Chapter Thirty-One: The Third Invasion Pt. I

December 27th, 1996

After two days of preparation, Harry Potter was ready for the journey ahead of him. He had mentally prepared for anything and had received enough rest that his stress had gone down to nothing. There was no chance that he would die of some sort of heart attack during this mission, so that was good. With that handled, Harry focused on the exoskeleton made for him by Eleven. She had claimed to have been making it for the past few months before the war but had stopped after everything that had happened on Halloween. Harry thought she had done an excellent job on the design and suit functions, and there wasn't a lot he was willing to change. The base of the exoskeleton was an undersuit made of a gel-like substance. And over that undersuit was the exoskeleton, which was made of black-painted weightless and unbreakable tungsten steel alloy. Armored leg pieces, armored boots, armored midsection, armored arm pieces, and an armored torso that covered his back while ending at his mid-torso at the front.

His bottom front torso was occupied by four large pouches, which had been enlarged to carry an array of items. His back held magnets that allowed for him to attach his plasma rifle. And his thighs were outfitted with pistol and grenade hosters (right and left respectively). The last piece was the helmet which engulfed his entire head, had bright green eyes, and a built-in breathing apparatus. It was a great stealth suit, one that he worked to improve in regards to functionality, gear, and abilities. Something that proved to be quite difficult all things considered.

The suit had already come with the base functions of the Knight exoskeletons; a HUD, data crystal chips planted within the suits gauntlet, foot clamps, silenced boots, optic triangulation to scan for nearby enemies, prototype nano-shielding, prototype nano-cannon for repairing holes in vehicles and even wounds, a prototype jetpack, prototype invisibility tech, battering rams, and pulse cannons. All powered by a Pinch Fusion Core. But Harry felt if he was going to be going into this with only three Knight Squads and Eleven behind him, then he would need a bit more help. So he added a few functions of his own. Harry added solar cells to the core to add more power, retractable hand-blades on the forearms, prototype nano-blasters, remote tracking beacons, a gravity well device, an EMP, and a magnetic gadget that allowed him to control metal from a distance.

Harry wouldn't need most of these things. But in the off-chance he was blindsided, exhausted, or lost his abilities, he would have a way to defend himself. His mind - which had begun to wonder - quickly returned to the issue at hand, his focus turning towards Eleven, Alyssa, Echo, Papa, and Tango Squads were all there, as were a few dozen Marines. They were all staring at him, waiting for him to speak. He did so. "Alright, everyone. Today is the big day. Today, we fight to ensure the safety of the human race, the Formics, as well as planet Earth. Today, we launch the first planned voyage across universes and time. Today, we put an end to this short yet very long war that has plagued our way of life. And today, we end Voldemort with a plasma bolt to the head,"

There were several exclamations and cheers from the Marines at this, but they soon quieted down once more. Harry kept an even expression, the sound of gunfire and explosions ringing in his ears. The vision was happening, only slightly different. The Second Invasion was pushing extremely fast. They needed to finish this right here and right now. "Despite their fleet, the Formics are losing. The second invasion fleet is pushing against these walls, leaving us with little time. If we want to make this work, we need to do this here and now,"

"We're ready, sir," Alyssa spoke, charging her rifle with an expression of pure determination.

Harry smiled. "Of course, you are," He turned to Echo, Papa, and Tango Squads. "Alright, Knights. You better be on your toes, because this is going to be a bit rough. We're going back to my home universe, and from there we'll jump back to June of 1996. The night my friends and I fought the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Once we kill Voldemort there, we'll jump forward and come back to 1997,"

"That easy?" Knight Reyes asked.

"Hopefully. But we can't be too sure. The jumps are connected to the Veil of Death, so we cannot be certain. The Veil is connected to an infinite number of the universe, so we could end up anywhere," Harry explained. "But don't worry. Eleven and I are confident that this will work,"

"Well sir, that makes me feel a lot better," Alyssa said honestly.

Harry let a grin pass over his face. "Great. Are you guys ready?"

"We're ready," Eleven spoke, nodding. Harry peered down towards the small medallion around his neck, gripping it tightly. A helmet suddenly appeared in his other hand, which he then placed over his head. "Grab onto me," He spoke. Everyone did as they were told and placed a single hand somewhere on his shoulders and arms. Those that couldn't grab onto him grabbed onto those who could, and soon there was a chain of arms spreading outwards. Harry closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He focused on the bond between the device around his neck and the Veil of Death. He thought of his former home. Hogwarts. Hermione. Ron. Neville. Ginny. Luna. He thought of them all. Harry thought of Sirius and the Department of Mysteries, and in a swirl of blue plasma, the entire group was gone.


Explosions and chaos. Harry Potter lied face first in the dirt, his helmet a few feet away on the ground. He was dazed and confused. How had he gotten here? Where was here? It took a bit of strength to turn over, but when he had Harry was met with a strange sight. Echo Squad and a few Marines had surrounded him and were surrounded by an army of...werewolves. That was very odd. There were no werewolf packs over the size often. And there were no massive packs over the size of thirty. No pack could be this size and there would never be enough werewolves in the area to launch an attack like this. They were somewhere else entirely. But where? "Lord Potter! We need assistance!" Knight Reyes shouted from a distance. The man's plasma rifle was being used to mow down several werewolves, but the creatures were overwhelming them. They needed help.

With strength that he didn't feel he had, Harry slowly got to his feet and summoned his helmet to hand. After placing it over his head, Harry got a good view of his surroundings. They were in a small clearing in the woods, with a large structure in view. He wasn't sure what the structure was, but he didn't care. The squad was his priority. Harry faced off against the massive pack of werewolves, conjuring a gigantic wave of Fiendfyre that he looped around the entirety of Echo Squad. The werewolves that dared cross were killed immediately, burning to cinders. Those that were intelligent stopped, examining the fire with caution. Knight Reyes took a deep breath. "Thanks. We couldn't hold them much longer,"

"Status report, Echo-1," said Harry.

"The transporter was a bust, sir. Halfway through the jump, Papa and Tango Squads disappeared alongside their Marines, Ms. Ives, and Dr. Truit. We landed here and encountered...them," Reyes motioned to the fire. Moreso what was behind it. "There were others. Larger creatures, which we dispatched with the use of sticky bombs. But we're stuck in here until we find out where to go next, sir,"

"Right. We need to find out where we are first," Harry pressed his hand against his earpiece. Nothing but static. "Well, the jump did work. Only not as intended. The connection with H.Q is dead, so we're not in our universe," Their communications tech worked around the entire planet. If they were anywhere on their Earth, a connection would be possible. And Harry found it unlikely that human structures would be on any other Earth-like planet. Harry's gaze fell on the structure out in the distance and he found. "Does that castle look familiar to anyone else?" He asked, motioning to what now was clearly a castle. It felt eerily familiar to him. As if he had been there...or within it at one point.

Knight Waters shrugged. "The castle, sir?"

A castle. The castle. Harry took a deep breath. "I know exactly where we are,"

"Sir?"

"The universe I lived in before our own. The one infested with zombies," said Harry. The Knights stilled. They had to deal with werewolves, Voldemort's forces, and zombies? Harry peered down at the device around his neck, frowning. "The Veil of Death is inactive, meaning the multiversal bridge is within any reflective surface on the planet. But if I were to guess..." Raccoon City. It was the first place he would look. After all, the Multiverse seemed to hate him. And what better way to display hate than by taking him back to the place where he had failed? Where he gave up on Claire, Jill, Leon, and Sherry. Where he was his weakest. He would go back there, and he would find a way to push forward. He would. "Raccoon City,"

Knight Reyes put it together at once. "The device is connected to your Aiúa and the Multiverse. This means the device can read your subconscious,"

"Most likely, yes. If the portal is anywhere but here then it'll be in Raccoon City," Harry replied. The blaze of fire was still swarming around Echo Squad and its Marines, protecting them from harm as Harry cast Tempus. The time and date appeared over him. He examined it with interest. 10:42 pm EET on November 2nd, 1998. The day Sherry and Leon had been taken. The day he had failed. It was 1:42 pm in Raccoon City. Harry could reach them in time. He could save them. "Ok, everyone. We're going to Raccoon City, but we have a personal errand to run before we catch our ride through a portal," Harry explained, gaining everyone's attention. "We've ended up in the past. A month before I left this place, and a few of my friends are in trouble,"

Knight Proctor frowned beneath his helmet. "Rescue mission, sir?"

"Yes. The objective is to safely rescue my friends and ensure that the United States Army is no longer a threat. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Reyes replied. There was no need for context, they understood how this affected Harry. The way he spoke. The way he stood. They all knew something about this place was important to Harry. So they would follow him to the city. They would help him complete this small quest before continuing their greater mission. Because they knew Harry. They all knew he would remain focused on the task at hand. Harry smiled, extending his hand to Reyes. The man took it, shaking it tightly as those around them hurried to grab on. Once everyone was connected, Harry concentrated purely on Claire Redfield. Her face. Her eyes. Her whole being. And then they disappeared in a swirl of plasma.

They reappeared in a flash within the streets of Raccoon City. They were still cluttered in loose garbage and broken-down cars. But the bodies that had once filled them were gone. The blood cleaned away. Harry remembered the hard work he had once put into cleaning the city as its mayor. The members of Echo Squad formed up around Harry, guarding him against any surprises as he tried to determine what to do. The device clearly wasn't perfect. At the thought of Sirius, it had taken him to Romania, where the Sirius from his homeworld resided. And at the thought of Claire, it had brought him to Raccoon City. But they were far from City Hall. "We need to get to City Hall. They're there,"

"We're on your six, sir," Reyes replied, nodding in understanding. Harry reattached his helmet and stepped out of the squad's protective circle. He stepped down the empty street, turning onto the main road. City Hall was at the end of the road, which was quite a walk. Harry wasn't in the mood for a stroll. So he extended his arms and formed a circle of shadows. The circle grew into a larger circle, which then grew transparent to reveal the other side. A portal. Harry stepped through and found himself at the front steps of City Hall. The squad followed close behind, taking point around the entrance. The military arrived, pulling up in large jeeps. They seemed to be unaware of their presence. Thank god for notice-me-not charms and invisibility tech.

"Get Potter down here, now," It was the General. The same General that had taken Leon and Sherry. After a few moments, the doors to City Hall blew open. And out came Harry Potter, Claire Redfield, and Jill Valentine. The younger Harry was wearing a black three-piece suit. Claire was wearing her normal red leather jacket and blue jeans. And Jill was wearing a grey sweatshirt with blue jeans. Behind them were Leon Kennedy and Sherry Birkin, the latter of whom seemed very scared at the prospect of the military arriving. Harry watched the entire group descend the front steps. And then the Young-Harry spoke. "So...you know who I am?"

"Harrison Potter. Lucky for you you're a Lord, or else you would be in handcuffs faster than I could say zombie," The General replied. "You've been giving the entire U.S a shitty time trying to understand what it is that happened here, and how you've been recovering since what happened last month. It took him coming to us to get past that barrier of yours,"

"Well, it explains why I wasn't notified of your arrival. I wasn't aware full-on bypassing wards was possible," Young-Harry said.

"Well, kid, when you're as experienced as I am...anything's possible," The hooded figure spoke. Harry had tried once before to enter the man's mind. But Harry hadn't been as skilled as he was now in the past. He took another peek at the man's mind, was able to fully penetrate his defenses with more than a little force. His mind-walls shattered, giving Harry access to everything within. Names, places. Everything. He was a man named Jacob. A random man who had been sent through the Veil of Death. It was almost disappointing, discovering that this mysterious figure wasn't someone Harry knew.

Young-Harry spoke. "The facilities below the city are gone. Self-destructed during the outbreak. What was left was destroyed by me and filled in with dirt to ensure the city didn't collapse due to the holes in the foundation of the city. Anything else is being rebuilt and remodeled. The city's come a long way in the past month, and I don't plan on letting it fall so soon,"

"Don't worry kid, we're not here to suppress you or anything. We're here to assist in rebuilding," The General spoke. "But we have come here for two other reasons. We came here for not only you but for her," The General pointed up the steps towards Sherry and Leon. Sherry leaned behind Leon, shielding herself from view.

"Hell no. You're not taking her," Claire said.

"Says who?"

"Say's me," Young-Harry spoke up.

"Watch it, son," The General warned.

"I'm no son, General," Young-Harry bit back. "Watch it. This city is under my protection, as are its citizens. And Sherry is one of them. If you want her, you and your men will have to go through me, and I don't do kindly with governments. They tend to piss me off," The General raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. He turned to his first lieutenant, pulling a file from his bag before opening it. After a few moments of silence, Leon and Sherry reached them just as the General spoke. "Due to scans done by our friend here -" The General motioned to 'Jacob'. "- we believe that Ms. Birkin here holds traces of the G-Virus within her blood,"

"Bullshit. I've scanned her myself and found nothing. And she hasn't shown symptoms," Young-Harry replied. Harry himself turned to Sherry, examining her with interest. His eyes flashed as he watched her Aiúa. It did show signs orange. The sign of non-magical power. Perhaps she was still infected. Not enough to show symptoms, but enough that it could become an issue in the future. His interest was piqued, and he turned back to the conversation at hand, thinking hard on how he should enter into this conflict.

"So...what did you do to get pushed through? Did you kill a kid? Cast an Unforgivable?" Young-Harry asked. The wind began to pick up, causing Harry to wave it away right into Jill. It had been an accident of course, but she was sent back slightly, her hair flying backward as she staggered.

"What the hell?" She whispered, confused.

"There's a reason they only send monsters through," Young-Harry spoke.

"Ah...don't be like that, kid. Name-calling is never nice. If anything, you were close to a real monster for almost a year, and you let him train you," Jacob told them.

"Remus is a kind man. He wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had to," Young-Harry defended.

"Sure. I'm sure he thought that when he was tearing Black up in the grass,"

"I have no idea what you two are talking about, but we don't have time for this. The girl's coming with us. You would to if you didn't have diplomatic immunity, but we're fine with taking the girl," The General told him.

"You aren't taking her," Jill told the man.

"We have to take her. We've received orders from the President himself to retrieve a G-Virus sample. The samples in the underground facility are gone now with the facility, and she holds the only living trace," The General told the four.

Four Privates rushed forward but found themselves ass-first on the ground after being stunned in the chest by Echo Squad. Everyone present spun towards the Squad, spotting Harry for the first time. He rushed forward, his rifle extended as he fired on the General and his troops. Jacob easily blocked the plasma bolt and disappeared in a CRACK! leaving the Army troops behind. They were easily stunned by Harry and Echo Squad, leaving the street empty. Harry turned to his younger self, who wore an expression of shock and confusion. But more importantly, his fists were closed and his skin was orange. He was stressed. Anxious. Worried. Harry held up his hands in a show of peace, dropping his rifle into Reyes' open hand.

"What the hell was that?" Claire questioned. She turned to Harry and the others. "And who the hell are you?"

Harry smiled, reaching up to remove his helmet. He detached it from the neck of his suit, pulling it off of his head to reveal his face. He was the same Harry they knew, only he appeared a few years older. They stared at him for a long time in disbelief. And then Young-Harry spoke. "You're...me,"

"Yes,"

"From...the future?"

"A future," Harry replied.

"Right...timelines,"

"You're him from the future?" Leon asked, motioning to Young-Harry.

"Yes. A future. One he won't experience hopefully,"

"That bad?"

"Not necessarily. It could be worse," Harry replied.

"I have so many questions," Claire spoke.

"We should find somewhere private where we can talk. The squad can handle the mess we've made," Reyes nodded, turning to the rest of Echo Squad as they began to haul the stunned bodies back to the jeeps. Harry motioned towards City Hall and was led into the building and up the stairs to Young-Harry's office. Once there, Harry addressed the group. "You must have a lot of questions. Ask away,"

"How old are you?" Jill asked first.

"Well, that's the odd part. I'm mentally thirty-one. And my body is stuck at nineteen while only being alive for twelve of those nineteen years. And even weirder, I'm technically thirty-six years old, having been born in 1970," Harry explained. It didn't make sense, but nothing about his existence made sense. He was a walking anomaly after all.

Jill raised an eyebrow. "That...makes sense?"

"1970?"

"Part of the future," Harry answered.

Young-Harry nodded. "Right. And what is this future exactly?"

"Well? Long story short, you go to Romania to find Sirius. You're killed by the Grim Reaper who takes you to a Multiversal entity named The Watcher. You fight him through a few universes, before landing in one you've never seen before. You live there for thirteen years and become me. But you'll hopefully never experience that now that I changed things,"

"You messed with the timeline," Claire spoke. "Why?"

"I made a mistake today in my timeline. A mistake that ruined everything," Harry explained. "I was too slow. Too weak. The army got hold of Leon and Sherry. Took them away. Leon to use as a weapon. Sherry to run tests on and turn into a lab rat. I was injured and turned into a bioweapon. I lost control. I feared I would hurt someone, and apparated to Sirius in Romania. Which caused the events I described. All because Leon and Sherry were taken,"

"You prevented all of that just to save us?" Leon asked.

"Of course...just because I haven't seen you in almost two decades doesn't mean I forgot. I always remembered. I remember all of my failures. They define who I am, and the choices I make moving forward," Harry replied.

"Two decades," Claire whispered. "You never came back?"

"No..." Looking at her made him feel wrong. He remembered what he had done with the Dimitrescu's. Harry would never forgive himself for making that mistake. And while he had been forgiven by Daphne, he was sure he would not be forgiven by Claire. She had loved him, and he had loved her. But not enough. Harry wouldn't speak of it. "I couldn't. I just recently discovered the means to travel through universes. I never got the chance to come back. To say goodbye,"

"You're leaving," Jill concluded.

"I am,"

Claire seemed surprised. "Why?"

"I have a mission to complete. One that involves me leaving this universe again," Harry replied.

"What kind of mission? Can we help?" Young-Harry asked.

"No. No. This mission is too big for any of you to become involved. Besides, it's too dangerous,"

"Dangerous?" Young-Harry seemed annoyed.

"Yes,"

"How dangerous?" Claire asked.

"Voldemort's back," Everyone went silent. Young-Harry had told them enough about Voldemort for that name to mean a lot. And if he was back, then it was bad. "But not just him. Four hundred other Voldemorts spread across the Multiverse. The Voldemort of our home -" Harry motioned between himself and his counterpart. "- rules over them as a supreme dictator. He's killed almost four-hundred other Harry Potters, and won't stop until the original - me - is dead. He invaded our Earth twice already, forcing us to evacuate the planet. His second invasion force is already spreading, and we don't have much time until he destroys everything Echo Squad and I love. It's bigger than you guys. It's bigger than me,"

"So let's work together. I can help you take him down. Two Harry Potters are better than one after all," Young-Harry reasoned.

"It's not a good idea," Harry spoke.

"It never is," Claire commented. She grabbed Young-Harry's hand. "But he's right. You and your squad could benefit from a few extra hands. And we've got nothing better to do after you took the Army off of our hands," Not entirely true seeing as Harry vividly remembered planning an array of things to do before the encounter with the General and Jacob. But he refrained from saying anything on the subject. He moved to speak, but Claire interrupted him. "We're not asking, and neither are you. You can use the extra hand. So take it," She stuck out the hand that wasn't holding Young-Harry's, extending it for a handshake.

Harry raised an eyebrow. He and Echo Squad were going to be going up against armies of Death Eaters and Voldemorts. They would only get in the way if they tagged along on their mission. But then he remembered. They all had two things that proved extremely useful on a battlefield; experience and luck. They had survived a zombie apocalypse. Something that many couldn't do. And Young-Harry was still Harry, only without Shadowmancy and his knowledge of souls and death. The entire group could prove useful in a task. Not so much the main fight, but perhaps a flanking maneuver or a specific objective that needed to be completed before the mission was over. A backup. After a moment, Harry reached forward and grabbed her hand, shaking it lightly.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Young-Harry.

"The plan? We go home,"