A/N: Thanks to all those that reviewed, your response was greatly
appreciated ^.^
Now will someone PLEASE show me how to do underlines, bolds, italics and
all those other really useful stuff?!
Chapter 1 - The Boy Who Disappeared
The wizarding world was in an uproar.
The reason?
'The Boy Who Lived - Vanished!'
Harry Potter, infant son of the late James and Lily Potter, 'The Boy Who Lived' has vanished without a trace. Responsible for the defeat of 'You- Know-Who', it is believed that loyal followers of the evil tyrant have abducted the boy in seeking revenge for their felled master. There are currently no leads on the whereabouts of little Harry, and we fear the worst.
Albus Dumbledore, head master of the renowned Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry, was the last person to have seen Harry, after leaving him on the doorstep of his Muggle relatives at No.4 Privet Drive.
Many a wizards and witches have expressed their anger at this - Harry Potter? Go live with Muggles? Preposterous!
This however is not the only mistake Dumbledore made; after leaving little Harry at No.4 in the middle of the night, he left.
That's right, LEFT.
Not stay and make sure Harry was delivered to the Muggles safely but left him on the doorstep without any protection where the infant could have been easily taken by anyone.
Albus Dumbledore is solely responsible for the disappearance of Harry Potter. We placed our trust in him and he has failed us. We entrusted the life of our saviour to him and he has practically presented him all nicely wrapped to those that most wanted to see poor little Harry Potter dead.
The Ministry of Magic has, of course, sent out several search parties and the best aurors to track down The Boy Who Lived. We pray that Harry Potter is still alive somewhere out there and that he may be returned to us safely.
Rita Skeeter.
* * *
WHACK!
Professor Minerva McGonagall slapped down her copy of the Daily Prophets, a look of disgust upon her face.
'How dare that woman!' She thought angrily. 'How dare she lay all the blame on Albus?!'
Shooting up off her armchair, she hurried to the Head masters office.
She was going to sort this out once and for all.
* * *
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, fiddling with his bowler hat, began to speak again.
'Albus,' He started 'What am I going to do?! Everything is so chaotic right now! We get hundreds upon hundreds of angry owls every day about the Potter boy. The people are demanding me, ME, to do something about it!'
Albus Dumbledore, straightened in his chair, and looking gravely at the agitated man said:
'And are you planning to anything, Cornelius?'
'I - ' Fudge looked distressed. 'What can I do that hasn't already been done? I've already got all my best men on the job, what else do they expect?'
Then he added, almost like an afterthought.
'Besides Albus, you're the one that screwed up this time. Shouldn't you be the one that's doing something?'
Albus never got to reply as at that very moment, a very upset looking Minerva McGonagall busted into his office. She was so intent on speaking to the Headmaster, she did not even notice Fudge standing looking rather ashen in the corner.
'Have you seen this Albus?! Have you seen what they're writing about you?!' She said, her voice rising with every word.
'Look! Just look at this, this -' Not finding any appropriate words to use she waved the offending article angrily in the air.
Cornelius Fudge, upon seeing the paper, looked decidedly more nervous and began edging towards the door.
'I'll - I'll just be off now, Albus. You seem to have things to take care off.'
'YOU!!' The woman whirled around, finally noticing Fudge's presence.
The Minister of Magic immediately regretted drawing attention to himself, backing away slowly he said in his most calm, and persuasive voice.
'Now, now, Professor McGonagall. There really isn't any need to raise your voice-'
'How dare you come here to ask Albus for assistance after you allowed this, this Rubbish to be published?!' Minerva McGonagall waved the paper in a very threatening manner in the cowering man's direction.
'How DARE you!! You are nothing bu-'
'Minerva. Enough.'
Those words were not spoken loudly, but they were filled with authority. Minerva clicked her jaws shut and turned towards the speaker.
Albus Dumbledore had risen, and it broke her heart to see him looking so old and frail. The familiar twinkle had dimmed in his sky blue eyes until they were barely noticeable.
'Oh Albus.' She sighed and all the anger deflated from her.
'Cornelius? I'm aware you are a very busy man.' The dismissal was clear.
Fudge tipped his hat and scurried off, eager to get away from the woman who, no less than five seconds ago, would have jumped at the chance to turn him into something nasty.
Albus Dumbledore gave a tired sigh, and sank into his chair once more. Minerva noted the dark circles under his eyes and the stooped posture of the once so lively man.
'Albus. It wasn't your fault. No matter what those other idiots say.'
The Headmaster just shook his head.
'You'd already put up the protective wards. The Skeeter woman had no idea what she was talking about!'
'Minerva old friend.' The old man finally said. 'It is true that I'd set up the wards but they only stopped anyone with the intention of harming Harry. They would do nothing to stop, lets say, a stranger thinking he was abandoned from taking him, or, a drunkard thinking he was something other than a baby going off with him.'
Dumbledore had no idea how close he came to hitting home with those guesses.
'I am at fault this time. I should have stayed.' Placing his face into his cupped hands the Headmaster shook his head.
'I was over confident. I am to blame.'
'Stop it Albus.' Minerva snapped. Then her gaze softened. 'You said the ward kept anyone with the intention of harming Harry out. This means that Harry is probably alive and safe somewhere. With all the people out searching, we're bound to find him.'
She stepped closer and placed her hand on the slumped shoulders of the man who seemed so tired and old at that moment.
'Everything will be all right Albus. Get some rest.' With that she left, shutting the door gently behind her.
The man named Albus Dumbledore sat silently for some moments before getting up and walking over to the perch where a beautiful phoenix had stood and watched the whole affair.
'You think he is alive?' He asked the phoenix.
The bird gave a quiet, reassuring trill and rubbed his head against the old man's outstretched fingers.
The Headmaster turned his gaze upwards.
'Wherever you are Harry Potter, I wish you the best of luck. May the gods keep you safe.'
* * *
Harry Potter, the boy in question, was at that moment trying his best to dodge airborne chestnuts.
Moving his legs as fast as he could he scrambled out of the way of a large brown projectile that was two inches from connecting with his head.
Genma Saotome grinned to himself. The boy was getting quicker.
Chucking another two chestnuts at the toddler he peeked out of the round window of the ship they had smuggled away on.
(Flash back (A/N: Until I learn to do italics.))
The large balding martial artist with the baby boy he had so conveniently picked up tucked snuggly under his arms crouched behind a big crate that smelled suspiciously like baked beans.
Squinting into the fading dusk light he checked to make sure no one had noticed the two unwelcome stowaways.
Getting onboard the ship - destination port Toyoma, Japan - unnoticed, was a piece of cake. These foreigners couldn't even begin to comprehend the art of stealth.
From the bits and pieces he could pick up, which really wasn't much considering he couldn't understand a word of English - but the big map with their course drawn in with a big red permanent marker really helped, Genma learnt that they would be heading south to circle around Russia before heading northwards to Japan.
It's a good thing that they were well provisioned, it was going to be a LONG journey even with the fastest and newest model of cargo ship.
(End flash back)
Settling down between a giant crate of apple juice and stacked boxes filled with cereal Genma regarded the green-eyed toddler with interest.
It was surprisingly easy to get the boy to start walking, a couple of well- aimed chestnuts whenever the baby had tried to sit had taught the toddler that crawling was a no-no now.
Absently flicking another chestnut in the tottering child's direction, he noted to himself the toddler's lightening quick reflexes and a grin split his face.
Yep, that boy was gonna go far.
* * *
A/N: Well that's chap.1. By the way does anyone know the Japanese words for 'Boy' or 'Green-eyes' in Japanese? This is what Genma will call Harry for the first couple of years of his life. (Any other suggestions welcome) ^.^
Chapter 1 - The Boy Who Disappeared
The wizarding world was in an uproar.
The reason?
'The Boy Who Lived - Vanished!'
Harry Potter, infant son of the late James and Lily Potter, 'The Boy Who Lived' has vanished without a trace. Responsible for the defeat of 'You- Know-Who', it is believed that loyal followers of the evil tyrant have abducted the boy in seeking revenge for their felled master. There are currently no leads on the whereabouts of little Harry, and we fear the worst.
Albus Dumbledore, head master of the renowned Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry, was the last person to have seen Harry, after leaving him on the doorstep of his Muggle relatives at No.4 Privet Drive.
Many a wizards and witches have expressed their anger at this - Harry Potter? Go live with Muggles? Preposterous!
This however is not the only mistake Dumbledore made; after leaving little Harry at No.4 in the middle of the night, he left.
That's right, LEFT.
Not stay and make sure Harry was delivered to the Muggles safely but left him on the doorstep without any protection where the infant could have been easily taken by anyone.
Albus Dumbledore is solely responsible for the disappearance of Harry Potter. We placed our trust in him and he has failed us. We entrusted the life of our saviour to him and he has practically presented him all nicely wrapped to those that most wanted to see poor little Harry Potter dead.
The Ministry of Magic has, of course, sent out several search parties and the best aurors to track down The Boy Who Lived. We pray that Harry Potter is still alive somewhere out there and that he may be returned to us safely.
Rita Skeeter.
* * *
WHACK!
Professor Minerva McGonagall slapped down her copy of the Daily Prophets, a look of disgust upon her face.
'How dare that woman!' She thought angrily. 'How dare she lay all the blame on Albus?!'
Shooting up off her armchair, she hurried to the Head masters office.
She was going to sort this out once and for all.
* * *
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, fiddling with his bowler hat, began to speak again.
'Albus,' He started 'What am I going to do?! Everything is so chaotic right now! We get hundreds upon hundreds of angry owls every day about the Potter boy. The people are demanding me, ME, to do something about it!'
Albus Dumbledore, straightened in his chair, and looking gravely at the agitated man said:
'And are you planning to anything, Cornelius?'
'I - ' Fudge looked distressed. 'What can I do that hasn't already been done? I've already got all my best men on the job, what else do they expect?'
Then he added, almost like an afterthought.
'Besides Albus, you're the one that screwed up this time. Shouldn't you be the one that's doing something?'
Albus never got to reply as at that very moment, a very upset looking Minerva McGonagall busted into his office. She was so intent on speaking to the Headmaster, she did not even notice Fudge standing looking rather ashen in the corner.
'Have you seen this Albus?! Have you seen what they're writing about you?!' She said, her voice rising with every word.
'Look! Just look at this, this -' Not finding any appropriate words to use she waved the offending article angrily in the air.
Cornelius Fudge, upon seeing the paper, looked decidedly more nervous and began edging towards the door.
'I'll - I'll just be off now, Albus. You seem to have things to take care off.'
'YOU!!' The woman whirled around, finally noticing Fudge's presence.
The Minister of Magic immediately regretted drawing attention to himself, backing away slowly he said in his most calm, and persuasive voice.
'Now, now, Professor McGonagall. There really isn't any need to raise your voice-'
'How dare you come here to ask Albus for assistance after you allowed this, this Rubbish to be published?!' Minerva McGonagall waved the paper in a very threatening manner in the cowering man's direction.
'How DARE you!! You are nothing bu-'
'Minerva. Enough.'
Those words were not spoken loudly, but they were filled with authority. Minerva clicked her jaws shut and turned towards the speaker.
Albus Dumbledore had risen, and it broke her heart to see him looking so old and frail. The familiar twinkle had dimmed in his sky blue eyes until they were barely noticeable.
'Oh Albus.' She sighed and all the anger deflated from her.
'Cornelius? I'm aware you are a very busy man.' The dismissal was clear.
Fudge tipped his hat and scurried off, eager to get away from the woman who, no less than five seconds ago, would have jumped at the chance to turn him into something nasty.
Albus Dumbledore gave a tired sigh, and sank into his chair once more. Minerva noted the dark circles under his eyes and the stooped posture of the once so lively man.
'Albus. It wasn't your fault. No matter what those other idiots say.'
The Headmaster just shook his head.
'You'd already put up the protective wards. The Skeeter woman had no idea what she was talking about!'
'Minerva old friend.' The old man finally said. 'It is true that I'd set up the wards but they only stopped anyone with the intention of harming Harry. They would do nothing to stop, lets say, a stranger thinking he was abandoned from taking him, or, a drunkard thinking he was something other than a baby going off with him.'
Dumbledore had no idea how close he came to hitting home with those guesses.
'I am at fault this time. I should have stayed.' Placing his face into his cupped hands the Headmaster shook his head.
'I was over confident. I am to blame.'
'Stop it Albus.' Minerva snapped. Then her gaze softened. 'You said the ward kept anyone with the intention of harming Harry out. This means that Harry is probably alive and safe somewhere. With all the people out searching, we're bound to find him.'
She stepped closer and placed her hand on the slumped shoulders of the man who seemed so tired and old at that moment.
'Everything will be all right Albus. Get some rest.' With that she left, shutting the door gently behind her.
The man named Albus Dumbledore sat silently for some moments before getting up and walking over to the perch where a beautiful phoenix had stood and watched the whole affair.
'You think he is alive?' He asked the phoenix.
The bird gave a quiet, reassuring trill and rubbed his head against the old man's outstretched fingers.
The Headmaster turned his gaze upwards.
'Wherever you are Harry Potter, I wish you the best of luck. May the gods keep you safe.'
* * *
Harry Potter, the boy in question, was at that moment trying his best to dodge airborne chestnuts.
Moving his legs as fast as he could he scrambled out of the way of a large brown projectile that was two inches from connecting with his head.
Genma Saotome grinned to himself. The boy was getting quicker.
Chucking another two chestnuts at the toddler he peeked out of the round window of the ship they had smuggled away on.
(Flash back (A/N: Until I learn to do italics.))
The large balding martial artist with the baby boy he had so conveniently picked up tucked snuggly under his arms crouched behind a big crate that smelled suspiciously like baked beans.
Squinting into the fading dusk light he checked to make sure no one had noticed the two unwelcome stowaways.
Getting onboard the ship - destination port Toyoma, Japan - unnoticed, was a piece of cake. These foreigners couldn't even begin to comprehend the art of stealth.
From the bits and pieces he could pick up, which really wasn't much considering he couldn't understand a word of English - but the big map with their course drawn in with a big red permanent marker really helped, Genma learnt that they would be heading south to circle around Russia before heading northwards to Japan.
It's a good thing that they were well provisioned, it was going to be a LONG journey even with the fastest and newest model of cargo ship.
(End flash back)
Settling down between a giant crate of apple juice and stacked boxes filled with cereal Genma regarded the green-eyed toddler with interest.
It was surprisingly easy to get the boy to start walking, a couple of well- aimed chestnuts whenever the baby had tried to sit had taught the toddler that crawling was a no-no now.
Absently flicking another chestnut in the tottering child's direction, he noted to himself the toddler's lightening quick reflexes and a grin split his face.
Yep, that boy was gonna go far.
* * *
A/N: Well that's chap.1. By the way does anyone know the Japanese words for 'Boy' or 'Green-eyes' in Japanese? This is what Genma will call Harry for the first couple of years of his life. (Any other suggestions welcome) ^.^