Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. Star Wars is owned by Disney. I am neither a British woman nor an animated mouse. Thus I do not own nor do I claim ownership of either Harry Potter or Star Wars, and I am not profiting in any way through the writing and publication of this story.

Holocron

XII

Tuesday, June 27, 1995

The first thing Harry noticed was the smell.

It was sterile, antiseptic, like too many cleaning potions had been used in a small area. There was also the slight tinge of ozone in the air, as if the Scourgify and Tergeo charms had been recently cast multiple times.

The second thing he noticed was the pain.

His body felt like one big bruise. He was sore everywhere, from his head down to the bottom of his feet. But the worst of it was in his abdomen – he felt the need to curl up, to wrap his arms and legs around his stomach, but he couldn't move his limbs for some reason, and that was more than a little confusing.

He groaned, and discovered that his throat was rather raw and sore too.

"Harry!" a familiar voice exclaimed somewhere nearby. "Oh, Harry! Don't try to move. I'll fetch the matron. I'll be right back!"

Something warm pressed against his forehead, but quickly disappeared.

His eyelids were exceedingly heavy, but he concentrated on blinking them open, and a bright, white blur greeted him. He tried to grope to the side to hopefully find his glasses, but again he found that his arm would not obey him.

He groaned again, hoping to attract someone's attention.

A few moments of silence went by, but he eventually heard footsteps approaching.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter," came a stern voice, "it's about time you rejoined the waking world."

He saw a blurry figure appear above him. It moved and then his vision cleared as his glasses were placed onto his face. He then recognized Madam Pomfrey.

He croaked, trying to say something, even though he was unsure exactly of what that was as his thoughts were still rather hazy.

"Don't try to speak just yet, Mr. Potter," Pomfrey instructed, "let's get some potions in you first to deal with the discomfort. Miss Granger, be a dear and bring that trolley over here."

Harry heard the clink of glass vials and bottles as Hermione apparently did as she was asked, but he couldn't turn his head to see what was actually going on around him. And then the Matron was holding a foul-smelling vial to his lips.

"Bottoms up, Mr. Potter."

He obedientally swallowed several disgusting potions, each one making him feel moderately better. The burning in his throat disappeared and the pain throughout his body lessened to a dull throb.

"Where am I?" Harry finally asked.

"You're at Hogwarts, of course," Hermione's voice answered as her head appeared beside the Matron's above him. "In the Hospital Wing."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. That didn't sound right. He'd never been admitted to the Hospital Wing before…

"Why?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Pomfrey asked.

"Err… no?"

"Reach out to the Force, Harry," Hermione instructed. "It'll help."

It was good advice, Harry realized, even if it made Pomfrey look at the young witch with more than a little apprehension.

Harry closed his eyes and stretched out with his senses. He felt the Energy that connected all things coursing around him, and invited it to flow through him. With it came the understanding that his body was very seriously injured – he had many broken bones and damaged internal organs – but he was healing. In the Force, he also felt concern from Madam Pomfrey, as well as a confused mix of anxiousness, relief, helplessness, and joy from Hermione. But the Force also brought clarity to his mind, and his memory of exactly why he was in the Hospital Wing returned.

"Voldemort."

Madam Pomfrey hissed and nearly jumped away from him, while Hermione let out a soft squeak.

"It was Voldemort, wasn't it? He's back."

"Mr. Potter! I…" the Matron began, "I'd better get the Headmaster." She then scurried away.

"How long have I been here?" Harry asked Hermione once they were alone.

"Three days," she replied. "It's been awful. You were terribly wounded, Harry, terribly…"

Tears welled up and spilled down the young witch's cheeks. She reached out and clasped his hand with one of her own while reaching up to wipe at her eyes with the other.

"But you're doing better now, and I'm glad you're awake."

"Why can't I move?"

"Madam Pomfrey has you immobilized while you heal," her voice gained a bit more surety as she began explaining his medical condition, "like I said, you were rather grievously wounded. You had broken several bones in your arms, ribs, and shoulders and completely shattered both of your femurs. Madam Pomfrey had to vanish them all and regrown them, the process apparently still has some time left. And then there's the damage to your internal organs that the stab through your abdomen caused – Pomfrey spent six hours in magical surgery on you, you know. Not to mention all the blood loss and the concussions…"

"How much longer do I have in here?"

"A few days at least, I would think. But you'll have to ask her. She said you're lucky that all the damage was done physically and not by curses, or else…"

Harry understood what she was saying without saying. Physical wounds were relatively easy to heal with the aid of magic, but injuries caused through dark curses could be very difficult, if not outright impossible to heal.

The doors to the Infirmary banged open and Harry heard footsteps running toward him. He recognized the newcomer's presence in the Force well before the mop of red hair appeared above him.

"Harry! Mate! You're awake!" Ron said.

"Apparently," he replied with a grimace, "although I kind of wish I wasn't…"

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione nearly yelled. "Don't you dare say that! This isn't something to joke about! I've been going out of my mind waiting for you to wake up!"

Harry was taken by surprise by the depth of emotion and pain behind her words that he could feel in the Force. She had really been worried about him.

"Lay off him, Hermione," Ron answered, "Harry's got a right to say whatever he likes at the moment, I think!"

"This isn't some laughing matter, Ron! Our best friend was almost killed!"

"You don't think I bloody well know that?!"

"Then stop making a joke out of it!"

"I'm not! I'm just saying that if Harry wants to, he's allowed!"

"Hey!" Harry interjected, silencing both of his friends. "It's not that big of a deal—"

"Not that big of a deal?!" Hermione nearly shrieked.

"That's not what I meant!" Harry said before she could get started again. "What I meant was, I'm sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have said what I did."

She looked down at him with eyes that were ready to spill over once again.

"You've obviously been having a rough go of it while I've been… out of it. I shouldn't have said that about not wanting to wake up. I'm sorry."

The witch nodded, letting him know that he was forgiven. They just stood there for a few minutes, silently waiting for someone to speak.

"So, err… How'd you know I was awake, Ron?"

"Easy. Felt you in the Force, mate."

"Oh."

"Ron and I have been taking turns keeping you company over the past few days," Hermione said.

"I've been taking turns," Ron added. "Hermione's set up camp in here. Don't know how she's convinced Pomfrey to let her stay…"

Hermione looked down to her feet as her cheeks flushed red. She kind of looked like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Ah. Let me guess," Harry said, "the Force can help you be rather… persuasive when you need to be?"

Hermione's eyes flew to his own. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"It's not… I wasn't…" she sputtered.

"Relax, Hermione," Harry smiled. "I'm sure that one little mind trick isn't going to lead you to the dark side. I'm sure you did it with the best of intentions."

Ron looked surprised.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he asked aloud. "In fact, I bet I could persuade Professor Sprout to stop assigning us essays for the rest of the year!"

"Don't you dare even think about it, Ronald Weasley!"

"Too late!" Ron laughed, "already thought it!"

Harry chuckled but then winced as the slight movement jostled his sore ribs.

Silence settled in for a few more moments.

"So, he's really back then, isn't he?" Ron eventually asked.

Harry didn't need any clarification about his friend's reference.

"Yes, he is," he answered.

"Bloody bastard," Ron said.

"Quite."

"Don't worry, Harry," the red-head continued, "we're with you in this all the way. We'll see that those bastards get theirs and teach them not to mess with us!"

"Ron…"

"Don't worry about it right now," Ron continued. "I'm just saying you can count on us. And when the moment comes, we'll give that freak what's coming to him! I'll see to it personally!"

The doors swung open once again and Harry felt the presences of Dumbledore and Pomfrey enter the room. Ron and Hermione shuffled a bit to make space for them around the bed.

"Ah, Harry!" the old wizard said in greeting. "So good to have you back with us. Madam Pomfrey tells me that you shall be right as rain and back to wreaking havoc upon your Quidditch rivals in no time."

"Sir, what happened?" Harry asked. "The last thing I remember, he was there, about to kill me, but then you were there too, and then it all went dark…"

"It appears I arrived just in the nick of time, as it were. Miss Granger here was able to give me enough information to get a general sense of the area you were in, and then when you cast a Disarming Charm, the Ministry was able to pinpoint your location through the Trace. I hadn't exactly been idle after you disappeared, and once I knew where you were, I brought a hastily assembled Auror team to fetch you. It was a good thing I did too."

"Oh."

"It was quite the confrontation," Dumbledore continued. "Voldemort and most of his followers fled rather hastily – he was not prepared to meet such a show of opposition so soon. But we've dealt him a serious blow in that his return is now widely known - I believe he would have rather preferred to be able to build his strength in secret. Now he'll have to face a Ministry that is gearing up for war."

"Well that's good," Hermione commented.

"Indeed it is. As is the fact that we were able to identify a few of the Death Eaters, including two that were believed to already be dead… But that's neither here nor there at the moment. Harry, I'm afraid I must ask if you're feeling up to answering a few questions for me. Voldemort's return is causing quite an uproar at the Ministry and in the papers. I'm afraid that you're going to need to make a witness statement at some point, and it's best to do so while the memory is as fresh as possible."

"Alright."

"Splendid! Madam Pomfrey, would you please see to it that we are not disturbed? Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I think it's time you were off to your common room."

"But—" Hermione started to object.

"Now, now, Miss Granger," Dumbledore answered, "I assure you that I will keep careful watch over Mr. Potter. He will come to no harm. And I do think that you could use a bit of rest yourself."

Hermione seemed somewhat mollified by the Headmaster's words. Harry could feel her hesitation, but she eventually left with Ron, and Harry found himself alone with the Headmaster.

"Now then," Dumbledore said, "why don't you start at the beginning…"

Harry spoke at length about what had happened, starting with the end of the Third Task and how Crouch had approached him with a hidden portkey. The Headmaster seemed a bit surprised by the sheer amount of detail that Harry was able to recall. He was especially interested in the way Harry was immediately able to throw off the Imperious Curse and eject the Dark Lord from his mind, but he only occasionally asked questions for his own clarification. For the most part, seemed content to let Harry go on with his narrative.

"There is one thing I do not understand," Dumbledore said some hours later, "how exactly did you manage to get your message to Miss Granger? You were tied up and without your wand. How did you do it?"

"Err…" Harry hesitated. Something within him rebelled at the thought of telling the Headmaster, or really anyone at all about the Force and his Jedi training. He wasn't exactly sure why he felt that way. The Jedi were never a secret organization, their teachings were never guarded and kept away from those seeking to know about them.

But then he remembered back to his first year. He'd tried telling others about the Jedi, only to be dismissed, laughed at, or called crazy. And then there was the fact that when he'd finally agreed to teach Hermione and Ron, he'd done so on the condition that they kept the entire arrangement absolutely secret. The Holocron had told him that he was forbidden to take on students, and he was afraid that if they talked about the Force, word would somehow get back to the tiny holographic image of Master Isu, and he'd be cut off from any further training. But that was the irrational thinking of an eleven year-old boy. How could Dumbledore possibly talk to the Holocron about what he'd been doing?

Besides, this was important. Voldemort was back and the good guys needed to know what was going on. There were more important things at stake that his private Jedi training. And if he couldn't trust Dumbledore with what he was doing, who could he trust?

"Okay," Harry finally responded, "this is going to sound a little crazy…"

"Don't worry about that, my boy," the old wizard answered with a twinkle in his eyes, "I've heard and seen and done more craziness in my lifetime that you could possibly imagine."

"Right. Well… Have you ever heard of the Force?"

Once again, the minutes and hours passed by as Harry talked about the Force, the Jedi, and his training. He recounted the events from his life before Hogwarts about finding the Holocron and practicing the teachings that he learned about from it. He talked about his theory that magic and the Force were similar, but yet different – one coming from within the person, while the other was outside in the world, and how he thought that any witch or wizard might be able to learn to use the Force. He talked about how he'd been teaching Hermione and Ron since their first year when they'd seen him use the Force to defeat the troll. He even gave a small demonstration by effortlessly levitating the Headmaster in his conjured chair without the use of his wand or an incantation, but solely through the power of the Force.

Dumbledore's eyes shone brightly as he listened with rapt attention to everything that Harry was saying.

"Astounding," the old wizard finally said. "Simply astounding. To think that there is an entire area of magic, or perhaps an area related to magic, that is all around us and has as of yet gone completely unnoticed. Thank you for telling me about this, Harry. I assure you that I will not betray the trust you have placed in me. But I also must caution you against revealing anything about the Force or your Jedi training to anyone else, and please, insist upon Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley that they do likewise."

"Why?" Harry asked, sensing that the matter was of great concern to the Headmaster. "I know why I was afraid to tell anyone before, but why not tell anyone now?"

Dumbledore sighed and seemed to deflate a bit, as if a great weight of responsibility was pressing down upon his shoulders. He slashed his wand, and cast several spells throughout the room and around the bed before turning his attention back to Harry.

"Normally I wouldn't tell something like this to a mere student of your age, Harry. No one should be burdened with such knowledge while they are yet still so young. But you have a wisdom that is beyond your years, perhaps it has been granted to you by your Force. And you also deserve to know the truth. You have a right to it, indeed more of a right to it than I have myself."

It was now Harry's turn to listen with rapt attention.

"What you are about to hear, my boy, will likely be rather painful, and for that I am terribly sorry. You see, there is a prophecy concerning yourself and Lord Voldemort. It all started back in 1980 when I was interviewing candidates for the Divination position here at Hogwarts…"

OoOoO

OoOoO

Friday, June 30, 1995

Harry slowly made his way up the stairs to his dormitory. He was absolutely certain that without the aid of the Force, he wouldn't have been unable to make the climb. His body was still rather weak, but at least it was whole. Now he really only needed plenty of rest and good food to get back to full health, and Madam Pomfrey had reluctantly admitted that he could get that in Gryffindor Tower just as well as he could get it in the Infirmary.

Even though she still insisted that he had to report to her twice a day until he eventually departed on the train so that she could check on his progress. But Harry realized that there was no use in arguing with her on that point, if he did, the Matron would probably just tie him to the hospital bed until the fall term started.

Harry shuffled into the room and sat down on his bed. As it was midmorning, his dormmates were all still in class, and Harry had the room to himself. He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force.

At the foot of the bed, the latches on his trunk popped open, and then the lid tilted up. Harry smirked as the entire contents of the trunk began to swirl around his bed, making a slow orbit about him as he steadied his Force-meditation.

He never did learn how to control that…

Pulsing, blue light lit up the room as the Holocron came to float in front of his face and the tiny figure of Jedi Master Isu Sotr winked into existence.

Young Harry.

"Master Isu."

You do not look well, young Harry. Has something happened?

"Yeah. You don't know the half of it. Let me tell you all about my past week, a guy named Tom, and a bloody prophecy…"

Harry related everything that had happened to the Holocron. He talked about the end of the tournament and the ritual in the graveyard, but also about his apparently prophesized battle yet-to-come with Voldemort. He mentioned some of Dumbledore's ideas, and how the old wizard thought that the Force and the teachings of the Jedi might actually be the 'Power He Knows Not' mentioned by the prophecy.

"So, as you might imagine, I could really use some advice," Harry finished.

These are dark times that you find yourself in, young Harry. The rise of a Dark Lord is not something to be taken lightly. And yet it is the duty of the Jedi to meet such foes wherever they might be. Worry not overmuch about the prophecy - the future is always in motion, it can never be nailed down and determined by visions and prophecies. The future will come to pass as the Force wills it.

You may not yet hold the rank of Jedi Knight, young Harry, but a Jedi you are. You must meet this challenge with the courage and determination that are essential to all members of the Jedi Order. Regardless of prophecies, this is your destiny. The Force does not act lightly. You did not find this Holocron by accident. Your world will soon have need of a Jedi, and so the Force has seen to it that you are prepared.

"But how can I possibly fight someone like Voldemort? I'll never be able to match him. He's got decades of experience on me, and he's apparently the greatest master of the Dark Arts that's ever lived. I'll never even touch him with a spell! It would take me a lifetime to even be able to stand up to him in a duel. How can I possibly hope to fight someone like that?"

Then do not fight him as a wizard, young Harry. A wizard you may be, but are you not also more? As I said, you are a Jedi, therefore, fight him as a Jedi.

"But how?" Harry asked. "What I've learned is great for dodging out of the way of spells and pushing a few Death Eaters around, but I doubt a mind trick is going to work on Voldemort. How am I supposed to actually fight him?"

With the Force as you ally and with a Jedi's weapon at your side, the little blue image answered.

The time has come for you to construct your lightsaber.

AN: Thoughts?

I've gotten some questions and comments about how quickly Harry has been able to learn to use the Force. If you're interested in this topic, i.e., the rate at which someone learns Force techniques, check out the new post in my forums. I posted it a few weeks ago, but this is the first chance I've had to advertise it. There's a link in my profile.

Thanks for your reviews, and thanks for reading!