, but something else was to come. That was all he saw, for it soon faded into an exploding building with people running and screaming in confusion. Next he saw a group of people at some kind of meeting, all sitting around a giant table talking quietly, discussing something he sensed was of great importance. Next he saw a somewhat sad vision of a crippled child lying on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines, barely able to breath. She had long gold hair and brilliant green, almost gold eyes that gazed emptily into the white ceiling. It was almost as if she weren't there, as if her soul were someplace else, her mind and body in separate places. She faintly smiled, and slowly closed her eyes. A commotion began, and soon everything was quiet. Then there was only sadness and sorrow. These images repeated had repeated themselves in his mind, and he did not know what they were or what they meant.
He kept staring, deep in thought, when his friend Hermione came and interrupted. "Why weren't you at potions class?" she asked.
"I wasn't feeling good." Harry said, without making eye contact. "You don't look so good," Hermione said, "But Snape thinks lowly enough of you as it is, you shouldn't go cutting his classes. Did you go to the hospital wing?"
"No." Harry said. "It was very strange. I don't think they'd understand." Hermione glared at him and said, "How would you know if you never asked them about it?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. I feel fine now." Harry said. Hermione stared at him. "Well, okay. But Snapes not going to be happy with you." She said, and left.
'Snapes never happy with me' Harry thought. Snape was his potions teacher, and he seemed to have some kind of grudge against Harry in particular. Harry often wondered why, but could never figure it out. Sure, he didn't seem to really like anyone except some slytherin students, but he was nastier to Harry then anyone else.
Harry looked down at the ground, and saw birds digging through the dirt in search of worms and insects to eat. 'Why is it that birds dig through the filthy ground to eat worms when they can fly, and just eat other flying creatures?' he wondered. He couldn't imagine why they would choose to stay on land when they had the option to fly. Perhaps they sometimes tired of flying rested on the ground, as if to toy with the idea of being earthbound. Harry then stopped his daydreaming and started to head back to his dorm. He was about half way there when he stopped after seeing something move in the shadows. He looked closer, and a small cat walked out. It was as white as fresh snow, except for the tips of its paws, ears and tail which were a silvery baby blue that gradually faded into white. It had bright green-flecked gold eyes, and gave him an almost human smile, purred, and quickly walked away.
Harry stared on for a while before he continued. It wasn't uncommon to see cats around the school since a lot of students kept them as pets, but he had never seen such a beautiful cat. What he really couldn't get over was its smile. It had a type of expression on its face he didn't think cats were capable of having. It seemed too human. He met his friend, Ron, and soon forgot about the cat as they both went to get something to eat.
Within a few days, Harry's birthday arrived. The day started off normal, and he went to all his normal classes. Then something strange happened in the middle of his changing class. Everyone else seemed blind to it, but Harry saw something strange outside the window. The air seemed to be darker, despite the sunny skies, and a strange form appeared in the sky. It was large, dark and long. It vaguely looked like a centipede, but it had a type of beauty that Harry had not seen or felt before. Somehow it didn't seem evil, but it was causing destruction. "Psst. Ron, do you see that?" Harry whispered. "See what?" Ron said, looking over to the direction Harry had been motioning to.
"That weird bug thing. You can't see it? That's strange..." Harry said. When he first noticed it and realized no one else saw it, he began to think he was hallucinating. He did not like the idea at all, it was bad enough that he was having attacks where he'd see things in his mind, and now he was seeing things in real places. Maybe he would need some kind of help or medical attention. He was experienced at people thinking he was a little crazy, and knew better then to ask anyone else. He managed to ignore it despite his incredible urge to find out what it was and why no one else saw it. Eventually it vanished, but the dangerous [energy]* about it still lingered.
He went on about his normal day, despite the strange feeling the earlier events had led to. He felt like something was new, something was different despite how normal everything seemed. He thought it might be because he had just turned thirteen, though it had been awhile since any of his birthdays have felt different from the day before. Somehow this one was different...
After dark, Harry and Ron headed to their dorms. Once they were right outside their dorm, they crossed paths with the very same cat Harry had passed the day before. It seemed to almost glow in the dark hallway. "I wonder who's cat that is." Ron said, "I don't think it belongs to anyone around here, so it shouldn't be wandering around here." "Maybe someone just got it," Harry said. "Maybe," Ron said, "but somehow I doubt it. I think I'll ask around to see if anyone owns him. If not, we should try to get him out of here, I don't want a cat wandering around our rooms." Ron never did seem to like cats very much. Harry felt somewhat attracted to it, and couldn't understand Ron's negative attitude toward the cat. But he just shrugged, and they went into their rooms together, and then went to bed.
Somehow Harry could not fall asleep... He could not take his mind off of what he saw earlier in the day. There was something extremely real about it. He eventually got out of bed to look out the window to see if anything strange was there, but was interrupted when a voice whispered, "Hello Harry."
Harry turned around and saw the white cat standing right behind him. No one else was around, and the cat was in full eye contact with him. "Did you say that?" He asked. Even though the idea of a talking cat surprised him, it wouldn't be all that strange in a place like Hogwarts. After a slight pause, she said, "Yes I did. Congratulations on your thirteenth birthday."
Harry waited for her to say something else, but she was silent, so he asked, "Who are you? How did you know my name and how did you know it's my birthday?" She stepped a little closer and said, "I've known you since you were little, and I've been waiting for this day to come for a long time." Harry tried to figure out what she was talking about, but couldn't understand. He had never seen her before aside from recently. Not knowing what else to say, he said, "So how can you talk?" She looked a little dumbfounded by his question, and asked, "Isn't this normal for wizards?"
"Well... It may be, I can't really be sure, I've only known I was a wizard for a few years now. For all I know, it could be a lot more common then I realize." He said, a little embarrassed that he knew so little. "Oh. I don't really know much about how things work around here either, but I don't want to be a strange site. It could be bad if I were to draw too much attention," the cat said. Harry was confused, but began sensing there was something more about her he should know. "Just why are you here?" he demanded. She calmly looked up and said, "You saw that before, didn't you? I know you can see things. It must be really strange sometimes, but what you see is a lot more real and important then you realize."
Somehow Harry immediately knew what she was talking about, and suddenly became excited. Maybe she held some kind of answer to the strange things that happened to him over the years, maybe even his past. "What do you know about that? Do you know what it is that's been happening to me?" He asked quickly.
"There's a lot I know about you. More than you would be able to understand or accept right now, but you will eventually learn everything. I will tell you this though, you are very important to the fate of this planet. That "monster" you saw outside before was called a raaja. The raaja are capable of poisoning the land and causing great destruction. They are created by chemicals and dangerous creations of humans and will kill this planet if they don't become purified. There are only two ways to purify the raaja, but only one is possible right now. You must become the avatar of time, and purify the raaja."
Silence and confusion followed. "What are you talking about? You think you can just walk up to me and tell me I have to fight that thing and expect me to do it? I don't understand what you're talking about, but there's no way I'd ever be able to do anything about what you call the 'raaja', even if I wanted to. It's huge, and it's powerful. I'd never be able to stop it." Harry said. "Actually, you really do know a lot more then you give credit to yourself. You'll eventually be able to understand all of what's happened and is going to happen to you, but now you are still foolish and inexperienced. Do you honestly think size matters? The smallest organism in your body can make all the difference to whether you do or don't survive. Please, purify the raaja. I promise to tell you all about what you've been longing to know for so long if you just do this for your planet. This is what your meant to do, I promise you that." She said.
Harry would have immediately shunned the idea of fighting the raaja. He would never believe that some weird animal knew more about his past or future then he did, and would think everything she had said was crazy. At least, he thought he would. It seemed he didn't even know himself as well as he thought, because he started to feel a longing to do what the cat said, even though he normally would have thought what she said was wrong. He couldn't figure out why he felt like that, but decided it wasn't important. Right now it felt like all that was important was following his instincts. "What do I do?" He asked, slightly hesitant. She smiled, and said, "Come with me."
She led him to the window, where they climbed out and onto the roof, and carefully climbed down the stonewalls of the school. It was not an easy task for Harry. He didn't even know he could do it. Somehow he was already starting to feel different from before, almost stronger, but not quite. This new emotion was strange... He began feeling more confused then he had been before. He didn't know what to expect, or what was to come, and he blindly followed the white cat into the forbidden forest. Though this worried him, it didn't surprise him. Somehow, he knew he would be led through there, he could sense it. It was almost as if he knew what was happening, but didn't at the same time.
They continued walking until they walked through a bunch of bushes, and came to an open field. The cat stopped. Harry scanned the field, but did not see the monster from before. At first he didn't see anything, until he looked up at the sky, and saw bright auroras. The whole sky seemed to be an array of colors. It was truly a beautiful sight. As he admired it, he suddenly began to sense something. It was the same energy he felt from the monster. He looked straight ahead, and watched as it materialized in the air. It looked much larger and stronger then it had through his classroom window. It stared straight at him. Suddenly, a realization of what was happening hit him. He suddenly realized the dangers and foolishness of what he had done. Even if there was no raaja, he had still snuck out at night and entered the forbidden forest. He started feeling regret for what he had done, but as he was thinking this, he suddenly snapped into reality as the raja lunged for him, like a snake pouncing on a mouse. He managed to dodge its attack, and started running as fast as he could. The cat followed him. As they were running, she panted out, "You can't just run away from it! That will only make things worse!" In a panic, Harry asked, "What I am supposed to do then?! I can't take that thing on!" "Yes, you can. You just aren't doing it right! Calm down, and listen to me!!" As she said this, Harry reluctantly slowed down, and stopped. Before he had time to say anything, she calmly said, "To unleash your spiritual powers, you must first calm your mind. Focus on the mark on your forehead. Once your mind becomes clear, your instincts should take affect. You have known how to do this since before you were born. You just forgot it with time."
Though Harry didn't think anything would happen, he managed to clear his mind, and it was surprisingly easy. He almost forgot where he was and what he was doing. Seconds felt much more like hours. Suddenly, his body took over his mind. The mark on his forehead was glowing, and he slowly lifted his hands in the air. As he did so, a large glowing bow materialized into his hands, along with a large crystal arrow. Once they formed, colorful lights shone out of them, and all seemed to point to one particular spot on the raaja's chest. Somehow, Harry knew this was where he had hit the raaja. He prepared the bow, and then shot an arrow out. It would have been a perfect shot, but the raaja was too fast, and dodged the arrow. Once it dodged the arrow, it tried to attack Harry. Despite this, Harry was not worried. What appeared to be blue flames formed at his feet, and he floated into the air. It was as if he had become another being entirely. He continued to rise upward until he was at a perfect position to shoot the raaja. Lights started shining out of his arrow, swirling in an entrancing circle. The raaja had been snarling angrily, and looked as if it were going to attack again. But suddenly, its eyes calmed down, until it was perfectly still and content, staring watching the beautiful lights intently. Harry slowly pulled his arms back and shot the arrow, which smoothly landed right on the raaja's chest.
The raaja fell slowly down to earth, like a feather in the wind. There was no bang or even a thud when it hit the ground, just an enormous gust of wind. Harry started to fall out of his trance, and slowly came down to the ground. He watched in surprise as the raaja slowly disintegrated until it was a pile of dust. Plants and flowers shot out of the dust, only to droop back down as if dead. The lights shining from both Harry and the raaja suddenly vanished, and the air became pitch black. Harry stood there, shocked and amazed and what he had just accomplished, when the cat step forward and stopped in front of him. He was surprised to see a slight glow surrounding her, he could see her perfectly but would not even be able to see his hand if he held in front of his face.
"Thank you for purifying the raaja. Things will be quiet for now, but more will come," she said simply, and seemed to wait for a response. Harry didn't know what to say, except "How did I do that?"
The cat stared up at him and said, "Harry, there is something that separates you from others. What you just did is not a hard thing to do; yet for most people it is impossible. You are like the separation that exists between man and nature. Let me ask you something: if you were lost alone in the woods with no food or aid from society, do you think you'd know what to do and eat to survive?"
Harry could not understand what this had to do with his question, but he thought for a moment. "No, I guess not. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Like all humans, your body and mind have separated so far from the land it is almost unreachable. Your senses are weak and your instincts simple. You need to be taught everything from birth; what to eat, how to live, and all the basic elements of survival that are obvious to other creatures in the planet. Humans will most likely only distance themselves further from nature and the land to which they're born. But you are different. You saw the raaja and its damage; even if it was subconsciously you knew something that came to you at birth. Nobody else would have been able to resort to his or her most basic instincts as simply you did. You listened to the earth, and you knew what you had to do even though it was never explained to you. You have the ability to rid yourself of the gap between man and nature. It may not make much sense now, but it will. I'm sorry but for the time, this is all I can tell you." She was clearly finished, as she starred at him for his response.
None of what she said seemed to make any sense. What he had just done seemed so simply, and he couldn't figure out how it had to do with the gap between man and nature. Even if it had, what difference would that make? He remained quiet, feeling exhausted and tired, and realized he had no more will to protest or ask questions. Maybe some things were just meant to remain unknown. He felt a strong urge go back to his dorm and go to sleep. He looked down at the cat, and asked one last question.
"What's your name anyway?" he asked. She flashed him one of her unique smiles, and said, "You can call me Polaris, the name given to the star of the north by people, the star which all other stars appear to revolve around. Harry, let me be your guide, make the raaja pure and I promise you will come to learn everything you have ever desired to know about your family and your past, though I can't promise you will be happy with everything you will know, you will be content. This is what you were meant to do, it won't be entirely easy but I believe in you."
To his own surprise, Harry smiled and nodded in agreement. His questioning spirit had gone and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He felt strangely content and the worries he felt early all temporarily faded. But for how long, he was not sure.