Alternate Paths
By Yami no Daisuke (Orange Wind)
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Sekirei. Harry Potter belongs primarily to J.K Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Arthur A. Levine Books. Sekirei belongs primarily to Sakurato Gokura, Square Enix, Seven Arcs, and FUNimaton Entertainment. All other mentioned franchises belong to their respective owners.
Legend: "Talking", 'Thought', "Powerful Being", "Talking via a device", Techniques
Summary: Harry Potter decides that he needs a break. Taking a chance while he still can, Harry ends up with several lovely ladies hanging off of him, and calling him their 'Ashikabi'. Harry has no idea what they mean, but he could get used to this.
Warnings: Deviationfrom canon (FANFICTION), OC's, Non-regular updates, and of course, SPOILERS!
This is a tale of heroism, valor, and honor, a tale of a young man, who wants desperately to be accepted, a tale, which begins with just a small step. This is the tale of one Harry James Potter. Who is Harry James Potter? To know the answer, we must examine his past, a past of sorrow and pain…
Harry James Potter was born on July 30, 1980 to Lily and James Potter. His parents were so very happy to have a child, even if the circumstances in which they found themselves were …less than desirable. You see, Lily and James Potter were magical, not magical as in special, but magical as in Wizard and Witch. The world they lived in, the Wizarding World, was currently enveloped in a civil-war. The side that Lily and James were on, the Light, was led by Albus Dumbledore, a powerful and respected wizard, and the Ministry of Magic, the magical equivalent of Great Britain's muggle, that is to say, non-magical government. The Light believed in equality for the non-magicals, and in a balance of power between the magical, and non-magical worlds. The opposing side, the Dark, led by Lord Voldemort, believed that magical people, specifically Witches and Wizards, were above the non-magicals. They believed that only those who were born to magical parents, commonly known as Purebloods, should be allowed to use magic, and that all others were supposed to bow to them.
Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, the birth of Harry Potter. Little Harry was named the godchild of Sirius Black, the best friend of James Potter, and Alice Longbottom, the wife of Frank Longbottom, whose family had always supported the Potters. Little Harry was happy with his parents, who continued to fight against Voldemort and his forces, until the day Dumbledore approached them.
Telling the Potters of a prophesy involving Voldemort and either Harry or Neville, Frank and Alice's child, Dumbledore advised the Potters to go into hiding, using a powerful spell, the Fidelius, to hide themselves. The Fidelius was a spell that hid any location, and only those who knew what they were looking for would be able to find it. The location that was hidden would be protected by a Secret Keeper, who would be the only person able to divulge the whereabouts of those who were hiding.
So the Potters went under the Fidelius, hiding in the town of Godric's Hollow. They thought to use Sirius Black, James' best friend, as the Secret Keeper, but Sirius convinced them that he would be an obvious target, and so he suggested Peter Pettigrew, another of James' friends, to be used as Secret Keeper. So, following the advice of their close friend, the Potters chose to use Peter as their Secret Keeper. Thus, the Potters were protected from the Dark Lord, until the night everything would change.
On October 31, 1981 the Potters were attacked, by none other than Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was given the location of the Potters by Peter Pettigrew, who had betrayed the Potters. Storming into the house, Voldemort quickly disposed of James Potter with a Killing curse. Climbing the stairs towards the room Lily and Harry were holed up in; Voldemort blasted the door off its hinges. Lily begged and pleaded with Voldemort to spare Harry's life, and take hers. Voldemort responded by using the Killing curse on her, and then, approaching the crib where young Harry was, attempted to kill the boy with the same curse that had felled his parents.
But the curse failed! Due in part to Lily's sacrifice, and Harry's chaotic, untamed magic, the curse was reflected, and sent back at the Dark Lord. Hitting the Dark Lord, the curse caused his body to disintegrate. Unfortunately his spirit remained, fleeing the scene. Alas, young Harry was left alone in the slowly burning house, and he would have fell if it weren't for the arrival of his godfather, Sirius Black.
Black brought Harry outside, where he was confronted by Rubeus Hagrid, a gentle half-giant, who was order by Dumbledore to collect Harry. Black, realizing that Peter was still at large, gave Harry to Hagrid, and left to confront Peter. Hagrid, with his orders complete, headed towards Surrey, where Dumbledore was waiting.
Arriving after only an hour, Hagrid gave Harry to Dumbledore, and then, after a teary farewell, left. Dumbledore placed Harry on the doorsteps of his Aunt Petunia, Lily's sister, despite protest from Minerva McGonagall, a colleague of Dumbledores. Placing a letter atop Harry, Dumbledore left, with McGonagall following after him.
The years following Harry's induction into the Dursley household were … less than pleasant. Being constantly berated by his 'family', and always having strange things happen around him, Harry grew up as a very timid and self-conscious individual. He showed no emotion to his 'family', due to them having a less then caring attitude. However, on the inside, all Harry wanted was a family, people who would take care of him.
Quickly, the years passed and Harry was nearing eleven years of age. At this time, owls began to swarm the Dursley household. Fearing that Harry would find out about magic, which they had kept hidden from him, the Dursleys, at first, simply ignored the letters. Eventually though, the flood of letters, all addressed to Harry, forced the Dursleys to flee to various locations, eventually settling in a small shack, in the middle of a storm.
During the night, the shack the Dursleys had rented, shook, shook, shook, until BOOM, the door came crashing down with a mighty thud. Stepping out into the curious, in Harry's case, or fearful, in the Dursleys' case, gazes was Rubeus Hagrid, the gentle half-giant who had delivered Harry to Dumbledore. After a rather one-sided reunion with Harry, Hagrid explained the reason that he was there. Explaining about Harry's parents, and the magical world, Hagrid told Harry that he was bound to attend Hogwarts.
Taking Harry away from the Dursleys, Hagrid brought him to Leaky Cauldron, a pub that catered to magical people. After a brief introduction to Tom, the barman, which led to Harry shaking every person in the pubs hand, Hagrid brought Harry to the back alley. Tapping his, what Harry assumed was an umbrella, on the bricks, Hagrid led Harry into what could be considered the magical equivalent of a bazaar; Diagon Alley. Stopping by the Goblin run bank, Gringotts, Harry was surprised to find a rather sizable fortune left behind by his parents, and intrigued by the package Hagrid had collected.
Splitting up with Hagrid, Harry visited the various shops, getting books, potions ingredients, a cauldron, a telescope, a trunk, and, from Hagrid as a birthday present, an owl. However, as he was getting his robes, Harry met a rather spoiled boy, who, in Harry's opinion, wouldn't be able to function in the real world. Finally all that was left to get was a wand.
Dragging Harry to the wand shop, Ollivanders the sign read, Hagrid waited outside while Harry entered the shop, alone. The inside of the shop was dusty, as if a person hadn't stepped inside in years. Then, an elderly man, who introduced himself as Ollivander, appeared and began to shove wands in Harry's hand. Wand after wand after wand they tried, long wands, short wands, dark wands, light wands. After what seemed like an eternity, Ollivander brought out a box, an ancient dusty box. Picking up the wand inside, Harry felt a small warmth fly up his fingers, but the wand was promptly swatted out of Harry's hand, and put back into the box, Ollivander muttering, "I thought for sure…" under his breath.
Harry began to get nervous, thinking that he wouldn't be able to get a wand, and thus, unable to practice magic. But Ollivander brought out another box, this one even more dusty and ancient then the other one. Picking the wand up, Harry felt a blaze of heat shoot up his arm, and then completeness, as if he was whole. Ollivander, watching this, couldn't help but shake his head. Of all the wands Harry had to be chosen by it had to be that one. The oldest wand in the shop, not even Ollivander knew what the core of the wand was, however the wood was from an incredibly old Sakura tree, found near the source of the wand's core.
Harry, oblivious to the significance of the wand, was just happy to have finally found his wand. Paying for the wand, Harry inquired about a care kit and case for the wand. Ollivander, coming out of his dazed ruminations about why that wand chose Harry, quickly beamed at the boy, and offered a wand polishing kit, and a holster.
Thanking the man, Harry walked outside and met Hagrid, who brought Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, and bought for dinner for the two of them. During dinner, Harry asked Hagrid questions about his parents, and Hagrid was happy to oblige the boy of his curiosity.
Sadly all good things must come to an end, and this was no exception. Hagrid brought Harry back to the Dursleys, made sure he was settled in and then left.
Now in order to not take forever getting to the present I'm going to give you a very, very, very brief rundown of Harry's next few years.
That year, Harry faced the crazy Professor Quirrell, with the face of Voldemort on the back of his head. The next year, Harry dealt with suspicious glares, incompetent teachers, and a basilisk, controlled by a specter of Voldemort. Then, third year was his godfather, Dementors, werewolves and Animagus. Finally, his fourth year was marked by a deadly tournament, the resurrection of Voldemort, the death of a fellow student and friend, and an imposter of a teacher.
So, now we come to this…
Harry was in his room, staring at the ceiling with an apathetic look on his face. It had been only a week since the summer break had started, yet to Harry, it felt like an eternity. The only family he had left, his godfather, Sirius Black, was unable to take him in, due to the incompetency of the British Ministry of Magic, and Severus Snape, his Potions professor. On top of that, he has had no contact from the Wizarding world, no letters from his friends, no letters from Sirius, nothing. So, Harry was consigned to stay in his room, and honestly, he was fine with that. It gave him time to think.
For the first time since he was eleven, Harry began to wonder about family. What was it like to have a family? Ron knew, but then again, Harry wasn't very happy with Ron. How many chances has he given him, Harry shook his head. It didn't matter, even if Harry were to ask, it still wouldn't change the fact that his family minus Sirius and the Dursleys, who didn't count, were gone. Ron hadn't even written this summer at all, unlike Hermione!
Hermione, she'd been there for him since Ron and he rescued her from a troll in first year. She, unlike Ron, had been there when he needed her most during the Triwizard Tournament. Also, she had been kind enough to at least send him a brief note, letting him know that she'd be on holiday all summer with her parents, as well as remembering his birthday, which he was grateful for.
Reminiscing over the past few years, Harry began to look over his life so far, 'Let's see. First year I managed to wound a troll, and save Flamel's stone from Quirrell and Voldemort. Second year I was alienated from the entire school, met a giant spider, killed a basilisk, and defeated a younger Voldemort. Third year I yelled at my relatives, met the Minister of Magic, met a friend of my parents, who turned out to be a werewolf, found out Scabbers was the one who betrayed my parents, met my godfather, and helped said godfather escape from the ministry. And last year, I attended the Quidditch World Cup, found out what Death Eaters are, was entered into a deadly tournament against my will, befriended the other three champions, faced a dragon, and unintentionally helped raise Voldemort from the dead.'
Harry's thoughts then turned to his education. 'But what about my magical skills, what have I been doing all these years? Yeah, I've been busy, but that's really no excuse for my lack of knowledge in magical subjects. … THAT'S IT; from now on I've got to put forth one-hundred and ten percent of my effort into learning all I can. I doubt Cedric would've depended on Hermione to complete all of his work, and it's time that I learn more. The only real effort I've put into my studies at all was before first year began, and then … ah yes, I met Ron.'
'Perhaps it would be better to just let him go. He's been nothing but a prat to Hermione and I, and he never apologized for the cold shoulder he gave me last year.' Harry shook his head, 'Then it's decided, I should learn more this year, and avoid Ron as much as possible. Maybe I can be friends with Neville instead. He was one of the few people that believed I didn't enter myself into the tournament last year.' Harry smiled; yes befriending Neville would definitely be a better choice then staying friends with Ron.
(Obsolete AN: Well, here it is the poll winner, my Harry Potter/Sekirei Crossover. Note that the universe in which the events of Sekirei is an alternate dimension, and will not be visited by Harry, or anyone else for that matter. The only Sekirei that will appear from the manga is Miya Asama. Why she's in the Harry Potter universe will be explained next chapter. But due to this, I'll need applications for OC's. If you're interested, the application is below.
I'll need this info, but any extra info about your OC is ok.
Name: First and (Optional) Last. (Example-Bob Joe)
Gender: Male or Female?
Hogwarts House: Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin (if a student)
Personality: A few sentences describing them.
Appearance: What do they look like?
Class: Ashikabi, Sekirei, or Normal?
Well, there we go. Just wanted to let everyone know, for those who are wondering about my two other stories; at the moment, both of those are on hiatus, until I can get this up to an equal # of chapters. Also, I have two more stories coming out, which will also have to be elevated to the same # of chapters. Anyways, Read and Review, this is Orange Wind, see yah.)
NEWER AN: Hello, I'm back. I know that it's been awhile, I quite frankly … I have no excuses except for schoolwork, and no internet access. But yeah, I'm back for awhile, and with an updated version of Alternate Paths. I reread my previous works, and realized that both Alternate Paths, and Unexpected Expectations were either badly thought out, or they were rushed. Thus, I've decided to rewrite both, and change a few things:
First off, instead of Harry's sixth year, this will be his fifth year. Not only will this allow me to write in a more interesting setting (Umbridge vs. Kazehana? Maybe), but it will also allow me to write out more of how the Sekirei plan will affect Voldemort and Dumbledore's plans.
Second, Harry mentions befriending Neville near the end of the chapter. This is set up so that Harry would have more of a legitimate reason for hanging with Neville. That, and Neville will be a more central character in this story.
Third, Ron. He's still the git that we all hate, but now he'll have a reason for hating Harry, other than the 'he's more famous' cliché. Now, Ron will hate him for turning Hermione against him, and for not staying friends.
Fourth, the Sekirei and the Ashikabi. I the original version of this story I planned way-wayyyyyy to early, and thus came to a dilemma in terms of what to do next. Now though, Sekirei and Ashikabi will be less planned out, and more go-with-the-flow. If something happens, it'll happen. That being said, right now I need more applications, so please send them in. The application is below, and a little changed.
Name: First, and/or Last. (James Jonathon)
Age: How many years old are they? (23)
Gender: Male or Female? (Male)
Blood Status: Pureblood, Half Blood, or Muggleborn? (Muggleborn)
Appearance: What do they normally wear, what do they look like, any body markings, etc. (Usually seen wearing a black cloak, with a hood. Also wears black shoes, dark jeans, a black sweater, gloves, and a small sun shaped pendant. He carries around black bag, and a large brown book. Has medium length dark brown hair in an upright position, a scar over his lip, pale skin, and dark round brown eyes.)
Classification: Ashikabi, Sekirei, or Neither? (Neither) {If Sekirei pick a # from the list below} [If an Ashikabi pick a Sekirei from the list below, or make your own]
Hogwarts House: Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin; if they attended Hogwarts. (Hufflepuff previously)
Personality: What are they like? A few sentences describing them. (Know as a very grim individual, who looks at life with a pessimistic outlook. He's also known for being quite rude to others, and isn't afraid to voice his opinion, even if it's looked at funny. He does however help his friends, even if they insist on not needing it.)
Other: Any other information that could be important. (He works for the Daily Prophet)
There's the application, with an example next to each category, in (). Apply, you know you want to . This is Orange Wind, see yah.
Oh, I would like to thank all those who reviewed, for Chapter 3. Those reviews will, unfortunately, not be answered. But any future reviews will be.
{Sekirei # still remaining: 51, 52, 53, 54, 60, 68, 69, 70, 71, 76, 77, 80, 81, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, and 103.}
[Sekirei still to be winged: #'s above, 19 Ikki, 28 Natsuka, 55 Saki, 72 Natsu, 75 Niwa, and 87 Kaho.]