The Owl
A pillar of flames burst to life, whirling in heatless blue. It only lasted a few moments before fading away, revealing…
A snowy white owl? The bird shook its feathers before settling down and looking around with eyes that nearly glowed an emerald green. With a hop, it took into the air, wending around the Great Hall before heading to the doors. Somehow the owl was able to open the doors just enough to slip out.
Albus frowned as the doors closed behind what he was beginning to suspect wasn’t an ordinary bird and quite possibly an animagus, though an unusual one to be sure.
***
Harry the Owl knew that he had been in some strange things while following pops and bro around, but getting flamed into a random castle had to be one of the top five… well, maybe top ten. Pretty much everything in China took the top of the list.
Walking quickly through the halls, he kept his eyes open for either a way out, a phone, or a kitchen. Whatever had summoned him hadn’t brought his camping supplies. He was just grateful he hadn’t been out flying when it happened. While he could manage flying in a room just fine, as he’d demonstrated earlier, it was completely something else to be already on wing and end up somewhere new. He’d learned that the hard way by flying in through the window in a couple of places.
The castle was kind of cool though. Genuine suits of armor, tapestries, and candles everywhere. They even had ghosts.
Harry’s head whipped completely around at the sight of the ghost even as he continued walking. The ghost was different than the ones he and bro had encountered, especially that annoying cat. Still didn’t crack the list though.
After continuing to wander around and not even finding an open window on the ground floor, he started heading upwards. Maybe he’d end up in a tower or something or find the roof access. Fortunately the stairway was wide open, one of the largest he had ever seen outside of some of the supermalls. Taking flight headed up to the top floor he could reach.
Finding a long hallway he decided to keep flying for a bit. Unfortunately, the hallway came to an end and he was just barely able to land and turn around without getting himself hurt. Sighing, he turned around and made it about halfway down the hall before his attention was grabbed by a truly ugly tapestry. It was almost like watching the tomboy trying to dance with a bunch of clones of herself. Okay, that wasn’t true, bro’s fiancee wasn’t that bad, no matter what bro said.
Continuing to pace around, he wondered where he was going to find a kitchen in this castle. Suddenly a door appeared across from the tapestry. Harry recognized magic when he saw it but he hadn’t had any better luck anywhere else in the castle. Hopping up to the doorknob, he managed to get the door open before landing and squeezing through.
Finding a kitchen wasn’t what he was expecting. It was also more modern than he expected given the decor, though nothing like the one back at the house. Still, it looked to have everything he needed, including some things he could transform into clothing afterwards.
Hopping onto the counter, he found a pot and quickly got some water boiling. Soon he had the water warm enough and he dipped a claw in.
Transforming back into his human form could have been disorienting had he not been dealing with it for years. Coming back naked was still annoying though. Grabbing a pair of towels, he quickly changed them into a chinese silk shirt and pants. Shoes he could worry about later.
Running a hand through his wild black hair, Harry Saotome wondered just what kind of trouble he had been dragged into, how it was pop’s fault, and if he could get a hold of Ranma for some help.
***
Dumbledore settled into his office after the events of the Champion Selection Ceremony. The Champions for the three schools had been predictable. He even got a chuckle from the Weasley Twins and their attempt to circumvent the age line. However, the true star of the event had not deigned to show, no matter how much effort he and Bartimous had put into charming the Goblet.
Was it a flaw in his spellwork? Not enough power? Or even worse, was Harry just completely missing?
Albus shook his head. He couldn’t allow such negativity to invade his thoughts. He had to think of the Greater Good. The Wizarding World needed its Champion. Therefor, it most definitely had to be a flaw in the spellwork. That was proven considering that the Goblet had summoned an owl of all things.
The Headmaster blinked and thought back on the Owl. Could it be possible? Was the owl actually Harry in animagus form? He immediately called out for a House Elf. When the Head Elf arrived, Albus asked if there were any animagus in the Castle other than the Deputy Headmistress.
“Yes Headmaster. There be an animagus in the castle.”
Dumbledore smiled and clapped his hands. “Wonderful. Would you please bring him to me.”
“Of course, Headmaster.”
The old elf disappeared, only to reappear a couple moments later with a sleeping rat in hand. “Here be the animagus, Headmaster.”
Albus blinked. A rat animagus? That wouldn’t do. He was looking for an owl. The elf had also only said there was one animagus in the castle. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. The rat would cause complications he didn’t need to deal with, even with Harry still missing. He waved his wand, conjuring a glass cage, then charmed it unbreakable before putting the rat inside. Finally, he directed an elf to care for the rat.
“Alas, not the animagus I was hoping for, though at least we have dealt with that little issue. I was looking for an owl, the one summoned earlier. I believe him to be an animagus.”
The elf shook his head. “That one not be an animagus, Headmaster. He be a different kind of shifter, one that this one has never encountered before.”
The Headmaster sat up, then leaned forward. “You know where the owl is and you’ve seen him change?”
The elf nodded. “Yes, Headmaster. The elves be watching him even now.”
Dumbledore smiled and nodded. “Excellent! Please bring the young man to me. We have much catching up to do!”
The elf bowed and popped away.
The Headmaster watched eagerly for young Harry to be brought before him.
He was waiting for quite a while before coming to the conclusion that something might not be right.
***
Harry spun around when he felt a presence arrive in the room. Looking down, he saw a short person with their hand upraised. Lashing out with a quick fist, he smashed the person into the ground, then kicked them to the other side of the room before jumping backwards to put even more room between them. From the encounters he and Ranma had had with the Old Ghoul and the Grandmaster, he knew better than to underestimate someone just because they were short and shriveled.
Standing there, body tense and ready to fight, Harry watched the crumbled figure for a few moments before realizing they weren’t getting back up like one of the others would have. Creeping forward slowly, he kept a wary eye on the body before he got close enough to nudge it with a foot. Getting no response, he leaned down with one hand and checked for a pulse. It was weak but it was there.
Sighing, Harry lifted the body and moved to place it on the counter. There he was able to examine his would-be attacker. They appeared every bit as old as he had thought, though that was the only similarity between who he thought they were and who they might be. The long ears and other features led him to believe they weren’t human, though what they were he had no idea. They were also a lot scrawnier than he had originally thought.
Looking around the kitchen, he really wished that he had access to a bed to make the little guy more comfortable. When part of the room reconfigured and a bed appeared, Harry began to think there might be more to the room than he originally thought. It hadn’t made sense for a kitchen to be on an upper floor like this in the first place, so for it to be more than it seemed was good. Not to mention having access to a magical kitchen in whatever place he’d been dragged off to would be a great help.
Once the little guy was comfortable on the bed, Harry settled down to meditate. He reached out with his senses, both physical and magical. Pops and bro had taught him how to feel for the life energy of those around him and his other senses had blossomed under adversity as well. He could feel hundreds of signatures in the building, both humans and more like the one on the bed. While several like the one on the bed were nearby, only the two of them were in this room. He would have to wait until his unfortunate companion woke up to get some answers.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long. Consciousness returned suddenly for the little guy. Harry spoke up quickly. “Sorry for hitting you, but I’d just been kidnapped and wasn’t sure who was here. If you promise to settle down, I promise not to hit you again. I just want to talk.”
A look of confusion was the answer. Harry nearly facepalmed when he realized he’d been speaking Japanese. He switched to English, hoping the more commonly spoken language was one the stranger knew.
The little man nodded slowly before sitting up. “We’s just be talkin’ then, young one. This one be too old to be takin’ knocks like that again.”
Harry smiled and offered a short bow before continuing. “Again, sorry about that. I thought you were like some of the others that had kidnapped me and mine before.”
“This one be Finik. I be the Head Elf.”
“I’m Harry Saotome. Sorry bout this.”
Finik nodded again slowly. “The Headmaster be wantin’ you brought to him. Finik be needing to follow the Headmaster.”
Harry frowned and shook his head. “I’m not ready to meet anyone yet, Finik. Someone brought me here without asking and that usually means bad things where I come from. Bro and I have had to deal with a number of kidnappers over the years.”
The Head Elf frowned, ears drooping. “An elf must obey they’re master, but the Headmaster didn’t say when to be bringing you. I can be taking some time, if you be promising to come with Finik later.”
Folding his arms across his chest, Harry considered the little guy. Finik had called himself the Head Elf, meaning there were more than just the one. Given the way his life energy felt compared to the hundreds flicking around the castle, as well as several nearby, that meant the little guy might be able to call on help. Lots of it. While Harry was confident he could take on any of them, sheer numbers would get him eventually. He would rather control how and when he had to do things than leave it up to the hands of others.
“I can agree with that. Hopefully your Headmaster can help me figure out what’s going on. Maybe you can tell me about this place?”
Finik nodded. “I can be doing that.” The Head Elf then went on to explain about Hogwarts, Witches and Wizards, and who the Headmaster was.
Albus Dumbledore had been the Headmaster for nearly thirty years and was nearly two hundred years old. The man had that in common with the Grandmaster and Old Ghoul. Harry only hoped the man didn’t share any other traits with the two.
Harry considered the information. Due to Jusenkyo and some of the misadventures he’d been on over the years, he was familiar with the concept of magic. Not to mention some of his abilities that neither Pops nor Bro had been able to copy, such as his transformation magic that let him change one things into another. He was also able to repair things just by asking them, which he’d had to do a number of times over the years to their clothes and supplies.
Was this type of magic something he could learn? He was under no illusion that getting home would be easy. It never was. But learning everything you could was part of the Anything Goes Creed. Everything could be training. He’d managed to learn some of the magic from the Old Ghoul, though most of the Amazonian stuff seemed more artifact based… anyway that didn’t matter.
Harry was stuck at Hogwarts for the moment. They didn’t have any of the modern conveniences he was used to, such as a telephone, so no just calling the Tendos. He would have to try an owl, and wasn’t that a strange thing to consider, given his Jusenkyo curse. Meanwhile, he would talk to the Headmaster and try and figure out what they could do, and how he could get from the British Isles back to Japan.
“Alright Finik, let’s go talk to the Headmaster.”
***
Albus was just about to call for another elf to go searching for the Head Elf when the elf in question suddenly returned, accompanied by a young man with messy black hair, bright green eyes, and dressed in what appeared to be silk. It was a strange choice given the general temperature of the castle, but then again, Albus had always preferred his robes.
Glancing at the young man’s forehead, the Headmaster suppressed a sigh of relief before offering a grandfatherly smile. “Harry, my boy, it is so good to see you after all these years.”
Harry frowned. “I’m not your boy. I’ve never met you before in my life, old man.”
The Headmaster shook his head and sighed slightly. “I’ve known you since you were born, Harry. Your parents and I were quite close.”
The young man scowled. “Oh yeah? Where have you been for the past decade?”
Albus shook his head and leaned back in his chair, looking at Harry from over the top of his half moon glasses. “That’s truly the question, isn’t it, my boy? Where have either of us been this past decade? You’ve been missing for many years now. When I went to check on you at your loving relatives, they claimed to have never seen you.”
For a moment a number of emotions seemed to pass over Harry before his expression went completely blank. Dumbledore could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped a little. He did give a start slightly at the empty tone when Harry next spoke.
“It would appear that I’m not quite over my abandonment as I had thought. My loving relatives, as you call them, left me in a trash heap after my uncle took me with him on a business trip.”
“I’m sure it was a simple mistake, my boy.”
A sharp crack rang through the room. Albus blinked and looked around, but couldn’t identify what had happened. Focusing back on young Harry, he shook his head. “I’m sure they were just as worried about you as you were about them and that they tried their best to find you again. Sometimes our best isn’t enough though.”
Offering a small smile, he continued. “The important thing is that you’ve been brought back to where you belong. Your parents wanted you to attend Hogwarts just as they did and now that you’re here, I intend to make sure you’re safe.”
Harry shook his head. “And what do you intend to do about my having been kidnapped and brought here against my will? I didn’t end up in that pillar of flames by choice.”
“Kidnapping? Nonsense. Surely it was just magic bringing you back home.”
“Right. You aren’t going to help. Looks like I have to figure things out myself. Do you at least have a phone so I can call the house and let them know where I am?”
“Hogwarts doesn’t have any muggle communications devices. But if you give me their names and address, I’ll see about taking care of them.”
Harry seemed to think it over for a moment before slowly nodding. “Genma and Ranma Saotome, care of the Tendo Residence, Nerima, Japan.”
The Headmaster blinked. “I beg your pardon. Did you say Japan?”
“Hai.”
Albus nodded. That made sense. With Harry having been in another country, none of the usual people would have seen him. That did beg to question why the Dursley’s had taken young Harry with them on such a trip and why they felt the need to lie about having never seen him. Those details could be figured out later though.
“Very well. I shall see about contacting the Saotomes about your care.” Leaning forward, Dumbledore offered another smile. “Speaking of your arrival, however did you manage the animagus transformation at your age? You made quite a magnificent owl.”
Harry shook his head. “I’m not sure what an animagus is, but that owl form is from the cursed springs of Jusenkyo. Got knocked into the Spring of Drowned Owl and came out like this. Cold water turns me into an owl. Warm water turns me back into me.”
“Truly now? That is some wondrous magic. There are more wonderful things in this world than we shall ever know. For all my years I have never heard of such a thing. A most marvelous gift.”
“Gift? How would you like to have no control over being human? How any accidental spill can change your form, take away your ability to speak. Take away your hands? Not to mention that changing back leaves me naked, since my clothes don’t change as well.”
The Headmaster nodded slowly. “That does seem like less of a blessing than I had at first assumed. Perhaps Poppy, our resident Healer, can figure something out. In the meantime, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of. After all, that’s what your parents would have wanted.”
Harry nodded. “If you say so, old man. And all out of the goodness of your heart, I suppose?”
Albus smiled. “Your parents left you a fund to pay for your schooling, my boy. I shall have one of the Professors take you to Gringotts to access your vault and then to Diagon Alley for a wand, as it sounds like you haven’t been around other Wizards.”
Harry shook his head. “First I’ve heard of you Wizards and Witches, other than legends and fairy tales. Access to a vault, paid tuition, and a wand. Along with room and board. Sounds like a plan until I can get home.”
Dumbledore shook his head. “But you are home, my boy. This is where you belong.”
“Right. We’ll talk about that later, after you’ve contacted Pops and the Tendos.”
“Of course, of course. We’ll talk more tomorrow. It is late and I’m sure you’d like to rest. I’ll have a house elf lead you to a guest room.”
Harry shook his head again. “Nah, it’s alright, old man. I’ll have Finik take me back where he found me. That room should be good enough.”
The Head Elf popped into the room, took hold of Harry’s hand, then the two popped away.
Albus looked at the spot where Harry had just been standing. That was quite the abrupt disappearance. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that behavior. Something would have to be done to curb such rebellious and disrespectful behavior. For now though, he would have to find these Tendos and Saotomes and let them know that Harry being in the Wizarding world really would be the best thing for the young man. Of course, should they be muggles or disagree, there were always ways to deal with that as well.
***
Harry sat on the steps of the entry courtyard to Hogwarts, the sheen of sweat on his brow. Leaning back, he allowed the cold morning air to flow over him. Waking up on his own had been strange. When was the last time he’d been truly alone? Pops and bro had been a constant in his life for over a decade. Once they’d arrived at the Tendos he had always been woken up by either Pops or the Tomboy attacking Ranma. That would lead to a general melee between the three of them.
A soft smile graced his lips. Never would have thought he’d missed those types of mornings. The smile faded though, as he realized he wouldn’t be able to help Kasumi make breakfast. He would give the old man a day to contact the Tendos before he did anything. For now though, he headed into the castle.
The empty halls passed by quickly as Harry made his way through them towards the seventh floor. Fortunately the layout was fairly simple at least in regards to his destination. It was a castle though, which meant there had to be secrets about. He made a silent vow to explore later in the day. He had a visit to the bank first.
***
Harry turned to his escort with a frown. “That’s the third person to want to shake my hand this morning. What’s going on with that?”
The short man who’d identified himself as Professor Flitwick echoed the frown. “Did the Headmaster not explain your status in the Wizarding World? Oh dear.”
A brief description of the War with Voldemort and Harry’s perceived role in it had Harry’s frown deepening. “So the people think I saved them as a baby, called me the Boy Who Lived, and have since made me into some kind of legend?” Reaching up, he ran his fingers over the back of his head, toying with the hair tied back into a pigtail. This kind of stuff was way funnier when it happened to bro.
“I’m afraid so, Mr. Potter. Forgive me, Mr. Saotome. The Wizarding world was in a truly dark place at the time and they have latched onto what happened that night.”
Shaking his head, Harry continued towards the large marble structure. He would have to learn more about that war, if only to know what people were expecting of him and if any of the enemies might have been left over. He was under no illusion that things were as neat as the story made them out to be. Given bro’s experience with rivals, there was no doubt that some of those involved in that war were still around. The question was how proactive to be about them or to just wait for them to come after him.
Ascending the steps of the bank, Harry paused to bow deeply before the guards, being sure to maintain eye contact as he did. They returned a nod and a toothy grin. The Professor gave a small squeak before the two continued inside.
The interior of the bank appeared much as he would have expected, given the exterior. The only difference he could see between this one and the ones he’d seen on television were the tellers and the currency on display. Stacks of coins and precious stones instead of paper money. Goblins instead of humans.
Meeting with the Goblin who was supposed to represent Harry’s estate did not go the way they had all expected though.
“You are not Harry Potter.”
“Yup. I’m Harry Saotome.”
The goblin blinked before continuing. “Gringotts does not recognize you as the Harry Potter whose vaults we secure. While you are a close match, your signature is different enough from the one on file that we will not be allowing you access to those vaults. We shall wait for the true Potter Heir to return. Now, unless you wish to open a new vault, Mr. Saotome, your business here is done.”
As Harry and the Professor made their way towards the apparition point (and wasn’t that an unpleasant method of travel), they discussed what would be happening. With no vault to pay for his tuition, would he be kicked out of Hogwarts? Not that Harry was too worried. He was perfectly fine with living off the land until he could make his way towards a town that had a way to contact the Tendos, if the Headmaster hadn’t already done so.
“I don’t know, Mr. Saotome. For my part, I would be happy to have you as a student. Your reflexes are some of the best I’ve ever seen. You hold yourself as a warrior should.”
“I’m a martial artist. Been training for most of my life.”
“Perhaps once we have finished discussing things with the Headmaster, we can set up a spar.”
“Looking forward to it, Professor.”
***
The Headmaster leaned back in his chair, regarding the two seated across from him. “And you are sure you understood what the Goblins meant?”
Flitwick nodded rapidly. “They seemed quite adamant about Mr. Saotome not being Mr. Potter. Even refused him access to the vaults. They’re the definitive word on who someone is in our world, Albus. You know that.”
Sighing, Dumbledore turned to look at young Harry. “What am I to do with you, my boy?”
“Let me go home?”
Albus shook his head. “As I’ve said, you are home. Even if the goblins don’t recognize you, the rest of the Wizarding world will consider you to be Harry Potter. Now, more than ever, they need you to be that Light.”
Harry frowned. “So you want to lie to all those people? Why?”
“I’m afraid you’re too young to understand, my boy.”
The frown deepened for a moment before fading away. “And what did the Tendos say when you contacted them? What about pops?”
Dumbeldore shook his head again. “Your Tendos do not exist, my boy. I tried to scry for them and even tried to send an owl. The owl refused to leave and the scrying could not find them. That means they are either shielded, or, most likely, do not exist. Given what you’ve told me from the goblins, it would seem that you have traveled much further than we thought. And while you may not be the Harry I was expecting, you are the Harry I have now and you will be the Boy Who Lived.”
“So you intend to lie to everyone about who I am? And why should I go along with that?”
“Because you are alone in this world and don’t have a choice.”
Harry scoffed. “I can survive just fine on my own until I find a way home or bro comes for me.”
The Headmaster offered Harry a gentle smile. “I’m afraid there is yet another complication that you haven’t been told about. The Goblet that summoned you has chosen you as a champion for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. You are bound to compete, lest you lose your magic.”
Albus ignored the squeak from Flitwick to focus on Harry’s reaction. A myriad of emotions crossed the young man’s face before settling into neutrality once again. That emotionless mask was something the Headmaster wasn’t comfortable seeing across from him, but he would deal with it another time. “So alongside kidnapping me, that Goblet is threatening my magic? How is that even possible?”
“The Goblet of Fire is an ancient artifact, powerful and mysterious. The contract between the champions is unbreakable.”
“We shall see about that.”
Harry stood and strode from the room, fast enough that the Headmaster had trouble tracking the movement. Startled, Albus moved after him, followed by Flitwick. By the time they caught up though, Harry was already at the Great Hall, where the Goblet was still on display. Given the time of day, there were no other students in the Hall.
The young man appeared to be studying the Goblet before reaching out and lightly brushing a finger against the artifact, whispering something that Albus couldn’t quite make out.
The Headmaster watched with wide eyes as the Goblet, one of the oldest artifacts in existence, shattered.