Harry Potter and the Rocky Mountain school of Magic ch.5
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter and I'm not her.
It was with a heavy heart that Harry left Japan. Though he'd been allowed to move out after his first semester, he'd stayed with Kenji the whole time. The old man became like family to Harry. He'd been best man when Makoto married Suki and Harry was named godfather to the couple's twin daughters.
000
Deep in the pine Barrens of New Jersey sat Harrisville, the largest magical only village on the east coast of the United States. Once a thriving muggle village that hosted a successful paper mill. When it was abandoned in 1891, wizards moved in and warded the area.
The New Jersey pine barrens are among the most magically active places in the world with two major and two minor ley lines running beneath it. The area was well known even amongst muggles for hauntings and magical creature sightings. The area attracted Sasquatch, Grim and Wampus. Though scary looking Sasquatch were shy intelligent herbivores that chose to live separately from wizards. Harry had seen many Grim at a distance, however they would only come to comfort the sick or dying. The Wampus is an apex predator, they seldom attacked humans and were rarely seen. Though they are known to muggles as the New Jersey Devil.
Harrisville was host to the ICW hit-wizard training center. There were four throughout the world, Harrisville was for the combat specialists, medics, ward breakers and other front line soldiers.
Hit-wizard training consisted of;
Basic training - Physical fitness training. Rules, laws and procedures of the ICW. Basic competency dueling and weapons training. Basic first aid. Combat conditioning. Leadership and teamwork training.
Vocational training: Warding and ward breaking, Advanced magical combat training, Advanced weapons training, Combat medicine, Curse identification and curse breaking, Non-magical weapon systems training, Basic investigation, interrogation, Urban and wilderness survival, Escape and evasion and more.
Harry joined up with the intention of eventually becoming an investigator. To be an investigator he first needed to become a combat specialist. Investigators were often sent into the field alone or with just a partner so they needed to be able to look after themselves.
Besides the investigation and combat training, he also seebecame an expert Warder and wardbreaker. Warding experts were highly sought-after in the civilian world and few signed up for a second five year tour leaving the hit-wizards always in need of more.
The Peverell, Black and Smythe family grimoires all had some very impressive ward schemes and he'd learned just how useful warding was while on the horcrux hunt.
By the end of his training Harry was a low Magus on the power scale. Having learned control during his time at Mahoutokoro, he was very sought-after amongst the hit-wizard teams. He'd proved to be an effective leader while in training and had been approved for officer training.
000
Harry was assigned to the second battalion command. Leading an eight man expeditionary force. They were responsible for the initial investigation of claims of dark wizard activity.
Being a hit-wizard was a part-time job at the best of times. They could go weeks or even months without a new assignment. To augment their training Harry and his team would compete in the professional dueling league. The first two years Harry only made it into the top twenty five.
Harry was a man that liked to keep busy, boredom caused him to think about his past which caused him to become depressed. While his teammates worked hard at becoming better duelists he'd decided to get a criminal justice degree like many non-magical police officers did. After achieving his bachelor's degree in just two years, he threw himself into the study of dueling. His third year on the dueling circuit he came in fourth. His fourth year and the three years following he was named World dueling champion.
After being forced to miss the final in his next championship due to an assignment in Slovenia, he retired from competitive dueling. However two years later when both Filius Flitwick and Alexander Federov came out of retirement to compete, Harry came back for one more go. The finals were being hosted in England that year. Imagine, Evander Holyfield, Mohammed Ali and Joe Louis all on the same card competing against one another. It was a circus. Filius Flitwick won, however all three ended up requiring a hospital stay.
000
It was his stay at Saint Mungo's hospital that changed the course of his life.
"Mister Potter, I'm healer Jacobs. This is my apprentice Katheryn Bell. What brings you to the hospital today?" The healer said looking at a clipboard.
"I was injured during a duel. Piercing hex to the shoulder, some shrapnel in my left leg, something is wrong with my right knee and I have a dislocated thumb on my wand hand." Harry said through gritted teeth.
The healer looked up sharply. "Perhaps next time you'll let cooler heads prevail and refrain from fighting. Miss Bell will treat you." The healer stormed off.
"What a prick. Hi Katie." Harry said with a smile at his old quidditch teammate. She had certainly grown up to be an attractive woman. Her youthful athletic body was now a little curvy, her dirty blonde hair was cut short but it was her expressive blue eyes that caught his attention.
"Hi Harry, don't worry about him, it's been a long day. Now let me look you over. Are you able to remove your shirt?"
"I don't think so. You can vanish it if you need to." He said with a wince.
000
Katie Bell was in her final year of her apprenticeship, having delayed her education attempting a career in quidditch. Never making starting chaser she eventually gave up and moved on.
Seeing Harry again for the first time since the Battle of Hogwarts, she couldn't help but see the changes in the young man before her. Where he was once short and skinny, he was now about a foot taller than her and very fit with washboard abs and a healthy tan.
000
"So you're a healer now? Last I heard you were playing for the Harpies. What happened?" Harry asked looking her in the eye.
"Drink this." She said handing him a dose of blood replenisher. "I just wasn't good enough, ended up riding the bench. I wanted to do more with my life than play quidditch." She said while casting skin knitting charms on his shoulder. "What about you? Other than professional dueling, what have you been up to?"
"I joined the hit-wizards after school and have been doing that ever since. Besides that I got a degree in criminal justice and I'm working towards a Sorcerers degree in D.A.D.A."
"Impressive, don't you need like ten masteries for a Sorcerers degree?"
"I have eight so far." He said with pride.
"Lay down on your side and let me look at that leg." She said before cutting his pant leg. "What masteries do you have so far and what do you have left to study?"
"Charms, D.A.D.A, magical creatures, magical combat, warding, offensive magics, basic medicine and potions, if you can believe it. I am working on Dark arts and curse breaking at the moment." He said with a groan as she summoned the shrapnel from his leg.
"Impressive, I never took you for an academic back in school."
Harry barked a laugh. "I wouldn't call myself an academic. Being a hit-wizard is pretty boring, a lot of hurry up and wait. I needed something to do in-between missions."
"Roll over and I'll check that knee."
"So, besides quidditch and healing, what have you been doing? I'd heard you were engaged to Ollie, how's he doing?"
"He's married with a baby on the way, his wife is pretty nice." She grumbled.
"Ouch, sorry." He said, giving her a sheepish look.
"It's fine. We just didn't work out. When I left the Harpies, I quickly realized that the only thing we had in common was quidditch. How about you, is there a missus Potter?"
"No, no missus Potter. I've dated a little bit, but nothing serious. I like to stay busy so I don't socialize much." Gathering his courage. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
Katie looked at him with surprise for a moment before smiling. "I think I'd like that."
000
Harry had been a ball of nerves the next day, so Andromeda forced him to take Teddy out for the day. Harry did his best to visit at least once a month and Andromeda often brought Teddy to visit him in Boston where he was stationed.
Over the past few years, when in Britain he'd found that the British public were just as fickle and judgmental as ever. When he'd torn down his parents house in Godric's Hollow and built a playground in its place, people lost their minds. How dare he? From what he'd known of his parents they would have preferred seeing a bunch of happily playing children to a destroyed and mouldering cottage. The James and Lily Potter memorial park was a hit with the locals and Harry would often take Teddy there to play.
Today he and Teddy played on the swings, Teddy loved having Harry push him because unlike Granny he'd push him high. It was the next best thing to riding on Harry's broom with him.
000
Harry was dressed in a black and silver pinstripe suit with emerald green paisley tie and brushed nickel accessories. He'd made reservations at the Trumpeter Lounge, an upscale restaurant in the heart of Knightsbridge. Andromeda had recommended the place.
As this was his first date in over a year, he was nervous. He tried to convince himself he was just meeting a friend but something felt different about this one, like if he didn't fuck it up great things could happen.
000
Katie lived in a muggle highrise in Lambeth overlooking the Thames. Harry had borrowed Ted's old Triumph TR-4 convertible from Andromeda for the occasion. When he pulled up Katie was waiting in the lobby for him and was pleasantly surprised to see him arrive in the little red car.
Katie had always thought wizards and witches were barking mad for apperating on a full stomach. She couldn't help but notice just how well he filled out that suit and thought briefly of the muscled body inside it.
They chatted on the way to the restaurant. She was surprised by how good a driver he was, until he explained that he often needed to drive as part of his job. Blending in with the muggles was often the best way to perform surveillance, as few wizards ever really looked at muggles. Never seeing them as any kind of threat.
The restaurant was quiet and had an intimate feel. She ordered wine but Harry refrained because he was driving, opting for flavoured water. They shared an order of muscles, cooked in a beautiful wine and fennel sauce. Then they both ordered the duck in bitter cherry sauce. The food was exquisite but paled next to the company.
Katie couldn't believe the man Harry had grown into and Harry was very impressed with Katie.
000
When Harry had taken Katie home, she'd nervously invited him up to her apartment for a nightcap, Harry happily accepted.
They sat and chatted for about half an hour before Harry leaned in and gently kissed her. They both felt fireworks.
Unfortunately this was the moment Harry's badge began to ding. Separating himself from Katie he dug out his badge wallet and swore.
"I'm sorry, I have to go. May I use your bathroom to change?" He said regretfully.
"Sure, second door on the right."
Two minutes later she couldn't help but be a little intimidated by the man that exited her bathroom. Harry stood there in head to toe black, from the possibly dragon hide combat boots to his plate carrier with a handgun holstered on his chest. Over it all he wore a three quarter length dragonhide coat.
Then the scary looking soldier smiled at her.
"I really enjoyed our night together. I'm sorry I have to run off. Would you like to do this again?"
"Yes, it was fun."
Harry stepped forward giving her another kiss. "I'll owl you." And with that he activated his portkey.
A/N: So as I started writing this chapter I started having serious regrets about not making the ideas for chapters 3,4 and 5 into a fourth book in my series. Honestly after five years of trying to write the damned thing you'd think I'd know what I'm doing. Meh, I just want to get it written.
I've gotten a number of comments about my chapters being short. All I can say is go sit down and write a story, then check the word count. I can almost guarantee you'll think it's longer than it actually is.
I was a letter on here for nearly ten years before I said fuck it, if they can do, why can't I? If you think you can do better please, please do so. I'm always looking for something new to read.
As always if you want to use any of my unique ideas, just give me a shout out and send me a link.
