This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

The forest was peaceful and quiet. There was not a sound to disturb the calm of the scenery. It almost seemed as though the forest itself was mourning their loss.

Harry walked through with quiet confidence, deeper into the forest than anyone else would dare go. But on a day like this he had no fear of being attacked. The sun shone through the trees, the flying Pokémon chirped, and everything stayed just so perfectly still that it felt as though time itself had frozen in place.

Harry didn't come across a single Pokémon, not until he reached his goal.

Arceus stood there, as though he had expected Harry to come, and Harry was not surprised. He walked forward without fear, stopping just far enough away to look comfortably up at Arceus's face, and he fell still.

"You have come," Arceus murmured. Harry nodded.

The clearing was very still.

"I am… sorry, for your loss," Arceus told him, its voice sounding heavy, and Arceus bowed its head. "Albus Dumbledore… was a man I could admire. He has always tried to help me, and has never asked for anything in return."

"But to help him with Voldemort," Harry finished. Slowly Arceus nodded.

"A common goal," it told him. "I requested his aid in the beginning. For our own reasons we wanted the one they call the Dark Lord defeated. The Pokémon world is truly worse off now that Dumbledore is gone."

Harry nodded in agreement. It was true. It was a truth so apparent that it was barely worth mentioning but out of respect for everything Dumbledore had strived for.

"His mission is mine now," Harry spoke. Arceus stared at him. "He led the fight against Voldemort and now it's my turn. I will not be returning to school here at Hogwarts, but rather will go out into the countryside, searching for your Plates. That is where Dumbledore and I were the night he died." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the Splash Plate.

"You found it," Arceus uttered. Its tone was even but Harry would be a fool not to notice the relief inside it. "I congratulate you."

"Congratulate Dumbledore," Harry told him. "I was merely a passenger on this trip." He held out the Plate. "But if I'm going to move forward then I must have this Plate cleansed. That's where you come in."

Arceus nodded.

"Lay the Plate before me," Arceus instructed and Harry did so, before taking a few steps back.

Arceus closed its eyes and took a breath. Energy seemed to build within it, not visible but most certainly there, and as it continued to build Arceus's eyes opened wide and its head tilted towards the sky.

"Judgement!" Arceus cried and a burning orb soared into the air, a stream of light streaking behind it. The orb rose high into the sky, becoming a mere speck of light, before it began to drop slowly down to the ground below.

The orb crashed into the Splash Plate, thundering down as if powered by a bolt of lightning. It slammed into the Plate, rattling it harshly as the Plate began to light up inside the powerful amber energy, and as it did so dark tendrils began to leak hauntingly into the air.

The attack ended with a slam, a shock wave blowing outwards and ruffling Harry's hair as the Splash Plate was forced roughly into the ground, where it lay, unmoving, as the energy faded.

It was, once again, a pure blue.

"The dark one's presence has been purged," Arceus uttered and as it did so the Splash Plate rose up into the air, floating off behind Arceus's form and disappearing from view. "Now there remain just six others. Find them, and return them to me."

Harry nodded.

"I will," he promised. "But there is one thing I need from you." Arceus inclined its head curiously.

"Go on."

"Once all the Plates have been cleansed," Harry said, "once you are no longer influenced by Voldemort's control, I need you to stand beside me and fight him."

Arceus considered Harry, looking down from nearly twice his height, its expression unclear.

"I do not dabble in the affairs of humans," Arceus spoke. "It is unfair of me, with the powers that I possess, to choose sides in your conflicts."

"But you've already chosen a side," Harry reminded. "You have helped Dumbledore and accepted his help in return, all in the pursuit of defeating Voldemort. I know you only wish to have your Plates returned but the fact of the matter is that Voldemort is your enemy. Not standing against him is just as bad as siding with him."

Arceus did not speak. It continued to look down on Harry in silence.

"I'm not going to use backhanded means to get you on my side," Harry told it, shaking his head. "I'm not going to bribe or blackmail. All I'm going to do is ask for your help. There are innocent lives at stake, that's why Dumbledore fought him so hard, and if that isn't enough for you to stand against Voldemort then nothing I say or do will change your mind."

"I agree," Arceus murmured. "But you and Dumbledore before you have earned my allegiance. I will fight with you, when the time comes. You have my word."

Harry breathed an unconscious sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"But understand that this does not mean I will fight for you beyond this," Arceus continued, voice firm. "I stand by what I said. For one such as me interference is unacceptable."

Harry accepted that. He never wanted Arceus as his to command, his Pokémon the way Charizard, Talonflame, Pikachu and Umbreon were. He had a simple goal, one the godly Pokémon shared, and that was all that mattered.

"I'll see you around," Harry said, moving backwards away from the behemoth.

"I look forward to it," said Arceus. "Good luck, Harry Potter."

Harry left the clearing behind him, beginning his trek back towards the castle where Ron and Hermione waited. He felt oddly lighter now that the Splash Plate was out of his possession. Just having it in his pocket, knowing that it carried a part of Voldemort's essence, weighed heavily on his mind.

Now, one step on his route to finishing Voldemort for good, he found himself feeling oddly optimistic. He had no belief that this task would be anything but challenging, impossible even, but there was just something about making progress, moving forward, that made you start to believe that anything is possible.

Wandering through the forest, passing a sign indicating he'd entered an area where trainer's in sixth year or higher were allowed to wander, Harry found himself brought to a halt. For a moment he wondered, unsure as to what had caused him to pause, but it only took a moment before he realised.

He turned around.

On the path behind him, no more than a dozen feet away, stood Greninja. He wasn't trying to hide, like he had done on all previous occurrences of their meetings. He stood up straight, standing at full height and meeting Harry at eye level.

Harry felt a small smile cross his face.

"How could I forget," he commented. Greninja and he had a destiny, so Arceus had said. It appeared that now, the crossroad moment of Harry's journey, was when it would come together.

"I'm sure you know what I've got to do," Harry told him. "You know Arceus. I've got to leave here, search the land, far and wide, and bring back the Arceus Plates. It's going to be difficult, near impossible even, but it is what I have to do."

He paused, looking at Greninja as the Pokémon stared blankly back at him. But he knew what was going on beneath the surface, knew where Greninja's line of thinking was taking him, and that was where Harry was right now.

"I'm going to need all the help I can get," he told him, meeting his eyes and not looking away. "I'll need Pokémon by my side who are strong, fast, and are ready to do anything to bring down Voldemort. I have some already, and trust me, they are strong and they are motivated, but if I'm going to succeed I need more."

"So what do you say?" Harry asked. "Will you help me?" He held out his hand.

Greninja stood there, completely still, not reacting to Harry's offer, but Harry did not panic. He kept his hand out, waiting patiently, for he knew that he and Greninja were on the same page.

Greninja shifted slightly, losing his stiff posture for a moment, and Harry could practically see the cogs turning. There was hesitation, Greninja's movements jerky as he was pulled between his two options, but then he stepped forward, joining Harry where he stood, and grasped his hand.

"Welcome to the team," Harry told him. Greninja nodded.

The school term came to an end. The students, trunks packed and ready, crossed the grounds in the Zebstricka pulled carriages and boarded the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station, many wondering if it would be their last time. Without Dumbledore, who knew what would happen.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny quietly grabbed a compartment to themselves, and were quickly joined by Neville and Luna. There was not much to be said, an understanding between the six of them that left words unnecessary, and they travelled down to London in mostly silence.

Sitting in his seat by the window Harry looked out on them.

Neville and Luna sat nearest the door, the last two to join the compartment. How those two had grown since Harry had first met them. For Neville the change was extraordinary, the shy boy, consistently scared of everything and everyone, sat with his back straight, proud and full of confidence, a strong trainer and a man worthy of the sacrifice his parents had made for him.

For Luna the change was a lot more subtle, as she remained, on the outside, the same dreamy, carefree girl she had been since her first day at Hogwarts. But she too had grown, grown to find acceptance in herself that was, in the beginning, more of an act than a belief. But in the last few years she had found people who liked her for who she was, found a home within the DA, and she was all the better for it.

Across from Harry sat Ron and Hermione. His ever present companions, his rock for some of the toughest moments of his life, they had always been there for him, and promised they always would. But now they'd found that in each other. Even as Harry watched Hermione's head dropped onto Ron's shoulder and he turned his head slightly, leaning in to her unmanageable curls.

Beside Harry sat Ginny, and despite their close proximity, their arms basically touching, Harry refrained from reaching for her hand. He may want to feel her touch, especially with so much time spent away from her spreading out before him, but for that very reason he knew he shouldn't. The more he indulged in the comfort and the warmth she provided the harder it would be without her.

Instead his hand fell to his belt, and the Pokéballs that lay there, Greninja now taking his place on Harry's team. The Pokémon there, who had been with him in some cases since the very beginning of his Pokémon journey, were as much his family as anyone could be. They were kind, and generous, and most importantly for the trials ahead strong and determined. And with Charizard's ability to Mega Evolve he always had an ace up his sleeve.

That was something that Ron and Hermione had the chance to make use of too. Each of them had Key Stones, gifted to them from their parents, and Pokémon that could Mega Evolve, now that Hermione had added Absol to her team, but what was lacking was the Mega Stone to make it happen.

Even so, they were powerful enough on their own. What with Arcanine and Noctowl, Blastoise and Mismagius, Torkoal and Buizel, Pidgeot and Meowstic, Machamp and Flygon, and Metang and Absol, they had more than enough strength on their side. And they would need every ounce of it in the times ahead.

They pulled into King's Cross Station, the platform filled with anxious family members, and they disembarked, readying themselves to say goodbye.

"I'll keep training as much as I can," Neville told him as he spotted his Gran in the crowd. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time until Pupitar evolves. Anything that can help out the resistance."

It pained Harry that it had come to that, schoolchildren preparing for war, but if he was honest with himself then he'd admit he felt better knowing Neville was willing to fight.

Neville left them, striding confidently into the crowd, and Luna soon followed, hugging each of them goodbye.

That left Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to face the combined Weasley-Granger gathering.

"See you soon, Harry," Hermione told him as she prepared to leave, a knowing look passing between them. Harry nodded.

"Yep. See you later, mate," said Ron, clapping him on the shoulder. Ginny just sent him a look. He more than understood.

"Bye," he told them, watching them go with a heavy heart as he waited behind, Remus and Mad-Eye standing by him.

"Come on then," Mad-Eye grunted, giving Harry a nudge so he'd start moving, glaring around the platform with his trademark suspicion. "Let's get you out of here."

He took him to his beaten up old Volkswagen, the three of them stuffing themselves inside, and as Harry watched London disappear behind him, Surrey on the horizon, he silently set himself for what was to come.

The war had only just begun.

A/N: And that is it for Harry Potter and the Serpent's Secret. I hope you have enjoyed this addition to the series and please let me know what you think in the Reviews.

As I promised I will have a list of the Pokemon each character has, although the chapter itself does sum up quite nicely for the trio.

Harry: Charizard X, Talonflame, Pikachu, Umbreon, Greninja

Ron: Arcanine, Blastoise, Torkoal, Pidgeot, Machamp, Metang

Hermione: Noctowl, Mismagius, Buizel, Meowstic, Flygon, Absol

Neville: Venusaur, Toxicroak, Scizor, Samurott, Pupitar

Ginny: Ninetales, Gengar, Meganium

Luna: Espeon, Musharna, Exploud

Draco: Serperior, Honchkrow, Alakazam, Weavile, Bisharp

Dumbledore (RIP): Alakazam, Sorting Xatu, Ho-oh (Fawkes), Dragonite, Gryffindor's Aegislash, Chimecho, Riolu

I will be taking a two week break before beginning uploading for the seventh and final instalment of this series: Harry Potter and the Arceus Plates.

In the meantime here's a sneak peak of the first chapter.

Chapter 1: Closing In

On the night of the 28th July the street of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey, was quiet. That was not unusual. It was a nice, normal neighbourhood, after all. Nothing weird ever happened there.

Up in the smallest bedroom of one of the houses on this street, number four, sat a boy named Harry Potter, a book in his lap and a furrow in his brow. He turned the page, the paper feeling crisp and heavy in his fingers, and let out a sigh.

The book he was reading was no ordinary book. It was a book of legends. Entitled 'Gods on Earth' the book, gifted to Harry by his late Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was the world's most comprehensive guide to Legendary Pokémon. Though large and filled with minuscule text, however, it still held very little information. Most of what was known was basic, the rest nothing but guesswork.

Over the summer Harry had taken to reading 'Gods on Earth' at every available opportunity, and he had plenty. His relatives, the Dursleys, did not care for Harry or want anything to do with his 'unnaturalness' and likewise Harry didn't want anything to do with them. As a result he spent the vast majority of his time locked away in his bedroom, whiling away the hours as he waited for his birthday, July 31st, when he would finally be allowed to leave.

The doorbell rang.