"Oh, it's you." Leia said, decked out in camouflage BDU's and helmet that reminded him greatly of what quidditch head gear had evolved into before the sport was disbanded, along with pretty much everything else on Earth.
"Nice to see you too Princess." He responded dryly, walking up the ramp of the Lambda class shuttle and past where she was standing. The majority of the strike team was already there, doing some last minute weapons checks and simply chatting away excitedly. He picked an empty spot near the front of the cargo compartment, next to the Cockpit hatch.
She followed, seating herself across from him. "Are you going to be a team player or just do what you did on Tatooine?" she asked, sounding like a mother berating her child.
Potter ignored her, instead watching Solo say something to Lando. They faced the old rust bucket parked next to the shuttle. with.
"What do you think?" he absently responded. Han came up the ramp before things could escalate.
"Did you just offer Calrissian the Falcon for his mission?" Harry asked, really hoping the answer would be 'no'.
"Yeah, why?"
Harry muttered a few English obscenities. "I spent two hours on his X-Wing making sure the bloke comes back in one piece." Harry then actually turned to C3PO and asked; "Oi three-pee-oh, how much have Lando's chances of survival just dropped?"
The number was high, in the low eighties.
Han stormed into the cockpit, looking furious. Leia had of course overheard the discussion and felt the need to pipe in.
"Is this how it's going to be the entire mission? Because you seem to be having a negative impact from where I'm sitting."
"Is it an eighty-two percent impact?" he snarked back, repeating the number the droid had cheerfully provided. "I've been trying to help our friend, and even you agree that the Falcon doesn't belong in a warzone, yet alone spearheading the assault into the very bowels of the Death Star."
Screw it, he was done playing nice and she needed to be set straight.
"But if you're worried about your man's emotional disposition I can hit him with a cheering charm or three." He added going for the below the belt shot.
"You're unbelievable. I can't fathom why Mon would select you for this mission."
Harry leaned forward, eyes blazing. "That's the thing, I'm not on the same mission. I was tasked with ensuring your success. Solo has no command authority over me. Now what does that tell you about Mothma's faith for this particular endeavour, hmm?"
The other members of the ground team looked like they'd rather be locked in hand to hand combat with Vader himself than be here. Potter actually noticed and cast a quick and sloppy muffliato around the pair.
"And one more thing, Princess. In addition to making sure that shield goes down I now need to make sure your tight little arse doesn't get shot up in the process. So really, it's you who's having a negative impact on my mission by being here."
And that was the last straw. She leaned across and slapped him, hard. Leia had tears in her eyes. Harry didn't move, didn't break eye contact. With a deep, shaky breath he leaned back and closed his eyes.
She moved towards the cockpit, leaving him to deal with the Alliance infantry he'd just inadvertently demoralized. Many simply stared ahead, their faces betraying no emotions.
He waited for a moment longer to gather his thoughts before dropping the charm, figuring he should at least say something. Rising he cleared his throat; "I don't know how much you overheard, but I have no intention of undermining your confidence in your skills, training and accomplishments."
He easily slipped back into the role he'd been thrust into back when he was fifteen, training a band of kids in a hidden room on the sixth floor of a Scottish Castle.
"You've been handpicked for this mission, and I have faith that you will be able to deliver. You've faced longer odds than this before. My job is to simply make sure as many of you stay alive to return to your families.
I am not here to babysit you. I am not here to jockey for position with your superior officer.
I AM here to help, using whatever means at my disposal. So feel free to approach me for any reason should you feel the need."
Most nodded, and a few gave him appreciative smiles. He sat back down, performing some much needed Occlumency exercises to focus his mind on the upcoming mission.
He could certainly do without the drama, that's for sure.
They all felt the transition from space to atmospheric flight when the shuttle began to shake around, buffeted by winds. Shoulders bumped as bodies were jostled around. Solo must have turned off the artificial gravity at some point because the familiar weight he was used to just disappeared, replaced by the watered down pull from the smaller moon the shuttle was heading towards.
He started becoming restless despite the mental exercises. So he stood, nearly slamming into the ceiling when muscles with years of just knowing how much force to exert to stand completely overdid it. The awkward looking move had a few of the more seasoned Rebels chuckling.
Of course they'd be used to the differences', he thought wryly. The commandos joined him after sensing that all forward movement had ceased, and with a final jolt the craft set down. He knew roughly where they were in relation to the Shield facility, but seeing the dense, thick forest from the ground was a novel thing considering his last three planets had been Ice, Desert and Desert in that order.
Heck, he was happy simply to see trees again!
Two squads of six exited the craft first, blasters raised. They fanned out, securing the initial perimeter around the landing site with silent precision, communicating with hand movements that looked familiar but were different from the stuff the British muggles had taught him a lifetime ago. Harry and the others left last.
"If you knew you were coming down here at least you could have put on something that blends in." Solo muttered, referring to his usual attire.
Harry wanted to point out that they had a shiny GOLDEN droid with them, but instead he simply tapped his head with his wand and melted from sight. From their point of view only a very faint shimmering outline could be seen, and after a second the crunching of dry twigs under his boots ceased as well.
"Show off" Han muttered, before loudly setting off towards their first NAV marker.
oOo
After the first thirty minutes of scouting ahead through uncooperative terrain that made his botanical field trips with Neville look like an afternoon stroll Harry decided enough was enough and pulled out an old Nimbus 2001. He'd only recently found this gem in one of the unsorted trunks full of items he'd filled from the Gringotts vaults. It beat the old ZIL in every way, but right now the new broom's best feature was it's cushioning charms.
He flew lazy figure eights over the group as the ground pounders fought their way through the dense underbrush. More often than not the thirty foot diameter trees that grew here would force them to take an unexpected detour when one of them would inevitably fell over from wind, age or disease. Their corpses were like giant walls. One couldn't just climb over top.
This went on for some hours until Harry spotted the very bright, very visible white Armour of a Stormtrooper. The helmet was a bit off, meaning this was the scout variant General Nadine had mentioned.
"Potter to Solo, I see two Scout troopers approximately five hundred meters northeast of your current location. Advise you to stick on this side of the ridge and cut to the left a few clicks further down your current heading."
There was a short pause before his radio crackled. "Acknowledged."
Harry expected them to circumvent the stationary patrol as advised but instead Han decided to take them on. The Wizard had scouted ahead but grew concerned when they didn't catch up. He managed to double back in time to witness a spectacular display of idiocy as the Smuggler attempted to sneak up on the first Scout Trooper, only to step on a twig that snapped so loud he was sure Palpatine heard it up in his Bloody Space Station.
They grappled, blasters discharging randomly before Solo overpowered the Trooper. Harry muttered a slew of obscenities as the strike team opened fire and took down the second Imp, who'd attempted to flee.
As luck would have it(or in this case didn't) a large tree had hidden another patrol from his sight, and they took off, having witnessed the botched ambush.
Leia and Luke gave chase on the remaining bike, forcing him to follow. He kept his altitude around thirty feet to avoid most of the undergrowth that the Hover bike riders down below would have to watch out for while remaining low enough to not have to dodge the lowest hanging tree limbs.
The bikes he noted were amazingly quick, nearly as fast as the Nimbus's top speed in a straight line.
Despite the bad situation he couldn't help but grin. The brief flight on Tatooine whet his appetite for broom flying and right now was the most fun he'd had in a good long while.
Luke jumped from one bike to another, commandeering it and sending its rider slamming upside down and back first into a tree. The guy was dead before he hit the ground.
Leia's bike took fire and she was forced to bail, though he didn't witness this because he was busy firing Reducto's at the Scout Trooper chasing the Luke. A last second maneuver ten seconds earlier around a particularly large tree had cemented his route closer to Luke than Leia.
"Hey, where's Leia?" the Jedi asked the now visible wizard, who was stationary ten feet above the ground. Harry looked around, realizing he'd lost her in the heat of the moment.
"Bugger me, Winter is going to skin me alive." He muttered before turning to Luke. "Head back to the group. I'll find her." He took off and starting to fly in an ever growing spiral from where they'd taken out the last Scout.
Twenty minutes later found him hovering in the middle of god only knew where, a powerful audio sensory amplification charm cast on himself. His eyes were closed to further focus on the multitude of different noises reaching him.
The forest was not a quiet place, with everything from animals scurrying around to birds cawing distracting him from what he really wanted to hear. Off to his left he recognized the ground force working their way East towards the Shield Deflection Dish.
That Quaresh guy was way too loud, and besides that, his stories sucked!
The sound of a loud blaster shot reached him, coming from somewhere to his rear. Cancelling the charm he accelerated off in the rough direction of the shot, keeping his eyes peeled.
A second shot rang out, giving him the opportunity to narrow down the search area further.
He found Leia just as an Imperial Scout grabbed her gun, having gotten the jump on her. Harry stunned the man, and from twenty feet in the air found and tagged the other white-clad figure behind a thick row of shrubs.
"You all right?" he asked, lifting the disillusionment charm when she looked around frantically.
She visibly relaxed, realizing it was Harry. "Yeah." She answered, before adding; "Thanks, I guess."
"Don't mention it." He held the broom upright in his off casting hand and wand in the other. "Are you injured?" he added when she began to massage her back.
"I'm fine, just hit the ground a little harder than I'd have liked." He simply nodded, figuring she didn't want him to have a look. She noticed the larger than normal stick in his hand. "Is that a broom? Why are you carrying it around?"
Harry smirked. "It's my flying machine." Leia didn't know whether to believe him or not, because every time she didn't it turned out he was telling the truth.
Actually, telling the truth was one thing Harry had always done, no matter what.
A rustle from the undergrowth brought his wand around while instinctively placing himself between the potential threat and Leia, a brilliant bluish white shield visible.
An ugly furry face popped from the bushes.
"Woah, what's with the Teddy Bear?" he asked, realizing the threat was three feet tall and fluffy.
"Teddy Bear?" she repeated. He shrugged. "Stuffed animal Earth children liked to cuddle with during bed time."
She nodded in understanding. "It must be an indigenous species. They're primitive, but have excellent situational awareness. This one warned me of the Scout Troopers before they shot at me."
The little creature held a spear with a crude rock tip, and wore some sort of leather head gear. Not all that primitive if they had stone tools and could tan animal skins. In another few thousand years these guys might be where Earth's humanity was before the big freeze.
"Can you get us back to the main group?" Leia asked, drawing his attention from…it. Harry nodded. "I can, but if I were a betting man I'd say Han and Luke are out looking for you."
"So you think we should stay here then?"
He shrugged. "Either we wait until they find us, or we link up with the rest of the assault team and hope they show up before this party kicks off."
She shook her head at his odd choice of words, but couldn't fault the logic in his reasoning.
The little Teddy bear meanwhile was chatting up a storm, and tugging on Leia's pant leg in an effort to get her to follow.
He shrugged when she quizzically looked at him, basically saying; 'why not'.
The walked, led by their new guide. Every once in a while Harry would transfigure a rotten log or moss covered rock into an directional marker pointing the way they were headed.
He didn't put much juice into those spells, figuring they would revert back in a few days or so. Plenty of time for the others to see and act upon them. If they didn't? Well, they'd have bigger issues by then.
An hour later the unlikely trio found themselves looking up. Way up. A wooden elevator was lowered, meaning the little critters also knew how pulleys worked. The platform looked stable enough, supported by thick ropes.
He mentally recalled Riddle's flying charm in case they ended up plummeting to their deaths. He'd since shrunk and stowed the broom, and depending on when the rope let go during their accent he likely wouldn't have time to grab it again.
Those tree houses were bloody brilliant though.
Harry took his previous statement about their level of advancement back later that night. Those little idiots were worshipping the translation droid and had Solo, Luke and Chewie strung up to roast over a fire.
R2 was tied to a dolly like a ruddy Beer Keg.
Oh, don't get me wrong, the scene was Patronus worthy alright. He followed Leia out of the tent, who'd been convinced to change into a roughly sewn together dress the colour of mud. Harry hadn't humoured the hospitable little creatures and politely declined the very itchy looking garments they'd procured for him.
What was wrong with his current clothes?
Leia promptly ordered three-pee-oh to unhand them after learning translation droid was the one pulling all the strings. Harry chuckled away, simply leaning against the trunk of a tree. The scene continued on until the little blighters were ready to light the bonfire under the trio's arses and he felt it might be time to intervene.
Luke seemed to have it covered though, levitating the shiny pile of scrap around and flexing his force muscles in the process.
Harry's good mood lasted until they freed Han and the others, and Leia began to make out with him.
Later that night instead of a feast the droid began telling stories he couldn't hope to understand, though the sound effects were spot on in his opinion. Late into the night Luke slipped from the hut, followed shortly after by Leia.
Harry, true to his eavesdropping roots, donned his invisibility cloak and followed.
What he learnt in the next hour was nothing short of a bombshell.
Luke and Leia were siblings, and Vader was their father. Sweet Merlin, what a dysfunctional family relationship that was!
But what really set off a red flag was that Luke was planning to waltz right up to his ol' dad to quote on quote, 'confront him'.
Now that seemed like a really bad idea, which was why Harry followed Luke all the way to the entrance of the Shield Facility, where he handed over his lightsaber and demanded to see Darth Vader.
Harry up to that moment had considered himself backup should Luke get overwhelmed by Vader in a fight. Never in his wildest dreams did he think the young Jedi would do something so monumentally stupid.
If one listened hard enough they would have heard a smacking sound from a palm hitting a forehead.
oOo
Vader watched his son step through the door and vanish from view. He leaned against the railing overlooking the forest canopy below.
"There is no point in hiding." The synthesised voice stated, seemingly to no one. "I can feel you in the Force."
"A very useful skill to have." Potter responded, removing the cloak and placing it back into the gauntlet.
"Why have you come, Wizard?"
Harry shrugged, keeping his distance. Interacting with Vader was like playing with fire. The man had nearly bested him in combat twice, and while Harry was confident he'd closed the gap he wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down now.
"I followed Luke. I must say I did not expect him to seek you out, considering you disarmed him. Literally.", he added, as if it wasn't obvious.
"And yet you did not stop him." Vader stated, turning to face the illusive man who'd simply popped into existence on the Icy Rebel Base in the outer rim six months earlier and then proceeded to hijack a fully staffed Imperial Corvette above Florrum.
"I did not. I honestly expect you to try and shield him from Palpatine."
"Then you are a fool." Vader said, not mincing words.
"Perhaps. But then again maybe not. You seem to have a healthy respect for your master, but the guy must be getting up there in age, am I right?"
Potter crossed his arms, wand in hand.
"Sheev Palpatine, born 3193 LY. That would make him what, eighty-eight? Surely a spry young fella like you could take him down and save your own flesh and blood."
"My master will turn Skywalker to the dark side." Vader stated confidently. "Afterwards he will destroy you."
"And if Luke doesn't turn?"
"Then he will die." The statement sounded a lot less sure. He was holding his lightsaber, although it was not lit. Harry produced a similar one.
"The Emperor's Hand paid me a visit on Florrum. She fought well, but ultimately failed."
"You wish to engage me in lightsaber combat?" Harry swore he heard a hint of amusement in Vader's voice.
"No, no, of course not. I'm not suicidal." He tossed the weapon over to him. "From what I've heard you had a hand in her training, including when she fashioned her lightsaber."
Vader studied it for a moment, but lighting it gave him confirmation. After all the Emperor had many Hands.
"You killed her?" he asked, emotionless as always.
"Not quite. I captured her." There was a long pause. "But you must be wondering why I'm telling you this. You see, I have a way to recall memories and show them to others. My gamble is that she'll seek the Alliance's protection knowing you are aware of her betrayal."
Harry paced back and forth in the corridor, feeling restless.
"The Poison tooth was a nice touch by the way."
Vader simply stood there, probably pondering if he could deliver a lethal blow before the Magician could teleport away.
"What is your interest in her? She is weak with the force."
"Compared to you perhaps. But then again you've been something of a prodigy from the start from what I hear. My interest in Mara Jade lies not in how strong her connection to the force is but more so in the fact that she and I are more similar than you might think."
Vader's helmeted head rose, understanding what he was saying.
"She is like you then."
Potter nodded.
"You wish to gain her allegiance."
Again he nodded, humoring Vader. Eventually word would get out that Mara Jade had the ability to do magic, should she choose to abide by the contract Harry had proposed. There was little sense in hiding this from him. In fact it might make her seek his protection in the long run, should the attack on the station fail.
"I do, but we're getting off track. If you wish to save your son I'm willing to offer my assistance in disposing of your master. That's how the rule of two works, does it not?"
"You would fight alongside me to save young Skywalker?"
Harry nodded. "I've turned this particular saber into something called a portkey. If you say the activation phrase it will take you to my location, wherever I may be."
It was a little known variant of the enchantment that could be locked to one's magical signature rather than a fixed location.
"Once there we can travel back to your point of origin and work over your Boss."
"You would have me come alone to a place of your choosing? Do you think me foolish enough to fall for this trap?"
Potter shrugged. "It's true, you'll have to trust me. But that is the price I ask to save your son."
"The activation phrase, by the way, is 'Portus'."
With that Harry apparated away, leaving a deeply divided Lord Vader standing outside the Launchpad corridor.
oOo
Morning arrived and the Ewoks led the small group to a previously unknown secondary entrance. En route they linked up with the main Rebel Commando force. Strangely enough the closer they got to the complex the less frequent the patrols became.
Their little guide then pulled off a brilliant distraction, climbing onto one of the parked hover bikes and quickly taking off, leaving a single Scout Trooper whose bike had been stolen behind. In hindsight Harry should have known then that the Imperials were planning an Ambush. Scout Troopers are ill equipped to guard any location, yet alone something as important as this particular facility. But thoughts of how Luke was doing distracted him enough from seeing it.
And that distraction led him to wander off into the brush when nature called.
Only instead of finding a nice tree to relieve himself near he ran into a battalion of the Five-Hundred and First's crack Stormtroopers and a trio of AT-ST's.
"Sweet Maeve!" He hissed, unable to hide in time to avoid being seen. Knowing their element of surprise was in danger of being lost, the leading elements of the large ambush force darted after him, hoping to subdue the Rebel before he could raise the alarm.
What they didn't count on was that Harry apparated straight to the base door, which R2 was trying to crack open.
"Heads up, we have company!" With a swish great spurs of rock shot from the ground, creating chest high cover several meters thick for the Commando's to use. They caught on quick, getting in position while their 'consultant' busied himself clearing a hundred foot deep perimeter of vegetation both big and small. The large trees were the trickiest, and he found that vanishing them worked best.
In hindsight he could have used them to funnel the enemy into a kill zone.
Of course all that racket spurred the several hundred Storm Troopers into action. They emerged from the forest, sticking out like sore thumbs in the now open field Harry had established.
Twenty A280 Blaster rifles opened up, cutting the first dozen or so Imperials down in quick order. Then the Walkers arrived. With the Rebel's light loadouts and lack of anti-vehicle weaponry, Harry was their only defence against the slow but deadly bipedal machines.
The larger, heavier hitting cannons chewed up the ground, peppering anyone nearby with painful and potentially lethal debris. With their position sufficiently suppressed, scores of troopers began their advance. Return fire turned into to a trickle, and the first few stray shots began to hit near the entrance, still firmly locked down.
Potter cursed, thinking of which spells would work best against armoured targets. He started up with a few Bombardias, which rang the operator's bell pretty good but didn't penetrate the thick hardened durasteel plates.
Banishing rocks worked better, in one case lodging itself in a partially open hatch. The added weight shifted the vehicle's center of gravity and it toppled forward before bursting into flames.
Seeing three foot diameter boulders launching into the air was a hard thing for anyone to ignore and within a few minutes of the skirmish orders were relayed to focus on the stick waving human in the maroon coat.
Harry caught on that his shields were beginning to be taxed more heavily. Casting a well known duplication charm (that used to be favoured in the dueling circuit), one target turned into three before the center one disappeared altogether. Successfully breaking contact, he contemplated a push on their right flank. That was easier said than done, however. The Imperials had encircled their shrinking position and were pouring fire on them from a hundred twenty degree arc.
There was no flank to take advantage of per say.
Raising one last wall to shield his friends from the onslaught, he properly went on the offensive. Blasting Curses were favoured heavily, aimed at dense clusters of men for maximum effect. Another Walker fell when Harry transfigured its leg into TNT.
It was in the process of falling over when he hit it with a Reducto, blowing the hull clean off the ground and into a tree three hundred yards away. A good quarter of the attacking Imps went down in the blast, which also rained a fountain of dirt over the area and left a thirty foot crater in the ground. Those near the outer edge of the blast area got back up, but most didn't.
The officers in charge of the Legion were far from stupid. Looking for the telltale flashes of light his curses emitted, they saturated the area with red blaster fire. Potter switched back to his shield, which flared bright white.
Apparating away he tried to repeat the process from the other side of the battlefield, but they located him faster than last time.
The last walker was down, but he failed to land the final spell to light its transfigured leg.
Pulling back he appeared next to the last group of defenders. Five had fallen, and another two were injured to the point of being combat ineffective.
"How are we doing on that door?" he hollered, reinforcing the last remaining earthen wall standing between them and certain death.
"Almost there!" Han yelled, shooting through a small slot Harry had intentionally left to delay their advance. He pulled back as the withering return fire made the edges of the firing port glow with heat.
The Imperial Commander coordinating the assault saw what had happened to his armoured support units, and as soon as he was sure the last attacker had retreated behind their wall approached the disabled unit to inspect what had been done to it.
The substance was chalky and yellow in colour. He broke a small piece off and tossed it onto the ground in front of him, then shot at it with his sidearm.
The explosion was significant, and explained why so many of his men had perished in that crater over there.
The man ordered a dozen troopers to haul the largest chunks towards the base of the earthen dome while fifty poured fire into the small firing port to keep the Rebel's heads downs. The walker had collapsed on top of much of the material, but there was plenty to work with.
Within minutes, they were ready to proceed.
One of his marksmen took aim and squeezed off a shot. While not as large as the first, the resulting explosion completely wrecked the barrier.
Harry and the others had been far enough away to survive, but the shockwave still did a number on them. He knew they didn't have much time. Cursing himself for giving the droid the benefit of the doubt, he staggered upright and levered his wand at the blast doors. Their magnetic locking mechanisms screeched in protest as he simply willed them apart.
Through the swirling dust, the Stormtroopers spotted his outline and took aim.
Han was helping Leia up when she suddenly screamed. Whipping his head up, he saw Harry get hit in the back well over a dozen times. Smoke wafted up from his back where the hot energy bolts vaporized both fabric and flesh.
He fell forward, disappearing from view in the choking dust.
Han was stunned. He hadn't known his romantic rival very well, but the man had been nothing but helpful, going so far as to walk into Jabba's Palace by alone to rescue him. He was the last of his people and certainly didn't deserve this.
But now was no time to grieve.
"C'mon, we can't help him. Leia, let's go! He opened the door for us. We need to make sure his death means something. We have a chance to end this."
Han had support her, and to be honest he wasn't doing much better. Blood trickled from their ears. Only Chewie was still firing back with his crossbow as the team moved into the complex.
A dozen Stormtroopers raced past him, and more would have followed were it not for the much appreciated but poorly timed counterattack by the Ewoks. Their weapons were crude but they more than enough made up for it in numbers. The remains of the Battalion were driven back from the base entrance, with only a handful successfully making their way inside.
oOo
He was dead, that much he could tell. It couldn't be anything else. Getting shot in the back a dozen times felt pretty unique in a not so good way. He was also floating, something he didn't do too often.
Looking around, the outlines of a familiar train station began to take shape.
Oh c'mon, couldn't his subconscious come up with something a little more original? Fine, he thought, as he sat down on a nearby bench and studied his mindscape for a few minutes, wondering how he could possibly recall King's Cross so vividly when not a single Transfiguration Essay in seven years had stuck.
After some time he noticed the outlines of people approaching. At least he hoped they were people.
"So, are you the welcoming committee?"
His friends, family and former classmates all looked older than him, well except maybe his Parents.
"Oh Harry," Hermione said sadly. "Why are you here?"
"Seriously?" he asked, avoiding direct eye contact with his godfather to avoid the joke. "Why do you think I'm here?" He checked the back of his coat for the evidence. "Do the injuries come with you? None of you happen to see the arseload of blaster holes in my back do you?"
"Your time has not yet come." This from Luna. Harry focused on her, amazed that she could say that with a straight face.
"My time hasn't come? Luna, I was over three centuries old before I got frozen for fifteen thousand years. I've had two wives, hi by the way." He waved at Evelyn and Tracy, who gave him full blown smiles that made his heart ACHE. He refocused on his rant; "-and I'm dealing with an emotional brat of a Princess because my hormones are that of an eighteen year old kid. I think it's high time I joined the mile high club Luna."
"True, but Harry?" Ron said, getting his attention. "She's a princess mate", his old best friend emphasized. Harry's anger evaporated simply because he missed that damn bloke so much. He'd missed all of them.
"What Luna's saying is that you still have work to do." Hermione added.
"What am I, the universe's magical tech support?"
"Of course not, but even you have to realize that you're the only one who can bring magic back from the brink. Just like Luke is the only one who can restore the Jedi."
Harry momentarily ignored that he was magic's little whipping boy and focused on the far less relevant thing his brain had picked up on. "Hold on, how do you know about Luke?"
"Honestly Potter, do you not remember the last time you saw us." Malfoy drawled. Merlin, he was even happy to see that miserable little ponce.
"We know everything that happens in the land of the living."
"Everything?" he repeated weakly.
"Yes, even that thing you sometimes do in the shower." Luna confirmed. "Or the hot alien sex slaves you keep in your bag." Sirius piped in unhelpfully.
He groaned, covering his face. "This is so unfair. Why couldn't I have died young and become a voyeur?"
Sirius and his father laughed, and Harry wanted to desperately just talk to those two, as well as his Mom.
"So what, I bring magic back to the Galaxy and then I'll be allowed here?" Honestly, why did these people think living was such a great thing? From his point of view they were able to mingle and peep on anyone they wanted. It sounded freakin' awesome!
Hold on just a moment. He remembered why he came back the last time it happened (what with his Horcrux get out of free card and all). But it seemed the Hallows really were capable of preventing him from dying. Of course surviving Hoth for eons should have clued him in on it, but Harry always was slow to realize the important things.
"Hey, does this mean I can talk to you every time I off myself? I mean, I've tried summoning your spirits with the stone but only Hermione and Flitwick have answered so far, and that was for academic reasons."
"Harry!" his friend shouted, not approving.
"What? I can use the AK. It doesn't have to be messy."
"Harry no!"
"Fine, but you have to visit from time to time." His gaze moved from person to person. "All of you! And not at an inappropriate time. Yes, I'm looking at you Malfoy!"
Before he got the chance to make any more demands, or even chat a little, something inside him tugged, pulling him back to the land of the living.
On the deserted battlefield outside the base complex, Harry drew breath once more, surrounded by corpses and charred earth. In the distance the Ewok's battle cries and shrill blaster fire of the AT-ST's could be heard.
"Ow" he croaked, the word slightly muffled because his face was pressed into the dirt, unable to move even an inch.
oOo
Lord Vader stood by and watched as his Master shot another bout of Force Lightning into his son, while the Wizard's words echoed through the screaming.
'You'll have to trust me' He clenched his remaining gloved hand, then turned to walk away. Sidious didn't notice, to busy enjoying the lesson.
In the adjacent room, the Sith Lord pulled Jade's saber from his belt and gazed at it.
"Portus." He uttered the word after another moment of indecisiveness before being whisked away.
The ride was terrible, worse than any other form of transport he could recall. It lasted nigh a minute, and when it mercifully ended he found himself kneeling on the ground.
His supposed ally in the upcoming fight against his master was lying face down in the dirt, multiple blaster wounds visible on his back. There was evidence of battle here.
Vader rose shakily and kicked the man. To his surprise he groaned, then coughed.
"Ow." he repeated. "Knock it off." Vader did not, kicking him again, this time hard enough to push the Wizard over.
He looked like bantha shit, the Sith Lord noted. How was he supposed to help him like this? Vader cursed himself, then grew angry at the big-mouthed Rebel by his feet. He'd boasted about taking on Darth Sidious, then ended up getting shot by something as pathetic as a few blasters.
Potter meanwhile managed to pull his charmed bag out from under him and rummaged around the emergency potions kit. Pulling a few multi-coloured vials he knocked them back like a row of shots by an overzealous twenty-one year-old with no idea what a hangover felt like.
Vader couldn't help but be impressed that anyone who'd sustained such horrific injuries was able to not only down the nameless liquids and then keep them there, but then also proceed to get up afterwards.
"What the hell happened to your hand?" Potter rasped, looking at the sparking stump where his wrist would normally be. Christ, they both looked like shite and were about to take on the most powerful man in the Galaxy.
"Fine, don't answer." He pulled his wand and cast the first of many Episkey's on his back. Vader wound down, more astonished than angry by then.
"So it's time then?" he asked, working out a few sore spots on his shoulder. There was a pencil sized hole in his shoulder blade, but he'd fix that with Skele-Gro later.
One of his ribs was shattered too, but he mended it with a bone fusing charm that left him seeing spots from the pain.
The Sith nodded, holding out the saber.
Harry grimaced and grabbed on. "Let's get this show on the road then."
They appeared in the very spot Vader had left from, proving once again how bloody useful magic was when it came to infiltration. The unlikely duo entered the throne room to find a (hopefully) unconscious Luke Skywalker laying before a hooded figure.
Harry's pulse quickened, well aware that this wasn't going to be a cake walk.
"Lord Vader! What is the meaning of this?" the hooded figure drawled, seemingly unconcerned. Behind him flashes of light and small silhouettes of ships could be seen. Looks like the battle had begun.
Harry saved the man from having to explain himself and stepped forward. "Darth Sidious, I presume?"
"Potter." The wrinkled old man drawled. "Yes, you're the Wizard who has been causing so much trouble for my apprentice." He looked at Vader then. "Yet not enough for him to strike you down where you stand."
The Wizard shrugged, clearing his throat. "What can I say, I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." Trying to nail an Italian accent in Basic was bound to fail, but Harry did it so spectacularly that both Sith wondered if he'd been dropped on his head as a child.
"Ahh, you wish to save Skywalker. Lord Vader, I must say I did not foresee your treachery. But it matters not, soon your son will replace you at my side." The man cackled like a witch before unleashing a blast of Force Lightning from his fingertips.
Harry stepped closer to the caped villain and shielded him simply to gauge the strength of the Sith's attacks.
"Most impressive. Your powers serve you well." Palatine muttered, face slack. "I look forward to what my scientists can tell me when they dissect you."
"You're a nasty old coot, aren't you?" Potter responded. "All right, let's see what you got old man."
Harry opened up with standard combat spell chain 'B', which favoured curses in civilian rich environments and used very little in the way of terrain modification to avoid excessive loss of life. Somewhat ironic, because the first curse would have turned a human into a puddle on the floor.
But restraint was the name of the game for Harry, because they were on a space station and accidentally transfiguring one of the large windows might not be the best idea.
Sure, he'd be able survive and he wasn't about to shed a tear for his newfound ally in this fight, but Luke would be spaced and that would be counterproductive to coming here in the first place.
Sidious leapt from his chair so fast Harry could scarcely believe his eyes. The first spell trashed his chair, turning it into a molten pile of slag and Harry was pointing somewhere else entirely by the time the third curse left his wand tip.
It was like fighting Baba Yaga, the Russian Bogeyman. Palpatine continued to cackle, now securely hidden in the deep shadows of the mezzanine on the other side of the tower.
Harry moved towards the edge of the bottomless shaft, leaving Vader to stand guard over his son, Jade's lightsaber lit in his remaining functional limb.
White and blue lightning raced towards Harry from the right, and he just barely managed to snap a shield in place. This lack of light was troublesome.
The Sith laughed again, and it was starting to bother Harry.
"Lumas Maxima." He incanted.
The entire tower lit up brilliantly, revealing his opponent crouching on one of the exposed support beams like a vulture. Harry snapped off a Killing Curse, but thanks to the Force Precognition, it never had a chance of connecting.
A swarm of conjured pixies though might have better luck. The small magical creatures fanned out after popping into existence, their fluttering wings momentarily overshadowing the constant hum that reverberated throughout the station at any given time.
They dove towards their target, turning the Sith Master's laughter into a shout of outrage. A powerful Force Push buckled a nearby support beam and slammed the pests into various surfaces with wet spattering noises.
"Parlour tricks." He hissed, not pleased to be in the light like this. With an outstretched hand Harry's floating orb dimmed, until it was extinguished completely.
Well that was disconcerting. He didn't know anyone could do that, magical or otherwise.
One of the equipment stations tore loose from the floor with a screech and rushed towards his back. Potter swung around, transfiguring the missile into acid and splitting it down its center of mass, bypassing him on either side with a gust of wind.
He then liberally scattered the liquid over the rough area where he'd seen the Sith last. It hissed and sputtered, making contact with Durasteel, plastics, and glass, but not the flesh of his foe.
Vader's trademark aggressiveness was completely opposite of how his master fought. It suited his previous actions, manipulating from the shadows and striking unexpectedly. Harry could see how something as large and sure of itself as the Republic had fallen to someone like him.
This was a test, Harry concluded. Palpatine was seeing what he could do before fully committing. His shoulder ached and every breath he drew felt like a thousand needles stabbing him from the inside, but he could not show weakness.
"How long are you going to hide in the shadows?" Harry boasted, playing a mental angle a bit. "To think, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, hiding from little old me."
The Force Lightning came too fast to dodge, originating from much closer than the last time. He apparated away as it hit, sending fire up and down his limbs.
Potter reappeared by the throne, grunting in obvious pain. "Haaa, not bad. It has a nice kick to it, but feels a bit watered down compared to the Cruciatus. Do you want a taste?"
In the blink of an eye Harry apparated behind where he'd known the attack had originated from. "Crucio", he hissed, instantly making out the Sith's outline against the more well-lit front part of the tower.
Palpatine screamed as he fell to his knees, but was eager to reciprocate with more Force Lightning. The pain was so intense he had problems holding the wand on target. Every part of him felt like it was on fire. The hatred required to fuel the spell intensified by the agony, creating a messed up sort of feedback loop. Seconds crawled by, filled with screams and blue light. Potter disengaged first, realizing the dark Force attack was more harmful to the physical body than the Unforgivable in the short term.
His nerve endings buzzed, causing uncontrollable spasms in his muscles. It was a struggle to simply hold onto the Elder Wand.
Sidious's breath came in raspy wheezes. "Marvelous" he panted. "That was the most pain I've ever felt. What an exquisite ability."
"Feel free to come back for seconds." The Wizard croaked back, downing a numbing potion meant to dull nerve ending after exposure to the Torture Curse.
He'd hoped to never have to taste that particular brew again. Then he chuckled.
Figures, the most evil man in the galaxy and he compliments Harry on his Cruciatus. Vader simply remained where he had for the entirety of the fight, standing vigil over Luke.
"Hey Intel, you just going to stand around all day or actually help me like we agreed?" Harry asked, absently tossing the vial and shattering it on a nearby wall.
Before they could coordinate any sort of plan Sidious went on the offensive, leaping up the ruined stairs and igniting a ruby red lightsaber. Vader countered, returning the favour, but with one hand he was at a disadvantage from the moment the duel began.
Potter attempted to play equalizer, but it was like trying to catch your shadow, they moved too damn quick and unpredictably for him to get a proper bead.
The few spells he'd tried either missed or came dangerously close to hitting his new ally. Finally Harry simply summoned Luke's saber and apparated behind the Emperor, blade mid-swing as he appeared.
Sidious blocked, cackling madly before force blasting the Wizard away. Harry managed to right himself and cushion his impact, then reciprocated by banishing the two combatants as hard as the elder wand let him. They were tossed so violently he almost wasn't able to summon Vader back in time to prevent him from demolishing a webbed support truss.
Palpatine saved himself by using a Force Push just before impact, slowing him enough to take the hit without much damage.
"Insolence!" The lighting came again, this time directed at them both. Vader redirected using the Purple saber and Potter shielded. The attack ebbed and Harry reciprocated with a pair of Glacius Tria spells followed by a Bombardia.
The freezing spells impacted the durasteel plating next to the Sith and the explosive curse shattered the supercooled metal, creating jagged shrapnel.
The scream told him he'd stuck gold, but all that did was focus the crazy old man's ire on him exclusively. Launching himself forwards Harry was quickly forced to use his extremity shield to save himself, but Sidious knew of the technique and blasted him point blank with more blue lighting.
Potter screamed, opting for a wandless banisher that lifted Sidious clean off the deck and slammed him into the roof above.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green light splashed over the black surface, missing its target by a hair. Vader pounced a moment later but wasn't able to finish him off. With a Force Push, Palpatine launched his pupil across the room, only to roll out of the way as another Killing Curse impacted where he'd been a split second before.
"Just die already!" Harry yelled, frustrated at his insane reaction times.
"Ha,ha,ha, feeling frustrated Wizard? Good, anger fuels your power also I see."
"Sod off!" Potter cast a variation of the Aguamenti that replaced the Water with flammable oil. It wasn't permanent but didn't need it to be either. The thicker substance flowed from his wand, splashing over the floors, walls and ceiling. He directed it wherever the Emperor moved to, until the man was eventually forced to backtrack and interact with the lubricated ground.
Friction was a universal thing, and one couldn't dodge if there was no purchase. Harry settled for a simple incendio, and within moments most of the throne room was awash in flames. He cast a flame freezing charm on himself, laughing as Palpatine scurried away like a rat.
He noticed Vader had picked up his son and was moving him towards the relatively protected elevator. The fire suppression systems activated, spewing highly pressurized white retardant from the ceiling mounted pipes. Harry used the substance as further base material and transfigured much of it into Molasses, and then banished globs of it as the still moving Sith Lord.
With Palpatine distracted by the fire, Harry had cast an intricate glamour on the deep pit, making it look like solid decking. Using Voldemort's flying magic, he positioned himself over top of the image, hoping to God the Sith would fall for the simple trick.
Turns out he did. The Emperor had realized he was being corralled, and knew the only escape was to close and the Force Lighting and lightsaber, he had the advantage.
Vader was still watching, having placed Luke into the turbo lift.
The black robed mad man bounced around the few spots not coated in the sticky brown substance, while dodging and redirecting Harry's direct fire spells. With a final leap he closed the remaining distance, saber batting away another Killing Curse.
All Harry had to do was sidestep.
The Sith simply vanished through the fake floor, but before Harry could so much as boast a strong pull overpowered his charm, dragging him down after.
"Son of a-!" Potter yelled a second before they connected in freefall.
Seeing no other choice he activated his emergency portkey back to Endor.
That only left him with the Sith for company for nigh a minute. And you couldn't talk or fight during the trip, so he got a good long look at the man's wrinkled face. It was awkward to say the least.
They smashed into the blackened ground, rolling two times. Sidious recovered first, but Potter blasted him into the treeline with another wandless banisher.
Righting himself unsteadily he noticed the few dozen Imperial Prisoners on their knees, the Rebel Strike team guarding them, a few hundred Ewoks and finally, Han, Leia, Chewie and the Droids.
"Make room!" he hollered, already knowing what was coming. Palpatine's enraged battle cry announced his return, led by a mass of blue electrical discharges from his hands. Potter shielded with the Holly wand and chanted something unrecognizable, pointing the most powerful Hallow upward with repeating circular motions. The sky dimmed, though it was not visible through the thick tree canopy.
"You like lightning?" He roared in English. "Well suck on this old man!"
Potter slashed the Wand down, bringing a blindingly bright lightning bolt down from the heavens.
It stuck Palpatine's head, flowed through his brain, torso and legs before dissipating into the ground.
The corpse remained upright for a second longer before toppling over, smoking badly.
Harry mirrored the action, though more so because of pain rather than having your brain cooked. He watched the magically created thunderhead dissipate, revealing the Death Star.
Which disappeared in a bright flash seconds after.
"Well how 'bout that" he mumbled before slipping from consciousness.
oOo
Aboard the Justice, Mara Jade was convulsing, overwhelmed as she felt the felt the deaths of millions of loyal servants of the Empire right after indirectly witnessing as her Master was slain.
With his last shred of will, he imparted his final and perhaps single most powerful command upon her.
'Kill Harry Potter!'
She collapsed on the Durasteel deck of her cell, where the jailor found her a little while later. She was eventually moved to the med bay under heavy restraints.
oOo
Despite being shot, electrocuted, and simply tossed around like a rag doll, Harry only managed to stay unconscious for a few short hours. Perhaps it was because there was a party happening outside. Well, at least the walls and ceiling weren't white.
His head was propped up, but he wasn't sure on what until he saw her.
"Leia." He whispered.
She had been dozing, but opened her eyes as soon as he said her name.
"Hey Harry, how are you feeling?"
That was a good question. Inhaling deeply he noted the pain in his chest had subsided somewhat. His joints ached and he was exhausted.
"Tired" he finally settled on one feeling. The laughter and music from outside the hut drew his attention.
"Why aren't you out there celebrating?"
"I wanted to be there when you woke. You did it. The Emperor is dead. The Death Star is gone."
He smiled. "We all did it. You got the shield down then?"
She nodded, tears threatening to spill.
"I thought you were dead. How-?"
"The same reason I survived being frozen on Hoth." He inhaled deeply, figuring he owed her this explanation. "When I was young, I acquired a trio of powerful artifacts. Combined they grant everlasting life."
Leia didn't say anything for some time. She knew he'd lived for a long time, but never knew why that was.
"I'm glad you came with us to Endor Harry." She finally admitted, gently stroking his hair. It felt nice.
"Thank you." She unexpectedly leaned down and kissed him. With her knees folded on the fur covered platform it wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked.
She tasted like the strangely flavoured toothpaste the Alliance favoured. They broke apart after what felt like an eternity. Harry swallowed hard, his heart racing.
"What about Han?" he asked despite really not wanting to. "I thought you were with him?"
She bit her lip. "I am. But-" with a sigh she rested her head against the wall.
"But?" harry repeated, urging her on.
"-I've tried to angry with you, and I'll admit that you can be infuriating at times." He smirked up at her.
"But you're also sweet, and fearless, and have helped the Alliance so much since we've found you."
He shook his head. "I'm just repaying a debt."
"Humble as ever Harry." She traced a finger over his scar.
"I'm not sure what to do." She added.
He nodded, closing his eyes. "Well, I hope you can figure it out soon."
"Me too." She leaning down and kissed him again.
"Tease" he grinned. She rolled her eyes and helped him sit upright, noticing for the first time the bandages around his torso and arms.
"You got my bag off?" he questioned.
She shook her head. "What bag?"
Right, he forgot about the muggle repelling and notice-me-nots on it.
"Must have been the fur ball. Do you have my wand?"
She handed over both the Holly and Elder Wands. With a quick Accio, the pouch came zipping through an adjacent room and he snatched it out of the air before stashing the Hallow in his gauntlet.
Harry then selected a Pepper-Up and a multipurpose pain reliever. He'd have preferred Tylenol because it didn't interfere with the Pepper-Up, but the nearest pharmacy that offered the galaxy's equivalent was a few hundred light years away.
"Hey, did Luke get off the Death Star?" he asked, pulling on his shirt with a bit of difficulty. She helped him with the coat, her touch lingering for a few seconds.
"I'm afraid I don't know Harry. But there were a lot of escape pods and smaller craft leaving before it blew."she suggested.
He nodded. "Only one way to find out." and pulling the seldom used Resurrection Stone to call upon spirit of Luke Skywalker. Nothing happened.
"Yeah, he's alive." He confirmed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted. "If he wasn't, we'd be talking to him now."
"Good" she responded, relief evident on her features. "C'mon, the party's in full swing. Let's go tell the others the good news."
He followed along, sore but mobile. He really hoped the Ewoks had some sort of hooch, because he could use a stiff drink or three right about now.
Whooo, another one down. So, that ending huh? In canon Mara actually received the command to kill Luke, but with their fight Harry quickly became Sidious's Public Enemy #1, so that's changed. I found the end fitting, considering how much he favoured shooting Force Lightning at people.
From here on the plot will be primarily Legends content with a bit of canon sprinkled in.
Also I'd like to thank my new Beta Revliledpembroke for proofreading this chapter. It will make for a more enjoyable experience and is much appreciated.
Revliledpembroke: Heh… Anytime.