Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Harry Potter, W.I.T.C.H., Final Fantasy 7, Final fantasy 7 Advent Children, Code Lyoko, American Dragon Jake Long, Life and Times of Juniper Lee, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ben 10, Shadowrun RPG, Starship Troopers RPG, Dungeons and Dragons RPG, various D20 sources, any of the characters therein, or whatever else the reader may recognize as coming from a TV show, movie, book, video game, comic book, music video, or any other role playing game. This story is an uber crossover. I am writing this story for other peoples enjoyment, and to rid myself of this creative pinball that has been bouncing around in my head for over three months. So please don't sue me, I have no money anyway. Oh by the way, its also a self insert. So if you don't like it, BUGGER OFF YOU RUDDY WANKERS!
Warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions of torture, mutilation, intense violence, intense language, and maybe some sexuality, I have not decided yet. So for safety's sake, this fic is rated M.
Authers Note: Okay, just about all the characters that I'll be bringing in from other series will be in the fifteen to sixteen year old range. This means that Will is old enough for Harry to be interested in her. This is also so that I can pair up other odd pairings that I believe would work well. I intend to have a whole lot of fun with this.
Thunderstruck: Chapter 2
For a prisoner of Azkaban, the concept of time held little meaning, if any at all. Minutes blended into hours. Hours blended into days. Days blended into weeks. And so on, and so on. Since Harry had no clock or watch (had no eyes to see it anyway but never mind that), the only way he had to tell how long he had been here was the number of times he had been fed. Though he knew that the guards had not exactly been diligent in their duties anyway. The most humiliating aspect of it though was the fact that the guards actually had to hand feed him as Harry's remaining arm was completely useless anyway. The guards seemed to enjoy the fact that Harry was unable to help himself in the slightest way. They would often deliberatly "drop" whatever it was that they were feeding him. At other times, they would place the plate right next to him and just walk off, laughing all the way. He really hated it when they laughed.
Harry sighed, annoyed. He could smell the "food" sitting next to him. Of course, food was a word that could only be loosely applied to the slop the always gave him. Old putrid meat, hard bread, soggy vegetables. He was barely able to survive on this crap! At least the Dursleys had fed him with high quality food, even if they never gave him a whole hell of a lot of it. Strange, he almost missed them. Almost. He still had nightmares about the beatings he had once received at their hands. Especially the last ones. The Orders plan to scare the Dursleys had backfired horribly. Everything he had endured from them in the past had seemed minor by comparison. Vernon was, of course, the worst. Fortunately, Harry had sent Hedwig to live with Hermione for the summer a few days into his "Holidays". Vernon had threatened to kill her if Harry told anyone about the way they treated the freak. Petunia had even gotten into the act. Instead of merely yelling at him, she had taken to hitting him at every opportunity for any reason, real or imagined.
As he contemplated these increasingly dark thoughts, an odd feeling came over him. A strange tickling sensation in the back of his mind that was both soothing and uplifting at the same time. It was a feeling of complete peace and contentment. 'Hmph, long time since I felt like this', he thought. Strangly, he could not help doing the one thing that no prisoner had ever done while in Azkaban. Harry smiled. Why was he smiling? He doubted he could have found an answer if he was asked. All that he knew was that he had the sudden feeling that things were about to get substantially better. Was he finally going mad? Then, he heard it.
"Harry ... Harry."
Yep. He knew it. He'd finally snapped. A voice in his head. One of the classic symptoms of insanity.
Suddenly, the tickling sensation intensified a thousand fold. As his head jerked back in surprise, Harry was startled to find that he was no longer in his filthy cell. Instead, he found himself in the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Immediately, Harry was struck by the feeling of being in a great cathedral. There was something so solemn, so reverant and holy about the place's aura that made him feel that sadness was almost impossible here. The architecture was strangely etherial and distinct. He had never seen anything to rival the dignity and sheer majesty of this grand place. Stepping closer to a column he was near revealed sculpted reliefs and scenesof angelic women, seated monks of various unidentifiable species, and great battles against unnamed evils. Looking around, Harry realized that there were no unadorned surfaces in sight.The floor was tiled seemingly with jewels. Instead of seeming gaudy, it made him think of standing in a field of the loveliest flowers imaginable. The columns were magnificient. The walls were incredible. The buttresses were exquisite. The windows...
" What the Hell !"
Slowly stepping closer to the window, Harry stared outside dumbfounded. There was nothing out there! Nothing but an endless blue sky and thousands of cotton-like white clouds. How was this possible? Even with magic, this place should have had something to stand on. Well, he had to admit, it was a beautifull affect. Totally captivated by view, he was unaware of his summoner's approach.
" Hello, Harry."
Harry whipped around so fast, he was momentarily afraid of whiplash. He found himself face to smiling face with one of the strangest people he had ever met. At first glance, it appeared to be a young man, say, early to mid twenties garbed in odd but simple monk's robes. He was completely bald, and had a strange tatoo on the right side of his head. He had a small triangular goatee and very thin eyebrows. As Harry looked closer, he noticed the man's bright, gentle eyes. They were almost hypnotic, conveying a feeling of complete faith and trust in whomsoever he was looking at. They contained a simple, yet vast wisdom that Harry knew surpassed Dumbledore, as a hundred year old man would surpass a three year old.
"W-where am I? Who the hell are you!" Harry stammered, confused.
"I am the Oracle of Candracar. And this,"he said,gesturing at their surroundings," is Candracar. Though truly, this is only a psychic representation of Candracar. You never left your cell. I summoned your subconscience mind here so that we could converse. We are speaking to each other telepathically."
"What? Thats odd. Pro- um, Snape said that mind-reading was a foolish muggle concept."
"Yet you know quite well that Severus Snape of all people, is not infallable. The wizards of your world appear to believe that anything they themselves cannot achieve, must be impossible for everyone. There are so many more ways to achieve one's desired goals than by merely using magic. How else can you explain the fact that you can now see? Or the fact that you have regained the use of your limbs?"
Harry was surprised to find that the Oracle was correct. In his fascination with his surroundings he had completely failed to notice that he could see once again and even had his left arm back.
"Please come sit with me," the Oracle continued, leading Harry to a large window seat. "We have a great deal to discuss today. Before we continue, however, you must know that I am completely aware of your innocence. I must say that I am highly dissapointed in the Earth's wizarding population as a whole. I have watched all of your struggles, from your abuse at the hands of the Dursleys to your so-called trial and subsequent imprisonment. I have rarely seen a more selfless and generous person from any world. You can rightly believe that your parents would have been proud of the man you have become. I say man because that is what you are. You have, through no fault of your own, been forced to grow up and assume the mantle of adulthood far sooner than you should ever have had to." Here, the Oracle paused to gently grip Harry on the shoulder. "Now I believe that we must return to business. I am very afraid that your war against Voldemort has far more severe connotations than even Albus Dumbledore is aware of. What I am about to tell you is without a doubt one of the strangest tales you will ever hear within your lifetime. Yet you must believe that it is true. Otherwise, all life on this world is doomed."
For the next three hours, Harry learned all about the history of Candracar and the story of Jenova. Aghast, Harry didn't know what to think. After all, it wasn't every day that you were brought to the very center of infinity and told that you were descended from two of the greatest heroes (Cloud and Tifa) to have ever existed. It filled him with such a huge sense of pride. What were the chances? It was almost like the Lord of the Rings. A great fellowship of friends had come together, fought against all odds, and had finally saved the world. It was perhaps a bit cliche, but hey, it never fails to make for a great story. Yet, as the story continued, he began to feel a nearly overwhelming sense of despair. How could he deal with this new responsibility? With what few friends he had left cut off from him and under house arrest, how could he honestly be expected to be able to make a difference? Never mind for a moment the fact that he was effectively crippled, unable to even feed himself. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more depressed and angry he became.
"So what your saying, is that unless I find a way to finally stop Riddle, all life on Earth will be completely destroyed. And then he, as Sepheroth, will use the Earth as a vessel to travel to another world to repeat the process all over again. HOW! How am I supposed to do anything while imprisoned, blind, crippled, and about to be executed? Lets face it. I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family, not my friends, nobody."
( Okay, I just had to have that line in my fic. It's just to good not to. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, go watch Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.)
The Oracle sighed and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder reassuringly.
"Harry, you will not be alone in this. My disciples, the Guardians of the Veil are recruiting a force of young heroes and their mentors. They possess skills and abilities far beyond anything the wizarding world has ever come across. Not only alternative forms of magic, but also psychic powers, technical skills, martial arts, and pure genius. Using these abilities, we plan to free you on the very day of your execution. It is the only day you will be outside of Azkaban's wards. Afterwards, you will be taken to an extremely safe location where your wounds will be healed. Trust me when I say that you will be more powerfull than ever before, even without your magic. I will not say how just yet, but you shall be. Now, I am afraid that our time together has come to a close. When next we meet, you will be a free man and leader of an extremely elite force. Think of your friends and all those you wish to protect. They will give you strength in the days to come. Farewell, for now, my young friend."
With these parting words, Harry's world spun, and he once again found himself blind and unable to move. The musty, rank odor of the prison hit him like a reductor curse to the balls. After the wonderfully sacred feeling of Candracar, it was such a let down to be back in this hell hole. Shaking these irrelivent thoughts from his mind, Harry began to think over his conversation with the Oracle. It was such a huge revelation. Never before had he even thought about such things in any great detail. Other worlds, other universes, it was so incredible. For some strange reason, he just couldn't doubt his sanity. It was simply to strange for his mind to have made it up as a feverish hallucination. He simply knew it was true. Harry grinned wide. If the Oracle was correct, he would soon have more friends than he would know what to do with. Real friends. Ones that would't turn on him for fame, profit, or popularity. Harry couldn't wait to meet them.
He soon found himself singing softly. It was a song he had first heard when Dudley was having a party in the Dursley's backyard. The sterio had been going full blast and he could hear it from Dudley's "second bedroom". The song was by an American band called AC/DC. For some strange reason, Harry had never forgotten it. It had almost become his personal anthem. No matter how bad his day had been, it always made him feel better, like there was nothing he couldn't do. The song was called "Thunderstruck".
(Thunder) (x10)
I was caught
In the middle of a railroad track (Thunder)
I looked around
And I knew there was no turning back (Thunder)
My mind raced
And I thought what could I do (Thunder)
And I knew
There was no help, no help from you (Thunder)
Sound of the drums
Beatin' in my heart
The thunder of guns
tore me apart
You've been - Thunderstruck
Rode down the highway
Broke the limit, we hit the town
Went down to Texas, yeah Texas
And we had some fun
We met some girls
Some dancers who gave a good time
Broke all the rules, played all the fools
Yeah, yeah. they, they, they blew our minds
I was shakin' at the knees
Could I come again please?
Yeah the ladies were too kind
You've been - thunderstruck, thunderstruck
Yeah yeah yeah, thunderstruck
Yeah
Oh, thunderstruck, yeah
Now we're shaking at the knees
Could I come again please?
Thunderstruck, thunderstruck
Yeah yeah yeah, thunderstruck
Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah
Said yeah, it's alright
We're doing fine
Yeah, its alright
We're doing fine
(So fine)
Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah
Thunderstruck, thunderstruck, thunderstruck
Woah baby, baby, Thunderstruck
You've been thunderstruck, thunderstruck
Thunderstruck, thunderstruck, thunderstruck
You've been thunderstruck
The guard heard the sounds of his singing a few cells away as he made his rounds. He was about to yell at Harry to shut up, when a shiver ran down his spine. For some strange reason, disturbing Harry Potter right now seemed like very bad idea. There was something about the way he was singing that completely terrified the guard. The sound of the word "Thunderstruck" seemed very ominous. Without a backwards glance, the guard abandoned his rounds and walked hastely away.
Authors Note: Okay, that's it for chapter two. Yes, I am very much an AC/DC fan. Every time I hear Thunderstruck, I think that it would make a pretty good theme song for Harry. Maybe I should have a continuing music theme. Each of the characters would have a song or collection of songs to sum up how they react to certain situations. Like getting new clothes and having ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" playing in the background. Oh well. Just a thought. Well, I have to thank Ying-Darkness, BubblegumTuna, and Moon-Freak00 for reviewing my first chapter. You have given me the courage to continue to walk into the dragon's den of finiky fanfic readers.