Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 11: Turning Point

A sharp knock at the door half an hour later had Harry snagging his broom out of the air and palming his wand as he rolled over and sat up. A heartbeat later the door opened and an unfamiliar teen stepped into the room carrying a tray with two cups, a steaming teapot, and a plate of what looked like rice balls partially wrapped in shiny paper. Harry grabbed his wooden box of things as he slipped backwards along the bed and tucked it beneath his pillow before he discreetly slipped his shrunken broom and wand into his left sleeve as he warily eyed the new teen.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter," the teen greeted politely as he set the tray down on the bedside table before bowing shallowly. "My name is Wufei Chang."

"Hello," Harry automatically replied even as he felt some surprise over hearing a familiar surname; any nervousness or irritation he might have felt being faced with yet another stranger vanishing beneath the onslaught of curiosity and slight hopefulness he felt over a potential link to his former world. "Chang…? Do… do you… um… is there maybe a girl about fifteen, or I supposed she'd be about eighteen years old now, in your family named Cho?"

"My apologies, I know no one by that name," Wufei replied as he poured out two cups of tea before sitting down in the chair that had been left beside his bed. "Is this Cho someone important, someone close to you?"

"No… not really, just a girl I knew from… well, from before," Harry replied as he blushed a bit before his eyes turned haunted and his face went slightly gray-green. "There was a Yule Ball being held at our school as part of the stupid Tournament I was forced to participate in and I asked her to be my date because I had a crush on her at the time but she was already going with her boyfriend. She was probably happy when she heard I was sent away. I'm pretty certain she hates me now anyway."

"Why would you think she hates you just because you asked her to go to a dance with you?" Wufei asked curiously as he pressed a cup of tea into Harry's listless hands.

"S'not 'cause I asked her to the ball," Harry muttered as he glared into the pale tea in his cup as he rolled it back and forth in her hands. "She most likely hates my guts because it's my fault her boyfriend is dead."

"What makes you think his death is your fault?"

Harry just shook his head and took a sip of tea, his thoughts in turmoil as he tried not to think about deadly green lights, creepy graveyards, and dark rituals. Unconsciously, he pressed his left hand over the scar on his right arm where Wormtail had cut him in order to steal his blood for the Dark Lord's rebirth; his hands shaking as he tried to bury the terrible memories once more. He probably would have descended into a full blown panic attack if not for the teen's voice drawing him out of his memories.

"If you don't wish to speak of it, you don't have to; we can speak of other things instead."

Latching onto the proffered distraction, Harry blurted out the first question that popped into his mind, "Are you also a pilot of one of the robots… what was it Heero called them…? Oh, yeah, one of the Gundam suit thingies?"

"Yes, I am the pilot of the Gundam Shenlong," Wufei replied as he offered Harry the plate of rice things. Harry frowned at the plate in confusion and suspicion which was quickly noticed by the teen, who then promptly explained what they were. "They are called onigiri and they are made from white rice, filled with pickled Japanese salt plums, and wrapped with a section of dried seaweed. Yuy mentioned that you had not eaten yet and I thought you might like something other than soup for once."

"Oh, thank you," Harry murmured as he politely took one of the onigiri to try so as not to be rude.

He watched as the teen took a bite of the rice balls he'd selected before setting the plate aside and after a brief hesitation, tried a small bite as well. It was saltier than he expected and the texture of rice, pickled fruit, and seaweed was strange but overall it wasn't too bad. He'd eaten plenty of weird and gross things in his years at Hogwarts, after all, and trying new foods sure beat drinking strange potions any day.

After swallowing what he had in his mouth, Harry asked, "Are all pilots teenagers?"

"No, there are plenty of adults that operate mobile suits. It is just a coincidence that the five of us who operate the Gundam Suits are all roughly the same age."

"Really? I was beginning to think there were only kids living in this world."

"Why is that?"

"I've been here for practically two years now and I still haven't seen a single adult."

"It would be rather hard to meet or see other people when hiding yourself away in a cave on an isolated beach."

"I suppose but it's not as if I had any way of getting off the island by myself and no one else ever turned up there until Heero washed up on the beach," Harry murmured unrepentantly before falling silent as he finished his onigiri and drank his tea.

He allowed Wu Fie to refill his cup two more times as they simply sat in silence, ate the onigiri, and drank tea. And while Harry felt slightly uncomfortable in the presence of yet another complete stranger (especially knowing that said teen might have been one of those that had read through his medical records and the other condemning documents), he felt none of the agitation he would have felt if it had been Heero, Duo, or Trowa in the room with him.

The silence was broken several minutes later when Wufei inquired, "It has been mentioned that you have a sword, do you know how to use it?"

"The sharp pointy-end is the one you want to avoid," Harry answered flippantly making Wufei choke on his tea and nearly drop his cup.

"I'll take that as a no," Wufei dryly muttered a moment later as he brushed at the tea he'd spilled down his shirt.

Harry smothered a laugh before he drew his wand out of his sleeve and used it to siphon off the spilt tea, feeling slightly guilty for purposefully shocking the teen. After a moment, he sheepishly explained, "I only ever used it once and it was blind luck that I didn't end up stabbing myself instead of the snake that was attacking me. I think the real reason Sirius stole it from the school and sent it with me was because he didn't want to leave it with the Headmaster."

"The sword is actually a priceless artifact that once belonged to one of the four founders of Hogwarts; reportedly forged by goblins, it has the ability to take on the properties of any substance it comes into contact with. I don't really need to know how to use it since even the smallest scratch will kill a person because the blade was contaminated with the deadly venom of the basilisk I killed; I tested it on a filthy rat that tried moving into my cave a year and a half ago and it died within seconds after I'd barely nicked its tail."

Unseen by Harry and Wufei, Heero (who'd been watching and listening to the conversation from Quatre's office via the surveillance cameras) blanched over that revelation as he recalled coming close to being skewered with the sword on a couple of occasions during the first thirty hours he'd been with the kid.

"Are you not worried about cutting yourself on such a blade?"

"No, not really; I'm not in the habit of playing around with it."

"I should hope not," Wufei replied with a shudder.

"Why did you want to know if I knew how to use it? Does it have anything to do with what Heero said about some of you teaching me how to protect myself?" Harry asked shrewdly.

"I was curious to know if you'd had any prior training, and if so, what style of training you had received. And yes, it has everything to do with our offer to teach you how to defend yourself in any situation. Should you wish it; I would be willing to train you how to fight with a sword. Might I ask what kind of sword it is you have?"

Harry tilted his head to one side as he considered the rather reserved Asian for several minutes before he nodded slowly and replied, "It was originally forged as a two-handed English broadsword but, according to what I was told, there are enchantments on it that would theoretically allow me to change it into almost any type of sword; providing I know enough information about the sword (such as what it looks like, how it was made, what it was made from, and how much it weighs). I do not yet have the skill necessary to do so however nor do I know anything about any of the other types of swords; I only know what I do about Gryffindor's sword because of what Her… my friend and my godfather told me when I first told them I'd found it."

"You can use your magic to make things change form?" Wufei asked in surprise.

"Yes," Harry replied without hesitation as he once again pulled his wand out of his sleeve and picked up his empty tea cup.

He studied the cup for a moment before tapping the rim of the cup three times with his wand as he mumbled an incantation under his breath. The cup shivered in his hands and shrank in on itself until there was a small red and green humming bird perched on his finger. The bird chirped and titled its head back and forth before it lifted off Harry's finger and hovered in the air between the two boys. Wufei reached out and gently caught the bird so he could study it for a moment only to suck in sharp breath when he felt the warm body of the bird settle down on his palm.

"You can create life?"

"No… it is nothing more than a very realistic imitation," Harry stated with a shrug of his left shoulder. "It will return to its original shape in a few minutes when the magic fueling the transfiguration wears off. Animate to inanimate transfigurations will, of course, last far longer because it takes less energy to hold a non-moving shape than it does to give a creature a semblance of life. There are enchantments that can be cast to make the spell last longer but I haven't learned how to do that yet and I don't know if any of the books that Sirius sent with me would have that information or not though there is a high probability that he did."

Wufei jumped a minute later when the bird in his hand suddenly reverted into a cup that he held with slightly shaking hands as he inspected it closely. Harry shifted uncomfortably for a moment before he tucked his wand away once more and curled up beneath the cover, feeling tired suddenly.

"What else can you do with your magic, Mr. Potter?"

"Can you please not call me that? It… it makes me… I'd much rather you call me Harry. And I can do almost anything with my magic so long as I believe it is possible, it does not go against Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration or the laws of nature, and I have enough magic available. In other words; I can't create life, I can't raise the dead, and I can't conjure food. I can, however, simulate life, I could animate a corpse (not that I'd want to mind you), and I can use magic to cook or change the appearance of food or move it between two places; providing I'm not suffering from magical exhaustion. I'm best with defensive and offensive spells though… always having… to fight… for my life."

Harry drifted off to sleep at that point, his body still weak after being sick for so long coupled with his lingering injuries, the emotional drain from his earlier discussion with Heero, using more magic than he should have given his current less-than-perfect health, and the weight of his first true solid meal filly his belly. He never saw the contemplative expression on Wufei's face as the teen considered what he'd just learned about Harry's magic (the self proclaimed teenaged scholar very much interested in learning more about Harry's abilities). He ended up sleeping through the last few hours of the afternoon and all through the night, not once stirring as the four pilots still on the estate took turns watching over him.

When he woke up the next morning it was to the enticing scent of warm sugar and coffee. Harry stretched slowly to ease his sleep cramped muscles and test the current status of his injuries; pleased to note that he felt much stronger than he had the last few times he'd woken up. He then covered up a yawn as he sat up and rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep from them. A glance to the right revealed Quatre once again sitting beside the bed at a table with place settings for two that had been brought it at some point after he'd fallen asleep. The scent of coffee Harry had noticed earlier was coming from the mug Quatre was sipping out of as he scanned through various reports on the laptop sitting on the table in front of him.

"Good morning," Harry murmured softly.

"Good morning, Harry," Quatre greeted in return as he glanced up from the laptop. "I took the liberty of setting out a fresh change of clothes for you, why don't you go change and freshen up a bit; then you can join me for breakfast."

Harry found himself complying before he even knew he was doing it and he paused halfway to the bathroom with the change of clothes in hand to frown back at Quatre before shaking his head and moving towards the bathroom once more. He was pretty certain the teen hadn't used any type of magic on him to secure his cooperation because with his core fully unbound Harry would theoretically have no problem resisting all forms of mind control. Plus the fake Moody had built up Harry's resistance; hence the reason Dumbledore had needed to resort to using potions in combination with his spells and increased the use of memory charms during the last half of his fourth year.

After giving the matter some thought, Harry figured that Quatre's comforting presence put him at ease enough to not question or resent the suggested orders whereas he'd have balked if one of the others had suggested the same thing. Once he had emptied his bladder, washed his hands, changed his clothes (taking time to examine his back and side to gauge how much longer it would be until the deeper scrapes were fully healed), and transferred his broom and wand into his back pocket, Harry stepped out of the bathroom.

He hesitated briefly in a moment of indecision before he tucked his clothes away into his rucksack sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed instead of putting them in the armoire (uncertain of how long it would be until his welcome was worn out despite what Heero had told him about them keeping him there). When he was finished putting his things away, he automatically began making the bed by hand; a habit left over from the years living in with the Dursleys where he'd been required to make all of the beds nearly every morning. He jumped a bit and froze in shock when Quatre stood up and began helping him.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nn…nothing, I'm just not used to people helping me with the chores," Harry replied through the slight shock as he awkwardly finished making the bed with Quatre's help.

"Ah, I apologize then, I didn't mean to catch you off guard or make you feel uncomfortable," Quatre offered as they finished. "I only intended to give you a hand to make the chore go faster so that you could join me for breakfast all that much sooner."

"Thank you," Harry murmured as he hesitantly walked around the bed to join Quatre at the table.

He was rather thankful to find the meal provided rather simple; a bowl of oatmeal, plenty of fresh fruit, and fresh orange juice to drink. The next several minutes passed in near silence but for the gentle clinking of silverware against the dishes as they served themselves and began eating and the odd normality and familiarity of the simple act of eating helped put Harry at ease. The food helped too as Harry once again hadn't realized just how hungry he had been until after the first few bites and while he didn't eat much (not that he'd ever eaten much) he did eat his fill.

"Are you finished? Or do you need a few more minutes?"

"I'm done," Harry replied as he glanced expectantly across the table at Quatre, something telling him the other teen had something planned.

"Good. I thought you might like to have a tour of the estate and stretch your legs a bit. That is, if you are feeling up to it? I know your knee was pretty badly damaged…"

"I'm fine," Harry quickly interrupted with a slight trace of exasperation and discomfort over the concern Quatre was expressing for him. "But um… what about our dirty dishes?"

"You need not worry about them," Quatre assured him as he rose from the table and headed towards the door.

Harry followed willingly enough in the blonde's wake, interested in seeing something other than the same four walls and furniture that he'd been seeing since he'd first woken up several days earlier. He listened attentively as Quatre showed him about the estate, paying close attention to where the other pilots he'd met were staying in the event he either needed to find them or wished to avoid them. When they reached the ground floor, Harry came face to face with his first adults in this world and he stopped in his tracks, backed up several steps, and warily studied the group of rather intimidating looking men.

Seeing a number of the burly men glancing curiously in his direction, Harry backed up even further as fear gripped his heart and he nervously palmed his wand and held it half hidden behind his leg. Unconsciously, he fell into a defensive stance in preparation for fight or flight as a rush of adrenalin flooded through him and set his heart to racing. In order to avoid meeting their gazes directly as he continued watching them with the wariness of a cornered wolf, Harry dropped his chin down so he could study the men from beneath his fringe.

He paid special attention to the way that Quatre interacted with the adults; noting that the teen was on extremely good terms with them. A closer glance showed them to be slightly less frightening than they first appeared and far friendlier than he would have expected but that didn't really put Harry at ease as he recalled another giant of a man that had appeared nothing more than a friendly buffoon. Thinking about Hagrid sent a spike of pain through Harry's heart as he recalled how the huge man had been one of those that had betrayed him (though he didn't know if it had been an intentional betrayal or if Hagrid was just that gullible; the man had behaved rather childlike at times).

In fact, every single adult in Harry's life had betrayed him at some point. Even Sirius had betrayed him, in a way, because his godfather had sent him away. A number of them had tried to kill him on at least one occasion; like Remus though, to be fair, the man had been under the influence of his curse at the time. Harry automatically tightened his hold on his wand as several of the adults continued to cast curious glances his way and he shifted up onto the balls of his feet as he prepared to flee in an instant; his eyes now searching for the nearest exit. He was caught off guard further when the gathering of men suddenly dispersed leaving only Quatre and one bearded individual in the room with Harry.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet a close friend of mine; Rashid Kurama," Quatre introduced as the two of them cautiously approached Harry (both man and teen easily noting that the pint-sized wizard was tense and on edge). "Rashid, this young gentleman is Harry Potter; he'll be staying with us for the time being."

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last, young Master Potter," Rashid stated warmly as he smiled at Harry. "I am glad to see that you have recovered; we were all quite concerned for you when we learned the full extent of your injuries and heard you'd come down with a nasty case of Space Flu."

"It's nice to meet you too, sir," Harry replied as politely as possible, the manners drilled into him by his aunt hard to abandon even though he felt unbalanced and had no reason to trust the man in front of him.

"Such impeccable manners," Rashid murmured. "No need to call me sir though, you may call me Rashid."

"Yes, sir."

Quatre smothered a laugh at the playful pout Rashid put on in the hopes of putting Harry at ease. It didn't work and Harry continued to hold himself defensively while at the same time trying to appear submissive; yet another method of self preservation he'd developed during his years living with the less-than-pleasant Dursleys. While Quatre and Rashid spent a few more minutes talking, Harry unobtrusively cast a low level detection spell in order to find out how many people were lurking nearby. When he picked up the presence of someone walking up from behind him, Harry tensed up and spun around as he brought his wand up ready to defend himself.

"Nice reflexes, kiddo," Duo remarked with an easy grin as he adjusted the ball cap he was wearing so that Harry could easily see his eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Harry dropped his wand hand back to his side and shifted so that he could see everyone in the room. After a minute, Duo sighed loudly and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed while Rashid chuckled and took his leave. Harry frowned after the man for a full minute before he glanced between the two teens, uncertain of what exactly had just happened.

"Shall we finish the tour, Harry? Or would you like to go outside for a bit of fresh air?" Quatre asked after a few minutes of tense silence.

"Outside, please," Harry tentatively replied after a moment's consideration; the idea of staying inside of a house filled with an untold number of adults filling him with unease.

Quatre nodded and swung his right arm out to indicate the direction they would need to go and Harry tucked away his wand as he skittishly fell back into step beside and slightly behind the taller boy. He frowned slightly and glanced back over his shoulder when he sensed Duo following but otherwise ignored the other teen. Now that the long haired pilot wasn't threatening anyone, not asking annoying personal questions, and not close enough to touch him he didn't seem quite as intimidating though that didn't mean that Harry trusted him or anything.

There was also a small part of Harry that kept comparing Duo to the Weasley twins (even though Harry had no wish to be reminded of them) and at times to Sirius on the few occasions when the Marauder had been feeling playful. Like Sirius in his animagus form, Duo put Harry in mind of an overgrown puppy but Harry got the impression that this puppy was more along the lines of Fluffy rather than Padfoot. Thinking of the huge cerberus, Harry shivered and shoved away the memories of his past as he looked up to take in his surroundings as Quatre led them out into the courtyard.

Looking beyond the thriving garden, Harry saw nothing but desert as far as the eye could see. He then spun around to take in the huge mansion and the rest of the courtyard before turning his eyes up to the sky, reveling in the feel of the sun beating down on him. He felt slightly depressed that he couldn't smell the salt of the ocean, after having lived on the beach for so long, but at the same time it didn't really bother him. He was grateful that the area looked nothing like the lush grounds and foreboding forests that surrounded Hogwarts because he didn't think he could have handled the similarities in addition to the memories that had been stirred up over the course of the past couple of days.

He spent a few more minutes turning around in circles in order to take in his surroundings before he let his eyes fall on the two who that were watching him with open amusement and curiosity. Biting his lip, Harry glanced down at the weathered stone beneath his feet and reached into his pocket to finger his shrunken broom before looking out at the desert once more as he felt an overwhelming urge to feel the wind on his face. The barren sand dunes that surrounded the place appeared to be a far more suitable place to fly than his beach (since he'd been afraid of falling into the ocean if he got too far from shore, of being seen by passing ships, or crashing into the rocks due to the rather high winds that had often plagued the island) and right now Harry needed the release flying would bring in order to clear his head.

"Can I… do you think it would be alright… that is, if it wouldn't be too much trouble… could I maybe fly for a bit?" Harry asked tentatively after another minute of studying the desert.

"I suppose we could see if there was a plane available for one of us to take you up," Quatre replied as he exchanged a glance with Duo.

"I don't need a plane. I just… it looks like this place is fairly remote and there wouldn't be any chance that someone could see me other than those who live here and I haven't flown for so long. I just thought maybe I could spend a little time in the air so I can think. I promise I won't try and run off, if that's what you're worried about. I wouldn't have any idea of where to go anyway."

"If you don't go too far out into the desert I suppose it would be alright," Quatre allowed after he studied Harry for a moment. "Since it is rather easy to get lost out over the sand if you aren't familiar with the local landmarks."

"I won't get lost… I can always find my way back if I do but I don't need to go very far anyway," Harry replied with a grin as he fished his Firebolt out of his back pocket.

Ignoring the two teens that were watching his every move with avid curiosity, Harry set his broom on the ground, pulled out his wand, and canceled the shrinking spell on the broom. Harry grinned as he watched the broom swell back to its original size and he felt a trill of anticipation surge through him as he put away his wand and stepped up beside the broom. Flashing a mischievous grin at the teens, Harry held his hand out over the broom and commanded it up; the feel of the handle slapping his hand reminding him of all the times he'd flown through the years.

He then spent several minutes checking the broom for any damage it might have sustained from being shrunken and hummed happily when he found every twig was in its proper. Finished with his inspection, he eagerly mounted the broom and just sat there with his eyes closed for a minute as his feet barely brushing across the top of the ground. When he opened his eyes he was a bit surprised to note that both Quatre and Duo had moved closer without him knowing it and they were currently inspecting the broom with avid curiosity. He waited for them to finish before advising them to back up a bit as he dropped the broom just low enough for his feet to fully touch the ground.

The moment they stepped back far enough that he wouldn't accidentally clip them with the bristles as he took off, Harry pushed off the ground hard and shot up into the sky like a bullet. Harry climbed as high as he could while pushing the broom as fast as it could go. Once he felt the chill in the air and the slight breathlessness that came from not getting enough oxygen, Harry pulled on the broom until he was hanging upside down and allowed gravity to pull him back towards the earth. After several minutes of free-fall, Harry tipped the handle downwards and engaged the broom once again as he headed back towards the ground until he drew even with the roof of the mansion.

Harry pulled up and leveled the broom at that point before he shot out over the open desert. He barrel rolled a few times once he was clear of the estate before dropping low enough to drop a hand down and run his fingers through the sand for a few dozen feet as he swung around wide. When he thought he was out far enough away from the walls of the estate, he pulled back up a few feet and leaned forward as he shot ahead to circle the estate at full speed; appearing as nothing more than a speeding blur as he sped along about ten feet above the ground.

After making two full circuits, Harry climbed into the sky once more before flipping downwards to dive at the ground as he pressed his body flat against the broom in order to go even faster. Eyes staring at the ground below him and the wind whistling in his ears, Harry never saw the frantic waving or heard the cries of distress from the teens watching him as he waited until the very last minute to pull up so that he was skimming along just mere inches above the ground. Loving the thrill, Harry corkscrewed upwards in order to do it again only this time when he leveled out above the ground once more, Harry brought his feet up and stood up on the broom so that he was surfing over the sand as he had once done during a Quidditch game to catch the snitch.

When he grew bored with that, he pressed down with his back foot to edge the nose up into the air before he dropped back down onto the broom and circled back towards the courtyard. He practiced a few more of the tricks he'd picked up over the years, including the one where he actually let go of the broom with everything but one hand and simply hung from the broom before he swung back up (something he'd practiced frequently after the time Quirrell had tried to knock him off his broom in first year). He also stopped the broom a couple of times and allowed himself to fall backwards through the air with his arms spread wide before he'd spin around and take control of the broom once more.

At one point he ended up playing tag with a lone eagle only to grow depressed as he recalled all of the times he'd flown with Hedwig at his side. No longer feeling quite so at peace on the broom, Harry cut his speed and slowly made his way back to the courtyard where he paused and stared out at the desert for a long time before he dropped back to the ground. Sighing, Harry turned to walk back to where he'd left Quatre and Duo only to find that they'd been joined by Wufei and Heero and that all four teens looked more than a little pale though Duo was wearing a knowing smirk.

"I must say that wasn't quite what I pictured when ya said ya loved ta fly, kiddo," Duo announced with a shake of his head as his smirk morphed into a huge grin. "Thought for sure ya were goin' ta buy da farm a time or two on those wild dives of yours or when ya fell off. Ya wouldn't be willin' ta take someone else for a ride sometime would ya? It looked like fun."

"Will your… broom work for anyone? Or do you have to have magic to fly it?" Wufei inquired as Harry sent a glare at the boisterous teen over being called kiddo once again.

"I don't know but I don't have another broom with me here that would be safe enough to let someone else try. My Firebolt is a top-of-the-line racing model (not a learner's broom) that is impossible to control if you don't know what you're doing. And I've never flown with a passenger on my broom before."

"Is that why you fell off a few times?" Heero asked.

"No, I didn't fall off; I dropped off on purpose. Flying has been the only thing I've ever been really good at without trying and when I'm in the air the broom is nothing more than an extension of me and my magic."

"Why would you drop off of the broom on purpose? Isn't that dangerous?" Quatre asked a little worriedly.

"The first time I played in a Quidditch game, one of my professors hexed my broom to make it throw me off and it was only sheer luck that prevented me from falling. Since then I often practiced dropping from my broom and getting back on so if it happened again it wouldn't be as hard. Didn't do me any good in third year when I passed out and fell off but it has helped me a number of other times."

"Death defying stunts aside, it looked like you had a lot of fun while you were up there."

"Yeah, I did," Harry agreed with a sad smile as his eyes were drawn upwards once more as they tracked the flight of the eagle he'd flown alongside for a few minutes. He then glanced back at the teens watching him before dropping his eyes to the ground as he thought again about the choices Heero had offered him. Pulling out his wand, Harry tapped the broom and mumbled the incantation to shrink back down to a more manageable size and tucked it back into his pocket as he considered his options.

He could allow himself to be a virtual prisoner in this place; always depending on others to watch over him but never having the freedom to leave so long as the threat of war loomed overhead. He could try running away but even he knew that his broom couldn't out fly an airplane and he really had no idea of where he would go or even if he could make it back to his cave before he was caught either by one of the five pilots or the ones the teens said would wish him harm. Or he could accept Heero's offer of training in exchange for using his magic to protect them from his magic in turn.

"Why don't we go back inside, it's fairly close to mid-morning and the heat will soon grow unbearable," Quatre suggested after a few minutes.

Harry silently complied as he continued thinking about his future. He wasn't stupid, he knew that ultimately the teens were looking to either make use of his ability or make certain his abilities didn't fall into the hands of their enemies. He hadn't even needed Heero practically spelling that out for him when he first presented Harry with his options to know that. Harry just wasn't certain that he wanted to get caught up in a potential war when he'd just barely escaped from the war that Voldemort's rebirth would have triggered in the magical world. A war that Harry would have undoubtedly ended up fighting in at some point due to Dumbledore's manipulations, Voldemort's obsession, and his own since of right and wrong.

They are just about the same age I am and they are willing to fight for what they believe in, Harry thought as he paused and glanced back over his shoulder at the deceptively empty desert. They have far more skills than I do even though I've been fighting in my own war of sorts since I first stepped foot in the magical world at age eleven. I am nothing but a child in this world regardless of my age simply because I lack the skills I need to blend into this society and survive on my own. Much how it was when I entered the magical world and found myself thrust into the spotlight in a society that had certain expectations of me and constantly found myself floundering.

Only here I stumbled across five strangers that are willing to teach me how to survive in their world while back in my world my supposed friends and teachers only told me what they felt I should know and kept me ignorant of much of what was going on. Anything I learned that they hadn't wanted me to know was stolen from me (things I only remember now thanks to Sirius unlocking my memories). Like Dumbledore and the others, they want something from me but they aren't trying to hide the fact that they want to use me. Heero also said that they are willing to teach me how to survive in this world in return for helping them.

Harry pulled his eyes away from the endless stretch of sand and studied the four teen who were watching him with curiosity, concern, and contemplation. He looked first to Heero; the teen he'd pulled off the beach because he thought he needed help and searched the teens blue eyes for any sign of duplicity or the calculating coldness he'd seen the night he swore an oath to the teen. Next, Harry studied Duo; the teen who'd stepped in to protect him because he'd thought Harry was in trouble and who held no grudge against Harry even though Harry had damaged his Gundam (and as of yet had not restored it to full size).

Then there was Quatre; whose mere presence was both reassuring and comfortable despite Harry not really knowing anything about him. It was easy to trust the blue eyed blonde as there was an air of innocence surrounding him that sort of reminded him of the unicorns he'd encountered in class during his fourth year. Wufei, on the other hand, was more of a mystery, though Harry didn't sense any hostility from the teen and Harry couldn't help but think of Buckbeak when he saw the young Asian; proud and dangerous but not a real threat so long as you didn't insult him.

The missing Trowa didn't escape scrutiny either, as Harry turned his thoughts inwards to recall what little he knew of the absent teen; recalling how the green eyed teen had been both gentle and firm during the two times Harry remembered interacting with him (despite Harry's rather violent reaction to the teen).

"Is there something wrong?" Heero asked after a few minutes, pulling Harry out of his thoughts.

"If you expect me to help you devise a way to shield the giant robots from my magic you are going to have to take me back to my cave so I can get my stuff; I don't know enough to help you without the books that my godfather sent with me."

"Kiddo, I already told ya that da place is crawlin' with Alliance and OZ troops," Duo pointed out.

"If you don't stop calling me kiddo, I am going to hex you," Harry growled as he crossed his arms and glowered at the teen. "And how hard would it be to create a diversion so that I could sneak into the cave, get my things, and sneak back out?"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Wufei asked curiously.

"Any of you know how to drive a motorcycle?" Harry asked with a slight smirk.

"A motorcycle, your brilliant plan involves a motorcycle?" Duo asked incredulously before he shook his head and barked, "Kiddo, that has got ta be… ahhhh…"

Quatre and Wufei both jumped back in shock as Duo suddenly found himself hanging upside down by his feet while Heero merely arched an eyebrow at Harry who had his wand out and was glaring at the slightly frantic teen dangling several feet above the ground.

"What?" Harry snapped petulantly at Heero the moment he noted the look on the taller teen's face. "He asked for it… I warned him I'd hex him the next time he called me that."

"Alright, I'm sorry… I won't say it again!" Duo promised as his face turned red. "Please let me down now."

Harry just stared at the other teen for a long moment before he sighed and cast the counter spell which had Duo tumbling to the ground just as unexpectedly as he'd found himself being lifted off his feet. Heero actually chuckled at that point and Harry looked up at him in surprise because he couldn't recall actually hearing the rather taciturn teen laugh in honest amusement before.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you the motorcycle is like nothing you've ever seen before?" Harry stated as he promptly focused his attention on Quatre (something that was quickly becoming a habit as the more time harry spent around the empath the more comfortable he felt around him).

"Why don't we step inside and find a place to sit down and we can at least discuss your idea and see if it has merit," Quatre suggested.

They ended up in the dining room and discussed Harry's plan over an early lunch with Harry reluctantly explaining why he thought he could sneak in under the noses of the troops monitoring that stretch of beach on a motorcycle. The revelation that the bike in question could be silenced, could turn invisible, and could fly (in addition to several other interesting tricks) actually had all four teen interested. The fact that Harry had his godfather's research notes on the enhancements he'd added to the bike and how he'd managed to get the non-magical machine to work despite the magic layered over the bike pretty much meant that the teens were willing to find a way to help Harry get his things if only because of the possibilities those notes represented.

Deciding who would drive the bike ended up being a bit of a debate as Heero felt it should be his job, Duo thought he was the better pilot, and Harry would have preferred to ride with Quatre. Wufei didn't care either way though he did display a considerable amount of interest in the bike. In the end, it was decided that Heero would be the one to drive the bike because he was the only one keyed into the wards surrounding Harry's cave.

Quatre and Wufei would be taking their Gundams to create a diversion to draw away the bulk of the troops and Duo would be flying their transport plane. Trowa wasn't expected back for another two or three days so after letting the other pilot know what they were up to; they began making preparations to leave just before sunset (including taking Harry into the underground hanger so that he could restore Duo's Gundam to full size so that the Maganacs could start repairing the fried circuitry).

Heero had spent about an hour familiarizing himself with the bike (after the bike had been restored to full size and the side car had been removed) and they had found that Heero actually had just enough magic to drive the bike normally by himself but couldn't use any of the enhancements unless Harry was with him. Harry had to be the one to actually activate the various magical extras as well since the bike drew on the driver's magic to initiate the different spells that had been integrated into the bike; including the ability to fly; a fail-safe that had been added to prevent a muggle from accidentally activating the enhancements.

In the interest of seeing if any of the other pilots had even a trace of magic in them, they too took a turn on the bike; Wufei and Duo having about as much magic as Heero while Quatre drew the largest reaction from the bike though he still didn't have enough to fully activate any of the features. Harry actually wasn't surprised over the discovery that the four pilots were high level squibs after learning about Quatre's empathy (though he had no idea if the other three had similar hidden talents). Knowing that actually set his mind at ease because it meant he really wasn't alone and that he couldn't get in trouble for breaking the Statute of Secrecy if it existed in this world.

Just before sunset, Harry climbed into the plane apprehensively after watching Heero wheel his godfather's motorcycle into the cargo hold of the plane where it was promptly secured between the two Gundams that had been loaded into the plane while he was restoring Deathscythe. He wasn't afraid of flying, he was familiar enough with planes to know they could fly as well or better than most brooms after all. His apprehension stemmed from the fact that, for better or for worse, he'd just placed his life into the hands of five teens combined with the knowledge that he could easily end up fighting in a war he knew nothing about.

As Harry buckled himself into his seat, he glanced out at the setting sun through the window beside him and chuckled darkly as he realized he'd gotten his wish after all; he now had a purpose (of sorts).

AN: Harry's finally starting to recover his strength now, though he's still not yet at one hundred percent and his wish has been granted in a round about way. Wufei's interested has been captured by the considerable potential of Harry's magic, Duo got to experience zero gravity on earth, and Harry's inner Gryffindor came out to play for a bit the moment Harry climbed on his broom. Harry's emotions have also calmed a bit after his earlier heart to heart with Quatre though don't expect him to suddenly become a happy-go-lucky kid; he still has a few issues to work through.

Harry's meeting with Wufei didn't pan out the way I originally wanted it to and I think that has a lot to do with the imagery that I used to represent him; hard to be snappy with someone that reminds you of a dangerous and deadly creature that is proud and intelligent. So I left it as it was instead of trying to force a confrontation. Plus I think it probably irritated Duo that Harry didn't immediately attack or insult the uptight know-it-all on first sight and all because the other teen shared the same last name as someone Harry knew from home.

Anyway, I'd like to thank each and everyone of my readers; this story has drawn far more interest than any of my other stories bar my HP/Pokemon crossover and I've not even posted a quarter of what I have written. The next update will be on Haunted, since it's been over a week since I've updated my HP/Yujincho crossover. I'll post chapter thirteen here when I finish spot editing it and when I can find the between all of the shifting and cleaning that needs to be done. ~ Jenn