Author's Note: I attempted to emulate Yoda's speech patterns, I apologise if they're slightly off. Well, the Council wasn't likely to let our boy remain outside of their structure for long...Enjoy!
Qui-Gon bowed to Master Yoda as he entered the room. "Be done, something must," the Master stated.
"I realise-" Qui-Gon stated.
"The antics, it is not," he interrupted. "Younglings, younglings will be. One so powerful, confusing to the younglings it is."
"I have offered him training, multiple times."
"A different master, would he like?"
His companion sighed. "Feel free to make the offer."
"Know better, you do."
He sighed again. "No," he disagreed gently. "It is my impression that it is not my being his teacher he objects to, but having a teacher at all."
"Brung before the council he will be," he stated. "Resolved, this matter must be."
"Of course Master," he replied with a bow.
HPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSW
Harry stormed out of the Council chambers. Obi-Wan fell into step beside him. "It did not go well then?" he asked with amusement.
Harry made a sound of frustration. "They're as bad as my bloody Ministry!" he groused. "So determined that they're right, they refuse to see another person's point of view!"
"Well, they are right the majority of the time."
"That is only most of the time," he countered. "Which means, they could be wrong about me."
Obi-Wan pulled him into a private spot. "Harry, what is this really about?" he asked gently.
He blew out a breath. "I've had my fate decided for me since I was a year old," he stated, folding his arms. "I was finally free to make choices for myself, and now I'm right back to it again!"
The blonde laid a hand on his arm. "They are not just making the best choice for the Jedi, but also for you."
"And how do they know what is best for me?" he asked stonily.
"The Force."
"That's your answer for everything," he retorted, unable to help his smile.
"Well, it is not only the best answer, it is true." The brunet blew out a breath. "Did they assign you a Master?"
"No, they are giving me time to choose one for myself."
"Who will you choose?"
He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Obi, you know I'd choose Qui-Gon, I was just hoping to avoid it."
"Why are you fighting so hard against it?"
He leant against a wall. "For the longest time I didn't fight my fate, just accepted what happened to me as my lot in life," he stated.
"And?"
"Many people died, those close to me, people at my side, countless others. If I had begun to fight sooner, then perhaps some of them might still be alive."
HPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSWHPSW
"Harry," Qui-Gon greeted warmly as the younger man entered their quarters. "Take a seat," he urged.
"Obi-Wan spoke to you, didn't he?" he asked, settling with a sour expression.
"No," he assured. "Obi-Wan keeps his own counsel, unless ordered otherwise by the council, or he has concerns," he continued. "I did not need him to tell me there was something beneath your refusal," he stated, leaning forward. "I hoped that you would share it with me in time. If you would prefer to have someone else as your teacher, I understand."
"It's not that," he sighed.
"Good," he replied with a smile. "I do believe you would thrive under my tutelage. Although, I am curious why you are of the same opinion?"
"Obi-Wan is a kindred spirit, and remains spirited even after an apprenticeship to you," he remarked slowly. "The impression I got, was that while you taught him patience, you did not try to suppress characteristics others might view as negative."
"Some behaviours students grow out of in time, and others they do not. It is simply a matter of guiding them to choose the moment to let them out."
Harry snorted. "Choose the time and place," he murmured. "Don't worry, I've generally got that part down – except for when someone really sets off my temper."
"Anger-"
"Yes, yes," he muttered. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering," he quoted. "Doesn't really apply to me." Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose. "I don't fear," he stated. "I have felt anger, but I refuse to hate. I have seen the suffering it causes."
"You do not fear?" he repeated curiously.
"The closest I come to fear, is for the lives of those around me," he stated.
"How can you truly know that?"
He licked his lips. "Where I came from, there was a creature that when confronted turned into the fear of that person," he informed. "We had a lesson, where we all faced down the creature, in order to know how to defeat it. When it was my turn, the teacher pushed me out of the way. He was concerned about what it might turn into, or more accurately who. Actually, it would have turned into a Dementor – a creature that feeds upon good memories, until that all that remains is your worst ones."
"Sounds fearsome," he murmured.
Harry lifted a shoulder. "My teacher stated that this meant I was only afraid of fear itself," he stated. His head tilted as he considered. "Perhaps that wasn't completely accurate," he admitted. "It was not the creature itself that I was afraid of, and being left with only fear, but the helplessness it represented. When everyone else became cold, I was trapped in a fugue state, listening to the sound of my mother being murdered," he murmured. He blinked and stilled.
"You did not intend to share that," Qui-Gon stated, "and it will go no further than I." Harry blew out a relieved breath. "I take it, where you come from, everyone knows of the fate of your parents?" He nodded with a scowl. "Such fame, or infamy, can be a heavy burden to bear. No wonder you were so determined to keep your past hidden from us."
"Do I really have to do this?"
"The council have determined that you will have a Jedi Master. If you are willing, I am more than happy to be take you on as my apprentice. We need not form a bond if you do not wish."
"It's not a requirement?"
"It is a common practise, and ultimately helps the apprentice. It helps the Master to properly guide their Padawan, and is particularly helpful in the field. However, given the differences in your abilities, a bond may not form."
"There is no point sheering my hair like Ani's, it won't stay that way," he stated. "Try it and it'll grow back overnight."
"I take it you speak from experience?" The younger man nodded. "Have the padawan braid, and it will not matter. As you may have noticed, Jedi come from a variety of species, and not all of them can emulate the hairstyle."
"Fine," he huffed.