Chapter Two
Harry found himself standing before three kneeling men, his stance was rigid, his face void of any emotion. "On whose side are you on?" Harry asked, his voice calm.
The first to stand was the one on his right. The man was masked; a snake coming out of a skull was embedded against his forearm. "I fight by your side."
Harry's gaze flickered to the other two and again, he repeated his question.
The man on his left stood and he too, was also masked. Like the man on Harry's right, he also had a skull with a snake coming out if it's mouth. On his right forearm though, he carried a mark of the phoenix. "I am loyal only to you." The man intoned.
Harry repeated his question a last time. The man who knelt before him hesitated before standing up. Harry did not move, nor did he react.
An older Maverick stared back at him, a weary expression on his face. He bore a tattoo of the phoenix on his left cheek. He closed his eyes and nodded. "I will follow you, Brother."
Harry gasped and opened his eyes, wincing as the sun's rays drew tears. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His brother? Following him? Shakily, he moved into a sitting position. Of course, it would never happen. Maverick was, after all, the Boy-Who-Lived.
And Ms. Banderwell makes sure everyone remembers that fact everyday. Harry thought wryly. If anything, it should be him following his brother.
"Are you alright, dear?"
Harry opened his eyes and saw an elderly woman stare back at him. He smiled, "I'm fine, thank you for asking," said Harry politely.
The woman, a doctor from her clothes, nodded. "That's good to know. Let me Scan you though, just in case."
Harry frowned, "Scan?"
"It lets me see your internal body structure as well body organs," the doctor explained. "Don't worry, it's completely harmless."
"I-I've never heard of such a spell before," Harry said, surprised.
"You haven't?" The doctor laughed. "Well, you're just a little boy, after all."
Harry pouted, "I read a lot," the boy said indignantly. "Well, when I get the time, anyway," he grumbled to himself.
"Where are your parents?"
"My parents are dead," Harry murmured, looking down. "They were killed by You-Know-Who."
"I'm afraid I don't know who this person is," the doctor said, frowning.
Harry blinked. "You don't? But that's impossible! Everyone knows about the Dark Lord."
"What's your name, boy?"
"Harry Potter, Ma'am," Harry answered.
"Right," the doctor nodded, "you may call me Dr. Kadowaki."
"The name doesn't even ring any bells, Doctor?" Harry asked hopefully, "Maverick Potter? Boy-Who-Lived?"
Dr. Kadowaki's frown deepened. "I'll get back on you, Harry. There's something I have to check."
Briskly, she strode outside the infirmary. Spotting a student, she called to him, "Squall, could you be a dear and bring the headmaster here for me?"
The boy nodded. He jogged towards the elevator in the middle of the Garden.
Dr. Kadowaki watched Squall for a moment before returning to the infirmary. She saw Harry looking around curiously. "Even though you've never heard of Scan, will you still let me do it?" She asked.
The boy tilted his head and nodded after a few seconds of thought. "You may, Dr. Kadowaki."
"Scan," the doctor spoke in a clear tone. Her vision blurred for a moment before she saw Harry's internal body. "Seems fine," she whispered to herself softly, after quickly examining the body. A snap of her wrist changed the image in front of her. In its place was a small description of the boy as well as some pictures from his memories.
Harry James Potter
Age: 5 years old
Date of birth: 31 July 1980
Description:Having defeated Voldemort when he was younger, Harry plays a major role in his world. The very scar embedded on his head is proof of this.
Dr. Kadowaki blinked and snapped her wrist once more. Once the images had left her vision, she asked, "Is this Dark Lord of yours by the name of Voldemort?"
Harry, shocked that the doctor had called You-Know-Who by his name, simply nodded.
"And were—"
"Dr. Kadowaki, you asked for me?" Headmaster Cid said as he walked towards the doctor and her patient.
"Why, yes, Headmaster," Dr. Kadowaki answered. "It's about our…guest."
"The boy Mr. Dincht found outside the Garden?" At Dr. Kadowaki's nod, Headmaster Cid frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid he is a dimension traveler. Just like Simon."
"He is?" The headmaster asked. Looking at Harry, he sighed. "How old is he?"
"Five, sir, the same age Simon was when he first came here," Dr. Kadowaki answered.
"Do you think there is a connection?" Headmaster Cid asked. Turning to the boy, he spoke, "How did you come by here?"
"I—the last thing I remember was touching a mirror…sir." Harry answered hesitantly.
"Have you Scanned him, Doctor?" The headmaster asked. When Dr. Kadowaki nodded, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What did it say?"
"It says that he defeated an evil man when he was younger and that he is to play a major role in their world."
"But that can't be right!" Harry shouted and blushed.
"What do you mean, dear?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. "A Scan is never wrong."
"My brother is the Boy-Who-Lived!" Harry argued. "He defeated You-Know-Who, not—"
Harry's vision blurred and the images in front of him changed and shifted like furniture being moved or picture frames being replaced. When it had formed a complete scene before him, life began to move once more.
"Aah, the Potter Twins," the cloaked man whispered, slithering towards the crib. "Which of you will be the key to my demise?" Touching the green-eyed babe with his wand, he asked, "Is it you, boy?" His wand moved to rest on top of the younger babe's forehead. "Or is it you?"
A sickly green aura appeared around the man and touched the two children lightly. A guttural laugh erupted from his lips. Turning back to look at Harry, he spoke, "You my boy, your power shines like a tiny sun. You might have been my enemy, but I think you would do better as an ally." Glaring at Maverick, he sniffed haughtily, "You, on the other, are much too weak for my liking. Avada Kedavra!"
Baby Harry touched his brother and raised his left hand. Voldemort howled in pain as the spell rebounded off Harry's shield and hit him on the chest. Power surged from Voldemort and outward. The raw energy seared through Harry's skin, forming a lightning bolt on his forehead. Besides him Maverick cried out in pain. It seemed that he too absorbed some of the energy; a cross was etched against his forehead.
"This isn't over yet!" Voldemort screamed. "I will return, mark my words, Potter!"
Everything stopped once more.
"Harry dear, are you alright?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, shaking Harry's shoulder lightly.
"I-I'm fine, I think," Harry said, rubbing his scar thoughtfully.
"What happened?" Headmaster Cid asked, frowning. "You were talking to us and then…you looked like you were gone or something."
"I saw what happened…what happened four years ago," Harry answered. "I was there. I saw him try to kill my brother. Except…" He paused and hesitated.
"Except what, Harry?"
"Except I stopped him," Harry murmured. He licked his lips and continued. "I raised my arm and the spell…just stopped." Looking up, he gulped. "I think I really am the Boy-Who-Lived."
"Is this man Voldemort?"
"Yes," Harry nodded.
"And is he dead?"
"I doubt it," Harry admitted. "Before I came back to my senses, he said that it wasn't over yet. That he was going to return."
"I'm beginning to understand why you were sent here, Harry," the headmaster said, looking at the boy thoughtfully. "If the man is indeed still alive—"
"I doubt he's alive," Harry cut in. "You see, he used the Killing Curse on my brother and it rebounded. If he was an ordinary person, he'd be dead, sir. But because he is…what he is, he is a soul without a body, sir."
"I see," Headmaster Cid rubbed his forehead. "And how do you know this?"
Harry shrugged. "Gut feeling, sir."
"We cannot prove anything then," the headmaster said. "He may really be dead and a threat no longer hangs, but, we will still help you, Harry. You see, you are inside the Balamb Garden, a training center for creating future mercenaries, future SeeD."
Harry nodded solemnly. "I understand."
"Dr. Kadowaki?" A voice inquired from behind them. Harry strained his neck, trying to get a good look at the source of the voice.
A small boy walked towards them. He was holding his arm. "I was in the library, Ma'am, and I—" he gulped and smiled, "—well I sort of fell and broke my arm."
"Simon Greene! How many times have I told you—"
"If I need a book from a higher shelf I ask an older student," Simon recited and rolled his eyes. "I know, Dr. Kadowaki."
"Then why didn't you heed my advice?"
"I thought I could reach it," the boy pouted.
"Well," Headmaster Cid said and rubbed his glasses, "since you are already here, I might as well introduce you to each other. Harry this is Simon Greene. Simon, Harry Potter."
"Nice to meet you," Harry murmured shyly. He didn't mind talking to older people, but children near his age was a mystery to him. Back home, Maverick was the only child he ever knew.
Simon grinned and ran to Harry's side. He grabbed Harry's hand and shook it furiously. "Nice to meet you too, Harry. It's awfully lonely here coz I'm the only one my age and everyone's too busy with their studies. I'm really glad you came. Do you want me to show you to the library? They have a lot of books there. But—"
"Simon," Headmaster Cid called to the energetic kid.
"Yes, sir?"
"I think it would be best if you had your arm healed before you go bringing Harry here to the library or any place for that matter." The headmaster suggested.
"Righto, sir!" Simon turned to look at Dr. Kadowaki. "Heal me. Please?"
Dr. Kadowaki chuckled, "Alright, dear, no need to hurry." She concentrated on Simon's arm and murmured the word Cura. Immediately, the arm healed, looking as good as new.
Stretching, Simon moved his arm experimentally and grinned. "It feels great, Doctor. Thank you!" Hugging the woman, he ran out of the room before stopping. "You wanna come, Harry? We can read books together."
Harry hesitated and looked at Headmaster Cid questioningly. The man smiled. "You may go, Harry. I'll discuss your studies after lunch. Simon will bring you to my office."
Harry smiled brightly and jumped off the bed. He ran towards Simon, and together, the two ran towards the library.
"I think Harry will fit here quite nicely," Dr. Kadowaki said softly. Headmaster Cid couldn't agree more.
"So how did you get here, Harry?" Simon asked. "I was just wondering…coz you know…I wanted to know."
"They told me that I'm a dimension traveler," Harry hesitated, "like you."
"Are you sad?" Simon stopped walking and turned to face Harry. "Do you want to go back?"
"I like this place," Harry admitted. "It's just…I have to go back soon."
"Why?" Simon asked. "I like it here. I don't ever wanna go back."
Harry sighed. "There's an evil man back…home. He killed my parents. I have to go back and stop him from killing more."
"Why you?" Simon asked. "There's gotta be others there who can stop him. You're just a kid after all."
"Dunno, really," Harry confessed. "I just know I have to stop him. If I managed to stop him when no one else could…then maybe I have something that no one else has."
"True," Simon said, nodding. He grinned. "But you don't have to worry about that now. Come on. There are a lot of books that need reading."
"Simon?"
"Yeah?" Simon asked, looking at Harry inquisitively.
"Why is it that you don't want to go back?" Harry asked.
Simon turned to look at the bookcase in front of him. Running his fingers along the line of books, he shrugged. "I don't have a home to go back to. Before I went here…" He shook his head sadly. "I hate talking about the past. Sorry, Harry." He gave the boy a brief smile before pulling a couple of books off the shelf. "You can read these. They're really good! And if you need some help with the long words you can ask me or consult the dictionary over there."
While two young boys read to their hearts content, an old woman from another dimension stalked back and forth anxiously.
"Where is that boy?!" Ms. Banderwell huffed. "Maverick, my dear, did you see him? Did you see your brother?"
"No, Ms. Banderwell," the small boy twiddled his thumbs. "I was busy reading my book. I wouldn't know if he ran away or something."
Ms. Banderwell sighed. "I'll have to tell Dumbledore about this."
"Ms. Banderwell?"
"Yes, Maverick?" Ms. Banderwell asked, smiling at her little angel.
"If Harry doesn't come back, can I have his room?"
"I've brought him here," Simon said and grinned, "just like you ordered." He saluted smartly and pushed Harry forward. "I'd give you a receipt, but I lost it along the way."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, sir? Have you decided on my…training?"
The headmaster nodded. "As a matter of fact, I have." Handing Harry a copy of the schedule, he continued. "I have assigned a tutor that will be guiding you along while you train here at Balamb Garden for five years." He raised a hand, stopping Harry from interrupting. "His name is Donovan Heavenguard and he is well versed in the art of combat. What is it Harry?"
"Five years, sir?"
"Yes, I have spoken with a friend of mine and he has agreed to build a machine that will bring you back to your dimension. He told me that it will take five years to complete such a device. Are you alright with this?"
At least I'll be back in time to attend Hogwarts. Harry thought, disregarding the fact that it might be a coincidence. He nodded. "I have no complaints."
"Headmaster Cid?"
"Yes, Simon?"
"Can I study alongside Harry? Only, he needs someone his age and I always wanted to study here. Plus, Harry needs someone to train with! Can you imagine him sparring with a ten-year old? That'd be unfair, sir. And—"
Headmaster Cid laughed and nodded. "I understand, Simon. I'm sure Harry will appreciate the company."
When the two boys arrived, Donovan Heavenguard quickly made them sit down and explained the synopsis for the first two months since classes haven't started yet. They were only going to study for five years so they had to catch up on two years worth of lessons. This is because the usual span of SeeD training was for seven to ten years.
He gave Harry and Simon each a bracelet originally created by Dr. Odine and later modified by the headmaster's friend, Professor Windspeed. This was designed to change the user's body, aging it so that the two boys would look older, thus avoiding unwanted suspicion.
He also gave them two boxes with their names written on it. The contents include books which they will be studying for the next five years as well as pre-assigned homework. The reading and homework were to be done on their free time; Donovan, as it turns out, was only going to help them with the practicals.
After the explanation, he dismissed them; official training was to be done tomorrow. Today, they were going to go Balamb to buy training and casual clothes as well as basic weaponry.
"Don't know why we have to do some baby-sitting," the SeeD trainee grumbled under his breath. To his companion, he asked clearly, "Hey, Oulan, why do we have to look after a couple of twelve-year olds again?"
The petite red-head looked at him lazily. "Because it pays," she said, giving Math an impish grin.
"So what we get isn't part of our allowance?" He asked hopefully.
She snorted, "Who ever gave you that idea, Mathowny?"
"Damn, bugger and damn." The young man grumbled, lashing his long sword around.
"Watch where you point that thing," Simon quipped. "You might remove an eye or something, Dr. Kadowaki says."
Math was about to reply when Oulan took out her tonfas and moved into a fighting position. "Bite Bugs, three of them," she said calmly.
"You two, stay behind!" Math ordered. He moved into a fighting stance as well. "Eat my dirt you Bite Buggers!" He slashed the one on his right, making Oulan curse in annoyance.
"I was going to Draw, you idiot." Oulan snarled. She took down another Bite Bug before slamming her tonfa against Math's head.
The man yelped in pain. "What did you do that for?" He whined. "I could have been killed."
Oulan ignored him and Drew some Fire Spells from the Bite Bug. She then used a Fire Spell on a hovering Glacial Eye just behind Harry and Simon, letting Math take care of the fiend behind her.
"Nice teamwork!" Simon said and grinned, giving the two of them a thumbs-up. Turning to Harry, he said cheerfully, "I wish we could do that sometime."
Harry smiled back. "Yeah, it looks like fun."
"Kids," Math said, rubbing his forehead and sighing.
"Teenagers," the two boys said, imitating Math. Oulan simply laughed.
It took them about half an hour to get to Balamb. Surprisingly, the monster-encounter rate was pretty low, which meant they only had to dispatch a couple of Bite Bugs and Glacial Eyes along the way.
Math immediately went for the Item Shop where Triple Triad cards were sold. Oulan, on the other hand, dragged the two boys into a clothes shop. Quickly, they were fitted into several clothes and shoes. They tried to protest, saying that they could choose their own, but she silenced them with a glare.
The weapon shop was there next destination. The thin bald man who was in charge of the counter offered to upgrade Oulan's weapon but found to his dismay that he had to look for a weapon for the two youngsters.
Normally, weapon training in Balamb Garden would start two years before a student graduates. This is because they believe that the real training starts after school which is why basics are the only things taught in the Garden. If they wanted to know more, they can hire a tutor to train them.
This also explains why few weapons are modeled for young students.
Grumbling to himself, the man brought them to the back of the store where weapons for younger students were kept. Harry was drawn to a display of katanas while Simon to a table of paired weapons.
When they stepped outside the store, Harry carried with him a simple katana with a dark brown hilt. It may have looked a bit used but it was the sharpest one in the store's display and would serve Harry well. He carried no wakizashi however, because the blade would only serve as a burden for someone as young as he.
Simon, on the other hand, carried a pair of twin sabers. He insisted on it, even though it looked far too heavy for him. Surprisingly, the swords, although heavy, fitted their heights well.
"So, anywhere else you want to go?" Oulan asked.
"Home seems like a nice place right now." Simon said and sighed. Harry nodded in agreement.
Oulan grinned. "That's coz you're lugging a pair of swordies too heavy for you."
Simon pouted. "Am not!"
"Am too!" They heard a voice shout from behind. When they turned around, they saw Math. He gave them a salute, "Yo."
"Hey, Math," Simon called to the older SeeD trainee. "We're going home right?"
"Yeah, we're going home."
A/N: Oulan and her tonfas are based from Suikoden 2. Simon's role won't be long here. He will appear later on though. (And when I mean later on...I really mean later on.)
Read and review. Please. The reviews encourage me.