Title: Firefly Tides
Author name: CherryStain
Author email: CherryStain@hotmail.com
Category: Drama/Angst
Rating for this chapter: PG 13
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, FB, QTTA, Gundam Wing.
Summary: Harry, forever The-Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die meets familiar faces after thinking them dead for over Five-Hundred Years. Crossover with Gundam Wing, will have slash, though won't be centered on it.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Gundam Wing manga series; story by Hajime Yadate & Yoshiyuki Tomino, art by Koichi Tokita.
Authors Notes: Next chapter! Hm . . . well, chapters are going to be coming out once a week I think after chapter seven. ::pouts:: yes, I know, but school's starting soon. Oh yes, and if you were wondering, no, this story isn't a Duo/Quatre story, they're good friends (considering they're the only two of the group who *actually* talk) but they wont be getting together in this story. Anyways, read and Review!
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Chapter Six- Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
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"Shit."
"That's an understatement, baka."
Heero and Duo were currently in Quatre's third floor office. The desk, a deep mahogany, was littered with used eraser bits, printouts, and other odds and ends. Heero had inserted the disk, looking at the files with Duo hovering over his shoulder.
When Duo had walked into the room, he'd sort of been expecting a verbal assault. He'd been disappointed, at least expecting Heero to be *somewhat* shocked at learning all that he had about Duo, or rather Harry. After God knows how many tries at getting a reaction out of Heero, he thought this would be it. But, like Duo himself, Heero quickly adapted and probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash if Duo had taken his wand out (not that he had it with him) and turned the computer into a hippo. Which he was very tempted to try, even without his wand. At least a hippo wouldn't show what was on the fucking disk. Bloody Oz!
"If they are as far along with the research shown here, we're in serious shit."
"I think you've said that, Duo."
"This is so big that I *had* to say it twice." They'd taken a while longer hacking into the file codes mostly because Duo just hadn't been in the *mood* to hack into the disk, and had been trying to cajole Heero into waiting till later, after a match. Now Duo was glad that he had stayed around instead of heading downstairs himself.
"I can't believe they're so far in their research," Duo paused. "Shit." Heero stifled a sigh, rolling his eyes heavenward, not even deigning to comment.
"Mobile Dolls in the hands of the enemy . . ." Duo hesitated, frowning at the thought. With mobile suits, their was the disadvantage of knowing you had killed a living breathing person, but at the same time, the soldier, who *couldn't* afford to think of the enemy as a person, in Duo knew that at least ridding the other side of soldiers would do damage. Oz couldn't make people. Mobile Dolls on the other hand . . . they could just keep coming and coming. It was disconcerting to know that the enemy might now have enough knowledge to make Mobile Dolls, something that could severely tip the war in Oz's favor.
"Spar?" The one word question came from Heero, who obviously wanted to work some energy off. One thing Duo had needed to know when becoming Heero's partner was learning Heero-speak. In one word, Heero had conveyed two thoughts. One was that he wanted to spar, obviously. The second was harder to find, and could only be deciphered in Heero's tense posture. Most people saw Heero as always in a tense posture, but that wasn't true. Most of the time, he was just at-ready. Ready for an attack, for action, for surveillance. By Heero's slight change in posture, Duo was positive that Heero was tense when he had asked the question.
It showed that the Perfect Soldier thought of the Mobile Dolls as a real threat. They weren't nearly as powerful as the Gundams, but what they lacked in strength, they could make up for in sheer numbers. After all, even with all of their training, the pilots were still human. They had their limitations.
Duo nodded, not yet ready to think of a witty retort. They sent the e-mail they'd written to the professors before opening the disk, sending the information stored on the disk through the e-mail.
They'd had an argument earlier about the four wizards who'd arrived during the mission. Heero, of course, thought they should tell the professors everything. Duo, who *definitely* didn't want the four to be some sort of lab experiment for the slightly mad group of professors, thought that they should stay quiet about it. Finally, they conceded that they would tell about the four time-travelers, but wouldn't say anything about magic, time traveling, or anything of the sort. Duo told Heero that it was his business to tell, his past, and he didn't want it dissected by someone else.
Making sure that the message was password protected and virtually un- traceable, they collected the printouts they had managed to hackle out of the Disk also. The printout was an earlier model of a Mobile Suit prototype that had failed. Most would have seen it as useless information, but both Duo and Heero reasoned that at least they had a vague idea of what they were dealing with. They could find weaknesses and exploit them, should they cross a Mobile Doll in the future.
They trekked down to the second floor were the bedrooms and the entrance to the gym was located. Walking into the changing room, they both turned towards lockers that had been installed for them. As Duo was opening the lock, Heero thoughtfully turned around, regarding Duo.
"What? You're not going to watch me change, are you? Because I may swing both ways but-" Heero glared.
"Right, okay, so what is it?" Heero looked at him again, as if he were sizing him up.
"You don't believe that your friends will ever make it back to their time, do you?" Duo leaned against his closed locker, folding his arms.
"Why do you say that? I told them I'd try to find a way, didn't I?"
"You're not an idiot, Duo. You may be a bit dense, but you're smart. You would not have told them the future if you really believed that they would ever make it back." Duo sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"You got me there. I can never get something past you, eh?"
"I'm your partner. I make it my job to understand your actions." Duo flopped down onto the ground, looking up at Heero with a chuckle.
"Everything for the mission. Yeah, I don't think they'll get back." Heero leaned back, waiting for him to elaborate.
"I know they left back in 6th year, but they never came back. I've experienced time travel. They would have pretzel-ed right back to our past if they had made it back. This is the first time I've seen them since my sixth year. And time travel . . . it's tricky business. It's just a known *fact* that you don't mess with it as little as possible."
Heero nodded, turning back to his locker. Duo pulled himself up, opened his locker, and pulled on a pair of loose gray sweats, a black tee shirt, and rubber-soled sneakers, as the floor was covered in mats. Duo rummaged at the bottom of his locker, looking for the fingerless gloves he usually wore. Heero, who was dressed similarly, sighed, coming over to Duo's side and pulling it out of the top shelf, above Duo's head but just within Heero's view. Duo scowled, he hated being the shortest of the group, just above five feet, five inches. Duo pulled on his gloves as they walked through the locker room, past the showers, and towards the double doors leading to the large gym.
"So, just a good old fashion fight?"
Heero nodded as they walked into the gym proper. The sun outside the large windows was just touching the horizon; washing the room in yellows, oranges, and reds. They both looked over at Wufei, who was sitting on the matted floor off in one corner examining his katana. Trowa was most likely in the floor below, where the shooting gallery was located.
In the center of the room, a large circle was drawn. They stood at opposite ends and looked at each other, Duo with a grin and Heero with . . . well, a look. They bent over at the waist, eyes locked. They stood again and got into a ready stance, circling each other on the mat.
Duo bided his time; it was so much better waiting for Heero to start. The matches between them were usually pretty great. They knew each other's moves pretty well, and when they fought, it was hard for one to come out the victor.
Finally, Heero lunged first, throwing a fist out. Duo ducked, and laughing, spun into a kick that sailed over Heero's head.
~~~~~~~~~~
Snape couldn't help but love the room he had been given for his stay. The floors were a dark oak, complimenting perfectly with the large bed frame. He wondered silently if Potter had picked this room for him, because everything was done in dark green and silver, Slytherin colors.
He'd been given black slacks and a gray button up by one of the people working in the large house. They'd been borrowed from someone in the household, and they fit comfortably. After a shower, he changed and brushed out his hair, tying it back with a black hair band he'd found in the dresser. Being a potions master, a true one, his hair had always been oily. He could take a dozen showers in the morning but by mid-afternoon, after a dozen classes and a dozen more potions, his hair was usually as lank as ever.
Because he was far from any cauldron, and consequently, wouldn't be bending over any fuming potions, some of the film that usually coated his hair had been removed. Just as he was tying on the boots he had been wearing earlier, Draco and Quatre showed up at the door. Draco had been fitted into clothes in tones of dark and light green. The muggle shirt was obviously uncomfortable for him, as he kept tugging at the neckline of the high collared shirt.
Draco looked around at the décor. "My room's all in shades of blue."
"Yes, your room and Mr. Snape's are on either side of Duo's room," Quatre said, and then smiled. "He, of course, picked the room with the highest concentration of black."
The others, who really didn't see why Quatre was smiling, waited for him to continue.
"Now, if any of you are up for it, I can give you a tour if the house." Hermione and Seamus, who had just walked into the doorway, smiled.
"Sure, I'm up for it. Thanks for the room by the way, it's beautiful," Hermione said. Seamus nodded, agreeing with Hermione.
"Yeah, I'll tag along too."
Quatre turned towards the other two, who both nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~
". . . And this is the observation room for the gym," Quatre was saying some time later.
They'd toured the grounds first, going through rose gardens, a large hedge maze that reminded the four wizards eerily of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and around a medium sized lake, noting a small row boat tied to a wooden pier. Even though they were in Wales, the weather was nice enough so that they didn't have to bundle up, though they were glad to be back inside as the sun had started to set.
Next, they'd gone through the first floor, where the kitchen, the library, the parlor, the shooting gallery (were they'd said hello to Trowa), and the dining room were all located. They'd next gone up to the second floor, which was half filled with bedrooms and included a large armory, a music room, and the gym.
The gym had a high ceiling and the observation room had a spiraling staircase that led to a loft near the ceiling of the gym. The loft had ten chairs in a row, all facing towards a large window. The group went up the staircase, looking down through the window and into the gym.
Quatre turned to them, smiling. "Duo and Heero are sparing right now, so we'll wait and go down to talk to them when they're finished."
The match in the gym was far enough below so that they could see everything in the room, yet close enough so that they could see the facial expressions of the two fighters in the middle of the room. Both were spinning, kicking, and punching in a flurry of body parts. Hermione cringed as Heero swung his leg out and hit Harry on his side. He stepped back a few paces but didn't let his guard down. Heero went into a floor sweep, one in which Duo easily jumped over.
Snape similarly cringed, but at the same time, he was amazed. They were really good! Severus watched them for a while as they tried to pummel each other into the blue cushioned floor.
Quatre's voice cut through the silence. "They're pretty evenly matched, though their style of fighting is quite different." Now that Snape concentrated more on their style, he too noticed the difference. Heero was efficient; everything he did was done perfectly, as if he had done this a dozen times before, which he probably had. Harry- or Duo- Snape was never going to be able to decide what exactly to call him- was not perfect, but was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with. His moves were sure and fluid, almost playful. His technique was a mixture of karate and street fighting. Both Heero and Harry's moves perfectly complimented each other, almost like some sort of deadly dance.
They'd been fighting for a while obviously, because both were covered in a light sheen of sweat. They had discarded their shirts, which lay in a crumpled heap on opposite sides of the ring that was drawn around them.
"They're just putting on a show for their audience. Maxwell's a showoff sometimes."
The group turned to see Wufei, wearing a pair of loose blue pants and a white tank top, walking up the spiral staircase, a large curved sword in hand. He too was sweating lightly.
"It looks more like they're trying to kill each other!" Draco said rather shrilly.
Wufei waved a hand dismissively. "Believe me, if they'd wanted to kill each other, one of them would already be dead. And besides, they're too familiar with each other's moves to go through the whole hassle of physical fight. To kill each other, they'd have to be quick."
::Blink::
Draco, who hadn't been expecting the explanation, stayed quiet, looking down on Heero and his one-time nemesis.
Wufei looked over at Quatre, adding, "Maxwell and Yuy finished hacking into that disk, I think. When they're finished playing they can tell us what they found." Just then, down below, Heero feinted right before punching Duo squarely in the chest. As Duo fell back and out of the ring, he spun, knocking Heero's legs out from under him. Heero, who would rather not land on top of Duo, spun himself as he fell, landing next to Duo, also out of the ring.
Duo was openly grinning as he stood up, brushed himself out, and reached down to where Heero lay. He pulled him up, and they both turned towards the large window. Duo winked, waved, and followed Heero to the door, which led to the observation deck.
After a moment, they were up the stairs, standing in front of the group. Duo moved over to stand next to Hermione as Heero addressed the group.
"Quatre, Wufei, we should probably go down to the shooting gallery. Trowa should hear this," Heero glanced over at Duo, "bring your friends to their rooms, we'll need to discuss this in private." Duo nodded, motioning for the four wizards to follow. The pilots and the wizards came down the staircase and to the door leading to the hallway before splitting into to groups, the four pilots to the staircase leading to the first floor, the wizards to the bedrooms down the hall.
Hermione, who was standing next to Duo, leaned over and whispered, "I'd like to talk with you for a minute, if that's okay?" She sounded nervous. Duo nodded. The others, who had most likely heard the question, decided by some unspoken agreement to let the two be, going to their own rooms. Duo led Hermione over to his room, between Snape's room and Draco's.
Hermione looked around at the décor. Quatre had been right; everything *was* in black. The floor was an ebony colored wood, matching the bed, the curtains, the rugs, and the random tables and couches dispersed thru out the room. In Hermione's opinion, the room never would have gone with Harry's personality, but with Duo's . . . she just didn't know. The room, although beautiful in a dark sort of way, had no personal touches.
"Me and the others are . . . sort of like nomads. We don't stay in one area for too long," Duo said from behind her. Hermione looked at him in surprise as she sat on a small black armchair facing the bed. It was like he'd read her mind. Duo himself flopped onto the bed, turning to face Hermione.
"I'm more perceptive than I used to be," he said as he leaned forward, taking Hermione's hands into his own. "You have to understand, I'm not the Harry you were friends with. I know -- God knows I know -- how horrible it is to lose someone. And it must be even harder for you, because your world was just pulled out from under you. I'll try to be as good a friend as I can be, but you have to understand that I'm not Harry, not anymore." Hermione nodded, afraid she'd burst into tears. Duo, for she understood now that the person she was facing would never *really* be Harry again, looked her in the eyes before answering the question she had been afraid to ask.
"Ron survived the attack but . . . he became a Siphon. We both took your death really hard. And we couldn't mourn together because being around him caused me actual physical pain. Although we could not be around each other, we still sent letters, and tried to keep in touch until his death. He became a leader of the rebuilding Siphon community. Got married to a wonderful woman from Durmstrang and had a dozen Weasleys to replace those that had died."
"What happened to the rest of the Weasleys?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Like Harry, the Weasley family had always been more than just her friend's family. They had been her family also, in every sense but genetics.
"Ron's parents had been in Diagon Alley, they passed away in St. Mungo's. Ginny, as you remember, was sent to Beauxbatons when the French students came to Hogwarts," he said. Hermione blinked; she had completely forgotten about them. "Ano . . . sorry, it's been so long." Hermione nodded in understanding. For Harry, it had been hundreds of years. "She became a Siphon also. Fred passed away, but George stayed a wizard, one of the very few at Hogwarts. Charlie survived the bombings, but passed away in the attack on Voldemort. Percy passed away during the bombing in the Ministry building. And Bill stayed a wizard. I think he still has descendants living today, though they don't know that they ever had magic."
Hermione sat silent for a moment, lost in thought. Finally she looked up, smiling sadly at the person Harry had become, "Thanks Duo, I'll . . . remember." Duo squeezed her hands before letting go. "If you'd like, you can still call me Harry." Hermione shook her head sadly, standing up from her chair. She would mourn for all that she had lost later. She understood that Duo had already mourned and moved on from it all. She would rather not burden him with her grief.
"You were right earlier. Harry," here she rubbed at her wet eyes with the back of her hand, "isn't who you are anymore. There are traces of him left, but you aren't *him* anymore." She smiled, sticking out her hand as she added, "I'd like to become friends with Duo, now. Not because you're the last bit of Harry left, but because you're a person I'd genuinely like to be friends with." Duo smiled, glad that she understood and accepted what had happened, though truthfully, he had expected no less from her.
"Pleasure to meet you," Duo mock bowed before taking her hand and shaking it. There was a knocking at Duo's door just then and Duo turned to open it, letting Hermione wipe the last traces of her tears away.
In the door stood Heero, black duffel bag in hand. He glanced at Hermione who was seated in the armchair again, pleating than smoothing the jean skirt she had been provided with, before turning back to Duo.
"Pack up. We've got a mission."
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Another Flashback
April 13th 1996 (eight days after the bombings, a day after Harry wakes up)
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The rain was soothing to Harry's aching body. The outdoor hospital that the Siphons had made was a frenzy of activity. Those that were not hurt were trying to find blankets, tarps, anything to block the rain out from their patients.
After Madame Pomfrey (who was now a Siphon) had discovered that being around other Siphons was almost unbearably painful for him, Harry had been moved a little ways from the bustle of activity. He was far enough from the Siphons to think clearly thru the pain, but was close enough that should he need any medical attention, he would receive it. He'd been given a tarp to put over him, but was currently out from under it, eyes closed and mouth open to the fresh water. The dull ache that was throbbing throughout his body sharpened and he opened his eyes. Ron, whose eyes were suspiciously red rimmed (though if any tears were falling Harry would not be able to tell because of the rain), came up to the cot that Harry was sitting on.
"Harry, stay out of the rain, you'll catch cold." Harry did so, pulling it up and over his head. Ron pulled the hood of his poncho closer around his face before putting his hands in his pockets.
"They haven't found Hermione yet," he said softly. Harry nodded, looking down at the torn jeans he had been wearing since the attack.
"Yeah," Harry coughed, clearing his throat. "They're burying Professor Dumbledore's body tonight. I- I talked to him a bit before he died." Ron nodded. "He- I don't know. He seemed peaceful- if tired- when he died, like he knew everything would be okay in the end. I just wish-" He didn't have to continue; Ron knew what he meant. Harry rubbed at his temples, the pain was starting to darken his vision around the edges, but he didn't want to be left alone again. Ron stepped back a few paces, but stayed, most likely also wanting to be in the company of the best friend he knew to be alive.
Ron glanced over at the rubble, the last of Hogwarts. It was swarming with people digging, pulling barely recognizable bodies out of the wreckage. Harry was looking at the growing pile of the dead being covered up by large tarps. If nothing else, the Siphons wanted to at least give the dead proper burials. George, one of the few wizards left, was casting spells over the mound to keep them from decomposing. They still hadn't found his twin.
"An owl came while you were unconscious," Ron's voice broke through Harry's thoughts. He looked back at Ron, the question in his eyes. "Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were also hit by muggle weapons." Harry frowned, punching listlessly at his soggy pillow. He just *couldn't* show more of a reaction than a frown. Most people had been living in a sort of half-state, not knowing how exactly to deal with all of the loss.
Ron rubbed at his eyes. "Ginny's blind. She's a- she's like me also." Ron paused before continuing, "They didn't ask about the French students. Probably knew that they'd died in Diagon Alley."
None of the Beauxbaton students that had been sent from France had been found. They'd been called into Dumbledore's office two days before the attack to take a field trip into Diagon Alley and had most likely died in the attack. Only about a dozen people, all in critical condition, had survived the bombing on Diagon Alley, which had been one of the most heavily bombed areas. Ron never told Harry, who knew that the two Senior Weasleys had been in Diagon Alley during the attack, if his parents had survived. No one needed to tell him, Harry knew that they were gone.
Harry clasped his hands together when he realized that they were shaking. Most likely from a combination of the power he was receiving, the pain, the cold, and his own emotions held in check.
Parvarti, who had held her twin sister as she died, came over to them. The right side of her face and head were covered in burns and her right arm was in a sling. Out of sympathy for Harry's pain, she also stood a few meters away from him. The three of them were the only 6th year Gryffindors known to be alive. Harry glanced first over at Ron's grief stricken features, and then over to Parvarti's mutilated and defeated beauty.
Something inside Harry crumbled. That part of him left from his neglected childhood; his inhabitations at stopping those who oppressed him, hurt him, hated him; he didn't want to lie back and let the enemy win anymore! Voldemort had gone too far. Harry spoke up, his green eyes darkening, "We can't let Voldemort win. He's taken too much."
Two weeks later, on May the First, Voldemort and his Death Eaters paid for what they had done.
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A.N. hey! Hehe, if you're wondering, yes, I will show a part of what happened to Voldemort in another flashback thingy. Well, the ending of this was a little dark, but I like it.
Thanks for Reviewing:
J. Lynn (They may go back, they may not . . . hehehe, I'm so evil. I have a plot, this story is going somewhere, it'll just take me a while to really get into it ::smile::), Shinegami (I don't think he's turning evil in my story, so don't worry. I have something planned for him), Demia (I loved your review ::smile:: thanks, I wasn't sure if I went a little overboard or not on changing the wizarding world. hehe, I rather like my original plot, and it'll get weirder, yet. Not all of the pairings will be slash, I think I'm just having two, maybe three. Hm . . . Siphons. They're true identity will be shown later. Right now, they're just a group of people, not really understood. Their actually more isolationist so they wont be joining the war, though they aren't really friendly either. Hehe, yes, Draco will have a bit of trouble fitting in. ::laughs aloud:: yes, a lot of great pairings), Usa Yui Usa Kou (hehe, I'm glad it wasn't confusing for you), Otaku Freak, Richan (hehe, yeah, all of Trelawney's predictions were for nothing. My story is going to be ss/hp, but I'm not sure about any others as of now).
Review!!!!
Author name: CherryStain
Author email: CherryStain@hotmail.com
Category: Drama/Angst
Rating for this chapter: PG 13
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, FB, QTTA, Gundam Wing.
Summary: Harry, forever The-Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die meets familiar faces after thinking them dead for over Five-Hundred Years. Crossover with Gundam Wing, will have slash, though won't be centered on it.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Gundam Wing manga series; story by Hajime Yadate & Yoshiyuki Tomino, art by Koichi Tokita.
Authors Notes: Next chapter! Hm . . . well, chapters are going to be coming out once a week I think after chapter seven. ::pouts:: yes, I know, but school's starting soon. Oh yes, and if you were wondering, no, this story isn't a Duo/Quatre story, they're good friends (considering they're the only two of the group who *actually* talk) but they wont be getting together in this story. Anyways, read and Review!
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Chapter Six- Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
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"Shit."
"That's an understatement, baka."
Heero and Duo were currently in Quatre's third floor office. The desk, a deep mahogany, was littered with used eraser bits, printouts, and other odds and ends. Heero had inserted the disk, looking at the files with Duo hovering over his shoulder.
When Duo had walked into the room, he'd sort of been expecting a verbal assault. He'd been disappointed, at least expecting Heero to be *somewhat* shocked at learning all that he had about Duo, or rather Harry. After God knows how many tries at getting a reaction out of Heero, he thought this would be it. But, like Duo himself, Heero quickly adapted and probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash if Duo had taken his wand out (not that he had it with him) and turned the computer into a hippo. Which he was very tempted to try, even without his wand. At least a hippo wouldn't show what was on the fucking disk. Bloody Oz!
"If they are as far along with the research shown here, we're in serious shit."
"I think you've said that, Duo."
"This is so big that I *had* to say it twice." They'd taken a while longer hacking into the file codes mostly because Duo just hadn't been in the *mood* to hack into the disk, and had been trying to cajole Heero into waiting till later, after a match. Now Duo was glad that he had stayed around instead of heading downstairs himself.
"I can't believe they're so far in their research," Duo paused. "Shit." Heero stifled a sigh, rolling his eyes heavenward, not even deigning to comment.
"Mobile Dolls in the hands of the enemy . . ." Duo hesitated, frowning at the thought. With mobile suits, their was the disadvantage of knowing you had killed a living breathing person, but at the same time, the soldier, who *couldn't* afford to think of the enemy as a person, in Duo knew that at least ridding the other side of soldiers would do damage. Oz couldn't make people. Mobile Dolls on the other hand . . . they could just keep coming and coming. It was disconcerting to know that the enemy might now have enough knowledge to make Mobile Dolls, something that could severely tip the war in Oz's favor.
"Spar?" The one word question came from Heero, who obviously wanted to work some energy off. One thing Duo had needed to know when becoming Heero's partner was learning Heero-speak. In one word, Heero had conveyed two thoughts. One was that he wanted to spar, obviously. The second was harder to find, and could only be deciphered in Heero's tense posture. Most people saw Heero as always in a tense posture, but that wasn't true. Most of the time, he was just at-ready. Ready for an attack, for action, for surveillance. By Heero's slight change in posture, Duo was positive that Heero was tense when he had asked the question.
It showed that the Perfect Soldier thought of the Mobile Dolls as a real threat. They weren't nearly as powerful as the Gundams, but what they lacked in strength, they could make up for in sheer numbers. After all, even with all of their training, the pilots were still human. They had their limitations.
Duo nodded, not yet ready to think of a witty retort. They sent the e-mail they'd written to the professors before opening the disk, sending the information stored on the disk through the e-mail.
They'd had an argument earlier about the four wizards who'd arrived during the mission. Heero, of course, thought they should tell the professors everything. Duo, who *definitely* didn't want the four to be some sort of lab experiment for the slightly mad group of professors, thought that they should stay quiet about it. Finally, they conceded that they would tell about the four time-travelers, but wouldn't say anything about magic, time traveling, or anything of the sort. Duo told Heero that it was his business to tell, his past, and he didn't want it dissected by someone else.
Making sure that the message was password protected and virtually un- traceable, they collected the printouts they had managed to hackle out of the Disk also. The printout was an earlier model of a Mobile Suit prototype that had failed. Most would have seen it as useless information, but both Duo and Heero reasoned that at least they had a vague idea of what they were dealing with. They could find weaknesses and exploit them, should they cross a Mobile Doll in the future.
They trekked down to the second floor were the bedrooms and the entrance to the gym was located. Walking into the changing room, they both turned towards lockers that had been installed for them. As Duo was opening the lock, Heero thoughtfully turned around, regarding Duo.
"What? You're not going to watch me change, are you? Because I may swing both ways but-" Heero glared.
"Right, okay, so what is it?" Heero looked at him again, as if he were sizing him up.
"You don't believe that your friends will ever make it back to their time, do you?" Duo leaned against his closed locker, folding his arms.
"Why do you say that? I told them I'd try to find a way, didn't I?"
"You're not an idiot, Duo. You may be a bit dense, but you're smart. You would not have told them the future if you really believed that they would ever make it back." Duo sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"You got me there. I can never get something past you, eh?"
"I'm your partner. I make it my job to understand your actions." Duo flopped down onto the ground, looking up at Heero with a chuckle.
"Everything for the mission. Yeah, I don't think they'll get back." Heero leaned back, waiting for him to elaborate.
"I know they left back in 6th year, but they never came back. I've experienced time travel. They would have pretzel-ed right back to our past if they had made it back. This is the first time I've seen them since my sixth year. And time travel . . . it's tricky business. It's just a known *fact* that you don't mess with it as little as possible."
Heero nodded, turning back to his locker. Duo pulled himself up, opened his locker, and pulled on a pair of loose gray sweats, a black tee shirt, and rubber-soled sneakers, as the floor was covered in mats. Duo rummaged at the bottom of his locker, looking for the fingerless gloves he usually wore. Heero, who was dressed similarly, sighed, coming over to Duo's side and pulling it out of the top shelf, above Duo's head but just within Heero's view. Duo scowled, he hated being the shortest of the group, just above five feet, five inches. Duo pulled on his gloves as they walked through the locker room, past the showers, and towards the double doors leading to the large gym.
"So, just a good old fashion fight?"
Heero nodded as they walked into the gym proper. The sun outside the large windows was just touching the horizon; washing the room in yellows, oranges, and reds. They both looked over at Wufei, who was sitting on the matted floor off in one corner examining his katana. Trowa was most likely in the floor below, where the shooting gallery was located.
In the center of the room, a large circle was drawn. They stood at opposite ends and looked at each other, Duo with a grin and Heero with . . . well, a look. They bent over at the waist, eyes locked. They stood again and got into a ready stance, circling each other on the mat.
Duo bided his time; it was so much better waiting for Heero to start. The matches between them were usually pretty great. They knew each other's moves pretty well, and when they fought, it was hard for one to come out the victor.
Finally, Heero lunged first, throwing a fist out. Duo ducked, and laughing, spun into a kick that sailed over Heero's head.
~~~~~~~~~~
Snape couldn't help but love the room he had been given for his stay. The floors were a dark oak, complimenting perfectly with the large bed frame. He wondered silently if Potter had picked this room for him, because everything was done in dark green and silver, Slytherin colors.
He'd been given black slacks and a gray button up by one of the people working in the large house. They'd been borrowed from someone in the household, and they fit comfortably. After a shower, he changed and brushed out his hair, tying it back with a black hair band he'd found in the dresser. Being a potions master, a true one, his hair had always been oily. He could take a dozen showers in the morning but by mid-afternoon, after a dozen classes and a dozen more potions, his hair was usually as lank as ever.
Because he was far from any cauldron, and consequently, wouldn't be bending over any fuming potions, some of the film that usually coated his hair had been removed. Just as he was tying on the boots he had been wearing earlier, Draco and Quatre showed up at the door. Draco had been fitted into clothes in tones of dark and light green. The muggle shirt was obviously uncomfortable for him, as he kept tugging at the neckline of the high collared shirt.
Draco looked around at the décor. "My room's all in shades of blue."
"Yes, your room and Mr. Snape's are on either side of Duo's room," Quatre said, and then smiled. "He, of course, picked the room with the highest concentration of black."
The others, who really didn't see why Quatre was smiling, waited for him to continue.
"Now, if any of you are up for it, I can give you a tour if the house." Hermione and Seamus, who had just walked into the doorway, smiled.
"Sure, I'm up for it. Thanks for the room by the way, it's beautiful," Hermione said. Seamus nodded, agreeing with Hermione.
"Yeah, I'll tag along too."
Quatre turned towards the other two, who both nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~
". . . And this is the observation room for the gym," Quatre was saying some time later.
They'd toured the grounds first, going through rose gardens, a large hedge maze that reminded the four wizards eerily of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and around a medium sized lake, noting a small row boat tied to a wooden pier. Even though they were in Wales, the weather was nice enough so that they didn't have to bundle up, though they were glad to be back inside as the sun had started to set.
Next, they'd gone through the first floor, where the kitchen, the library, the parlor, the shooting gallery (were they'd said hello to Trowa), and the dining room were all located. They'd next gone up to the second floor, which was half filled with bedrooms and included a large armory, a music room, and the gym.
The gym had a high ceiling and the observation room had a spiraling staircase that led to a loft near the ceiling of the gym. The loft had ten chairs in a row, all facing towards a large window. The group went up the staircase, looking down through the window and into the gym.
Quatre turned to them, smiling. "Duo and Heero are sparing right now, so we'll wait and go down to talk to them when they're finished."
The match in the gym was far enough below so that they could see everything in the room, yet close enough so that they could see the facial expressions of the two fighters in the middle of the room. Both were spinning, kicking, and punching in a flurry of body parts. Hermione cringed as Heero swung his leg out and hit Harry on his side. He stepped back a few paces but didn't let his guard down. Heero went into a floor sweep, one in which Duo easily jumped over.
Snape similarly cringed, but at the same time, he was amazed. They were really good! Severus watched them for a while as they tried to pummel each other into the blue cushioned floor.
Quatre's voice cut through the silence. "They're pretty evenly matched, though their style of fighting is quite different." Now that Snape concentrated more on their style, he too noticed the difference. Heero was efficient; everything he did was done perfectly, as if he had done this a dozen times before, which he probably had. Harry- or Duo- Snape was never going to be able to decide what exactly to call him- was not perfect, but was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with. His moves were sure and fluid, almost playful. His technique was a mixture of karate and street fighting. Both Heero and Harry's moves perfectly complimented each other, almost like some sort of deadly dance.
They'd been fighting for a while obviously, because both were covered in a light sheen of sweat. They had discarded their shirts, which lay in a crumpled heap on opposite sides of the ring that was drawn around them.
"They're just putting on a show for their audience. Maxwell's a showoff sometimes."
The group turned to see Wufei, wearing a pair of loose blue pants and a white tank top, walking up the spiral staircase, a large curved sword in hand. He too was sweating lightly.
"It looks more like they're trying to kill each other!" Draco said rather shrilly.
Wufei waved a hand dismissively. "Believe me, if they'd wanted to kill each other, one of them would already be dead. And besides, they're too familiar with each other's moves to go through the whole hassle of physical fight. To kill each other, they'd have to be quick."
::Blink::
Draco, who hadn't been expecting the explanation, stayed quiet, looking down on Heero and his one-time nemesis.
Wufei looked over at Quatre, adding, "Maxwell and Yuy finished hacking into that disk, I think. When they're finished playing they can tell us what they found." Just then, down below, Heero feinted right before punching Duo squarely in the chest. As Duo fell back and out of the ring, he spun, knocking Heero's legs out from under him. Heero, who would rather not land on top of Duo, spun himself as he fell, landing next to Duo, also out of the ring.
Duo was openly grinning as he stood up, brushed himself out, and reached down to where Heero lay. He pulled him up, and they both turned towards the large window. Duo winked, waved, and followed Heero to the door, which led to the observation deck.
After a moment, they were up the stairs, standing in front of the group. Duo moved over to stand next to Hermione as Heero addressed the group.
"Quatre, Wufei, we should probably go down to the shooting gallery. Trowa should hear this," Heero glanced over at Duo, "bring your friends to their rooms, we'll need to discuss this in private." Duo nodded, motioning for the four wizards to follow. The pilots and the wizards came down the staircase and to the door leading to the hallway before splitting into to groups, the four pilots to the staircase leading to the first floor, the wizards to the bedrooms down the hall.
Hermione, who was standing next to Duo, leaned over and whispered, "I'd like to talk with you for a minute, if that's okay?" She sounded nervous. Duo nodded. The others, who had most likely heard the question, decided by some unspoken agreement to let the two be, going to their own rooms. Duo led Hermione over to his room, between Snape's room and Draco's.
Hermione looked around at the décor. Quatre had been right; everything *was* in black. The floor was an ebony colored wood, matching the bed, the curtains, the rugs, and the random tables and couches dispersed thru out the room. In Hermione's opinion, the room never would have gone with Harry's personality, but with Duo's . . . she just didn't know. The room, although beautiful in a dark sort of way, had no personal touches.
"Me and the others are . . . sort of like nomads. We don't stay in one area for too long," Duo said from behind her. Hermione looked at him in surprise as she sat on a small black armchair facing the bed. It was like he'd read her mind. Duo himself flopped onto the bed, turning to face Hermione.
"I'm more perceptive than I used to be," he said as he leaned forward, taking Hermione's hands into his own. "You have to understand, I'm not the Harry you were friends with. I know -- God knows I know -- how horrible it is to lose someone. And it must be even harder for you, because your world was just pulled out from under you. I'll try to be as good a friend as I can be, but you have to understand that I'm not Harry, not anymore." Hermione nodded, afraid she'd burst into tears. Duo, for she understood now that the person she was facing would never *really* be Harry again, looked her in the eyes before answering the question she had been afraid to ask.
"Ron survived the attack but . . . he became a Siphon. We both took your death really hard. And we couldn't mourn together because being around him caused me actual physical pain. Although we could not be around each other, we still sent letters, and tried to keep in touch until his death. He became a leader of the rebuilding Siphon community. Got married to a wonderful woman from Durmstrang and had a dozen Weasleys to replace those that had died."
"What happened to the rest of the Weasleys?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Like Harry, the Weasley family had always been more than just her friend's family. They had been her family also, in every sense but genetics.
"Ron's parents had been in Diagon Alley, they passed away in St. Mungo's. Ginny, as you remember, was sent to Beauxbatons when the French students came to Hogwarts," he said. Hermione blinked; she had completely forgotten about them. "Ano . . . sorry, it's been so long." Hermione nodded in understanding. For Harry, it had been hundreds of years. "She became a Siphon also. Fred passed away, but George stayed a wizard, one of the very few at Hogwarts. Charlie survived the bombings, but passed away in the attack on Voldemort. Percy passed away during the bombing in the Ministry building. And Bill stayed a wizard. I think he still has descendants living today, though they don't know that they ever had magic."
Hermione sat silent for a moment, lost in thought. Finally she looked up, smiling sadly at the person Harry had become, "Thanks Duo, I'll . . . remember." Duo squeezed her hands before letting go. "If you'd like, you can still call me Harry." Hermione shook her head sadly, standing up from her chair. She would mourn for all that she had lost later. She understood that Duo had already mourned and moved on from it all. She would rather not burden him with her grief.
"You were right earlier. Harry," here she rubbed at her wet eyes with the back of her hand, "isn't who you are anymore. There are traces of him left, but you aren't *him* anymore." She smiled, sticking out her hand as she added, "I'd like to become friends with Duo, now. Not because you're the last bit of Harry left, but because you're a person I'd genuinely like to be friends with." Duo smiled, glad that she understood and accepted what had happened, though truthfully, he had expected no less from her.
"Pleasure to meet you," Duo mock bowed before taking her hand and shaking it. There was a knocking at Duo's door just then and Duo turned to open it, letting Hermione wipe the last traces of her tears away.
In the door stood Heero, black duffel bag in hand. He glanced at Hermione who was seated in the armchair again, pleating than smoothing the jean skirt she had been provided with, before turning back to Duo.
"Pack up. We've got a mission."
~~~~~~~~~~
Another Flashback
April 13th 1996 (eight days after the bombings, a day after Harry wakes up)
~~~~~~~~~~
The rain was soothing to Harry's aching body. The outdoor hospital that the Siphons had made was a frenzy of activity. Those that were not hurt were trying to find blankets, tarps, anything to block the rain out from their patients.
After Madame Pomfrey (who was now a Siphon) had discovered that being around other Siphons was almost unbearably painful for him, Harry had been moved a little ways from the bustle of activity. He was far enough from the Siphons to think clearly thru the pain, but was close enough that should he need any medical attention, he would receive it. He'd been given a tarp to put over him, but was currently out from under it, eyes closed and mouth open to the fresh water. The dull ache that was throbbing throughout his body sharpened and he opened his eyes. Ron, whose eyes were suspiciously red rimmed (though if any tears were falling Harry would not be able to tell because of the rain), came up to the cot that Harry was sitting on.
"Harry, stay out of the rain, you'll catch cold." Harry did so, pulling it up and over his head. Ron pulled the hood of his poncho closer around his face before putting his hands in his pockets.
"They haven't found Hermione yet," he said softly. Harry nodded, looking down at the torn jeans he had been wearing since the attack.
"Yeah," Harry coughed, clearing his throat. "They're burying Professor Dumbledore's body tonight. I- I talked to him a bit before he died." Ron nodded. "He- I don't know. He seemed peaceful- if tired- when he died, like he knew everything would be okay in the end. I just wish-" He didn't have to continue; Ron knew what he meant. Harry rubbed at his temples, the pain was starting to darken his vision around the edges, but he didn't want to be left alone again. Ron stepped back a few paces, but stayed, most likely also wanting to be in the company of the best friend he knew to be alive.
Ron glanced over at the rubble, the last of Hogwarts. It was swarming with people digging, pulling barely recognizable bodies out of the wreckage. Harry was looking at the growing pile of the dead being covered up by large tarps. If nothing else, the Siphons wanted to at least give the dead proper burials. George, one of the few wizards left, was casting spells over the mound to keep them from decomposing. They still hadn't found his twin.
"An owl came while you were unconscious," Ron's voice broke through Harry's thoughts. He looked back at Ron, the question in his eyes. "Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were also hit by muggle weapons." Harry frowned, punching listlessly at his soggy pillow. He just *couldn't* show more of a reaction than a frown. Most people had been living in a sort of half-state, not knowing how exactly to deal with all of the loss.
Ron rubbed at his eyes. "Ginny's blind. She's a- she's like me also." Ron paused before continuing, "They didn't ask about the French students. Probably knew that they'd died in Diagon Alley."
None of the Beauxbaton students that had been sent from France had been found. They'd been called into Dumbledore's office two days before the attack to take a field trip into Diagon Alley and had most likely died in the attack. Only about a dozen people, all in critical condition, had survived the bombing on Diagon Alley, which had been one of the most heavily bombed areas. Ron never told Harry, who knew that the two Senior Weasleys had been in Diagon Alley during the attack, if his parents had survived. No one needed to tell him, Harry knew that they were gone.
Harry clasped his hands together when he realized that they were shaking. Most likely from a combination of the power he was receiving, the pain, the cold, and his own emotions held in check.
Parvarti, who had held her twin sister as she died, came over to them. The right side of her face and head were covered in burns and her right arm was in a sling. Out of sympathy for Harry's pain, she also stood a few meters away from him. The three of them were the only 6th year Gryffindors known to be alive. Harry glanced first over at Ron's grief stricken features, and then over to Parvarti's mutilated and defeated beauty.
Something inside Harry crumbled. That part of him left from his neglected childhood; his inhabitations at stopping those who oppressed him, hurt him, hated him; he didn't want to lie back and let the enemy win anymore! Voldemort had gone too far. Harry spoke up, his green eyes darkening, "We can't let Voldemort win. He's taken too much."
Two weeks later, on May the First, Voldemort and his Death Eaters paid for what they had done.
~~~~~~~~~~
A.N. hey! Hehe, if you're wondering, yes, I will show a part of what happened to Voldemort in another flashback thingy. Well, the ending of this was a little dark, but I like it.
Thanks for Reviewing:
J. Lynn (They may go back, they may not . . . hehehe, I'm so evil. I have a plot, this story is going somewhere, it'll just take me a while to really get into it ::smile::), Shinegami (I don't think he's turning evil in my story, so don't worry. I have something planned for him), Demia (I loved your review ::smile:: thanks, I wasn't sure if I went a little overboard or not on changing the wizarding world. hehe, I rather like my original plot, and it'll get weirder, yet. Not all of the pairings will be slash, I think I'm just having two, maybe three. Hm . . . Siphons. They're true identity will be shown later. Right now, they're just a group of people, not really understood. Their actually more isolationist so they wont be joining the war, though they aren't really friendly either. Hehe, yes, Draco will have a bit of trouble fitting in. ::laughs aloud:: yes, a lot of great pairings), Usa Yui Usa Kou (hehe, I'm glad it wasn't confusing for you), Otaku Freak, Richan (hehe, yeah, all of Trelawney's predictions were for nothing. My story is going to be ss/hp, but I'm not sure about any others as of now).
Review!!!!