Italicized: POV/Flashbacks/Thoughts/Spell
Bold: Monster
POV: Harry Potter | November 2nd, 1998
Harry Potter stood in his office located within the Raccoon City Police Department. He had been offered the Chief's office by Leon, but had refused it and had decided to move into the S.T.A.R.S office with Jill. The Raccoon City Police Department, Fire Department, and Hospitals had been the first to be rebuilt once the zombie's deceased corpses had been removed and displaced by Harry to the surface of the Sun, ensuring that any leftover virus within the bodies wouldn't carry into the soil if they were all buried. The Police Department had been easy to fix given how he had repaired the damage to the front counter and the roof, being the first facility up and running. The Hospital had been a bit difficult given the stockpile of things blocking the hallways, taking five days to repair and rebuild compared to the station's two. And the Fire Department had been the worst, having to be completely rebuilt by Harry after having been blown up during the apocalypse.
After the Station, Hospital, and Fire Department were repaired and stocked with employees and volunteers, the group set out for any remaining survivors. Almost thirty thousand survivors who had been in the outskirts of the city outside of Harry's detection charm moved into downtown. Those injured were treated at the hospital and were moved into the repaired apartments and homes around the city. Harry and the others had been repairing apartments first, before moving on to businesses and other facilities as well. For the city to heal, the economy had to heal. Kendo went back to work at his shop, getting more business than ever as people bought weapon after weapon to prepare for any future bioterrorism attack.
The child survivors had been reunited with their parents, and those who had lost their parents were taken in by couples who either wanted kids or had lost their own in the apocalypse. A couple had tried to 'adopt' Sherry after losing their daughter, but she had refused, preferring to stay with Harry, Claire, and the others.
Harry, Claire, Jill, Leon, Carlos, Kendo, and Sherry had all moved into the closest apartment building to the Police Station, all having their apartments. Harry and Claire had decided to get different apartments, mainly because they were taking things slow and didn't want to push things further than they had been...like moving in together. For Harry, the reasoning was simple. He was afraid. He hadn't been in a relationship since Cho Chang and only Cho Chang...and that had not lasted long and was not at all fun or informative. Harry had been told that he was a good kisser by Claire, but he doubted even that based on his past. Though perhaps it was hereditary? Harry didn't have a clue.
Sherry jumped between apartments, having her own room in each. She stayed between Harry and Claire's a lot, but when the two were busy out in the city, she stayed between Jill, Leon, and Kendo. Carlos had not stayed in the city long, helping clean up the zombies and the reconstruction of the police station before deciding he would leave to live with his family in Brazil. Harry provided the ex-Umbrella a portkey to his home, with Carlos saying his goodbyes before going home. And Tyrell had yet to return to the city from the military outpost beyond the barrier and had no doubt returned to U.B.C.S H.Q for a new assignment. As for Katherine? She high-tailed it out of Raccoon, going who-knows-where to escape her abusive father as well as the apocalypse. That meant that out of the original ten survivors, only seven remained.
The Umbrella facilities beneath the city had been searched, having imploded on themselves to create large sockets of nothing below. A huge safety hazard, Harry was forced to misplace dirt from around the world to fill the pockets, ensuring the city didn't collapse into the large holes. It saddened Harry, not being able to access Umbrella's information. He was sure that there were secrets within those facilities. But they had been destroyed before they could be thoroughly explored and rummaged through. A missed opportunity.
Two weeks after the 'Incident', the government had abandoned trying to get into the city, deserting their outpost outside the barrier. This allowed civilians in, or more so volunteers. Thousands of people around the world interested in helping bring the city back to life flew or drove in, entering the city without trouble. Veterans became firefights and police officers. Doctors and nurses began to work full/part-time in the rebuilt and remodeled Hospital, and those who had once been in the government arrived to assist in rebuilding the infrastructure of the city. A new mayoral election was held, with Harry being elected with almost a majority vote. He tried to reject it but learned that only two others had run and they were supremely un-qualified. And so, Harry became Mayor.
In the two weeks that followed, a few drastic changes occurred. Claire drew more distance from Harry and everyone as her desire to find Chris strengthened. She spent hours trying to track him down, and even more attempting to go looking for him. Harry supported her any way he could, but it seemed obligation after obligation was being handed to Claire, holding her back. Harry couldn't exactly exempt her from these duties due to the severity of the jobs in question, but could also tell it tortured her, sitting here while her brother was out there missing.
The subject of S.T.A.R.S had interested Harry, with him moving his spending time in their office trying to dig up anything he could. He was interested in Captain 'Albert Wesker' who seemed to be both a 'hero' in his field and a bit of an ass. He found pictures of the young - the same age as Harry through 'young' to Wesker - Rebecca Chambers, who seemed to enjoy posing sexily in a minuscule amount of clothing. A sports bra and small shorts. A basketball uniform, clearly, but it still seemed off that Wesker would even take such a picture and that Chambers would agree to it. Who knows, maybe they were just laughing? He wasn't there. But the fact that Wesker kept the photo and named it 'Rising Rookie' was a bit unsettling and creepy. This was only made worse when it was revealed to him by Jill that Wesker and Chambers weren't even friendly.
His increased time in the S.T.A.R.S office - and thus with Jill - seemed to make Claire a bit jealous. Harry and Jill spent their time together going over S.T.A.R.S files, planning to make it bigger than it had ever planned to be. This increase in interaction between the two made Jill a bit defensive around Claire, something that Harry didn't quite understand. Sure, Harry and Jill were close, but Harry hadn't considered anything between himself and Jill possible. After all, he was with Claire, and he didn't plan for that change anytime soon. But in consideration of Claire, he laid back on visits to the S.T.A.R.S office, going there every few days to continue his work with Jill, spending the time he lost with Claire as well as Kendo and Leon.
Harry had kept two vials of vaccine. One to keep on him for emergencies. And a second to dissect and learn to copy without magic. They had been working on vaccine bullets. Bullets that when fired would cure any bioweapon, killing them with roughly three or four shots. They were only in the drawing phase of the bullets and the weapons that would carry them, but it was a start. And a start was good.
Harry Potter, Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Robert Kendo stood within the middle of Harry's mayoral office within City Hall. They stood around his desk, where a set of plans were set. They were all labeled differently, each one labeled by Harry himself. There were four. 'Project Inferi', 'Operation Failsafe', 'Project S.T.A.R.S', and finally 'Operation P.A.B.S'. Harry pulled out the first set of plans, spreading out the plans as he spoke. "This is Project Inferi'. Nicknamed by myself after a group of evil creatures I came across back home. Leon, Rob, and I have been working on his over the last month. We're ready to go into production on these, but we wanted your approval on it as well," He told Claire and Jill.
"What do these bullets do?" Claire asked.
"The Inferi I stumbled upon back home were like zombies. So I named these bullets as such. Only it's a given that these bullets aren't laced with the T or G Virus. That would be both dangerous and dumb. No, these are laced with the vaccine. Three or four shots to the head with one of these, and a zombie is down and serves as no threat to passing on the virus after its death. If you're lucky, you can get it in two," Harry explained.
"So it will keep the virus from evolving?" Jill questioned.
"Exactly," Leon spoke. "It'll spread the vaccine through the bioweapon's body, curing it. If the zombie turned by just a bite and wasn't eaten like most of them were here, then there's a chance they can be brought back. It's slim, but it is possible. But those with mortal wounds would die on the spot,"
"So...what do you two think?" Kendo asked.
"Go for it. The more of these we have, the better chance we have to keep the virus from spreading. Though Harry's told us that zombies don't let off the virus to evolve, we haven't had a zombie around or dead long enough to tell. So, it's better safe than sorry," Jill replied. She turned to Claire, who seemed to think on it for a moment, before shrugging, nodding her head as Harry smiled.
"Ok, Project Inferi is a go," He slid the plans to the side, before picking up the plans labeled 'Operation Failsafe'. After a moment of straightening the blueprints, Harry spoke. "Claire and I have been working on this one. We've been planning it for about two weeks, and have only scratched the surface of what we can do here," He motioned to the blueprints of the city. There, there was a circle around the city with a red building in the center, where an old parking garage that had yet to be repaired currently sat. "This garage is going to be torn down in two days. Instead of rebuilding it, Claire and I believe a different building would be more suitable. After all, it's located at the very heart of the city, next to us here at City Hall and the Police Station,"
"What would we do with this building?" Kendo asked.
"Well, it would belong to 'Operation P.A.B.S' and would act as a storage facility, safehouse, as well as an entrance. I'll get to the last two later, but for the storage facility aspect, this building will store large doses of the T-Virus Vaccine. This line here -" He motioned to the circle. "- will be a large metal wall that will rise in the event of a second outbreak. It will rise to about fifty feet, keeping out outsiders while quarantining those inside. Once the walls are up, a dispersal device at the top will release the vaccine through the city as I did. Only this will do the job without my abilities,"
"Actually...what are your abilities?" Leon asked. Claire sent Leon a glare and Jill shook her head, but Kendo seemed as interested in the subject as Leon was. Harry frowned, standing up from his leaning position. He took a deep breath, before sighing. "I've...I got a lot of my memory back after everything that happened last month. But there are still things that are a little fuzzy. But...I've been lying to you. You all know I have magic, and that there are others here like me. I haven't been trying to hide that. But the thing is...I've lied to you about my past. I'm not from this Britain. The Veil of Death isn't some sort of torture device I was kept in until Umbrella found me. And I've been keeping some more things from you,"
"I...why don't you start from the beginning?" Claire asked, clearly a bit angry.
"Ok...yeah...the beginning," Harry spoke. He started with James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew. Their friendship, his being born, the prophecy, the Potters' going into hiding, and then the betrayal of Pettigrew and the death of his parents and Voldemort. He spoke about Dumbledore and McGonagall, how they placed him with the Dursleys. Harry kept his time with the Dursley's brief, seeing as it had all been the same old story. Harry then went into his getting his letter to Hogwarts, Hagrid, Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. He then spoke of his years at Hogwarts. Quirrell and Snape going after the stone, Tom Riddle controlling and almost killing Ginny Weasley, Sirius' escape, Buckbeak, Lupin, Pettigrew, and the time travel. And then the Tournament, Cedric's death, Riddle's revival, and then the Ministries denial of that fact and their slandering of Harry and Dumbledore. After that, he spoke of Umbridge and the fall of Hogwarts, before going into small detail about the battle at the Department of Mysteries.
"I threw myself in the Veil of Death, and tried to grab him, but...he was too deep into the...the portal. He fell in and I fell in after him. I fell right into the cavern where Umbrella found me. After that, everything I've told you is true," Harry explained. The room was silent as everyone took in his story. Claire had been hugging Harry's arm from halfway into the story, something that Harry found comforting. He hadn't remembered so much in so long. After a few moments, Harry continued. "The envelope I got at the safehouse was a letter from someone who claims to be my friend. They explained to me that a member of my family from ten generations ago was thrown through the Veil in my...dimension, and started a life here. He gained the title of Lord and gained a fortune in some shady practices. His grandson acquired everything when his father and grandfather died, but he soon died without an heir. And so...when I showed up with their blood in my veins, I was the next heir,"
"So...you're a Lord with a fortune?" Jill questioned.
"A large fortune. Enough to put the three richest people in the worlds' riches combined to shame," Harry replied.
"That's...a lot," Leon commented.
"Yeah. This is why I plan to put it to good use with these projects and any others that come after. I've spent only a micro-fraction of the money in my accounts on doctors, nurses, police personnel, engineers, plumbers, etc., etc. I'm hoping we can get everything rebuilt, remodeled, and get the city back up and running by next year. And if things get delayed, then by 2000," Harry explained. "But that's enough of that. Let's move back to the project," When everyone in the room gave him a nod in agreement, he continued. "Once the vaccine has been spread, and all bioweapon signatures have been eliminated, the walls around the city will fall and everything will return to normal for cleanup,"
"And when would this structure, the dispersal device, and the wall be complete?" Kendo asked.
"Well, seeing as it would ensure the quick end of another outbreak, it will be a priority once housing and business are done. Minor facilities' will be put on hold though until these structures are completed," Claire replied.
"Sound's useful. I'm fine with it," Leon spoke.
"Same," Jill said.
"I think it's a good idea," Kendo added.
"Great. Sound's good," Harry pushed the plans over towards the 'Project Inferi' plans, before pulling out the plans labeled 'Operation S.T.A.R.S'. "Jill and I have been working on this one for a few weeks. I've been interested in S.T.A.R.S and their operations since I learned about them, and wondered what I could do to expand their operations once we got it back up and running. I've gotten into contact with old S.T.A.R.S operative Barry Burton to see if he was interested in coming back, but he explained that his family had settled in Canada and that he would reconsider in the future. And after contacting Rebecca Chambers, I learned that she went off to get a doctorate in virology. Said she wanted to be able to better help her friends here at S.T.A.R.S in the future at a wider range when she did return. So she's off the table. And because Chris is somewhere in France, that leaves me and Jill. Unless any of you want to join the squad,"
When no one spoke, Harry smiled. "I figured. Never hurts to ask though," After all, they all had obligations. Claire had her duties helping them with designs and plans, Leon was spearheading the RPD, and Jill was the only full-time member of S.T.A.R.S already. It made sense. "This plan is simple. Expand S.T.A.R.S. It was heavily underfunded and hugely underrepresented under the leadership of Albert Wesker. This plan will increase their arsenal and funding, their role within the RPD, as well as pulling back their restrictions. Jill here has already agreed to lead the new Alpha Team, and I'm currently searching for veterans, chemists, maintenance crew members, pilots, medics, computer experts, communications experts, weapons experts, etc., etc. you get the gist. So...what are your opinions?"
"If you think S.T.A.R.S is going to be vital to the future of RC, then I think it should be expanded," Leon replied.
"I'm for it. If you two want special mods for anything. Just stop by the shop," Kendo spoke.
"I'm fine with it," Claire said with a shrug.
"Great...great. Ok. S.T.A.R.S will be expanded and will operate here within Raccoon City for the coming years," Harry sighed, turning to the last set of plans. The S.T.A.R.S plans had contained the new S.T.A.R.S wing that would be added to the Raccoon Police Department, the new wing would be added to the east side of the building, taking over where the Ennerdale Parking Garage was located. That part of Warren Street would be torn down, making RPD exponentially bigger. These last plans held plans for a new building next to City Hall to the west. The plans were labeled 'P.A.B.S'. Harry spoke. "This building will be the host of my independent project, which I hope the three of you will choose to support,"
"P.A.B.S...what does that mean?" Claire asked.
"Private Anti-Biohazard Service. I plan for Raccoon City to be the birthplace of something far better than Umbrella. I'm hoping P.A.B.S can work as an Anti-Umbrella, putting an end to its outbreaks as well as its operations. I'm hoping to make it worldwide," Harry explained. "I've already gotten a few veterans and officers who couldn't get into the station that is willing to start it off. They'll be a global squad, going from city to city, country to country, stopping any sign of bioweapon use that they come across. I'm working on getting more recruits, but it will take time,"
"How long have you been working on this?" Jill questioned.
"Three weeks," Harry answered.
"Why didn't you tell us? I would have volunteered before going back to S.T.A.R.S," Jill told him.
"I'm aware of that, but these plans weren't concrete until you had gone back to S.T.A.R.S. If you want to join in after you've gotten your squad up and running and have a suitable Team Leader then I will accept you into the P.A.B.S with open arms. That goes for all of you as well," Harry explained. Leon frowned, seemingly unsure of the proposition. Kendo immediately rejected the offer, his heart being with the shop across the street. And Claire seemed a bit angry, but he would worry about that after the meeting. Harry took a deep breath and spoke. "These plans coincide with these plans," He pulled the second sheet out from beneath the P.A.B.S Headquarters blueprints. It revealed a five-floor facility.
"This facility will go where the NEST #1 facility used to be. The whole structure has been blown to hell, and I filled the hole it left with dirt, but that can be easily removed and replaced with this new facility. It will be connected to the P.A.B.S H.Q, and will hold a large hold -" He pointed to the very bottom floor, which was a giant complex with a few smaller sections splitting off. "- that can hold several thousand survivors. If the outbreak were to occur, survivors can enter the safe bunker until the vaccine is dispersed, or stay there on the off chance that the vaccine doesn't disperse. There's much more in this facility that you can see later in the archives, but from what you've seen, what do you think?"
"I think it's a good idea. Could come in handy if Umbrella were to find their way back into the city," Leon spoke.
"I agree. I think it can be useful in the future," Kendo added. Jill and Claire gave their nods in agreement.
"Great. I guess that wraps things up here," Harry spoke. After exchanging their goodbyes, Kendo left City Hall to return to his shop, Leon returned to the Station for a briefing, leaving Harry, Claire, and Jill alone in his office. He shuffled and folded the plans together, placing them into his desk before he fell into his seat. Rubbing his hand through his hair, Harry sighed. "So...I'm assuming the two of you have questions?" Claire gave him a definitive nod, while Jill only shrugged, seemingly unsure of what to say about the situation. "Well, I'll tell you right now, I probably don't know the answers, but I'll give it a shot," He leaned back, facing Claire.
"Can you go back? To your home...dimension?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"I don't know. I haven't had the opportunity to go back to Britain yet to see if the Veil is closed or not. I can't tell if it's opened or closed. If it's open, it would make sense why people wouldn't go back through. Back home they would be killed on the spot or hunted if they managed to escape. If they stayed here, they could use their magic to get rich and live a new and better life without a Ministry of Magic to hold them back. That's what my family did I guess," Harry explained. "And if it's closed...well then the same applies. Only you don't get a choice. You're stuck,"
"Do you feel stuck?" Jill asked.
"A bit...I'd do anything to see my friends again. Last time I saw them...Hermione was injured badly...Neville was bleeding heavily from his head...Ginny and Luna were being held at wand-point. And the Order...Dumbledore. All of them must have been blindsided by it all. After all, the last time they saw me, I was going headfirst into the Veil of Death. The veil that was reserved for the second-worst wizards on the planet," Harry replied.
Claire frowned. "And the first?"
"Dementor's Kiss. A cold, heartless, depressing skeletal creature that sucks out your soul. If you're lucky enough, they'll spare you the hopelessness of their presence, and lift their hoods to reveal their lips. They'll reach down, their lips an inch from yours, and using some sort of magic I've never heard of...they'll suck out your soul. Right through your throat, before eating it. Your memories...your personality...your individuality...all gone, preserved in the stomach of the Dementor. And your body? It lives. Only as a broken and hollow shell left behind to rot in the world. A constant reminder that you were in the wrong place...at the wrong time," Harry had lost himself in the memories. His encounter with the Dementors at the Express, the Quidditch match, and the lake. Sirius' near-death encounter. And the death of Barty Crouch Jr at the hands of a Ministry issued Dementor to keep him quiet.
"You sound like...you experienced it," Jill told him.
"I did," Harry replied. He immediately continued at their wide-eyes. "Not personally. But I was there when it happened twice. The first was my godfather. We were at the lake by my school. He'd been in a fight with a werewolf and I had been running to follow. We were both exhausted, and we both collapsed. Then a hundred dementors showed up. They surrounded us. Pulling out every ounce of joy and hope I had had before I almost passed out. But Sirius...they had been told to kill him at first sight. And the Dementors took their jobs seriously," Claire was not sitting on the edge of the desk, fully engaged in his story. Jill had leaned forward, her hands on the desk as she listened intently.
"I saw it...I saw his soul. Pulled it right out of his throat. They were about to eat it when I cast a Patronus. The only defense and offense against a dementor. I was fearing for his life. He had been my only family for about an hour at that point, but he was family. My godfather," He choked a bit but continued. "They ran off, and his soul returned to his body. I had saved him. But the spell made me pass out from exhaustion, and so we were captured. A bunch of other stuff happened, and we got him out, but because he was an innocent escaped prison convict, he was forced to go on the run. I only saw him a few times in person after that. And then everything with the Veil happened," Harry explained.
"And the second was Bartemius Crouch Jr. I was fourteen. Voldemort - the man who killed my parents - had been planning to come back to life using a Horcrux. Barty Crouch Jr was one of his followers and sabotaged a magical tournament to ensure I was entered. My name was chosen, and I was forced to fight dragons, merpeople, as well as a giant maze. By the end of the maze, another champion Cedric Diggory and I reached the Tournament Cup or the Triwizard Cup. It had been turned into a portkey by Crouch. When the two of us touched it, we were sent to a graveyard in the middle of nowhere, and Cedric was killed. Right in front of me. First time I'd seen someone die after my parents. I had nightmares about it for months after..."
"The point is, Crouch was behind Voldemort's return. He was captured by the Ministry, but because the dumbass Minister Fudge wanted to keep Voldemort's return quiet...Crouch was 'accidentally' placed under a Dementor's Kiss. Labeled 'wrong place wrong time' by the Ministry. The only person besides myself in the area that could confirm Voldemort's return, killed off by the 'good guys. I then spent the next year having my name dragged through the mud. My friends didn't speak to me by Dumbledore's wishes...Sirius and I didn't talk. I was alone with my relatives all summer. Being stalked by the Order while having nightmares with no one to talk to. It didn't help that my relatives were royal gits," Harry spoke. His British tongue slipped a bit, but he pulled it back and frowned.
"Do...you want to talk about it?" Claire asked, placing a hand on his shoulder as she slowly began to rub the not that sat there.
Harry shook his head, closing his eyes at the feeling on his shoulder. "No...I'm fine. Just a lot of forgotten memories spilling out. I'd rather try not to remember them," Harry got up from his desk, taking a deep breath as he turned to Claire. He was about to speak when his door slammed open. His assistant Gregory stepped in. "Sir...we have U.S troops moving down Main Street. They want to speak with you,"
"That's impossible. I would have been notified," Harry spoke. The ward was still up. He would have been told if the military had crossed through the barrier. He turned to Claire and Jill, who both seemed confused while ready for any confrontation that followed. With a deep sigh, Harry straightened his tie and moved around his desk. He readied his pouch and stepped out of his office. This was going to be interesting.