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 30: A Homecoming with Magical Discussions
Harry settled into his seat, buckled his seat-belt, and glanced about the slightly crowded shuttle. Wufei and Heero were up in the cockpit preparing for lift off while Duo and Quatre were piloting the second shuttle that Harry had warded prior to his capture (since not everyone would fit in just one). Zechs was seated just a few rows in front of Harry, Hilde was seated off to his left two rows back, and an additional fifteen pilots (including Haddock, Brian, and Takoda) were scattered about the rest of the rows.
Trowa was also on the other shuttle to watch over Une along with the other sixteen pilots that were traveling with them to Earth. A third shuttle, which was Zechs' personal shuttle, was carrying a dozen of Zechs' soldiers and a half dozen of Une's soldiers (including three of the four that Harry had pulled from the base after they'd been injured and unable to defend themselves) that would be heading to Earth as well. All three shuttles were loaded down with supplies (though the magically enhanced ones were holding more due to the magically expanded storage bins).
In the second shuttle, Superstar and Deathstar were secured in the cargo bay at full size in case they ran into trouble. In the shuttle that Harry was riding in, Dragonstar was ready to defend as well with Harry available to restore any of the other suits if they were needed. The two crippled Star Suits (Dogstar and Northstar), the four stolen Gundams (Mercurius, Vayeate, Wing II, and Heavyarms II), twenty-one modified Tauruses, and the Tallgeese were all currently shrunken and locked into the cargo bay of the original magically enhanced shuttle. Wolfstar had been shrunken down as well (after he'd reassured the suit that the size change wasn't permanent) but the sentient suit was currently curled up in Harry's rucksack because it hadn't wanted to be parted from Harry now that it was small enough to be carried around.
As they finally pulled out of the docking bay, Harry sighed and relaxed back into his seat with a small smile playing about his mouth as the thought that he was finally going home passed through his mind. He was really looking forward to seeing Cathy, Rashid, and Abdul again as well as spending time with the other snakes. He sat staring out the window for a long time, watching the moons of Jupiter as they flew passed the large planet while he allowed his mind to wander. He was pulled from his thoughts some two hours later by someone dropping down into the seat beside him and he glanced over to find Hilde watching him.
"May I ask you a question?"
Harry shrugged, knowing he couldn't stop her from asking; though, whether he bothered giving her an answer or not was another matter entirely.
"Why did you allow them to chase you away?"
"They didn't run me off; I chose to leave."
"Same thing," Hilde pointed out with a frown.
"No… they're not," Harry countered as he turned in the seat so that he was facing her. "Tell me; have you ever heard the saying that a leopard can't change its spots?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with you being chased out of the resistance?"
"Everything and nothing," Harry replied as he glanced at the younger teen over the top of his glasses. "It's true you know; a leopard can't change its spots. Prejudice is much like the spots on a leopard… fear, hate, distrust… they are the dark spots of humanity and they never change. People on the other hand can change; that doesn't mean that a person will change only that he or she can change."
Unknown to Harry, several people stopped what they were doing to listen to him; Zechs included. Leaning forward slightly, Harry continued his explanation, "The people around us can sometimes influence those changes as we learn from them; people like our parents, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our rivals, and our enemies. We in turn influence them just as much. Despite the influence that one person can wield, you can't really force a person to change their beliefs or their behaviors though; they have to want to change themselves."
"Knowing that… why would I wish to stick around and butt heads with a bunch of old geezers set in their way and determined to hate me because I did what they secretly wished they could do? I left before they could order me to leave, before they could order me to be detained, and before someone got hurt in a foolish attempt to protect me. I left on my own terms and left them to deal with the consequences of their inability to see past their own fears. A wise man knows how to pick and choose his battles; both literally and figuratively."
"I'm not quite certain I fully understand but I think maybe I can see the difference now," Hilde murmured after a few moments. "And… I owe you an apology for the way I treated you when we first met. I was under a lot of stress at the time and scared out of my mind and I shouldn't have said the things I did. I'd heard terrible rumors about things you were said to have done from some of the older soldiers reporting to Colonel Une and you'd just killed all of those men without any hesitation. It was… intimidating."
"No apology needed; it's not like I was having a good day either considering my entire world had been turned upside down and inside out repeatedly during the two weeks prior to that day… or technically the four months leading up to that day. And it hurt me more than you will ever know to kill those men; if they had turned and ran away or surrendered, I would have left them alive and given them the same warning I gave to the others to get out. I don't enjoy killing but I will defend myself, my family, my friends, my allies, and the innocent."
Silence settled over the shuttle as the other pilots went back to their former activities while Hilde and Zechs both contemplated what they'd learned about Harry and Harry emptied his mind and lavished attention on Seth who'd slipped out of his shirt during his short speech. They were just coming up on Mars when Harry turned his attention back to Hilde and studied her for a moment before asking a question of his own. "How did you meet Duo?"
"We met on a space station and we talked for a bit before I tried to talk him into joining OZ as a soldier," Hilde confessed with a bit of a blush. "We'd had a difference of opinion on the matter and I later caught him trying to sneak onto a shuttle heading towards the Lunar Base. He wrecked havoc in the docking bay until he escaped in his Star Suit and I chased after him until he vanished. Just before I lost track of him, I asked him why he was trying to get himself killed and he said he had to make certain his little brother had no reason to cry."
"Heh… that sounds just like Duo; he thinks he's the stealthy one of the group but he shows off far more than any of the others," Harry stated with a soft laugh. "That must have been when he was trying to break Trowa and Heero out."
"Are you really Duo's brother? I mean the two of you look nothing alike. You don't really look like any of the others pilots that you call your brothers for that matter either."
"We may not have been born to the same parents but they are still my brothers. Heero found me and the others accepted me and gave me a reason to live again. I guess you could say that they saved me from myself."
"What about your parents?"
"Dead… long dead… and the only other blood relations I knew of aren't worth mentioning."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to dredge up old hurts."
"Don't worry about it; I grew up knowing my parents were dead and as for the rest of the family (and I use that term loosely) they were right bastards anyways and I couldn't be happier to be free from them. I made myself a new family and I have my brothers, my sister, and a whole bunch of troublesome, well meaning uncles and they are all I need."
"What, no future sweetheart?" Hilde asked teasingly.
"No… no sweetheart, future or otherwise; I couldn't bring myself to saddle any woman with my broken self nor would I wish to curse any child with my terrible luck."
"There might still be some lucky girl out there who may one day catch your eye," Hilde insisted; as if the mere idea of living out life alone were the most terrible thing in the world.
"And may the gods protect her from me," Harry murmured solemnly. "The last girl that caught my eye ended up with a dead boyfriend because I got him murdered."
The conversation sort of fell flat after that while Harry brooded a bit as he reburied old dreams and dwelled on old memories and nightmares. He eventually shoved his melancholy mood away and pulled out his custom cards in order to have something to do with his hands. The light flashing off the sharpened edges and the sound of the cards sliding together drew both Zechs' and Hilde's attention back to Harry and they watched as Harry simply shuffled the cards and randomly performed some of his less dangerous card tricks (juggling being a little hazardous with someone sitting right next to him).
"Where exactly did you get those from?" Zechs asked curiously as he moved closer in order to get a better look. "I'd never seen anything like them before you began playing with them during the time you were being held at the Luxembourg Castle and it was more than a little shocking to see you use them to not only kill but also cut through steel with them."
"I made them."
"Why would you make something like that?" Hilde asked a bit queasily as she leaned a bit further away from Harry; her memory of the first time she saw those cards in the forefront of her mind.
"A couple of reasons… I was a prisoner at the time and not only did I have nothing better to do, I was bored. I felt naked without my knives and I wanted something that wasn't obviously a weapon because it would have been confiscated and it also had to be easy to carry. I'd been shuffling a regular deck of cards at the time and I thought it would be cool if I could juggle the cards like I do my knives and I went from there."
"You juggle knives? What's wrong with juggling colorful little balls or bean bags? Is there anything you do that isn't dangerous?"
"I breathe… but no… even that can be dangerous if you try to breathe while you're drinking and someone makes you laugh or you breathe in poison. I guess… that means the answer to your question is no; there is nothing I do that isn't dangerous."
"I'll believe that," Zechs dryly agreed. "May I see one of the cards?"
Harry glanced up sharply at the question as his hands stilled before he shrugged and calmly passed the man the king of suns (which happened to be Harry's father), "Mind the edges, they are quite sharp and can cut through most anything."
"It weighs far more than I thought it would," Zechs stated as he carefully held the card between thumb and forefinger to avoid the edges. "What are they made from? And the artwork is amazingly detailed… far more intricate than one would expect on a deadly weapon. I'm also curious as to where you got your hands on a laser machine to burn the images onto the cards. Who is this man supposed to be? He almost looks like you did when I first saw you."
"They are made from highly compressed silver and the artwork was all done free-hand using a very rare type of paint."
"May I see one?" Hilde asked, curious to see what they were talking about and Harry passed her the jack of crescent moons. "Oh, I see what you mean by them being heavier than expected and that's Duo on this card!"
"Yes… the cards represent my family… both past and present," Harry explained as he pulled out the other face cards and placed them picture side up on his lap as Zechs leaned curiously over the back of the seat in front of Harry to get a better look as Harry named each of them. "The king, queen, and jack of suns are my father, my mother, and Quatre respectfully. The king, queen, and jack of full moons are Moony, Hermione, and Wufei and the king, queen, and jack of crescent moons are Heero, Relena Darlian, and Duo. I don't really know Relena all that well and she's not technically family but she was the only other girl I knew at the time I made the cards and she's got a thing for Heero since he saved her life. The king of stars is my godfather, Padfoot, while the queen and jack are Cathy and Trowa."
"What is the significance of the changed suits?" Zechs inquired as he picked up Sirius's card to study the man Harry had often mentioned with fondness, exasperation, and pain during the months Zechs held him prisoner (both back on earth and on the moon).
"I can understand the mobile suits in the backgrounds of the pilots' cards but why didn't you use the Star Suits since those are the only suits I've seen the pilot? And what do the animals and flowers mean in the background of the other cards?" Hilde asked at the same time.
"The suits represent the heavens and each person was placed in the suit that best suited them; my parents and Quatre are suns because they represent the warmth in my life. My godfather was named after the Dog Star and both Cathy and Trowa were stars in the circus. Moony… he had a love-hate relationship with the full moon and both Hermione and Wufei are smart like Moony and they light the night up when things look bleak. Heero and Duo could have fit almost anywhere and they ended up where they did because the others fit the other suits better. Relena I don't really know well enough and like I said she's got a thing for Heero."
"The backgrounds pictures are significant to each person; my brothers were the Gundam pilots long before they became the Star Pilots and it was the Gundams that brought us together, the animals are a reflection of the inner natures of my father, godfather, and honorary uncle, and I picked the flowers that best represent each of the queens. The stag is considered the king of the forest and my father was the leader of his group of friends. The dog is always portrayed as man's best friend and my godfather was my father's best and closest friend and he was fiercely loyal to my dad. The wolf is often seen as a symbol of protection and family and my honorary uncle was fiercely protective of both of my parents and my godfather."
"As for the queens and their flowers; my mother's name was Lily and I was told that she had quite the temper so I gave her a tiger lily, Hermione has forget-me-nots because I don't want to ever forget my first true friend, Cathy has a chrysanthemum because she mothered me and mum is short for both mother and the flower, and I gave Relena a rose bud because it represents her potential to grow and it is pink because of her crush on Heero (not to mention the fact that she seems to be obsessed with the color pink). The design on the back of the deck is based on my parents', my godfather's, and Moony's cards."
"I'm surprised you didn't make a card for yourself," Zechs remarked as he handed the two cards he was holding back to Harry.
"I made myself the fool twice over," Harry replied as he shuffled the face cards back into the deck (including Duo's as Hilde passed it back to him) and pulled out the two jokers after a slight hesitation when both man and teen leaned forward expectantly.
"Why are they so different?"
"This one represents the person I was before I lost everything and the other one is who I saw myself as after I realized I didn't want to lose the new family I'd found."
Harry picked up the card of him wearing his Quidditch robes and smiled sadly at it. The robes in the picture were flaring around him as he stood on his broom (representing his love of flying) which was balanced on a thick book (a reminder of Hermione's love of learning) juggling ten snitches (one for each game he had played*). Hedwig was sitting on his left shoulder with Hogwarts castle and the Forbidden Forest etched into the background. Tucked between the trees of the forest were outlines of all of the various magical creatures that Harry had encountered during his years at Hogwarts.
On the castle walls Harry had etched the words 'The Marauders' with 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' underneath that and the names Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony written below the map's password. His wand (representing his magic) appeared along one edge of the card and Gryffindor's sword (representing the battles he had faced) on the other (both of them pointed in opposing directions) with the J in the word joker (written right-side up across the top and upside-down across the bottom of the card) balanced on the tip of each.
On the other joker, Harry was wearing his black and maroon show costume and standing on the curved blade of a katana that was balanced on a violin (a reference to Wufei teaching him self defense and sword fighting and Quatre's love of music). Beauty's body was coiled around his body twice with the bulk of her length pooled around his feet, her tail holding the handle of the sword, and her head hanging over his left shoulder. This time he was juggling seven knives (one for each member of his new family patchwork family* and representing the first set of knives that Trowa gave him).
In the background was a shooting star with the outline of Wing in flight mode in the heart of the star (a reference to the wish he'd made on Heero's Gundam the day he found the teen on his beach which he had added to the card while being held captive by Zechs on the Lunar Base). His wand was once again sitting along one edge with a pair of lock picks on the other with the J's once again balanced on the tips (representing the constant presence of magic in his life and Duo's lessons in street smarts).
"They are wonderfully done but why do you look older in the one you said represented your old life?"
"Long, painful story…"
"Do you have interesting pictures on the aces and the numbers as well?"
"Just the aces but they are nothing more than detailed pictures of each suit symbol. The numbered cards are rather plain in comparison with the number of suit symbols outlined on each card matching the number of the card. I thought about adding other images to them but decided against it because the numbered cards are the ones I actually use to… well they're the ones I fight with when I don't have my knives or don't have room to use them; the face cards, the aces, and the jokers have never been used to kill anyone. You could say those cards were created simply to flesh out the deck and for their sentimental value."
"You put a lot of thought and effort into making them," Hilde commented softly.
"I had a lot of time on my hands when I made them," Harry replied with a humorless laugh as he glanced up to meet Zechs' eyes for a split second.
"What else can you do with them besides kill?" Hilde asked as she watched Harry shuffling the deck again.
"I can juggle them, throw them like knives, and use them for card tricks if I wanted."
"How many of them do you juggle at a time? It sounds like it would be hard to keep track of more than five of them."
"It took me quite a bit of practice but I can juggle all fifty-four cards."
"I'd have to see that to believe it," Takoda interjected from where he and some of the other pilots had been shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation again out of curiosity since Harry rarely ever spoke of himself or his family.
"It's a little crowded in here…" Harry started only to trail off when all of the pilots began shuffling around so that the isle between the two sections of seats was open for several rows in both directions. "I guess that was a silent demand to give a demonstration anyway but I'm not going to use more than fifteen as there just isn't enough vertical space in here for me to keep all fifty-four of them in the air. Keep your hands and fingers well out of reach, the cards are exceedingly sharp; as in sharp enough to cut through a steel door."
"I can vouch for that," Zechs added as he recalled Harry using one of the cards to cut open the door to the interrogation room.
Harry snorted as he stood up and stepped around Hilde so he could reach the open isle. He then tucked all but five of the cards into his pocket and started flicking the cards into the air. Once he had the flow of the cards steady, he began adding another card every few seconds until he eventually had almost one third of the deck in the air as his hands flashed through the air so fast they appeared as blurs. He then pulled a couple of the simpler tricks he'd perfected; tossing a few of the cards behind his back and spinning around in a single circle while still juggling.
Six minutes after he'd added the fifteenth card, Harry plucked the cards out of the air and tucked them away into the secret pocket of his undershirt as he gave a short, sharp bow; sweat dripping down the side of his face from the effort it had taken to pull off the short demonstration without making any mistakes. The clapping, cat calls, and whistles his small audience gave out sounded loud after the near silence of nothing but the cards cutting through the air and Harry ducked his head and blushed even as a pleased smile played about his lips; he'd missed performing in front of an audience.
"That was… incredible," Hilde breathed.
"Incredibly stupid to do in the shuttle," Heero dryly corrected from the doorway where he'd watched the last few minutes of the performance.
"What can I say; I'm a sucker for a willing audience," Harry replied with a shrug. "Besides, the shuttle is protected against the cards so even if I dropped one it wouldn't have done any real damage; I made certain of that before we left Earth. The mobile suits are protected as well. I also didn't use them all and was extremely careful."
"And if we'd run into trouble you might have injured yourself or one of the others. Moot point, now; just don't do it again. I'm just thankful that no one got hurt; including you. Anyway, I came to let you all know that we're just about ready to reenter Earth's atmosphere so please return to your seats."
Harry gave Heero a jaunty salute as he returned to his former seat (so he could secure the hidden Wolfstar) and buckled himself back into his seat-belt as the other pilots returned to their seats as well; except for Hilde and Zechs who simply buckled into the seats they were sitting in. Remembering the feeling of his magic stretching and snapping back into place when he first left Earth, Harry pressed himself into his chair and tried to mentally prepare himself for something similar to happen on reentry.
Ten minutes later, Harry was once again staring out the window at the ocean as they charted a roundabout course back to the Winner Estate so as not to give away their final destination to anyone who noted their entrance. Even as he enjoyed the view, his mind contemplated the lack of an effect that the reentry had had on his magic because he wasn't certain what that might mean in the long run. As night fell and they turned towards home, Harry shoved his slight anxiety out of his mind as he focused on the coming reunion with the rest of his family.
Around his neck, Seth was offering up a steady stream of appreciation for all the things he hadn't done since going with Harry into space (including bathing in the sand for warmth and eating freshly caught wild shrews). All around him, the other pilots were glued to the windows as they took in the view while beside him Hilde kept peering beyond Harry to stare out his window; most of them having lived their entire lives out in space. As the landing gear was lowered and the shuttle dropped down closer to the Earth's surface, Harry felt excitement bubbling up inside of him and he was practically bouncing in his seat (much as he had been just before take off the day they left).
The moment the shuttle drifted to a complete stop inside of the hanger bay, Harry unbuckled his seat-belt, grabbed his rucksack, and vaulted over the seats so that he was the first one to the door. Five seconds later, he was jumping down out of the shuttle without waiting for the stairs to be moved into place. The moment his feet touched the ground, Harry felt his magic reconnect with the Earth and he gasped softly, clutched his chest, and rose up on his toes in shock as the drain on his core pulled uncomfortably on his magic.
He quickly shook off the strange feeling as he caught sight of Rashid and Abdul walking towards him and a huge grin spread across his face as he dashed across the distance separating them so he could greet both men (stopping just out of physical reach of the pair). He jabbered at them a mile a minute right up until he caught sight of Cathy entering the hanger bay and he cut off in the middle of a sentence so he could bolt over to the not quite eighteen year old to give her a hug as she twirled him around with a laugh. By that time everyone else had exited the shuttle and a number of them were staring at Harry in shock as they'd never really seen him act so childish before (not counting Zechs and his brothers).
Harry was off and running again a minute later as he headed into the house to visit with the other snakes; pausing only long enough to set Seth down so the snake could spend some time in the desert. He wasn't seen again for the rest of the night as he spent the entire evening catching up with the snakes; sharing stories of what space was like and telling them about a few of his and Seth's many adventures. He ended up sleeping in a tree beside Beauty that night; his wings hanging down to either side of him as he slept on his belly on one of the thicker tree branches with Wolfstar watching over him from a few branches higher.
The next day the estate took on a festive air as the space pilots mingled with the Maganacs as they barbequed all day long out in the courtyard while games were played, skills were showcased, and amusing stories exchanged. Through it all, Harry wore a huge grin on his face as his mismatched eyes fairly shone with life over being reunited with the rest of his family. The only time he wasn't grinning was when he gave a full out, no holds barred demonstration of his card and knife juggling and throwing skills. The moment it was over the grin was back bigger than ever as he soaked up the appreciation and admiration the display had garnered from everyone. Not once that day did Harry care that Zechs was present or that the man had spent most of his time shadowing Harry and watching the wizard interact with everyone.
The second day home saw things going back to business as usual as the Maganacs began repairing the two damaged Star Suits, replacing the burnt circuitry on the four new Gundams and the Tallgeese, redesigning the Vayeate and the Mercurius to correct the flaws the scientists had built into them, and preparing all four newer Gundams for warding (much to Harry's displeasure). The repairs to Dogstar and Northstar would necessitate a reworking of their wards due to several sections of the suits' armor needing to be replaced but that would have to wait until the repairs were finished. The space pilots (that had followed Harry and his brothers) and Hilde were given that day to lounge around and get over the space lag of being on Earth for the first time produced as they had never before experienced true gravity.
Quatre spent the day locked in his office catching up on the backlog of paperwork that had piled up while he'd been gone. Trowa would spend the day monitoring Une's condition and ordering any medical supplies he needed in order to treat her condition. Wufei took charge of Zechs and Une's soldiers and kept them from snooping about too much. And finally, Heero and Duo began servicing the numerous Taurus suits (including the undamaged Star Suits) that they had brought with them. That left Harry to keep an eye on Zechs (not that he wanted to) while he set about making the last of the needed modifications to Wolfstar.
The first hour was awkward but eventually Harry stopped watching the slightly older man out of the corner of his eye all the time and just focused on what he was doing. The man even willingly played 'go-for' when Harry needed parts or tools without a word of complaint. Harry thought part of the reason he allowed himself to relax around his former captor was because the man no longer wore his mask (the mask having been lost or destroyed shortly after Zechs' arrest). He wasn't quite ready to admit that it also had a lot to do with the changes Harry had seen taking place in the man over the last few weeks he'd spent as the man's quasi-prisoner (those that occurred during the last week being the most startling).
Over the course of the next week, Harry continued to work on Wolfstar during the day and hang out with his family or the snakes in the evenings; the sentient suit tagging along inside of Harry's rucksack whenever he wasn't being worked on. The fact that Wolfstar was constantly disappearing from the underground hanger bothered everyone in Harry's rather large family except for Harry himself (since he knew exactly where it was at all times).
The only other person that even knew Harry carried the suit with him everywhere was Zechs and that was only because the man continued to shadow Harry day in and day out except when Harry slept or spent time with the snakes (Zechs refused to call it stalking though he did admit he was obsessed with the winged teen). And even then, the former OZ soldier had no idea that Harry was sleeping with the suit (or rather the suit either sat and watched over Harry or curled up beside Harry while the wizard slept).
At the end of that first week (after watching Harry slip into the snake habitats – a place the twenty year old felt distinctly uncomfortable in and therefore avidly avoided), Zechs happened to overhear Duo, Trowa, and Heero discussing the disappearing suit and their concerns over a possible security breach. They apparently hadn't realized that it was Harry taking the suit out due to Harry having grown adept at avoiding security cameras during the long months he'd spent out in space. It didn't help that Wolfstar was perfectly capable of hacking into the surveillance network and doctoring the videos and often did so in response to Harry's unspoken desire to not be seen that the suit picked up on through their connection.
The moment Zechs understood that the three pilots were concerned about a spy or traitor in their midst, he calmly informed them that Harry never let the suit out of his sight and that when he wasn't working on it, he carried it with him in the rucksack. That of course sparked a whole new set of concerns as they feared that the Zero System might have taken hold of Harry's mind at some point. More than one person living on the estate had noted Harry's mismatched eyes glowing red and gold at least once or twice over the past week; which only increased their worry since the glow usually indicated an active connection with the Zero System.
Those concerns were the reason why Harry found himself (and Wolfstar) being hustled into one of the estate's many conference rooms just after dawn on his tenth day back on Earth. Not quite fully awake with Wolfstar cradled against his chest like a baby Harry blinked sleepily at his five brothers, Cathy, Rashid, Abdul, and strangely enough Zechs (the man invited along because he'd been the one who'd informed the others of what was going on). Harry was then steered into a chair and handed a cup of coffee (to help him wake up) while everyone else gathered around the chair he was sitting in wearing stern expressions coupled with open concern as they eyed him critically. More than one of them frowned at Wolfstar when Harry refused to set the suit down.
"What's going on? Did something happen?" Harry asked with a tinge of worry since he'd rarely ever seen those gathered in the room looking so serious unless there was a problem.
"You tell us," Heero countered as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the table behind him. "I think we'd all like to know exactly what is going on."
"Er… you've lost me…"
"Why were you sleeping with Wing Zero in your bed? And why have you been carrying him around every where you go?" Quatre asked carefully after he cleared his throat to get Harry's attention.
"This is about Wolfstar…?" Harry slowly repeated as he glanced down at the suit cradled in his left arm. It was at that point that he remembered that he'd never informed his brothers about what his magic had done to the suit and he sighed as he realized that they were probably jumping to the wrong conclusion. Glancing back up, Harry gave a soft laugh and a sheepish smile as he embarrassingly replied, "Sorry, I completely forgot I didn't tell you what happened; I meant to bring it up earlier but between one thing and another it slipped my mind."
"What exactly is it that you forgot to tell us and what does it have to do with you dragging Wing Zero around like a stuffed toy?" Trowa inquired with a frown.
"The Law of Unintended Consequences," Harry stated simply as if that explained everything.
"Alright… I remember ya babblin' that nonsense about that law thingy before but ya never did explain what it was ya were talkin' about," Duo drawled as he picked up the end of his braid and absently brushed it across his chin as he contemplated Harry and the suit. "Feel free ta explain now, kiddo."
"Not sure I can explain exactly but I'll try. Do you remember back when I explained the Laws of Magic to Wufei back when I first woke up after that bout of Space Flu? I still say that sounds like some kind of imaginary disease, by the way, but I suppose it's no stranger than catching Dragon Pox or Vanishing Sickness. Anyway, I know the rest of you either listened into that conversation or watched the video of it later because it didn't take me long to figure out that you guys would have bugged my room to watch over me after you guys started teaching me about computers and surveillance systems."
"I vaguely recall that conversation though I don't think Rashid or Abdul heard it even second hand and neither Cathy nor Zechs was around at the time; so why don't you refresh our memories," Trowa suggested after a few minutes.
"I suppose that would be best," Harry mused as he glanced around at everyone, absently noting that Zechs was silently mouthing the word 'magic' to himself as if trying to convince himself that he'd just heard the word being used. "First of all, contrary to myths, legends, and fiction; while magic seems to defy all logic it does have to conform to a set of rules and laws. Which basically means that even magic has limits such as; 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 (something I have no desire to do), and I can use magic to cook or change the appearance of food or move it between two places."
"The exact wording of those laws are far more complex but I really don't want to get into the theory behind magic right now. The law that applies in this situation is called the Law of Unintended Consequences. The basic premise of the law is that complete control is an illusion and that even the best laid plans can go wrong and it applies to all things magic even more so than it applies to everyday life in general. The end results are usually unpredictable and can be positive, negative, or neutral in nature. My wings are a prime example of the Law of Unintended Consequences as I did not set out to give myself wings the night that I escaped from the Luxembourg Castle."
"What exactly does this have ta do with whatever ya were talkin' about da other day or da suit for that matter?" Duo demanded as he tugged on his braid and frowned at Harry.
"It's easiest if I show you," Harry replied as he glanced down at the mobile suit in his arm before he climbed to his feet and walked around the others to set the suit in the middle of the table. He then turned his head to glance at those watching him in confusion as he softly warned, "Just whatever you do try not to insult him or scream because he is still young and he scares easily. And Heero, you are not allowed to shoot him." That garnered some funny looks from everyone present but Harry didn't see them as he'd turned back to face the suit as he gave a soft whistle and called, "Wolfstar…? You can go ahead and wake up boy… you don't have to hide from those in the room."
Heero was about to ask Harry if he was feeling alright only for the words to die on his lips as the miniature Gundam suddenly whirred to life and glanced around a moment before it began walking towards where Harry was holding a hand out to the suit. Once he reached Harry, he reached out and grabbed hold of Harry's shirt in order to climb up to sit on Harry's shoulder's so he could peer at those watching. A few jaws hit the ground when the suit fired up its jets and lifted off of Harry's shoulder a few seconds later to hover in place as if it was trying to get a better look at the others.
"Harry… what did you do?" Heero asked tightly, unconsciously using Harry's real name in his shock even as one hand reflexively reached for the pistol he kept tucked into his pants at the small of his back.
"Based upon everything I learned about the system, the Zero Interface usually overwhelms the pilot's brain and causes hallucinations as it speeds up the pilot's reaction times and cuts the amount of time it takes for the brain to process the information being fed through the interface. When Zero established the connection to my mind it tried to take control; which was the reason why I passed out for about ten minutes at the beginning of the battle. My mind is not defenseless though and I was able to use my magic to subdue the Zero System; which gave me complete control of the suit while forging a connection between me and the Zero System. During the battle that followed, my magic was siphoned off through that connection in order to enhance Wolfstar's performance and that magic didn't just vanish or dissipate once it left me."
"So where did it go?" Wufei inquired as he slipped closer to better study the hovering suit.
"Into Wolfstar," Harry answered with a shrug. "My magic in conjunction with the Zero Interface imparted a form of sentience into the suit. He has obtained a sense of self, he displays primitive emotions, he has a heartbeat of sorts, and he can communicate to an extent. He doesn't actually have a soul, has no need to eat or breathe, and while he can learn to an extent he lacks the ability to think and reason outside of his programming. He'll never grow, never reproduce, will never feel true pain, and he does not bleed when you cut him but he is for all intents and purposes alive."
"I thought you said you couldn't create life," Abdul commented as he watched the hovering suit.
"I didn't create life; Wolfstar is simply the highest and most complex form of enchantment possible. Which basically means that all my magic did was give the suit a semblance of life and a personality that was based upon the memory of someone I admired; split though it is."
"Ya brought a deadly and dangerous war machine ta life and gave it a split personality?" Duo demanded incredulously.
"Uh… well… not intentionally; it was because he reminded me of Moony during the full moon and it sort of just stuck, which is how he got the name Wolfstar. He'll be fairly tame most of the time but during a battle he's all business."
"I think I have a headache now," Heero deadpanned.
"Just think of him as an overgrown puppy or a young child," Harry innocently suggested as Wolfstar eagerly nodded his head in agreement; proving that the suit could understand them on some level. "And like all puppies (or children) he craves lots of attention and needs constant supervision; hence the reason why I've been taking him every where I go. I was also afraid someone would see him and hurt him if he startled them, that he'd accidentally squash someone walking around on his own at his full height, or that he'd wonder off and get lost in the desert."
"During that first discussion we had about your magic, you had stated that the enchantment would only last so long as there was enough magic to support the spell. The little bird you created at the time only lasted for a few minutes. How long do you think the enchantment placed upon the suit will last?" Wufei asked curiously.
"The reason the bird didn't last very long was because I didn't pour very much magic into the transfiguration that created the humming bird that day. It wasn't a simple spell that powered the changes to Wolfstar though; I poured my entire core into the suit over the course of the battle. I didn't have more than a drop of magic left to my name when it was over. That was the reason why I was unconscious for so long afterwards; my body and my core both needed that time to recover.
"You mentioned that it has a limited capability to learn but lacks the ability to think or reason outside of its programming," Quatre stated as he moved up beside Wufei to get a closer look at the miniature suit. "Could you give us an idea of just intelligent is it?"
"I'm not exactly certain but because of the connection we share, he pretty much knows everything I know and that's not even counting what he can potentially learn through the various programs installed on his system or through his external scanners and the internet. I'm pretty certain it's safe to say he is very intelligent; far more intelligent than the car that gained sentience from the wards surrounding Hogwarts at the start of my second year. That car went feral and lived in the forest on the school grounds."
"You've brought something to life like this before?" Cathy asked in surprise.
"Not exactly… I missed the train at the start of my second year; a crazy house elf blocked me and another boy out of the platform. We took the boy's father's enchanted car (it flew much like Sirius's motorbike) and when we crossed the wards the moment we reached Hogwarts the engine died. We crashed into the Whomping Willow and when the tree tried to pound the car into dust, the car took on a life of its own, ejected both us and our luggage, and promptly disappeared into the forest. I suspect the enchantments on the car were shoddy work at best and that the car wasn't properly warded which is why the high levels of magic surrounding Hogwarts affected it and eventually turned it feral."
"Elves? Flying cars? Attacking trees? Living machines? Magic…?" Zechs repeated in a bit of a daze as he dropped down into the chair Harry had been sitting in earlier. "What exactly is this 'magic' you keep mentioning?"
"Do you want the scientific explanation, the textbook definition, or a literary reference?" Harry cheekily asked as amusement filled his eyes over Zechs' confusion.
"Oh…? This could be interestin'; why don't ya give us all of da above?" Duo encouraged with an equal amount of humor and curiosity.
"Alright; scientifically speaking, magic can be defined as an ability that allows a select number of people to manipulate energy and matter," Harry began after sharing a grin with the playful and mischievous teen. "The textbook definition as we learned it in our first year at Hogwarts is that magic is a power we are born with that sets us apart from everyone else and it allows those who are born with it to control and command the world around us. The more powerful the witch or wizard the greater they can affect everything and everyone around them."
"In literature, most notably in fiction, magic is often a power that is gifted by the gods, passed from master to apprentice, can be learned by anyone through rare archaic tomes, or is gained through making a deal with a demon or the devil. Fictional magic only comes in two types; there's the good magic that creates miracles and then there's the evil magic that corrupts and destroys everything it comes into contact with."
"Is there such thing as good and evil magic?" Cathy inquired.
"I was once told that there is no good or evil; there is only power.* There is some truth in that despite the questionable source I heard it from; magic is neither good nor evil, it just is. On the other hand, the intentions of the person wielding the magic greatly influence whether the end result is something good or something terrible. I don't think the world can be painted in black or white though because there are thousands of shades of gray in between the two extremes and emotions paint everything with different colors. I have used my magic to heal, protect, and create. I have also used my magic to destroy and to kill."
"You used your… magic… to do something to the cell doors when you freed the pilots and the scientists," Zechs stated with a frown. "That was also how you'd been able to steal large amounts of equipment without getting caught."
"Yes, I used my magic to temporarily change the steel doors to paper so I could break through them. I could have made the transformation near permanent but that much magic would have shut down the entire base in an instant and drained me to exhaustion as changing metal to paper is far more difficult than changing wood to paper. I didn't need to waste the magic or make the transformation last that long though because all I needed was to make the doors weak just long enough for me to break them. And it wasn't my magic alone that stole everything but it certainly helped transport everything that was stolen."
"We're getting way off topic here," Heero interjected crisply at that point, his blue eyes still firmly fixed on the hovering Wolfstar. "We are supposed to be discussing the suit; not Taliesin's magic." He then shifted to look at Harry as he asked, "Can you undo whatever it was you did?"
Harry's breath hitched as the full impact of what Heero was asking him to do hit him like a punch to the stomach (much as it had back when he'd first realized what he'd done to the suit and considered destroying it). Fury flooded through Harry an instant later and he reacted instinctively; snatching Wolfstar out of the air and wrapping him protectively in his arms and he hissed coldly, "Fuck you, Heero." Harry then spun around and stormed towards the door, his entire body trembling with rage.
"Taliesin, stop!"
Harry ignored the order, actively rebelling against his oath for the first time in months. Pain shot through his chest and his footsteps faltered but he did his best to ignore the pain as he focused on the door that was almost within reach; the wizard far too angry at that moment to heed the warning.
"Please, Harry; do not leave," Heero softly ordered when it became obvious that he wasn't going to comply with the first order.
Gritting his teeth, Harry allowed his feet to slow to a stop as the pain spiked enough to steal his breath before he spun around in place; his hands seeking out a pair of his hidden knives as he fell into a defensive stance. Wolfstar desperately clung to Harry's shirt now that Harry was no longer supporting the suit, his optic sensors angled upwards so that he was focused on Harry's face. Uncontrolled magic visibly swirled around Harry, tugging at his clothes as his eyes began glowing red and gold in his rage; the tight leash he'd kept his magic under while out in space having been discarded the moment they'd touched down ten days earlier.
Almost everyone in the room took a collective step backwards at the unexpected fury Heero's simple question had evoked. The only three people that didn't move were Heero, Trowa, and Zechs. Heero and Trowa held their ground because they'd both seen Harry in a towering rage at least once before (Heero when he'd first met Harry and Trowa the day after they'd first been captured by OZ); though neither one had seen him surrounded by a visible aura of magic before. Zechs on the other hand, had no place to go since he was sitting down.
"No one in this room is going to harm you, Taliesin," Trowa murmured calmly as he slowly made his way forward. "Nor is anyone going to hurt Wolfstar, so please calm down and put away your knives."
"That… that… jerk just ordered me to destroy Wolfstar," Harry growled; his usual colorful array of curses and creative insults failing him in his rage. "He, in essence, just told me to kill a part of myself."
"I didn't tell you to kill Wolfstar, Harry," Heero corrected automatically as he held his hands up to show he was unarmed. "I was only curious if the process could be reversed and if I'd known just asking that question would have bothered you so much I would have worded it differently or not asked it at all. I swear; I had no intention of it coming out sounding like I was ordering you to kill anyone or anything. And I would never order you to harm yourself."
Harry glared at Heero for another three full minutes as everyone in the room held their breath to see what Harry would do. He then slowly relaxed his stance and put away his knives, wrapping one arm protectively around Wolfstar as the suit curled up against his shoulder now that Harry's anger was slowly fading; though his eyes remained tinted red and gold indicating that he was still quite upset and that his connection to Zero was still active within his mind. It took several minutes longer for the magic he was exuding to dissipate.
"Thank you, Taliesin," Trowa stated as he crossed the distance separating them and gently escorted Harry back to the others; the wizard balking only once when they drew close to Heero. "Now, can you please explain what you meant when you referred to Wolfstar as being part of yourself? I'm not quite certain I followed your logic."
"Magically speaking, Wolfstar can be considered a part of me because it was my magic that gave him life and my mind is still connected to the Zero Interface. He has his own personality and he can think independently of me but at the same time he takes direction from the connection we share; which makes him an extension of me and my will."
"You've mentioned having a connection to the suit or the Zero Interface several times now… what exactly do you mean when you say you share a connection? How and when did it happen and is it permanent?" Heero tentatively asked, his words chosen carefully so as not to stir up Harry's anger a second time.
Harry stared at the other teen for nearly a full minute before another warning twinge had him grudgingly answering the questions, "The connection formed when Zero attempted to invade and take over my mind; much like it did when each of you tested the suit. The difference is that I have far more control over my inner mind due to my magic and I fought the system for dominance within my mindscape and eventually won when I trapped Zero. Knowing that the Zero system was integral to controlling Wolfstar I accepted its presence in my mind which is when the bond between us formed, I think. I'm pretty certain it is permanent because it has fully integrated itself into both my mindscape and my magic at this point."
"What does that mean exactly? Is there a chance da system could rebel against your control and take ya over?" Duo asked with no little concern.
"It means that Wolfstar can sense my moods and I can understand him on a level beyond his current ability to communicate. I imagine when I fly with him it will mean that we fly as one entity instead of as pilot and suit. I'd like to believe that I never have to worry about him challenging me for control of our bond but I'm not that arrogant. I suspect he will be content to consider me his alpha unless I was to become emotionally or mentally unstable at which point, like the feral wolf he takes half of his personality from, the moment he senses any weakness he will attack without mercy."
"That's not very reassurin' ya know."
"Sorry… I wasn't going to lie about the risks though," Harry stated with a shrug as he teasingly played with Wolfstar's feet as if tickling the suit without realizing he was doing it. "Is there anything else you needed from us or can I go now?"
"Just one last thing," Heero declared softly after a moment, his face hiding all emotion as he calmly met Harry's still slightly angry eyes. "Harry James Potter; I hereby release you from the sworn oath of obedience you gave to me in the year one-ninety-five A.C."
Harry staggered backwards in disbelief as he felt the oath he'd sworn to Heero on the beach over a year ago unraveling from his soul and the unexpected shock of it sent him reeling as he dropped backwards onto the floor. Sure, Heero promised to release Harry from his oath one day (under the stipulation that Harry learned how to protect himself) but Harry hadn't actually believed it would happen. So the sudden release of the oath caught Harry completely off guard coming out of the blue like it did.
"I probably should have done that a long time ago," Heero murmured. "Right now though, the last thing I want is for you to ever think that I'd use your oath against you to force you to do something that would ultimately hurt you."
Poleaxed, Harry watched Heero leave the room at that point; his brain still trying to process exactly what just happened.
Notes:
*The number of actual games that Harry played is questionable and the number I used was based upon the idea that the four Houses played each other once with one final game between the two teams with the most points to determine who won the cup. Using those numbers (four possible games a year for each team) and knowing that Harry missed out on the final games of both his first and second year (first he was unconscious after facing Quirrell-mort and in his second year Quidditch was canceled after Hermione was petrified) I came up with a total of ten games that Harry played; three, three, and four (since there was also no Quidditch in fourth year and Harry never made it to fifth year in this story).
*The number of knives reflect those he considered his family at the time he made the cards; one for each of the five Gundam pilots, one for Cathy, and one for himself.
*Partial quote by Voldemort from chapter seventeen of HP & the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone.
AN: Ah… what a chapter; a ton of information and only a little action. There are just a few things to clear up before I run out the door after leaving a nice little cliffy for y'all.
Harry's comments about no future sweetheart… I've already said I plan to pair him up with someone so you can take his words in this chapter here as him being his usual fatalistic and pessimistic self. His current opinion and belief is only temporary, though I can guarantee that he won't become love struck in the blink of an eye and do an abrupt about face in the space of a single paragraph.
Next up is Harry's interactions with Wolfstar… No, Harry is not going to treat the suit like a child constantly. Once the suit 'matures' a bit, for lack of a better term, Harry won't be so protective of it. And the fact that he was carrying it about like a stuffed animal towards the middle of the chapter was because he'd just been dragged out of bed and wasn't fully awake. The suit will remain close to him whenever it is in its shrunken state but he won't always be carrying it around in his arms or anything like that.
And lastly, let's see a show of hands from those that thought I'd never let Heero release Harry from his oath despite the fact that I always maintained that the oath was temporary. It was a very convenient way of keeping Harry in line but Heero never meant for Harry to be tied to him that way for the rest of his life. The only question now is on whether or not Harry will follow through on the threat he'd given Heero the night he swore his oath. The answer to that question will be in the next chapter…
Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter… For those of you who have read The Wishing Door, I've just finished uploading the edited chapters (though nothing major was changed) and added another omake. The Wizard's World will be given the same treatment next as well as another full chapter and an omake as I've been cleaning up the first two parts of the series in order to fix things for part three – the first chapter of which I hope to have up no later than New Year's. ~ Jenn
12-15-12: Made a grammatical correction.