Harry Potter and the Clone Wars
A Star Wars/Harry Potter Crossover by Leaf Head
Warnings: Character Death, Violence, Mild Language.
A/N: I have a beta-reader now! Mind you, he has four legs and is furry, but pay that no attention! Please welcome to the cast: My dog Jake!
Jake: Woof.
Right you are, Jakey, let's go ahead and start Chapter Two!
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Chapter Two: The Council
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She was there. Standing in front of him, so close he could smell the white rose that rested in her vibrant red hair. "Ginny.." Harry murmured, reaching out a hand and gently brushing a stray lock from her face.
The girl turned swiftly and smiled, a charming grin that only she possessed. Only she held his heart in her hands, only she was capable of causing him to feel these things. Harry's heart fluttered at the sight of her. She looked like angel come down from the heavens above. Ginny wore a long, white gown that reached to her feet and trailed along behind her. It was made of a flowing material that shimmered with her every movement. Her hair was done up in an elegant knot, the rose softly contrasting with her own shade. A few rebellious strands had sneaked out of the knot and were framing her face like a portrait.
Her chest began to rise and fall faster when she saw her love. "Harry.." she said, voice like a soothing balm to Harry's wounded heart.
Suddenly, strong hands took hold of Harry from behind. He was thrown to the ground roughly, while two more men drew up behind Ginny. She cried out in alarm as the mysterious men's hands began to grab at her, reaching, reaching...
She screamed and began to run, shouting, "Harry! Harry! Help me!" Terror struck her young face, fear gripping her heart with its icy cold hands. The unseen adversaries chuckled from the darkness and brandished knives, their silver blades shining wickedly in the dim light. Ginny ran like the wind, but the men were faster then she. They held her down and raised their terrible knives.
Harry struggled ferociously, but was unable to get free. He roared with anger and frustration, but his cries were not heard. It was as if he were a ghost to them now, only able to watch, not act. "Ginny! Run!"
Ginny screamed and tore at her captors, fighting tooth and nail to get free. All the while she screamed, "Harry! Help me! Please, help! Harry!" But Harry didn't- couldn't- come. The men laughed loudly and plunged their blades deep into her pale skin, again and again. Rivulets of blood ran down her arms and legs, staining her lovely dress. The blood seeped into the fabric and began to spread. More wounds were opened by the laughing men. And then... Ginny began to stop screaming. She sank to the ground, sobbing, and slowly died. The men let go their hold and Ginny's body fell back.
Suddenly, Harry was released. He fell over and scrambled to his feet, dashing to his love's side. Her lifeless body lay like a shattered porcelain doll, beautiful even in death. The dress was red with her blood, as was the ground around her. Her face was now sickly white, eyes glazed over and staring into the abyss. Twin streams of blood ran from her mouth.
Harry sank to his knees, grasping for his love's hand. "Oh, Ginny! Ginny!" he cried, unaware of the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. "Stay with me! Don't leave me here!" But there was no reply. Harry bowed his head over her hand, body wracked with sobs.
And suddenly, Harry stood up. He looked into the shadows where the chuckling men lay waiting and glared at them, growling a single word. "Run."
The chase began, with the hunters becoming the hunted. Harry ran after the men, attacking them with everything he had, and finally cornered one in a dark alleyway. He walked up to the man that had finished Ginny and tore off the mask that protected his identity. "Let's see who you really are!" Harry roared, and looked at the man fully.
Then Harry stepped back, staring directly into the eyes of... himself. Harry stumbled backwards and fell back, whispering, "No, no!" He looked at his hands, only to find them soaked in blood... Ginny's blood. The other Harry walked closer, smirking. "Yes." he said, and dozens more Harrys stepped from the shadows, holding knives and other blood-stained weapons out. Harry looked down, into a pool of water, and stared at his reflection. It grinned wickedly back at him. Harry flung back his head and screamed to the heavens, "No!!!"
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Harry sat up, gasping for breath. He was soaked in cold sweat. He stumbled off the bed and fell to the floor, then suddenly realized the truth. "It was a dream... just a dream."
He ran a hand through his drenched hair and sighed. But was it? You know that if it hadn't been for you, Ginny would still be alive. You may not have killed her, but you might as well have. A little voice in Harry's head whispered maliciously. "Shut up!" Harry snapped at it aloud, fumbling for a light switch. He found it and flicked it on, then blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change.
He looked about and found what he needed, a bathroom. Grabbing a convieniant towel off the counter, Harry stepped into the shower stall. As soon as he walked in, water began to flow. It was hot, boiling hot. Harry winced and tried to protect himself, wishing desperately it was cold. And as if by magic, it changed. Freezing cold water began to rain down. Harry muffled a yelp, then realized the water temperature was thought-controlled. After a minute of experimenting, Harry got the water to a comfortable temperature. He stood there and sighed, letting the pounding water massage his aching muscles. Harry suddenly looked down at himself, at the scars left by Voldemort's curses, and was overwhelmed with guilt. The voice in is head whispered softly, hatefully, You deserved them.. After all, you killed everyone close to you.
Shaking his head furiously, Harry stepped out of the shower. The water cut off instantly, not that he noticed. He toweled himself off quickly, mentally arguing with the sneering voice in his head. Spying a fresh change of clothes on the same bench as yesterday and dressing, Harry mused silently that whoever cleaned the rooms worked better, harder, and faster then the house-elves of Hogwarts.
That brought back more unwanted memories and the jeers of the voice. Harry winced and murmured, "I need to clear my head." He looked out the window and saw that the horizon was just barely beginning to lighten. He knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep, so instead he headed out the sliding doors.
Into the large, vacant hallway Harry walked. His footsteps were muffled by a thick, royal blue carpet that covered the center of the hallway. Harry looked about and made mental notes of everything around him as he walked because after all, he didn't want to get lost. However, after an hour or so of wandering, he finally admitted he was lost. He sighed. "Great work, Harry. Brilliant, really." he mumbled.
He was in a large, open room at the top of a staircase. There were two large statues at the foot of the stairs, and beyond them was an empty space that could easily have fitted the Dursley's entire house inside. The royal blue carpeting extended down the stairs and out of the room, presumably to another hallway that looked exactly like the one before. Harry sat down in the middle of the stairway and put his head in his hands.
Suddenly, a loud cry of, "Coming through!" interrupted Harry's train of thought. And before he knew it, he was falling down the stairs, landing on his back, elbow, and shoulder in quick succession. Harry came to rest on his bottom at the foot of the stairs. That wasn't the half of it. A strange boy was sprawled on top of him, having fallen with him. The boy moaned and stood up, rubbing his head.
"Are you alright? I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and-" the boy exclaimed anxiously, reaching a hand out to help Harry up.
"It's okay. Thanks." Harry interrupted quietly, struggling to his feet. He looked at the person who'd ran into him. It was a tall lanky boy that looked to be about his age. He had big feet and hands, like a puppy who hadn't grown into his paws yet. He looked startlingly like Ron. His nose was slightly shorter then Ron's, but his eyes were the same pale blue colour. His face was barely freckled, but the marks were still there. If it wasn't for the hair, this boy and Ron could have been brothers. His hair was dirty blonde and was cut quite short, except for a long, thin braid that hung down the right side of his neck. Harry felt a pang of sorrow at their likeness and managed a weak smile.
"I'm Anakin Skywalker, by the way." The boy said, returning a stronger smile.
Harry nodded and shook Anakin's hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
"Nice to meet you, Harry. So, what are you doing up so early?" Anakin asked, slightly confused by the things Harry had done to his hand. It might have been some greeting ritual he was unaware of, but that was fairly doubtful.
Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I... err... went for a walk and... err.. got lost. And it's not that early. It's only.." Harry checked his watch and inwardly moaned. "7:45."
To Harry's surprise, Anakin let out a groan that rivaled the one he wanted to let loose. "This is just perfect! I'm supposed to escort someone to the Council at eight o'clock, and I have no idea where their room is!"
Harry smiled, thanking Fate for its help. "It seems this is our lucky day. I'm the person you're supposed to be escorting."
Anakin looked up. "Really? That's great! Come on, I know a short cut that can get us there on time!" He beckoned Harry to follow him and began to run. Sighing in defeat, Harry began to run after him, his sore joints aching in protest. They rushed down hall after hall, going a way Harry knew he'd never be able to remember. Turn after turn, they ran seemingly without an end, until finally they reached what appeared to be an elevator made of glass. Anakin walked in and Harry followed, asking the boy semi-anxiously, "So where will this take us?"
Anakin had begun fixing himself up, adjusting his hair and the like. He looked nearly as nervous as Harry felt. "To the chambers where the Jedi Council meet. Use this time to make yourself presentable; appearances matter to them."
Harry did so immeadietly, though nothing could be done to fix his hair. Thanks to James, it would always stick up in the back. "I take it these council members are fairly intimidating?"
Anakin nodded and chuckled under his breath. "You have no idea. Well, you will soon, at least."
The glass doors slid open and they found themselves in a large chamber. Around the edges were large, circular chairs in which sat the strangest beings Harry had yet seen. There was a woman with two tentacles sticking out of her head, a pair of green house elves, a humanoid man with red skin and two down-sweeping horns that framed his disapproving face, a creature with sickly yellow-pink skin and a head that definitely did not follow normal human physiology and a black mask covering its mouth, a creature with a long, thin neck at the end of which was a football-shaped head, and a handful of other humanoid aliens that Harry didn't even want to begin to try comprehending.
Thankfully, Mace Windu also sat among them next to the smaller house elf. He gave Harry a reassuring look that could almost be called a smile.Harry relaxed somewhat, masking the rest of his emotions with skill that came from months of practice.
The house-elf next to Mace nodded to Anakin. "Thank you this council does, young Skywalker, for bringing the boy to us. Return to your master now, you must." the house elf said. It sat up straighter and watched Anakin severely, as if making sure he was leaving. "Knight Kenobi will be waiting for you, yes."
Anakin gave Harry a look as if to say, 'Good luck, you'll need it', and with that he was off. And Harry was alone in this room of strange creatures. He was beckoned closer by the house elf and stepped into the center of the room. Now that he was away from the elevator, he could see out the windows that walled the room. He seemed to be at the top of a tall tower that overlooked the giant city. Harry could see for miles and miles. Why, he could almost see-
"And now we return our discussion to the boy. You, what is your name?" asked a man with a long, pale face and a short white beard.
Harry, somewhat startled, looked at the man and the rest of those in the room. He began to speak, but nervous as he was, his throat was dry from having so many pairs of eyes upon him. Harry cleared his throat and replied, "I'm Harry Potter."
The house elf spoke again. "Harry Potter, hmm? Where be you from, Harry Potter?" It's large, green ears moved up and down in a gesture so like Dobby Harry could have laughed aloud, or cried, if not for the circumstances.
"I'm from...England. On the plant Earth." Harry replied, inwardly reminding himself to be calm.
"Earth... familiar with, I am not." the house elf mused. "And when old as I am, you are, a lot you are familiar with." A twinkle of amusement appeared in the old elf's eye reminiscent of Dumbledore. Harry inwardly moaned that wherever he was, there were far too many familiar things in it.
Suddenly, Harry felt several presences probing into his mind. Like last night, Harry didn't struggle with them. He hid his deepest, darkest memories and things he didn't want others to know about, but otherwise let them have free reign whilst he pretended he had no idea they were monitoring his thoughts.
"So tell me, Potter, why did you come falling through the ceiling yesterday? What were you doing that required you to be using so much of the Force? And while I'm at it, how did you learn so much?" said the man with the tall pink head.
Harry pondered his reply for a moment, then said cautiously, "Where I am from, many people can use.. the Force.. freely," Harry thought those words sounded strange on his tongue, but continued on before the pause became too noticeable, "and we are taught by, err, Masters in schools across the planet. However, a dark lord named Voldemort was using the.. Force for evil. I was one of those in Dumbledore's Army; we were fighting Voldemort and his followers. I finished him off yesterday, but I don't know what happened after that. I don't even know how I got here." There. That was truth enough.
The horned man stared at Harry, piercing him with his gaze. "So what are we supposed to do with him?"
At this point, Mace decided to make himself heard. "I say we train him." This suggestion clearly upset the council. Loud cries of dissent sounded throughout the chamber, with some murmurs of approval making themselves heard in the background.
"Why say you this, Master Windu?" said the larger house elf, its voice much higher than that of the other. Harry immeadietly discerned that this was a female. "I wonder, why suggest this when Skywalker you opposed, hmm? 'Too old is he' said you. 'Unpredictable is he' said you. Now 'To be trained, is this boy', says you. Heh! Seven years older then Skywalker was when he began training, he is, yes."
Mace stood up and began to walk over to Harry, resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "You all feel it as well as I. The Force flows around this boy like water. I have seen inside his mind and felt no wrong intentions from him. This boy has great potential. He has already been trained partway, I say we complete that training." His words echoed throughout the chamber. Mace stared at each and every of the Masters, not backing down from any of them.
Cone-Head, as Harry had begun to think of him somewhat unaffectionately, rested the tips of his long, spider-like fingers together. "The fact remains, Master Windu, that the boy is too old for training. No one would want to take on such an apprentice, especially not at this point in time." He smiled wryly at Mace, argument finished.
"Then you'd leave him to the Sith to take up as their next apprentice?" Mace demanded. No one challenged this; they were far too startled by the ghastly suggestion. "If no one else would take him, I would resign from my position as a Senior Council Member to take Potter on as my own apprentice. I will not let his potential be wasted or put to improper use!"
Harry looked up at Mace, a newfound respect in his young eyes.
The smaller house elf got out of his seat with some difficulty and walked over to the pair, his walking stick tapping the floor loudly. A smile appeared on the elves wrinkled face. "Heh. A long time has it been since a padawan you had. But hold you to your word, I will, Master Windu.Have no doubts about that. Heh."
Cone-Head stood up abruptly. "Master Yoda! You approve of this?"
Yoda, as the house elf was now identified, nodded thoughtfully. "Why should I not, hmm? A good point Master Windu makes. Leave Potter to the Sith, we cannot. Continue what he has learned, we can. Watch him grow, we can. Find him good use as a Jedi in the following years, we will." Yoda chuckled lightly, his bright eyes twinkling. "Watch over you with great enthusiasm, I shall, Padawan Potter. Hmm hmm hmm."
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A/N: Well, what do you think? I cut it off there to end the chapter where I ended the scene. And as requested, I'll explain the spells. NOTE: These are rough translations, so if you get something different, that's your beef.
Proprius Evanui - 'Permanent Disappear'. Voldemort created this spell shortly after Harry's fifth year, at the beginning of the out-and-out war between Dark and Light wizards. He was pleased with the results as whenever he used it, the person he used the spell on promptly disappeared, never to be seen again. He thought that they died. He was wrong.
Ingero Poena - Simply put, 'Inflict Pain'. It's a useful alternative to Crucio.
Incedere - A bad translation. Don't care about what it means, because I was being stupid at the time. It's known as the Cutting Curse, it opens wounds in the body. But because it isn't as bad as other spells, it was added to a list of minor curses.
See that little button in the corner? It's calling you. 'Click me! please, for the love of the Leaf, click me!' :3 Constructive Criticism is much appreciated.