Authors note: So this is my attempt at a Harry Potter fanfiction. the idea for the plot of this fic came to me the other day and I haven't been able to get it out of my head so I figured the hell with it lets try it and see if we can't turn this into something more successful than any of the My Hero Fics I tried to write.
Warning: This first chapter contains scenes of child abuse.
Next on a lighter note My first fic people complained about this, so I'm going to post a warning now:this fic will definitely include polyamory and what could be calleda harem, although, as in my past stories, I plan on writing it more as a poly than a harem. Andwill probably include Femslash/Yuri (love between women), andso, if you have an issue with any of that, then this isn't the fic for you. There will be no Slash/ Yaoi (love between guys) I have no issue with that, but it's not really my jam, so I'm not writing it.
Next, the pairing for this story is half decided; it will most likely be Harry/Cho. However, the other women in this fic are still open for suggestions. I will tell you that as it sits now, I am strongly leaning towards Daphne Greengrass being the 3rd member of the relationship. And most likely one other woman as well. The last woman I'm open to ideas and suggestions; my only thing is No Hermione; I wasn't crazy about her as a character a lot of the time, and she is going to get slightly bashed in this fic.
Which leads into my next warning: this story will have some Weasley-specific bashing of Ron and his mother. I'm not planning on doing it heavily, mind you but it will be a thing.
Ok with that, let us begin.
Also, I know spelling and grammar have been major issues in my past fics, so I put this one through a few online grammar and spelling check programs, so I hope it's better.
Warning: This first chapter contains scenes of child abuse.
A seven-year-old child was hard at work in the garden of his aunt's house.
The sun had not yet risen, but had anyone been around to see it, they would have noticed the boy had been hard at work for a few hours now.
His dark hair was messy, and his eyes were a brilliant emerald green. However, if one looked closely, they would notice that his eyes seemed to be slightly glowing as if lit by some internal fire.
As the boy cared for the beautiful plants in his aunt's garden. (Although by all rights it should be called his garden, he doubted his aunt had ever spent more than a few minutes working on these plants). The sun began rising over Little Whinging.
Harry noted the rising sun and nodded to himself; he still had a few more hours before he had to go into the house and begin cooking breakfast, which meant he still had time to finish pruning the roses and mow the lawn. This was good, as his aunt would be furious if her award-winning garden was less than perfect on any given day, and his uncle would be even more furious if he didn't have their breakfast ready promptly in the morning.
One would think such thoughts would be beyond that of a child. But the truth was that the yard and housework at number 4 Privet Drive had been Harry's responsibility since he turned 5 years old and was deemed by his relatives as old enough to work.
Taking a moment, the boy focused and stopped the flow of warmth to his eyes, and the glowing faded away.
Harry wasn't totally sure what his warmth was, but he knew that it lived in his chest, and he could focus it on various parts of himself to make things happen. When focused on his eyes, the warmth would make them glow slightly and allow him to see clearly in darkness, a trick he had been using to do the yard work before the sun rose.
When he did other tasks around the house, he knew he could focus the warmth into his limbs for extra strength, and when he was hurt, the warmth could be used to lessen the pain and even fix the injuries with time, although doing the latter would leave him very tired.
He had tried asking his uncle Vernon about the warmth once, assuming it was something that everybody had.
However, in response, his uncle had beaten the then 6-year-old until the child could barely move and been informed to never mention it again.
He had done other things with the warmth too. Once while running from his cousin's gang, he had felt the warmth envelope his entire body and had suddenly found himself on the roof of the local library. Of course, he had never repeated this feat, as when his cousin told his uncle about his miraculous disappearing act, he had gotten an even worse beating from the grown man than his cousin and his friends would have given him.
He had found a few other small tricks that he could do as well. When the cupboard under the stairs where he slept got cold in winter, he found he could force the warmth out of his body and use it to heat the area. He could also make things float a little bit, although these more dramatic tricks left him feeling very tired.
He wasn't sure what the warmth that gave him powers was. Although he had a suspicion that his mother or father must have had the same abilities, as his aunt had once referred to them as a family of freaks.
"BOY!" A voice suddenly called out from the house. Causing Harry to flinch. Thinking about his powers had caused him to lose track of the time, and now his uncle was awake without breakfast being prepared. That was never a good thing.
Quickly, Harry put down the push mower he had been using on the lawn and rushed into the house.
The moment Harry entered the kitchen, he saw his uncle standing there with a look of anger on his face.
"Where is my breakfast freak?" Vernon asked
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I was finishing things in the garden I didn't—" Harry tried to explain.
However, his explanation was cut off by his uncle's fist slamming into him, sending the small boy to the ground.
"Did I ask for excuses, you useless freak?" His uncle snarled, "No, I didn't. I asked where my breakfast is. Now get up and start cooking. It's Dudley's first day of summer vacation, and I won't have it ruined because you're too lazy to do your work."
Nodding Harry began cooking and soon had a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes prepared when his cousin and aunt came into the room.
His cousin seeing Harry cooking in front of the hot stove and feeling unusually vindictive that morning for no particular reason. Walked up and promptly kicked Harry's legs out from under him, causing Harry to fall back and sending the hot iron pan into the air.
As Harry lay on the ground, he saw the metal pan falling towards his face and instinctively reached out his hands to try and protect himself. While closing his eyes, waiting for the impact of the hot iron pan.
Suddenly the warmth flowed through him stronger than before as if reacting to the danger, and Harry felt it rush through his outstretched arms and out.
After a moment he opened his eyes, having not felt the burning hot impact he was expecting, and saw that the iron pan was instead of falling towards him now floating in the air just above him.
Before he could marvel at his luck for being saved from being brained and burned by the cooking pan, he felt the tiredness that came with using his powers. And quickly rolled out of the way.
Almost as soon as he had moved, the previously floating cooking pan dropped to the ground where he had been lying moments before with a loud bang.
"D-Daddy, what was that? How did the freak do that?" He heard his cousin ask, and suddenly a feeling of dread fell over Harry.
His uncle had beaten him half to death just for asking about the warmth using it in front of his uncle, and even worse, in front of Dudley was sure to end badly for Harry.
Looking up, he saw that Vernon's face was going purple with rage, while his aunt was looking at Harry with a look of pure disgust.
"That does it." Vernon screamed, "I don't care what that old, bearded freak says anymore; using his freakishness in front of our son is the last straw. I won't have this Petunia."
A small part of Harry wondered if his aunt would defend him from his uncle's rage, but he wasn't surprised when her only response was a nod and then to take Dudley out of the room.
His cousin was still staring at him with wide, frightened eyes.
What followed was the worst beating Harry had ever received at his uncle's hands. Vernon punched the boy to the floor before removing his belt and using it to whip Harry's back until it was bloody before repeatedly kicking the child as he lay on the ground. Throughout the whole experience, Harry never wept or cried out, as he knew that would only make it worse; he merely lay there and tried to endure.
Once Vernon's rage had passed, Harry hoped it was over before he felt himself being picked up by his hair and dragged along the ground. His eyes had swollen shut from being hit in the face, so he couldn't see anything but felt himself being lifted and thrown into a small space before a slamming sound could be heard. Followed by the sound of a car.
His uncle's car Harry realized his uncle had thrown him into his trunk and seemed to be driving someplace. He tried to use his warmth again to lessen the pain that was wracking his beaten body and felt the cuts on his back slowly healing and some of the swelling going down, but he was getting more and more tired. The boy let his eyes close and hoped wherever his uncle was taking him, it would be a better place.
Harry would awaken sometime later to the smell of salt in the air and the feeling of something poking him. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying on a dock next to the water; large ships could be seen all around him, and the poking feeling turned out to be a seagull that was pecking his head.
Waving off the bird, Harry looked over his body. He must have been asleep for a long time, as his relative's home was hours away from any coastline. What's more, he could feel the warmth in his body again, and it seemed to have healed most of his injuries. He was still bruised in many places along his face and torso, and he felt new scars across his back from the whipping his uncle had given him, but that was nothing new to Harry.
Looking around, Harry saw a pair of men walking down the dock towards him, hoping to figure out where he was; if nothing else, Harry stood with some difficulty and walked towards them.
"Umm, excuse me." The little boy called out to the men.
The men turned to look at Harry, their eyebrows rising, seeing a small, bruised boy approaching them.
Looking at Harry's torn, bloodied, and oversized clothes, one of them simply dismissed the boy as a young beggar: "Beat it, kid; I don't have any money for you."
"N- no that wasn't what I was going to ask." Harry said, "Can you tell me where I am right now?"
The first man just scoffed and walked away, but the second looked at Harry for a moment; his gaze seemed to be focused largely on Harry's forehead, where his hair had parted to reveal the lightning bolt scar.
"It can't be." The man seemed to say to himself, "There is just no way…. What's your name, kid?"
"Harry Potter" Harry answered
The man's eyes went wide, and he whistled under his breath, "Well, that's hard to believe. Don't suppose you have a way to prove it."
This question confused Harry; after all, why would someone pretend to be him? "Umm, no, but why would I?"
The man just shook his head. "Never mind. stupid question that lightning bolt of yours is proof enough for me. Anyways, how did you end up here?"
"I'm not sure I made my uncle mad, and after he was done hitting me, he threw me in the trunk of his car. I just woke up here," Harry answered.
The man's eyes went even wider. "Does he do that a lot, your uncle? Hit you, I mean."
Harry nodded, "mostly if I don't get the house or yard work done fast enough or if I didn't have their meals ready in time."
The dark-haired man just shook his head, muttering to himself, "I always knew those books were bullshit, but I never imagined—I mean, if people knew…" Before straightening, he got a determined look on his face. "Follow me, kid," he said as he began walking towards one of the boats in the harbor.
Harry had a moment of indecision, but despite all he had been through at the hands of his relatives, he was still a child and trusted easily, so he followed the man. As he did, he took the time to really examine him.
The man was tall and well-muscled with tan skin and a weathered face. He looked to be in his mid-40s. His hair was buzzed short but seemed to be a dark color, and he had a large anchor tattoo across his shoulders, which turned into full tattoo sleeves going down his arms, which were bared as it looked like the sleeves of his shirt had been forcibly ripped off. The tattoos had avariety of nautical themes. Ranging from ships in storms to beautiful mermaids.
"Name's Brian Shafiq," the man introduced himself. "Captain of the Angry Abraxan"
"Angry Abraxan?" Harry asked. He knew what angry was, but he had never heard of an Abraxan.
"It's my boat boy; you will see in a moment." Brian explained
As they moved down the pier, Harry saw a mid-sized boat painted a dark grey color with the name Brian had mentioned emblazoned on the side as well as a picture of a winged horse with a snarling face.
"We're a small operation, mostly," Brian explained as they approached the ship. "Do shipping of specialty goods. The kind of stuff that is too large or awkward to be done by the owls and too reactive to be sent by portkey or floo. They hire me and my crew to get it there the old-fashioned way."
Harry was getting more and more confused with each word the man spoke; after all, what did owls have to do with shipping? And what was a portkey? and who had the flu? But Captain Shafiq wasn't giving him a chance to ask any questions as he continued talking about the size and layout of the boat.
Brian led Harry up the gangplank, and Harry looked around, seeing no other people aboard at the snorted, "The others are all enjoying their last day on land before we set out, I'd wager, except Ping, of course. The old man will still be aboard someplace, which is good because you'll need to be meeting him."
"Why is that?" Harry asked
"Because you said you cook for your relatives, you can be his new assistant." Brian explained as if it was obvious.
"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.
Brian let out a sigh before turning to Harry and taking a knee, so they were at eye level. "Look, kid, I'm no good at mushy emotional crap, so I'm just going to say it flat: your uncle's a bastard who's been beating on a child, and I know what it's like to go through that. No child deserves that kind of treatment, especially not you, considering who you are. Plus, I'm a man who trusts my gut, and I got a good feeling about you, so I'm offering you a way out if you want it."
"A way out?" Harry asked, feeling hope rise in his chest. He didn't understand the bit about who he was, but he wasn't as interested in that as the rest of the captain's words.
"Aye boy, a way out, assuming you want one." Brian paused. "You don't want to go back to that place, do you, kid?"
Harry remembered all of the beatings he had suffered at the hands of his relatives, especially the last one that had ended with him being dumped here, and shook his head in the negative. This Brian Shafiq may be an odd person and talked about a lot of things that Harry didn't understand, but so far, he had been nice to Harry, and if it meant getting away from his relatives, he would go almost anywhere.
"That's what I figured. you come on my ship and work for me you'll have a place to eat and sleep and wile we will work you hard I'll pay you a decent wage as well, will have to be sort of under the table what with child labor laws and all but if anybody official asks we will say you're a distant cousin of mine and your parents sent you to me to work and learn. Understood?"
Harry nodded.
"Good, I won't be paying you a fortune by any means, but it's a fair wage, and if you save a chunk of it the next few years, you will have a decent bit when you get your letter." The captain continued as he began leading Harry towards a door that likely led to the ship's interior.
"Letter?" Harry asked, not sure what the man was talking about again.
Brian paused. "Your Hogwarts letter, of course, when you turn 11."
Harry just stared at the man. "What's Hogwarts?"
The captain froze midstep and turned to look at Harry. "What's Hogwarts? Your relatives never..." The man trailed off as a thought seemed to occur to him. "Your relatives, were they Muggles?"
"What's a muggle?" Harry replied.
The captain just facepalmed, stopping a few feet from the door he had been leading Harry to. "Ok, this is going to be a much larger conversation than I was expecting, and we should probably do it before you see the inside of the ship."
With that, the captain changed course, leading Harry to a pair of boxes that were sitting on the deck, placing himself on one of them and gesturing for Harry to sit on the other. Before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Harry had seen cigarettes before, but this one let out a strange blue smoke.
"Ok, let's start simple." Brian began after taking a long drag, "Have you ever noticed that you can do things that your relatives couldn't do, make things happen when you were angry or scared?"
Harry nodded. "You mean the warmth?"
Brian shrugged. "Probably tell me more about this warmth."
Harry shuffled a little in his seat. "I'm not supposed to talk about it my uncle gets mad and beats me when I mention it."
The captain gestured around. "Your uncle is not here, kid, and I promise nobody on this ship is going to beat you."
Harry looked at the man and decided to trust him. "Well, I get this warm feeling in my chest. I can use it to make myself stronger, or see in the dark, or heal somewhat, and one time I used it to get away from my cousin and his gang."
Captain Shafiq nodded. "That's more than most your age manages, but yes, that's what I'm talking about. You see that warmth is magic. You're a wizard Harry."
With that, Brian proceeded to explain the basics of the wizarding world to Harry. About the differences between them and muggles and some of the basics of magic and about Hogwarts and how Harry would get a letter to attend there when he turned 11.
At first Harry wasn't totally sure whether or not to believe the older man, but when Captain Shafiq pulled out his wand and transfigured another box on the deck into a horse and then back, Harry started listening very closely as if every word from the captain's mouth was a holy thing.
After a half-hour-long talk, the captain felt that Harry had enough of an understanding of magic and how their world worked that they could continue the conversation inside. He promised Harry that he and the rest of the crew would continue to teach him about the magical world while he was with them.
As they entered the ship, Harry was stunned to see that the inside of the boat was much larger than the outside. When Captain Shafiq opened the door to the crew quarters, Harry was expecting a small, cramped hallway with maybe a few rooms all made from the same metal and wood as the outside of the ship.
What he found instead was that the ship contained the equivalent of a large mansion. The door opened into a comfortable common area that was connected to a lavish dining room and a medium-sized library. In addition, there were stairs leading upwards that the captain said led to the bedrooms. The ship had 20 of them, each with their own attached bathroom; there were also two guest bathrooms not attached to any room. Another set of stairs led downwards to what the captain described as the training area, which consisted of a large room for dueling and a fully equipped gym. And a laundry room, In addition, the living quarters of the ship also had a potions laboratory and a large room filled with beds that Brian explained was their equivalent to a medical area.
As the captain showed Harry the various areas of the ship, excluding the rooms that were currently occupied by the ship's crew members, Harry marveled at the sheer lavishness of the ship.
The Dursley home had been nice enough, the Dursleys being a wealthy upper middle-class family, but this place inside of a medium-sized ship was on another level.
"Wow, are all magical places this big on the inside?" Harry asked
"Not exactly," the captain explained. "Space expansion is a common thing, but not to this degree. This ship cost a small fortune to have made. And that was before it was warded and enchanted beyond what most family manors have."
"Wow, so are you super rich then?" Harry asked with a child's bluntness.
Brian just laughed. "Yes, but it's complicated, a story for another time. For now, we go find the old man."
Captain Shafiq led Harry through the dining area into a well-equipped kitchen where they saw an old Chinese man with a bald head and a long white beard that almost reached his knees. The man was dressed in a white apron over a set of bright orange robes that made him look like one of the old monks Harry had once seen in a kung fu movie that Dudley was watching on the TV.
As soon as they opened the door, the man turned to face them, smiling a grandfatherly smile. "Captain, if you are here for dinner, you're a little early. I only just started prepping for tonight's stew." The man had a soft voice, but he didn't sound frail in the slightest, and when his grey eyes met Harry's, he felt an undeniable weight to this man's presence as if he was someone important who should be listened to.
"Not here for dinner, Gramps." Captain Shafiq said, "You've been saying you wanted an assistant, and I've found you one." He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder as he continued, "This is Harry. He is going to be staying with us for a while, and he used to cook for his relatives, so he knows his way around a kitchen. Harry, I would like you to meet Ping Chang; he is our ship's quartermaster and also does most of the cooking."
Harry nervously smiled at the old man, feeling very unsure of himself. "H-Hello, sir."
Ping didn't say anything for a moment, just looking at Harry, and the boy felt a strange feeling as if this man was staring into his very soul, and Harry couldn't help but notice the man's face flash briefly from its warm smile into a small but fierce scowl as if what he saw deeply displeased him before the feeling passed again and the grandfatherly smile returned. "Not like that, he won't be."
Harry's heart fell. What would happen if he couldn't get the job? Would the captain still let him stay here? or would he be forced to go back to the Dursleys after all?
"What do you mean?" asked the captain
Ping gestured to Harry, "Half bloodied, covered in dirt and rags that barely fit the boy. I won't have him in my kitchen like that. Go get him cleaned up first, then he can help me."
Harry felt relief wash through him as he realized that he hadn't been rejected as the captain facepalmed. "Err, right, I should have done that first, I guess," Brian said, sounding embarrassed.
"Yes, you should have," said Ping, sending a light glare at the captain. "Give him the room next to mine and have him do a good wash to get all the blood and dirt off. We can bring him some new clothes in a minute."
"Right, Harry, why don't you head up to your new room It will be the third door to the right," Captain Shafiq directed. "Once you get upstairs, there will be towels and the like in the bathroom. Leave your old clothes in the hamper and- "
"Forget the hamper." Ping interrupted, "Akeno will kill us both if you try and make her launder those bloodied rags throw them in the trash can."
Captain Shafiq chuckled, "Good point. Throw your old clothes in the trash can and get washed up. I have to talk to Ping for a minute."
Harry nodded and rushed off to follow the directions given, leaving the captain and the old man alone in the kitchen.
"You checked his mind," Brain said. It wasn't a question.
"Yep," said Ping, the scowl returning. "You realize that people are going to notice he is gone eventually; there is no way someone as important as the boy who lived didn't have some kind of watch on him."
The captain just scoffed, "Can't have been a very good watch, or someone would have noticed he was being abused and done something about it, I hope. I have a hard time imagining the savior or magical Britan being left in such conditions."
The old man nodded his agreement. "True enough, I noticed you didn't tell him about that during your little primer on the wizarding world, though."
Brian winced slightly. "Yeah, that's going to be a bit of an awkward conversation. I was hoping you could help me with it; you're better with this kind of thing."
Ping nodded slowly. "Fine, but you will need to be there; the boy already has great trust in you, and if you're there, he will believe what I'm saying more easily."
The captain's eyes widened. "I mean, I figure he trusts me a little since he came all this way, but his feelings can't be that strong, can they?"
Ping scowled again. "Captain, you're underestimating just how lousy that boy's life has been. I think yours were the first kind words he can remember hearing."
Captain Shafiq nodded slowly. "Were his relatives as bad as I think they were then.?"
"Exactly as bad as you're thinking," Ping said solemnly. "it's a minor miracle that boy hasn't died already from the treatment. I can only assume he is using magic to keep his body going despite the severe malnutrition and damages to his body. You'll want to have Raven look him over once she gets back; if we're lucky, she won't insist he remain bedridden for a week before he can start working on the ship."
Brian just nodded again. "Aye, she can be like that. must be a healer thing. In any case, the boy will have a hard time of it once he goes back to our world; it might be nice if we could teach him some things while he is with us."
Ping stared at his captain for a moment, not speaking, before asking, "Do you think you will—?"
"Too soon," Brian interrupted. "Way too soon to go thinking like that; the boy certainly has the lineage for it, but I don't hardly know him yet."
"Maybe," Ping hedged. "But what does your gut tell you?"
The captain sighed, "That that boy will change everything for me."
Ping laughed, "For better or for worse?"
"I don't know."
When Harry had first seen the rooms of the Angry Abraxan's living quarters, he had been impressed with their size and lushness.
Even his previously unoccupied room had a queen-sized bed, a small walk-in closet and several chests of drawers, but the bathrooms were even more impressive.
It was tiled in a light blue tile across the walls with marble flooring and an impressively sized shower and bathtub that Harry felt could easily fit 3 or 4 grown adults (Bet you can guess how I'm going to use this at some point ;))
Harry found a collection of towels and washcloths already available and, wanting to get to work as soon as possible, was quick to get into the shower and began to thoroughly wash himself of all the blood and dirt that had previously caked his body.
The water was the perfect temperature, and the soap that he found in the bathroom had a pleasant woody smell, but as nice as it would have been to stay in there for longer, he couldn't help but feel worried his aunt and uncle would beat him if he ever took more than a few minutes in the shower, but the captain had told him to get as clean as he could.
Of course, the captain had also promised that nobody on this ship would beat him, but that didn't mean they wouldn't kick him off and make him go back to his relative's house.
Deciding speed was important. Harry scrubbed at his body hard and fast, making sure to get all the dirt and blood off, ignoring the pain when he went over areas of his body that were still bruised from his uncle's final beating.
Once he was done, he wrapped himself in the towel and emerged back into the bedroom.
Shortly after, there came a knock at the door, and the captain entered his room with a bundle of clothes under his arm.
"Hear, kid," Captain Shafiq said, handing Harry the clothing. "I hit some of my old stuff with a shrinking charm. It will probably still be a little big on you, but it will do until we can get you some of your own stuff."
Harry just nodded. He was used to wearing clothes that were a few sizes too large, having spent his whole life wearing his cousin's hand-me-downs.
Returning to the bathroom, he found a pair of jeans that he had to roll up so they didn't drag on the ground and a t-shirt that seemed to have had its sleeves torn off much like the captain's.
Once he was dressed, the captain led him back to the sitting area where Ping was waiting for them.
"Sit down, Harry; we have a few things we should tell you about before you meet the rest of the crew later," the old Chinese man said, gesturing to a comfortable-looking couch.
Once the group was situated, the captain let out a deep sigh. "Okay, so how to start… How much have your relatives told you about your parents.?"
Harry was surprised by the question but saw no reason not to answer it: "Not much. They said my mother was a drunk and my father was a freak and that they died in a car crash when I was a baby."
The captain sighed again. "Of course they did okay, so we already established there is a lot your aunt and uncle didn't tell you, what with magic and all, but you should also assume basically everything they ever told you about your family was a lie."
"Huh," Harry said, confused by the sweeping declaration.
"Well, not everything." Ping interjected, "They did tell you your parents' names; at least they were honest about that, but pretty much everything else they ever told you about them was a lie."
Harry wasn't sure how Ping knew that but didn't really care at the moment; hearing that his parents weren't who he thought they were was rocking the boy's reality even more than learning about magic had. "So, they weren't impoverished good-for-nothing people who never loved me.?" He asked the two men, who both scowled at his words.
"Hardly," Brian interjected. "Let's start with your father, James Potter. He was the only son of House Potter in his generation, one of the most ancient and noble houses of magical Britain, probably one of the wealthiest too now that I think about it, but we will save that for another time. I was a few years above your parents at Hogwarts, so I didn't know them well or anything, but I can tell you that except for your eyes, you look just like him. After graduation he became an Auror, which is like the magical police. and believe me, you don't become one of those without being very skilled in magic."
"Oh," Harry said in awe of the information he had just been given. "And my mom, was she important as well?"
"Well, that's a more complicated question," Brain said before looking to Ping for help.
"Your mother was what is called Muggle-born." The older man explained, "That is to say a magical person from a completely nonmagical family. I am unsure what she was doing career-wise, though."
"I don't remember that either," Brian admitted, "but I do remember More than a few of our teachers had been heard calling her the brightest witch of our age. I can tell you that much."
"So how did they really die then?" Harry asked
"Well, for that story we have to explain He Who Must Not Be Named." Brian began before Ping interrupted him.
"His name was Voldemort," the old man said bluntly, causing the captain to twitch slightly.
From here, Brian and Ping launched into an explanation of Voldemort (although only Ping would say the name) and the blood wars of the generation prior and the story of the boy who lived and how Harry had gotten his lightning bolt scar and achieved fame in the wizarding world.
"But if I was so important," Harry asked, "how come I was left with my aunt and uncle?"
"That we don't know, kid." The captain admitted
"If I had to guess, part of it was to keep you hidden," Ping interjected again.
"Why?" Harry asked
"You see, not all of the dark lords supporters were caught or killed after the war, and a few of them managed to keep a fair amount of influence in magical Britain today," Ping explained. "There is a good chance you were placed with your muggle relatives to hide you from them as well as those who might try to use you for your fame and family's wealth and power until you were older."
"Did you fight in the war as well?" Harry asked the two men
"No," Ping said. "I was still in China during that conflict, and Voldemort's influence didn't reach there.
"My involvement in the war is a little more complicated." Brain hedged "We will save that story for another time, but the short answer is no, I also didn't fight on the front lines."
"Regardless, it was important you understand who you are to magical society," Ping explained. "While I trust that nobody on this crew will treat you differently once they get over the initial shock of having you here, the same will not be true when you get your letter and go to Hogwarts."
"For that reason, we would like to make you an offer." The captain said, "In addition to working aboard this ship, Ping and I would like to train you in the magic as well as the rules of magical society so you can navigate it and avoid those who would use you."
"Oh," Harry said, but before he could answer or ask any questions, the door to the ship's common area was pushed open, and all three of the males turned to face the one entering.
"Hey captain, I got the... Oh, who is this?" a woman's voice asked
Turning Harry saw a woman of medium height who looked to be in her late twenties. She had long black hair and very pale skin and seemed to have purple-colored eyes. She wore a pair of black jeans with tears going up the front and a black lace shirt over what looked like a red corset. She had a pair of earrings shaped like spiders dangling from her ears, which had several other stud-like piercings running along them.
"Ahh, Raven," Captain Shafiq said, standing to greet the women. "Good timing I wanted you to take a look at our new crewmember Harry here. I'm afraid he had a rough time of it before joining us and likely could use your expertise."
Turning to Harry, the captain explained, "Raven is a fully trained Medi witch and our ship's healer. She will look you over and see how healthy you are and can probably help you with what's left of the bruising from your uncle as well."
"Oh," Harry said, taken aback. "Ummmm, hi Ms. Raven, it's nice to meet you," the young boy waved awkwardly at the goth woman.
"Huh, figures you'd have work for me to do as soon as I get back to the ship," Raven lightheartedly complained to the captain before extending her hand to Harry. The young woman didn't miss the fact that the child had briefly flinched away from her outstretched hand before slowly moving to take it. "Come along, kid; we will take you down to the infirmary and do your exam there." As she led him away, the captain and Ping sat quietly.
"Well, that went well." The captain said, referring to their talk with Harry as well as the introduction of Raven.
The old Chinese man just gave him a nod before saying, "125."
"125 what?" asked the captain
"124, 123, 122, 121." Ping continued counting downwards as the captain sat there confused as to what was going on.
However, as Ping reached 3, a voice could be heard shouting from the floor below, "CAPTAIN!"
"3…2…1" Ping continued his countdown, and exactly at one, Raven burst back into the room.
"Where are they?" The goth women demanded, "Where are the people who did this to that boy?"
"ohhhhh" The captain said, now realizing what Ping had been counting down for, he should have expected this Raven, despite her gothic appearance, was like most medical personnel, a very caring person. Seeing what he expected was the not-so-great condition that Harry's diagnostic charms would have come up with would have upset her greatly.
"Don't you ohhh me." Raven continued to scream, "I said, where are the bastards that did all this to that sweet little boy?"
"It's bad then?" Captain Shafiq asked, "His condition?"
"Bad doesn't begin to describe it." Raven shouted, "The child's diagnostic test was deplorable. Along with being extremely malnourished and overworked He has had his left arm broken at least a dozen times that I can tell and only set once; his left shoulder has been dislocated at least twice and his right one three times. His elbow shattered and apparently healed by his own accidental magic. He has had his middle and ring fingers on his right hand broken a haled like eight times. His left leg broken twice, his right ankle shattered and again healed by his own magic. His back is having so much scar tissue from being whipped by a belt that there is hardly any normal skin left. He has three cracked ribs, and all the other ones look like they are being held together by his magic alone. That's not even to mention the dozen concussions the boy has had, which has left him with vision issues. And don't even get me started on his magical core; he has been taxing it so badly to keep his body alive that it is practically drained to nothing."
Ping shook his head sadly while Brian let out a low whistle. "Merlin's balls I knew his family was bad, but that's worse than I had thought.
"His family? Are you saying his own family did this to him?" Raven shouted aghast, "We have to call the authorities."
"Bad idea," Ping said. "Better for now if nobody knows where the boy is, and calling the authorities would mean revealing that fact."
"Why on earth would that be a bad thing?" Raven turned on the older man.
"Ray, did you happen to notice the scar on his forehead?" The captain asked
"You mean the lightning bolt? Of course I did, but what does that have to do with…. Oh, Raven said as the penny dropped. "He is Harry Potter?"
"Yep," Captain Shafiq said. "We don't know who placed him with those muggles, but whoever did it might try to put the boy back if he is revealed right now. We need time to teach the boy how to protect himself and to learn more about his situation before revealing his location to the wider world."
"Fine," the healer huffed, "but I'm going back to Diagon Alley; for now, I need to stock up on nutrition potions and skelegrow and like a half dozen other things we don't have in our stores if I'm going to get this kid healthy again." And with that, the women turned towards the door to the common room, preparing to leave the ship.
"Wait, what about Harry?" The captain asked, "What is he doing now.?"
"Oh," the healer looked back, "I hit him with a sleeping charm and tucked him in in the infirmary, and he is going to stay there until I get back, you understand." With that, she glared at the two men as if daring them to challenge her authority before storming out.
"The boy had it even worse than I thought." The captain said somberly.
"Raven will fix him up with time." Ping reassured the man. "But you realize that he is going to need help, and I don't just mean physically."
"I know." Brian sighed. "But you're the master of the mind arts around here, so if you don't mind…"
"I will do the majority of it," Ping said simply, "but it's going to require everyone on the crew's cooperation to show him that he didn't deserve the treatment he received at his family's hands. This crew is already a family, and we are going to need all of them to make Harry feel welcome and safe here."
When Harry woke, he found himself tucked into the bed of the Angry Abraxan's infirmary.
He briefly remembered coming down here with the woman Raven before she had him sit and began waving her wand around him while chanting before telling him to lie down.
After that he wasn't sure what had happened; he must have fallen asleep after he lay down, but it was odd for him to do that in the middle of the day; after all, had his aunt or uncle ever caught him napping midday, it would have meant punishment.
Deciding he shouldn't just wait around, Harry stood and started making his way up the stairs to head for the ship's kitchen, hoping he could find Mr. Chang and start doing his part as his assistant.
As he came into the common area, he saw through the window that the sun had set, which meant he had been asleep for a few hours at least. That wasn't good; he only hoped he wasn't in trouble.
Rushing forward towards the dining room, he heard a voice from inside. Harry slowly pushed open the door and peered inside, trying not to make too much of an entrance lest he disturb anybody on his way to the kitchen.
"So that's the situation." He heard the captain's voice: "I trust we can count on all of you to help and support us in this matter…. Oh, speaking of, come on in, Harry; no need to be shy."
As he entered the rest of the way into the room, Harry saw the captain was standing at the head of the dining area addressing several others who were seated and seemed to be eating dinner.
"Did Raven send you up for dinner?" The captain asked, "I didn't think she was back yet."
"No, sir, "Harry replied, feeling the gaze of everyone in the room on him and shirking somewhat. "I woke up in the infirmary, and, well, I'm sorry I didn't mean to sleep so long. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help make dinner, but I'll help with the clean-up and…"
Brian just waved the boy off. "Don't worry about that Harry. I guess that means you woke up on your own then. Well, no matter; come meet the rest of our lovely crew now."
With that, the captain began moving down the line, gesturing to the various members of the crew. "This is Saruni Mingati," Brian gestured to the first man, who frankly was the tallest man Harry had ever seen.
Standing slightly over 7 feet tall with dark skin, broad shoulders, and a well-muscled body. His outfit appeared to be a cross between a robe and a tunic, with a bright red and blue checked pattern. His pants were dark cargo pants. He also had a beaded collar and earrings that were unlike anything Harry had seen before in terms of clothing.
"Nice to meet you, kid." The man said in a deep voice, nodding to Harry.
"Saruni here is head of ship security and the best duelist aboard, excepting myself, of course." The captain explained, nudging the taller man slightly at the end.
"Hey, you're only ahead by two duels." The African man shot back.
"And don't you forget it." The captain laughed before moving on.
"Next we have the lovely Bridget O'Reilly." The captain introduced a tall woman with long red hair and teal eyes who had more muscles than both the captain and Saruni put together. Harry remembered seeing a newspaper ad for a female bodybuilding competition once called Ms. Olympia. His first thought on seeing this woman was that she would have fit right in that competition. Harry guessed her to be in her late 20s, and she wore a tight white t-shirt that looked like it was struggling to contain her massive arms as well as a pair of baggy jean shorts.
"He is a little scrawny, don't you think, captain?" The women said, looking at Harry with a critical eye.
"Ummm, sorry," Harry said.
The muscular woman just laughed and reached out to pat Harry on the shoulder. Though she was gentle, nobody in the room missed how the boy flinched at the physical contact. "Ha, don't worry, kid; we will get you bulked up with a little time."
"Bridget is our cargo master." The captain explained, "She handles loading and unloading everything as well as making sure that things are packed away well in the cargo hold so that it survives transportation and we don't have any issues with reactive cargo."
"This is Raffael Moretti." Brian introduced the next, pointing to a shorter man who Harry guessed to be in his late 40s with black hair that was just starting to show signs of going grey, a rather impressive handlebar mustache, and a slight paunch. The man wore a pair of grease-stained overalls over a red t-shirt.
"Raffael here is in charge of all the mechanical bits that keep our old tub afloat," Captain Shafiq continued.
The Italian man just shrugged, "The ship's enchantments do like 90% of the work; I just do a little basic maintenance here and there."
"And a bloody good job he does of it too," Captain Shafiq said proudly before moving on.
The next member of the crew was a woman who appeared to be in her 50s. She had black hair pulled into a severe bun with a fancy hairpin sticking out. She was wearing a dark blue suit and a long skirt with black leggings. All in all, the woman was the very model of a professional businesswoman. Despite his youth, Harry also couldn't help but notice the woman's truly impressive bust that belied her slim figure.
"This is Shuri Yamato." The captain introduced the elder woman, who bowed slightly to Harry. "Ms. Saito handles the business side of our little venture, making the deals for what we ship and where we ship it to, ensuring a good deal for all involved."
As he reached the end of the table, the captain indicated the final person present, who seemed to be the youngest member of the crew: "And last, but certainly not least, we have our youngster, Akeno Yamato."
The younger woman was just as busty as her mother; her black hair was tied in a very long ponytail, and she was in her teenage years but wore a tight-fitting pink belly shirt that seemed to be struggling to contain her massive bust and a short red skirt that barely covered her thighs. Her navel was visible, and Harry could see a bright red piercing sticking out of it although he tried hard not to stare, he wasn't totally successful.
Akeno looked at the captain with a pout. "You can't call me the youngster anymore, Captain, not if this little guy is joining the crew," before her attention was pulled to Harry. "He is so cute, though. can I have him please to be my little cuttle bug?" as she said this the girl wrapped her arms around Harry pulling his face into her impressive chest and rubbing her cheek on the top of his head.
Harry froze for a moment, unsure if he was allowed to move at all with his face trapped in her cleavage but also needing to escape her hold so he could breathe.
"Not if you suffocate the poor boy; you can't." The captain laughed, gently pulling Harry out of her grip, leaving the boy blushing a deep red. Brian patted. Harry on the shoulder before continuing his introduction "Akeno is here with us during the summer break from her school. She helps out everyone with various stuff at different times when she isn't studying."
As the captain finished the introduction of the girl, the door to the dining room was thrown open, and an angry-looking Raven stood there, her gaze searching. "Ahh, there you are, Harry. Who said you could get out of bed, young man?" The healer demanded of the young boy, who, seeing her angry gaze, tried to hide behind the captain and Akeno.
"Aww, don't be like that, Raven; you're scaring the poor kid," Akeno said, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.
Raven sighed before kneeling to look Harry in the eye. "I'm not mad at you, of course, Harry." She explained, "I'm angry at this dunce of a captain who I'm guessing woke you up to meet everybody, didn't he?" She said the last part while glaring at Captain Shafiq.
Brian raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I did no such thing. The kid woke up on his own and walked up here. I just took advantage of the moment to do intros."
"Fine, I believe you, but that doesn't change that we have things to take care of. Come with me, Harry. The healer said, extending her hand for the young boy to take.
After a moment of hesitation, he did so, and the goth woman led Harry from the room. And back to the infirmary.
Once there, she presents Harry with a handful of vials of various colored liquids. "From left to right, I need you to drink these, Harry," she said in a firm but gentle voice. We need to start repairing the damage your relatives did to your body.
"What are they, ma'am?" he asked as he reached for the first one.
"A few things" The healer answered, "Skelegrow to repair your damaged bones, nutrition potions to deal with your malnourishment, blood-replenishing potion because you're a little anemic according to my scans before, some pain relief for all of your injuries, a vision correction potion. Some magical restoratives to help treat and bring back your core. Finally, a dreamless sleep draft so you will lie still while the rest of the potions do their job on you.
Harry nodded and began drinking down the potions, grimacing at the taste of the skelegrow and blood potions in particular.
Once he finished the last of the potions, he began to feel very tired again, as expected from the dreamless sleep draught, and he was soon asleep on the infirmary bed, being watched over by the gothic healer.