Disclaimer:
I solemnly swear that the literature and works of the Harry Potter Verse belong to JK Rowling, Bloomberg and Warner Bros. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Mischief Managed Damn It!
Title: Untitled Pacific Rim AU / Chapter 2
Posted Date: July 03 2024
Inspiration: Pacific Rim, Monster Hunters
Tags: Neville is Backup BWL, Harry go to different school, Pacific Wizards are Kaiju Hunters
Possible Challenges: Harry x Multi, Giant Robots, Aged Up to University, Timeline in the 2000s
It was one thing to know how big a Kaiju was from a few miles with whatever was around to gauge the size.
It was another thing entirely to see the head of a recently slain Kaiju up close and feeling absolutely dwarfed by it even if they were several blocks away from it and a few stories off the ground to see the eye upfront.
After the security sounded the all-clear, the guard informed them that they could move to the consulate although they were to expect some delays since the attack by the Category 2s damaged some facilities and buildings when they invaded. It just happened upon their arrival that they were granted a room with a window facing the area where the people had transported the body of a smaller Kaiju for processing, their guard apologising for the room placement but evidently other guests were occupying the other rooms so the British had to see the rendering in the works.
Amelia could not help the chills down her spine despite the mildly comfortable heat of the room they were in as she looked at the head that had the mouth open to show off the huge teeth, the blood splattered scales that were known to be hard enough to rival some of the hardest materials on the planet, and most disconcerting, the open eye that even now gave the sense that the Kaiju was alive and looking at them, just waiting to catch them off guard.
The people rendering the carcass were certainly treating the head as though it was alive, and were making sure that they would not be taken by surprise, being covered in all manners of protective clothing and wielding very deadly looking equipment just in case they need to improvise on the spot while the Jaeger Teams who had fought the Kaiju were on standby and watching it closely along with their surroundings.
It was interesting to see how much security was placed for that alone, but given what these beasts were capable of even in the throes of death, it was likely a case of "better to be safe than sorry" and not end up on their menu. There were also studies regarding the Kaiju body parts that could help with potions and herbology, apparently much of the body waste alone could be rendered in such a manner that just 300 pounds of it would be enough to fertilise an entire field of crops spanning 20 by 20 miles for 3 full years, something that even 4 tons worth of high quality dragon dung would have issues doing the same deal for a shorter period of roughly a year or so. With how potent the ingredients made from Kaiju corpses were, there was a reason why anyone who worked in the black market was trying to get their hands on them.
Still did not make it any easier seeing the creature dissected up close.
"I am still wrapping my head around the idea that these people are able to go toe-to-toe with these monsters." Cyrus looked at the chip of broken tooth that was being cut apart by some people, slightly turning pale at the size which was taller than him by at least three heads if he used the workers as a height gauge, and he was quite tall by British standards. "I wish our Aurors could do half of that."
"You are preaching to the choir." One of the sore spots for Amelia was the continuous budget cuts that Cornelius kept doing in the name of reshuffling money to important sectors in a supposed peace time, but it was an open secret for everyone in the Ministry that the majority of the money was going into the pockets of his own or his buddies. As one might guess, when people needed the money to fix the infrastructure after the attacks from either terrorists or Kaijus only to find out the money was spent on manors, food and the occasional mistress, heads rolled about on the floor.
In Cornelius's case along with Dolores Umbridge, the figurative speech became literal once the goblins got involved.
On the other end of the scale, Dumbledore kept giving out empty platitudes but would only do actions that would benefit him in some manner. Amelia had a good number of chats with other department heads to know that Dumbledore was harming the society with both the dumbed-down education and his desire to keep everything to his chest to act all-knowing. And when combined with his penchant to give out second chances freely like those blasted lemon drops, it was honestly a wonder Britain lasted this long with the Death Eaters and Kaiju around.
"What are we waiting for, Father?" Daphne asked while looking at a crew supposedly rendering the foot of the creature with a keen eye, trying to match what she knew from potions to what she was seeing.
"Hopefully a quick meeting with the headmaster of the Pacific Rim Academy or someone from their DMLE." Cyrus answered as he looked elsewhere from the rendering that had the fluids spilling out messily on the ground. "They are the ones we are supposed to be meeting with today."
"They are strong." Susan had her attention on the Jageurs who were standing guard. "They are roughly my age and yet are able to go toe-to-toe at the Kaijus."
Yes, that was insane. And on that note.
"Cyrus, I need to talk with you about something." Amelia gestured her hand to the corner of the room and the two adults made their way there before Amelia put up silencing wards and checked for listening charms to confirm the secrecy. "I know we are asking for aid from the consulate and the academy, but."
"You want to ask about the one they call Arcane Septum." Cyrus had the feeling she was asking about the young man who took on the Category 3 Kaiju.
"Unless I am very much mistaken, that is a very much alive Harry Potter." Amelia rubbed her forehead. "He looks too much like James Potter when he was alive. But those eyes are definitely Lily's, and while faded, there is that scar on his forehead that everyone knows of."
"If it is him, what exactly are you thinking?" Cyrus crossed his arms. "I suspect you are hoping to bring him up in the conversation later to get him back in Britain."
"Can you blame me? Our country is getting overrun with death eaters and my Aurors cannot get anything done thanks to spies and corruption. And then Britain is getting hammered to the earth by the Kaijus that have started coming in increasing frequency." Amelia clearly had been holding back on that rant for some time now. "Dumbledore seemed to be focusing all the effort into dealing with the death eaters, thinking all will be sunshine and roses when You-Know-Who gets defeated. But his backup boy is not really inspiring confidence, no thanks to Augusta trying to make him emulate Frank or the man's idea of studies. Harry Potter is already proving a better candidate than Neville with that fight alone."
"Even if you do want to bring Potter back, what are the reasons?" Cyrus hated having to spell out the obvious, but he had to play devil's advocate right now. "If we are talking about his role as Kaiju hunter, you need to make a good offer to bring to the table. I asked around when preparing to come here, and from what I had gathered, regular Jaeger Teams as they are referred to here are in high demand around the world to help train their corps while fighting off lower ranking Kaijus. The elites, be they teams or individuals, are front-line fighters who tend to be stationed here and immediate surrounding areas due to the frequency of the Kaijus appearing out of the drifts compared to other nations." Amelia had to agree to that, they already had issues with the odd Kaiju coming to Britain, she could not imagine fighting on a weekly basis.
"And then we have the Arcanes, the top thirteen fighters trained specifically to be One-Man armies on their own to fight Category 3s and rumoured 4s if they come back. They can't just move around without causing massive amounts of collateral damage, and certainly not on their own too often due to their power. They may have autonomy to go to other countries without the need for passports, but they answer strictly to the headmaster of the Pacific Rim Academy and the President of the Pacific Region. The next closest may be the ICW Supreme Mugwump, but then you remember the debacle with Dumbledore when someone raised the issue of bringing the Jaegers into Britain?" Amelia sighed at that bit. That was what broke the camel's back for the ICW's tolerance towards Dumbledore and they effectively wrote him and his proxies out of the organisation, only keeping Britain on the list and at a lower ranking of priority.
"Now we come to the young man himself. We don't fully know his circumstances that brought him here, other than the fact that he was dumped on the doorstep like a parcel by Dumbledore with some muggles who gave him up on a dime and moved away to avoid detection. The young man obviously grew up around here to be trained in their academy, and he had all the opportunity to let anyone in Britain know that he was here. The goblins made it clear he already knew about his family's fate and his fame when Malfoy attempted to get his hands on the Potter Vaults, and that said vaults are strictly under his control, which means emancipation." Amelia nodded her head at that, remembering the incident that had Lucius Malfoy thrown out by the goblins of Gringotts for his attempt to gain the vaults, followed by Dumbledore who got slammed for using a key that had been deactivated and obviously not his, resulting in a public penalization of his own vaults.
"The fact Mister Potter did not alert anyone from Britain of his location, even those like his oath-sworn godfather, tells us that he has no desire to be back in a country that by all accounts abandoned him to abusive relatives while others celebrate the defeat of the dark lord and the implied notion of his parents' deaths that no one properly awarded posthumously." Cyrus paused to give her a moment to consider those words. "I very much doubt we can get him on board, so for now, just focus on why we are here. Okay?" The woman had to sigh again at that blunt but true statement. She really hated the situation that Dumbledore and the Ministry had brought them under, and a part had hoped that having Potter on their end would tip the scales.
Damn it, she was thinking like a politician, and she hated politics with a passion!
The doors opening drew their attention to the five people who entered the room. Two were adults, one male roughly Cyrus age and one female that was older than Amelia, both dressed in a manner similar to Cyrus but more up to date with the styling and with the badges above the breast pocket to show their placement in the consulate, the female being more familiar to the British guests as the representative of the Pacific Consulate, while the male was the headmaster of the Pacific Rim Academy. A third was a security guard in her mid twenties, blond hair tied up in a bun, a stern expression that reminded Daphne and Susan of their Astronomy Professor, and a body wrapped in the professional suit that had Cyrus privately thinking he was glad for Occlumency and for his wife to not be around. The other two were apparently cadets of the academy serving as escorts for the headmaster given their age, and they stood at attention behind him a few feet away with eyes fixed on them.
"Good afternoon, Amelia Bones and Cyrus Greengrass. Welcome to the Pacific Consulate." The representative smiled while holding out a hand to shake. "I imagine your first visit was quite exciting."
"In a manner of speaking, Madam Ingwe." Cyrus's dry remark with a glance out the window earned him chuckles from her and the headmaster.
"Yes, that is certainly more exciting than most days. Please, call me Vera." The woman waved a hand to her companion. "My friend here is Alven Morgan, the headmaster for the Pacific Rim Academy."
"A pleasure to meet you both." The man's tone was slightly strained but firm as he greeted them, as though he had an injury around the throat.
"Please take a seat." Vera went to take a seat in the chair and let out a tired sigh. "One thing I do not envy is the amount of paperwork to do after an incursion." The cadets and the guard had strained smiles at that bit.
Amelia could relate to that.
"Now, on to business then." Vera looked at them while a tea set was prepared for them by a waiter on standby. She took a sip of the drink and thanked the waiter who nodded and left the room. Only when the door was closed and the guard checked the room did she continue speaking. "You wish to have a small team of Jaegers come to Britain to help train your Aurors and any other capable wizards to deal with your dark lord problem and the Kaijus invading the country. Correct?"
"Yes." Amelia had to swallow her pride on this. "I am sad to say that our Auror corps have been heavily diminished over the years because of budget cuts, so we are left with a bare minimum to deal with the criminals and You-Know-Who. And with the increasing frequency of the Kaijus invading Britain, we do not have a lot of human resources to deal with them. While we are now able to get new blood into the corps, we are still behind in strength."
"You-Know-Who?" One of the cadets tilted her head in confusion.
"Their dark lord problem, some guy they keep pissing their pants to speak his name out loud. Some pretentious French name." Her partner answered softly. But their voices were still heard by the adults.
"Kids." Alven turned slightly to look them in the eye.
"Sorry sir." The two lowered their heads as one, embarrassed at being heard over this. Their headmaster nodded sternly at them before turning back.
"I see, quite the predicament." Alven folded his hands together. "But what is the end goal? What numbers are you looking for and how long?"
"We are hoping to train at least 50 graduates or more in the coming year, with 200 odd Aurors thrown in by the end of the period." Amelia gave her request to them. Granted, the numbers were lower than what she really wanted but she had to make ends meet. "Given the severity, we are hoping to have enough experienced trainers to help with the training for a decade or even 5 years just to get us going."
"But how about your administration?" Vera asked while taking a sip of her tea. "If I recall correctly, the minister is a Cornelius Fudge who would not let any foreign personnel in his country, and the less said of Dumbledore the better." That last bit was done with a frown. She had a few meetings with the old wizard and her impressions of him were less than good, partially due to the man's handling of matters during the war with Grindelwald.
"Cornelius Fudge has been ousted out of the Ministry a week ago, and is now spending time with the goblins due to violations of certain treaties. There is a new Interim Minister who is helping us until the upcoming election." Cyrus took over at this point. "Dumbledore no longer has any official voice with the Ministry with the latest mess that came about."
"How about unofficial?" Alven raised an eyebrow, more than well-versed for politician doublespeak.
"We are making it very clear to his associates that we do not appreciate any interference from them on behalf of Dumbledore. We already kicked out a few of his associates from the Ministry." Amelia kept quiet on the five ex-Aurors who were now spending time in Azkaban for not following the order of command and possible evidence tampering along with passing of classified information to the old wizard. That man had his fingers in too many pies for her liking.
"Well, if that is the case." Alven leaned forward with a gleaming eye that Cyrus was more than familiar with. "Let's talk business."
It took the better part of an hour to negotiate the terms and the number of people needed (evidently the British had gravely underestimated the amount of manpower needed for this venture), while Daphne and Susan busied themselves conversing with the student guards and the adult guard, curious about the type of training involved. Finally a contract was made and the British felt they may have something going their way after so much idiocy thrown their way by the old administration.
"Oh dear." Vera looked at her device which chimed. "Were you planning to return home this evening?"
"Yes." Cyrus took one look at her expression and sighed. "Let me guess, we are not leaving anytime soon."
"The people handling the transport of one Category 3 corpse punctured an organ that was holding some combustible gas and acid. It had let out some of the contents around the building with the departure hall. While it is not damaged, the acid is evidently corrosive even in its gaseous state, so they need to run decontamination." Vera explained with a wince. "And it needs at least a day to be cleansed. Not to mention we are still in lockdown from this fight, so at the earliest, you can return tomorrow."
"Good thing we set aside the next two days just in case we are stuck with negotiations." Amelia sighed while shaking her head. "I really hate the Kaijus interrupting my schedule."
"Join the club. We tend to include four days to every scheduled meeting just in case of disruptions like this." Alven stood up while smoothing out his suit. "If you want, I could grant you a quick tour of the academy to see some of my students in their lessons. That way, you get a sense of what you are expecting for your end."
"Oh, that would be nice." Amelia and Cyrus were certainly interested to see how a school dealing with Kaiju extermination would be compared to Hogwarts or other schools in Europe. Daphne and Susan for their part were interested to see a different school since they never got a chance to visit those outside of Britain.
"Who knows, if you are lucky, you might even get a chance to meet one of the Arcances." Vera smiled at that thought. "One of them is always visiting his alma mater even after graduation. Even more so when he has to deal with invasions this close to the Pacific Ring."
"One way to find out." Alven nodded. "Are you coming with us?"
"I would love to. But I can't." Vera let out a sigh. "I really need to deal with the paperwork. If not, I will be stuck behind my desk for a month." All the adults gave her a commiserating look at the common enemy that in their opinion was as bad as the Kaiju.
"Right, let's go ahead." They finished up and left the room to move to the automated tram that would get them to the academy with Vera following for the moment since her office was on the way. Vera took great pleasure in introducing the consulate to the group and retelling of the history, and the younger British adults certainly enjoyed the look and feel of the place.
Amelia and Cyrus would like to reiterate that they were NOT jealous of the people working in the consulate. Nope, they were not.
It was as they reached the part of the building leading to the tram that they noted the odd density of the people waiting about. "What is going on?" Cyrus looked at the crowd with a frown. Amelia looked at those closest to her and noted how they were mostly young women who were acting like their favourite movie star was coming to the country.
"Ah, unless I am mistaken, you are about to meet a special visitor." Vera and Alven smiled at the crowd, seemingly used to their behaviour. The guests got their answers when the crowd parted to allow a lone individual walk past them. To their surprise, it was the young man that Amelia and Cyrus were talking about, and judging by how Vera waved at him to get his attention, this would be the one who would be visiting the academy. It was quite clear as he got closer that he was definitely Britain's missing Boy-Who-Lived.
Although you could hardly call the young man coming to them a boy.
Up close, Potter was evidently taller than initially thought of, hitting the height of a Seventh Year student if based solely on Hogwarts standards. He was dressed in a similar style as the students of Pacific Rim but with a more militaristic design with protective braces on his limbs and what might be a protective vest beneath the shirt. The trench coat was battle-worn but still functional with possible runes stitched into the lining, and the battle staff he had was practically humming with power to Amelia's senses that she had to wince and briefly massaged her forehead to ease the pain. His dark hair appeared to have traces of silver which only showed themselves thanks to the lighting, and long enough to necessitate being tied into a ponytail to control it, while his emerald green eyes had signs of weariness that spoke of years fighting the Kaiju and possibly dark wizards in between.
The academy student guards both stood at attention and saluted with almost military precision, both showing slight expressions of awe to be near him. The adult guard also saluted when he was closer, although Amelia and Cyrus inwardly rolled their eyes at the latter's action of straightening herself to give a rather blatant display of her chest along with the smouldering gaze she had at him.
Even here, the young man had fangirls.
"Councillor Ingwe, Headmaster Morgan." Potter greeted them after pausing in front of the group. "It is a pleasure to meet with you again."
"Oh my dear, please call us by our names already." Vera chuckled at him. "I do hope everyone is safe." Potter nodded at Vera's statement while the group moved to get away from the eyes on them and to avoid blocking the way to the station.
"They are, Madam. There are no casualties from the Jaeger Teams sent out, but we do have a couple needing treatment. One of the Category 2s bled out with the acidic blood hitting them, thankfully their suits had their charms active to prevent their bodies melting, but they had to go through decontamination and need to replace their suits because of that." The Pacific group shivered collectively at the image in their heads. "Oh, one thing." Harry turned to Alven at this. "Rayleigh is requesting an extended leave for his team, they have been on overtime for the past couple of months and I think they are reaching their limits of their endurance because of the increased frequency of the incursions."
"Understood, I will go and approve when I return. They have been pushing themselves." The headmaster nodded. "I am more surprised they did not say this earlier. They had been accumulating their leave days but Rayleigh was still going strong without signs of wanting to stop."
Harry coughed into his fist with an amused smile. "You can thank Mako for that. She had him around her finger and made it clear they had to take a break or he will be sleeping on the couch." Alven smirked while Vera lightly chuckled at that. Harry then turned to Amelia and the guests, and the adults were once more reminded of the resemblance to James Potter. "Are these your guests?"
"Yes, Harry." Vera paused briefly, and Amelia's Auror instincts tingled at that. "These are Amelia Bones and Cyrus Greengrass, officials from the British Ministry of Magic." Harry did not show any major signs of his surprise, but Amelia noted his arm holding the staff stiffening slightly and his eyes got a touch more alert. "The two young ladies are Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass, Amelia's niece and Cyrus's daughter."
"Good afternoon, Madam Bones, Mister Greengrass." Harry greeted them formally as he held out a hand. "And you as well, Miss Bones and Miss Greengrass."
"Nice to meet you, young man." Cyrus shook his hand firmly. "You are the one of these Arcanes that deal with the higher level Kaijus?"
"Them and others if needed." Harry replied as he shook hands with the others. "We serve both as fighters and law enforcement if needed."
"It must be quite the task to have to go at them alone." Cyrus commented.
"When one is capable of levelling mountains, you have to consider other factors like team compatibility. Not everyone can work with others." Harry shrugged. "I could tell you more but I better not take up your time."
"Actually, it is fortuitous that you are here, Harry." Vera beamed at him. "You see, they are here as representatives from their government to hire some of the Jaeger Teams, and as their return trip is delayed on account of the Kaijus, Alven has offered them a tour of the academy to give them some perspective of what to expect. I am guessing you are going to visit the academy yourself?" Harry looked a little uncertain about this but nodded after giving a glance at the British guests, and it did not escape their attention that he was not exactly comfortable with the notion. "You can go along with them for a short while before making your way. I have to go to my office now."
"Understood, Vera. In that case, shall we?" Harry motioned for them to follow him to a train carriage that was not used, the people in the station parting to let them pass. Cyrus noted the behaviours and could tell that Harry commanded a fair amount of respect from the community. One that was earned in the line of battle as opposed to platitudes, titles and gold as commonly seen back home.
Once they boarded, the doors closed and the train started to leave the station, granting them a chance to see the realm of the Pacific Consulate in full view using the train that had full height windows and a ceiling that turned semi translucent to show the place. The British visitors could not help gaping at the sight of the area they were in, seeing what could be a city built into the bedrock within a dome made of a material to let them see the outside world with one end dipping downwards to have ocean water hitting against the end. They went a fair distance showing the city while Alven began explaining about the city a little.
While they listened, Amelia kept glancing at Harry Potter who had taken to standing near one of the windows to look outside with a look of strict fondness, his body seemingly relaxed but ready to jump into action at the slightest hint of an attack. It was weird to see someone this young to be so battle ready, and it merely reinforced in her mind that he was more prepared than the backup Boy-Who-Lived in Britain. She had nothing against the Longbottoms, but she felt that Augusta's desire to have Neville emulate his comatose father was a mistake to have Dumbledore use his influence over the child. She was not really seeing anything that would convince her or her compatriots that Neville would be able to help them against the terrorists or the Kaiju, and if what Susan said was true, his attitude had gone down since.
The train then entered a tunnel and for a while they could not see anything before the others felt the train steadily going deeper into the earth and slowing briefly with the sounds of flushing. The train sped up once more and exited the tunnel, showing them now in the open waters and showing the dome from the outside along with other domes that could be spotted in the waters. The girls were looking at the ocean life in wonder and the adults had to admit this was a very unique sight.
"Is this entire area the Pacific Rim?" Daphne looked at the whale that appeared near them.
"You are seeing one part of it." Harry spoke out for the first time. "The Pacific Ring of Fire encompasses the entire Pacific Ocean so we have several domes to cover the area." He came to their side while motioning to the dome they had just left. "You had previously arrived at the waypoint designated for all new arrivals and departures to ensure security before coming to the Consulate Dome, the place we just left. We are currently taking this train to the substation where we will take a transfer to the academy."
"Why not go there directly?" Susan asked.
"Due to the presence of the Kaiju, the academy is in a separate dome on its own, and to avoid sabotage from inside and out, the academy has a landing dome meant for all personnel to arrive or leave. We take security seriously." Harry looked at the girls, and it was all they could do to not shiver from the gaze pointed at them. "We have had people trying to find us and take control of the academy or to take us out for whatever reasons. We will not allow one of our own to fall under the thrall of a compulsion charm or a potion designed to control us." His eyes glanced at the adults at this point. "Not to mention the ICW attempting to force some ruling to have the group under their thumb because we do not adhere to the Statute. Kind of pointless when we are dealing with Kaijus."
"Yes, we apologise deeply for that." Cyrus winced at that bit. It was a ruling that had aimed to combine the Pacific Jaegers with the Aurors to supposedly help the ICW maintain the Statute, but it was one that came with too many legislations and granting too much control to any one person to restrict their movements, let alone an entire country, and it had been proven a few times in the past with politicians holding them back to stop them from saving others due to politics.
And less said about Dumbledore with his constant views on magic or insistent desire to hoard information, the better.
All other talk got stopped when they entered another tunnel and the people felt the familiar feeling of entering a portal before exiting the tunnel and into another station. The doors opened for Alven and his guards to walk out, followed by the guests and Harry moving at the rear with some distance between. Thanks to the clear material, the British guests could see a large dome outside of it with a tunnel leading to it. "This way." The headmaster of the academy guided them to said tunnel where the British get to experience the novelty of the travelator, with the Pacific locals smiling at their reactions. Then the group exited the tunnel and the British could not help the gasps coming out of their mouths, their surprise at what greeted them distracting them from stepping over the comb plate in time and almost all fell over from their feet hitting the edge. Alven and Harry Potter chuckled as they went to help them out, with the adults noting the girl's reactions to being helped up.
"I am glad that you enjoy the look of the academy." The headmaster stepped right up to the open balcony that appeared to have been built specifically to showcase the futuristic academy that was in front of them with gleaming glass and steel and appeared to be partially built into the rock wall. Even with the distance, it was clear that the academy was a lot bigger than Hogwarts, and combined with the waterfall feature that they could smell the salt, it made for a very impressive sight. "Allow me to welcome you to the Pacific Rim Academy."