A/N It was supposed to be short. Then I started writing. Then I looked outside the window and realized it's already dark. It wasn't dark when I started.

Harry Potter and The Academy of Heroes - Chapter 2

Harry always believed that Wood was a monster with how much he pushed the Quidditch team. Now it was clear that he had nothing on Snape. If it wasn't for his enhanced healing factor from his quirk, he would most likely be dead from exhaustion. The professor was merciless and did his best to take away any free time Harry had. The extra studies, the training, and practice with his phoenix transformation.

The two quickly also discovered that Harry is also able to transform into a basilisk just as a phoenix.

It was pure luck he discovered it for the first time in an empty classroom and not with Snape.

"The basilisks have a second, protective eyelid, that is translucent and can stop the deadly effects," Snape told him after that discovery. "Today, you will learn how to use it both half- and fully transformed."

After that declaration, he shoved him into an empty classroom and kept sending rats inside until Harry was finally able not to kill it with his gaze.

The dancing lessons were not half as bad as Harry expected. Tracey proved to be fun to spend time with. She was also able to kick his rear three ways to Sunday in hand-to-hand combat, which Snape mercilessly abused.

Of course, the added problems were Weasleys and Hermione. The latter was furious with him that he hid his Animagus training from her and that he didn't even ask for her help with the potion. Especially when he couldn't brew that well. With a heavy heart, he blew their fight out of proportion. He knew he had to. If he wanted to have a chance at normal-ish life, he had to do it. His perspectives were grim if he didn't escape in time. He didn't want to break her heart, but she would be hurt either way in the end. And so he retorted to heavy methods.

"Well, maybe I'm tired of being constantly nagged by an irritating, bushy-haired know-it-all bookworm with authority worship problems."

The slap that resonated after that sentence could've been heard all the way down in Slytherins' dungeon. Which was lucky, because Madam Pomfrey also heard it and had the bed ready when Neville brought the unconscious Harry to the hospital wing.

Snape actually came to visit him. After a set of complicated privacy charms, he began.

"I see you actually went through with this."

"You didn't leave me much choice. And as much as Hermione was my friend… she would not understand why this must be a secret. She would insist on telling the teachers. Or tell them." The last part was on a bit sour side, remembering the incident with the broom a year before.

"Yes. It is unavoidable if one wishes to disappear. I remember…" Snape's face twisted into a painful scowl. "Nevermind. I will leave you to it." He turned on his heel, cape billowing behind him, and left the hospital wing.

"What did the professor want?" Madame Pomfrey returned.

"I… I'm not sure, to be honest." Harry confessed, coming back to the strange pause Snape made.

After that, it was easy to just not mend bridges with Ron. The prat was using the fight with Hermione to justify his resentment of Harry. Which for once could've been a legitimate reason, if he wasn't a prat before that too.

The Yule Ball was a surprise when Hermione came with Viktor Krum. Harry caused a minor drama when he arrived with a Slytherin, but they rebutted every offensive comment with the explanation that she taught him how to dance and he brought her as payment. Snape's involvement not mentioned.

Curiously, a week before the second task Snape bragged during their 'remedial potion classes' about new delivery of gillyweed.

Harry was not that dumb that he didn't catch a suggestion.

He couldn't use his phoenix transformation underwater, but he had to resort to killing a bunch of grindylows with his stare early on.

After the task, it was back to training. When the third and the final task rolled around, Harry was a different man.

His muscles, which were barely defined and underfed at the beginning of the year, were now clearly defined. Harry retained his lean build, but now he was able to easily bend a metal bar into a pretzel. His reflexes, agility, and condition likewise improved. He also gained some control over his quirk. He could now partially or fully transform. He had four 'stages': untransformed, where he had almost no access to his powers; minimal transformation, which gave him mostly passive benefits like improved eyesight or infrared/heat vision from basilisk; the hybrid stage where he retained human silhouette but got access to almost all of his powers; and the full transformation where he became chosen animal. Snape kept muttering that he was overpowered for a teenager.

That being said, he wasn't without weaknesses. The longer he spent on one side of his 'spectrum' and in a higher stage, the more drained he became. In his phoenix form, the poison in his veins was slowly damaging his inside. In his basilisk form, his blood became hotter and hotter due to his reptilian nature and being a part phoenix. It could be avoided by changing into the other form, but Harry didn't master fast transformations yet.

The day of the third task rolled in. The Weasleys were invited as Harry's stand-in family, quite possibly as the last desperate attempt to repair bridges. He felt a pang of guilt as he ducked into an empty classroom and flashed away before they followed. He couldn't look them in the eyes. He was selfishly hurting them. He could see it.

That day was in the end spent on cramming Quirk Laws for his upcoming exams after he escaped. Snape came to fetch him covertly to the stands.

Weasleys were there to watch, as was Remus with a black dog. Harry wanted to shout at Sirius for being so reckless, but he wouldn't get a chance. He was supposed to disappear right after getting the trophy.

His mentor made it very clear that he was to get the trophy. He would rethink their arrangements if he didn't manage to.

As soon as the cannon signaled his turn, he changed into his full phoenix form and soared for the skies. The crowd awed as he made a triple roll before diving straight for the trophy in the center. The rest of the champions were too impressed by a fourteen years old phoenix animagus to be truly angry.

When his beak closed around the trophy, he felt a strong tug and before he knew it, he was gone from the school grounds.

When he woke up, he was back in his human form. He could barely move as his whole body was in pain. It wasn't as bad as his limit, but he must've seriously overdone on phoenix transformation. His veins were slightly darkened as the poison bubbled inside them.

The 'before' came back to him. Portkey trophy. Graveyard. Pettigrew. Phoenix-flash wards. Spells flying at him. A snake wrapping around him. Stunning spells aplenty.

"I-I see you… you're awake, Harry." The vile voice of Pettigrew reached him. His tone was almost pitying. He was hunched over and fidgeting with a large knife. "Good. Good you're… you're alive… for now," He stuttered.

"Let me go you traitor and I will show you just how alive I am." Harry snarled at the human rat.

"I… I had no choice! They would toss me into Azkaban anyway!" Pettigrew cried.

"Azkaban? You…" He realized what the traitor was saying. "You have a quirk too…"

"Yes! An innocent little quirk. I can be overlooked by people when I use it! It's nothing! But if the ministry and its mandatory inspections caught me, I would be dead by now! It wasn't my fault! I had no choice!"

"You could've run from the country! My father would help you! Sirius would help you! You didn't need to betray them. Or poison my mother. Or frame Sirius." Harry seethed in fury.

"Like Severus did? No… No… I… I couldn't. I'm a pureblood. I wouldn't survive." He surprised Harry. Did he know about Snape's quirk? "And I… I can't be a hero. Did that bat ever tell you why did he become a pro hero?" Seeing Harry's surprise, the bastard grinned. "Yes, I know about that. My quirk might not be powerful, but people reveal many things when they don't notice they aren't alone."

"Wormtail! Stop entertaining our guest and get to work!"

"Of course, master." The traitor bowed his head and walked over to the cauldron.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will review your son." He dropped a femur into the bubbling mass. Harry tried to break free, but he was barely able to move. The more he struggled, the more poison inside him spread. His mind was slowed and he couldn't focus. There were some dark spots before his eyes. "Flesh of… of the ser-... servant… wi-willingly given, you will review your… your master." With a large knife, Pettigrew cut off his hand and allowed it to fall into the mixture. "Blood of the enemy," he turned to Harry with a mad gleam in his eyes. "You will review your foe." He cut Harry on the forearm and allowed some of his blood to fall on the knife. He then allowed the black substance to fall from the blade into the potion.

The fog was very slowly lifting from Harry's brain. When the terror made him pause as he watched the ritual, the tears in his veins finally started to work properly and toxicity levels were returning to normal. He remembered his weakness enough to remember the counter.

While Pettigrew was still busy with the ritual, Harry concentrated.

His skin slowly turned into dark-green scales, his eyes became yellow-and-black. His hands slowly merged into his body and his legs stuck together to form a tail. His messy mop of hair turned into black spikes around his now-serpent head. He was roughly two meters long in his full snake form.

Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the ritual, he slithered out of his bounds and into the night. He saw the trophy in the distance, so he made a bee-line for it.

"Robe me!" Someone demanded from where Pettigrew was and Harry felt a shiver travel down his reptilian spine. He sped up toward the portkey.

"Where issss heee!" There was a loud hiss near the statue, but Harry didn't turn back. The trophy was just ahead.

Suddenly, another snake blocked his path. Harry was so surprised he didn't close the second lids over his eyes in time. There was an infernal shriek as the snake fell dead. Harry shifted into his basic form faster than ever before and grabbed the trophy. A green spell sailed toward him, but he disappeared before it reached him.

The stands were in panic. Everyone saw Harry dive for the cup. They were sure he grabbed it. The bushes all withered immediately, signaling that someone won.

But Harry was gone. The emerald light of the phoenix was gone.

Panic exploded among the wizards. The aurors immediately tried to calm the crowd, but it was only making the matter worse.

Snape faded into the shadows, making sure to stay on the edge, unnoticed by the masses. It was only a matter of time before someone started to blame him for this mess. Students always blamed him for everything and the aurors would be forced to respond. He was in no mood to be exposed today unless necessary.

When Potter returned, there was absolute silence. Everyone stared at the place he appeared in and awaited some explanation.

"He…" Harry wanted to reveal the truth, but he paused. Would they believe him? "-is a death eater!" He called instead." Pettigrew! Peter Pettigrew tried to kidnap me! He is a death eater. He's alive!"

It was all he managed to say before he passed out.

When Harry's senses returned to him, there were several voices all around him.

"... I don't believe it! Pettigrew is dead! Black killed him! There were many witnesses!" Minister was shouting.

"I understand, Cornelius." Ah. Dumbledore was there too. "But maybe they did not see the whole picture. That case might not be so open-shut as we thought." No shit sherlock. Harry had a half-mind to just flash away from there, but he chose to stay silent and listen.

"No. Professor Snape said himself that there was no Pettigrew."

"I said," Snape drawled. He was there too. "that I haven't seen Pettigrew. I seem to recall that I specified that I wasn't there for the whole event."

"If this is true… If Black was innocent the whole time… The public will crucify me." Fudge moaned.

"Maybe you deserve it." Harry groaned as he slowly got a bit up. "I told you Sirius was innocent."

"Mr. Potter! Are you okay?" The minister ignored the comment for now, but he had a sour expression.

"Well, considering that I was kidnapped and poisoned, obviously bloody not."

"Oh…" Fudge shut up.

"Harry, my boy, could you…"

"No. I'm trying to bloody sleep and you're screaming my ears off. Get lost." He grumbled. Snape shot him a furious look, but suddenly his mentor smirked. He finally caught on to what his protege wanted.

As the adults left, Harry checked himself over. He was mostly healed and there was no trace of poison. He smirked and slowly got out of bed, making sure that no one was looking near, he turned into his hybrid phoenix form and flashed away, outside of Hogwarts. While the castle was warded against unauthorized travel to and from, Dumbledore made sure to allow phoenixes free access. Now, he was able to escape all the way to Spinner End, where his important belongings would wait for him. The firebolt, the invisibility cloak, the marauders' map, and the photo album.

He was prepared to be forced to run. Should something go horribly wrong with the tournament and his quirk was revealed.
It wouldn't be for two days until he learned about the 'epic duel between Snape and Death Eater in disguise'. Neither the teacher nor the student expected such a perfect cover for their escape. Snape detected polyjuice in the flagon Moody carried and covertly sneaked him antidote by switching the content of their goblets right as the impostor was to take a drink (after checking for poisons).

In the end, Snape viciously killed Barty Crouch Jr., earning some applause. They had a perfect scapegoat for Harry's disappearance now. As Wizarding Britain mourned the passing of their hero (and champion), the boy and Snape boarded the first flight to Japan they could book.

Arriving in Musutafu, they made their way toward Snape's local apartment. How could he afford to maintain an apartment in Japan and a house in Britain while working as a teacher would remain a secret.

Snape decided that a walk would be a great opportunity for Harry to 'see the sights'. And he could drill him over what to do and what not to do while they stayed in Japan. There were so many traditions to remember.

Their walk was interrupted when a pub nearby was unexpectedly blown up. Then the shop next to it was destroyed. Above the street, a man-pterodactyl hybrid was flying and vomiting laser beam at the shops.

In the chaos, two other criminals were robbing the stores and generally making a big mess.

Harry wanted to act, but Snape put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stand down. You can watch how the pro hero deals with these kinds of situations."

The potion master waved his wand and his muggle clothes were replaced with a hybrid between robes and a muggle suit. He reminded Harry of nobles from eighteen century, but with a wizarding flare.

Snape calmly walked forward, ignoring the chaos. At some point, his steps were ascending as he started to float through the air. It looked like he was walking up some invisible stairs. All the time, his hands and legs were hidden inside his billowing robes, making it look like he was just carried off by some invisible force. Harry was sure there was some movement under those robes though. There had to be.

The man grabbed the pterodactyl by the shoulder, startling the criminal enough that he stopped flapping his wings. If Snape's grip wasn't tougher than steel, he would plummet down probably.

"You will tell me why are you doing this." He demanded while looking directly into the eyes of the criminal.

Only then Harry noticed that Snape's eyes were now black with red pupils. He didn't want to imagine how scary he must've looked up close, with his patented scowl frozen on his face.

"I… I…" The criminal stuttered, trying to fight Snape. For his part, the hero remained unfazed by anything happening around him. "I… Agh!" The pterodactyl screamed in fury and Snape growled. He clenched his hand and there was an audible crack. The criminal screamed in pain and his arm from the shoulder snape held down to the hand went limp.

"You are worthless," Snape growled before headbutting the criminal and dropping him.

Harry really wished he understood Japanese enough to catch the conversation.

He then walked over to the street where a villain with a water-manipulation quirk and one with grasshopper mutation quirk were busy packing bags full of jewels from the nearby jewelry store.

"Hey. Why did Ray stop?" One of them asked.

"Because your antics are interrupting my day. You will cease hostilities this instant."

"Yeah, and you are?" The water guy asked.

"Didn't they tell you that there is still a long time before holly-win?" The other joked.

"It's Halloween. And as for who I am," Snape's eyes glowed menacingly as he glared at the two. "I am Lord Nox."

"The Dungeon Hero?!" the criminals jumped.

Snape Severus

The Dungeon Hero: Lord Nox

Quirk: Vampire

He can do most of the things a real vampire can do. But he doesn't have their weaknesses!

The villains started to walk backward until they hit the wall.

"Listen. Man. We really… we…" they dropped the bags and raised their hands in the air. "We… we will beat you!" They screamed in unison. The waterguy started creating more and more water that shot at Snape in form of spikes. The grasshopper just leaped at him hoping to land a kick.

The hero didn't move from his spot. He grabbed the grasshopper's leg faster than anyone could see him move. For a moment, he held him suspended in the air while the water smashed against the insect. He then clenched his hand and there was another crashing sound. The grasshopper was let go and he fell down while clenching his leg and screaming in pain. Snape's red eyes turned toward waterguy and the man froze.

"You will surrender."

"I… will… surrender…"

"You will kneel," Snape ordered and noted that the guy did comply. He was satisfied with the results so far.

Just as he walked toward the man to bind him, a fist smashed into his head from the side. There was a powerful explosion of air and the dust rose in the air.

Something moved inside there.

As the view cleared, Snape was still standing where he was before, only now there was another body next to him. Their eyes were twitching. Their right arm was bent in strange ways. The police were now on-site and they quickly went to arrest the four defeated villains.

"It's a pleasure to see you back, Lord Nox."

"I will be here more now," Snape muttered as he started to walk away. The Police knew to contact his agency if they had any questions.

"Man! How are you so cool!? You must have so many fans." Snape heard a man shout from the front of the crowd and froze. There was someone banging heavily on his quirk-enforced occlumency shields. He was too absorbed to notice the man pulling a gun and firing at him.

A slightly girlish scream echoed across the street.

Snape was surprised to find himself on the ground. At the last second, a green-haired bullet tackled him and saved him from the real bullet. He could also smell blood.

"Bloody son of a dog-shagged centaur in heat!" Snape roared as fury overtook him. He could see red. He let his guard down and someone tried to save him. Pointlessly, because he was bulletproof. Nothing short of armor-piercing would actually hurt him.

Harry, for his part, lost his nerves. His body became covered in flames as he leaped at the shooter. The man tried to fire more, to kill the boy, but the heat was high enough that any projectile melted before it could reach Harry. In the end, he didn't even notice he was being shot.

He ripped the gun from the attacker's hand and melted it. The heat itself was enough to set his shirt on fire. Police managed to tackle the attacker at that very moment and that was possibly what saved his life.

Slowly, Harry's fury subsided and he turned to where Snape was. The hero was still weighted down by whoever tackled him. The potion master slowly got up, careful not to further hurt his 'rescuer', and carried the boy over to the medics.

"You, Firebird-san, you're under arrest. Keep your hands where I can see them and deactivate your quirk." One of the police officers was aiming his gun at Harry.

Snape froze.

"What?" He hissed, turning his black-and-red eyes at the officer.

"He used a quirk to attack. According to the law, that was an act of vigilantism."

"Moron," Snape growled.

"What's going on here?" The policeman in charge walked over to what was one step away from becoming an incident.

"He is resisting arrest, sir."

"There is nothing to arrest him over for. He is my student and acted under my authority. According to Pro Hero Reviewed Act, he is allowed to act when given permission by his teacher. All responsibility for his actions falls to me."

"But that act only allows when the Pro Hero is his teacher and the permission is given in the specific situation." The police officer with the gun still drawn countered.

"Mr. Potter is currently enrolled at Hogwarts, where I am one of his teachers. He is here under my direct supervision and I gave him verbal order to act." Snape glared at the police officer, who took a step back to make some distance between him and the terrifying hero.

"But… But…"

"I recognize you now. Soda Keiki. You were in the UA two years below me. YOu were expelled for cheating in the sports festival."

"What? Those are baseless accusations."

"Your vendetta against Pro Heroes is impairing your ability to be a police officer in this case. You will remove yourself or a formal complaint will be filed." Snape didn't hold back punches. He was a hero, but he was a Slytherin.

The officer finally holstered his gun and walked away.

"He will keep causing problems." Snape turned to the officer in charge. "It would be best if he was reassigned. Or fired."

"I… I will keep an eye on him." The man agreed.

"Now," The hero turned to Harry, "we will need to make a stop at the hospital and have you looked over." He grumbled.

"Why?" Harry turned into a basilisk hybrid when he started to feel light-headed.

"Because you were in a fight and Shouta would rip my head off if he learned I didn't get you looked over immediately."

It just so happened that in hospital, Harry was put in the same room as the green-haired boy that saved Snape. The doctors decided to have him stay for the time being, even with his insistence that the deadly poison burning his inner organs was no danger. And Snape didn't even try to argue in his favor. He just sat in the nearby chair and appeared to be meditating.

"Oh! Izuku!" A woman ran into the room toward the bed with the green-haired boy. "My baby! What happened to you!?"

She looked like the only thing stopping her from pulling the boy into a Molly-Esque hug was that he was so bandaged. Which proved she had some brain cells in Snape's opinion.

"Excuse me. Are you the boy's mother?" The Hero approached her.

"Yes… Yes sir. And you are?"

"Lord Nox, Pro Hero. Your son tackled me to get me away from a bullet aimed at me."

"And possibly saved your life then, Sir." The doctor who just entered the room commented. "It was an AP shrapnel-type bullet… with some magical enchantments on it. Madam." He greeted the mother. "I am Okada Kazuo."

"Enchantments?" Snape immediately asked, scowling.

"Some homemade black-market stuff. It was supposed to explode on impact. And it would penetrate a tank." The doctor rubbed his neck. "There's been a rise in unlicensed enchantments in last months. I will have to report this case to the Auror department."

"I see." Snape pursed his lips. He hoped he could get some foothold in Japan before the magical part of the government found out about Potter. That would make the matters worse.

"What's the prognosis?" Distraught mother asked.

"Not good. The bullet exploded inside your son's spine. It shattered several vertebra into splinters and broke the nerves. We managed to save his life, but… To be honest, his prospects are dim. He will most likely be paralyzed from the chest down." The Doctor admitted.

"Is there no treatment?" Inko practically begged, tears welling in her eyes.

"Even with the miracles brought by quirks, the damage is simply too extensive."

"What about magic?" Snape asked, feeling his temper rise by the second. That boy saved his life and he would be damned if he didn't repay his debt.

"I… I can't afford it." Tears welled in the mother's eyes. "Even the consultations would… Maybe if I…"

"The price or finding a willing specialist is of no consequences. Is it possible?" Snape snarled.

"While not a wizard myself, I am keeping with the time when it comes to the modern magical healing." The doctor began before his voice turned somber. "But sadly, no available muggle-friendly magic could heal him. His file says he is quirkless, is that correct?"

"I… yes. Izuku was diagnosed quirkless." Inko confirmed.

"Then his body would simply not survive the strain of more powerful healing spells."

"Is. There. A. Treatment?" Snape was getting irritated with that doctor. He kept avoiding the question.

"No." The man finally admitted. "It would require a miracle treatment to deal with the damage. Phoenix tears or philosopher's stone are the only things that could repair that kind of damage."

Snape growled loudly enough that both other adults took a step back. He reached into his robe and pulled a small, intricately decorated vial.

"Is this amount of phoenix tears enough?"

"That… that'd all but bring someone back from the dead. It's… it's priceless."

"Is. This. Enough?" Snape was millimeters away from stuffing the vial in the doctor's throat to see if it would fix his attitude.

"Yes. This would be enough if he could survive the healing process. As it is, it would most likely kill him. His body wouldn't be able to handle that power."

"I am here!"

And here Snape thought the headache couldn't get any worse.

All Might squeezed himself through the doors and entered.

"All Might-sama." The doctor began, now even more intimidated. "You… you shouldn't be here. This is a private…"

"I came to see how fares young Midoriya." he declared. "Lord Nox? I did not expect to see you here."

"Given that the boy saved my life it appears, I think my presence here had more ground than yours."

"I… Um…"

"All Might." The boy that everyone was talking about apparently woke up finally. "What… what are you doing here?"

"I heard about the incident."

"But… people will see you."

"Do not fret about it."

"I can't be a hero now anyway…" Clearly, Izuku was awake for a bit.

"You can." All Might reassured him. "Because I am here! To pay for all treatment!"

"It's not the cost." The doctor tried again. "His body wouldn't stand the heavy strain of rapid healing process. Even if he doesn't die, he will most likely be crippled in one way or another."

"Midoriya has been working on his body for months. He can survive more than many his age." All Might tried to defend his protegee.

"You don't understand. He is quirkless. He won't be able to handle the influx of power."

"And if he wasn't?" The no. 1 hero asked.

"Well… Um… I'm… not sure?"

"Madame." Snape turned to the mother, who looked one step away from fainting. He groaned and transfigured her a comfortable armchair to sit on. Once she was seated, he sighed. "I believe there is a way to heal your son. The treatment should be thought of as experimental, as it was never attempted in practice before."

"I… It is all overwhelming."

"I understand. The therapy I am thinking of would have some risks involved at certain stages, but, bar unforeseen consequences, there is almost a hundred percent chance of improvement."

"But why are you doing this, Lord Nox-sama?" She asked, still almost like in a trance.

"Because the boy saved my life. And I always repay my debts."

"I will also help however I can!" All Might declared.

"So will I," Harry spoke from his bed. He remained quiet for the most part, but he wanted to help too. He couldn't do much, but he could provide tears at least. And venom, should it be needed.

"Madame?" The doctor looked at Inko.

"Fine. I agree to the experimental treatment."

"I will prepare the needed paperwork then. You will also need to apply for permission for magical treatment, but as the wizard is the one who approached you, there should be no problem. Especially with Lord Nox supporting you."

The next day, Harry was taken to UA. Snape didn't plan on doing it so early, but with the incident the previous day, he had little choice. The two found themselves waiting in front of the principal's office.

"When we enter, you will remain polite no matter what. You will not speak unless talked to first. You will remain respectful. And you will answer everything honestly even if that little midget asks you how often did you spy on female showers."

"I didn't!" Harry protested.

"So tell him that when he asks." The boy gulped as Snape said when, not if.

The doors opened finally. Harry expected to see some powerful figure, maybe someone elderly with the aura of power, like Dumbledore. He certainly didn't expect a hybrid of rat, dog, and bear that was not even three feet tall.

"Snape-san! It is good to see you again!"

"Indeed, headmaster." Snape entered the room, dragging Harry with him.

"What brings you so unexpectedly?" Nezu started once he prepared tea for all three of them.

"I decided to move here full time," Snape answered honestly, taking his own advice. "The situation in britain was worsening and it was perhaps my last chance. Especially with him being back."

"He?" Nezu put down his cup and Snape shivered. The principal of UA High rarely if ever lost his cheerful exterior. And this was such a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Mr. Potter witnessed the ritual. He was even an unwilling participant. His description matches an old simulacrum ritual, although most likely somewhat modified. I doubt the Dark Lord would be willing to enter a sub-par body to his original unless he was pressed for time."

"I see. I understand you are unwilling to continue your task from before. And what of the young man with you?"

"He is in a similar situation to when I first came to you."

"Indeed? And does young Mr. Potter also wish to become a hero?" The headmaster looked at the teen in question. "Hm?"

"Yes sir. I… I have this… My friend called it 'saving people thing'. I sometimes rush into action without thinking. Being a hero would put it to good use."

"Do you think it is a flaw?" Nezu asked, curious about the young man.

"Um… I'm not sure. But I did end up in trouble because of it often enough."

"Hah! He really is like you, Snape-san."

"Professor… um… Snape-sensei ended up in trouble for saving people?"

"Oh, yes! He did. But we're not here to talk about your teacher's past."

"I will be formally recommending Mr. Potter for Hero course."

"And we will gladly have him. I followed his career with my sources in Britain and I'm curious to see what he will do in person."

"Nezu-sama, there are still two more matters I wish to address before we discuss the details."

"Oh?" The rat raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"There is the matter of security. When the word gets back to Britain that Mr. Potter is in Japan, there will be attempts to bring him back, most likely to have him tried for some false pretense."

"That is indeed a problem, but why would it be our problem."

"Because," Snape snarled, "when he becomes your student, he will be endangering the entire student body. You are perfectly aware of how little European wizards care for muggle lives. And if said muggle has a quirk, they won't even receive a slap on the wrist from the ministry. The school is protected and warded, as is my apartment, but the travel between the two is where he is exposed to danger. His quirk cannot replace normal travel as it is too well-known and can be countered."

"Well, then we will solve the problem." Nezu declared. "I was actually trying to get it implemented for a long time."

"Please tell me you're not thinking about…"

"Dorms!" The rat-bear-dog smiled broadly. "We can have them built soon and implement them the next year. That way, the students will have a chance to get used to the idea."

"You are a cheeky rat, Nezu," Snape muttered. "I am actually starting to reconsider the last matter…"

"Don't worry. Only the homeroom teachers will be forced to monitor them."

"I shouldn't be surprised you figured it out, but I still am." The potion master grumbled. "Yes, I wish to apply for a teaching position. With magical criminals getting more involved, I believe there might be a need for a class dealing with magical threats."

"And it will be a perfect cover for your presence to watch over your protege."

"Let's stay with that version." Snape didn't want to further explain his motifs.

"Okay! Excuse me while I go blackmail the board into allowing the changes." Nezu happily walked to his computer.

"Just like that?" Harry babbled before he caught himself.

"Of course. Why would I want to delay positive changes?" Nezu simply replied before getting to typing with incredible speed. Harry watched horrified as the rat-dog-bear laughed maniacally while working.

"Now," The principal pushed the keyboard from himself. "We can discuss the details."

In the end, Harry could happily move into the dorms as soon as they were finished. He would be getting tutors in relevant academic subjects until the entrance exam and a chance to train at the school gym. Snape took him to a magical tattoo parlor and got him kanji runic markings that would let him speak, write, and understand Japanese. The tattoo started at his shoulder and went down his right arm. He couldn't write in Japanese with his left arm.

It took Snape a few weeks to have everything ready for the treatment. There were several potions involved throughout that time to prepare Midoriya for the procedure. He was slowly acclimated to magic coursing through his body. At first non-invasive, then some that would cause minimal changes, then the ones that would alter his appearance partially.

The full procedure would require him drinking a Polyjuice with his own hair mixed with kneazle hair. Kneazle was chosen for the procedure for two reasons: they were sensitive to magic and could easily absorb the overflow of magic from the phoenix tears, and they were incredibly DNA-elastic. In essence, they would breed with anything. Here, Snape hoped that they would be able to avoid permanent damage from polyjuice with hair of non-human while retaining the healing even after the change was finished.

The next step was to administer phoenix tears. Here, Izuku stopped them.

"You only have about three hours, during which the process must be finished. Be quick with it boy." Snape snarled. He hated being interrupted.

Izuku clenched his fists. "I… I think All Might should drink the tears instead."

"I can produce more tears at any time if he gets hurt," Harry informed neither he nor his teacher were aware of All Might's condition.

"Anything else?" Snape asked. Seeing that Midoriya didn't answer immediately, he pressed the vial to his lips and poured it in. Izuku instinctively swallowed.

His cat ears waggled as the heat traveled down his throat. Once it reached his stomach the people present had to take a step back as a ball of fire formed around his stomach, slowly spreading to cover him entirely.

"Doctor! Grab the fire extinguisher!" Inko screamed.

"No!" Snape stopped the man. "We do not know how the process is supposed to look like. And he is not in pain."

Indeed, Izuku just watched curiously as the fire spread through his fur-covered body without doing him any harm. Some of it concentrated around his wound on his back. It also focused around his pinky toes.

The other doctors, invited to observe the procedure, furiously took notes.

After about twenty minutes of bated breath, the fire suddenly enveloped Izuku entirely, only to then seep into his skin.

"That was… interesting," Cat-Izuku commented. He then looked at his paw/hand.

As he raised it to his face, it lit up in fire again. Startled, the boy fell from his bed, accidentally grabbing the sheet with his burning hand. The bed was set on fire too.

The doctors and most of the other observers started to run away in panic. Snape just shook his head, grumbling about dunderheads. With a flick of his wand, the flames were extinguished. It was one of the spells he mastered to perfection after… certain events a few years ago.

"I'm still on fire!" Izuku cried. His mother sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. Relieved, he brushed his hair from his face, only to see his other hand also burning.

"Does it hurt?" Snape asked, looking curiously. In his head, he was already running through every ingredient of the treatment and how it could lead to this, but no matter how he looked at it, this wasn't making any sense. He specifically adjusted the treatment to take into account Midoriya… being…

"No… it doesn't. But… it feels different from the healing…"

"What was his father's quirk?" The potion master turned toward Inko.

"Um… he could breathe fire. Why?"

"And your quirk is telekinetic type, correct?"

"Yes, but Izuku is quirkless."

"Well, he's not. I can only assume that he had the potential in his DNA that for some… Son of a crub!" Snape cursed. He quickly started to wave his wand in intricate motions. "Normal. Normal. Slightly elevated… Quirk… Bloody hell…" His muttering was starting to become progressively more vulgar as he switched to English.

"What… what's the diagnosis?" Inko asked, hesitantly.

Snape pursed his lips and waved his wand over Izuku's head. Nothing happened. He touched the wand to his head, but there was still nothing. He pulled a small vial from his belt and handed it to him.

"The patient will now drink the antidote to Polyjuice." He informed the assembled doctors, who were barely holding onto their notepads in suspense.

Izuku reluctantly drunk the content. At first, nothing happened. Then, some of the fur started to slowly fall off of him. After about a minute, he was almost back to normal. Almost, because he retained the cat's ears and tail. His eyes were also slightly more catlike. Not entirely, but some qualities remained after the change receded. There were also claws.

Snape kept waving his wand now.

"We have some unexpected complications. Patient Izuku Midoriya experienced the following side-effects of the treatment: his body went through a complete overhaul, bringing it to what can be described as peak condition; he appears to have acquired a pyrokinesis-type quirk, a combination from his mother and father sides; and finally, part of the kneazle DNA appears to have intruded upon his quirk, merging with it. As a result, cat ears, cat tail, and claws became permanent parts of his physiology." He looked at the doctors, who were staring at him. "This is the part where you leave to marvel about the new treatment somewhere else."

The doctors just stared at him with wide eyes.

"I said get. lost!" Snape roared, allowing his eyes to turn black-and-red. The doctors ran, some leaving their notes even. "This is going to be a headache…" The potion master grumbled to himself as he collapsed into a chair.

A/N So we are finally here for what the story initially started for: Cat Izuku throwing fireballs. Because why not?