AN: Hey guy, this is my first fanfic. It's a crossover of HP and Star Wars, and completely AU. This first chapter is somewhat short an it is possible that I will add a prologue later on (I wrote it, but I'm not sure whether it will help the story, or not).
Anyway, this is the first time I wrote something in English. Please point out any mistakes! The next chapter will take longer than expected :/ Reviews are truly appreciated.
Enjoy.
"Observation: Padmé Amidala, Senator, and member of the Royal house of Naboo. If kept alive, you could probably demand a worthwhile ransom. It is unlikely that any physical damage caused to her person will reduce this sum by a significant amount."
"We didn't come here for her. What about the other ones?"
"Suspicion: The appearance of the second prisoner indicates a membership the Jedi Order. Due to her particular blue skin, she can be identified as a Rutian Twi'lek. Age: Assumedly twenty Standard Years. For personal data, as well as current status and rank, I would need to forward the recording to the lower droid unit remaining on board. Helpful additional information: A deep cut alongside one or both of her Lekku will result in a fast, but extraordinarily painful death."
"How is that useful?"
"Clarification: There are countless scenarios that would allow you, or even better, me, to end the blue meatbags life. Being prepared for such a situation is highly recommendable."
Due to the familiar sadistic diction of the HK-53-Unit, Harry had to suppress a grin. He frequently asked himself whether the droid's amusing thirst for blood was simply part of its programming, or if the machine had actually developed a limited form of a personality.
"Forward the data to R8. I want to prevent trouble with the Republic. The bounty hunters?"
HK moved soundlessly, trying to get a better view on the happenings on the unfortified path to the abandoned hangar. Yet, he remained hidden in the shadows of the old factory.
"Hypothesis: The frames of the six organisms do not conform to the available data; therefore the subject has already reached the getaway ship. Considering earlier observations, it is safe to assume that at least seven other outlaws took up position at the ship."
Harry cursed under his breath. "That's at least thirteen bounty hunters, possibly even more." He kept quiet, thinking about the optimal course of action, but HK seemed to understand his silence as an invitation to voice his opinion.
"Amused statement: You truly are the embodiment of bad luck, master. Killing all of them inside the hangar will be hard to accomplish, especially without causing the instant death of the subject. Shall I exterminate the Six in front of us?"
The droid's mechanical fingers caressed his laser rifle, and his obvious tenderness was somewhat disturbing. But for Harry, who was familiar with HKs sardonic behaviour, it was a familiar picture , and he simply rolled his eyes.
"Don't. We can't risk alarming Blueteeth."
He got up, his wand in his hand, and, with practiced movements, cast the disillusionment charm on himself and the droid. Still, he remained hidden in the shadows as he approached the backdoor of the hangar. HK followed him without comment, and without making any sound.
"We're going to enter the hangar through the left door", Harry whispered, and his gaze shifted between the nearby prisoner transport and the datapad that displayed the building's layout. "There's a passage that was once used for the carriage of cargo. It leads to the main hangar, and you should be able to distract them from afar, while I surprise them from behind."
"Annoyed statement: It is unlikely that these primitive forms of existence will pose a serious threat, even if we fight them in open combat. We could provide them an opportunity to call for backup. That would mean more meatbags for both of us. "
It was surprising how little impact his monotone voice and his formal vocabulary had on his ability to express his thirst for blood.
Despite silently having to agree with the Droid- he would love a real challenge as well-, he dismissed the suggestion with a wave of his hand.
"That might be", he admitted as they reached the locked backdoor. It needed only a single swift swing of his wand, and the door slid open with a faint hiss. "But we can't risk damaging either of the hostages. A bounty on our heads would make life annoyingly hard for us. Careful now", he warned and motioned for HK to be quiet.
The passage was deserted and dark, the air was mouldy. The old iron rails on the ground were rusty; they hadn't been used for carrying goods in decades. Distant sounds echoed out of the ventilation shafts that could be found frequently on both sides of the passageway: The bounty hunters that remained in the hangar were working hard to prepare their ships for the imminent departure.
Harry did not stay to listen, instead he continued on his was into the main hangar. The building was small, and it was nearly impossible to take the wrong path. A casually used 'Homenum Revelio' informed him about all humanoids in the close surroundings: While the group with the two hostages hadn't entered the hangar yet, six bounty hunters seemed to be working on the escape ships. Another one watched the main entrance, while the last one guarded the passageway Harry and HK were crossing.
They would need to eliminate him in order to enter the main hall unseen, but a single enemy wouldn't pose a threat.
You could even say that by choosing the old hangar as a base, Blueteeth did them a great favour: Due to being abandoned over two decades ago and situated far away from the big cities on Corellia, only few people passed through the area. Official security patrols rarely visited the area and only a few drones, or on occasion a droid or two, secured the surrounding streets and buildings.
It was one of those places that could be found on even the most civilized core worlds: A hubof the galactic underworld, where shady and illegal dealings were made.
Usually, Harry avoided suchlike areas, but in this case, the urgency was undeniable.
"Stop", he whispered as they approached the last turn of the passageway. The bounty hunter who was selected to guard the cargo gate was right behind it. It would be hard to kill him without alerting the others.
"Hold your fire", Harry quietly ordered and carefully peered around the corner. The guard wore heavy armour made of grey metal, and a black helmet that hid his whole face. A laser carbine was strapped to his back, and he carried a blaster in his hands. He was obviously alert, and would be ready to fire within a mere heartbeat. His discovery of Harry was only prevented by the lasting effect of the disillusionment charm.
It was obvious that Blueteeth hadn't hired the usual petty crooks for this job, but that wasn't a big surprise, considering the prominent targets.
Well, Harry thought idly, maybe there'll be at least a small challenge.
"Thirty seconds", Harry whispered, after casting another revealing charm. The group with the prisoners had entered the building, but they needed to wait until they reached the main hangar before they could begin their attack.
"Now." As he spoke the word, a summoning charm left the tip of his wand. A strangled cry escaped the bounty hunter's throat as he was pulled through the dark hallway, and he desperately tried to aim his blaster at the invisible attackers. Before he could even raise his weapon, a muted shot from HK's gun ended his struggling.
Harry carefully let the armoured body sink to the floor, and avoided making any sound. Then he listened intently, his body tense from strain. When he heard no sign that the other bounty hunters had heard their brief fight, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Proposition: I am willing to bet my CR-28 flame cannon on me eliminating more meatbags than you, Master. If I win, you would need to let me control the canons on our ship for the next thirty standard days."
"No deal, HK. I don't trust you not to blow up every spaceport we choose to land in." A small smile twisted Harry's lips as he stepped around the corner, his light steps making barely a sound. The door to the hangar was open, and for a few seconds, they could get a clear view of the area in front of them.
Blueteeth's ship was well-known, the Name 'Red Executor' engraved in black letters underneath the cockpit. The old, nearly unmodified YT-2000 transport seemed plain and unimpressive, an ordinary spacecraft like many others used by interplanetary smugglers. Only the dirty red stripe that was painted across the whole hulk of the ship stood out.
Despite the apparent ordinariness of the 'Executor', Harry knew about its vast firepower, had once experienced it first-hand. As soon as the ship was in the air, it would be impossible to overpower the bounty hunters: That Blueteeth was a capable pilot was undeniable.
But today wasn't about deciding who the better captain was, or even about big space battles. Today, Harry would reap the fruits of his hard labour, of the frustrating hunt across the whole galaxy.
Right next to the 'Executor' was a second escape ship, an older model of the YT-series. It was currently being loaded by the remaining bounty hunters and outlaws. They were carrying heavy boxes: Supplies for the upcoming journey as well as contrabands, illegal weapons mostly.
But Harry had little interest in these goods, he didn't even really care about the two hostages Blueteeth' men had taken.
Today was about information- about data he had desired for years.
Only a few seconds passed until the prisoners were led into the hangar by their six abductors. The bounty hunters paused in their work, and clapped and cheered loudly for the job well done.
The supposed jedi seemed calm and thoughtful, even though her blue face showed signs of distress. In contrast, the senator's fury was clearly visible, a scowl on her young face. The stun cuffs that bound her hands behind her back prevented any physical resistance, but her vocal protests were quite audible.
"The republic won't stand for your petty ransom demands. You'll be hunted down, and brought to justice."
She was pretty, Harry noticed, even though the kidnapping had left visible signs: Her left eye was blue and swollen, her lips bloody. Her hair was disheveled and fell untamed, and there were dark burn marks all over her white dress.
"Bloody politicians talk too much", came the grunted reply of the bounty hunter behind her as he sent her stumbling forward by roughly pushing his blaster in her back. Harry didn't continue to listen to their discussion, instead focusing on the abductors. All the men wore dark helmets that hid their faces, and light armour that would protect them from most simple spells. Since he didn't want to use any lethal spells, he would need to resort to brute force.
His gaze shifted to HK, who was kneeling right beside him, fingering the trigger of his laser rifle.
"Only deadly shots if you're completly sure it isn't Blueteeth", ordered Harry shortly. "I'll make sure to keep the prisoners out of the crossfire."
"Promise: I shall remind them what the most advanced form of existence in the galaxy is", the Droid said solemnly, before pausing. "No offense meant, master. I am sure that you would be quite high up the list as well."
Harry grinned wryly. "None taken." He took a deep, calming breath, and held his wand in a firm grip. He would need to cancel the disillusionment charm on HK for the battle, because they couldn't risk the magic interfering with his movements and abilities during the crucial moments. "Take out as many as you can while they're still surprised." Then, he pointed it at the droid, casting a silent 'Finite Incantatem'.
He turned his gaze upon the bounty hunters again, and raised his wand.
"Go", he whispered quietly.
In the time it took for Harry to cast a single spell- conjuring a giant, man-sized lion out of thin air and setting it on the unsuspecting bounty hunters-, HK proved once again why he could rightfully pride himself on being one of the most dangerous assassin droids in the galaxy: Three well-aimed laser shots left his weapons, and, without having time to react, three of the men dropped to the ground, hit. Harry turned on the spot, and disapparated with a barely audible 'pop'. The lion's roar and the startled screams of the bounty hunters filled the hangar and swallowed the sound of his apparation.
"Fuck! Where did that come from?"
The remaining men wasted no time taking cover, they jumped behind the remaining cargo containers and underneath the two spaceships. The two prisoners were roughly pushed to safety as well- he wouldn't have to worry about them.
It was obvious that the men didn't know how to handle the situation: Having to avoid the constant fire of a manic droid whilst simultaneously escaping the sharp claws of an angry beast that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere was no easy feat. The mere presence of the lion distracted them enough for HK to land another hit. The beast jumped on the nearest man and sunk his teeth into his leg, earning a pained cry.
Yet, the animal was no match for the bounty hunter's modern weapons; after overcoming the first shock, all it took were a few well-aimed blaster bolts to kill it.
Still, it had fulfilled its task as a diversion. The bounty hunters were shaken now, and focused their fire solely on HK.
Harry took a few seconds to get an overview of the situation, shielding himself from the fire by hiding behind a rusty old wagon. The eight remaining bounty hunters hadn't noticed him yet, and were getting over their surprise. Their cries had ceased, and it became obvious that they were all experienced fighters: It took them only a single minute to gain the upper hand in the battle. While they were still hiding behind the containers, they managed to press HK back into the passageway by their constant fire from all directions. One of them approached the droid from his right in an attempt to take him by surprise.
It was time to step in.
He raised his wand and begun his attack.
It wasn't a fair fight, not at all. He didn't care about gaining honour, or even about fighting a fair battle. He had the advantage of being invisible, and of being able to use powers they had never seen before. And he used it in his favour: An idle swing of his wand summoned two bounty hunters towards him. Their strangled cries echoed through the hangar. Another quick spell banished them against nearest wall, and the sound of breaking bones could be heard. The remaining men paused in their fire, looking for the second attacker, but he remained hidden underneath the charm.
HK used their confusion to shoot another one of them, and a second one shortly afterwards. Harry didn't even have to cast a shield as he banished them and strangled them with conjured ropes: He supposed he had become somewhat proficient in using the disillusionment charm.
It didn't even take them another minute to end the fight, and afterwards, Harry was feeling quite disappointed. It didn't matter how advanced their technology was- he could use magic, and only few people could match him in a fight.
Obviously, the bounty hunters were not among those people.
"Delighted statement: Oh, master, what a great day to pass time. We should do that again soon."
"Have you found him?" Harry ignored the droid's words as he pulled of the helmet of the nearest bounty hunter. It wasn't Blueteeth.
"Confirmation: This is him, master. Thought his teeth are silver now. You did not hit him with another spell, did you?" HK was kneeling over the broken body of a fallen kidnapper, and Harry hastily stepped next to him.
True enough, it was the legendary bounty hunter: His face was crushed and smeared in blood, and his breathing faint. He was unconscious.
A sigh of relief escaped Harry's lips: Finally, he had found the man who seemed to be the key back to his own world.
"Rennervate", he muttered, pointing his wand at Blueteeth face. The man awoke with a jerk.
"Wh-what", he croaked, before seeing Harry above him. "You!"
But Harry ignored his words, meeting the man's gaze silently. He wouldn't waste time on slow interrogations, his patience had long since run out.
"Legilimens", whispered Harry coldly, and tore into Blueteeth mind, ignoring the man's pained yelp.
Blueteeth's mind was a disgusting place, filled with perverted fantasies and repulsive pictures from his past. The man was a slave hunter, kidnapping young girls from their home worlds and selling them on the great markets in the Outer Rim, all the while taking sick pleasure in their despair.
The person Harry was looking for was one of those slaves, a girl from the unknown regions. He had met her mother, years ago, and she had been the one to tell her about their people's legends, about their knowledge…
About their magic.
He wasn't gentle in his actions and he ripped through memory after memory.
An angry curse escaped him as he withdrew from the man's mind. Blueteeth sank silently to the ground, he'd lost consciousness as a result of the painful ordeal.
Why did fate like messing with him so much?
"Query: I take it the gathered information is not to your satisfaction?"
Harry took a few calming breaths. "Have you ever been on Orvax IV?"
HK gave the mechanical equivalent of a low whistle. "Excited statement: I have not, master. But the available data indicates that it will be a desirable experience." Seeing Harry's angered expression, he added: "Advice: You shouldn't take your life so seriously, master. You are an organic being, after all- it is not of a lasting nature anyway."