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xXx Brave Wizard xXx
xXx Ch. 01: Ask and You Shall Receive xXx
One of the first things that Harry Potter deduced while living in the home of Vernon and Petunia Dursley was that using the word 'magic' would get him beaten to within an inch of his life, yet for some reason referring to something as a 'miracle' was perfectly okay with his aunt and uncle.
That one change in nomenclature, and a willingness to actually attend church like a normal god fearing person, allowed him to have a much more pleasant relationship with his relatives. Then his Hogwarts acceptance letter arrived and threw that whole relationship out the window in a scant five seconds.
Harry had decided to attend Hogwarts solely to honor the memory of his parents after he learned from Rubeus Hagrid that they died trying to protect him from a magical terrorist. He hadn't wanted to learn magic, he wanted to join the clergy, and maybe become an exorcist.
The first year at Hogwarts was unbelievable. Between the hostile teachers, of which there were two, the death traps in an easy to sneak into corridor, and the troll attack on the anniversary of his parents death day, Harry was of the firm opinion that it was a miracle that he had survived. Then he learned from the Headmaster that it had been because his mother had sacrificed herself in his defence that he survived the night that Voldemort attacked his family.
That was yet another miracle written off by a senile old man as an ancient charm. After all, how many other mothers stepped in front of their children and that same curse and got nothing for their effort save for a time delay on the probable act of infanticide? Learning that a miracle like that could happen had redoubled Harry's faith in ways that surviving his first year would never have been capable of, and drove an even bigger wedge between him and the people of Wizarding Britain.
Harry's second year at Hogwarts had been a pain in the arse, but wasn't actually dangerous to him, or anyone else, until the very end of the year. Oh sure, there was a giant poisonous snake with death beam eyes that was making trips up into the school throughout the year, but it wasn't actually killing anyone. Surviving the fight with that snake had been a miracle, but it was one of Harry's own making.
While Dumbledore tried to claim that it had been his loyalty to the senile old coot himself that had summoned the Phoenix, Harry had known better. It had been his unwavering desire to protect the lives of his fellow students, even at the cost of his own life. He had even managed to successfully save a House Elf from an abusive family, only for said House Elf to turn right around and bind itself to him. Naturally that led to a very awkward discussion between the two over what their relationship with each other would be, as Harry would not willingly own a slave.
Harry's third year was a disaster for a significant number of reasons. Most notably for the fact that he nearly got bitten by a werewolf, and because he also nearly had his soul sucked out. And that was all before he learned that someone decided to give Hermione Granger a TARDIS-on-a-Rope, which she proceeded to abuse the bloody piss out of. He endured all of that in order to save the life of his falsely imprisoned godfather after discovering the man had been framed for the crimes that were directly responsible for pretty much everything that had gone wrong in both of their lives over the past decade and nearly a half.
Fourth Year started off well, but then nose-bombed when his name came out of that damn goblet. Harry had honestly considered simply not competing in the damn tournament, since magic wasn't the end all and be all of his life, no that was his faith in the Heavenly Father. Unfortunately it would appear that having one's magic forcibly removed would have a similar effect on him to what would have happened if one of those soul sucking demons from the previous year had gotten their lamprey-like jaws onto him.
So of course Harry reluctantly participated. First task was a cinch… Although, the act of outflying a dragon on an enchanted broom can't possibly be qualified as anything BUT a miracle. Even those quick to point out that a Hungarian Horntail, and all other dragons that can be found on "Dragon Reserves" are what other communities would classify as "Low-Level Dragons", one would have to remember that they can exhale bloody Napalm. A broom, magical or not, is going to be reduced to ashes faster than one can blink if it got hit by such a substance, and human flesh wouldn't be much better off.
The Yule Ball would have been a disaster, had Harry not asked Fleur Delacour if she wanted a dance partner who wouldn't stare at her breasts for the entire ball. She had been amused enough by his rather crass remark regarding his own gender, and sadly her species, that she agreed to the idea. The actual night had been far more pleasant for the two of them than either cared to admit, simply because neither one of them felt those special sparks that informed them they were meant to be.
Sadly, during the same event, the duo who were quickly beginning to piss Harry off, began yelling at each other. It turned out that Ron Weasley apparently had a badly concealed crush on Hermione Granger, and she simply couldn't tolerate him. They ultimately ruined the night for who knows how many couples with their shouting, especially when they tried to drag Harry and Fleur into the argument.
The second task was absolutely unbelievable. They were expected to rescue hostages from the bottom of the lake. These hostages were supposed to be someone who the contestant couldn't possibly live without. As soon as Harry got to the location that the Hostages were located he felt an impish desire to start performing an 'eenie-meenie-minie-moe' ritual on what he saw in front of him.
He was the first to arrive, and he could choose between Hermione Granger, Cho Chang, Ron Weasley and an as of yet unidentified girl who was likely Fleur's younger sister. Hermione had been Viktor Krum's date to the Yule Ball, while Cho had been Cedric Diggory's, so it was clear why those two were placed down here. Harry barely tolerated Ron, so he was confused about the justification for that.
He shrugged and went over to the blonde girl. When the merfolk tried to protest he simply used his morphed vocal chords to say "The ginger eats way too much."
Harry wasn't the strongest bloke in the world, in fact even though his relationship with his aunt and uncle was better than it could have been he still was underfed and lacked the means to properly train up his strength to the level he would need in order to drag the deadweight of Ron's unconscious body through the water and up to the surface. In fact, of the hostages, Fleur's sister was the only one who was petite enough that he could manage the task.
Incidentally, Fleur herself arrived not long after he did, took one look at the hostages, and sighed beneath her bubble-head charm. She too could easily see that Harry's only choice when it came to getting back to the surface with a hostage had been her sister. She had also been less than thrilled with the behavior of both Ron and Hermione. One saw her as an object, and the other saw her as a threat. So instead, she collected Cho Chang, and hoped this would go a long way to her at ease about the proximity Fleur had to her boyfriend during this contest.
Cedric and Krum arrived after their fellow contestants had departed, and stared at the remaining hostages in confusion. Cedric was going to laugh at Krum over the fact that both of these hostages could have been for him under different circumstances. Both remaining Champions realized what was going on at about the same time and chose a hostage to bring to the surface. It would just so happen that this was the second time Ron wound up in the Hospital Wing for a bite wound to the leg.
The Champions had all gathered in order to hear the point tally, and weren't disappointed when they heard the words, "In light of the fact that you all felt it necessary to ignore the instructions and retrieve someone else's hostage…"
"I'm sorry…" Harry interrupted, "But do the rest of you recall being told which hostage you were supposed to rescue?"
"Non." Fleur remarked
"Cho and I only just started dating a month before the Yule Ball. It's a bit early to say I'll marry her," Cedric supplied helpfully.
"Herm-own-ninny would have been better hostage for boy I rescued, and boy for her in turn, I think." Viktor supplied.
"Well that's one way to interpret their constant bickering, I suppose," Harry admitted. "In my case, I was lucky to get to the surface with… um, Fleur what is your sister's name anyways?"
"Gabrielle," Fleur supplied.
"Right, I was lucky to get to the surface with the miniature angel as a passenger…"
"Petite Ange," Fleur supplied an appropriate translation.
Harry looked at Fleur for a moment, before nodding, "I can live with that."
In the end their justification didn't help win them any points, and only served to create solidarity among the champions and drive yet another wedge between Harry and those who hold authority within Wizarding Britain, and at least Madame Maxime, if not Magical France's leadership as a whole.
The final task became a problem for Harry the instant he discovered Viktor Krum torturing Fleur using a highly illegal curse. This was a problem because as a Seeker, Viktor would be able to spot a stunning charm or other bright bolts of energy before it could reach him and either swat it away or erect a shield. Knowing he had little time to act, and fearing for Fleur's safety, Harry murmured a prayer under his breath while also waving his wand ever so slightly.
One of the first things Harry had done after reaching Hogwarts, was to look up the stunt he had performed in the Surrey Zoo when shoved out of the way by his cousin after first speaking to a snake. Ordinarily vanishing something was VERY permanent, which was why the act of vanishing the glass only for it to reappear was interesting. It would turn out that a temporary form of vanishing charm did exist, but it rarely lasted more than a few seconds at most. Not nearly enough to do anything useful in. However, it would allow Harry to help Fleur out of the area if he succeeded.
"Castria Evanidos."
The spell caught Viktor so off guard that it wasn't even funny. This was largely because the spell was at best a prank spell and not something that he would necessarily have encountered before. However the boy did look up in Harry's direction as he cast the spell for long enough that Harry deduced him to be under the Imperius.
"Fuck," Harry muttered as he ran to Fleur's side and helped her to her feet.
"You…" she started to say, "You just can't stop yourself from being a 'ero, can you?"
Harry shrugged and said, "We can discuss it at length after the tournament is over, come on."
They ultimately split up and went down two separate paths and he didn't see her again that night. He did wind up tying with Cedric Diggory as the first to reach the trophy at the center of the maze. Which was by far the worst thing that had happened to Harry since he first set foot in Hogwarts.
When he regained consciousness after having been stunned, it was to bear witness as the Dark Lord who referred to him as Voldemort, had returned to power. In light of this fact, Harry began mentally reciting Psalm 23. Harry had known the instant he had compared Voldemort to Samael, the Serpent who lied to Adam and Eve, when he offered to return to Harry his mother and father, that Voldemort would simply kill Harry rather than toy with him.
Despite that though, Voldemort chose a very inefficient method of killing Harry, "Sectumsempra!"
What felt like three incisions made with the sharpest cutting implement imaginable inserted themselves into Harry's body. One in his heart, one in his left lung and one straight through the scar on his forehead. That last one was accompanied by a shriek of agony that would haunt Voldemort for the rest of his life. He very quickly left after hearing that, and those Death Eaters who had arrived to witness his triumph quickly departed after him.
Harry's eyes opened and took in the all encompassing brilliance of wherever it was he now was. "So bright…"
"Well of course it is, silly," the lyrical voice of possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before remarked as she came into his field of vision. "Welcome to the Moon."
Harry frowned, before looking at his surroundings with an expression of disappointment, that caused the girl to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Where's the cheese?"
"Wha-?"
Another woman from nearby snickered, before remarking, "Wow, I had forgotten all about that old wives tale. Gabriel, where did you find this boy?"
"He was bleeding out while tied to a gravestone in a small hamlet in England." the blonde girl who was hovering over Harry in a way that if he were less honorable would have given him a clear view of her breasts via the neckline of the robes she had on.
"Wha-?"
The other woman walked into Harry's field of vision, and he could see she was dressed like a nun. Given the bright light, and the halo on both of their heads that he could see now that he was looking for it, Harry sighed and asked, "I'm dead, aren't I?"
"Not anymore!" the blonde girl declared, though she didn't explain.
"Stop being childish and explain things to him, Gabriel."
Gabriel the Seraph, as opposed to the Veela named in her honor, pouted at the older looking woman before sighing and saying, "About a week ago, a meeting was held in a suburb of Tokyo referred to as Kuoh Town. This meeting was an attempt to bring about a lasting peace between Heaven, Hell and the Grigori. As a result of that meeting, Heaven was given the information necessary to create what we refer to as 'decks of brave saints.' These enable us to grant certain humans the honor of becoming an Angel. I used one of my Brave Saints on you to grant you new life."
"What drawbacks can I expect from this?"
Gabriel proceeded to flush in embarrassment as she shot a pleading look at the other woman. Sighing, Griselda Quarta remarked, "The largest one can be negated simply by asking Gabriel here to marry you, Harry."
"Bwah?" Gabriel sputtered out in confusion even as her face scrunched up in thought. Several seconds later she began giggling as she remarked, "Oh wow, that would totally work!"
Harry was bemused by what he was hearing from purported angels. Eventually he asked, "Miss Gabriel, what made you decide to make me an Angel?"
"In ancient times, I would personally show up to tell humans what Our Father wishes for them to do. That hasn't really been possible since the end of the Great War between the Biblical Factions for a number of reasons, which also means that it is far more difficult for Heaven to control how people react to the insights that the Throne is giving to those people who are attuned to it, otherwise known as prophets and seers." Gabriel started explaining.
Harry nodded to show he understood. So she continued, "You were born after a prophecy was given to Albus Dumbledore. This prophecy declared that a child born to parents who thrice defied an unidentified dark lord would have the power to defeat said dark lord. It further declared that the child would be born at the end of the seventh month. Last thing it said was that either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live will the other survives."
Harry frowned, "Does that mean only I can kill him?"
"What? No!" Gabriel exclaimed. "Well not anymore at any rate. What it meant was you had to die, even if only temporarily, in order for it to become possible to introduce Tom to the dance partner he has been running from his entire life. Now, please get some rest, we have a lot of work ahead of us."
Without Harry Potter as a potential roadbump, the Dark Lord known as Voldemort wasted no time in declaring himself to the public. Lines were drawn in the sand that very same day, and all that stood between Voldemort and total domination of Wizarding Britain was an old man that was well past his prime.
An old man was far more canny than he had let on. The instant he realized that two students had been abducted from the grounds, he activated his own addition to the Hogwarts wards. The ward was designed to stun and incapacitate anyone who wore a Dark Mark, or else who held hostile intent towards children in general. Sadly most of the people he had hoped to hit with that ward hadn't even bothered to attend this event, but the shock was when it caught people he hadn't anticipated it would.
That had been a week prior to the current date. Unsurprisingly the Ministry had fallen to Voldemort almost instantly, and as a result Dumbledore lost all influence he had anywhere save for within the castle. That had been mostly because the students, many of them, refused to leave the relative safety of the castle when they realized that their parents were either being forced into camps for half-bloods and muggleborns, or else were active Death Eaters;.
Dumbledore wasn't expecting a miracle, but it would be nice if something happened that would save the students from what would happen when Dumbledore eventually fell victim to what he was quickly realizing was going to kill him, a stress induced heart attack or stroke.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Those were the last words Albus Dumbledore heard as his eyes closed and simply never opened again.
xXx Chapter Concluded xXx
Author's Note: This chapter is not indicative of how the pacing of this story is going to go. This is largely a prologue to the rest of the story set up to tell you what differed in this setting from the normal reality.
The largest and most notable difference, is that Voldemort at least ATTEMPTED to follow rules of the Evil Overlord List by killing Harry straight after being resurrected. He failed that lesson by not sticking around to dispose of the body.
Now for those of you who are going to try and argue that Sectumsempra wouldn't have done what I made it do to the scar horcrux… well it could theoretically do such a thing for the simple reason that Voldemort was completely UNAWARE of the fact that the scar was a horcrux and wouldn't have had the time to erect any of the defensive charms on Harry that he normally would have on any of his other Horcruxes. It is those charms which makes them so damn hard to destroy, not their nature as Horcruxes. They aren't all that different from a Lich's Phylactery, and the same holds true for those things in terms of how easy or hard they are to destroy.
In fact, some Lich Phylacteries can be destroyed just by stepping on them, and it is entirely the booby traps around the thing that protects them.
Regarding the Vanishing spell, it was something I found on the Maleficium Imperium discussion over at Good , and thought was interesting enough to use. It is certainly something that would be harder to recover from, at least in the short term, than a stunning spell.