Title: Defender's Path

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Phantom Menace for Star Wars. New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are all ignored. At least the first three or four Harry Potter Books, there will be some changes.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Don't own em, if I did, I would be worth millions.

Summary: When an accident occurs with a potions experiment, Harry and Hermione wake up in a strange place, but that is not all that is different. Set in Seventh Year, Cross with Star Wars.

" " denotes speech, ' ' denotes thought.

AN: There is no correlation between the HP Verse Timeline and the SW Verse Timeline. Time does move faster in SW than HP but each storyline is told semi independently. The placement in the story had no significant meaning.

AN2: Sorry about the long delay on update. Mucho stuff going on in RL and I just haven't had the time.

AN3: No, the Susan Bones that is Minister for Magic is not the one that went through Hogwarts with the gang. It is her Mother.

Harry wandered through the bustling throngs on one of the many sidewalk levels of Coruscant, mindless of the pressing mass of both humans and Aliens that surrounded him. While he still wore his Jedi clothes, not that he had much else to wear; he had the hood of his robes up so as to provide some anonymity. Hermione's birthday was a matter of days away and he was looking for a present. She was about to turn seventeen, or twenty-five depending on how you looked at it. Due to the respect accorded to Jedi, a small gap opened before Harry and closed up behind him as he walked, not that he paid any attention to it. Harry wanted to get Mione the perfect present, after all, he had known her most of his life and many of his best memories, and more than a few of his worst, had her by his side.

A disturbance broke out less than a hundred yards from Harry, breaking him out of his memories. Lengthening his stride, he quickly reached the disturbance, and lowered his hood, so that he could look those involved in the eye, which also revealed his Padawn's Braid. Upon seeing a Jedi, one of the arguers, a short man with shifty eyes, tried to run, but was instantly stopped by Harry's Lightsaber resting millimetres from his throat.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Harry asked with a firm voice.

The short man who had tried to run said that he had been swindled on a business deal by the taller man. The taller man claimed that he had walked in on the shorter man in the middle of a drug deal.

"You." Harry said, pointing at a random bystander. "Call Sector security."

Harry stood guard over the two men, both thinking that the other was going to be arrested, until security arrived. Neither man had told the complete truth. As both men were dragged away, the fight a result of a drug deal gone bad, Harry shook his head slightly, and his eye caught it, the perfect present for Hermione. Over the next twenty minutes Harry had a unique experience. Having to haggle with a shopkeeper to get the price up, finally agreeing on a price that seemed fair though he still thought it was too low.

Mace Windu, accompanied by Master Yoda and Master Adi Gallia, marched towards the Padawn dormitory. One of the young Jedi Knights, only having passed the Trials two years prior, had reported a disturbance in the Padawn common area involving of Padawn Grangers and Padawn Potter. When the door to common area slid open, it was not what Mace had expected.

"Masters, come in. Have a drink. They're non alcoholic." Harry said cheerfully.

The room was full of Padawn, with a few Jedi Knights. Anakin Skywalker was there, and so was Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was currently talking to Hermione Granger.

"What is happening here?" Mace asked.

This did not seem like the disruptive and possibly violent event that the young Knight had reported. This seemed more like a friendly celebration, but of what seemed a bit obscure.

"It's Mione's birthday, so Anakin, Jasmine, Marcus and I organised this party to celebrate." Harry explained, indicating to the Padawn as he said their names.

"A celebration of life, is it?" Master Yoda asked. "Very good, very good. A drink, hum, I would like. Yes?"

"Right away, Master Yoda. Master Windu, Master Gallia, would you like a drink?"

Mace nodded slowly, a bit stunned, before entering the room, while Adi simply shook her head.

"I have other matters to attend to." Master Gallia said before she left.

"Here you go, Master." Harry said, handing Mace a drink.

Mace nodded his head at his apprentice as he and Master Yoda looked over the crowd.

"Mione! Get over here, got some more well wishers." Harry called.

"Coming Harry, hold your horses." She called back.

"It is a tradition where Hermione and I come from to celebrate someone's birthday. You greet her with 'Happy Birthday'." Harry explained.

"Happy Birthday, Young Granger." Yoda greeted. "Many more celebrations ahead, we hope, for you."

"Thank you Master Yoda." Hermione replied.

"Happy Birthday." Mace said simply.

"Thank you Master Windu." Hermione said again. "Please have a good time."

Mace wandered around the room, eventually meeting up with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Enjoying the party, Master Windu?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's not what I expected when I received a report of a disturbance." Mace admitted.

"Yeah, well apparently this is the first time all five of them have been together for a birthday since they met." Obi-Wan said indicating to the five Padawn Harry had mentioned. "Anakin took control of the transport on our way home and redlined the engines just to get here in time. Although he tells me that Granger and Potter have private birthday parties every year since they arrived."

The two Jedi watched as their charges had fun and showered praise on Hermione.

"Perhaps we should encourage more Padawn and Jedi to celebrate like this? It seems to promote cooperation." Obi-Wan suggested.

"That discussion, in council, interesting, will be." Master Yoda said from behind them.

"Perhaps, but it is not a bad idea." Mace agreed.

"Ready?" Harry asked from the doorway.

Hermione was just slipping a long, wooden case into her pack. Harry knew well what was in the case, as he had a similar case in his own pack. Although they had hardly used them since their arrival, their wands were still precious items and always close at hand.

"Ready. Let's go." Hermione replied, slinging her pack over her shoulder.

Harry adjusted his own pack as they walked down the hallway. The Hawk pendant he had gotten for her birthday, two weeks before, had slipped out of the front of her shirt and Mione absently tucked it back out of sight. Harry grinned at Mione's actions, knowing how much that pendant meant to her.

They reached the Temple hanger bay and boarded one of the small Jedi transports. This was to be their first mission without their Masters along, and ironically, it related to the fight Harry had broken up when looking for Hermione's birthday present. Hermione sat down in the pilot's seat and began pre-flight checks while Harry cleared their launch with both traffic and orbital controllers.

"Funny how you are so afraid of brooms but love almost every other form of flight." Harry commented as he started typing instructions into the Navigational Computer.

"I just don't feel comfortable flying with a long bit of wood between my legs." Hermione said, and then paused. "Oh you know what I mean."

Harry struggled to control his sniggering.

"So." He said after composing himself somewhat. "What's Hoth like this time of year?"

"Colder than Malfoy's bed sheets."

"Ouch."

TBC…