He pulled out his twin Desert Eagle handguns, making sure that everything was in the right place and working properly. He inspected the clip, his own personal modification to it, and the gems inserted at the back and sides of each gun.
He put away the guns in their respective holsters, and drew his twin hunting knives. Again, they had some interesting accessories on them, like a multilayered edge to the blade, and various runes carved into the handle.
Lastly, he checked the 4 foot long blade on his back, in its copper colored sheath. The inscriptions keeping the magic flowing from it dampened were undamaged, and he had inspected his garb before he had set out. He opened the doors of the mansion in front of him, and strode in.
"As of now, you are all dead." He stated calmly, coldly, collected. The men inside turned from their various activities, leveling their wands at him. He raised his double guns to his sides, and fired, one spewing lightning, the other spewing a sickly green color. Enemies fell before him as he twirled in a circle, their curses glancing off of his maroon trench coat. They fell charred, shriveled. Once all the men in the room were dead, the man brought the smoking guns up, and blew.
He strode up the stairs to a perpetually darkened room.
"Hello. I might have guessed it was you." He heard a voice behind him, and he turned, poised for action.
"Riddle." It was a statement.
"Potter." Again.
"I don't go by that name anymore. Harry Potter is dead. There is only Steel. This is the end, you know. For you or for me. Even if I win…well, you know the whole story."
"The betrayal? Yes."
"Did you cause it?"
"I set a few things up, but I didn't actually try to put it in motion…it worked far better than I could have done intentionally."
"So it was purely them."
"Yes."
A silence lapsed between them.
"I'm sorry I have to kill you…you could have been a great benefit to the world."
"We must all choose our paths. But killing me may not be so easy."
They bowed to each other, hating the other's ideals, but respecting their power and willingness to fight for those ideals. The man in the red cloak stepped back and raised his guns, while Voldemort raised his wand and brought his other hand behind him, like a fencer. They stood like that for a moment, eyeing each other warily.
Voldemort shouted "Avada Kedavra!". A bolt of sickly looking green light sped towards the hunter, who started running around the expanded room, picking up speed and running on the walls. He pulled out his guns and fired a few times, as if to see if Voldemort was easy prey, which he wasn't.
Voldemort had summoned a steel shield to block the lightning and essence of death attacks…the first electrified it, the second didn't effect it at all. Steel stopped his run and landed on the ground, his cloak flaring around him, and his wide brimmed hat blocking the view of his eyes.
There was a deathly stillness in the air, as they both knew one of them was to die.
Steel stood. "It ends now. I hate you…but I respect your power and perserverence."
Voldemort raised his wand, and stated "The same."
Steel dashed at Voldemort with his guns in their holsters, his right arm extended behind him, his left arm across, but not touching, his chest. Voldemort shouted "AVADA KEDAVRA!" with so much force, so much power, that the room seemed to ripple with it. At this same moment Steel passed Voldemort. From the collision, there was a brief explosion of air outward.
Both stood still for a moment, and if you were looking in on the scene, it would have been hard to tell who had been killed. Then Voldemort turned to ashes, a hideously black thing coming out of where his body had stood, before being sucked into the sword that Steel was now holding in towards his left side with both hands. It entered through the tip, turning previously invisible runes a glowing black for a moment, before they once again disappeared.
"The Prophecy is complete" Steel stated. He cut through the air, and stepped through the hole in reality he had just created.
HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED KILLED!
Another Fluke? Wizarding Public Asks?
Daily Prophet Reporter ew,ew
In a miraculous and yet unexplained event last night, the wizarding world was (apparently) rescued from its current plight. After a anonymous owl to Auror Headquarters, Aurors apparated to Little Hangleton, the muggle village that we have now found out was the base of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Operations. They found at least 20 of His servants there (for more information, turn to page 3 about these controversial Death Eaters). On the second floor, the ashes were found. When tested, they were found to have the same Magical Residue as He-Who-Must-Not-Be named. More results are forth coming…but perhaps our peril is over. The question must be asked though—Who saved our world?
Steel grunted at the paper, sipping his coffee.
"Fools. They didn't accept me while I was still myself, they won't accept me now. Even if they did know who saved them…I would merely be called another dark lord. No…I'm not going back. At least not for a very long time. I certainly have plenty of it."
"Steel…are you ever going to let go?"
"Never, Excalibur. What they did…no, I cannot forgive them."
The sword sighed. "I understand…but it still makes me feel bad to see you in such a way."
"Would you have forgiven Mordred for stealing your brother Clarent? For killing Arthur?"
"I suppose you're right."
Steel finished his breakfast, and stretched, before going outside to practice with the various weapons he used.
"Please sit." Dumbledore said at the Headquarters of the Order.
The members all took their place at the table, looking at their venerable leader questioningly.
Dumbledore sighed. "As I'm sure you all know by now, Voldemort is, apparently, dead."
There was an uproar at this, people yelling, asking questions, before Hermione managed to get an intelligible response through. "Sir? Who killed him? And is he really dead?"
They quieted down, waiting for his answer. "To your first question, Miss Granger, I'm afraid we don't know. We can only hope. Perhaps this time we will not lower the standards of the Auror training program, and Ministry regulations for Defense Against Dark Arts. I also have something to tell you all."
They looked at him curiously, waiting.
Dumbledore looked down for a moment in shame. "There was a prophecy made, twenty years ago. I believed it meant, in effect, that either Neville Longbottom or another boy was destined to destroy Voldemort."
Molly Weasley spoke up "Who was this other boy?"
Dumbledore sighed again. "Harry Potter."
There was a general outcry at this, and Ron scoffed. "The traitor? You were obviously wrong, because Neville, with Luna and my…sister, defended him when he was sentenced. The coward went insane in prison, and they disappeared."
Dumbledore raised his hands, asking for quiet. "Yes. I made a mistake, obviously. But that is not the problem now. I had worried about this with Harry, but any being with enough power to take down Voldemort must be viewed as a threat. After all, they will have more power than I do. And as I said before, we must be on the lookout for a possible return of Voldemort."
He put his fingertips together, as if thinking. "Since Voldemort is at least wounded, we have time to get Harry out of his jail to seal his powers away permanently…we couldn't before, because it would have drawn Voldemort, and he would have rescued one of his top Death Eaters, and his most powerful, in an instant."
Everyone was silent.
Dumbledore said "This session of the Order of the Phoenix is concluded."
There were two women and a man, their silhouettes showing in the scant light.
"He's dead" one of them croaked.
"But what about…?" another asked.
"He'll come for us. He promised."
A man in a red cloth trenchcoat and hat, panama style, strode through the hall. He had long black hair that waved behind him, and he carried no weapon. The large wooden door opened in front of him, the sound of cheering and a booming voice rushing in.
"AND IN THIS SIDE OF THE RING, STEEL HAGANE!" He walked in, crossed his arms, and glared at everyone around the stadium.
A referee in black and white walked into the ring. "You know the rules. No permanently damaging curses, no high level pain curses, no unforgivables, no lethal curses." He walked back out, but Steel was looking at his opponent, a wiry man with an auror badge on his coat.
"You're going down, kid." The man said.
Steel just smirked, and chuckled darkly a little bit.
"BEGIN!"
In a blur, Steel appeared behind the Auror, and grabbed him behind his elbows, pushing on his back.
"I win."
"I'm not giving you any money." The fat man behind the desk scowled at Steel.
"Why not?" he asked, starting to get angry, as he did quite often.
"You beat one of our top duelers, in a muggle way. That doesn't sell tickets. You're out."
Steel glared at him. "Idiot. I could tear you apart."
The man pressed a button on his desk.
Two large goons appeared behind Steel in the office, grabbing him by the shoulders. He shrugged forward, and they were sent into the wall. He brought his hands up to the vault behind the man, and sliced across it with two fingers, before bringing out the same money that he had earned, but had not been given.
"Screw with me again, and your vault won't be the only thing sliced through." He turned and walked out of the office, a dagger thunking next to the man's head on the back of his chair.
Steel sat down in his chair once more, sipping coffee. He picked up the daily prophet, and started reading the article, before spewing the hot liquid all over the paper.
PROPHECY REVEALED
The Truth is Out!
But is it an answer, or more questions?
In a stunning interview with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, last night, it was revealed that there was a prophecy concerning the downfall of the dark lord. Harry Potter was thought to be the one whom the prophecy was made about, but after the situation three years, ago, that is highly unlikely. The only other known candidate was Neville Longbottom, who with Ginevra Molly Weasley and Luna Lucinda Lovegood disappeared after declaring their support for Harry Potter (for more information on suspected locations of these three traitors, turn to page five) The prophecy goes as follows…
Steel put down the paper and leaned back in his chair, tipping it onto two legs.
"Disappeared…" he muttered, but Excalibur heard him.
"You really should find them, you know. You promised you would come back for them. And…"
"Yes?"
"Oh, never mind. You'll find out soon enough anyway."
Steel mentally groaned. He hated when his sword was like this. The first time was a day after finding it, he got transported somewhere where he wasn't let out until he had mastered at least the first step of the Sword Dance, the style used to wield Excalibur.
He was trecking through a filthy sewer, wearing black this time. He had his gun pointed at the floor, the jewel on the back blinking gently, but the frequency increasing.
"Goddamn them…forcing them into sewers. Even more people forced into hiding by the idiocy of Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Ministry of Magic. Goddamnit."
The light on his gun started blinking so fast it seemed to stay lit, and he turned in a circle till it shut off. When it did, he drew his sword and sliced through the wall.
There were three people there, with their wands pointed at him, painfully thin, with ragged clothes. There were rat skeletons laying around, obviously eaten from the way some flesh was still on the bones. But what drew his attention most, were the people. All were extremely thin, but one had red hair, one had yellow, and one had brown. Steel only had one thing to say to them.
"I promised I would come."
Ginny Weasley woke up in a nice bed, with sheets, and fresh air, and fresh clothes. Wait. This wasn't possible. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, realized that it was real, then passed out.
When she awoke again, she stretched languorously, then sniffed, noticing the food next to her. Steaks, breads, fruits…all sorts of things she had been unable to eat recently. She reached out for it and was about to cram it into her mouth, before…
"Don't eat too much. You're stomach isn't used to it anymore."
She looked over at the door into the room, and a man was leaning against the door frame. He had long black hair, a sword strapped to his back, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.
"Harry?"
"Yes, and no. I will explain later. For now, eat. The others are downstairs."
He watched her eat, and when she was finished, the plate disappeared, and he gestured for her to follow him.
They sat down in a large dining room, with airy, open windows showing a beach beyond the confines of the house. Neville and Luna were there as well, both in new clothes and clean once more.
Steel sat down and clasped his hands in front of him, trying to decide how to put this. However, he was interrupted before he could speak.
Neville stood up. "Harry, what in Merlin's name is going on here? I thought you were in prison."
Steel laughed "So does everyone else."
They gazed at him in confusion.
Steel sighed, and walked over to the window, leaning against the sill. "When I was captured, they thought I was a Death Eater, so they placed me in my own special prison, so that Voldemort wouldn't break out someone with so much power. What they didn't know, is that because the room I was in stopped all magic, my magic forced itself to find new pathways."
"Why" Ginny asked.
"Because…I am connected to magic. It is a part of me, more so than most wizards."
They gaped at him for a moment, trying to believe what he said.
"It is far-fetched, I know. But when I was cut off from wizardly magic, I accessed what it is composed of. The nine elements. Four pure elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. Then the others: Life, Death, Light, Darkness, and Spirit/Lightning"
He sighed. "It…changed me. There are some side effects I'm not going into, but I had to learn how use magic all over again. Once I broke out, and influenced my guards minds, I came here, and built this place."
Neville asked "Where is this place exactly, anyway?"
Steel smirked. "Somewhere in the Mediterranean…I'm not sure where exactly."
"Are there any Crumple Horned Snorkacks here?" Luna questioned.
Steel gaped at her for a moment, then laughed. "Sorry, no."
Ginny came up to him after their talk. "What did you mean before, when you said you were and weren't Harry. You're standing in front of me, of course you're Harry."
Steel sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "The Harry Potter you knew…is dead. At least his personality is. I have the same memories, and in some ways I am the same…but I am what Harry should have been."
She stared at him into a moment, then burst into tears, running back to her room.
Steel sighed again. Goddamnit…
He sat outside, polishing his sword, when Neville walked up to him. He was leaner, stronger, losing the chubbiness that had made him prime bully material at school.
He put his hand on Steel's shoulder. "I understand some things have changed for you. But just know, you have someone to listen in me. Okay?"
Steel looked up at him, and smiled. He gave Neville a hug, then walked back inside.
A few weeks passed, Steel and Ginny not talking much, but the rest of them getting along fine. They passed their time swimming, sailing, fishing, and just enjoying themselves. Steel…kept to himself. He disappeared from time to time, coming back unhappy.
Steel called the other three into the room. He sighed. "Okay, I'll make this plain. I tried to go on the dueling circuit to earn money, but I never lose, so they don't pay me anymore…not on the amateur dueling circuit. I could join the professional dueling circuit, but I would have to give my real identity. I refuse to rob banks. Therefore, I'm going to become a bounty hunter. You can join me, and cut short your recovery, or you can stay here. It really doesn't matter to me. The Dragonfly can carry 4, it can carry 1. Up to you. I await your answers."
He stood on a cliff on his island, looking out over the ocean. He heard footsteps behind him, and didn't move as Neville touched his shoulder.
"We're grateful to what you've done for us Harry…we'll come with you."
Steel stood abruptly. "Good…and call me Steel. As I said, Harry Potter is dead."
He stalked off. "We leave in the morning…pack what you will."
He stood on the deck of his ship, looking out into the distance. He was wearing his red trenchcoat once more, but he had gotten rid of the hat, saying it made him look like a pimp. When the others asked him what a pimp was, he blushed, and coughed.
End Life One, Part 1
Ugh…I just had to start another story Shrugs oh well. I'm not sure if this will update linearly, or skip around. This is NOT a Harry Potter fic in the true sense of the word…all the HP chars except our man himself will be gone by at the very MOST, the third chapter. Crossovers with Trigun, Bebop, Sailor Moon (very short…don't know much about it) Inuyasha, Ranma ½, Naruto, etc. If any of you readers know of some immortal chicks from anime or books or whatever, tell me in your review.