Force and Magic

Paradise lost

Chapter three

Harry brought Narek's Temperance down gently so as not to wake his ladies who had all fallen asleep Setting the security of the ship, he lowered the ramp to find Obi-Wan and Sabé waiting for him. Limped down the ramp

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed "Where are the girls? We were told to take all four of you to the main complex."

"They are asleep in Assajj's cabin. I am going to grab a couch in living area." Harry said gently "I know He is here, Master Obi-Wan for tonight my place is her guarding them."

"Does He have a name?" Sabé asked trying to engage Harry as she could tell this was a touchy subject "I think the more we know about him the more we can help."

Harry considered her words for a moment "His name is Ron Weasely, He used to be my best friend, My brother in all but blood."

"Used to be?" Obi-Wan asked catching what his fiancé wanted "Sabé take Harry back on board I will let his mother and the masters know he and the girls are secure."

Sabé nodded and linked her arm with Harry "Come on little brother tell me why he is no longer your best friend" she led him into the living area of the ship "Please help me understand?" she said sitting down on bench beside him.

Harry shivered as the memories of another lifetime long since passed. Sabé saw the young man shiver and instinctively wrapped an arm around him she saw Obi-wan enter the room holding a finger to her lips she hugged Harry "Before I went to Hogwarts to study magic, I had no friends my own age. I met Ron on the train to Hogwarts. We were sorted into the same house and for three years we shared many adventures. In our fourth year I was entered into a contest against my will. His jealousy knew no bounds. He had drugged our other best friend and turned the members of our house against me told them I was a cheater. I was cast from my house I had no support and not nearly enough training to face a dragon. I let the dragon kill me. Only I did not die, I came here. Months ago, I managed to go home for a day. I was trying to save Hermione. But she died in my arms, when I came back home, I was maimed until I heard her voice and held her. The same day I came back I struck him down. I did not want to force I did not want to raise my saber against someone I considered a brother. He left me no choice he would have killed four more people I could not allow it. I… I cut him from shoulder to groin. I have been struggling with it for months. The girls don't know."

"We didn't know but I assumed you were hurting Harry." He had not heard or even felt them come in "I have known you since you were 11 years old Harry and like you said we had adventures."

"She told us that you were in all probability internalizing Ron's death" Assajj said softly "I was Sith. I know and have known evil. There is no light in Ronald Weasely to return to he is consumed by his hatred and jealousy for you."

Ahsoka walked to Harry "I don't know how to help you through this. I feel your desire to turn him from his path. I would ask you not to attempt it for your own sake but for ours as well."

"He was our best friend how could he do those things" and for the first time in a long time he cried "I don't know what to do. Should I seek him out now to bring him in or do I murder him again"

The word murder brought everyone to a still silence for a few moments it was Obi-Wan who broke the silence "You defended yourself against an attack from him earlier in the day?" the elder Jedi asked seeing Harry nod "Tell me about the nature of the attack"

Harry swallowed, "We Popped into the Room of Requirement. Hermione was Naked battered, bruised and dying. Grant Montague, Marcus Flint, and Ron all turned toward us and began casting Spells at us as fast as they could which was not very fast." Harry thought back "By instinct we both drew our lightsabers and deflected spells back at them taking out Montague and Flint with their own spells. Ron… He cast the cruciatus curse at me his hate is complete there was no talking him down."

"What does the cruciatus do Padawan Skywalker?" Obi-Wan asked softly he had already talked to Hermione so he had a rough overview of the unforgivables. "Please Harry what does It do?"

"It is kind of light force lightning but you except it is red beam of light and if it hits you it lights up every pain receptor in your body" Harry said quietly "I was not even sure if I could block or deflect the spell Professor Moody said it was unlockable so I was expecting to feel a mountain of pain."

Harry then held his hand out and container of water and enough glasses appeared for everyone appeared Harry poured himself a glass pushing the container back to the center of the table he took a swig of water before continuing.

"For Once the Staff at Hogwarts actually did something useful" seeing Hermione about to interrupt "at least in my opinion. Hermione you know I am right. Anyways they stunned Ron so he could be taken into custody and I was told Hermione was dying and I threw everything I had into keeping her alive only for it to fail. I thought I hated Voldemort and Pettigrew… what I felt for them was nothing compared to hatred I held for Ronald Weasely in that moment. I reached for both my magic and the force they were eager and willing to serve in that moment and if it were not for the bond I have with My master and these two I would have used my power to obliterate him. That may still happen … no one knows what the future truly holds."

"Many things happened that day. I met Hermione's aunt Monique and her niece Elizabeth, Dobby punched me in the groin, and my owl Hedwig made her displeasure known" then it hit him and he started to cry "Hermione was gone and with it my entire reason to stay on earth, we had a funeral for her body lie with my mother and father as I was returning to the school the Aurors were bringing Ron out presumably for him to be tried. I was giving them back their wands. I had taken them earlier in the day because they cast at Assajj and myself. Ron grabbed one and I saw only two outcomes if I let him someone would die as he raised the wand, I cut him in two…He was my friend and I killed him he left me no choice"

"He was not the boy we thought he was Harry" Hermione said as she sat beside her oldest and best friend "Thank you for taking Care of 'Nique and libbet. when I was dying, I felt you pouring your soul into me and I was too weak to hold on. I am sorry you went through that." Hermione said softly as she embraced him with even more softness "I know you do not like to hear it. However, you are a hero, you are my hero."

"I am going to have to face him again!" Harry said his voice almost a whisper "He has seen all three of you and he is going to force the issue. The only thing I can do is be ready."

"We will be ready" Assajj said her voice quiet with an underpinning of sadness as she pulled all of her bondmates into a tight embrace "I refuse to let him take any of us"

Releasing them she sauntered back to her stateroom the others Hermione and Ahsoka following. Hermione turned to harry before leaving the room "you listen to me Harry Potter and you listen well Ron chose his own path and there was nothing either of us could do then or can do now." She stopped to gather her thought "We have always had each other know we have Assajj and Ahsoka. We are going to be Okay whatever comes our way. Master Obi-Wan, Sabe have a good night. Harry do not stay up to late."

She passed from the room leaving Harry with the two adults. Sabe was surprised when Harry turned to her and engulfed her in a hug "Thank you" he whispered into her ear. Releasing the hug he turned to Obi-wan "Thank you as well Obi-wan, I have been struggling with it for months. I won't go looking for him if he comes after us, I will not step back and let him hurt people."

Obi-Wan nodded "I would expect no less, little brother" he said smiling "However the Girls are right Do not stay up too late. The chancellor is going to be here tomorrow He has expressed an interest in touring the Respite. He also said he would like to meet with masters and their padawans"

'Seriously?' Harry thought to himself "I am going to read a little" He said holding up the standard book of spells grade seven "I have half a chapter to read and then half an hour of practice then I will probably sleep in the spare state room I will see you both in the morning."

-Force & Magic-

Chancellor's Transport enroute to Naboo

Chancellor Palpatine watched as Siri Tachi trained Ferus Olin, her approach was firm but still very soft in his estimation. It was this softness pervaded the jedi order that had made it easier though weaken them. This thought brought him to his plans for the near future he had been moving slowly pushing a button here pulling a string there the clone army is almost ready , the trade federation is almost at the tipping point. It would start in the coming year when Padme Amidala took up her seat on the Galactic senate. His plans for Anakin Skywalker were on hold at best if not completely scrapped due to the influence his younger brother seemed hold over him. From what reports he had gotten the younger Skywalker brother was an attentive student who had some skills in the area of repairing of ships, speeders and the like.

Word had reached his ear that Bib Fortuna , Jabba the Hutt's reeve had overextended his reach threatening Skywalkers family he had lost his hands for his temerity. Either way he would get his measure of the boy and his entourage later the next day

Looking up he saw that master and padawan were done and Ferus who he had been subtly working on for three days now came over he could read the boy's body language and he could get a sense of the boys surface thought's

"Is something on your mind Ferus you are thinking far to hard?" the Chancellor asked "Share what is bothering, a problem shared is a problem lessened."

"I Should not burden you with my misgivings of this assignment …" Ferus got out before Palpatine interrupted him

"Ferus it is alright to have misgivings." Palpatine said a sad smile graced his face "I had misgivings too; I did not understand Why the queen acquiesced to the Jedi Counsels request. Until I found out the request did not come from the council at all it came from Queen Amidala as her last official duty. She had an immense amount of respect for Master Qui Gon Jinn. Master fay seems to want to keep her padawan away from the evils of politics."

"It just seems like the Skywalkers are getting special treatment!" Ferus complained "I Knew my family but I have not seen them in years… Sometimes I miss them. Knight sky walker has contact with his mother, father and now a little brother. I just don't understand the council's decision."

"Understanding is not required Padawan" Siri tachi had come back into the room "only acceptance. One day force forbid you too will have a padawan and you will have to answer the questions they ask; I look forward to meeting Skywalker the younger from what Obi-Wan has spoken of the boy he works harder than some masters I know. He has his training as a Jedi and his education from his home world in addition to helping out around his families' farms and helping others across the region they lived in on Tatooine. Let go of this petty jealousy padawan it is beneath you. Do not stay up to late and for force's sake leave the Chancellor to his rest."

"Master Tachi, it is no imposition, I merely noticed Ferus was preoccupied. I asked he answered." Palpatine said again a small smile gracing his face when he got an idea. "I will not keep him up, watching you train made me exhausted I can not even begin to imagine how tired he is. Also, I have made sure to have rooms made up for you and Ferus. My daughter is looking forward to meeting you both."

This piqued Siri's interest "I was not aware you had been married." She remarked "I take it she does not like the limelight?"

"No, she died a year after our daughter was born, she was an archeologist, she was on a dig on a world that won the fringe of wild space and she was killed by the automated defenses of old Sith outpost" the chancellor said crocodile tears fell from his eyes the truth was far worse he had deliberately led his wife's team to the world in question and sacrificed all but one person his plant on the team. He had received a dearth of Sith Holocron many from before the rule of two "She was happiest when pursuing mysteries of the ancients. It has not been easy…" it had actually been very easy he indulged his daughter at every turn but somehow, she seemed to be more like her mother always looking for some lost artifact "I think she may find young Ferus here to her liking."

"I have found many ladies on many worlds find Ferus to their liking." Siri laughed it was one of the things she did find funny about her padawan women just seemed to flock to him "Any way it is time for bed we make planet fall tomorrow just after lunch local time."

'That was all too easy' Palpatine thought to himself introducing Ferus to his daughter see what sort of relationship they might develop. Then to see if he could corrupt Ferus Olin. Then another thought came to him. Opening his holocomm "Senator Amidala, I hope I did not catch you at a bad time… wedding you say how lovely … would please have Anakin and his family meet me at the Star port I would like to celebrate your good fortune by taking you and the Skywalker clan out to dinner… We should be touching down just after lunch. My forward team will have everything set up. …. Yes, it will be lovely to see you and Anakin." He killed the holocall only to open another channel

-Force & Magic-

Son looked over the dark side of the force seeing the would-be emperor looking up at Sister "I know we agreed to use the Sith apprentice but the Knight Protector and the would-be Emperor meeting it is too good to pass up My goal will be to hide your goal will be to expose what do you say sister?"

Sister nodded as she watched the boy study then she watched him conjure a blanket from nothing "He has abilities that are not of the force. How do we account for them?"

"They are of no consequence in regard to what we are doing" Son said maliciously

"Do not underestimate Either the Emperor or the knight protector." Father said materializing between his two children. "Something moves unseen through the force. Note the Bond between the knight protector and the girls. That Assajj Narek once most certainly your plaything Son is now mine her orbit tightly bound to Harry Skywalker."

"I have noticed father, although I Have also Noticed that the Apprentice has shifted more into Sisters control but have either of you accounted for the Acolyte, Darth Sidious's days are numbered Either Harry Skywalker will expose him on Naboo or the acolyte will kill him after the apprentice abandons the Sith forging his own path." Brother fell silent having plans for the would-be emperor "So you see I lose nothing if, the emperor is exposed it makes it even more sweet what will eventually occur allowing events to unfold without us ever touching them. The emperor has already set them in motion"

Son looked at Sister "I will even throw you a bone sister if the emperor falls here and now You may show the apprentice the cloning facility."

"Done" was all the girl would say

-Force & Magic-

Above Sorenno

Count Dooku had been sitting in his office reading correspondence from the other counts distractedly. The more he thought about the acolyte the more he felt himself shift away from the dark. He thought back to the day his master had approached him only narrowly avoided what would have been a costly encounter with Master Yaddle. Then he thought of the legacy of his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. He remembered the day Qui Gon had taken young Obi-Wan. Two more different people you could never have met Qui Gon being an advocate of the living force and Obi-wan a firm proponent of the unifying force. Then those thoughts turned to Assajj Ventress or Narek as she now called herself, she had fallen and found her way back to the light. "All because of a boy!" the older Jedi murmured from those he had watching the boy on Tatooine he noted that Skywalker the younger was quite possibly the hardest working padawan he had ever met. How he dealt with Bib Fortuna was nothing less than inspiring and he is nominally of his lineage Due to his training by and with Obi-wan and Anakin. "A Boy indeed." His Holocomm went off and activating it he saw the face of his master shrouded in shadows.

"It starts tomorrow!" and the holocomm went silent

Tomorrow he was going to set into motion that which would rend the valley asunder. He began programming coordinates in and then stopped suddenly the force was leading him somewhere else. "The Force has never led me astray" he said to himself as he entered the force inspired coordinates and ignoring for once his masters' instructions.

-Force & Magic-

Naboo, Theed Star Port

The Skywalker Clan and other Jedi Masters and Padawan alike stood in a loose formation on either side of aisle the Skywalker clan had decided to remain toward the rear of the left formation For reasons Harry had could not put his finger on he put himself at the front Anakin and Thantas behind him The Girls and his Twi'lek apprentice behind them and his parents a sheltered all the way to the back.

Fay, Yaddle, Hett, Yoda and Windu we curious but did not think this was the moment to question this.

Chancellor Palpatine stepped off the transport it was the first time he had been home since the death of Qui Gon Jinn. The weather was peaceful the air vibrant with life but in truth he would rather be visiting the surface of Korriban. He breezed through the introductions with the masters eager to get to the Skywalker Brothers when he felt a force presence coming from a baby in the back he unconsciously started to move toward her only to be intercepted by Skywalker the younger.

"Chancellor Palpatine it is nice to finally…." The words die on his lips the moment he touched the man.

Chancellor Palpatine was surprised when the Cloak of the Darkside was ripped from him and he could not understand why he looked into Harry Skywalkers eyes and saw his memories flash before his eye s

Harry had been looking forward to greeting the man his brother respected but he was surprised at the memories that were being shown to him the man was like Voldemort only worse. He saw the plans for his family and even the nascent plan for his niece's indoctrination. Harry snarled "Accio Lightsaber" catching everyone around him by surprise.

What surprised them more was the Lightsaber had come from the chancellor and was now hovering between Harry and Chancellor.

Authors notes: I have not been writing a lot of fan fiction. Work has been a bear we are opening a new hospital in the next few months as and i have been tasked with keeping things running smoothly while the rest of my team is focused on the move. I have also been working with friend for the last few months to write a world setting for Dungeons and Dragons we have over 100 pages written.