Hey~ update! I want to thank everyone who left reviews and favorited LiM, they really made my day!
Chapter 1: I knew the moment I looked into your eyes
Getting settled into their new home was both easy and hard, Harry reflected on. Easy in that, he had been able to set him and Teddy up in a nice apartment in a neighborhood that was a mix between magicals and mundanes in the know. Hard in that Teddy hadn't taken the move well. Which was an understatement, Harry felt.
Teddy hadn't taken to the move, at all. The tantrums he had thrown, the screams and cries for "Gran!", items breaking from his highly emotional fits of accidental magic. Honestly, Harry was surprised no one had come knocking during one of Teddy's tantrums. It took Teddy time to adjust and adapt to his new surroundings, time to grieve over his Gran no longer being there. Time that Harry let him have, time that Harry wished he had had when he was first orphaned then later on, during the War.
Luckily, Teddy was young and thus could learn Japanese naturally. Unlike Harry who had needed to take a special potion soaked pill that allowed him to soak in any new language spoken around him for a month before he was thoroughly fluent in speaking Japanese now. Writing and reading though, he had to go to classes for that part. He spoke a mix of English and Japanese to Teddy, wanting him to still know his first language for when he was older. Unlike what he had told everyone back in Britain, Harry still spoke Parseltongue because it was a language he had inherited from his dad's side instead of from Voldemort like so many had believed.
This, Harry had found out one day while he had been going through some of the few surviving pieces from Godric's Hollow. Inside a hidden pocket, under all the rumble, he had found a video that showed him and James Potter conversing in Parseltongue when he was around a year old. The shock of hearing his baby speech in hisses and James happy cooes at his baby self, at the pride in his dad's expression. The laughter of Lily Potter, who had apparently been the one taping it. The love in their eyes when she came into view, after setting the camera down and came to cuddle him and his dad.
Harry had sobbed while watching the video. There, physical proof of the love his parents had held for him and each other. The love he had spent so many years believing he had never had growing up with Dursleys. Proof that the "otherness" he had felt growing up, of being darker where everyone in Privet Drive had been pale and light haired, of it being celebrated and loved by his parents. He had found more videos that had somehow survived and they all showed his parents and baby him, being a family and celebrating all sorts of festivals that he hadn't known existed until the Patil twins and their family had taken him under their wing when they had learned the injustice of him not knowing his dad's heritage and culture.
He had learned that "Harry" had been Petunia's attempt at giving him a more "normal" name than the one his parents had given him. Hari, was what his parents had named him. Hari for "lion", for another form of Vishnu. A God who his dad prayed would smile upon his son and give him the protection James had wanted for his child born in the middle of a War. That both his parents had prayed for.
He started to use the correct spelling for his name after that. It felt… right, like he had found something similar to what he believed coming home would feel like. Switching to Hari also made it easier for him in his classes, as well. It still took him time to get used to it, but Hari was proud of how far he had come since the move.
Slowly, Hari and Teddy got into a routine and started to adapt to living in Musutafu. Teddy was enrolled into a nearby daycare, he would go there in the morning while Hari was in classes to help him integrate into Japan. After classes were done, Hari would go pick up Teddy in the early afternoon and bring him home for lunch. Then, they would either go to a park, go exploring around Musutafu, or whatever they decided to do. That would last until early evening, then they would make their way home for dinner.
Teddy would have a babysitter over three times a week, for Hari's evening mundane classes. He was trying to get his credentials as a Healer and teacher to transfer over from England, so that he could start applying for a job instead of having to use his vast funds he had inherited. It was somewhat slow going, but luckily, the people he had set up as his references were helping.
The babysitter was a teenaged girl named Hamasaki Yumiko, she was currently enrolled at Yuuei in the Heroic course. She was a first year and was a very cheerful, happy girl. Her family lived down the road in a small house, and her mother had been the one to recommend her to Hari when she had overheard him talking about how he needed someone to watch Teddy when he had his evening classes.
It all worked out, Teddy loved Yumiko-chan, as she asked them to call her when she first came over. As the oldest in her family, she had experience in watching young children and seemed to think Teddy's "Quirk" cool. Hari had Teddy's more extreme morphs spelled to remain unseen by those not in the known about magicals, instead people thought he had a Quirk that allowed him to change his hair and eyes. Something that Hari was perfectly fine with letting them believe.
Spring turned into Summer, time passed and Hari truly believed that everything was slowly changing for the better. Until the peace he had tried so hard to create for himself and Teddy was torned from him in the worst way possible. It all started on a Wednesday evening, his classes had been cancelled and he suddenly had free time. Thinking that Yumiko-chan deserved a small break, Hari attempted to call her. Getting her voicemail, Hari frowned. Yumiko-chan always answered her phone. Sending her a message next, and seeing no immediate response. Trepidation crawled up his spine, something had happened.
He rushed back home, knocking into others. Calling out apologies, he again tried to call Yumiko-chan. Only to get her voicemail once more. Hari ran into his apartment building, sprinting towards his door. He stumbled to a halt, breath leaving his lungs as he stared at the destruction that was his door.
He stood where is his door used to be, wood shattered from the force of whomever had destroyed it. He bit back his impulsive desires to race in, instead on silent cat-like steps, he slowly made his way into his once safe haven. He looked on, as he saw the broken furniture, the signs of struggles in the rusked up rug and shattered dinnerware.
He took in a shuddering breath. Faded blood reached his senses, he looked harder and found a small droplets heading towards Teddy's bedroom. Heartbeat quickening, he followed it. Only to come up short at the badly injured and unconsious form of Teddy's teenage babysitter, Yumiko-chan. She was heavily bruised and had what seemed to be a broken arm and leg. Her feline ears and tail as well as her hair were matted with dry blood.
Teddy's bedroom door was completely destroyed, his room torn up and ripped to pieces. There was no Teddy.
Hari let out a controlled breath, his temper simpering in the background. First thing's first, he should take care of Yumiko-chan and heal her. Flicking out his wand, he gently lifted her up and brought her out to the living room, he was going to need the room. Setting her gently down on a conjured futon, Hari set to healing her enough.
His time as a Healer came in handy, her breaks were clean and he always had Skele-gro on hand. Her bruises got a cream rubbed on them and he coaxed a blood replenisher down her throat. He wrapped her up in gauze, then used a gentle cleaning charm on her to get rid of the blood.
Next, with just a few flicks of his wand, he had the entire apartment cleaned up and in repair. That taken care of, Hari finally let his temper snap. An inferno of wild magic writhed in the air around his body, letting out all his emotions without destroying anything.
Someone had taken Teddy. Someone had taken Teddy from him. Someone. Had. Fucking. Taken. His. Godson. Hari didn't even bother calling the police or a Hero, they would be too slow. No. This time, Hari would do things his way.
"Point me, Teddy." Hari intoned, wand flat in his palm. His wand spun around, before slowing down and pointing south-west, Hari stared off in that direction, mind working fiercely. That was towards the seedier areas of Musutafu, where the Underground and Villains held territory. His lips tighten in fury, whichever group had taken Teddy was going to learn fear tonight.
"Teddy!" Yumiko-chan had woken up, Hari walked over to the crying girl.
"Yumiko-chan," he started to say to her, only to be cut off by Yumiko-chan.
"Hari-san! I'm so sorry! The- they took Teddy-chan! I tried my best, but I-" she babbled quickly.
Hari gently put a finger over her lips, silencing her. He gave her as kind of an expression as he could. Her ears fluffed up before quickly folding down. Shit. he wasn't mad at her.
"Hey. I'm not mad, Yumiko-chan. I'm not." he told her seriously, cutting her off when she went to say something. "You tried your best. Can you tell me anything about who took Teddy?"
Yumiko-chan still didn't seem to believe him, but she nodded.
"They were Underground criminals, that I know at least. Villains don't bother with this kind of behavior, they prefer to make big scenes that will bring out as many Heroes as possible. I don't know which group they're with, but I saw their symbol on their clothes and tattooed on their left biceps. A blood red skull with five rings of black flames circling it. The leader of the ones who broke in had a Quirk that felt like I was on fire, yet there were no flames. One had a mutation Quirk, his body could turn to stone. Another had a elemental Quirk, I think. And the last could cause cuts with their fingers. That's all I know, Hari-san." she told him quietly, tears still steadily spilling down her face.
Hari carefully looked into her mind as she told him about the criminals, and he saw them in her mind. He took in their features, burned it into his mind. He would find them and their group leader, and he would obliterate them.
"Thank you, Yumiko-chan. I healed you much as I could, do you need help getting to the hospital or to back to your parents?" he told her in a soft tone.
Yumiko-chan shook her head, "Thank you for healing me, Hari-san. I think I just want to go home, if you don't mind."
Hari stood up, helping her stand as well. "I don't mind. I want you to be safe, so I'll walk you home. I'm sorry this happened to you, and I'm thankful that you tried to protect Teddy. When I get him back, safe and sound, I still hope that you'll want to watch him."
Yumiko-chan just nodded, quiet the whole walk back to her parents. It wasn't until he was about to turn away that she spoke up.
"You said 'when', Hari-san. Aren't you going to call the police?" she asked him, eyes wide in her pale face.
Hari gave her a grim look, "No. I'm getting Teddy back personally, the police or Heroes are too slow for this kind of situation."
"That's Vigilantism, though."
Here he gave her an unreadable look, "For people with Quirks, maybe. But I don't have a Quirk and I have my own abilities. Good night, Yumiko-chan."
With that, he was gone. Yumiko-chan stood in her doorway, blinking.
He followed the tracker he had spelled on Teddy, something only he could remove. It took him deeper into the seedier areas. He kept to the darker shadows, hunting. Small time thugs, villains, and criminals scattered as he prowled through, fear chilling down their spines. High tiered Villains and Underground criminals watched him pass by warily, sensing the top predator he was and having better sense to not get in his way.
Still, Hari pressed on, the tracker darkening as he got closer to where Teddy had been taken. A snarl was making its way up his throat, but he held it in. Not yet, soon he promised. Soon, every Villain, Criminal, thug, and in between would know better than to fuck with him and everyone under his protection.
Arriving at a semi-run down building, he slipped in past the unsuspecting guards. Quietly, he made his way through corridors, passing unseen like a ghost. Until he finally heard Teddy crying and deeper voices arguing. He stopped, hidden behind a half wall and watched the scene in front of him.
There, Teddy bound and crying, bruises on his face and body. His clothes torn and splattered with fading blood. His hair was wildly switching between colors and lengths, still too young to have full control his Metamorphmagus abilities. Hari felt his rage rush through his body, but he tamped down on it. Not. Yet.
Loud voices took his attention from Teddy's crying form and he focused on them. Standing a few paces away from Teddy were both the four who had broken in and taken Teddy, as well as at least two dozen others. Arms crossed and displeased, an older man was harshly speaking to the leader of the small quartet. From his bearings and how everyone was deferring to him, Hari took him for the real leader of the group.
"-at were you thinking? No, do not speak, I am not done. Do you know who that boy is? Who his guardian is?! No, no you do not!" the leader was saying.
The quartet looked at each other briefly, "Who cares? He's perfect for our big customer, right? They were looking for someone who could blend in, the brat can do that!" here the leader of the quartet pointed at Teddy who shrunk away.
The group leader glared at them, "That boy is a magical! Not only that, his guardian is the Europeans magical Savior! I know that I told you dumbasses about him."
"No magical can beat us! We're more powerful than those backwards Europeans!" one of the quartet piped up, smug in his believed superiority. The group leader backhanded him harshly, the force of it sending the man back several feet.
"Potter Harry is the most powerful magical in known history! He fucking defeated one of the most powerful Dark Lords ever seen. Do you really believe a man like that would be beaten so easily? We can only pray to the gods that he doesn't find us quickly enough or learn about what happened. And maybe he will be in a merciful mood."
"Too late," Hari drawled from behind them stepping out from the shadows that had hid him from view.
"You took my fucking godson from me. The only mercy you will receive from me is in Death." Hari hissed out, spelling Teddy safe before launching himself into the middle of the panicking criminals.
They didn't stand a chance, for his fury was as all consuming as a dragon's rage. Blood was spilled and lives taken that night. An inferno burst from him, setting the building on fire. Hari didn't care, he was going to make a damn example of the fuckers who had taken Teddy. He was going to become the Undergrounds boogeyman, so that this could never happen.
The leader was the only one alive, kept only barely alive. Just enough to be a warning to the Underground: You fuck with Hari Potter and he will come for you, with vengeance. Hari stepped away from the burning building, Teddy bundled up in his arms.
As he twisted to Side-Apparate, a dark figure descending from above caught his eye. Bright green locked with strained black under yellow goggles, black hair and faded grey bandages flying behind as the figure landed on soft feet. Those eyes widen for a brief moment as Hari finished his twist and appeared in his apartment several heartbeats later. Teddy was safe.
Yes, I absolutely left you at that :p I hope y'all enjoyed it!
