Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to either storyline and any recognizable characters or concepts.
"Eyes as blue as the azure sky, that is the symbol of the Contractor. Entrusted by the spirit King of the Wind with the powers of his domain; I bear this mark, the Stigma of the Wind."
Harry crouched slightly out of sight of the Death Eaters, DA members, and the Order of Phoenix fighters who were fighting in the Veil Room. He laid his invisibility cloak over Luna, who was sitting against the wall, working on healing a gash in her leg. "If anything happens, you know what to do with that." He then used a weak immobilizing jinx on the now invisible figure. It would give him just a few moments without having to worry about another person being injured. He sent a spell at the Death Eater Remus was facing, and started to run to his godfather's side. He was too slow as the spell from Bellatrix hit Sirius in the chest. Ignoring everything else, Harry collided with Sirius in an attempt to keep his godfather from falling through the Veil. Sadly, he was unable to push the larger man out of the way. This resulted in the pair falling through the fluttering curtains.
Harry heard his name screamed as he fell. He recognized the voice all too well.
Time stood still.
Harry and Sirius were lying in front of a trio of hooded figures. Harry stood slowly, casting a Rennervate on Sirius. He attempted to at least. His wand turned to dust in his hand. Harry stood over Sirius' prone form. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The figure in black chuckled. It was a disturbing sound. It alternated between that of a child to that of an amused old man and hit various tones along the way. "My dear boy only a member of your lineage would cause me this much trouble. But such an opportunity! Ignotus' impertinence was inherited by you. I had hoped it would have changed over the centuries. But to answer your second question; you have something that I want."
Harry tried to move away from the figure that seemed to be so menacing. But he was frozen in place. A single finger emerged from beneath the black sleeve. It shifted between a human finger and a bony digit. When it touched his scar, he felt a searing pain, then a rather spectacular headache. A black shadow trailed out of his scar, stuck to the finger of the figure. Suddenly the menacing aura disappeared, replaced instead by a feeling of satisfaction. Harry saw a series of shadows appear from the space behind him, gathering in front of the figure. A bony hand was held up in a cupping shape. The shadows pooled in the upturned palm. After a shake of its head, the arm made a sharp pulling motion. Suddenly, the prone form of Bellatrix appeared, this appearance was quickly followed by the appearance of those Harry assumed were Death Eaters. Harry recognized quite a few faces from his trial of the Wizengamot. Harry smirked slightly Snape and Malfoy showed up. He smirked again when, not so surprisingly, Umbridge made her appearance. All of the figures were silent but were gripping their arms in pain. Voldemort was the last to appear.
"Mister Riddle. You and I are long overdue for a chat. Luckily, you didn't know that if a Horcrux is put through the Veil, it can kill the wizard who made it. There is a reason after all why more dark wizards don't use them. You also didn't know that young Harry had a Horcrux in his scar. Getting all of your followers at the same time made things easier for me. Thank you for putting soul magic into your little tattoo. You have no idea the amounts of paperwork that I have had to do each time you ended someone's life before it was their time to go." The voice turned menacing, "But you will soon realize exactly what fun I have in store for you." A wave of hands caused all of the prone forms to be bound to rather menacing looking chairs in front of a table that appeared. The sheer amount of Death Eaters made the table much longer than the House Tables at Hogwarts. "Now, what to do with you young Harry."
Harry, having watched the rather impressive display of magic, was more than a little nervous. Here was a being that manhandled Voldemort and all of the Death Eaters with no difficulty whatsoever. He swallowed noisily. "Who are you?"
"That is simple Mr. Potter. I am, for lack of a better term, Death. The Veil that you came through is a direct entryway to; well the easiest way to describe it, the between."
Harry was a little confused. "Between what?"
Death gestured, "Everything. Two places, moments, existence, realities, life, and the afterlife."
Harry's face registered shock.
Death continued before Harry could ask another question. "Usually, being between results in the individual's death. Mortals were not meant to be here." Behind Death, what looked to be a type of dragon he had never seen before with an oddly garbed figure on its back appeared; then three heartbeats later it disappeared. "There are, however, a few notable exceptions." He gestured to the seated group. "But because you were here, I was able to bring all of those troublemakers into my domain because of their link to Tommy. So I am willing to be benevolent this one time. Using a Horcrux defies the natural order of things. As such, whenever the individual who created them is delivered here, if needed, a little leeway can be granted." Death gestured and Sirius was awake once more.
Sirius placed himself in between the Death Eaters and Harry, when his hand closed on his wand, it too crumbled to ash. He went to speak, but Death held up a hand. "I do not have much time. Neither do you. Not everything can be stopped for our chat. There is too much going on. Listen well. I cannot send you back from whence you came. If you wish to continue on to meet your parents, that can be arranged, or I can send you to the next reality that connects to the between." Gesturing at the pair of figures who had not spoken, Death continued, "If you choose that option, it will help to bring their reality back into balance. I'm sure they would be grateful."
Sirius turned towards Harry, "Harry I want you to live. Prongs and Lily would want that too. If the Tale of the Three Brothers is true, Death wants nothing more than for you to not choose that option. Whatever you choose, I will support you."
Harry looked at his godfather. He would ask what the Tale of the Three Brothers was later. If they kept on living, they could have the relationship that they had been denied. He would miss certain members of the Weasley family, the DA, and Hermione. But with the Death Eaters out of the way, they would all be safe. A pair of eyes appeared in his mind, laden with tears. He would miss her the most, but she would be okay as well. While the owner of those eyes would be sad, if what she had told him was true, she would have more than just the cloak to remember him by. He had contacted a lawyer to make sure she would be taken care of. They had made plans once she had found out. Now she would be able to do what they dreamed of, and also had spent long nights talking and planning about what would happen. She obviously wouldn't leave his side, even after he tried to keep her at Hogwarts. She would want him to live as well. Harry looked at Death, "I will go to the next reality. I will see you when it is my time, not sooner."
Approval seemed to emanate from Death, the pair of figures who had not spoken, and Sirius.
"Just as your ancestor. You are wiser than many others."
Harry looked at the dark figure. "I know I cannot ask this of you, but could you let her know that I'm sorry I had to leave her. After everything she has been through, this will be hard for her. I do love her."
Death nodded, "The next time she wears my cloak, she will know what all that has transpired here. I will even allow her to hear your words. She will also know that once her time comes, and yours as well, she can be with you again. That is all I can do."
Sirius spoke up, "Will I be allowed to accompany him?"
Death chuckled again, "Mr. Black, should you go with him, the condition I impose is that you will not be human. I cannot allow two humans to leave the between when only one brought me the Horcrux. You will be able to interact with him, but not in your current form. That is all I can grant you."
Sirius nodded, "Harry needs me. I accept those terms."
Death nodded at the pair that hadn't spoken. "I will leave them in your hands. Enjoy the trip to your new home." He placed an hour glass with blood red sand on the floor. "When it runs out, there will be a portal opening, I will redirect it here. You won't have long to get through it. It was going to a reality filled with various types of soul-eating demons. Re-routing it here will also keep my paperwork down, but now, my new assistants will beg for mercy soon enough." Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Death spoke again. "Every existence isn't sunshine and daisies. By the way, you will likely have another fight on your hands once you get there. Those who live there found a way to pass through the between and open portals to other realities. You will want to stop them every chance you get. You'll be rewarded if you do. It throws things out of balance. That is how those two were stuck here in the first place. Do not try to return to your reality. It will result in your death." With this Death and the table of Death Eaters disappeared.
Sirius saw the look on his godson's face. He gave Harry some space. Harry spent a few minutes facing away from Sirius whispering his final goodbye to the girl who had changed him so much. When he was done, he rejoined his godfather.
The pair of figures stood in front of Harry and Sirius. Harry was able to see that one was wearing a light blue hooded robe, the other, a seafoam green. The color descriptions did not do them justice. The colors seemed alive. Both voices were masculine, but neither could be easily described. It was if they were constantly changing. The two also spoke in perfect unison. "With your help, we will be returning to our reality soon. A bit of information for you: your magic will not work in our home reality as it is now. However, because your body carries magic, we can offer you a choice, if you like. Since your presence is what is allowing for us to return, we would owe you a boon. If you want, in this new reality, you can have your magic changed to one of our two attributes. Your choices are water or wind."
Sirius spoke up, "What are the differences between the two?"
The figure in blue put a hand on each of their foreheads. Suddenly the system of elemental magic, descriptions of spirits, abilities of the four types, spirit beasts, and also the strengths and drawbacks of other magics that existed in this reality. Wand based magic was indeed going to be impossible. Sirius and Harry were rather shocked by this information. They were also informed of the dangers of some of the ritual magics that had developed. They were silent as the sand drained away; mentally reviewing everything they had just learned. Sirius looked between the two figures. "Which would suit him best?"
They answered in unison, "It is his decision."
Sirius turned to Harry,
Harry spoke up, a shadow of a grin on his face. "Wind, I think. I could fly without a broom. I'd still like to be able to fly."
The figure in green chuckled, "The same can be accomplished with water." A circle began to etch itself in the floor and the figure in green focused on it. It turned to the one in blue. "I can sense a rather powerful recipient for my power. They will want what I have to offer. You may have the boy." He then settled into a seated position in the circle. "If I am reading the situation right; he will likely need my powers more than Mr. Potter."
"As if you could stop me anyway. He had leanings towards air magic anyway." The figure in blue placed its hand once more on Harry's head; a blue light began shining in the middle of his forehead. Harry felt something twist inside of him. The Spirit King of the Wind gave Harry knowledge of what could be accomplished and also how to do all of it. He was also shown that those who practiced wind magic had limited themselves so much. While there had been a Contractor before, his line had been killed. Much that was known about wind magic had been lost. For that matter, much that had been known about Contractors had also been lost. While the knowledge was transferred, the Spirit King smiled. Once he was finished, the circle now held greater detail. "Time is short; do you accept the contract and everything it entails?"
Harry replied, "Yes."
The figure nodded, and then placed his hand once more on the boy's brow. His eyes briefly changed from the emerald green of his mother to the blue of a clear sky. After a moment, both of them sagged. Harry's eyes were green once again.
"I have plans for you Mr. Black." He then hit Sirius over the back of his head, causing him to fall forward. Sirius, however, never hit the floor. Instead he seemed to shrink in midair, his clothes shifting to a set of blue robes similar to those worn by the Spirit King. Harry realized that Sirius had indeed shrunk. He was now at most 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall. A pair of wings sprouted from his back. He also looked younger. Sirius lay stunned in the palm of the Spirit King. Flicking the now diminutive man in the forehead, he said, "That is your charge and your duty." A brief spark had passed between the two when the finger lightly made contact.
Sirius nodded, shook his head and grinned, he wasn't human anymore, but he would indeed have fun. He was then placed on Harry's shoulder.
The sand in the glass was almost drained. The four stood in the circle that was lightly glowing blue and had red puddles in a rather peculiar pattern. Once there was an intricate geometric design and a bright glow coming from the floor, they heard a voice intone, "In the name of stars and wisdom, I shall pursue only the truth!"
Another voice called out, "Erwin! Let her go, please let her go."
A third screamed out, "Kazuma!"
The robed pair looked at Harry and he nodded. It seemed like Death's parting words were right. He practiced a few times creating air blades from what he had learned while the circle and writing grew steadily brighter. He was able to succeed after just a few tries. He was amazed at how easy it was. Then again, he did have the Spirit King of the Wind dump it all in his head minutes earlier.
The quartet sunk into the swirling miasma that was under their feet. As they passed, the figures changed shape, now they were respectively, a pulsing ball of blue and green.
Harry, upon emerging from the portal saw a naked girl suspended in midair, blood dripping from her body. He also saw a blonde man in ornate robes. He had his arms outstretched and a look of shock on his face as Harry rose from the floor. Harry pushed the girl out of the circle and she fell into the arms of a rather battered brown-haired teen.
"How? What are you? You are not who I summoned! This ritual will be difficult to re-create. I will not let you get away with this!" He then began chanting in a guttural tone.
A blast of wind sliced the leader of the ritual across the chest. His attendants surged forward. One man in particular was rather powerful.
Harry slashed his arm downward in an attempt to stop the blonde with poisonous yellow eyes. While the blonde dodged, it was not enough, a gash opened on left side of his face, taking the left eye with it. Harry quickly threw his arm out, visible arcs of air cutting into the stone. Some hits landed on some cloaked figures standing around the edge of the room. This caused figures in dark robes to turn and flee the room. A dark red trail was left in their wake.
Feeling the blood run heavily down his face, the man shook and backed away. With no follow-up attack, he ran from the room, and the sound of a door slamming left them in silence. The only light in the small room was the glow that was emanating from the two orbs of light and the fading ritual circle.
There was a bright flash and the circle collapsed. A long length of chain with a scythe at one end fell at Harry's feet as the blue orb began to fade. He heard the Spirit Kings' voice one last time before the orb faded from sight. "This is part of the Weapon of the Wind. It was damaged when I was sent between. Find the rest and you will be able to accomplish your mission."
As soon as Harry bent down to pick it up, it appeared in his hand, and then faded into a vortex of air. Harry knew that he could bring it out again, but that would take practice and time. Harry turned his attention to the brown-haired boy and the girl. The boy had taken off his shirt and was trying to stop the bleeding. Harry could see her body was littered with cuts.
The boy looked at Harry and then put himself between the girl and Harry. He shouted something that Harry didn't understand. Harry, remembering part of the information that he had been given, quickly placed a hand on Kazuma's head, reminiscent of how the Spirit King had done to him. Suddenly the rush of the language he had spoken flooded Harry's mind. So did a massive headache. Harry fell to the ground clutching his head while the boy swayed.
Guessing that Harry was no longer a threat, the boy turned his attention back to the girl. Through the beating at the back of his skull Harry understood the pair.
"Tsui-Ling! Stay with me. We'll get you to a hospital. Let me stop the bleeding."
Tsui-Ling's voice was faint, "Kazuma… I… love… you." With this her eyes fluttered shut.
Kazuma cried out in pain, "Tsui-Ling!" With this, his body took on a green hue. The green orb rippled.
The voice that resonated through the room demanded respect. "Do you wish to save her?"
Kazuma looked at the orb. "Help me!"
"There is only one way for you to save her. Water magic, like you have, can save her. You don't have a teacher. There are none that exist anyway. You have the necessary power to form a Contract." The orb floated in front of the softly glowing boy. "I need a strong Contractor to show the world the power of water magic and reintroduce it into this world. You need to save her. Do we have a deal?"
Kazuma latched onto the idea. "Whatever it takes."
The orb touched his forehead lightly. "Do you accept the contract and everything it entails?"
Kazuma replied in only one word, "Yes"
"Very well."
The green around Kazuma's body condensed around a point on his head and flared. Kazuma's eyes shifted from a light reddish brown to luminescent seafoam green. His hands rested on Tsui-Ling's chest. The cuts glowed the same green; then they started to close. After a few moments, the shallow, slowing breathing of the girl became more restful and regular. Her color returned and the rictus of pain on her face eased. Kazuma then covered her bare form with his bloody shirt.
Once the green eyes faded back to a reddish brown, the orb detached itself from Kazuma as he fell to his hands and knees. A metallic clank followed. A pair of large, spiked gauntlets now lay in front of the boy. "You might need to use these to get out of here. These are the Weapon of Water. The boy who stopped the ceremony can be trusted. He had to touch your forehead to learn your language. He should be recovering soon." At this, the orb faded away. Kazuma went to touch the gauntlets, and they turned into mist and evaporated. He merely nodded and picked up the girl.
Harry stood shaking his head. He switched to the language he had learned. "Sorry about that. Do you know where we are?"
Kazuma looked at the boy in front of him. If he would venture a guess, they were close to the same age. He also had the worst accent in Japanese Kazuma had ever heard. "My name is Kazuma and no I don't. Tsui-Ling and I were invited to lunch by my uncle. Then I woke up here."
Sirius then made his presence known. "We should get out of here just in case that guy comes back."
Kazuma spoke up, "A fairy?!"
Sirius huffed. "I'm a pixie."
Harry butted in. "Regardless, he is right. We need to get out of here and go somewhere safe."
The quartet ghosted through the hallways, ducking into rooms when they heard someone coming.
Harry felt odd. As they walked, He could feel they were close to the outside. In fact, the blank wall to their left was the only barrier to the outside. He could also feel a large group of powerful people coming in their direction. Harry knew it was because of his new abilities. "We don't have much time. There is a group of people headed this way and the blonde guy is with them."
Kazuma held Tsui Ling closer. "I can't let them take her again. How do we get out of here?"
Harry turned to Kazuma. "Do you trust me?"
The brown haired boy retorted, "Do I have a choice?"
Harry smirked. Gryffindors charge forward he thought. Harry threw his arms out, wind blades erupted from his hands. They carved into the masonry separating them from the outside. A blast of wind pushed the rocks outwards. A large triangle had been cut in the wall. The edge of the building was sitting directly on a cliff. There wasn't even a ledge to walk on, just a massive drop.
"Well, that was unexpected." Sirius said flatly.
"Stop them!" rang out from behind the small group.
Harry jumped behind Kazuma and proceeded to push pair out the hole. He then put his arms under the taller teen's armpits and bent his elbows upwards. Inside his head he was only thinking, 'Please, please, work.'
A small whirlwind enveloped the trio and began carrying them away from the castle at rapid pace. After a few minutes Harry set the group down and fell to his knees panting. That took a lot out of him.
"We should be safe enough for a rest." Harry gasped out.
Kazuma finally was able to recover. "What were you thinking pushing me out the side of the building like that?"
Harry turned his head, "It was the only option to get away at the time. It wasn't a good idea, it was the only idea. Besides, it worked didn't it?"
Kazuma calmed slightly, "Who are you? That was a summoning portal. You don't look or act like a demon."
Harry laughed tiredly. "I am from another reality." Seeing Kazuma's confusion, Harry elaborated. "I'm not originally from this world. Mine is similar, but different at the same time. I did something stupid and it worked out in the end. It was either die or come here. Apparently it helped those two orbs. One controlled wind, the other, water." With this, he flopped onto his back staring at the sky.
"You brought the Spirit Kings with you?!"
"The what now?"
"They help control the elements. Wind and water magic have been weak or practically non-existent for a long time. That might be why."
"So I take it you are a Contractor as well?"
This threw Kazuma for a loop. "How can you know what a Contractor is, but not who the Spirit Kings are?"
Harry looked at the other teen. Pointing to himself, he said, "Different reality. They didn't have time to go over all the details." Harry flopped to the ground. "Is the girl going to be okay?"
Kazuma brushed back Tsui Ling's hair, "I hope so. The Spirit King showed me how to heal her."
Harry nodded, "Good. I need to rest for a moment. We covered quite a bit of ground; they shouldn't be able to find us any time soon."
While Harry rested, Tsui Ling was able to regain consciousness. "Kazuma! Was that all a dream?" she then realized her state of dress and realized that everything that happened was real. "Are we both dead?"
Kazuma nodded. "No. He is to thank for that." He pointed at the napping Harry. "They said they wanted to redo the ritual. We need to go somewhere where they won't find us."
Tsui Ling nodded, pressing herself closer to Kazuma. "I know you don't want to, but we need to relocate. I will rent out my restaurant. We have to leave before they come back."
Kazuma frowned, "We may have to use the card my mother gave me. We don't have the money to relocate right now. The plane tickets alone would be very expensive."
Harry had heard the last comment on his return to consciousness and he began chuckling. He was feeling better already. "Didn't the Spirit King tell you about your abilities?"
Kazuma nodded.
Harry laughed again. "Why don't you just use your water magic to move the two of you around?"
Tsui Ling looked sharply at Kazuma. "Your magic awakened? I thought you said it never would."
Kazuma nodded. "I am truly the black sheep of the Kannagi Family. I am a water magic user." He looked off to the side. "It is how I was able to heal what they did to you."
Harry looked away as Tsui Ling pulled Kazuma in for a long kiss, and then stood. Kazuma's shirt was long enough to provide her some degree of modesty. "Let's get going."
Kazuma concentrated and a mist covered the pair's feet, and then condensed into a cloud. Tsui Ling was amazed. She had heard stories about elemental magic users, but this was her first time seeing it firsthand.
Harry stood as well, the wind lifting him in the air. It practically took no effort at all to do this. "Mind if I tag along? I don't know much about this world and am new to this type of magic, so I would like to pick your brain if you don't mind."
The conversation that followed about the differences between the magic of where Harry was from and this realities system lasted until they arrived at the small restaurant that Tsui Ling owned. Kazuma and Tsui Ling were surprised that Sirius used to be a full-sized human but now was a pixie. Apparently Kazuma knew the way once they identified familiar landmarks. Harry used the air to bend the light around his form. He drifted over to Kazuma and Tsui Ling. "I can sense four individuals who were at the castle around your place."
Tsui Ling covered her mouth with her hand and Kazuma frowned. "How do we handle this?"
Sirius spoke up. "I have an idea. It was a prank we used on Snivellous. We charmed the air around him to contain nothing but Carbon Dioxide, I think that is what your mother called what we breathe out, and he fell asleep every time."
Harry nodded and exerted his will around the quartet. After just a few minutes, the four were all asleep. Harry lifted the change so that they would not die. They would have a rather powerful headache when they awoke. He made himself visible once again and followed Kazuma and Tsui Ling down to the street. The girl ran inside to get changed.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Harry and Sirius turned to leave.
Kazuma put his hand on Harry's shoulder stopping him from walking away. "How would you like to come with us?"
Harry was surprised; he had gotten the impression that he was not the teen's favorite person.
Kazuma continued, "I owe you. If you hadn't appeared, I don't know what would have happened to her, or to me. I may have been kicked from my family, but I do have some honor left. Come with us. Please give me a chance to pay you back for how you have helped me."
Harry grinned. It was always better to go as a group. He had quite a bit to learn about this new world. "I'd like that. Thanks Kazuma."
Kazuma stuck out his hand, "I don't even know your name."
"Harry Potter."
"Kazuma Yagami."
Tsui Ling suddenly hugged the pair, a large satchel over her shoulder. She had heard the entire conversation. "I owe you too Harry Potter. Kazuma would be helpless without me."
At the older boy's blush, Sirius piped up, "We can see that. So where do you suggest we go?"
Kazuma thought for a moment. "Europe always has demon sightings or ghosts to deal with. There aren't a lot of Elemental Users there and because of that; there are always more youma to deal with. It would be a good place to get started. As Contractors we need to do our duties. It also would help to get our names out there." Kazuma paused, and then continued, "Some people would be desperate enough to hire unknown wind and water magic users. Fire magic users are normally given the better jobs. They charge more too. We have to prove we are better than them."
A gold card was pressed into Kazuma's hand. He nodded. It looks like they would need the card until they got their feet under them. If they had stayed at Tsui Ling's it wouldn't have ever been used. He didn't like it, but he would use it for Tsui Ling's sake. Even though his mother couldn't be proud of him, Tsui Ling was. That was all that mattered.
As the quartet took to the sky, the four watchers roused themselves and continued their fruitless vigil. They never noticed the paper note attached to the main doors reading "Closed Indefinitely." After a few weeks worth of stakeout they were withdrawn to handle other matters.
The cloud moving swiftly across the night sky drew no notice. From such a beginning, the notoriety of the Storm Brothers would rise. It would be over three years before they saw the shores of Japan once more.
AN: Yes I made some rather large changes to both storylines. If that displeases you, then I would advise that you don't continue reading. That is after all, the definition of fanfiction. This story is already complete and I will be posting chapters as I can.