Chapter Nine: The Prodigal Son

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

Happy New Year. Chap 8 review responses for in my forums as normal. Thank you all for reading.

Chapter Nine: The Prodigal Son

Kyle Katarn crossed the road. No one has ever dared question his motives.

It was a quiet, somber trip back to Earth. It shocked Harry to realize it had been four years since he last set foot on the world of his birth. He didn't even really think of himself as an Earthling anymore, not really. He considered himself first and foremost a Jedi Padawan, and he was happy with that. He left Earth as a boy not much older than Nik, and he was returning as a padawan already past his first trials. He left with only the barest grasp of the galaxy at large; he was returning as an honorary member of the Imperial family and a hero.

Still, he did not feel like a hero. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of fear. How could anything make him sick from a quarter of a galaxy away? How could that even be possible? Somehow, something happened that hurt him in a way he'd never felt before and it frightened him.

On the second day of their passage, Kyle had Harry practicing moving meditation, when out of the blue, he said, "So, after watching those videos of Nik's, do you have any questions about sex?"

The question was so completely unexpected it disrupted Harry's meditation, and instead of doing a graceful somersault, he slammed into a wall. Kyle stared at him flatly, though Harry was sure his master was laughing on the inside.

With effort, Harry picked himself up and said, "No, not really."

Kyle lifted one brow, and Harry sighed. "Fine. What's it like?"

"It's a pleasant diversion, so long as you don't let it take over your life," Kyle said. "I'm a hundred years old; I don't quite have the drive of my youth, of course."

"Could have fooled me," Harry said.

Kyle shrugged. "Like I said, I don't have the drive of my youth."

Meaning he was worse when he was young, Harry translated. "Do I have to do it?"

Kyle snorted. "No. But you'll want to. You want to now—I caught how you ogled Allana. She did too, but thought it was cute. No comment on Tann"

With a moan, Harry covered his face.

"The trick to scanning a beautiful woman is to not let her know you're doing it," Kyle continued as if he had not just crushed Harry's teen-age soul. "You're a Jedi, Harry. Use your mnemonic drills. Glance at her and store it in your mind, but while you're around her look her in the eyes. Never, ever scan a woman where she can see you doing it. It's insulting and dehumanizing, unless she's a Zeltron. If she's a Zeltron, it'll turn her on and you'll probably go at it like frenzied wild nerfs. Zeltrons love Force-sensitives for some reason. But you won't see many Zeltrons on Earth, I'd think."

Harry nodded, and for the next hour Kyle spoke about the dos-and-don'ts when it came to girls. It was an astonishingly practical discussion, from contraceptives and Jedi techniques used to both reduce the odds of conception and increase the pleasure of an orgasm, to ways of determining compatibility. "Of course, you can still have fun with a woman who isn't fully compatible with you. Sex does not require love, but it does require respect. Remember that, and you'll do fine."

"So…so you're not telling me to wait until marriage or anything like that?"

"I didn't," Kyle said bluntly. "In many cultures, marriage as you know it does not exist. There are social contracts to conceive and raise children, but a binary marriage is not the end-all-be-all of relationships even among humanocentric cultures. Just make sure your partner is willing and ready, and take the necessary precautions to ensure you don't conceive until you're ready."

"What if I do want to marry?"

"Then marry, but only when you're truly ready," Kyle said. "That is one thing I would recommend waiting on. Young marriages rarely remain happy marriages because the couples are themselves still growing as people. Wait until you've developed enough to know for sure that you and your partner are compatible. However, there is one thing you must always remember. Love can turn to hate in the blink of an eye, and hate leads to the Dark Side. Don't give your heart to anyone until you have truly meditated on it, and are sure. And if it doesn't work out, walk away. Do not dwell on it, and don't let the pain of loss drive you to despair."

Harry nodded, thankful for the blunt advice. In the course of the discussion, he realized… "Kyle, the pain is gone."

"I thought it might go away. We've decided to return to your planet. From what I was able to learn about this magic of yours, much of it is actually intent-driven. Because we intend to return, the pain recedes. We just need to find out what in the stars we're returning to. Now, let's continue your meditation, shall we?"

~~Katarn~~

Kyle drove his Toyota out of the Preening Crow with a satisfied nod that it still functioned. Once it was out of the way, Harry was able to help Kyle levitate the crates out of the hold before Kyle sent the ship back into space, where it would land on the moon under a cloaking shield with only its periscope exposed until Kyle summoned it again.

They left the four large crates from the Crow in the parking lot, just like they found them four years past. Harry climbed into the Toyota, surprised at how small it seemed from when he last rode in it, and they drove out of the parking lot just as they drove in years ago.

When they reached their old bungalow, Kyle stared with a flat expression at the burned out structure. Nothing was left but the foundation of the home and a weed-choked garden. "Hmmm," Kyle said. "Well, whoever your enemies were, they already knew where we were, so this isn't as much of a surprise as you might think. We'll rent a room for the night and then see about finding Dumbledore."

Kyle put the Toyota back into gear and started to drive away from the curb when a young woman with bright pink hair appeared with a pop directly in front of the vehicle. Even with the Force, Kyle barely managed to stop before running her over. The truck came to a squealing halt so close the woman caught the hood with her hands and stared into the window with a gaping jaw and fear-widened eyes.

"Stay here," Kyle told Harry as he slipped out of the truck, lightsaber in hand. Harry merely nodded and watched as the young woman backed up a step from Kyle, both hands held up in surrender. As she did so, she looked continually from Kyle to the windshield, behind which sat a patient Harry.

"You're him, you're really him," she said finally, gushing out her awe.

"Are you with Dumbledore, or do I have to kill you now?" Kyle asked.

"What…oh, OH! I'm with Dumbledore! Please don't kick my head."

Harry couldn't help it; he snickered. The girl looked at him before smiling faintly. "Er, my name is Tonks. We had a detection ward up on this house after you disappeared, just in case you ever came back. Professor Dumbledore said I had to be careful, though, because you liked kicking people in the heads."

"I don't like to, but it is necessary occasionally," Kyle said. "Tonks, huh? What happened here?"

"Death Eaters burned the place down right after you disappeared. Is that…is that really Harry Potter in there?"

"Yeah. Get in. Harry, backseat."

Harry opened the door and climbed into the back. Tonks looked at the vehicle cautiously before getting in. "It stinks in here," she said. She removed a stick, twirled it about, and suddenly all the musty smell from several years of storage was gone, leaving the vehicle smelling surprisingly clean.

Kyle didn't even bat an eye. "So, where are we supposed to go now?"

"London," Tonks said. "Er, I have a portkey that could get us there in a second."

"No thanks. Sick back and relax, it'll be a while."

"Do you want me to drive, Kyle?" Harry asked.

Tonks looked back at Harry and paled. "You're too young to drive."

Kyle snorted. "Sure, kid. I could use a rest."

To Tonks' dismay, Harry and Kyle switched places. Driving the Toyota was nothing compared to flying swoop bikes, and the few adjustments it took for Harry to learn the clutch only served to make Tonks more nervous, which was exactly what Kyle intended.

"How do you even know which way to go?" Tonks demanded.

Harry shrugged. "Southeast."

"So, Tonks," Kyle said smoothly while looking the woman in the eyes. "Tell me about yourself."

Harry rolled his eyes as Tonks found herself stuttering out her entire life story before the ancient, powerful Jedi. Kyle asked specific questions to aid her, and in the air Harry felt tendrils of the Force—not enough to make Tonks betray any trusts, but enough to make her want to trust Kyle. With that subtle persuasion, they learned a great deal about the state of the Magical World.

They learned that a teacher died three years ago, and two years ago a student died. "Did she have red hair?" Harry asked suddenly, remembering the visions he had during his trial.

Tonks turned and stared at him. "Yeah, Ginny Weasley. All the Weasleys are red heads. How did you know?"

"A ghost told me," Harry said.

"Oh, that's makes sense, I suppose," Tonks said, not batting an eye at the idea of a ghost. She then started talking about the previous year and the adventures of Sirius Black.

"He's actually my cousin, Harry, and it turns out he was innocent all along," she said, still gushing out words as if she were a leaking tank. "He and Professor Lupin managed to capture the person who really betrayed your parents, and they all went together to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I was still in the academy, so I missed it, but Amelia Bones herself rescinded the Minister's orders, and you should have seen the firestorm that followed. Minister Fudge had a huge black mark, and there's even talk of him losing office over it. Anyway, Sirius got freed and he's been wanting to meet you for years, now."

"Why?"

"Well, he's your godfather."

"My what?" Harry asked.

Tonks blinked, taken aback that Harry didn't understand the term. "He's your godfather. James and Lily Potter asked him to look after you if anything happened to them."

"He did a bang up job," Kyle said. "I am Harry's guardian, and I will determine whether Mr. Black needs to see him or not. Harry, time to switch."

"Yes, Kyle."

Tonks herself blinked in surprise to see they were already on the outskirts of London, and that the sun was rising ahead of them. "Cor, we've been driving all night."

"Only about four hours," Harry said. "We got back around three local time last night." He pulled into a petrol station and climbed out to fill up the tank while Kyle walked to the nearest payphone. Tonks stepped out, yawned and stretched.

"So, Harry, where were you all these years?"

"Training with Kyle," Harry said. "Didn't Dumbledore tell you?"

"Well, he said you were just gone, he never said where."

Harry began the pump when Kyle finished his call and stepped into the store portion to pay for the petrol. "So?" Tonks asked again. "Where were you?"

"Like I said, training with Kyle," Harry said. "During the drive you said you were an auror, is that like a police officer?"

"More like Special Service. We go after the dark wizards and other bigger threats. Hitwizards take care of the minor stuff. It's hard work, but it's nice to know we're making a difference."

Without looking at Kyle, he said, "Tell me about Ginny Weasley."

Tonks shrugged, though he noticed her frown at the memory. "Not much to tell, really. She was the only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley. I know Arthur from work. They have six other kids—all boys. I never knew her, but I knew her brother Charlie, and he said she was a brat, and that he loved her to death. It's a shame, and it almost cost Dumbledore his position at the school. It wasn't until he took the Governors down into the Chamber of Secrets to see for themselves what was happening that he convinced them of the truth. That was another black eye for Fudge, when Dumbledore was able to link Ginny's death to Lucius Malfoy, one of Fudge's biggest monetary supporters."

Harry nodded, listening sadly as he finished fueling the Toyota. Even when he asked about her directly, Ginny Weasley, the girl he watched die in his visions, only warranted a few brief sentences. She was just one more casualty.

Kyle returned carrying a cardboard tray of drinks. He handed one to a thankful Tonks, one to Harry, and took the last two for himself. "Alright, Tonks, direct us from here."

With London morning rush hour, it took almost as long to reach their destination as it did for them to reach the city itself, but eventually Tonks told them to find a spot and Kyle slid into the first parking slot available.

He started feed the meter when Tonks stopped him and again brandished her wand. "I put a 'Notice-me-not' charm on it," she said when the three climbed out. "No one will see it."

"Which won't do anyone any good if someone else tries to park there," Kyle pointed out.

"They won't even notice the space," Tonks said with an almost puppy-dog like earnestness. "Trust me, my dad has an auto and does it all the time."

She looked around the small square they found themselves, and then led them across a block-sized park lined in trees with an open lawn in the middle until they reached the far side of the square. She reached into her strange, knee-length open jacket and removed a wad of what looked like parchment.

"You have to read this," she said, handing the parchment to Kyle, and after he read, to Harry.

The moment Harry read the note about where the Order of the Phoenix was located, he felt a shift in the Force, and suddenly before them he saw a home that had not been there mere moments before.

"Impressive," Kyle said grudgingly.

Tonks grinned and led them across the street and into the home. The interior was darkened, and just a few feet in Tonks tripped over something and cursed.

"Who's there?" a harsh, angry voice demanded. "More mudbloods and traitors in my home? Who are you, you trash?"

"Merlin's beard, I hate that woman," Tonks muttered.

As they came further into the home, Harry saw with surprise that the angry voice was that of an older woman in a portrait! There was no feeling of life within her, and yet she moved and spoke. In a way, she reminded him of an HRD—a simulacrum of life without the life itself.

"Shut up, woman!" a man's voice rang down the stairs. Moments later the man himself came into view, quickly tying what looked like a bathrobe on. "Tonks, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here, Sirius," she said. "I found them! They came back."

"What are you on…" The man Tonks called Sirius froze at the first landing of the stairs, staring gap-jawed at Harry. He took one step down, and stammering, said, "H..Ha….Harry? Harry, is that really you?"

"I'm Harry," Harry said cautiously.

Sirius sprang forward, arms outreached, only to fly back to the landing where he landed squarely on his bum. He looked in confusion at Kyle, sensing that's where the blow came from. "What…?"

"Sirius Black, I presume?" Kyle said.

Dumbly, Sirius nodded.

"My name is Kyle Katarn. I am Harry's master and guardian. And I will decide when and if he needs a relationship with you, do you understand?"

"Master?" Sirius snapped, his confusion going over quickly to anger. "Harry's no slave!" He began scrambling for a wand within his robe, but the moment he found it, it sped from his hand into Kyle's.

"He is not a slave, he is a bonded apprentice of mine," Kyle said with the immovable calm of a granite mountain. "He's my responsibility. Whatever attachment you may think you have to him, you need to remember he's never seen you before."

"I was the first person to hold him after James and his mum!" Sirius snapped angrily. "The blighter pissed my beard!"

"And I'm sure you deserved it," Kyle said. "Regardless, instead of taking care of him, you had yourself thrown in jail. So now I take care of him. Remember that, Mr. Black, or we will have a problem."

Sirius picked himself back up and said, "Think you're a big man, there, do you? Drop that wand, and we'll see just…oomph."

Harry sighed, while Tonks stared wide-eyed. "You really do like kicking people in the head."

"It gets my point across," Kyle said tersely as he stared at the rattled, collapsed Sirius Black.

~~Katarn~~

Eventually, Sirius calmed down long enough for Tonks to put an icepack on the side of his head in the kitchen. She began shuffling about for food in the cold box after tending him. Most of what she produced appeared to be left-overs, but with toast and fruit, they had a passable breakfast.

Sirius ate in sullen silence, glaring at Kyle and looking longingly at Harry. It made the padawan faintly uncomfortable. Not ten minutes into their terse meal, Harry saw a flash of light from down the hall, and moments later Albus Dumbledore walked into the kitchen.

He took one look at Harry and Kyle and smiled brilliantly. "It's true, you've returned! How splendid!"

"Not much of a choice," Kyle said. "He was attacked by something that made his power go haywire. He was making crystal goblets come to life, and turned a droid human for an hour. He was in pain as well, until we decided to return. So, mind telling us what happened?"

Dumbledore took a seat at the table and examined Harry closely. "My school is hosting a special tournament this year—the first in hundreds of years. It was a ploy by our Minister of Magic to try and divert attention from his failings, sadly, but I decided to allow it as it did have the possibility of bringing three great schools together. Candidates are chosen by an ancient, powerful artifact to participate in three tasks. The first task is in little over a month. But, you see, somehow someone confounded the Goblet of Fire to select Harry as a contestant."

"How, I wasn't even there?"

"We believe that someone managed to obtain one of Harry's hairs from your home, prior to burning it," Dumbledore said. "They were able to create a simulacrum employing the Law of Contagion, one of the basic principles of Magic, but one which is rarely employed in Western Magic. In essence, they tricked the Goblet using a powerful confundus and a voodoo doll of Harry to force his selection."

Harry blinked in surprise. "And that's what made me so sick?"

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "The Goblet compels participation of those selected, and there are terrible consequences to those who do not comply. The Goblet as an artifact cannot be reasoned with and it is merciless—there are tales of participants wishing to drop out after a task instead dropping dead where they stood. Even if we discovered precisely who managed to confound the goblet, it would not release you. If you had not returned, you would have lost your magic, and possibly your life as well."

Harry listened to the words, but thought about his dream. It was not the red-eyed shadow who moved his piece into position to be sacrificed, it was Dumbledore himself.

"What is Harry's position within the contest?" Kyle demanded flatly. Harry realized his master knew Dumbledore was not telling the whole truth either.

"There can be only one contestant per school, so whoever entered Harry entered him under a fourth, unnamed school."

Kyle rubbed his well-trimmed, iron-gray beard. "And these schools, how are they attending the tournament?"

"A party of eligible students arrived with the headmaster or headmistress of each school. The Beauxbaton students, for instance, are staying with Ravenclaw House. However, the students of Durmstrang remain on their ship near the castle."

Kyle leaned back in his seat and regarded Dumbledore carefully, while around the table Sirius Black and Tonks squirmed in the tense silence. After two whole minutes of this silence that seemed to stretch on forever, Kyle said: "I knew a man like yourself once—powerful and talented. He loved without measure and was willing to sacrifice anything for what he saw as the greater good."

"Sounds like a good man," Sirius said.

"He lost a sibling during a terrible war, and started to think of the greater good without regard to the needs of those around him. He went on to pull apart his government and led it into a war that cost the lives of billions, while he personally fell into the depths of despair and darkness. He murdered friends and family, including one of my dearest friends. He died Sith—a dark lord as fearsome as your Voldemort—at the hands of his own twin sister."

Sirius stiffened and Tonks looked confusedly from Kyle to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore met the old Jedi's gaze squarely. "And do you think I am a dark lord, Master Katarn?"

"I think either you entered Harry into this tournament, or allowed a pawn to enter him, to get him back on this planet," Kyle said.

Tonks looked to Sirius and mouthed the word "Planet?" silently.

"I would never endanger Harry like that," Dumbledore protested.

"I had a vision," Harry said, breaking the tension. "In the Force. You were playing a game with a shadow who had red eyes. And the pieces on the board had faces. I see now Mr. Black was one, and Tonks. And I was a piece too, and you moved me as a sacrifice. You said it was necessary."

"You're lying, Dumbledore," Kyle said in a flat tone. "You might be able to fool your sycophants, but not me. I've dealt with men who committed evil in the name of good. Some of them were genuinely good men, but that did not negate the evil they did. Why did you enter Harry into that tournament?"

"You are not master, here, Kyle Katarn," Dumbledore said, his smile fading into a stern frown.

"I am Harry's master," Kyle said. "Like I told you years ago, no lies. If you want Harry, tell me the truth, or we walk out."

"You would condemn Harry to death?"

"Isn't that what you're doing already?" Kyle snapped back. "You can't lie to me. Trying just makes me want to kick you in the head. Last chance…why did you enter Harry's name into this goblet?"

Dumbledore sat in silence for some time, regarding Kyle and his padawan while Tonks stared on with a gaping jaw. Finally, coming to a decision, Dumbledore said, "I did not enter his name, but I know who did."

"And you facilitated his efforts," Kyle said.

"I did not stop him."

"Why?"

"To spring the trap being set," Dumbledore finally admitted. "Voldemort has returned, at least partially. He is searching for a means of restoring his body. There are several he might pursue, but at least three of them require his blood enemy. Harry is that blood enemy. It is my hope that Voldemort will expose himself in the attempt to get Harry, and open himself to attack, or at the very least alert the public to his existence so we can mobilize a broader response. The greatest weakness from the conflict with Voldemort initially was the failure of the public to defend themselves. As a result, hundreds died who might otherwise have lived."

Tonks looked ill, and Black was staring daggers at the old wizard. Kyle simply stared, his craggy, age-lined face blank. "What's done is done," Kyle finally said. "We go forward. Harry will represent the Jedi Praxeum, I am his headmaster. You will provide housing for us within the castle together—a two room suite would be preferable. You will provide a list of any items needed. And if you ever intentionally place my padawan in danger again I will kill you, even if I have to board my ship and vaporize your school from orbit. Do you understand?"

The air was so thick it was hard for Harry to breathe. He watched as Dumbledore seemed to grow before his eyes, as if swelling with his magic. Kyle, though, sat strong and steady like a mountain against the clouds.

Dumbledore finally assented. "Agreed. We will be much more effective working together than apart. I do regret the necessity of my actions, but I cannot say I would do any different. It was time for Harry to come home, and this was the only way to accomplish the task. Tonks will see you have the supplies you need, and a place will be made ready for you. In two days' time, I shall expect you both at Hogwarts. Good day."

Without another word, Dumbledore stood and left the kitchen. When he was gone, Sirius Black said, "That son of a bitch."

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