Disclaimer: Playing in Rowling's and Lucas's sandbox. They own the toys; We're just having fun.
Previously on Chapter 2
The two worlds were on the brink of a collision, orchestrated by these silent cosmic entities, neither Force nor Magic revealing their existence, yet intricately entwining the destinies of the Jedi and the wizard. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the stage was set for a cosmic dance, a convergence of realms that would forever alter the fates of galaxies far, far away.
'Dragonstaff and Technomage' - Thoughts
Chapter 3: Convergence
As Anakin looked around at the identical looking houses lying on a single line, he was suddenly struck with how different this planet was from Coruscant, the city which never slept, even during the night. There were no speeders rushing past, no faint sounds of blaster fire.
His contemplation was abruptly interrupted by C3PO's sudden exclamation, "Oh my, Master Anakin, I do believe that boy over there might be the one we are seeking."
Anakin glanced down at the ancient compass in his hand, its needle unwaveringly pointing towards a young boy with unruly black hair. An air of distress surrounded him as he sat, face buried in his hands, on a dilapidated swing. Suddenly, the boy erupted, charging at a nearby tree, fists colliding with unbridled fury, tears streaming down his face.
Opting for a more subtle approach, Anakin resisted the urge to rush towards the distressed boy. Instead, he extended a tendril of the Force, reaching out to discern the source of the boy's turmoil.
As he extended his senses through the Force, a whirlwind of emotions engulfed him. The boy seemed to release waves of guilt, fear, and pain into the Force, creating a chaotic tapestry of inner turmoil. Yet, within this emotional maelstrom, a sharp spike of ANGER cut through the haze. Anakin was suddenly hit with the strongest wave of anger he had ever felt, a wave so intense that it physically pushed him back, causing him to withdraw, lest he be swept away.
The raw power of the emotion resonated with a familiar intensity, a manifestation of suffering that echoed Anakin's own struggles with the Dark Side, and yet it was stronger than anything he had ever felt.
Focusing once again, he was able to perceive flashes, a flash of red, a barking laugh, and then all he saw was an endless void. Flashes of battle followed, brief bursts of color disappearing faster than they came, until all that remained was pain— an all-consuming pain that colored everything white.
The guilt that lingered within the boy seemed tied to a tragic event, one which left scars on his very soul. Anakin could sense the echoes of darkness that had touched Harry's life, the kind of darkness he found himself trying to come to terms with even now. The Force revealed fragments of the boy's past, memories woven with threads of sorrow, betrayal, and a struggle against overwhelming odds.
Harry's head snapped up, an eerie sensation prickling at the back of his neck—the distinct feeling of someone breathing down his back. Instincts honed by his constant near-death experiences kicked in, and he swiftly scanned the dimly lit surroundings. His hand found its way into his pocket, fingers closing around his wand. The mere touch of the familiar length of holly brought a wave of relief, a silent reassurance in the face of uncertainty.
His gaze shifted upward, drawn to the night sky, not a single star in sight. It was then that he realised how late it had gotten. He took a deep breath, the cool night air mingling with the remnants of his earlier outburst. He glanced at his knuckles, the pain surging into focus as his mind receded from his burst of anger. The moonlight, a stark contrast to the dried blood on his bruised hand. Unfazed, he tightened his grip on the wand, the pain nothing compared to the events of the past.
With a resolute step, he turned away from the silent night, the feeling of being watched forgotten in the face of his own internal turmoil.
Anakin exhaled a sigh of relief, relieved that his presence remained undetected, his hand covering C3PO's mouth to prevent the droid from accidentally revealing their position. His suspicions confirmed, he mused to himself, 'A Force-sensitive, here, on this primitive planet!' The realization sparked a renewed sense of purpose within him. Maybe this chance encounter was the opportunity he was looking for.
Turning to C3PO, he gestured discreetly. "Threepio, head back to the ship and wait for me there. I need to follow this person, the one the Force is leading me to."
C3PO nodded his head, "Certainly, Master Anakin."
As C3PO shuffled back towards the ship, Anakin melted back into the shadows, his steps silent as he trailed after the young boy. His eyes snapped back to his compass, which was still unerringly following the movements of the Force-sensitive boy.
As Anakin saw the boy enter into one of the identical houses, he memorized the strange symbol carved on the metal gate, which seemed to differentiate that house from the rest. He decided to return tomorrow morning and find out more about the Force sensitive child.
He made his way back to the ship, the distant glow of lights reflecting off the metallic surface. Once on board, Anakin found R2D2 diligently working on the ship's repairs.
"Artoo, how's it going?" Anakin inquired, his eyes scanning the flickering lights and beeping sounds emanating from the astromech droid.
Anakin half heard the droid's extensive list of repairs, his mind fixated on the Force-sensitive boy he had encountered. As his head hit the pillow in the now cleaned captains quarters, he promised himself that tomorrow he would have all the answers he wanted. With the slight glimmer of light before him, his hope of getting back to Padmé finally did not seem as unreachable. With a sense of anticipation and determination, Anakin closed his eyes, allowing the ship's hum to lull him into a restless sleep.
Anakin could feel sweat trickling down his collar as he stood watch over the house he had seen the Force sensitive boy enter last night. He could see the boy busy pulling weeds from the garden under the heat of the sun. As he looked closer, he could feel his anger rise upon seeing a fresh bruise on the boy's cheek which had not been present last night.
He restrained himself while he was struck with memory after memory of his childhood on Tatooine. How Watto had forced him to work throughout the day and that one day after he had accidentally broken a particularly rare part, Watto had hit him hard enough to bruise. The scorching sun, the weight of servitude, and the constant struggle for survival—all echoed in the present scene. However, he also remembered how he had been saved by Padmé, his angel and vowed to himself that he would help the boy in any way possible.
Anakin watched as the young boy entered the house. Suddenly the quiet was cut across by a loud shriek followed by heated shouts. The door suddenly flung open, and the young boy stormed out, his face a mixture of defiance and tears.
As Anakin watched the boy sprint down the road, his instincts urged him to pursue the fleeing boy and ensure his well-being. However, the impulsive nature that had often defined him won out. Disregarding the patience that Obi-Wan had tried to drill into him, he moved toward the house, driven by the need to confront those responsible.
Reaching the door, Anakin chose not to knock. A Force Push caused it to slam open, nearly falling off its hinges. His Jedi robes billowed dramatically behind him as he stepped inside and looked at the two humans who eerily resembled Gardulla. As food dripped from their open mouths, the two looked at him in shock while the third person, a female seemed ready to faint.
Anakin looked on at the surprised faces of the three humans sitting before him. He took a step forward, his presence commanding attention. The Dursleys who until now were frozen in shock stirred from their reverie, exchanging confused glances, their attempts at forming coherent sentences devolving into a series of unintelligible mutters.
Anakin, undeterred, spoke up in Galactic Basic, "What did you do to the boy?" The Dursleys just stared blankly, their expressions akin to someone deciphering a complicated puzzle. He asked again, more insistent, his impatience seeping into his voice, "Tell me, what did you do to that boy ?"
While the words may have been unintelligible to them, the anger in Anakin's voice was unmistakable.
Vernon Dursley regained his nerve as his face reddened. This intruder, wearing his bizarre clothes, had not only dared to burst into their home but was also seemingly making demands in a strange language. He had had enough of these freaks thinking they could tell him what to do.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you enter my house like that ? And speak like a normal person, you freak" Vernon bellowed.
Anakin, his patience wearing thin due to not being able to understand what they were saying decided not to wait any longer. He directed a powerful Mind Probe toward the irate human, who grew redder as he continued to shout and gesticulate wildly into the air. While Anakin couldn't read minds, a Jedi's Mind Probe would allow him to read his emotions and memories along with his surface thoughts. And what he saw inside the mind of the Hutt impersonator sickened him.
Its mind was a cesspool of anger, hatred and jealousy, focused entirely on the young boy he had been following since the past day. Anakin, himself a veteran of war, struggled to suppress his revulsion as he witnessed the horrors this pathetic creature had inflicted on the boy, driven solely by fear and malice.
Withdrawing from the man's mind, Anakin fought the urge to draw his lightsaber and cut the man in half. He restrained himself, knowing that he needed to uncover the entire truth first. As he regained his composure, he noticed the woman attempting to support the man, who had almost fallen to his knees, his eyes rolling back in his head from the aftermath of the Force Probe.
No one had ever accused Dudley Dursley of being the sharpest tool in the shed. His entire life he had been indulged endlessly, a consequence of being favoured in a family which was obsessed with normality and was disdainful of anything remotely magical. Ever since he had been able to understand, he had seen his parents treat that freak with contempt and over time, he had learnt from them the proper way to deal with those they deemed 'freaks.'
As he witnessed the sudden attack on his father, a surge of anger, inherited from Vernon Dursley himself, ignited within Dudley. The anger fueled his lumbering charge towards the intruder, determined to assert the Dursley way of dealing with such situations. However, before he could so much as come near the man, an unseen force lifted him off his feet. Dudley found himself hurtling through the air, crashing onto a nearby chair that promptly shattered under his immense weight.
Anakin observed wryly as the lump of fat waddled towards him, his shrill screams ringing through the room. A simple push of the Force, and he effortlessly sent the child, and that was being generous seeing his size, hurtling backward. The impact with the chair was met with a loud crash, but Anakin felt no remorse. In the older man's mind, he had glimpsed the atrocities committed against the poor Force-Sensitive child by these two people, and the deserved consequences, in his opinion were long overdue.
Petunia's eyes widened in sheer horror as her worst nightmare unfolded before her. The very thing she had always feared was happening right in front of her eyes. Since that day when that horrible man, Dumblebore or something had abandoned the son of her freak sister on her doorstep, she and Vernon, along with their precious Duddykins, had kept the boy in line. Never before had the freak retaliated, and now, here was this man, dressed just like them, tossing her husband and son through the air, all without the use of a wand!
Anakin had seen enough. There was no need to delve into the recesses of the woman's mind; her emotions were laid bare on her trembling face. "Leave this place, and do not return for the entire day," he commanded, a wave of his hand accompanying his words.
The woman's gaze locked onto him, and the groggy-looking man beside her mirrored the sudden change in her expression. Anakin's Jedi Mind Trick worked its subtle magic, their faces slackening with compliance. With some difficulty, they gathered their child, who was still recovering from his unexpected flight, and stumbled towards the door. Within moments, Anakin heard the sound of what he assumed was their vehicle departing, leaving him alone in the silent aftermath.
Deciding to take a look around and explore the now empty residence, he wandered around the place, fascinated by the primitive but unique pieces of technology, his engineer side coming to the fore. As he was wandering around the upper floors, inside a very filthy room, he spied what looked like a primitive version of a Holo Terminal.
He excitedly made his way over, hoping to finally have found some manner of technology which could tell him where he had ended up. Pressing random buttons, he attempted to turn the system on but to no avail. "How do you even get this stupid thing on !"
Growing increasingly annoyed, Anakin decided to take a moment to think. "Think, Skywalker, think!" he muttered to himself, massaging his temples. Suddenly, a solution struck him, and he smacked himself on the head.
"Stupid Anakin! Artoo should definitely be able to get this thing turned on."
With a self-deprecating chuckle, Anakin realized he needed the expertise of his astromech droid to make sense of the primitive technology. Considering the logistics of bringing both his droids to the house, he opted for the simpler solution—carrying the entire terminal back to his ship.
Quickly unplugging the mess of wires, he bundled everything up and stealthily slipped out of the house. A subtle manipulation of the Force rendered him unnoticeable, ensuring no one would notice his departure.
"All right Artoo, what did you find out?" He demanded impatiently of the droid as for the last hour he had seen the astromech fiddle with the device, having been able to turn it on and was now scanning through it, the screen changing at a rapid pace.
R2D2 let out a long stream of beeps and whistles, and C3PO, standing nearby, translated for Anakin's benefit. "Oh my, Master Anakin! It seems that this device is what you suspected and acts as a Holo Terminal. R2D2 has managed to get an idea of the level of technology as well as their language."
"Now that is some good news. Well done, both of you." Anakin's tone was coloured in relief.
"Indeed Master, I am also happy to inform you that I have managed to learn the basics of their language as well, what they call English. It bears a surprising amount of similarity to Galactic Basic and seems to have branched and evolved from a common language."
He was relieved that he finally not only had a source of information about the planet, but also a means to communicate with its inhabitants, even if he had to rely on Threepio for now.
"So, this is what we are going to do, Artoo, you stay here and continue to work on this device. I want you to learn everything possible. Threepio, you are coming with me."
It was finally time for him to have a talk with the Force-sensitive child. Anakin was determined to uncover everything, the Force help anyone who tried to stop him.
The evening air felt tense as Harry returned to Number 4, Privet Drive. As he went to open the door, it swung open with barely any effort, setting his nerves on edge. His wand now in hand, he cautiously entered the house. The dim light barely revealed the chaos within—toppled chairs, scattered belongings and hints of what may even be blood on the previously pristine carpet.
As Harry moved deeper into the house, his entire body tensed, every muscle poised to react at the slightest hint of danger. The creaking stairs beneath his weight echoed through the unnatural silence. Climbing with deliberate stealth, he reached the upper floor, and quietly made his way into his room.
Prying open the floorboard beside his bed, he released a held breath as the contents remained undisturbed. While his clothes and books could be replaced, things like his parents photo album and his father's Invisibility Cloak were irreplaceable. Retrieving the Cloak, he wrapped it around himself, the smooth cloth offering a semblance of security in this environment.
The eerie silence amplified his fears, his senses heightened to the brink. This house, with Dumbledore's vaunted blood wards, was supposed to be his sanctuary. However, that peace had now been broken, and Harry, enveloped in his invisibility, awaited the intruders.
His patience was wearing thin during the seemingly endless wait. Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the silence, echoing through the house. Without a moment's hesitation, he sprinted down the stairs, his Invisibility Cloak trailing behind him, his wand at the ready. What he saw downstairs in the hall rendered him speechless.
"Threepio, you should be more careful!" Anakin whispered harshly as he helped his fallen droid rise from the floor where he had tripped on a piece of furniture while looking around the room.
"Forgive me Master Anakin, ever since that journey, my servos have been glitching slightly. I shall…" his voice trailed off as Anakin suddenly gestured at him to shut up.
Anakin was busy planning how to confront the boy he was waiting for when he suddenly received a flash of someone's presence before it was completely hidden. His senses of high alert, he attempted to scan the room again with the Force, but this time he received no feedback. Over the years, he had learnt to trust his instincts and his gut in situations like these. And it was screaming at him to keep his guard up, and be ready for any potential threat.
Harry suddenly whipped his Cloak off himself, pointing his wand, its tip glowing unbeknownst to him directly at the intruder along with, 'Wait! Was that a freaking golden robot?' The man was dressed weirdly, a short black robe tied off at his waist while he was holding what seemed like a short metal rod with various buttons in his hand.
He shook himself, now was not the time to wait and think, he had to know who this man was and why he was after him. "Who are you and why are you here ?" he spoke up.
Anakin barely registered the voice behind him before he had his lightsaber activated, the glowing blue blade humming slightly. His gaze shifted toward the source of the voice, and there he was—the boy from that night. He recognised the messy black hair and emerald green eyes which were slightly glowing in the dim light, and a faint red lightning-shaped scar on his brow.
In the charged atmosphere, as the two Chosen Ones faced each other, Fate, seated at her loom, could sense the delicate threads slipping through her ethereal fingers. Their stories, once separate strands destined to follow divergent paths, now wove around each other in an intricate dance—a convergence that marked the inception of a saga destined to resonate throughout the universe. With the unexpected meeting of these two individuals, a cosmic tale unfurled, rewriting the celestial script and imprinting the cosmos with the echoes of an extraordinary encounter.
AN: A huge thank you to everyone who has been following the story of Anakin and Harry. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
AiyaKnight: Thank you so much for being our first reviewer! Right now we have an extensive arc planned for Earth with a lot of interaction between Anakin and Harry coming soon with the next chapter so stay tuned for the same.
May the Force be with you!
Dragonstaff and Technomage