Flames of Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Harry Potter. They are owned by George Lucas and J K Rowling respectively. I am making no money from this endeavour.

Chapter One: Choosing an Apprentice

Harry rolled over in bed and groaned. Ginny was on duty at the healers today and he would have liked her to be around to help contain the explosion that was sure to come sometime that afternoon. The reason he was expecting an explosion was the fact that today, Luke and Leia Skywalker, and his daughter, Tamsin became eligible to become Padawans. They were all 9 years old and more than ready for the next step, the only problem was who was going to train them. All the other Knights and Masters were letting Harry, Obi-Wan, Damien and Anakin sort out who was training which Padawan, as none of them felt they were powerful enough to be able to contain any Force explosions which occasionally happened when an Initiate that was fairly powerful lost control of their abilities. The only exceptions to that were Mace and Yoda and even they were wary of training them. The fact that Tamsin was magical as well created a different set of problems as she had discovered her animagus form early on, and the Temple had seen the amusing spectacle of a griffin chasing a panther cub down the halls several times over the years. It had got to the point where Harry had threatened to lock away the panther form if Tamsin didn't stop transforming whenever she wanted to get out of something.

Harry got up and dressed himself with his usual efficiency. His uniform hadn't changed over the years; he still kept the original colors he had decided on as a Padawan. Grabbing his lightsaber he attached it to his belt, smoothed out his robe and set off for the room where Damien, Anakin and Obi-Wan were going to be meeting with him.

As he stepped inside the other three looked up and smiled. Harry smiled back before dropping into a chair and saying, "Well, how are we going to divide up our family?"

Damien smirked. "There are only three of them Harry, so I'm going to respectfully bow out and leave them to you. Especially since I've got my eye on another Initiate. I don't feel a Force connection to Tamsin, or Luke or Leia."

Harry nodded before replying, "That's fine Damien. I can understand that."

Nods from Obi-Wan and Anakin said that they understood as well which Damien was relieved about. He hadn't felt like telling them that although he was powerful in his own right, he was with the rest of the Masters and Knights in not being comfortable with containing and directing the very powerful offspring of the two Chosen Ones.

Harry looked round and then sighed. "Well that leaves the three of us. Anakin I'm going to assume you can't train either of your children?" Anakin nodded and Harry continued, "And I can't train Tamsin so we're going to have to work this out somehow. Obi-Wan do you have any objection to training either Luke or Leia?"

"No. In fact, I've felt a connection with Luke developing over the last year. I'd be honored to train him" Obi-Wan replied. Harry nodded, looking at Anakin with a question in his eyes. Anakin nodded in response.

"Yes Harry, I'd be honored to train Tamsin. It is actually rather amusing, you trained me and now I'm going to train your daughter. What a turnaround."

Harry laughed. "Quite so old friend. Oh but be warned, Fred and George have corrupted her, she's quite a prankster."

As Anakin groaned the rest of them laughed. Harry leaned back in his seat and then said, "Well, I guess that leaves me with Leia then. Fortunately all of us have felt connections with our chosen Padawans already so we won't have to force one to develop which would be disastrous. Anakin, you have no objections to me training your daughter?"

Anakin raised both eyebrows and replied, "You trust me with yours Harry, I think I can do the same."

Harry laughed and held out a hand. Anakin and Obi-Wan gripped it and they engaged in a three way handshake before rising to seek out their three Padawans. Damien came with them and while Anakin and Obi-Wan walked ahead of him and Harry, he took the opportunity to quietly discuss his own situation.

"I mean what if he doesn't say yes" Damien said, getting annoyed when Harry chuckled. "What's so funny" the young Knight demanded. Harry shook his head and reined in his amusement. "I'm sorry Damien, but I clearly remember asking Master Ryoth the same thing about you. He told me that I was more in danger of you hugging me to death than saying no and look what happened."

Damien chuckled, remembering his reaction clearly. "Yes, I was a bit overenthusiastic wasn't I. Did you really not know what type of reaction you and Anakin got then, and still get now from the Initiates though?"

Harry snorted. "Yes I'm aware of it, but I don't particularly like it. Labels such as Hero and Sith Killer, which is one that's popped up recently, I have no idea why, stop them from seeing us as teachers and make us into people we're not. Did you not wonder why Anakin and I gave up teaching the Initiates?"

"Because of their reactions?"

"Yes. They were so in awe of us that they forgot to work, and when I tried talking to one of them about one piece of missed homework, they were so ashamed over disappointing me that they burst into tears before I could finish explaining that I wasn't angry with them and I was going to let them have another day to do it. Honestly!"

Damien chuckled, but then sobered up as he said, "If he says yes though, where do I start with teaching him? I mean, there's so much for him to learn and other things I,"

Harry stopped and put both his hands on Damien's shoulders, in a calming gesture. Damien calmed almost instantly, and when he was calm, Harry started talking.

"First, Damien, most of his lessons will still be in taught in class, that hasn't changed. There are only a few things that have to specifically be taught by you, and you'll take him on missions when he's ready to go on them. Just think back to your own training, remember what that was like. If you're stuck, ask for help from me, or Obi-Wan, or Mace or Yoda or another Knight or Master. You will probably do sparring and outdoor stuff with him, and help with his homework and other things like that. Just calm down. Remember, he's not expecting you to be perfect."

Damien breathed out, reasserting control over his emotions. "You're right. It's just that this is such a big step I momentarily panicked." Harry smiled. "You'll do fine. You've got a lot of people around you who would be more than willing to help. Just take it one day at a time for now and get comfortable with the idea of training a Padawan. Remember, it's not just our job to be teachers, most Master/Padawan pairs become like family so you're not only entering just a teaching role here, you're also taking on a semi-parental role too."

Damien nodded and relaxed, before smiling again. "Want to know his name?" he asked. Harry nodded, interested. Damien grinned and said, "His name is Gareth Eeyon, he's a human, and he's 10 years old."

Harry nodded again. "That's good, have you considered what his grades are like, his temperament, things like that?" Damien threw his former master an annoyed look. "Yes I have, he's a quiet kid, not in trouble a lot, his grades are about average, he's sitting around the middle of all his classes which is a good enough starting point. His lightsaber skills are OK, he's better on defense than offence. The only odd thing is that I have wondered sometimes if his quietness is hiding something deeper."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he queried. Damien shrugged. "I mean that when he's been in trouble it's always for an outburst of emotion that seemingly came from nowhere. The last two times it occurred the other Initiate that provoked him landed in the infirmary. Fortunately the injuries in both cases weren't serious but it makes me wonder."

Harry nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "You think he's internalizing his emotions and letting them build up until he can't contain them any longer rather than releasing them to the Force?" Damien shrugged again. "Don't know. It could be that I suppose. I don't want to really consider the fact that it might be deliberate."

Harry shook his head. "At 10 years old he's still learning to control his emotions and I do know that for some, releasing emotion to the Force comes easier than it does to others. Maybe he's just having difficulty. Consider it one of the things to work on if he accepts your offer. Just don't question him about it on the first day, wait and see if there's another incident. If there is, then you can talk to him and find out what's going on."

Damien nodded, and then they entered the dining hall, having been headed that way while they were discussing Damien's future apprentice. Harry scanned the hall for Luke, Leia and Tamsin and found them easily. They were surrounded by their friends as per usual but something was wrong. Leia and Tamsin looked shocked and Tamsin looked annoyed as well. Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at him and motioned him over. Saying a quick good bye to Damien, Harry hurried over, the other Initiates making way for him at the table.

"What's wrong Tamsin?" he questioned. Tamsin looked at him and replied, "I'm happy that Master Skywalker will be training me Dad, but I want to know why the two of you decided to swap me and Leia."

"Swap you and Leia?" Harry repeated, confused. He suddenly thought of what the arrangement must seem like to the two young girls and he sighed. "Have you two finished lunch?" he queried. Seeing two nods, he said "Right. Follow us then, we'll sort this out in private."

When the four had gone, Luke turned to Obi-Wan and said, "I'm glad you chose me Master." Obi-Wan laughed and ruffled Luke's hair, reflecting that he really did look a lot like Anakin had done when Harry had first brought him to the Jedi. The two continued eating their lunch, taking the opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

They went into a spare meditation room, and Harry promptly locked it and set the "In Use" sign on so they wouldn't be disturbed. He turned round to find that Tamsin and Leia were on one side of the room, while he and Anakin were on the other. Finally, Anakin sighed and said, "Will the two of you please sit down and stop glaring at us so we can discuss this calmly."

Leia looked hurt. "I wasn't glaring Dad, but I would like to know the answer to Tamsin's question." Tamsin nodded but dropped her glare, after a warning look from Harry. The two Jedi Masters looked at each other and then sat down themselves. It was Anakin that started the explanation.

"You two and Luke have been raised as Jedi from infancy. This was so that you could learn to see the Jedi as your family and not get so attached to us that you couldn't leave us. When you were younger it was fine for you to see us as parents, because we are, and always will be your parents. However, now that you're old enough to be Padawans the situation becomes more complicated."

"How?" Tamsin asked, with Leia nodding alongside her. Harry took up the explanation and said, "Because the nature of a Master/Padawan bond is different to a parent/child bond. There are elements of the latter in the former but overall it is different. You need to be able to see us not only as your fathers but also as Jedi Masters. The reason we're "swapping" you is so that you can form a proper Master/Padawan bond without mixing up the different roles we play in your lives. This way, Tamsin, I will still be your father but Anakin will be your Master, and Leia it's the same for you, only obviously switched round. Can you both understand that?"

Leia nodded and replied, "Yes I can understand that. It was just a bit of a shock, I mean, although we've been raised as Jedi we still see you as our parents. It's going to be funny having to adjust but we will."

Harry nodded and turned to Tamsin. She nodded as well, though more reluctantly. "It will be odd. I suppose we can't complain to our parent if our Master does something we don't like?" she asked.

Anakin chuckled. "I'm going to assume you mean you can't go running to Harry if I have to punish you for something. The answer is no kiddo. You may certainly complain to him by all means but you can't expect him to bail you out of trouble."

"That goes for you too Leia" Harry added. Leia nodded, seemingly having accepted the new situation. Tamsin was having a harder time but she was coming round to the idea. She knew that the reasons for the "swap" were good ones but she didn't like the way it had been done.

"Master Potter" she said. Harry winced at the formal address, but realized that Tamsin was trying to adjust to the new situation as best she could. "Yes Padawan Potter" he responded, thinking that if she could address him by his title, so could he.

Tamsin chuckled briefly. "I'm OK with the situation as it is, but I do have a question." Seeing Harry's encouraging gesture to continue, she said, "Why did you just decide who was going to train whom without asking us first?"

Harry blinked at her before chuckling as well. "Just like me aren't you" he said, before continuing, "We all felt a connection with one of you, Obi-Wan with Luke, me with Leia and Anakin with you. The meeting we had was to check that none of us had any objections to any of our choices. Since none of us had any, we then found you three and asked you. Well we would have if you hadn't jumped to conclusions. As for not asking you beforehand, well, do Masters usually have to ask Initiates' permission before discussing who they're going to train?"

Tamsin blushed as she muttered, "No you don't. Sorry." She looked up when she felt a hand ruffle her hair and Harry grinned at her. "Nothing to be sorry for. I used to react the same way when I suspected that people had been arranging my life without telling me first or asking my opinion. You do understand why we arranged things this way though?"

"Yeah I do. It should be fun. Master Anakin can tell me all sorts of stories" she giggled. Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm, well, if you want to hear how badly behaved he was then go ahead."

"Oy!" Anakin said with a mock offended look on his face. Harry chuckled, which soon turned to laughter as Anakin threw a pillow at him. Harry levitated it with the Force and threw it back, which Anakin countered. Tamsin and Leia watched, thoroughly entertained as the two Masters seemed to become Padawans for a brief time.

After the pillow fight was over, Harry and Anakin faced Leia and Tamsin, before asking the all important question. Five minutes later, the meditation room door opened, and the two Masters stepped out, followed by their two Padawans. They split up at that point, and the two new Master/Padawan pairs headed back to their respective apartments. The rest of the day was spent settling in and turning Tamsin and Leia from Initiates into Padawans, with the only sticking point being the haircuts. After a bit of argument, their hair was shortened to just below their ears and pulled back into a short ponytail, which left their Padawan braids hanging behind their right ears as they should.

That evening, Harry and Anakin met up with Obi-Wan and Damien for dinner. All of them had brought their Padawans along, and Harry got his first good look at Damien's chosen Padawan. Gareth was nice enough he supposed, but he could sense clearly what Damien had mentioned, the kid's emotions were bottled up tight, and Harry wondered why that was. He inwardly shook his head, and smiled at Gareth, shaking his hand when Damien introduced them, it was up to Damien to sort out whatever was bothering his Padawan, not Harry. After the introductions were over, the group of 8 had a nice quiet dinner, the discussion ranging from Jedi training, with the masters answering questions from the apprentices and then talk turned to the Rebellion. Here, the elder Jedi were careful to keep the talk centered on generalities, not entering specifics. They did not want their apprentices being involved in the war before they were ready to handle it.

The four new Padawans retired to bed fairly early that evening, worn out by the amount of changes the day had brought, which left their Masters free to discuss other things, namely new ways to frustrate and annoy the Emperor. Discussions of their new apprentices would come at a later time when they'd all settled into their new partnerships. For now though, it was time to put into place a plan that the Rebellion had been working on for the past few months, a plan codenamed Operation: Annoyance.

Author Note

Well here it is, the first chapter of Flames of Hope. I hope you all enjoy it, as I have definite plans for this story. If any of you have any ideas for how the Rebellion can annoy the hell out of the Emperor, please tell me. I can't promise that I'll use all of them but I do like getting input from my readers. I have a few ideas myself but I do need more.

May the Force be with you

Padawan Lynne