30SUMMARY: In one world, it started when Harry Potter followed his godfather through the Veil and made a different decision at a train station. On another, it started when Sirius Peverell met his daughter Rhea for the first time. And as result, Harry – Rhea, he's Rhea now – grew up as a girl, surrounded by an unconventional family in a strange world full of quirks. FemHarry Potter/Shoto Todoroki.
DISCLAIMER: The worlds and characters of Harry Potter and My Hero Academia don't belong to me, I'm only playing with them for fun.
So, I shouldn't be posting this because I need to finish the next chapter for my other story but well… this idea had been on my head for almost a year now and it's refusing to leave, so here it is.
Oh, right, fair warning, English is not my first language and I've never been to Japan, so please be merciful of any mistakes I make.
P.S: Hope you'll have a wonderful day!
PROLOGUE
Beyond the Veil
It was a split of a second decision what started – and ended – everything.
A single moment in time, in which everything seemed to stop around him, as Harry Potter saw his godfather fall through the Veil of the Department of Mysteries and understood he was about to lose the most important person in the world for him. In that single instant, he didn't bother to think in anything else but the fact that Sirius – the only real family he'd on the world – was slipping away from him, and he couldn't allow that, not if he wanted to keep what little sanity and mental stability he'd left.
So he made the only decision he could think of. The one that changed everything.
Harry followed right after him.
Because he knew that losing his godfather – and the promise of the family he represented – would be his breaking point. He'd lost too much already, he wouldn't survive losing his only remaining family, not when they hadn't had the opportunity to live together as family, like Sirius had promised him when he was thirteen.
In that moment, nothing else mattered.
So he ignored everything – from Remus's anguished cry, Bellatrix's laughter, and even the sounds of the rest of battle – and he run after Sirius, his hand extended in his direction in an effort to hold onto him with all the strength he had to make sure nothing would separate them ever again.
Just in the last millisecond, Harry managed to get hold of Sirius' robes as he fell, allowing his godfather's stunned grey eyes met his emerald-green ones, and he was able to read all the emotions shining in his eyes. I love you as if you were my son – Sirius' eyes seemed to say – Please don't die for me.
But he ignored that too and kept holding onto him as they fell together.
He would never let go.
Not for anything.
Harry wanted to tell him that, tell his godfather that he loved him too, like a strange mix of a father, older brother and best friend all rolled together as one. He wanted to tell him that he would follow him anywhere. Because Sirius was his family and Harry would do anything to protect him.
But he didn't have the time to say any of that.
Because they fell, together, into the Veil and the world around them disappeared.
And the world as Harry had known it was no more.
&&&/00/&&&
Harry James Potter woke up in a world full of whiteness.
For a second, he just lied there – why on earth was he wearing only a white robe? – in that weird white ground, of that weirdly white and empty world, and wondered if the afterlife was really that boring, because if so, Dumbledore had lied to him when he'd said Death was but the next big adventure. But then, it finally sank in the fact that he was completely alone, and he rushed to his feet as he looked around in alarm, growing increasingly frantic as he failed to catch sight of his godfather.
No. This wasn't happening. They were supposed to be together. They—
"I know it's in our Potter blood to defy all expectations… But I think, this time, even the Old Guy was taken by surprise with what you did."
At the sound of the familiar male voice, his head snapped around so fast that, any other time, he probably would have gotten whiplash.
But Harry couldn't care less for that.
He knew that voice, had made a conscious effort to memorize it in his heart and head, even if the only time he'd hear that voice before today had been when the dementors were around, forcing him to remember his worst memory.
Harry turned around and stared at the person who stood a couple of feet from him.
James Potter looked exactly like he'd looked in the Mirror of Erised all those years ago. He looked incredibly young – Dear Merlin, his dad was twenty-one years old, only six years older than him – and out of place in that weird white world. But his smile felt familiar and comforting in all the best possible ways. And, this time, he wasn't an illusion fabricated by his deepest and most desperate wishes. He was really there with him.
"Dad!"
Before Harry realized it, James had crossed the space between them and wrapped his arms around him. For a moment, he tensed up, not used to be hugged by no one that wasn't Sirius, Hermione, and, occasionally, Mrs. Weasley. But then, his dad sighed in his ear "My brave, wonderful, son" and Harry felt his defenses crumble as he sank into the hug. It felt fierce and loving and just the best. "Your mum and I… we're so proud of you, Harry."
He closed his eyes and held onto his father as hard as possible, soaking in all his warmth and imprinting this moment into his memory. Because no matter what would happen next, Harry would make sure to never forget how it felt to be hugged by his father. "How… How is this possible? Where's Sirius? And mum? …Where are we?"
James sighed, squeezing him once last time before taking a step back. "Sit with me, son. We've lots to talk and very little time."
"Where—?" The rest of the words died on his throat as he watched how a white bench materialized out of thin air in front of them. Instead of looking surprised, James sat without pause and, after a moment, Harry sat by his side.
"I've got to admit, I've always hoped that we only get to meet after you'd lived a long, long happy life."
Harry ducked his head, feeling properly chastised even if James hadn't sound upset with him. He wasn't sorry for what he'd done, would do it again if given the chance. But he hated the very idea of disappointing his father in any way. "I-"
"It's okay, Harry" James smiled, looking fond and nostalgic in equal measures "If there's someone who understands how easy is to recklessly follow Sirius Black into danger, that's me." And, pointedly, he looked at the mark on his right arm.
"May I?" he asked, extending his hand, more curious about it than he was willing to admit.
"You don't need to ask" his dad said, letting him hold his arm and carefully examined his soulmark, the one he shared with Sirius.
The story of James Potter and Sirius Black was one Harry knew by heart.
On their first trip aboard the Hogwarts Express, two eleven years old boys had met by chance. Both were heirs of their respective prominent families. Both were pureblood. And, under normal circumstances, their families would have run in the same circles. But the war had been brewing on the horizon and sides have already been chosen. So, the last thing their families had needed – or wanted – was to discover that the Potter heir and the Black heir were soulmates.
But that was exactly what had happened.
In the instant James Potter and Sirius Black had shaken hands for the first time – as pureblood etiquette dictated – their soulmarks had turned golden and their magic had intertwined – doubling in power and strength – as they recognized each other as the other half of their soul. And, despite all the reasons why it was a bad idea to foster any kind of relationship with the other, they'd decided to turn their back in expectations and become best friends. Brothers. Family.
And the rest… well, the rest was history.
But even when Harry knew their story so well, he'd never been able to see their soulmark up-to-close.
There had always been something hunted and lost in Sirius' eyes whenever he'd so much as caught sight of his soulmark and, for all his Gryffindor courage, he'd never been able to ask his godfather for a closer look into his mark. After all, soulmarks were deeply personal, and Sirius' blood-red scarred mark was a permanent reminder of the fact that James Potter was dead.
And so, until that day, he'd never gotten the chance to take his time and study their mark.
The first thing Harry realized was the strange color of his dad's soulmark.
According to all the studies made on soulmates, if you were lucky enough to be part of the forty percent of the population who were born with a mark, there were only four possibilities in the future for you.
One, the mark would stay black if you never met your soulmate.
Two, the mark would turn golden after you'd your first skin-to-skin touch with your soulmate.
Three, the mark would disappear completely if your soulmate died before you find each other.
Four, the mark would be turned into a blood-red scar if your other half died after your souls had reunited.
That was what he'd always know about soulmarks, what everyone knew about it. And yet, his dad's mark wasn't in any of the four possibilities. James's mark was grey, as if it'd been started to fade away but stopped midway.
"Is… is that normal?" he asked hesitantly, as he traced his finger through the perfectly distinctive forms of a stag and a grim, both looking at each other with their foreheads touching.
"In this place, yes. We're in the in-between of worlds. Here… the marks of everyone looks the same." His dad said, giving a pointed look in the direction of his chest.
Confused, Harry followed his line of sight and gaped when he saw the grey mark that adorned the zone of his breastbone. It was a sun and a moon, depicted as a representation of the yin and yang with the sun on the left and the moon on the right.
"That— that's impossible!" he spluttered, touching the mark in a daze "I don't have a soulmark…. I've never had."
It'd been something of a touchy subject for him, even if he'd never said it out loud. First, when he was a little boy trapped under the stairs, because it meant he couldn't hope for his soulmate to magically appear and rescue him from the Dursleys. And then, after he'd been introduced to the magical world, because it meant that he would never meet someone who saw him and only expected him to be Harry. Not the Boy-Who-Lived, not James and Lily's son, not Gryffindor Golden boy, just Harry.
But, despite how much he'd longed for it, Harry had learned to accept the fact that he hadn't been lucky enough to get a soulmate.
And yet… there it was. His soulmark. The proof that somewhere out there was the other part of his soul.
His dad hummed. "Do you know how many universes exist?" James asked with a mysterious grin "Probably more than you and I can comprehend… But all of them have two things in common. No matter what, in all of them, death and soulmates are a universal constant… Sure, in some, the magic in the world is so weak that there aren't any visible marks of the soulmate connection but that doesn't mean soulmates are any less real."
"Is that why our soulmarks are grey? Because we're in-between worlds?" Harry asked after thinking it over for a moment.
"Exactly" he agreed, beaming "In a way, this place serves as the point of nexus between all universes and Death's realm. A place of connection across all planes of existence."
"But if this is the other side of the Veil, why are you here? Where's Sirius? And what about mum?"
"Well… That's a little complicated." His dad admitted, grimacing "The Veil is a getaway towards this place but, normally, that just means all the souls that cross it are pushed into another universe through a reincarnation process… But your case is a little different because you were carrying another soul with you when you crossed the veil, and that made your soul stop here for a time."
"WHAT?!"
James sighed. Suddenly, his face changed to adopt a grim and quietly furious expression that looked almost out of place in his face. "Let me tell you a story, son. About a bloody fool who feared Death so much that he was willing to do anything to avoid it, even if meant splitting his soul into parts and go fucking insane."
And so, Harry sat and listened, spell-bound, as his father told him the story of Tom Riddle's quest for immortality and Dumbledore's great plan to vanquish him. He told him about each of the seven horcruxes that Voldemort had ultimately created and how they'd served to tether him to the world of the living after his killing curse had rebounded on him. And, finally, he listened as his dad told him the real truth behind Dumbledore's grand plan to eliminate Voldemort and how it was all connected to the unintentional horcrux in his scar.
When James finally stopped talking, Harry had been forced to close his eyes as he struggled to get his emotions in check and not scream, or curse.
But it was almost impossible, not with the all-consuming rage, betrayal, and disgust that was coursing through him. To even think that he'd carried a piece of Voldemort – his parent's murderer! – inside of him was, on itself, too much for him, but knowing that Dumbledore had known about it all along and had planned to make him sacrifice for the greater good was the ultimate betrayal.
He'd been so stupidly naïve…
His emotions surged inside of him – powerful and uncontrolled – as they threatened to overwhelm him completely. And then his father's arms were around him, familiar and comforting all at once, anchoring him to that moment on time.
"Hey, hey…. It's okay, Harry" James promised in a whisper "All of that it's in the past now… Voldemort's horcrux torn itself apart when you both arrived at this plane of existence, and Dumbledore… well, your mum and I will make sure to make his afterlife a living hell for what he'd planned to do with you."
There was an iced fury on his father's voice, like a well-honed blade ready to strike at any moment notice, which told Harry his parents' revenge on Dumbledore was going to be brutal and everlasting, and he couldn't help but felt glad for it.
"Good" he declared furiously, feeling somewhat vindicated with the knowledge. And then, deciding that he didn't want to think more about it, Harry promptly changed the subject. "Wait… you said—you said that, normally, all the souls that go through the veil are pushed to other universes through a reincarnation process… Then that means Sirius…" His voice cut off, unwilling to complete his sentence and make it even more real.
His dad didn't have that problem, though. "That's right… As we speak, Sirius is living a new life in a different universe, with no memories of his life as Sirius Black."
Harry closed his eyes, overcome by his emotions once more. He'd lost Sirius again, had lost his godfather before they could live as a family as he'd always wanted. And it was all his fault. If he hadn't gone to the Ministry, then….
"You haven't lost him. Not really." James assured him, putting a warm and gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you want, you can be with him again, become family in the way the two of you should have been since the beginning."
"What— how—?" he stuttered, opening his emerald-green eyes and focusing them on his dad.
Instead of answering, James calmly asked "Where are we, Harry?"
And Harry couldn't do anything but blink at his father in confusion, throw off by the question. After all, the two of them knew exactly where they were. They were in a vast white world that apparently served as the in-between of worlds. But there was something in his dad's calm expression that forced Harry to look at the world around them once more.
He gaped.
What had been an empty white world once, had changed right before his eyes to adopt the shape of a familiar place. And, even if everything was still white, there was no denying where they were. "We're inside the Platform 9 ¾ at King Cross Station."
James nodded, looking thoughtful. "And how many trains are ready to depart?"
Only one, Harry wanted to say. The Hogwarts Express was the only train that departed from the Platform 9 ¾ and everyone in the wizarding world knew it. But the words died on his throat the more he looked around. Because yes, the Hogwarts Express was there as always but, opposing to it, was another train. This one was designed in a futuristic and sleek way that he hadn't seen before in real life, as it looked taken right out of some of Dudley's favorite TV shows.
"There are two trains" Harry ended up saying. And, somehow, he knew what his dad was going to say before he said it.
"One train can take you to Death's realm, where you'll be with your mum and I" James said, smiling with all the gentleness of the world "And the other will take you to the world where Sirius has been reborn, where you'll reborn as a member of his family."
Harry exhaled, trying to stop himself from screaming. It wasn't fair. After everything, he'd been through, being forced to choose between his parents and Sirius wasn't fair. "I get to choose?"
"Yes" James confirmed, eyes still gentle despite the solemnity that was painted on his expression "Normally, you wouldn't be able to choose. But, well, the souls of those that are direct descendants of Ignotus Peverell have always been blessed by Death and, therefore, we are granted a little more freedom in the afterlife…. It's why I was able to come here and talk to you, and why your mum was unable to."
"Ignotus Peverell?" he asked in confusion, trying to make sense of what he'd heard.
By his dad just smiled at him, bright and mischievous. "Oh, I would love to tell you that particular story about our ancestor and his meeting with the Old Guy. It's a Peverell-Potter family secret, you see… But, sadly, our time together here is coming to a close and you need to make a decision before is too late."
His first instinct was to say he wanted to go to Death's realm, so he could finally be with his parents. After all, that was all he ever wanted when he was young. To be with his parents, to finally talk to them, to be a family. That was what he'd always dreamed on.
But…
That was what his dream from before he'd known about Sirius, his beloved godfather, and his father's soulmate. The only one who had offered him to take him away from the Dursleys, so they could live together and be a proper family.
Harry had willingly followed Sirius to his death.
And, after a moment of reflection, he realized that, as long as he remained by Sirius' side, he was also willing to follow his godfather to another life.
"I see that you've come to a decision" James said with a warm smile. There was a knowing glint in his dad's hazel eyes that told Harry he knew exactly what his decision was, and he was pleased by it. "Good"
"You're not… mad?"
James scoffed, shaking his head. "Of course not. Your mum and I… All we've ever wanted is for you to live a long and happy life, Harry. And this is your chance of that." The smile on his dad's face was fond and loving "I'm just glad you and Sirius got this chance of a new life. You both deserve that."
"I wish we didn't have to say goodbye" Harry whispered
"Who said anything about goodbyes?" James asked, putting his hands on his shoulders and forcing him to look up to him "Your mum and I, we've never left you, Harry…. We've watched over you all your life like the stars on the sky, watching over you even when you can't see us. And I promise we'll keep on doing it until we see each other once more… We'll be with you till the end, my son. Never doubt it."
There was only one response to that, really. Without thinking, Harry threw himself into the warmth and fierce arms of his father. "I'll never forget you or mum"
His dad sighed, hugging him even more firmly against his chest. "Just promise me you'll live your new life to its fullest. Live for you, Harry. Not for anyone else."
"I will"
"Good. And… Hug Sirius extra hard for me, would you? He would never admit it but he's really like a puppy who needs loads of hugs and attention to be happy."
Laughing wetly, Harry nodded. "I will"
James kissed him on the forehead. "Now, go" he said, pushing him gently until he'd stood up. "It's time for you to go and enjoy your new life."
After taking a long, long look at his father's smiling and peaceful face, Harry nodded and marched towards the sleek and futurist train. He didn't dare to turn back in fear of changing his mind, and he'd to keep reminding himself that his parents wanted this for him. They wanted him to live. And they would be beside him in every step of the way of his new life so there was no reason to look back.
There wasn't.
When he finally got close to the train, he knew his time in this world was really ending as everything around him had started to disappear. With a sigh, he opened one of the many doors and got inside. Instantly, darkness surrounded him, claiming him to oblivion once more.
But, just before he lost completely consciousness, he could have sworn he heard his dad's voice one last time.
"Be happy, Harry"
&&&/00/&&&
Everything changed on a cold October night. And, for years afterwards, Sirius Peverell would wonder how he didn't see it coming.
But then again, there weren't any signs that would foreshadow what was about to happen.
His life was going exactly as it'd been going from the moment his parents had died and he'd been forced to add being the CEO of the Peverell Group to his ever-growing list of responsibilities. And so, his life consisted of a series of interminable meetings with the different departments of the company, conference calls with the board of directors, and long nights working on the basement of his mansion as he tried to create another revolutionary and one-of-a-kind invention that would continue to increase his family's legacy and would benefit billions of people in the world. Because everyone knew that their magical – and impossible to replicate – creations were the reason the Peverell Group had grown to become as successful and powerful as it was.
And the only ones capable of creating something using a mix of technology and magic were those who carried Peverell's blood and wielded the quirk – magic – of their line.
He was so lost on his work that he was honestly taken aback when he felt his connection to the mansion's wards flare-up, alerting him of the presence of a familiar someone – and someone else? – in the main gates.
Stunned and surprised in equal measures, Sirius stopped all his movements as his mind raced, trying to understand why, after so many months of zero contact, she was seeking him out again. Especially when he sensed the presence of someone else with her, someone that – for some unforeseeable reason – the wards seemed to welcome.
Then, just as quickly as it'd appeared, her presence disappeared from the wards surrounding the mansion. But, to his great confusion, he could still feel an unknown presence – who was making the Peverell magic sing with contentment – on the gates. And, in no mood to dwell much more on it, Sirius simply sent a message to his security guards, ordering them to check what the hell wanted the person who was still on the outside of the main gates, and then he submerged himself on his work once more, refusing to think too much on why his heart was still beating faster than normal after feeling her presence in so long.
Sometime after that, his world was turned upside down when Hikari Nakagawa – his personal assistant and probably the only reason his life hadn't crashed and burned by now – rushed inside his workshop, wide-eyed and out of breath. And, for the second time since Hikari had started working for the Peverell family when he'd been a teen, Sirius saw a crack on her perfectly composed mask.
Alarmed, he shot to his feet. "What happened?"
For a moment, Hikari did nothing but stare at him, seemingly trying to determine something. And maybe she found whatever she was looking for because she crossed the space between them and handed him a folded letter. "For you"
Bewildered, he took the letter and started reading it without thinking too much about it.
Siri,
I've always said cowards are those who don't have the strength to stand up and face their own fears. And now it seems I'm a coward too. Or I would be brave enough to tell you this to your face.
You have a daughter, Sirius... We have a daughter.
She entered this world kicking and screaming like a badass on July 31st. And I named her Rhea – Rhea Peverell – because I know of your family's weird tradition of naming children after stars or Greek gods.
I'm sorry, Sirius. I should have told you as soon as I found out I was pregnant. But you, more than anyone else, understand how much of my life I've to sacrifice in order to become a hero. I can't sacrifice everything to save others and be a good mother at the same time. I can't.
So I'm fully entrusting her to you. Because I know how much family means to you and I know you're going put her above everything else in your life. You're going to do right by her and raise her as she deserves.
And I can only hope that someday the both of you can forgive me for running away like this.
Take care of her, Sirius.
-Rumi
P.S. If she ever asks, tell Rhea that her mom was a coward who couldn't figure out a way to stay. But also tell her that, no matter what happens, her mom will always love her.
Sirius didn't know how many times he went over the short letter from his former lover, reading again and again as he tried to make sense of the words written on it. But, eventually, he managed to snap out of his daze and focus his attention on Hikari, who had waited patiently by his side while he internally freaked out over everything.
"Take me to her" he ordered, not needing to say anything else for her to understand who he was referring to.
Hikari nodded right away. "Follow me, sir"
And he did. Through the security doors and the elevator that connected his underground workshop with the rest of the mansion, and then through the multiple hallways and stairs until they were in front of the nursery in the family wing, a room that hadn't been used since he'd been a toddler.
Without prompting, he threw the doors open with his magic, marched to the crib in the center of the room, and he peered inside.
A big pair of emerald eyes stared right back.
Almost in a trance, he picked the baby – his daughter! – and cradled her to his chest, feeling like he'd finally found the piece of a puzzled he'd always searched for. And, a second later, he felt how his magic and hers sought each other out until they'd entwined and formed a tight bond, the same parental bond he'd once shared with his dad.
And he knew, without any need of DNA tests, that this little girl shared his blood. Because only those of Peverell blood were capable of wielding true magic.
"Hello, Rhea" he whispered with a trembling smile, fighting down the urge to cry of happiness. "My name is Sirius and I'm your dad… Welcome home, little star."
Give me all your thoughts!
P.S: I'm planning on posting the next chapter of Moonlight Shadow on March 30th, so the next chapter of this story would be posted after that.