I got the idea for this story after reading the Shadow Mage story by SHAWNIE, and found it more than just a little interesting. The premise was good, the story was believable, but the dialogue made me want to rip my hair out. While reading I kept imagining what would happen if I took a dash of Final Fantasy XII (12, for those who can't read Roman numerals) and sprinkled it in, when my muse appeared and wouldn't stop bugging me. And so, I must write the idea that appeared in my head, or the muse won't stop bugging me. Go away muse, I'm writing!
Note: This will be a Harry turned girl fic, like the Shadow Mage story. If you've played FFXII and are hoping for a random Balthier appearance… you're out of luck.
Note #2: I have this hunch that because I am male I will have a horribly hard time writing a girl Harry fic. If any of you girls out there reading this would please lend me a hand I would be grateful, because while women read me like a book, I will never understand them.
Disclaimer: We all know this: I'm not J.K. Rowling. I only own my original plot line. Thank you very much, and enjoy my histoire (French for story).
Oh yeah! If any beta is interested in reading the story (or any of my others) for me, please contact me. Thank you.
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Azkaban Prison, Maximum Security Level
Azkaban Prison. Azkaban is the most dreary, dark, depressing place that could possibly exist in the wizarding world. Dementors flew about this dark, crumbling fortress, ensuring that no prisoner can escape by constantly evoking the prisoners' worst memories, simply be approaching the convicts.
On the maximum-security level of Azkaban, which was conveniently placed in the dungeons, there was a prisoner. He was wrongly accused of a crime he didn't commit, and was sentenced to life in Azkaban without so much as a trial. There was no need for the application of Veritaserum, the Minister said; oh no, there was plenty of evidence to lock him away for life.
And so, because of the folly of Cornelius Fudge, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World, was trapped in a cell in Azkaban Prison, enduring a far worse fate than even his godfather Sirius Black had to.
Every night, the nightmares came, sent to him through his link with Voldemort. The reactions of the entire wizarding world to what he had done. The incriminating stares of those he had considered allies. The harsh words of the professors, who had mentored him, treated him like a son. But worst of all, the betrayal; the agonizing betrayal of his two supposed best friends: Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Harry's memories of the single day leading up to his imprisonment in Azkaban were cloudy at best. But his two best friends chose the worst course of action: to do nothing at all.
Ron and Hermione didn't even attempt to protest Harry's imprisonment. All they could do was stare at him blankly, not speaking, not moving, not doing so much as smiling or frowning. It didn't matter that his friends hadn't incriminated him in the crime; to Harry, the most evil thing a person could do was to stand on the sidelines and do nothing at all.
And that was what his friends had done.
The charges levied against him were great: the murder of Cedric Diggory, the spreading of lies involving the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort, but most importantly, the murder of the three Muggles Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley. The wand used had been Harry's; the Aurors had determined as such via the use of the Priori Incantantem charm. But it had not been Harry using the wand that night.
Flashback…
Harry had been sent up to his room an hour prior after cooking dinner for the Dursleys for not finishing his chores on time. He had been in the middle of his summer Potions homework when he heard something like the door being blown open by the Reducto spell. Harry bolted dead upright, barely managing to not spill the ink well. Capping the bottle hurriedly, he scrambled over to his closet in search of his wand, before cursing himself and realizing that it was downstairs. He pulled his Invisibility Cloak over his head, and snuck downstairs… just in time to witness Lucius Malfoy use Harry's wand to kill the Dursleys.
Vernon had dropped dead first, followed by Dudley, leaving Petunia to suffer last. Upon finishing the cast, Malfoy dropped the wand and started walking out. Harry was too stunned to move; the scene was so similar to that nightmare from when he was a baby. Regaining his wits, he grabbed his wand from the floor and uttered a small spell so that he would gain the attention of the Ministry of Magic, and explain what had happened.
But when the Ministry arrived, they had immediately stunned Harry and taken him to a holding cell. He awoke in a Ministry holding cell, with all of his Hogwarts professors rattling off at him, Fudge reading the list of charges, and Ron and Hermione staring blankly, stunned expressions on their faces. When he was sentenced by Fudge, he was dragged off, calling out to Ron and Hermione to help him. But they did nothing. Nothing at all.
End Flashback…
As Harry pulled himself out of the painful memory, a pair of Dementors passed by his cell. After revisiting the memory, the strain the Dementors placed on his emotions was too much; Harry blacked out, fading into unconsciousness.
Hours later, Harry awoke in the middle of the night. It was perfectly dark, and there were no Dementors in the vicinity. Just then, a blindingly bright light appeared on the wall of Harry's cell. He turned to look at the light, and he saw a strange symbol gleaming against the dreary wall.
The symbol was in the shape of two concentric circles, very much resembling an eye's iris and pupil. In the outer circle, Harry clearly saw the twelve signs of the Zodiac, where his own sign, Leo, was gleaming slightly brighter than the rest. In the inner circle, he saw a strange symbol that he had never seen before, which oddly enough reminded Harry of Dudley's small Illuminati craze back during the summer before his third year of Hogwarts. Dudley had gotten over that phase in three days, but Harry forever remembered how the Illuminati symbols could be read backwards and forwards, and the symbol in the circle was no different.
Another bright light appeared, and Harry covered his eyes with his hand. When the glow lessened, Harry lowered his hand, and was startled to see the ghostly image of an old man in front of him. The old man had strange, striped robes on, the stripes shifting in a pattern of thirteen different colors constantly. On closer observation, Harry saw that as each stripe shifted, a symbol appeared in it: the first six had a Zodiac sign, the middle with the strange, unrecognizable symbol, and the last six with the remaining Zodiac signs. The man was completely bald, and had a long, silver beard that trailed down to the bottom of his robes. If he had been on the floor, the beard would have been dragging across it. Harry looked up at the man's face, and was shocked to realize that the man's blue irises and pupils held the symbol that had appeared on the wall: the Zodiac signs and the strange symbol in the middle, resting within his iris and pupil respectively. Slowly, Harry rose to his feet, wary of the intruder, and yet not sensing any ill intent from the man.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Harry said, backing away from the man, suspicion evident in his emerald eyes. The elderly man was unfazed, and floated slightly closer to Harry.
'Do not be afraid, my boy' the man said, without moving his lips. It took Harry merely a second to realize that the man was speaking directly into Harry's thoughts. 'I do not wish you any harm. My intents are friendly, although I should have introduced myself as soon as I made myself apparent.'
The spectre bowed low, his ethereal beard sinking through the floor. 'Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leonidas Zodiarkus, the last heir to the House of the Zodiac, and at the moment, the final Zodiac Keeper. I, like you, was wrongly imprisoned in this very cell, three hundred years ago. The difference is that I could have escaped. However, I received a… vision, of sorts. The vision showed me what the world would have degraded to had I escaped from Azkaban, instead of remaining here as a spirit, in the hopes that the heir to the powers of the House of the Zodiac would eventually be found. I appeared to you, Mr. Potter, because I believe you to be the heir to the powers of the House of the Zodiac.'
Harry very nearly stumbled backwards as Leonidas finished his speech. "But sir," a very shocked Harry began, "what is this power of the House of the Zodiac?"
Leonidas let out a small chuckle before explaining. 'I cannot explain the full extent of the powers of the House… the true limits must be discovered by the heir apparent themselves. I can tell you, however, that the heir to the power of the House is granted control over the thirteen Scions of the Zodiac.'
"Thirteeen? I thought there were twelve signs?" Harry blurted out, before noticing the thirteenth marking in the circular symbol.
'There are but twelve Zodiac signs, you are correct. However, the symbol in the center of the House crest represents the thirteenth; the Keeper of Precepts. The secrets to controlling that scion are only unlocked by the most powerful of the House's heirs, and I unfortunately cannot count myself among them.'
"So what do you intend to do?" Harry questioned the spirit. "Make me into the heir of the house?"
'You are correct in your assumption Mr. Potter… but there is one complication. You see, the way the powers of the House of the Zodiac work, is that every Keeper must be the opposite gender of the Keeper before them. If I were to grant you the powers of the House, the power transfer spell would change your gender in the process, as well as make you the heir to the house by blood.'
"So you mean to tell me that if I wish to leave Azkaban, that I would have to change myself into a girl for the remainder of my life? Is there any way around this requirement?" Harry asked, growing more and more concerned by the second.
'Unfortunately, no. If I were to grant you the powers of the House while leaving you male at the same time, you would be ripped apart by the power, and likely cause the downfall of wizarding society, as would have happened had I escaped Azkaban, and transferred the powers to my only son. That being said, Mr. Potter, the offer still stands. Will you accept the powers of the House, as well as the new appearance, name, and identity that must be accepted along with this?' Leonidas asked, while conjuring a silver sphere of magic in his hand. The sphere may have been small, but Harry could feel the incredible power of the magic condensed within.
"I don't really see any other option at this point," Harry replied sternly, concern creeping into his voice. "I never cared for the Boy-Who-Lived title anyways; that was just a way for every other wizard in the world to throw their problems onto me. This way, I might finally be able to live my life without everybody dumping their issues onto me, like their scapegoat," Harry uttered, raising his head up and summoning all the Gryffindor bravery he could. "Leonidas Zodiarkus, I accept the power of the House of Zodiarkus, and the name, appearance, and identity that must accompany the title of Zodiac Keeper."
Leonidas smiled. 'I knew you would,' he answered, before sending the ball of light closer to Harry. 'Do not fight the Bloodlines Spell, or this entire process would have been for naught. The spell is designed to alter your body and genes so that you may inherit the powers,' Leonidas said to the unsure boy. 'Reach out and touch the sphere. Then, the Bloodlines Spell will be cast upon you, and the powers of the House will be accepted into your body.'
Harry did as he was told, and as he touched the sphere, he felt a strange sensation. The next moment, a bright light engulfed his senses, and all faded to black, but not before Harry heard Leonidas' voice in his thoughts one last time before losing consciousness: 'I hereby name you Samantha Zodiarkus, heir to the House of the Zodiac, and the new Zodiac Keeper.'
Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Office
At the same time that Harry was receiving the power of the Zodiac Keeper, back at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore was staring into space, trying to comprehend what had happened. As Fudge saw it, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and Savior of the Wizarding World, had murdered Cedric Diggory, Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley, and Dudley Dursley in cold blood. The Priori Incantantem that Fudge had cast on Harry's wand had proven that the Killing Curse was cast with the boy's wand… but Dumbledore was unsure. Why had Fudge been so anxious to sentence Harry to life in Azkaban? Dumbledore was suspicious. And he did what he always did when he was suspicious: act on his thoughts.
Dumbledore went over to the fireplace, and pulled some Floo Powder out of a small pot resting on the mantelpiece, while pocketing a vial of an unknown potion at the same time. He threw the powder into the fire, and called out "Ministry of Magic, Minister Fudge's Office!" The fire turned green, and Dumbledore stepped through, reappearing in the office of the Minister of Magic, who was busy with paperwork. Cornelius Fudge turned his head, and strangely enough was sneering at Dumbledore. The sneer left his face immediately after it had been there, but Dumbledore had seen it.
"Ah, Albus, how nice to see you! What brings you here?" Albus didn't answer. He could feel that something was wrong with the Minister, something he hadn't noticed before because of everybody else's magic. Dumbledore raised his wand so that it was pointed at the Minister. "What are you doing, Albus? Have you completely lost your mind?!" Fudge was about to signal for help when Dumbledore cast a simple incantation.
"Finite Incantantem!" The effect was immediate. Fudge's eyes glazed over for a split second before snapping back into focus, and the Minister very nearly collapsed. He gazed at Dumbledore confused. "Minister, you were under the Imperius Curse, probably because of one Lucius Malfoy. I have some Veritaserum for questioning. Do you know where Lucius is?"
A few minutes later, they had found Malfoy, and questioned him with the aid of Veritaserum. The realization was horrifying.
"My god Albus," Fudge stammered out. "Potter was framed… and because I wasn't strong enough to fight off the Imperius…" Fudge's body was racked with shivers, and he broke down.
"Minister," Dumbledore said calmly, "we must make our way to Azkaban, and liberate Mr. Potter before he goes mad from the Dementors. They affect him more than most people. Where is the Floo that leads to Azkaban?" Cornelius Fudge pointed over at a hallway that was filled with dozens of Floo entrances. Dumbledore and Fudge walked calmly over to the one with a golden plaque above it, with the engraving 'Azkaban'. The two of them reached into a pot, grabbed out some powder in each of their hands, threw the powder into the fire, and were off.
Azkaban Prison, Maximum Security Level
In the cell of Harry Potter, there were two bodies where once there was one: the now lifeless body of Harry Potter, and the body of an unknown girl. The girl brought herself to her feet, and muttered an expletive under her breath before looking over and seeing her old body.
"At least now I can live without anybody wondering where I went, since as far as they know I'm dead," the girl, whose body housed the soul of Harry Potter, said. She drew herself to her full height, and was slightly disappointed to see that she was a mere five and a half feet tall.
'Ah… I see you are awake, Samantha. I took it upon myself to give you a new name, befitting your new gender, and gave you one more fitting of the times. I was tempted to name you Ashelia… but that is a name one would have seen three centuries ago. I can only inform you of one of your powers before I must cross over to the afterlife: teleportation. This is not apparition; it cannot be tracked, or blocked by any wards.' The girl, newly named Samantha, looked around, trying to see Leonidas. 'I am too weak because of the power transfer to materialize myself; I apologize.' At that moment, Samantha felt a strange sensation in the back of her eyes, and a number of images suddenly entered her head, which she distinguished as the location of a mansion.
'That is the mansion of the House of the Zodiac. It is yours by inheritance. Do not worry about it being three hundred years behind; the charms on the mansion automatically update the contents to keep with the time period. Also, it is unplottable. Once you are there, I would suggest gathering up the fourteen books on the Scions and other powers of the House and entering the time displacement room, so that you may learn all you can in as little time as possible.'
"Thank you, Leonidas," Samantha uttered softly.
'You are welcome, my heir. Sadly, it is time for me to leave this world. Good luck in your pursuits; with the strength now vested in you, Voldemort will fall. I must bid you farewell. So long Samantha; may you live long and happy.'
With those final words, Samantha felt Leonidas' presence withdraw from inside her mind, and was overtaken by a strange sadness. She had lost somebody else…
She quickly shook off the feeling, and closed her eyes, concentrating on the manor she had seen in her mind. With a flash of light, she vanished from Azkaban prison.
Not twenty minutes later, Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge navigated their way to Harry's cell. When the two of them arrived, they were crestfallen to see that Harry was on the floor lifeless. Dumbledore walked slowly up to the fallen body of Harry Potter.
"Is he…" Cornelius Fudge began, unable to finish. Dumbledore checked for a pulse, and found none.
"I am afraid so, Minister," Dumbledore replied, his voice shaky. "Harry Potter is dead."
Manor of the Zodiac Keepers
With a flash of light, Samantha appeared in front of the manor. She looked around at her surroundings, and was surprised to find the manor in an area similar to what was surrounding Hogwarts. Samantha walked up to the manor, and upon placing her hand on the door handle, she felt a strange sensation in her hand and her eyes. Looking down, she saw that the crest of the House of the Zodiac had appeared on the back of her hand, fading as quickly as it had appeared.
Samantha pushed open the door to the manor, and almost fainted at the sight. This is… incredible… she thought.
She couldn't describe what she was seeing, and was so absorbed by the sight that she jumped two feet in the air when a female house elf appeared in front of her.
"Good evening, mistress! My name is Leah. You are the first mistress this mansion has seen in three centuries; it is good to know that Leonidas finally received some rest. Would you like to be escorted to your quarters?"
"Actually, Leah, could I have some dinner first?" Samantha inquired, still not used to the female voice escaping her mouth.
"Of course, right this way!" the house elf replied, leading Samantha to a large dining room, where enough food appeared to more than make up for what she had not been given in Azkaban.
After she had had her fill, Leah lead Samantha up to her quarters, pointing out that the dresser and drawers had automatically filled with all the Muggle and wizarding clothing that Samantha would need, including undergarments. With a blush, Samantha asked Leah to leave the room, and then took the time to examine her new self in front of the full-length mirror.
My lord… if I were still a boy, I would have been drooling by now… she thought to herself, staring into the mirror.
Her body was what she would have called the epitome of female beauty. Perfectly proportioned, curved in all the right places, and everything else that she would have considered attractive in a female as a boy. But what was most striking was her hair.
Samantha's hair hung down to roughly her mid-back, and was a shocking silver color, except for twelve multi-colored strands on the left side of her head, near her bangs. She surmised that each of the twelve strands represented a sign of the Zodiac, while the remainder of her silver hair represented the thirteenth symbol in the House crest. Samantha quickly pulled up her long bangs, and was relieved to see that the lightning bolt scar was gone, and with it her connection to Voldemort.
Leaning in closer to the mirror, she noticed her eyes. The irises were a bright silver color, with twelve black markings positioned in the iris, each in the form of a Zodiac sign. In her pupils, she saw the thirteenth symbol that she had seen in Leonidas' eyes and back at Azkaban. But what did the thirteenth symbol mean?
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Samantha quickly pulled on some sleep clothing, and made her way over to the king-size, four-poster bed. She was amazed at how comfortable the bed was after her stay at Azkaban, and seconds after her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.