Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Just Another Perfect Soldier ❯ A Magic Show ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: Back to school now. I'll update on the weekends again. This time I'm going to do both stories at the same time, so no waiting extra long for each chapter. Just once a week. Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter Two: A Magic Show

August 30th: Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore was an old man. Well, technically he was an old wizard but either way, Albus Dumbledore was old.

Hogwarts' most famous Headmaster sighed as he looked down at the papers before him. He had been at Grimmauld Place when Harry had suddenly shown up and collapsed on the floor, exhausted. Just two hours later completely refreshed and having no memory of his whole imprisonment the boy had awoken and asked for something to eat. That's when the old sage-like wizard noticed the changes.

Harry had always been quick, a Seeker needed to be, but this...new Harry was inhumanly fast at times. He'd become much taller, still under Ronald Weasley's impressive height but now taller than Hermione Granger, something he was not before the end of June. Molly claimed the boy must have hit a growth spurt but Albus was uneasy.

Everything about Harry seemed darker now. His gravity defying hair was still as unruly as before but seemed to swallow any light that hit it, instead of reflecting it back into the world. Eyes that had once been a bright startling green were still starling but nowa dark emerald color.

Other than physically, Harry seemed to be perfectly normal. Almost too normal.

Albus shook his head. No used to ponder this at the moment as Harry had no idea what happened after he was captured or before he ended up in London. What worried the Headmaster at the moment, was the fact that Harry had been captured and for nearly two months Albus and his contacts could not find him.

Harry needed protection, constant protection. One averageperson wouldn't cut it, that's why Albus had contacted an old acquaintance, Lady Une, asking for her best man.

What he got were five very special files on five very unique boys who would be perfect for the job. Although he had only asked for one, Lady Une had told him that they were her best and worked together. Albus could not have one without the other four.

Determined, the Headmaster took the first file off of the stack and flipped it open again. In the corner, held by a paper clip, was the photo of a young Chinese man, his black hair pulled back into a tight horsetail. His face and dark eyes were an emotionless mask.

The papers said his name to be Chang Wufei of the Dragon Clan on L5. A list of his physical and weapon abilities covered the rest of the page and a bit of the next. Just like the other four, this young man had also been a Gundam pilot. It was his behavioral status that caught Dumbledore's eye.

A Dr. Po had written that Mr. Chang was a loner and a former scholar with a misogynistic view on society as well as one of few warriors who actually fought for true justice using honor and strength. The Headmaster really had no reason to deem him unfit as one of Harry's...bodyguards.

The next file held the picture of a young man with a startling resemblance to young Draco Malfoy, the only difference being the open emotions displayed on a smiling face and the teal colored eyes. Dumbledore was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find that, Quatre Raberba Winner was in fact an Arab from L4. Heir to the Winner fortune and business, his behavior was described as being that of a reluctant soldier with an optimistic outlook on life and the gift of empathy. Again, another flawless selection for the group he was trying to assemble.

Trowa Barton from L3 was another emotionless faced youth with long bangs covering one dark green eye. His file was mysteriously short as the pilot had suffered from amnesia that gave him no memory of his life as a child. Mr. Barton was considered the spy of the group, being very stealthy and secretive. That description reminded Albus of Severus, minus the snarky personality.

The violet eyed brunette in the next picture made Albus smile slightly to himself. Duo Maxwell had the most interesting file and the most amusing. It appeared as though Mr. Maxwell had gotten a hold of his file before it had been sent to the Headmaster and the young man had taken it upon himself to 'fix' some of the 'mistakes' in the report and add his own comments. One psychologist had written that Mr. Maxwell appeared to suffer from a split personality to which the young man replied with a crude drawing of what appeared to be the head of a Gundam making a rather obscene gesture. The words “Shinigami doesn't like you!” were also crammed into a tiny speech bubble above the drawing.

The laughter in those bright blue eyes dimmed as Albus Dumbledore held up the last file. Heero Yuy looked very much like Harry Potter, the unruly black hair switched with unruly dark brown, dark emerald green replaced with a Prussian blue. From the colony of L1, he was the man Albus was looking for. Even his file had named him the Perfect Soldier. It was not that, however, that made Dumbledore want to meet the boy. It was the fact that Heero Yuy held the same look in his eyes that Harry Potter had acquired since his escape from Voldemort.

Fawkes thrilled as the old Headmaster rose from his seat wearily. It was time to try and convince these five young men to help him win the war and protect a young man's life.

Lady Une watched in mild amusement as Duo Maxwell bickered with the Chinese man beside him. Wufei had been complaining about his recent partner slowing him down during his missions. Again. Apparently the newest partner had no honor, was a complete moron and was more likely to shoot Wufei than their enemies. Everyone knew the ex-Gundam pilot would rather be alone for his missions but could not for obvious and strictsafety reasons.

“A partner covers your back, Fei!” Duo said as though he were speaking to a child. His lover gave him an angered look.

“The only thing my partner is going to be covering my back with is bullet holes, Maxwell. He acts like a blubbering woman whenever he actually makes a shot!”

Quatre, ever the peacemaker, decided to step in and stop the arguing before it became something completely inappropriate. They were at the Preventer's Headquarters' to receive their next assignment.

“Guys, just calm down. Duo, Wufei knows he needs backup on his missions, he's just being difficult. One would think you'd be used to it by now.”

Both ex-pilots shot the blond a dark look that was ignored as the empath addressed Lady Une.

“You called us here about a unique mission requiring special skills?”

She nodded.

“We just have to wait for client to arrive. He has read your file and will ultimately try and convince you to fight for him.”

“When will he arrive?” Heero asked curtly, his voice emotionless. To an outsider it would seem as though the messy haired soldier didn't care about the ambiguosity of the mission but the room's occupants knew better.

Une shrugged. “He's a bit eccentric.” Was all the explanation they received.

Duo and Wufei were still bickering quietly when the fireplace suddenly flared a deep green color.

Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the flames to face five guns pointed directly at him and the exasperated yet slightly proud face of Lady Une.

Albus cleared his throat nervously before smiling widely at the female commander.

“I see you have already assembled them. Wonderful! Their reflexes are impeccable as well!”

The guns hadn't moved.

Lady Une cleared her throat.

“This is our client. I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you would lower your weapons.”

Duo and Quatre were the first to comply; Duo grinning at the outrageous orange and violet robes that Dumbledore wore while Quatre used his 'space heart' to sense the man's intentions. The blond found that other than a fair bit of undeserved self-guilt, sadness and extreme worry, the old man was full of life and goodness.

The other three pilots complied as well but slower, the suspicious look not leaving their usually emotionless faces.

“Albus.” Une greeted with a strict nod of her head. She reminded him very much of her mother, his Deputy Headmistress. Perhaps it was the hair. Those severe buns had a way of makinghim feel as though he had been caught in the broomcloset with a girl again.The Headmaster smiled in return before taking a seat at the table. The smile never left his face as the group sat around him.

“How much have you explained to them about us?” The question was directed at Une who, to the surprise of the five pilots, gave the man a small smirk.

“Nothing. I'm leaving this up to you. You must convince them to accept your mission, not me.”

Albus nodded, his eyes twinkling.

“Very well.” He suddenly stopped at turned to Duo. The chocolate haired boy was red in the face. “ Merlin, are you alright, young man?”

Duo's mouth seemed to explode as he lent forward, his violet eyes shinning.

“What's with the dress? Aren't you a dude? Why did you come out of the fireplace? How did you come out of the fireplace? How old are you? Is your name really Albus? What-”

Whatever Duo was about to ask was suddenly cut off as his mouth kept moving but no sound resonated from it.

The stranger was holding a sleek, slightly curved stick in his withered hand, the rounded tip pointing slightly at the now voiceless Duo.

“I'm dreadfully sorry about that. Mr. Maxwell did not seem like he was about to stop anytime soon and while time is of the essence right now, I am an old man and my memory is not what it used to be. I fear I was beginning to forget what he had first asked me.”

There was a stunned silence as the five potential body guards watched the man flick the stick and have a stack of files and papers appear form nowhere. An ink pot sat beside what appeared to be a roll of parchment, an eagle feather sticking out of it's top at a slight angle. Albus shifted through the papers, mumbling to himself.

Finally someone spoke.

“How did you do that?” Quatre asked, looking amazed. Dumbledore looked up from his papers, his bushy eyebrows rising in amusement.

“That, my boy, was magic.”

With another flick of his wand, Albus Dumbledore proceeded to convince the five friends that magic really did exist.

“This is impossible.” Heero declared for the fifteenth time, looking at the biscuit and cup of tea he held in his hands. He could feel it, see it, hear the other's eating theirs, smell the enticing scents rising from the snacks and he had already taken a rather large bite out of the biscuit, but the Perfect Soldier still could not grasp the concept that magic was real.

Duo swallowed another biscuit before rolling his eyes at Heero.

“You've just seen the man step out of green flames from a fireplace, take my voice away, make papers appear out of thin air, seen a phoenix and are actually holding a cup of tea and a cookie that came out of his wand and you're still doubting magic?”

Trowa sipped his herbal tea quietly for a moment before looking at Duo.

“His world has been turned upside down. Give him time. Mr. Dumbledore has yet to explain why he needs our help.”

The sage like wizard nodded, his eyes serious.

“There is no deterring your men, Lady Une.”

Albus pulled a picture out of one of his files and handed it to Wufei who was the closest on his right. It was a picture of Harry under a large oak tree. It was taken just that June after him and his friends had finished their Sixth Year exams and for once, the young man lookedlooked content.

“This young man is Harry Potter.”

Duo had taken the picture, looked at it once before grinning and flipping it over to show the others.

“He looks a lot like Heero don'tcha think?” Before anyone could answer the braided teen had flipped it back over and was scrutinizing it. “He looks kind of small though.”

Duo kept turning the picture at different angles before Wufei growled at him and quickly snatched it out of his hands, giving it to Quatre. The Chinese youth looked back at Dumbledore, his face determined.

“I won't assassinate someone without a very good reason, Sir. Especially one so young as him.”

Albus and Lady Une shared a look of slight amusement before the Headmaster addressed the hidden question.

“Assassinating Mr. Potter would beextremely counter-productive to whatI want you all to do for me, Mr. Chang.” The picture had circled the table, ending with Heero who gave it back with mixed feelings. There was something about the boy that made the soldier thankful this wouldn't be one of those missions.

Dumbledore took the photo and looked at it with fondness. Realization seemed to bloom in the group's collective conscious. The old wizard before them cared for the teen. Another flick of the wand made the picture spring up and appear like a hologram. To the group's amazement the image began to move like a video.

A cheery male voice sounded 'off camera' as the picture moved.

“Smile for the camera Harry! School's out soon, exams are over and you'll be with my family in a week or two tops this summer. Stop looking as though Dad's almost run over Hedwig again!”

Harry gave whoever was holding the camera a mock-death glare before smirking. Cupping his hands over his mouth, the boy shouted in the distance.

“Hermione, Ron's gotten hold of your camera again!”

A shrill female voice sounded as the image began to fade and Harry laughed at something the group could not see. Dumbledore smiled at the sound.

“If you remember, I explained that there is a war going on right now, between literally the forces of good and evil, and this young man has been stuck in the middle of it.”

That came as a shock to most of the ex-pilots. Not counting the fact that the guy's tale sounded likethe introductionout of a bad Star Wars rip-off but the idea that this one kid was in the middle of a war struck close to home.

Quatre nodded first. “So what's the mission?”

“At the beginning of the summer,” Albus began, his eyes looking sombre. “Harry's home was attacked. His Uncle was at work when Harry was taken and his Aunt and cousin killed. A man named Tom Riddle, who likes to call himself Lord Voldemort, had his followers, whom he calls Death Eaters, kidnap Harry. We knew nothing, even with our magic, before it was too late. I had my contacts and members of the Order of the Phoenix, a group I created to stop Tom, looking for him around the clock but he could not be found.”

Wufei lent forward. “You wish for us to find your charge then, Mr. Dumbledore?”

Albus shook his head. “Two days ago, Mr. Potter showed up at my Headquarters with a few cuts and bruises but otherwise unharmed. How he escaped relatively uninjured we do not know and we may never know, as the last thing Mr. Potter remembers is sitting in his room at his relatives' home.”

The group was quiet, waiting for the bomb to drop.

“I would like to hire you, all of you, to protect Mr. Potter. I am the Headmaster of the Wizarding School he is now attending, but even there he is not safe.” Here the old man faltered for a moment. “The kidnapping- it changed him. Harry, to his chagrin, was very short for his age but has suddenly become taller, darker and more suspicious, yet completely normal as well. He's not the Harry I knew and that happened because I didn't protect him. Will you help me?”

It seemed undignified for this man to be pleading with five teenagers to help him and Lady Une still had not said a word. Trowa spoke up.

“Why should we? What makes you think we are any match against wizards and witches? Why should we enter a war that has nothing to do with us?”

The wizard took a deep calming breath. “It has everything to do with your world. Did you all not know that each of you is very special. The first signs of magic on the colonies. Mr. Barton has a connection to animals. How could Mr. Winner be an empath? Why are Mr. Maxwell's eyes such an extraordinary violet color? How could Mr. Chang be the only survivor of his clan and Mr. Yuy the Perfect Soldier without there being something about you all?”

Dumbledore looked at each boy in turn. Duo was first.

“Harry is an orphan, taken in my his Aunt and her husband or not. They were not fond of magic.”

Wufei.

“He has always been an advocate of justice and fighting the good fight.”

Quatre.

“He has a pure soul. Tom is no fool. He made Harry the offer of joining him when the boy was eleven. Offered him his heart's desire and he turned him down.”

Trowa.

“He's lost his memories of that imprisonment. I can't help fix what has happened to him.”

Heero.

“He's the only one who can stop this war.”

There was again a moment's silence before Heero spoke for them all.

“Mission accepted.”

A/N: This might be the last update for a while. I messed my elbow up and I've got tons of work to do for the next few weeks. Luckily I finished this one last week sometime but I've just gotten around to editing it. The next update will be 'If I Never Knew You'. Thanks for the reviews!

Please Review, for every review not written a HEERO goes straight! Save him! Relena's awaiting!

S.Tangerine