Author Note: While I list this as a crossover between Star Trek: Voyager and Harry Potter, the bulk of the story will be in the world of Harry Potter. There may be scenes back in the Voyager world briefly, though at this time, I've not fully mapped out if they are needed or not. Timelines are not going to be explicitly correct to the different universes I'm borrowing from. Also, I would welcome any feedback on if the story has potential or if it should just be a short story spanning no more than 20 chapters. My other stories are still in progress, and my creative process can take some time for it to go from my brain to the words on this screen. Please understand, all opinions stated in this story belong to the character. I am NOT writing this to denigrate anybody's favorite fandom, or to try and correct society and their mores.
\01001000 01010101 01001111\ Delta Quadrant, some time after the loss of drone Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One to Federation Captain Janeway's tactics.
The Borg Queen was a unique individual. An anachronism to the very nature of the Borg, in that why would they need a queen? Why couldn't the Borg be run from a collective AI? There are more questions about the Borg than it is possible to write about, so we shall focus on other things for the duration of this story.
She was analyzing the outcome of events leading to the loss of the drone. Species 8472 had been a foe of the Borg for some time, though the Federation was an even greater foe as the losses attributed to them were greater. The proverbial thorn in the Borg Queen's side was simply down to human choices. In the past, a version of her body had been recreated in an attempt to seduce the Android Data, and that failed. Earth was never assimilated and the Federation continued to be a problem for the ultimate goal of the Borg: to assimilate the galaxy, and have no enemies.
While the list of species and technologies the Borg had accumulated had grown ever larger from the first days of the Borg Collective, some technologies and species were not on the list. Oh, sure, they had encountered many species, and almost all of them were excellent additions to the collective. Some had a natural resistance to the process of assimilation, and those populations were either eradicated from space when possible, or ignored as the expenditure of resources was deemed too great to bother with them. There was one form of technology that could be used again, and if done in a smaller fashion, it could have a success rate that would eventually propagate the Borg in a similar fashion to their current modus operandi.
Approaching a terminal in the heart of the Borg Unicomplex, the Borg Queen called up schematics for a temporal beacon once discovered by a species in a far off sector of the Delta Quadrant. After a few moments, the Queen calculated spatial and temporal coordinates to send a small probe the size of a hypospray to Earth. Targeting an area of London, she chose to provide instructions to the nanoprobes to make small changes to the economy, the warmongering nature, and a few other areas of humanity that, in her theory, led to mankind being one of the core founders of the United Federation of Planets. Its exploration arm, Starfleet, while not formed as a military unit, many times acted as one. If the culture of Earth could be modified some several hundred years prior to the forming of the Federation, then it could possibly never form. The target of this nanoprobe infused package would be a single child, no older than 10 Earth years old. She ran simulations based off of all known data about Species 5618, and felt that outward modifications to the body would be detrimental to her plan to forever remove the Federation from history.
After feeling confident that all her modifications would pan out, she ordered the construction and launch of the probe.
\01001000 01010101 01001111\ Little Whinging, Surrey, London, Earth, Alpha Quadrant, 1989
Harry Potter was walking from the playground back home. His cousin Dudley was nearby, trying to chase him to make yet another attempt at beating young Harry up simply because his father encouraged it. Vernon Dursley was of the opinion that Harry needed to have ample opportunity to allow the freakishness to be smothered out, and was not above thinking beatings (through his delightful, completely normal son) could do it. It just so happened that Harry developed a survival skill to run away from his cousin, and sometimes when that skill had to be replaced with catching his breath, his yet unknown magic saved him.
Rounding a corner of the sidewalk, Harry paused to look around, as he wanted to make sure his cousin Dudley wasn't close enough to catch him. There was a small burst of light in the upper atmosphere that went unnoticed by anyone in the area. Satellites didn't detect it as they were not able to decipher the type of emissions generated by an envelope of tachyons yet. The micro probe began scanning the area, and within 20 seconds, located several possible targets. One was a small male, approximately 9 years and 1 month old by Earth's calendar, another near that age, yet with a significantly higher mass than the first result. A third youth was present in the scan, a female with an approximate age of 8 years and 5 months. More were located, yet disqualified for sake of the instructions were to deliver the payload in an open area, so anyone inside a dwelling or business was excluded.
Processing the three candidates it had selected, the micro probe began to go through its decision matrix: ease of assimilation of target, probability of target's bloodstream having properties abhorrent to the programming of the nanoprobes, expected lifespan of individual. The last one was programmed for a few reasons: the Borg Queen knew that setting up maturation chambers wouldn't work right away; the chosen individual would have to consume solid nutrients for at least the first 5 years of the mission, making the ability to recharge from an alcove impractical; and the child chosen would have to be one that could propagate her children in a natural way, when the time came.
Suitability score: 93.24% : Youth, male, corrective lenses, unexpected technology field present
Suitability score: 86.21% : Youth, male, obese, partially related to first target
Suitability score: 90.73% : Youth, female, paralysis of lower extremities [correctible through nanoprobes]
All of the decisions and logic analysis were performed in less than 2 seconds, as the technology of the micro probe was from the 24th century. Nothing made on Earth at this time could even begin to match the computational power present in the micro probe. It chose to go after the first target, a youth with an unexpected technological field present to its scanners. The other two, while both were not impossible to carry out its mission, didn't have this unknown technology. Above all else, the Borg sought out any technologies it could to further improve itself.
Harry didn't see his cousin anywhere, so continued walking home. He was wondering what chores he could look forward to tomorrow, when he felt a small sting at the back of his neck. The micro probe had carried out its mission of delivering a small quantity of nanoprobes, programmed to take over a human child and forge a different future for humanity. The only drawback of the whole thing was that the Borg had never encountered Magic in any form. The Q Continuum was omnipotent, and impossible to assimilate. Magic was a form of energy manipulation, and it was capable of manifesting in people born to parents that didn't have magic to start with, as ultimately, Magic is tied to genetics. It could take generations to show up, or it could pass on to all children of magical couples.
Old Magic, or magic lost to time and not covered in many schools of magic, still existed. It was one kind of Old Magic that put a halt to the Borg Queen's plan. Lily Potter had enacted this Old Magic by sacrificing herself to save her only son. She hadn't known of it herself, as the only books covering this particular act were never part of the Hogwarts Library, nor for sale in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, or other Wizarding bookstores. They had been part of a Library that succumbed to a volcano. There were some copies stored safely deep in the remains of a library in a school in America, though that school had been buried by time and politicians who wanted a new expressway. MACUSA had tried to block it through its agents, and failed. Corporate greed allowed the expressway to be built, right over a secret entrance to the school. Eventually, another school took over educating American children in the ways of magic. None of the teachers of the old school even knew about those books and simply transferred to the newer school.
Harry, like most people automatically do when they feel like they've been stung by a bee, placed his hand on his neck. He cried out, "Ouch, that stung!" though he felt nothing. No bump, no indication he actually got stung. Right after that, the momentary pain went away. Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued walking home.
Meanwhile, the nanoprobes began to make their way through the bloodstream of the unsuspecting child. Their target was the brain, as their mission was to slowly change the person's way of thinking to plant the proverbial seeds of change that the Borg Queen wanted. They encountered the Old Magic and had an issue.
When Lily Potter died to try and protect her son, a protection against Tom Marvolo Riddle formed in Harry's blood. Albus Dumbledore was correct in thinking that Harry would be protected from Riddle while he called a place where Lily's Sister's blood dwelled. He didn't know about the actual Old Magic and what it truly did, though. If he had, things could have been different.
Tom Marvolo Riddle in his arrogance never learned of this Old Magic. He thought he was the greatest sorcerer in the world.
The nanoprobes, acting as a small collective, were programmed to lodge in various parts of the brain, and to gradually adjust the person's engrams towards what the Borg Queen wanted. Over a period of 15 years, the target would work towards gathering more youths, and eventually towards getting the entire planet shifted in their way of thinking. The projections were that within 125 years, no human on Earth would ever want to fight in wars, or explore space. They would not seek a way to break the warp barrier. The Old Magic protection in Harry's blood took on a light echo of Lily Potter. During his almost 9 years and change of being alive, Harry never noticed this presence. It wasn't something he himself could interact with, for he was not aware of it.
The Echo of Lily Potter noticed the collective of nanoprobes, and while it wasn't magic from Riddle, it was something foreign to her son. Powered by the immensely strong magical core of her son, Echo Lily began to wake up a bit more, as before this invasion from the 24th century, the Echo was mostly passive, and didn't do much. That changed in a nanosecond.
She was formed with the knowledge of what it was like to be a mother. Magic knowledge was not quite needed, as it was for the most part, tuned to Riddle's magical signature. Yet, her Core Structure was based on Old Magic. Naturally, the very idea of what these nanoprobes were designed to carry out was an affront to her. However, short of eliminating her very being, she couldn't eviscerate the nanoprobes and keep her son safe from Riddle in the future.
Deciding to alter the programming to her needs, Echo Lily instructed the nanoprobes to halt and await new instructions. Some of the beneficial aspects of what these nanoprobes could do was kept in a list for later use. If the Borg Queen had ever discovered someone who had a recollection of an ancestor who had attended that school in America, she would have discarded this attempt to eliminate the Federation. Old Magic was superior to everything the Borg had discovered, and would never be able to be squashed out.
\01001000 01010101 01001111\ Little Whinging, Surrey, London, Earth, July 10th, 1991
Life had been different for Harry Potter ever since that fateful day when he thought he got stung by a bee. He hadn't felt different in any way, and carried on trying to be the obedient servant his Aunt and Uncle wanted him to be. We shall agree to disagree on the efficacy of the word trying.
It had started the very next day after the nanoprobe collective was hijacked by Echo Lily.
His Uncle Vernon thought the boy needed to have an incentive for making breakfast properly for Petunia, Dudley, and himself. He had almost burned the bacon, and Vernon tried to punish his nephew with a light smack to the face. The green energy barrier that formed and stopped the kinetic force of the slap caused Vernon Dursley to stagger. Never before that moment had the boy demonstrated any form of the freakishness he knew Harry to have. Oh, to Vernon, Magic was unnatural. It was not something any upstanding citizen should have, no sir. Sadly, Vernon was raised by a man who was a bigot. Bigotry in its whole is not welcome in a truly civilized society.
At the time, Vernon thought more force would be necessary, and had yelled at the boy to go to his cupboard and skip breakfast. Later that day, Vernon would try to use his belt to teach Harry a lesson. The reflexes of the youth astonished Vernon. Also, his 9 year old nephew breaking his arm in three places put a serious damper in his efforts. From that day onwards, the Dursleys would treat Harry like he deserved to be treated: as a human being. His chores were split up with Dudley, and there were no more beatings. No more violence was carried out by Vernon or his son Dudley, as Harry would simply defend himself quite strongly. Petunia was actually afraid of her nephew, as the green barrier that formed was not any form of Magic her sister Lily had talked about. Sure, she hated the idea that her sister was gifted with magic and she wasn't. If genetics were the root of Magic, as Lily said, she and Lily had the same parents, so it just wasn't fair. Of course, genetics are a product of circumstance and chance. Not all outcomes are identical from the same source.
Harry was graciously allowed to have his own bedroom, no thanks from Dudley losing his second bedroom. Dudley learned early on that Harry no longer could be bullied and after his parents started calling him Harry and not 'boy' or 'freak', he was just another human being. His cousin, whom he went on adventures with. He was the same Harry who helped him beat the boss in some video games that he had trouble with. Harry was alright in Dudley's opinion.
The scar of legend, well, it wasn't anymore. It hadn't happened right away, but over a few months, Harry James Potter lost the scar entirely. The Echo of Lily Potter, now forever awake and monitoring the health and wellbeing of her original self's son, had discovered the Horcrux the night Harry went to sleep for the last time in that cupboard under the stairs. She had been utterly appalled at the foul presence. Her abilities before the nanoprobes would never have been able to remove the scar, or the soul shard it contained. With the nanoprobes successfully reprogrammed to aid Harry with everyday things and future endeavors, the scar was removed over a short time. The knowledge contained in the soul shard was partly absorbed by the nanoprobes, and most of it was discarded as Lily Potter would probably not want her son to have such knowledge as a child.
Harry's own knowledge of Magic was not something he was consciously aware of. His Aunt and Uncle never said anything about it, and the only times that green shield appeared were the two times Vernon tried to hit his nephew, and the single time Dudley tried to punch his cousin. Harry's self defense of breaking his Uncle's arm in three places made for a rapid change in atmosphere in the Dursley household. This was going to change.
Among some other changes in the regular activity of the Dursley household, Harry never had to cook for his relatives anymore. He calmly told his Aunt Petunia one day that he didn't feel like he should be made to cook for anyone, though would be happy to help with some meals. Uncle Vernon was still sporting a cast on his right arm from a few days prior, and Aunt Petunia simply said, 'okay, I'll resume cooking the meals, and ask if you feel like helping if I need the help'. He also got regular portions of food, and proper healthcare. His vision was not completely corrected, though enough was done to make it so he only needed glasses for reading.
Breakfast had concluded, and the mailman dropped off a few letters. A letter arrived addressed to Harry James Potter, of Number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey. It was this letter that made what had been an ordinary day an exciting one. It was not addressed to a specific room, as the magic on the Book of Names couldn't see exactly where Harry slept each night.
"Dudley, get the mail please." Petunia said.
Dudley was no longer as spoiled as he once was. For his most recent birthday he only got 5 presents. The tantrum he had was epic on the previous birthday. That was when Harry asked his Uncle why he never got birthday presents anywhere close to what Dudley received. While Harry was not a violent person, Vernon had remembered the day he had to be driven to the hospital with the story that he got mugged while out on a walk with his son. Telling a doctor or policeman that his 9 year old nephew broke his arm in three places to prevent being hit with a belt after the events of that morning was not a good idea. He had reevaluated how much money he spent on his child, and his nephew.
"Yes, mom." Dudley answered.
A few moments later, Dudley came back into the Living Room, where the family was watching a program on television. Some absurd thing with a phone booth and silly screwdrivers. Really, science fiction was going to the dogs, Vernon thought, if this is considered entertainment.
Walking over to his spot on the couch, Dudley handed the mail to his dad.
At a commercial break, Vernon looked through the letters. One was a bill from the hospital, he was still paying it. On reflection, he had used that belt on his nephew too many times. Even one time was even too many, he realized one day. Corporal punishment isn't effective when it isn't called for by actions that weren't consciously chosen by the individual. Spankings and such when a child did something wrong were sometimes okay, but trying to stamp out something that couldn't be helped? No, thank you. Vernon had quietly spoken with Petunia one night while recovering from the broken arm, and she had emphatically recalled how Lily had one day explained her theory that Magic was genetic, and with the laws of probability, how some people could be born with it, and others not. Vernon wasn't a fool. Some others in the Ministry of Magic and general society of Wizardkind had not quite learned those lessons. Even more wizards and witches thought that the Muggles were filthy animals. Animals that had split the atom, been to the moon, and had weapons that could annihilate Diagon Alley from orbit, wards notwithstanding.
After laying down the hospital bill and postcard from his sister Marge, who, oddly enough, never came over to visit anymore, Vernon saw the letter from Hogwarts. Poor Ripper had become afraid of Harry for some reason. Of course, that was a few weeks after the arm incident, and Aunt Marge had, in her special way, tried to make Harry become a servant again, when Vernon had told her that Harry was the one to make him need the cast he had on his arm. She blustered about putting Harry into a correctional camp for troubled youths, when Vernon had told her no, that it was his own fault for not treating his nephew like a decent human being for once. He also reminded his sister that his nephew was someone he would choose to love since his wife loved Harry's mother, in her own way at least.
"Harry, you have a letter. I was wondering when this would show up. Dudley, I am not sure if you are allowed to know about this, so go to your room and play a game or something. Your mother and I need to speak with Harry alone." Grabbing the TV remote off the coffee table, Vernon shut off the television. He made a mental note to contact the cable company and voice his displeasure at the choice they made in having that ridiculous program on their network. A time lord, whose special weapon was a screwdriver, and traveled in a phone booth? No, that nonsense had no business being produced anymore, if Vernon had anything to say about it.
Dudley went up to his room, while Harry wondered what the letter could be about.