Author's Notes: It's almost New Year's and I haven't written anything in all that time. That's a rather depressing thought. I didn't realize it had been so long but life has been running me ragged. Not as much time to read fanfiction let alone write it but I promise this story will continue.
Harry Potter and the Legendary Keyblade
Chapter 2: British Invasion
The island was so beautiful it was almost heartbreaking. The blue of the ocean was deep and vibrant as it blended slowly into the sky at the horizon line. The clouds that passed overhead were gentle and fluffy as the chugged along silently overhead. The sights of the gorgeous beach, the sea, the sky, and the clouds was completely lost on the young boy that sat atop the old wooden shed. There were signs everywhere of where his parents and his uncle used to play. Green eyes almost greedily devouring the scenery as he burned it into memory. He had little more than a week before he was expected to leave.
"It's not fair..." the boy, Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, Defeater of You-Know-Who, son of two Keyblade Masters, nephew to a third, and godson to a fourth, and in serious need of dropping some titles, sighed heavily. He was turning eleven soon, and even though he knew about Destiny, it still irked him. His parents understood that which is why they told him to take the time he has left to just take in the sights of his home before they left. The sound of running feet broke him from his thoughts.
"Hey Harry!" A young girl with blonde hair called out to him as she came dashing up. Her hair was lightly spiked up with several strands hanging lightly over her forehead with a long braid down her back. Eyes the color of the sea gazed at him cheerfully as she flashed him a brilliant smile. Her outfit consisted of a blue denim dress with brass buttons down the front and left open at about mid thigh for ease of movement. Over that was a denim jacket with sleeves that ended just above her elbows. She wore black leather fingerless gloves on her hands and sturdy looking ankle height shoes. What really drew people's attention was the miniature Buster Sword that rested on her back. How a girl that barely came up to Harry's (admittedly short) height could wear something like that wasn't something he worried about considering who her father was.
Miranda Strife was the only child of Cloud and Aerith Strife. She came from a rather unique household. Cloud just never made a decision about whether he wanted Aerith or Tifa which resulted in quite an upset when the two ladies, tired of the deadlock, simply married the idiot. The logic of it just seemed to escape their friends but it seemed to be working. Miranda was a prime example of that. She had her mother's temperment but her father's gift with oversized weaponry, much to the amusement of friends and family. The ever cheerful girl flashed Harry a peace sign when she noticed that she had his attention.
"Hey Miranda..." The boy replied with a faint smile. She was part of the Crew along with Marvin. The three of them jokingly called themselves "The Three Musketeers" after listening to the stories of the Keyblade Masters even though Miranda didn't wield a Keyblade. With a light kip he threw himself off of the shack and landed easily on his feet. He looked about curiously before looking back to his friend.
"Where's Marvin? Did he come with you?" Harry asked. Miranda shook her head.
"Sorry, Harry, but he had to go back to the castle." The two children stared at their feet for a long moment lost in thought. The blonde, who was incapable of staying quiet for long, looked at her Keyblade wielding friend with a look of challenge.
"Hey...score's still thirty to thirty-four. I can't let you stay that far ahead of me forever!" She called out with a faintly manic smile as she whipped her sword from back with a practiced ease and stood at the ready with her legs spaced apart, right foot pointing forward with her left pointing to the left, sword held in both hands with the blade pointing towards the brunette.
"Are you sure...? Fine then. Winner buys the ice cream!" He responds to her challenge by summoning his Keyblade to his hand. The weapon was simply a giant key with a silver shaft for the "blade" and the gold loop guard with a black handle. He was still too young for Keychains. He stood in almost a mirror of her stance. The two children gazed across the space between them for several long moments. A faint glittering light decended over them, coating them in a special light that prevented serious injury. Parents made sure their children had the charm that allowed it otherwise letting them on an island by themselves would just be moronic.
"GO!" The both roared as the suddenly shot forward with amazing speed, sand spraying out in all directions from the force of their charge, clashing blades heavily. Harry had the edge in speed but Miranda had the edge in strength as she proved by suddenly throwing her shoulder behind the swing and sending opponent rolling away. She went to go for the follow up ground strike but he simply rolled out of the way. His dad always telling him that Dodge Roll was a lifesaver against Cloud. He grinned at her brief look of annoyance. Like father like daughter. The brown-haired boy suddenly vaulted forward as she got her blade back in position, almost too slow, before the Keyblade whistled through the air to strike her in the side. The force of the sudden block vibrating his fingers but knocking her slightly off balance.
They stared at one another once again. Cat green eyes met deep blue as each waited for the minute signal that would start the clash once more. A faint tightening around Miranda's eyes was all the warning that Harry had before her sword came whirling in from the left brutally to the right in a horizontal arc, the faster fighter performed a back bend that would make limbo masters weep in envy before launching himself like a coiled serpent at the blonde. The lightning fast move caught her off guard as she was driven ruthlessly to the sand, Keyblade poised over her throat.
"Yield?" Harry asked cheerfully but his only response was for Miranda to leer evilly at him. His brain suddenly screamed at him to get away as suddenly she threw herself back onto her hands, despite Harry's weight pinning her down, flinging him off of her as she vaulted back to her feet. The brown haired boy found himself flying through the air, not quite agile enough to correct his flight like his dad could, but he didn't hit the ground. A massive ki spike let him know that Miranda was going to be the first to unleash her Limit.
"Hurricane Swing!" She roared as she threw her sword at him with both hands. The massive piece of steel sailed threw the air with a spinning movement that generated a massive pressure wave. Harry groaned as he saw the attack coming, he was buying the ice cream today, as half the island knew when the boom occured sending up a massive geyser of sand. The green eyed child was glad for the damage barrier even if the impact still hurt it could have been a lot worse. He painfully drew himself up onto his hands and knees before flopping into a rough crosslegged sitting position.
"Oh man..." He groaned as he looked over at Miranda. The blonde was down on the ground with her legs splayed loosely beneath her and moaning softly. She looked over at her friend with a sheepish smile.
"Don't tell mom, please?" She begged. She had gotten carried away and let loose a Limit. Since the girl had two mom's it was hard to figure out which one she meant but statements like that gave it away. Tifa was the only one who would be actually upset over that. Harry laughed before nodding causing his friend to look even more relieved. She was already on her feet and walking towards him, hand held out to help the sore lad stand. A soft smile on her face as she looked him over.
"You know what...my treat."
-later at the Paopu Tree-
The sun was setting as the two friends sat side by side on the trunk of the old tree. Just staring out over the ocean as it shed it's fading light out over the water. The ice cream was long gone as were the drinks and the lunch they had bought from the burger stand. Neither one of them had really felt like doing much after their sparring session. The children knew that their time in the sun together was coming to a close and it would never really be like this again. The edge of night was creeping in as the rays of light slowly faded.
Harry was never good with depressing things. There had been so much light and warmth in his life that the cold was almost stifling. A warm hand rested on his, startling him slightly at the sudden contact, before turning his gaze to the girl sitting next to him. The warm smile on her face for a moment robbed him of thought.
"Harry..." Miranda said with a slowly widening smile. "What does your mom always tell you?"
"Uhm...always eat your vegetables...and Uncle Riku is a shameless mooch...?" He looked perplexed by her strangely serious mood.
"No, silly. Our hearts are always connected." It was something that had been adopted by everyone they knew. A single truth that brought comfort no matter how lonely or sad they felt. Harry felt a tear forming, pushing his goggles up on his head, he unashamedly wiped it away. The feel of warm arms wrapping around his shoulders soothed him as he got himself under control. Boys don't cry, at least not in front of other boys, at least according to his uncle.
"Thanks...I guess...our summer days are coming to an end..." He murmured softly as he gazed off at the sky with Miranda beside him.
-Back Home-
If Harry thought he was miserable about the situation then he should have seen his dad. He was getting over it but it was still annoying to him. He had sworn that if he ever had kids they would never have to do the things they had, but here it was. The cold hard truth had been that he couldn't stop Destiny. Maybe put it off, run from it, but you could never stop it. He was currently slouched on the coach with his arms folded, even after all this time the kid that he was still remained. Being a father had mellowed him out but he would never be called a rational adult. He was still somewhat naive, and even he knew, clueless. He chuckled softly as he thought about it.
"Are you okay?" A light voice asked from the doorway to the kitchen. Their home was a simple two story with an attic, a basement, and a wraparound porch. It was a cozy place that the young couple had picked out with rooms for Harry, Sora and Kairi, and Riku as well as any guests who stopped by. Sora reflected on the changes as he looked to the door at his wife of ten years. Kairi, out of all of them, seemed the least changed. Sora matured, Riku regained his inner child, but Kairi remained in almost a stasis, a perfection. Like she was already everything that she ever needed to be.
"Earth to Sora." Kairi teased lightly as she sat next to him on the couch, snuggling up beside him. He smiled slightly before giving her a light kiss on the lips.
"Just thinking..." He said before sniffing slightly. "Hmmm...I could set off the smoke detectors at this rate..." The blue eyed man said with a grin. His wife punched him softly in the shoulder with a smirk on her face.
"So, what now? When Riku's not here you make fun of yourself?" She asks with an arched eyebrow.
"It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it." His wife gave him a sceptical look.
"Is this where you deflect the problem with humor?" Kairi was used to this by now. Whenever Sora was troubled he would attempt to laugh it off. If he tried it with Riku he would get his head beaten in. With Kairi, he knew that the repercussions were far more severe. She let her lower lip tremble just slightly as her eyes moistened just so. "I get it...you just don't want to talk to me..." She said with a soft sigh. Her gaze rested on him just slightly as she said that. Sora looked stricken with remorse. 'Game, set, and match' Kairi thought without even a hint of sympathy for the guilt trip she sent him on.
"No, no, no..." He waved his hands excitedly. "It's just...Harry's leaving soon and it feels like...it feels like he just got here. I'm worried. He's going to a place that is worse then anything we had to deal with when we were his age." Sora confessed as he held his wife close. Kairi nodded from where she rested her head against his shoulder.
"I know. It's so hard knowing that we're sending off on a mission where it will only be him. He'll make friends though. He's got your charisma and Riku's cleverness." She said with a bright smile.
"And your big heart." He replied, nuzzling her hair softly making her giggle softly.
"I meant to ask...where is Riku?" Kairi asked Sora. The brown haired boy looked briefly perplexed before his expression cleared.
"Oh yeah! He said that he was going to try and get Harry some help." Sora said. The young woman looked to her husband in puzzlement. "He didn't tell me how he just said that he was going to 'call in a few favors'. Whatever that means." It was no secret that Riku had contacts that his friends didn't. He was the Dawn. Darkness and light. So sometimes his contacts were the kind of people that Sora didn't meet on his missions. Kairi nodded her head in understanding.
"If anyone could do it then he could." The blue eyed girl said with a faint smile. It was anyone's guess so how he would do such a thing. How could he do what Kairi and Sora had wracked their brains over?
-Knockturn Alley-
One of the seediest parts of the wizarding world was located immediately off of the cleanest. The dychotomy of it caused the silver haired man's lips to quirk in a faint smirk. He was dressed in a long black coat with silver tassles that dangled from the neck for tightening the black hood that was currently settled over his head. The man moved without fear through the street as if he owned everything that he surveyed. It wasn't arrogance it was just the knowledge that there wasn't a single person here capable of harming him. However, Knockturn Alley was not his destination, he was expected at the Leaky Cauldron to meet the only person that could help him. The reason he was here and not there was that dark portals tend to make light wizards reach for their wands.
His attention was caught by a blonde haired man striding with arrogance, self assured by his own power in his own superiority, out of a shop that reeked of malevolent energies. The blonde had his hair slicked back against his skull while the color was almost pale. Riku's lips curled upwards in a feral grimace that could not even be considered a smile. People like him had felt justice at the tip of his Keyblade more times then he could count but this was nephew's Destiny. He shook his head with faint annoyance. Striding away quickly, the man wasn't watching where he was going, causing him to nearly collide with the powerful young man. The blonde stopped to regard him with cold disdain.
"Watch where you are going, oaf." The man spoke with a haughtiness that made Maleficent sound like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
"My apologies." The black garbed man spoke softly before simply walking around the sudden impediment leaving the annoying noble fuming in annoyance. The sudden draw of a wand and the feeling of a hex speeding for his back causing the young man to suddenly spin, striking the curse with his black and white Keyblade, sending the spell flying back at his assailant with enough force to hurl him from his feet. Without even looking back, Riku continued on his way out of Knockturn Alley.
"Pray that you never meet me again." Riku told him in a tone as cold as death itself leaving the people walking by shivering as if a Dementor had passed through. When he made his way out he was relieved. The sun seemed to shine a little brighter here and the general tone was much friendlier as he passed happy families with happy children. The difference was striking. This was what he prefered. Being around his family had spoiled him. Sora, Kairi, and Harry had been his salvation and his refuge. The smile that made it's way onto his face was warm and kind. Some of the shops interested him. Flourish and Blotts, Zonko's Joke Shop, Eeyop's Owl Emporium, Olivander's Wands, and the atmosphere just made him want to wander aimlessly like a tourist. Gringott's Bank was an impressive edifice that radiated with magic from all the wards that were placed on it.
The Leaky Cauldron by comparison was crowded and cramped as there seemed to be just about the same amount of people inside as there were in Diagon Alley. He briefly felt stifled but the sensation passed as he nodded politely at the bartender. The old man looked faintly surprised before returning the nod.
"Can I get you something, sir?" the old man asked as Riku got closer.
"I'm here to meet with an Albus Dumbledore." Riku wasn't surprised when the host looked briefly startled before giving a full smile and pointing to a table off to the side. The silver haired man grinned as he gave his thanks before making his way across the crowded room to the table that he hadn't noticed before. The old wizard must be powerful to fool someone as perceptive as him. The kindly looking old wizard stood up as Riku approached. The riotous colors of the man's robes nearly made Riku wince but he pressed on regardless.
"Ah! It is a pleasure to meet, Mr. Riku." The greatest wizard in Britain said with much enthusiasm, his blue eyes twinkling briefly dazzling the silver haired man. The feeling he got from the old man was that of power and compassion, a great heart and great courage. Riku briefly wondered if Sora would turn out like this and nearly laughed at the image of Dumbledore with a Keyblade. With a surprising effort he got himself under control. He took the old wizard's hand and gave it a warm clasp as if greeting an old friend.
"It's just Riku, sir." He responded. Albus waved his hand to indicate for him to sit down. Old Tom brought a fresh pot of tea offer and warm biscuits.
"Then please call me Albus. It is not often I find myself surprised and intrigued." Albus said with his eyes twinkling once more causing the Dawn Wielder to almost have a laughing fit. Those youthful eyes reminding him of Sora so much it was uncanny. "After all, I have merely heard about Keyblade Masters, but I never got a chance to meet one."
"Well then Albus, I'm not one for long talks and all that, so I would like to get to the point." Riku said after he had taken a moment to prepare his tea and enjoy it much as the headmaster of Hogwarts was doing. Sora could chatter away about nothing for hours but Riku rarely had that patience.
"Of course. This is about Harry, isn't it?" Albus asked after he had taken a sip of his tea. His companion nodded his head.
"We are concerned about him. We have been training him independently but the problem is that he only knows his friends and family. He's been growing more depressed with the idea of leaving home and I was hoping we might be able to come up with a solution." Left unsaid was that he would strongly advise Albus to listen to him. The old wizard nodded his head in understanding.
"Yes, he has been raised quite far from here, hasn't he? I would not want him to feel as if he was trapped. What would you recommend to make him feel comfortable?" his companion seemed to think about it before snapping his fingers decisively.
"I think I have the solution." As Riku mentioned his idea, the old wizard nodded his head slowly. It would kill two birds with one stone. Make Harry feel more comfortable and give him some much needed backup for when Destiny came calling. Which for poor Harry would happen sooner then he expected.
-The Day Before Departure-
Harry was not looking forward to tomorrow. The day had arrived so fast he couldn't even wrap his head around it. He was just walking around the island with his pal Marvin. The young prince was just as irritated by all of this as his 'brother'. The son of King Mickey and Queen Minnie wore a pair of simple red pants, yellow shoes, and white t-shirt with a red shirt underneath it. When he left the castle he always threw on his most comfortable clothes.
"Geez...hard to believe, huh? You get to go on your first mission and I'm stuck here!" and that was what the prince was annoyed about. Harry got his first mission before him. They were close rivals, tied at fifty to fifty in their bouts with nearly as many draws. They had already gotten into it earlier when Miranda was there. The blonde haired girl actually got annoyed that all Marvin wanted to do was spar the day away and said she had 'better things to do' and left.
"Hey, I know! You could take my place! No one would be able to tell the difference...they'd just assume I gained a cheese fetish." Harry commented idly leaving his pal to gape at him in shock.
"Oh yeah? How about the fact you look like an aviator who lost his plane?" Marvin shot back causing his buddy to laugh. "Oh yeah, yuck it up, and I'll make sure to tell Launchpad you want another crack at the simulator." The green eyed boy stared at the mouse prince in stunned horror.
"L-Launchpad...McQuack...? The guy who CRASHED the simulator?" Flying lessons from that guy would be cruel beyong belief.
"I could see it now...he's so impressed with your amazing lack of reflexes that you sends you out into space in a Gummy Ship he designed..." Marvin trails off as suddenly Harry is on him, Keyblade swinging in a wide arc. The mouse grins wildly as he swings his own Keyblade up to block. That would get Harry's head out of his funk. A nice, relaxing spar.
The two friends were little more then blurs as they shot about the sand with a wild abandon that would stun spectators except to their peers. For the rest of the island this was actually fairly normal. They were nowhere near the speeds that their parents could reach. With everything that Harry had been going through he could honestly admit how much he needed this. Marvin grinned as he could practically hear his friend's thoughts. There was one person nearby that was not thrilled about having their last day together dominated by a massive sparring match. Miranda had come back and was currently sitting up on Harry's thinking spot watching her two best friends going at it. When she sparred with Marvin or with Harry it was fun, but somehow when those two went at it she was unnerved. Watching blows being traded with reckless abandon, she just shook her head. Once again it was a close match. Without warning the two boys started glowing. She groaned as she knew what was happening. Their competitive natures were clashing as Marvin was enveloped in gold and Harry was enveloped in red.
"Lovely..." She sighed as she hopped down from the shed and got ready to fish them out of the ocean again. They were off fighting by the Paopu Tree so there was a lot of water to fall into.
Harry stared across the arena at his opponent. Marvin staring back with an equal intensity. They compressed their energies as they had been taught to.
"This is it..." Harry said. "The finishing blow..." Marvin continued. The two friends suddenly yelled as they shot across the intervening space. "Sonic Rush!" they cried out simultaneously as they struck headlong and rebounded with stunning force sending them sailing off into the water in different directions. Since Marvin was close to shore, the blonde ignored him in favor of fishing Harry out of the drink.
"Whoa...ahhhh...MAN!" Marvin howled suddenly leaving a wet Harry and an equally wet Miranda to stare at him strangely. "Now it's fifty draws! FIFTY!" He fell back, gasping for air, and beating the sand with his fists. His friends simply stared before collapsing to the sand, laughing so hard they were crying. The prince tried to hold onto his irritation, but hearing his friends laughing so hard without that thread of sadness that had present for the past week, had him laughing as well. The three of them just lay on the sand, basking in the glow of the sun. Miranda impulsively grabbing both their hands and holding them as she lay between them. It was unsure how long they had laid there until they were disturbed by a shadow hovering overhead. A loud hoot getting their attention.
"Oh! Hedwig!" Harry noticed his owl approaching, a gift from his Uncle Riku, as she seemed to be leading a moogle. The purple moogle looked ludicrous with that enormous sachel making rumors of moogles wielding spears sound plausible.
"Kupo! Special delivery!" The moogle hit the sand with a light thump before digging through his satchel. Hedwig looking at the moogle as if he were a rival (in a way he was). The three children were sitting up looking at the moogle curiously before he extracted an envelope. The envelope was green and appeared to be made of parchment causing Harry's eyes to widen. Without fanfare the moogle handed the letter to a surprised Miranda before bowing, his pom pom bouncing wildly as the moogle took off to finish his rounds. "Mognet for all your mail carrier needs!" He cried out leaving Hedwig to huff.
"Preck!" She barked causing Marvin to laugh again. His gift was understanding animals. Judging by his laughter, Harry suspected it was something dirty and didn't want to know. The only one being silent was Miranda who had torn the seal and was staring at the letter in her hands in trepidation. She finally set the letter down in her lap. When it looked like she wasn't answering, Harry poked her shoulder.
"Well?" He asked. She showed him the letter. It read 'To Miranda Strife, Beach at Destiny Islands'. His eyes skimmed the letter before returning to his blonde friend.
"You're...going to Hogwarts!" Harry exclaimed with a happy grin that Miranda returned. They both looked to Marvin who was staring in shock at the both of them. Just when they thought he must have been upset he gave them both a tackle hug that knocked them back to the sand.
"Our hearts are connected." The three of them said to one another. There were cheesy grins on their faces but there was a sadness in their eyes. This was the end of those peaceful summer days. Things would never be the same again, but they put on their bravest faces. They made promises that they would write and they would see each other on holidays but they knew it wouldn't be the same. For now, they were just children rolling around of the beach. Horse playing and running through the surf. Chasing Hedwig, which due to Glide was entirely possible, and High Jump.
The Wizarding World slept on that night, never suspecting that their comfortable and normal lives were about to come to a screaming end at the hands of two children.
Chapter End
Author's Notes: Well I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I had to introduce an OC since there was a definite change in events. Feel free to tell me what you think of her, but she stays regardless. I'm also not trying to write a romance either, they're eleven for crying out loud. Love it, hate it, I'm still going to write it. Happy New Year!