Harry Potter and The Academy of Heroes

by PLPanda

In a world where some people wield magic, quirks shouldn't be too surprising. And yet, magic and quirks don't usually mix. Unless your name is Harry Potter. Then Fate has it out for you and Murphy's law is real. But there is a light in the future. There is a world beyond the castle of Hogwarts and maybe it's time to explore? Pairing undecided.

8. Chapter 8

Harry Potter and The Academy of Heroes - Chapter 8

-|A|-

The day was otherwise quite uneventful if one excludes the alarms blaring to life in the middle of their lunch and a giant panic that started shortly after. The students were all stampeding toward the small exit and trying to push through everyone else without care for anyone or anything. Harry and his friends got caught up in the wave and carried from their seats.

"It's just the media!" Tenya tried to calm the masses, but he was pretty much ignored by anyone.

A sound of cannon going off reverberated through the room, followed by three more.

"Oi!" Harry scowled as every single pair of eyes focused on him. "You're all a bunch of morons." While several people started to glare at him, most were too stunned to react. "Running and panicking like that will only get you killed. If it was an actual attack you wouldn't even be able to move in this mess. Are you U.A. students or not?"

Some people reluctantly nodded.

"Then bloody well act like that. Pre… Uh, Class representatives, get your classmates under control and move in an orderly manner." He pointed his want to the window. "It's just the bloody press."

That finally served to get people to relax. One by one, the representatives gathered their classmates and left the cafeteria.

"And you said you'd make a bad Class rep." Momo laughed next to him.

"You kidding?" He chuckled. "I would probably turn them all into ferrets the next time it happened."

-|A|-

The next day, the class was told to gather in front of the dorms in their hero costumes. Or gym uniforms. They would have a field trip and rescue training that day, so some of their costumes might've not been the best. To Harry's relief, Hagakure chose to put on something other than her hero costume. He himself put on his full hero costume. It might've been a bit cumbersome, but the extra protection dragonskin offered would come in handy in the more dangerous environment. If they were going where he suspected, a vial of phoenix tears would also not come amiss.

After Midoriya checked attendance, they were all slowly boarding the bus when Todoroki stopped him. Harry looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

"You're like me," Shoto stated. It wasn't a question.

"I don't think I follow?"

"You have a double quirk." He clarified, showing ice forming on one hand and fire on the other.

"Uh… Hate to break it to you, but I only have one quirk. The two sides of it balance each other. In fact, if I didn't have both, I would quite possibly be dead already."

"I… see… Forgive me then." Todoroki pushed past him and got onto the bus. Harry shrugged. He promised himself to not get involved in any mess this year. He had a new start and it wasn't the time to go and start looking for every imaginable trouble. He would have an entire career to do so.

As the ride went on, the class engaged in idle discussion. Harry for the most part just listened, curious to hear more about quirks. Asking Midoriya, while viable, would turn into a mumbled lecture very quickly.

"Kero, what about you, Harry?" Asui pulled him out of the memory of the last ramble.

"Um… could you repeat the question?"

"We're discussing our favorite Pro Heroes." Midoriya was smiling shyly and Harry guessed he was the one that began the discussion. "And we're curious which one is your favorite."

"Oh… um… I don't… I think I don't have one." He shrugged.

"But… how?" Kaminari voiced what most was thinking.

"I'm a wizard. From Europe." He deadpanned.

"Kero, then your favorite shouldn't be Lord Nox?"

"Yeah, half of his popularity is due to the wizards unanonymously voting on him in popularity polls."

"The other half of his fans are those fangirls that are into edgy." Kaminari laughed suddenly. "Does that mean you're his fan, Jiro?"

The answer he got was in form of an aux cord sending him crying.

"Yeah, no. Sorry to disappoint, but Snape's very close to the bottom of the list."

"But… why? Didn't he help you here? I'm pretty sure he's the one that recommended you." Midoriya looked at him with his wide puppy-dog eyes."

"Yeah, but… Okay, look, from what I figured, he was working undercover for the last few years at least. And he was a straight-up bastard. And bigot. Even knowing it was just an act, I can't exactly get over it just like that. Plus, there is no love lost between us right now either. Most of the interactions we have are pretty much strictly business. Yes, he trained me, but he had his own motives." Harry retained enough sense of caution not to reveal exactly what the motives were and the phoenix tears he gave the man.

The discussion carried on for a bit, but Harry remained sulking. His memories kept returning back to Hogwarts days now. He didn't miss the castle and school per se, but he started to feel nostalgic. It was the first place he found a semblance of family. And even with the number of life-threatening adventures, he couldn't just forget the happy parts.

"We're here," Aizawa announced, breaking him from his train of thoughts.

They exited the bus and entered the giant dome. Inside, Space Hero: Thirteen greeted them in their full chibi-like suit. They sounded like someone implanted them with a voice modulator, but it was perhaps part of their hero persona.

"Hello, students! Today, you'll be training to use your quirks to help people. But first, I've got one… well, two… or maybe three… four?" They started to count on their fingers, until deciding to just ignore it. "Anyway, several things to say first. As many of you might know, my quirk, Black Hole, is incredibly powerful. As a rescue hero, I specialize in saving people. My quirk is incredibly useful in clearing the rubble, but it can just as easily be used to kill someone. I know many of you are already aware of this, but I need to reiterate: Your powers are not meant to inflict harm. I hope that you leave here today with the understanding that you're meant to help people. Now, we will-"

They were interrupted when Kirishima looked over them and saw something purple at the central square. "Sensei, is that part of the exercise?"

"Those are robots?" Kaminari looked in the distance.

"No! Stay back! Those are real villains!" Eraserhead ran to the edge of the stairs. "Thirteen! Protect the students. Potter. I'm giving you full authorization to use any magic you deem necessary." Shota prepared to leap down when he was stopped by Midoriya.

"Sensei! You can't. There are too many of them. You specialize in one-on-one fights and surprise attacks."

"No hero is a one-trick pony."

"Sensei, you see those three in white robes and that guy in blue? I'm ninety-nine percent certain they're wizards." Harry informed him.

"Good thing I've got a lifetime of experience fighting Severus." Aizawa leaped forward, disregarding the worry of his students.

"Students, we need to get out of here. Move back toward the exit in an orderly fashion, but hurry."

Thirteen led them toward the doors, but a black cloud formed in front of the group.

"I'm sorry, but I can't have you going away just yet. We still have plans for you."

To the surprise of the students, thirteen didn't hesitate to use their quirk to start and suck the cloud in. For a moment, it looked like they've won, but then a portal opened behind them and their own quick was used to hurt them.

Kirishima and Bakugou roared in rage and leaped at the mist, only to vanish inside. The other students managed to rush past the villain, but Ojiro, Shinso, Shoji, and Koda were all caught and teleported somewhere. They were almost by the doors when the dark-blue flame sprouted from near the wall, creating an additional barrier on the inside of USJ.

"Stop!" Harry shouted and pulled everyone back from the flame. He was feeling bad just from standing near the fire.

"We need to get outside and get help!" Iida argued.

"We can't. We try and we die." Harry snapped. Seeing the mist approach fast at them, he pulled his wand and started moving it faster than anyone ever saw him. "Protego Totalum. Fianto Duri. Immobulus. Terra Impervius." He got only so far when the mist slammed into the shield and he no longer had enough focus to continue. Instead, all his remaining magical power went into reinforcing the impromptu protections he created.

"What's going on?!" Ashido squeaked.

"What was that fire?" Midoriya turned to Harry, who was struggling with the barrier being constantly assaulted by the mist villain.

"Protego Diabolica. Spell designed by Grindelwald himself during the Great Quirk War. I read about it for the history exam. It's impossibly powerful. Anyone with harmful intent toward the caster or his allies will burn in agony before reaching the other end."

"Surely if one goes fast enough…" Iida began, only to be cut by Aoyama.

"Non. It would be of no deefference. Ze spell was made by ze darkest Weezard of ze modern age."

"The spell will block all known methods of travel. Including my flashing. We're stuck here." Harry looked at his classmates with a serious look on his face. "I'm not sure how long these protections will hold." As if to prove him right, the soft golden glow of the barrier around them, currently their only source of light, dimmed for a moment before returning to full strength.

"They would definitely not send us out of here." Midoriya started to theorize. "Some of us have satellite connection in our suits, so even if we were sent out of Japan, we would still get to send a panic message. Also, he said they had plans for us. Most likely, they will try to separate and overwhelm us with the number of enemies in various sections. We'll be forced to fight." He paused, allowing everyone to fully grasp what it would entail. He needed them to realize. "Our lives will be at stake… I… we… there won't be help coming. It's up to us to survive." Midoriya tried to hold back tears. He was afraid. Terrified even. But that won't help anyone. He would one day have to replace All might. With titanic effort, he put a smile on his face and looked at his classmates. "We're here to one day become heroes. Let's show them what 'Plus Ultra' really means." A single tear splashed on the hard ground as he raised his fist up. Seeing that most of the other students were now nodding, he began planning. "If they got access to the school records, they might know our quirks, so the best way would be to pair people with opposite weaknesses and perhaps bind them together so that if one ends up in the unfavorable territory, the other will have the advantage."

"Kero, like me and you. I do well in water and your quirk is centered around the fire."

"Exactly!" He beamed at the recognition. "There are fourteen of us here, so it means we need seven pairs… I belie-"

"Incoming!" Harry shouted as the barrier around them finally shattered under the pressure. Most people grabbed onto the nearest other students. Harry, who was in the center and was given wide breadth… was taken alone.

-|A|-

Midoriya found himself falling into the water. As soon as he oriented himself, his mostly dormant cat instincts took control. With a loud yowl, he leaped out of the pond and onto the nearby ship. There, he found himself accompanied by Asui and Sero.

"Uh… I feel like your plan somewhat worked? Great job Midoriya."

"Kero, you're smart."

"Okay, but we must get going. I'm afraid they'll start the simulation soon." Midoriya's usually happy and welcoming demeanor changed into pure determination. "What are your quirks?"

"Uh… I produce tape from my elbows." Sero offered.

"How durable? Sticky or not? Waterproof?" Izuku fired question after question, fast.

"I think it can hold up to three people's worth of weight… at least I never tried more? And it's very sticky. I've never used it under the shower so…"

"Hm… They're not attacking." Midoriya noted absentmindedly, seemingly ignoring the information given.

"Kero, my quirk gives me all the skills of a frog. I jump high, swim fast, my tongue gets really long… I can also eject and wash my stomach, though it's kinda gross. Kero."

"Okay, I've got a plan." Midoriya looked at his two companions. "Asui…" Seeing her glare, he quickly corrected himself. "Tsu, I need you to grab Sero and leap as far away from the boat as you can. Sero, on my signal you'll fire as much tape as you can right at the center."

"Center of what?"

"You'll know when you see it. Tsu. Go." Midoriya ordered and before the Tape-quirk user could get any more details, he was being hauled away with a tongue. Midoriya gathered a bit of fire from his gauntlets close to his feet and used it in conjunction with One for All to launch himself in the air. While in what he suspected was the peak of his leap, he twisted with unnatural agility and aimed his arm at the water where most of the villains waited. A flick of his finger sent a powerful shockwave of air. The attack created a vortex that started to drag the villains inside as the water became desperate to even itself back. Sero saw what was happening and fired as much tape as he could muster right at the villains that were being pulled into a giant cluster. Feeling his limits, he was forced to cut the stream, but by that time all villains were already bound into a giant lump of bodies. The group landed by the edge of the pond. They were only able to stare in pure terror at what was happening on the central plaza.

-|A|-

Harry found himself dropped into a burning city. The fire raged everywhere around him, but it was of no difference to him right now. Leaping forward even before touching the ground, he twisted mid-air, allowing the basilisk to form in his place. The large snake moved into the shadows created by the buildings. Faster than one would expect from such an animal, Harry slithered toward where he could smell humans. His thoughts became more animalistic. He could still behave normally, but his mind was now more prone to succumbing to the base instincts of a basilisk. That to rip, shred, tear… kill.

He quickly spotted a group of villains patrolling the street. There was some fight in the distance, but apparently, those here didn't care. Or they were looking for someone. For him.

Harry waited until they were close to his hiding spot before leaping out with a loud hiss. Basilisk's fang sunk into the hand of the nearest villain, closing on it until a sound of breaking bone could've been heard. Satisfied, he let go and slithered away. The others were now on high alert as the one who was bitten clenched his broken arms. With great effort, Harry held back any venom, but the pain of having one's bone shattered would keep him from doing anything more. While escaping, he noticed that one of the villains had a very visible drill as one of his hands. This gave him an idea.

Circling around the now-alert group, Harry amped up his hisses to ensure they heard him. One of them started to sweat out of fear. The one previously attacked was unconscious from the pain already.

"Amateursss." Potter laughed in parseltongue, which added more fright to the entire situation. While it was all but impossible to differentiate between parseltongue and normal snake hissing, the magic involved in the former made those without the gift somewhat uncomfortable.

Using the distraction, he leaped from the shadows and coiled around the man with the drill. His tail wrapped around his other hand while his head and 'front' part were now securely controlling the mutation. The other villain tried to save his companion, but it only made things easier for Harry, who used the drill to smack him in the gust. Hard. And when the villain got up, the idiot tried to charge him again. Harry was more than willing to use the drill again. This time, on his face. It didn't look like the villain would get up any time soon.

Being left alone with the drill-man, Harry simply moved his tail and torso back, popping both man's arms out of the joints. Then, for a good measure, he headbutted him. He was left unconscious and no longer a threat.

Satisfied, the wizard turned back into a human. He was ready to go and search for some of his classmates when his ears heard a piercing shriek coming from the central plaza. It wasn't a fully human cry. There was too much… cat in it. Midoriya!

While Protego Diabolica made it impossible to flash outside, he was technically free to use that method inside the circle. Green flames enveloped him as he vanished from the fiery streets, only to reappear near the fountain. He was able to quickly take cover before anyone spotted him.

Time seemed to slow down as the villain with hands attached to various parts of his body first disintegrates Aizawa's elbow. He can see the four wizards that created the Protego Diabolica around the USJ unconscious nearby, but he'd need to get through the large open space to get near them. Even then, he wouldn't be able to do much. He never studied that spell in-depth, remembering it only as a footnote in the history book. He had no idea what the counter-spell was.

The black monster smashed into Aizawa and tossed him around, pinning the teacher to the ground. He was about to be killed when black mist reformed near the leader and said something that Harry couldn't hear. He was desperately looking for something he could do. His teacher failed to win and he most likely wouldn't have a chance either. He had magic, but there was little that could've been done. He had one shot. It was all or nothing. He weighted the small crystal vial in his hand. The phoenix tears could save his teacher while he was still alive. If only he could get there before...

The choice was taken away from Harry when the hand villain tried to grab onto one of his classmates. He was about to grab him by the face when Harry made his decision. A green fire consumed him.

-|A|-

Midoriya could only watch as his teacher was being killed. If what the hand villain said was true, the beast was made to fight All Might at full power. There was no way Midoriya could fight the beast. Their only chance was to stay hidden and escape when the chance presented itself.

Until the villain noticed them. He saw the hand coming at them. He wanted to do something. His body was already charging with One for All, but it would be too late. He didn't expect this Shigaraki to be so fast.

Tsuyu would die and all because of him. He was too slow. Midoriya closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable.

Even through his eyelids, the flash of green light was unmistakable. When he opened his eyes again, Midoriya saw Potter's body in front of them, shielding them all from the villain. A crystal vial fell from the wizard's hand as he set himself on fire before crumbling to dust, leaving only his clothes intact. Shigaraki pulled his hand back with a cry of pain. Luckily, Asui retained enough thinking to catch it before it was too late.

Midoriya saw green for a moment and nothing more. The fire consumed Potter, leaving just ash. Shigaraki guy killed Potter. Potter was dead.

Midoriya saw red.

His body lit up with One for All like never before. The fire zone was in the neighborhood. Even though its walls were made to withstand the heat inside, the architects didn't predict someone taking control of the fire inside. The doors burst open as the masses of fire soared toward Midoriya.

"You… You killed him. You killed Potter. You killed my friend." He leaped in the air and allowed the fire to hold him. For a brief moment, Midoriya became a shining beacon above the central plaza, allowing everyone to see.

"What's that? Enrage on an NPC? Some secret boss level?" Shigaraki tried to figure out what was going on, but only a second later Midoriya let out a cat-like growl.

"One for All: full cowling. Hellcat Comet Charge." He dashed down with the fire following him like the tail, not able to keep up with his speed fully. Just a second before he was supposed to smash with Shigaraki, the black monster put itself between the two. He was pushed back a step but beyond that was able to withstand the sheer power of Midoriya's punch. The fire that followed the cat hero smashed into him with similar force, burning the creature's skin and tendons and charring his muscles. Midoriya didn't let up and tried to deliver several more punches and cratches, each followed by a burst of fire. Slowly, the mass of flames was diminishing and the creature was not slowing down.

Tsu used that opportunity to get to Aizawa. She had no idea what the vial was, but the clear liquid inside was almost singing to her. Promising it would be alright. Acting on pure wishful thinking, she poured the potion into her teacher's mouth, hoping that it wouldn't make it worse. There was a moment where nothing happened until a soft glow spread across her teacher's body. Happy with seeing his wounds close, she and Sero lifted her teacher up and started to carry him away.

With all of this happening, no one noticed something moving inside the black coat by the lake. A small, green-feathered head popped from the inside and looked around.

Harry was proud of himself. He saved his friends.

But there was still danger. The bad guy was still there.

He was commanding the monster. The monster was fighting his friends.

The miniature phoenix flapped his wings a few times, managing to lift from the ground as some green sparks jumped over his feathers. It flopped toward Shigaraki, who was currently watching his beast fight the upstart NPC.

Harry had to do something. His friend was in danger.

Something could be pecking. He pecked the bad guy several times.

The bad guy tried to smack him. Smacking Harry is not nice.

Harry bit one of his fingers. The bad guy screeched.

Shigaraki roared in anger and tried to smack the little bird that came out of nowhere. Only it didn't help. That little mob was trying to use bite?

"Noumu! Finish that cat NPC already!" Shigaraki called while throwing the mob that was biting him.

A shrill filled the air when Noumu punched Izuku. The boy was sent flying with enough strength to crash into the base of the stairs, right next to Tsu and Sero, who were trying to escape with unconscious Aizawa.

Harry was now… not happy. His friends were in danger.

His friends needed help. He could help.

He had the fire. He had the power.

Harry's inner thoughts were interrupted when Shigaraki grabbed him with the other hand and started to try and squeeze him. He wasn't using his quirk, choosing to relish the satisfaction of slowly draining the life out of that stupid mob.

Harry had the power. He had the will.

He could do it…

As the last bits of life left Harry, he focused on the fire burning within him. He reached with his will to raging, barely controlled flames. He could feel the consciousness leave him as his fingertip grazed the very soul of the phoenix inside him. Shigaraki, satisfied with the limp bird in his hand, let go. As Harry was about to hit the ground, he tried one last time.

For my new family, you son of a bitch.

His fingers seized the fire and everything turned emerald.

-|A|-

There was only fire.

-|A|-

Midoriya wasn't sure what he was seeing, only that every part of him was hurting. His arms were now dark and wrinkled and he barely felt them, similarly his legs. He was also pretty sure that fingers shouldn't bend like that.

He slowly came to himself, only to see a tornado of green fire rise in the center of USJ, breaking the ceiling. The fire started to expand, consuming everyone in its way. Midoriya could feel the heat coming toward them and pulled on whatever power still remained inside him. One for All started to circle through his body as he imagined an invisible barrier forming between him and the wall of fire that threatened to obliterate them.

Flames slammed into the shield and started to surround them until only emerald green was visible. At first, Midoriya struggled to keep them away, but after a moment it seemed as if the fire started to help him instead of actively fighting him.

It lasted for maybe a bit over two minutes. By the time the fire died, everything in the center of USJ was glassed. The fountain was all but gone, only a small circle of molten stone remaining, with a few emerald embers still flickering there. The sand was now turned to blackened glass. No villains were in sight. It was flat as icerink. The blue flames that lit the walls of USJ and blocked the exits were gone too, as was a huge part of the dome itself. From all around, the students started to come out of the various sections. Some were running, others chose to remain more cautious, and there was Momo, who arrived on a motorbike.

"W-what happened?" Aizawa was slowly waking up, his wounds fully healed.

"Kero, Sensei!" Tsu was on the verge of tears. "Potter… Harry…" She couldn't find words.

"Midoriya?" Eraser looked at his top student.

"H-harry… sacrificed himself…" Midoriya was letting the tears flow openly but tried to remain calm enough to answer any questions his teacher might have.

Aizawa's gaze hardened immediately. "Explain. Now."

"We… Tsu, Sero, and I were about to be…" Izuku started mumbling until he felt a hand settle on his shoulder. He looked up, to see Aizawa kneeling in front of him, with an understanding expression on his face.

"Midoriya. Breathe. It's okay now. You're going to be all right."

"Potter… saw that the hand villain was about to grab Tsu. He was faster than any of us expected and… I wouldn't be fast enough. Even at my top speed, I would get to her too late. Harry flashed before her and took the hit. He… burst into fire and turned to ash. I… I might've gotten angry and attacked the villains with everything I could muster. It… I wasn't enough… I was about to lose. And then this little green bird appeared… but Shigaraki caught it… and then the fire consumed everything." Midoriya started to cry, no longer able to hold it together. "I wasn't strong enough…"

"You're just a kid. You're not supposed to be strong enough to fight villains who were here to kill All Might." Aizawa reasoned while still holding Midoriya upright with his hand. The class slowly gathered around them. "Anyone else's wounded?"

"Thirteen-sensei… They…"

"They're gonna be all right." A new voice called from the top of the stairs, where the teachers assembled. "Lord Nox was able to treat the worst of the wounds," Nedzu called happily from Snape's shoulder.

"Fear not! For I am here!" All Might fell down through the hole in the rooftop, landing on some of the burnt glass. It didn't break.

"Fat good it would do now." Bakugou scowled. "Y'all late, ya' morons." He was looking directly at Izuku, whose both arms and both legs were in shambles and who looked like his emotions weren't even a jota better.

"Sensei… everyone's accounted for…" Momo choked on her report. "Except for Ha- For Potter." Most of the students lowered their heads, including Bakugou.

A cough got everyone's attention. Then a groan.

It was coming from the center, where the ring of lava slowly solidified.

"Did anyone get the number on that lorry?" Harry's voice echoed across the large empty field as he broke through the charred stone. His skin was redder than healthy but otherwise, he was okay.

"He's alive…" Midoriya muttered, starring at the upper torso of the wizard. A large scar on Harry's chest was slowly mending itself until nothing remained.

"He's alive!" Momo rushed toward Harry, who was slowly breaking through the stone. She jumped over the now-solidified remains of the fountain and pulled him into a hug.

"Whoah… I'm alright. I'm alright."

The rest of the class quickly followed suit, jumping onto him and sandwiching him into a hug. Midoriya remained where he was, unable to move.

He was smiling. They all survived.

-|A|-