Okay, if you've taken a look at my page lately, then you've seen that this story was gonna be done for a while now. Thing about this story is that it's gonna be different than some of the others I've done. The first being that this is a crossover: Harry Potter/Kingdom Hearts. That means that just about anything could happen. Anyways, onto the canon changes.
Firstly, I'm gonna change a few canon facts that I normally wouldn't. The first is that Harry is born before all the others are. He's still born July 31, 1980 in this story, but all the others are born a month or two later. It's not too important of a fact, but I just like it when Harry's the older one as it shows how mature he truly is in the books and movies. I mean, I get the whole "Harry's the youngest, but has the most responsibly" thing, but his age really has no bearing on the story. Just that he was "born on the seventh month".
Secondly, I'm making it so the Peter Pettigrew AKA Wormtail stayed with Voldemort to witness the killing of the Potters. It really has no true meaning now, but later on in the story…
And Lastly, I'm making it so that Leon and Cloud are the same age as Harry. Since, as you can imagine, the time difference between whole worlds and realities (like from Tron's World in KH2 to Hercules' World in KH1) is a real mess. So, I'm making it so that Harry, Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and some other characters are the same age or a few months younger than the mentioned ones.
Those are the only changes I can think of right now, but if I have anymore, I'll be sure to update this first chapter with them.
Also, if you want Harry or the others to have any special weapons or go to anywhere, then feel free to PM me or leave it in a REVIEW. That includes special powers, or certain fights you want to see happen.
Now then, the main portion of this chapter takes place the night Voldemort found the Potter's home, and before the Keyblade War in Birth By Sleep. I've never played Birth By Sleep, but I know Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 like the back of my hand… mostly…
So yeah, the night of Voldemort's attack on Godric's Hollow and two years before Aqua, Terra, and Ventus take their test to becomes a Keyblade Master.
Chapter 1: Forgotten Departure
"The P-Potters… t-they h-hide at…"
"Finish it, Wormtail! They will never accept you now. You've lead me all the way here, and I shall destroy this entire town if I must." Voldemort hissed out as Wormtail flinched away. Voldemort then smiled at Wormtail's conflicted look. He rested a hand on the chubby and stout man's shoulder, working his charm, "But then again, Wormtail, they were never to accepting of you, were they? You were all alone in the background, the darkness while they basked in the light and attention of others. You were always on the outskirts, surviving on their pity for you and thriving on their popularity to gain the attention you always so desperately wanted. Never in the light, always lurking just behind the shadows while they danced and sung songs of joy."
"B-But they trusted me… They made me their-"
"Ahh, yes, but they wanted Sirius Black first, didn't they… Peter? You were merely a tool for that fool Dumbledore to use to deceive me. Don't let their fake faith in you blind you from the truth, Wormtail. They never trusted you, they never loved you. You were merely there for their entertainment. They enjoyed how you suffered at the hands of your parents while they strutted around Potter's castle. They enjoyed seeing you pale and thinning in a cold bed at your own worthless home with no food, while they ate feasts at Black's manor. They took in poor Lupin the werewolf while they couldn't even see the troubles that you hid from them." Voldemort said, seeing Wormtail's resolve weaken.
"But they-"
"Deserve nothing from you! Show them who their better is! Show them that it is you who holds the true power! Be the instrument of their destruction. Tell me Peter, and I shall give you everything you have ever wanted; fame, respect, riches, and a high place in the new world order. A world in which you will have a say in." Voldemort said, his charming words and suave features twisting a mental dagger into Wormtail's mind.
"The Potters hide like filth at #13 Godric Lane, Godric's Hollow, my Master. We shall make them suffer for the indignities I have endured over these many years." Peter Pettigrew spat out as Voldemort smiled cruelly.
As Wormtail spilled the secret he had been spelled to keep, his very actions of betraying the purpose of the spell caused it to fail completely. The Fidelius charm collapsed in a splash of golden light, revealing a two story cottage house with a garden, surrounded by a brick wall with only a small wooden fence for entrance where before it was all just vacant land with a small fountain in the middle.
Voldemort smirked as he stepped forward and with a flick of his wand, threw open the small wooden gate and marched towards the front door with Wormtail sullenly and cowardly trailing after him. Voldemort was confident, even as he heard shouts from inside the house indicating that his prey was aware of his approach. With complex weaves of his wand and muttered words, a temporary anti-Portkey ward was raised over the property. Two more times did the Dark Lord weave spells, adding an anti-Apparition and a Floo-block.
"I grow tired of this." Voldemort said as he saw the lights within the house go out and all become quiet. With a mere thrust of his wand, the Dark Lord blasted the front door off its hinges and sent it barreling into the open hallway of the house.
Almost immediately afterward, Voldemort was forced to throw up a shield charm as a powerful blasting curse nearly caught him by surprise and could have very well blown off his head. Said curse was fired by the fiery looking James Potter that stood atop the broken door while glaring at the two men to break into his house. Another curse nearly took off Wormtail's head as Voldemort laughed coldly.
"You owe me a new door, you wanker!" James shouted as he began waving his wand about, sending off powerful curses and spells while Voldemort countered and returned them all.
"Surrender, Potter, and I shall spare you and your wife." Voldemort shouted as he and James began to duel, "I am only here for the child!"
"Never, you bastard! You'll have to kill me first! And you Wormtail! You traitor! We trusted you!" James yelled as he started firing off spells at Peter as well, who dodged pitifully as fright overtook him.
"I'm… sorry! You all hated me!" Peter moaned sorrowfully as James sneered fiercely.
"You were one of my best friends!" James yelled, blasting apart the picture of a cat that was just above Peter's head.
"You never loved me! It was always Sirius and Remus! I was only there so you could watch me suffer!" Peter Pettigrew shouted back as he raised his wand and began to fight alongside his Dark Master.
"What the devil are you talking about! We loved you! We would have died for you! You let Voldemort twist his words in your mind like a dagger in one's heart! You have chosen your path, Peter!" James yelled furiously as he battled both of them, "From this day forth I declare you an enemy of House Potter. So Let It Be Noted!"
The flare of power from within the house scared Wormtail as one of the most powerful magical oaths he had ever witnessed was performed. Even Voldemort gave pause as Peter was blasted out of the house.
That pause wasn't for long, however, as the Darkest of Dark Lords was knocked out into the street next. Voldemort got up just in time to seeing James jump from the doorway with the name of spells already on his lips. The two did battle in the garden, calling on powers and magics they scarcely remembered. James using fire spells as Voldemort banished them into the skies above, wanting to show his might in a show. Voldemort smirked as he unleashed a powerful Fiendfyre curse. James had a difficult time with it as Voldemort watched on, but finally overpowered it and banished it into the darkening sky. The skies above began to spark and crackle as black clouds formed and gathered, darkening over the village of Godric's Hollow.
Voldemort, however, didn't care about the weather as he got the upper hand, banishing James back into the front hallway of ish house. James skidded across the floor as Voldemort laughed at him, walking calmly into the front hole that used to be the doorway with a cool smirk upon his charming face.
"You cannot win, Potter. Submit to my-"
"Oh will you just shut up!" James yelled as he raised his wand. He made a long complicated pattern upward, and then, brought it down as if a great weight were keeping the wand up and stopping him. Voldemort paused as he heard the roar of thunder and flashes of lightning.
"What are you doing!" Voldemort asked as James laughed.
"You may not have noticed, but I fired exactly 26 fire-based spells at you; all ranging from mid-to-high level magics that are normally not to be used by Aurors. Your own Fiendfyre did it, though. That much power helped set it all off." James said as Voldemort narrowed his eyes, and brushed back his wavy black hair.
"What in the name of Morgana are you talking about, Potter?" Voldemort asked tensely as James chuckled.
"Don't you get it? If you paid attention in Astronomy, then you'd know what happens when you release large amounts of fire-based magic into the atmosphere." James said as it seemed to click on Voldemort.
"… A storm…" Voldemort whispered in shock as James raised his wand high once more.
"Yes, and now we'll die here together. Thunderous Maxima!" James said, yelling the name of his spell as Voldemort noted that he had never heard of the spell before.
Lightning stroke down on the house, creating a large explosion that shook the house to it's very foundation.
Voldemort was not even bothering to pick his jaw off the ground as he openly gaped at the destruction to the house that James Potter had done in an effort to destroy him. Even he had to admit that had he not raised his most powerful of shield charms when he did, he would have been finished.
Unfortunately, Potter wasn't done with that as his tired and half-charred body still clung to life. Voldemort was a bit surprised by the man's will to live. Potter had used most of his magic in that last God-like spell, had been hit by a fraction of the powerful lightning (the man having been under a part of Voldemort's shield that had shatter instantly on impact), and even managed to somehow keep the chimney intact with a barrier. Voldemort surmised that keeping the chimney up was so Lily Potter could escape from the wreckage that was once a reasonably luxurious cottage with her and Potter's son, Harry Potter, once Potter and he were dead from the lightning strike. But oh no, James Potter hadn't "kicked the bucket" just yet as Voldemort felt a powerful hand clamp down on his ankle when he was about to drop his shield and step over the man's charred corpse.
"Where… d-do y-you… t-think you're… g-going…?" James breathed out, coughing up blood as Voldemort only showed shock and awe for the man's still breathing after what he did before he calmed himself and replaced his shock with a look of cool control over the situation.
"You will die, Potter. The right half of your body is not far from being ashes and your head is bleeding. If you were to seek medical attention right this moment, then the good witches and wizards at St. Mungo's would probably be able to heal you. Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts would have you back to your old self in no time." Voldemort said pleasantly to the dying man as James glared up at the Dark Lord's smug face, "Sadly, neither will be the case as you will die there, on the ground, as I simply walk up the stairs and kill your son. I say only your son, because perhaps Lily Potter will have more intelligence than to stand in my way."
"Fat chance!" a woman's voice yelled from upstairs as Voldemort frowned with an annoyed sigh.
"Have fun in the afterlife, Potter. Do send me a postcard from it, because once I kill your son, I'll never have to see it." Voldemort said, figuring he'd do the dying man some small curtsey as he raised his wand, "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort incanted as the lambent green light of the Unforgivable Curse shot down from his wand and collided with the body of James Potter, who looked defiant and glared up into Voldemort's eyes, even as he was hit with the Killing Curse.
Voldemort rolled his eyes as he heard Wormtail give a horrid cry at seeing his ex-best friend dead at the Dark Lord's feet and then the sounds of a crying baby. Wormtail came toward them, but at where the front door used to be, he smashed into a golden light. Peter backed away from it as he stopped the flames from consuming his clothes. He stared down at James Potter's body from where he was on the doorstep, the front of the house being almost completely gone. Pettigrew felt fear and anger at James slowly being overwhelmed by the guilt at having betrayed his oldest of friends. Wormtail cried tears of sorrow as he dropped to his knees at the doorstep, sobbing while he gazed upon James' body.
"Why didn't you listen to him! Why didn't you just let him have the boy, Prongs! There is no fighting the Dark Lord, James! You never would have had to die! Lily, I pray you're smarter than James was! Just give up the child!"
"Never, you traitor! I'll die for my son! Now get away from our cottage!" Lily's voice cried through sobs as Voldemort scowled.
"This is getting ridiculous…" Voldemort muttered as he smacked his forehead and ran the hand down his suave face. Honestly, why were all the people that involved themselves with the Potter's half-crazy?
Tom Riddle- no, filth, he did not go by that accursed name! He was Voldemort! Voldemort took a deep breath while shaking his head. Wormtail waited outside while Voldemort ascended the up the half-destroyed stairs. When he reached the bedroom of young Harry Potter, Voldemort found Lily Potter standing defiantly in front her son's crib. The woman's one year-old son was standing up as he leaning on the edge of the crib to see what was happening. The boy was crying as the boy must have sensed the inherent evil of the Dark Lord. Voldemort raised a brow as he saw this before Lily had her wand pointed directly at his chest, but the Dark Lord made no effort to raise his own in defense. He could feel the woman's fear. The filthy Mudblood was practically shaking as he saw tears stream down her face, even though she looked as furious and defiant as her husband had been in the face of Death. Voldemort chuckled, surprising Lily as she steadied her wand and trained it on his heart…
If he had one…
"Lily Potter-
"Don't you dare say my name! You are a heartless monster and a destroyer of all things good! You will not take another step toward my son, or else you will have me to deal with." Lily spat furiously as Voldemort sighed in mocking sorrow.
"Foolish woman." Voldemort said, almost sadly, as he disarmed Lily and caught her wand, flinging it down the stairs, "Step aside and let me kill the boy."
"Never! I don't care if my wand is gone. You'll never touch Harry." Lily said as Voldemort's charming smile fell.
"I promised Severus Snape that I would not kill you. I only want the boy. You can either hand him over, or make me break that very fragile promise." Voldemort said as Lily gasped.
"S-Severus…?" Lily said in shock as Voldemort nodded.
"Yes, Severus Snape. He didn't care much about Potter, but you and the child… well, mostly you, he cared greatly for. He begged and pleaded at my feet for days to spare you and your son… again, mostly you. He loves you, Lily Potter, even after your marriage and child-bearing to his worst enemy." Voldemort said, twirling his wand idly, "I must admit, I've never understood love or anything of it's pathetic nature, but I do understand control. You have control over Severus, complete control; something that I and Dumbledore never did. You have his loyalty and his heart. Everything he is belongs to you. He effectively made himself your servant, your slave, when he came and begged for days in front of his fellow Death Eaters at my feet for you and your son's live… again, mostly you. Would you have him live a life without you now that you know?"
"Yes! If it means protecting my son, then a thousand times yes!" Lily said fiercely as she stepped back to her son's crib and glanced back at her offspring with a far gentler look than the one she was giving Voldemort, who looked slightly amused at her interaction with the boy.
"Fine then, woman. You will die and so will your son. However, I am not without understanding of a woman's love toward those she houses, especially her son." Voldemort said, remembering the only good Muggle woman he ever met was the caretaker of the orphanage from his childhood, "I will allow you a last moment with your son in life before I send you onto what Dumbledore pitifully calls "the next great adventure", but don't worry, Lily Potter nee Evans, your son will soon be joining you." Voldemort finished, the smug smile on his face speaking more volumes than the barrier he was creating around the room so the woman couldn't escape.
Lily turned completely to her son, not caring if Voldemort struck her in the back as she was already ready to die for her son. She gently kissed Harry's forehead, being sure that the magic she was using went unnoticed by the Dark Lord mere seven feet away. Her son looked up at her, his emerald eyes the same as her own as she ruffled his tuff of jet black hair.
"My eyes are your own as your father's hair is as well. Harry Potter, my son. There's so much I want to tell you, so much I want you to see when you grow older-"
"Which he won't." Voldemort chimed in impassively as he gazed down at his nails while Lily ignored him without pause.
"But, I won't be there. Not for your first day of school, and not for your sorting when and if you ever know about Hogwarts. Sirius Black is your Godfather, and Severus Snape… he'll protect you. Let It Be Noted, that when I die and from then on, Severus Snape shall serve you as he did me. With the Dark Lord Voldemort as my witness, he who claims Severus Snape as my servant and slave, Severus Snape will do as I wish." Lily said as Voldemort frowned. True, the woman had done nothing since both her and her child were going to die, but now he'd have to kill Severus.
And replacing Potion Masters was such a pain in the ass…
"Are you quite finished, woman?" Voldemort asked as Lily tearfully hugged her son, whispering words of love in his ear as the one year-old hugged his mother back.
Voldemort scowled in disgust at the scene before him. He was not own to lie to himself, he was jealous, outrageously so. He had never known his mother, had never felt the love of one, had never been held by one. Even though many women in his life had wanted to be close to him, none of them had seen the pain in his eyes as he watched them all, at the beginning and end of his Hogwarts years, all of those pitiful fools being held lovingly by their mothers and fathers, being greeted with gifts and kisses. No, all he got was Albus Dumbledore quietly Apparating him to the orphanage and leaving him there to rot until summer ended while the other children in that accursed place… Ugh, he didn't even want to think about it anymore.
"Step aside, woman! Move now, or I'll kill you!" Voldemort shouted in bitter rage at Lily and his past while Lily turned to him and shielded Harry with her own body.
"No! No, not Harry!" Lily shouted desperately as Voldemort tried to move her, forgetting magic as he wanted to rip something apart limb by limb, "No, not Harry! Kill me instead! Spare my son! Spare Harry!"
"Fine, but he'll join you mere moments later. Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted his wand arm struck out, a burst of lambent green light shooting from the tip directly into Lily's chest.
As the woman was blown off her feet, Voldemort couldn't help but watch her as she seemed to fall in slow motion just like his father had when he used the man's death to create one of his Horcuxes. As Lily Potter fell to the ground, dead, the light left her eyes and her expression was the same as her husband's had been; one of defiance in order to protect their son. As Lily hit the ground, there was no doubt in Voldemort's mind that the woman, because he knew that if she wasn't, she'd had never allowed herself a second of weakness while her son needed her.
Voldemort sighed tiredly as he could hear Wormtail's shrill sobs. The man must have seen the light and known Lily Potter was dead. Voldemort was slightly surprised when he saw Wormtail stumble into the room. When one was declared an enemy, they could normally never enter the houses of their foes without invitation. However, since both James and Lily Potter were dead, Harry was left with the responsibly of keeping House Potter's enemies from entering Potter estates, and with the boy being only one year-old and not having his magic fully developed, Wormtail was able to enter the house with some minor burns.
Voldemort glanced back at Wormtail when he heard the coward of a man gasp in fear and awe of the Dark Lord. He could tell that Peter's fright for him had rose higher as he bore witness to both Potters he had grown up and gone to school with dead.
Behind the collapsed body of Lily Potter the toddler Harry, who was still standing in his crib, began to cry. He did not fully understand what was happening, but it seemed to Voldemort that the boy was somehow sure his mother was gone as he cried and tears rolled down his face. Voldemort, however, didn't care about the instinctual six-senses of snot-nosed brats as he chuckled musically while raising his wand once more.
"Such a pitiful child you are, Harry Potter. How you were to ever rival my power… well, after today, I will never know. If you could understand me, I'd tell you this was more of a better-safe-than-sorry measure I was taking, but you can't understand me, can you? To be honest, I had the fleeting thought that the destined boy to defeat me was the Longbottom child, but then I remembered something I had long since wanted to forget; I am a Half-Blood. It would stand to perfect reasoning that another accursed Half-Blood would be my own undoing. Though, when I'm through here, I will move on to tracking down the Longbottom boy as well and kill him, too. All this magical death is due to the Prophecy, and with all those possible targets of the Prophecy dead, none shall be able to oppose me. Goodbye, Harry Potter. May you live happily in the next realm over, because I most certainly will never know of it." Voldemort said as he advanced on the one year-old.
Behind him, Wormtail couldn't help but watch as the Dark Lord began to raise his wand and incant yet another Killing Curse, but as he looked on, Peter Pettigrew watched the events transpire in slow motion as horror filled his being. He was sure that if time hadn't seemed to have slowed down for him he'd have missed what happened right in front of his own eyes.
Just as Voldemort incanted the last syllable of his preferred curse, and brought his wand to bear on the crying Harry, the lambent green energy seemed to flow from the tip of the wand towards the child, but in that moment, a ghostly Lily Potter nee Evans appeared between Voldemort and her own son. She looked so serene, smiling at Voldemort and Wormtail before she looked back at Harry with the most loving smile either man had ever seen in their lives. Voldemort's spell hit her ghostly form and seemed to warp around her before shooting back at the Dark Lord, throwing the man's body backwards just as Lily's body had been tossed not two minutes before. Wormtail ducked and covered his face, all but a single eye, as he watched the apparition of Lily Potter give her crying son a gentle kiss to his forehead, consoling the boy, before she seemed to explode into thin wisps of air and green light. Wormtail turned from the bright light, remembering that he was still an enemy of House Potter and Lily could try to kill him.
When the light finally died down and Pettigrew dared to look about, he found the room was filled of scorch marks. Wormtail got up from the floor, not remembering when he crouched down to cower on it, as he gazed down at Voldemort's body, which was slumped against the wall beside the door. He turned his attention back to young Harry, who began crying again as he sat in his crib, his forehead cut exactly where Lily's ghost had kissed the boy and bleeding, but otherwise the child was unhurt, and quite remarkably alive.
Wormtail gaped for a while before he came to a realization; the Dark Lord he had betrayed his closest friends to in order to serve was inexplicably defeated, and that Aurors, Dumbledore, and most likely Sirius Black were almost certainly on their way there at that very moment. Wormtail panicked noisily as he grabbed Voldemort's wand, knowing that his Lord would return someday and would require his wand, and then rushing from the house as his life did depend on it. After clearing the doorway, Peter Pettigrew, apparated away, seeing that with the Dark Lord's death, the wards he had temporarily setup had fallen.
Though he wasn't truly known for it, his was quite cunning when he needed to be. So, with that in mind, Pettigrew needed to arrange things before someone caught up with him to allow him to fake his death in a very public setting because he knew that once Sirius found out he was alive, the man would never rest until he had hunted him down and killed him dead.
Just moments after the crack of Wormtail apparating away shot through the night, a second sound of displaced air came from the front of the property as Sirius Black arrived in front the small wooden gate atop his motorcycle, gaping at the damage done to it. Nearly flying from his motorbike and through the blasted-open front entryway, Sirius let out an agonizing cry as he found the dead body of his best friend and brother in all-but-blood. Just when Sirius was about to go and check on Lily and Harry, he heard another apparating to the site.
It was Severus Snape, and he practically flew past Sirius, not even glancing at James Potter's dead body as he flew up the stairs. Sirius, in angered sorrow, followed him, only to stop at the upstairs doorway to see the greasy-haired man moaning, crying, and sobbing relentlessly while cradling Lily's body to him, almost completely ignoring the crying Harry in the crib behind him.
"Snape! What are you doing here?" Sirius shouted, not caring to be polite in the face of two of his friends deaths.
"She's gone!" was Snape's anguished reply as he continued to cry right along with Harry. Sirius, though tears rolled down his face, stepped past Snape to retrieve Harry. He picked the boy up and tried to console him, but with Snape's crying, nothing seemed to work.
"Snape! Stop crying like that! I'm making Harry cry! Think about Harry! Think about Lily's child!" Sirius said, merely to keep himself intact as Snape reluctantly did as he was asked. Only for Lily Evans and her child, that is…
"Y-Yes… yes, you're right. We need to get Harry Evans out of this dismal place and to safety- Oh great Merlin, is that the Dark Lord?" Snape said, searching for something before his eyes landed on Voldemort's body. Sirius didn't even respond as he, just like Snape, was gaping at the man's body.
Luckily or not, they were gaping just long enough for Dumbledore and Hagrid to arrive, coming up the stairs in quite the hurry for men of their ages.
"Oh good…" Dumbledore sighed in relief as he laid a hand over his heart and leaned against the wall tiredly, "We haven't arrived too late."
"Professor Dumbledore, sir, I think yer better be havin' a look at this. We might not be as early as ya think." Hagrid said, gaping alongside the others as Dumbledore turned to them before looking where they were. Finally seeing the dead body of Voldemort, Dumbledore sighed sadly as he shook his head.
"Poor, Tom. He could have been so many great things in life, yet now here he is; dead… temporarily." Dumbledore said as Snape, Sirius, and Hagrid turned to him in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowed as Dumbledore shook his head.
"I don't want to say too much, just incase I'm wrong, but I believe Lord Voldemort shall return." Dumbledore said as he gestured to the defeated Dark Lord's body, "His physical form defeated, but his wrathful spirit living on, clinging pitifully to life. Yes, I have no doubts now that Voldemort had some measures in place for just such an occasion."
"Indeed he has, my old friend." a powerful and cultivated voice said from the stairs as all eyes turned to the doorway where three men appeared.
The first man was one of scholarly grace and sage-like looks. He appeared so handsome, and yet still so wise. The man dressed in a periwinkle lab coat. Underneath he wore a dark grey vest, a white collar shirt, a violet ascot, as well as black pants and shoes. He also draped a red sweater-like scarf of some sort over his shoulders. The man's hair was blond, worn long and slicked back while also sporting a short mustache and goatee. His bright orange eyes seemed to dull some as he gazed upon the tragic scene before him.
"Ansem, it's good to see that you have made it." Dumbledore said, smiling slightly at the blond man as the blond man named Ansem nodded in greeting.
"Yes, we had a bit of difficulty arriving after receiving your message, but it seems we've gotten here too later." Ansem said as the man behind him cleared his throat.
"Not exactly, Ansem. We've arrived just in time." this second man said as all eyes shifted to him.
The second man seemed far more stern and severe than this Ansem character was. He appeared to be an old man, just as old as Dumbledore himself, if not even older with his long, grey hair, bushy eyebrows, and a long, grey beard that parted down the middle. He wore a tall sorcerer's hat, it being blue and decorated with several yellow stars and a yellow crescent moon. Sirius got the feeling the man was bald under the hat, though he was also sure that asking the man to remove his hat would get him a tongue-lashing. The man wore long, billowing blue robes with sky blue lining. From the billowing they had been doing, Hagrid saw that the insides of the serve old man's robes were a dark red. Snape, however, was focused on the man's eyes. The whites of which were quite large in comparison to his small pupils, something that was further highlighted by the fact that his eyes were wide open, as though they were like that often.
"What do you mean, Yen Sid, my old friend?" Dumbledore asked, looking quite serious as Yen Sid's scowl deepened.
"I can sense the trailing darkness within this very room. As well as the power of light… It's all centered around that youth." the severe old man, Yen Sid, said sternly as he pointed at Harry, who was falling a sleeping, sucking his thumb in Sirius' arms.
"Harry, what do you mean?" Sirius asked as the third man stepped forward.
"I believe the freshly-made scar off-center of his forehead is more than enough to tell the story of what has occurred here." the third man said, his voice calm and cool, as though he were meditating on life while he spoke.
This last man bore a distinct Japanese appearance in his choice of clothing. He wore a white, red lined haori that had a hood, along with slightly shorter than normal, light-colored hakama. Underneath his haori, the man wore a navy blue shirt with a large white X-pattern on the front. Gazing into his face, Sirius saw that the man had jagged scars over his right eye and left cheek. The truly unusual part of his appearance was in the fact that he wore pieces of armor. The pieces of armor were gold and black armored boots and a dull blue-green section that covered the man's abdomen. The man's black hair was tied into a short, high topknot, with one bang falling off to the right side of his face. He also has a short, triangular soul patch and a mustache.
"Yes, Eraqus is right." Dumbledore said, looking at Harry as he moved closer to see the boy's scar, gazing at it intently from behind his half-mooned spectacles, "this is no ordinary scar. No, it is magical if I had ever seen a magical scar in my life."
"Excuse me, Albus, but now that I've gotten my hysterics out of the way and can effectively wallow in self-pity and self-loathing for the rest of the days I live, I've come back to my senses. Who are these three men?" Snape said impassively, drying his eyes with a hand-towel from Hagrid as he thanked the half-giant.
"Oh, my, where are my manners." Ansem said as he smiled at the people within the room before giving a small yet polite bow, "Do allow me to introduce myself. I am Ansem, known to my people as Ansem the Wise. I hail from Radiant Garden, and also rule over the world as a sage. It's very nice to meet you."
"They're charmed, I'm sure." Yen Sid said, rolling his eyes at his friend's overly suave nature, "I am Yen Sid, Keyblade Master, Sorcerer, and ruler of the Mysterious Tower."
"And I am Keyblade Master Eraqus, ruler of the Land of Departure." Eraqus said, bowing deeply in respect to the people of the world.
"Forgive us, but this whole ordeal has left us a bit shaken and forgetful of our manners." Dumbledore said as gestured to Sirius and the others, "This is Sirius Black, Harry Potter in his arms, Severus Snape, and Rubeus Hagrid."
"Nice to meet you all. Now then, we had best get on with this situation. We'll take the boy as you requested, Albus." Ansem said as Dumbledore nodded, looking very relieved.
"Yes, quite good. Thank you. Giving them Harry, Sirius." Dumbledore said, not looking at Sirius as he spoke.
"What? Why? And you requested for them to take him?" Sirius said, holding Harry closer to him as Dumbledore looked back at him, his face set in barely contained rage.
"I didn't wish to create a scene, Sirius, we can talk about your betrayal of the Potters later-" Dumbledore said as Sirius raised a brow in confusion.
"Betrayal?" Sirius echoed in confusion, before his eyes widened, "No, Dumbledore! You've got it all wrong! I had James and Lily switch from me to… Peter…"
"What? Pettigrew betrayed them?" Snape demanded in rage as his fist clenched at his sides.
"Yes. I got here after checking on Peter. There was no forced entry at his house, but he was still gone and without the protections even tampered with. He left of his own free will, and then when I saw this…" Sirius said as Dumbledore sighed.
"We can deal with these events in due time. Hagrid, you take Sirius' motorcycle and alert the Ministry to what has occurred here while we sort the rest of this out." Dumbledore said as Hagrid was gone down the stairs in a hurry.
After all, it wasn't everyday you got to tell the Ministry that a one year-old little tyke had saved all of Magical Britain before they had even lifted a finger.
"Sirius, give Harry to them." Dumbledore said, his tone calm and pleasant since he now knew that Sirius wasn't a traitor.
"Why?" Sirius said as Dumbledore looked saddened to see Harry go.
"Harry simply could not stay in the Magical Britain, and the Ministry would be hard-pressed to stop any attempts of Harry leaving the country now that he'll be named a hero. Also, my original plan for if things went south were to send him to his mother's relatives." Dumbledore said as Severus Snape narrowed his eyes.
"You will do no such thing. I promised you I would protect the boy if anything went astray. And now I have this over my head as well!" Snape said fiercely as he raised his right arm while pulling away his robe sleeve to reveal a crescent heart emblem branded into his very skin. The heart was divided in an X-pattern as the names Lily Potter and Harry Potter intersected, though the name Lily Potter was slowly faded as the name Harry Potter began to replace it, "I don't care that she did it. I have gladly given her my life for her name, but now she'd dead and Potter's spawn owns me. I will not have the boy anywhere near Petunia and her ilk, and that's simply because I know Lily wouldn't want her son there either."
"Yes, Severus, I have made note of that." Dumbledore said, still eyeing Snape's slave emblem as he nodded, "That is one of the reasons I made many contacts to my old colleagues and friends across existence. As old as I am, I have had the pleasure of knowing many walks of life and many people across all of reality. I was sure that at least one of them would respond back to me in time, and so they have."
"Oh, do you mean the Old Guard are still keeping in contact?" Ansem asked as Yen Sid frowned tightly.
"Not really, no." Dumbledore said with a solemn shake of his head while the twinkle in his eyes dimmed even more, the others noticed, "Though I have sent out the message that if any could, and would be willing to, help, that they should come. Sadly, you were the only ones to respond."
"What of Yoda? I would have bet he'd like to have another fine young Jedi in his Order." Yen Sid said with his head slightly tilted, "Or even Yamamoto? Or Sarutobi? Garp, Rayleigh, or Whitebeard? Oak? Gemini? Roshi? Hohenheim? Max? Bumi? Chiron? Genkai? None of them?" and with each name, Albus Dumbledore merely shook his head until Yen Sid was left gaping in shock and slight disgust for his fellow elders across the dimensions of reality.
"Sad to say, but none have responded… well, not positively. Yamamoto is dealing with a situation because of some of his Captains have been attacked and can't the time to raise and groom a youth. Sarutobi has just retired and doesn't want to reveal other realities to his replacement, along with helping his own family with the dangerous ninja life. Garp, Rayliegh, and Whitebeard are all dealing with fighting for their own lives along the seas. Oak has his grandchildren to look after and can't afford to take in another child. Gemini has the Digimon Gods breathing down his neck. Roshi is still reeling from his Tao's betrayal. Hohenheim doesn't want to raise a child while in his self-imposed exile. Max already has enough problems being a Plumber for a galaxy of aliens. Bumi is too busy trying to fend off the Fire Nation at this time to watch over a toddler properly. Chiron is ruining a dangerous summer camp and feels that a child descended from Hades and Hecate would not be very welcome in his dimension. Genkai said it'd just get young Harry killed if she took him in. Oh, and Traban feels that it would be favoritism on his part if he took in one important orphan from one dimension and not the others, but thankfully, he saw to it personally that my messages and their replies reached me as quickly as possible." Dumbledore said as Snape and Sirius exchanged looks, not knowing what the old men were talking about but also not wanting to be rude and interrupt to ask.
"I'm surprised." Eraqus said with a shake of his head, "We all lead dangerous lives, but for them to find taking in one child so bothersome."
"It's not that, my friend." Ansem said with a small sad smile, "It's what will happen to the boy when he comes of age. To go from one reality to another is a dangerous and some times deadly thing. To raise the boy for his destiny… that's a whole new chess set in it's own. I believe they didn't want to trouble the boy with their own problems as we old folk seem to do quite well."
"Yes, indeed." Yen Sid said, stroking his beard as he eyed the sleeping Harry in Eraqus' arms, "Our taking him in would be the best. Either we or Yoda would have been the best solution, and I think the others know that. It would give the boy a chance to not live a biased life, to not be sheltered with a set of believes while finding his own path. Our taking him in is the very best, as if Yoda had, the boy would have been made to be raised under that ridiculous Jedi Code; which Yoda is so very fond of." Yen Sid finished with a frown as Dumbledore sighed, looking all his hundred years of age.
"Are you still so adamant against Yoda's belief of not involving emotion in one's duties? I would have believed that 23 years would have softened your position on such a trifle thing." Dumbledore said as Sirius shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though he and Snape had just about blended in with the background as the old men forgot about them and the fact that muggles could have been coming at any second. Dumbledore must have seen him and known what he was thinking as he waved a hand, "Do not worry, young Sirius. I placed up Muggle-repelling charms and the like as I came here; powerful ones at that."
"Yes, well, I believe it is my biased from my days as a Keyblade Master that has me so against the No Emotion pact of Yoda's code. A difference in cultural beliefs and all that." Yen Sid said, looking a bit put-out as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, "Though I would never offend my dear friend Yoda by saying such things in front of his people, and if I were to bring up my opinion, I can assure you that it would be a mere debate and discussion of friendly banter; nothing more, I assure you."
"Yes, and that's all good and well." Dumbledore said as he gestured toward the stairs. As they traveled through the night and away from the destroyed cottage.
Dumbledore stopped in the middle of the streets while he looked back at the house. He and the others watched as Aurors began to apparate into the grounds of the once lovely cottage with Yen Sid shaking his head, muttering things like "lax" and "not nearly quick enough for my tastes".
"Do keep in mind that they aren't nearly as grand as we were in our youth, and that young Hagrid did not apparate to the Ministry of Magic." Eraqus said as he shifted young toddler Harry in his arms as the child sucked his thumb while asleep.
"I know, Eraqus, but still…" Yen Sid muttered, his severe scowl lessening.
"Umm… Dumbledore?" Sirius called while the strangers were talking amongst themselves. Dumbledore turned to him, "You still haven't explained why Harry is being made to go with those people. I'm his Godfather, he should stay with me."
"You're quite right, Sirius my boy, I haven't explained myself." Dumbledore said, looking a bit ashamed as a tabby cat came prowling up the street toward them, "But let me wait until dear Professor McGonagall arrives so that I will not have to repeat this.
"McGonagall?" Sirius and Snape echoed as the cat turned into the stern-looking witch as they both jumped back in surprise.
"Albus, what has gotten into everyone lately?" Minerva McGonagall asked as soon as she was near the Hogwarts Headmaster, "The Ministry making a Floo-announcement, owls littering the skies, parties spourting up, and people claiming that You-Know-Who is dead and that he… he… he k-killed the Potters…"
"Firstly, my dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this "You-Know-Who" nonsense… For eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name, as he wants it: Voldemort." Dumbledore said as Professor McGonagall was the only one to flinch, but Dumbledore didn't seem to notice, "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying "You-Know-Who." I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's chosen name."
"We all know you haven't." Professor McGonagall with a roll of her eyes, sounding half exasperated, half admiring, "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."
"You flatter me, Minerva." Dumbledore said calmly as he glanced over to his strange friends who still seemed to be talking amongst themselves, "Voldemort had powers I will never have."
"Only because you're too… well… noble to use them." McGonagall said as Dumbledore seemed to freeze up a bit.
"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." Dumbledore said as Professor McGonagall shot him a sharp look.
"As I was saying before, do you know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" McGonagall said as it seemed that she had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had traveled so far; for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did then. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.
Dumbledore, however, was choosing to reach into his robe pockets for some candy as he did not answer.
"What are they saying, Minerva?" Snape inquired as he raised a brow, appearing perfectly calm in the face of the situation. Because he knew that it simply won't do to fall to pieces in front of others. He could do that at his house or wherever he rested for the night… most likely a gutter, as he felt that was where he belonged for being a part of the reason Lily was dead…
"What they're saying is that, this very night, Voldemort turned up here, in Godric's Hollow." McGonagall said, pressing on, "They say he went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are… are… that they're… d-dead."
Dumbledore bowed his head as Snape turned away and fresh tears welled up in Sirius' eyes. Professor McGonagall gasped, laying a hand over her heart as she staggered back some, "Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"
Dumbledore reached out and patted the normally stern, now turned sorrowful witch's shoulder, "I know… I know…" he said heavily.
Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on, "That's not all. I was in the Ministry when the rumors started flying around and people from offices began flooding the corridors and such. They're saying V-Voldemort tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry… But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy… No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke… and that's why he's gone."
Dumbledore nodded glumly with a heavy sigh as Professor McGonagall seemed to falter.
"It's… it's true?" McGonagall said with her hand still over her heart, "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"
"We can only guess…" Dumbledore said with a pointed look toward Harry, who was still sound asleep in Eraqus' arms while the man, Yen Sid, and Ansem walked up to them, "We may never know."
Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late in coming back. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way? You two must have bummed into one another while he was in the Ministry."
"Yes." Professor McGonagall said, "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, now, of all places?"
"I've come to see Harry off as he goes with these three fine gentlemen and old collegues of mine." Dumbledore said as McGonagall turned and her eyes widened a bit at the three men walking up behind her.
"It can't be…" Professor McGonagall breathed as Ansem gave her a smile while Yen Sid and Eraqus merely bowed their heads in greeting.
"It is good to see you once more, Minerva. I trust you've kept in good health?" Ansem said politely as he took Minerva's hand and kissed it.
"You three… especially you Ansem and Eraqus… Yen Sid I could understand, but you two…" McGonagall said quietly, still looking very shocked to see the three.
"Yes, well. I felt it would be a good chance to see Albus once again, and Eraqus wanted to revisit the world." Ansem said as the witch seemed to shake herself from her shock with a sigh of relief.
"Well, at least young Harry isn't going to his relatives. Do you know I've watched them for the week. Trust me, you couldn't find two people who are worst for Harry to be raised by. And they've got this son. I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" McGonagall said, appearing to Snape and Sirius as though she were very relaxed with the three strangers, especially the Ansem character as she spoke with him.
"If I couldn't have contacted and got someone from the others to watch over young Harry, then those relatives would have been the best place for him." Dumbledore said firmly, "He would have needed a blood ward to protect himself from all sorts of Death Eater attacks and schemes until he could get to Hogwarts where we could watch over him."
"True, but sending him so very far away, Albus?" Professor McGonagall said, "The people in that reality will never see him the way our people will. They'll never truly never understand him. He'll be famous, Albus, a legend to compete with your own height. I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future. There will be books written about him here that he'll never know of. Every child in our world will know his name!"
"Exactly, Minerva." Dumbledore said, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses as he gazed over each and every person around him, "It would be enough to turn any boy's head to arrogance, vanity, and folly. Fame of my level, before he can walk and talk properly! Famous for something he most likely will never even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it? Growing up to learn good morals and a semi-normal life far away from it all?"
Professor McGonagall was the only one about to open her mouth as Sirius and Snape seemed to have objections on the tip of their tongues as well. But, just like Minerva McGonagall, they too changed their minds and swallowed back their words.
"Yes… Yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy leaving from here, Albus? I don't see their Gummi-ship." McGonagall said eyed Yen Sid's cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding something underneath it.
"We have left the ship in orbit while young Mickey awaits us." Yen Sid said, frowning while he blushed in the darkness of the night, "We couldn't remember how well-received young Mickey was last we were here, so he stayed to man the transporter."
"Yes, that would have been best." Dumbledore said as he remembered how the young mouse-humanoid was treated during his last visit.
"Is that transportation device of your's safe for children?" Professor McGonagall asked as she took Harry into her arms from Eraqus, "You, Ansem, have been known to be a bit… careless with your inventions. You must admit that you tend to — what was that?"
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence of the night around them as they all began to look wildly around for the source of the noise. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they all looked up at the sky…
… and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
"Hagrid." Dumbledore said, sounding quite relieved, "At last. I won't want you to miss your chance to see Harry off."
"Thank yer fer waitin' fer me, Professor Dumbledore, sir." the half-giant said as he climbed carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke, "And thank yer, young Sirius Black fer lendin' me the bike."
"No problems, were there?" Sirius asked as Hagrid shook his head, his beard and mane shaking wildly as he did.
"No, she flew like a charm." Hagrid said as he roughly patted the motorcycle, which didn't even budge under his heavy hands.
"Then keep it. After I see Harry off, I probably won't need it." Sirius said, planning on going to Azkaban for killing Peter for the betrayal.
"Is this where…?" Professor McGonagall whispered as she looked at the scar on Harry's forehead. Dumbledore and the others crowded around her as to get a look at Harry and his scar while the aged wizard nodded.
"Yes." Dumbledore said with a sagely nod, "He'll have that scar forever."
"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore? It's very noticeable and could get him n trouble if the wrong people stumble upon him." McGonagall said as Dumbledore sadly shook his head.
"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground." Dumbledore said as everyone seemed to want to just forget that last piece of information. Dumbledore cleared his throat, blushing as he pressed on, "Well… give him here, Minerva. We'd better get this over with. Good byes can always be so messy and prolonged if not done quickly."
Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward Ansem and the others while he bent over Harry, "You are your parents child and will undoubtedly grow into a grand young man. I wish you much luck, Harry Potter, your this new great adventure for you, and hope to see you attend Hogwarts when you come of age." Dumbledore said, reaching into his pocket as he placed a keychain in the boy's pajama pocket.
"That can be arranged, but only if the boy so chooses." Yen Sid said after exchanging looks with his fellow world-travelers, especially after they saw Dumbledore slip the boy a keychain.
Dumbledore passed Harry to Hagrid, who bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.
"Shhh!" Professor McGonagall hissed, "You'll wake the Muggles around here! Plus, the Aurors will be around soon to check the village after they get done with the Potter cottage."
"S-Sorry." Hagrid sobbed out, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it, "But I c-can't stand it… Lily an' James dead… an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"
"We're not Muggles, dear young Hagrid. Just wizards of a turn color." Ansem said with amusement clear in his voice.
"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found." Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore smiled.
McGonagall was up next as she reached into her own robes, "If we're giving him parting gifts, then he'll need to know our magics. I have a copy of first-year Transfigurations I was planning to have revised at the Ministry, but in all the excitement, I suppose I could just revise another and give Harry a bit of our world to go with him."
With that, McGonagall gave the book to Ansem, who took it in grace. Snape and Hagrid seemed to want to give young Harry something as well as they both began looking for something. Finally, Snape pulled out his wand with a huff and summoned a book to him as he handed it to Ansem as well.
"It's my old Potions text." was all Snape said as Ansem nodded with a smile.
"I know I've got something' 'round hera." Hagrid muttered, going through pockets and taking things out. Finally, he seemed to not be able to find anything good enough to give to infant Harry as he hung his head, "I've got nothing fer 'im…"
"Do not fret, Hagrid. I'm sure you'll have something for young Harry when he returns to us." Dumbledore said, as again the three other-worlders exchanged looks.
"Yer right, Professor." Hagrid said as Sirius stepped up with a small mirror in hand.
"I want Harry to have this." Sirius said as he gave the mirror to Yen Sid, who held it regally, sensing the ancient magic within the item.
Well then, if that is all, we'll be taking young Harry before we're discovered here." Ansem said, a small smile on his face as Dumbledore nodded with a tired sigh.
"Yes, that is all." Dumbledore confirmed as Ansem nodded back.
As they gave Harry gently back to Eraqus, Dumbledore took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the others as they stood a safe distance away. For a full minute they all seemed to be frozen as the four wizards and severe witch stood looking at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, Sirius couldn't stop his tears from falling, Snape merely looked on impassively as his mind grieved Lily's death and now Harry's departure, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.
Ansem coughed, feeling a bit uncomfortable with such a somber mood over them all. Finally, Ansem took out a small device and pressed a button on it's side.
"Mickey, my young friend, we're ready. We're in Godric's Hollow. You should have a lock on us from here." Ansem said into the device before he let go of the button. For a while there was nothing but static came through the device, but after a few minutes, a squeaky mousy voice broke through.
"I read you… Prepping the transport now… Standby…" the mousy voice said as Ansem nodded.
The wait was only five minutes before a twinkle in the sky caught everyone's attention. Looking up, everyone was shocked and amazed to see a column of blue light descend quickly down from the sky and touch down on the street just behind the three aged men.
"Well then, my friends; new and old, this is where we part ways. May we meet again, and until then." Ansem said as he backed away into the column of light where he disappeared.
Yen Sid gave only a curt nodded and as turned from the others and walked into the light, disappearing just as Ansem did.
"As Ansem said, I hope we shall meet again, but on better terms with better news than now. Goodbye for now." Eraqus said, holding young Harry in his arms as he slowly backed away into the light pillar. He and Harry vanished into the light and with them the column of light receded back into the skies above.
"Well…" Dumbledore said finally after a short moment of silence, "That's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the soon to be in full-swing celebrations."
"Yeah…" Hagrid said in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' good care of yer bike, Sirius. G'night, Professor McGonagall, Severus, Sirius, Professor Dumbledore, sir."
Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.
"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said, nodding to her as the witch blew her nose in reply before she, too, disappeared into the night.
Snape and Sirius merely nodded in begrudging acceptance of each other's presence before the apparated away on the spot.
Dumbledore turned and walked down the street. On the corner he stopped, first gazing at the disheveled cottage in the distance, but then up at the stars above.
"Good luck, Harry… and may Kingdom Hearts watch over you for now…" Dumbledore murmured as he turned on his heel, and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.