Harry Skypotter and the Return of the Wizard Knights Part 2

When Sirius awoke with a start, he could see sunrays shine in through the cockpit of the Wolfstar, almost blinding him. He had been disturbed with nightmares about Harry back at the Elvok village and he had decided to go back to his loyal ship for some sleep. He did not really want to think about his best friend’s son at the moment--it only made him feel guilty for what he had done the previous night. He had spent the night sleeping in his pilot seat. He groaned and shuffled in his chair, trying to get back to sleep.

“You’re not going to get back to sleep, Solo. So I suggest you wake up.”

Sirius opened his eyes again. “Who’s there?”

When he received no reply, he retrieved his gun from his belt and quietly but quickly made his way down the spacecraft. He turned a corner and there was…

“James!” he gasped, dropping his gun on the ground.

And indeed, it was the ghost of James Skypotter standing before him. “Hello, Sirius.”

“What are you doing here?”

James folded his arms and Sirius knew that if his friend could, he would be leaning against the wall of the ship. “Well, that’s a nice thing to say to an old mate.”

“No…it’s just….anyway, what’s going in here?”

“Well, Al-Bus is sick of coming to knock some sense into you so he has sent me to do his dirty work. You know, I couldn’t believe it when he told me what was going on. I thought ‘This couldn’t be the Sirius that I know.’”

Sirius placed a hand on his forehead, leaned against the ship and groaned. “James, don’t.”

“Do you want to know why Lily and I assigned you as his guardian? Because we thought you’d be able to look after him. I guess we were wrong, weren’t we?”

“James, I couldn’t look after him. After I was blamed…”

“No, Sirius! That’s not what I’m talking about! You couldn’t help that. What I’m talking about is the fact you got a chance to destroy the Dark Lords and you sent my son in there alone!”

“But last time, I failed…”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did!” Sirius cried out. “I should have sensed the evil in Vormtail! I should have been able to help you in that fight! I shouldn’t have let you die!”

There was a brief silence before James spoke. “We all failed, not just you. Hell, not even Yobby sensed the Dark Side in Vormtail. As for what happened to me, you tried your best. If Palpamort hadn’t used the Cruciatus lightening on you, you would have kept on fighting. The only failure I can see is that you are backing away from your only chance to help Harry defeat the Dark Side. Tell me, Sirius, when you used the Force yesterday, how did it feel?”

“What?”

“You heard me. How did it feel?”

Sirius closed his eyes and thought back to when he had taken all the Death Troopers and lifted them. The power inside him had been incredible, like something had been released after many years of captivity. In the moment when the troopers had been immobilised over his head, he had thought back to his days as a Wizard Apprentice--glorious days before the darkness had set in.

“Wonderful,” he said under his breath. ”It felt wonderful!”

“Then you know what has to be done.”

Sirius was insistent. “I can’t. If I go to help, I’ll fail Harry.”

“If you don’t and Harry dies or turns to the Dark Side, you will have failed him even more.”

James’ words hit Sirius like a dagger in his heart, and he suddenly got a vision: Harry dressed in his black Wizard Knight outfit, but now he was no longer a Wizard Knight. The dead body of Vormtail lay by his feet and Harry was standing in his rightful place as the Emperor’s new right hand.

“No!” Sirius shouted.

He looked around and saw that James had gone but it did not matter. Sirius was no longer lost--he knew what to do--what he must do. He bent down and opened the metal panel in the floor. He went into the hidden compartment and pulled out a pile of clothing. He had not worn it in over twenty years but now, it was perfect. He then reached for his old lightwand--the same one he had constructed himself as a young Wizard Apprentice. He activated it, and as it glowed its usual blue haze, Sirius smiled.

Hermia did not think the day could start off any worse. First, Harry had left to battle the Emperor and Vormtail, which meant that the Order had lost their only chance of Sirius’ ridiculous plan becoming a success. And now, Sirius had done a disappearing act in the night; no-one knew where he was, not even Rembacca.

C3-RW wished he could comfort the agitated princess, but he knew nothing about human emotions, except that the wrath of an angry woman was one of the deadliest things in the galaxy. He decided to wait outside the Elvok village square just in case Sirius did make an appearance.

Eventually, Sirius appeared from around a tree trunk and walked towards the village. C3-RW noticed that he was no longer in his usual attire but rather an outfit similar to Harry’s--his clothing was as black as his long hair which was no longer free-flowing but instead up in a ponytail.

“Sirius,” C3-RW said, “where have you been? Princess Hermia is very angry with you.”

“Oh, let her be, RW. I’ve handled worse than her.”

“She has never been this angry before.”

“Trust me. I’ll handle it.”

He walked with poise through the village square and out of the largest hut came Hermia, her face like thunder. “And where have you been?”

Sirius flashed a grin. “You sound like you could have been my mother.”

“I mean it!” Hermia was almost hysterical. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Really? Well, you should have started with the Wolfstar. I’ve been there all night.”

“Why?”

“If you must know, I couldn’t sleep and ended up taking a walk. I ended up at the Wolfstar and slept there, alright? Any more questions, Mother?”

“There’s no need to talk to me like that!”

“Well, stop acting like that way! Did you reckon I ran off or something?”

“Well, you did it once before,” Hermia said defensively.

Sirius pointed a finger at her. “Yes, and I came back, remember? So enough of this already! Your bitchiness is really getting on my nerves!”

The two looked at each other in frustration before Hermia sighed and walked back into the hut. Sirius stood in his spot with his head in his hands. C3-RW walked over to the space pirate.

“Excuse me, Sirius but is everything alright?”

Sirius exhaled a breath. “Yeah, I’m alright. She just seems to be doing my head lately and I’m just worried about Harry.”

“Don’t worry about the Princess. She’s just under stress at the moment…”

“She’s not the only one,” Sirius mumbled.

C3-RW continued. “As for Master Harry, he’ll be alright. He’s a Wizard Knight, you know.”

Deliberately avoiding eye contact with the protocol droid, Sirius replied, “Yeah I know.” He lifted his head “Anyway, what’s happening?”

“Well, Princess Hermia and the rest of the Order are in that hut, going over the final battle plans.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

Before C3-RW could answer, Sirius had disappeared into the hut. The protocol droid moved to stand next to F2G2.

“You know F2, I do not understand humans at all. I mean, if Sirius was not gay, I would swear that he and Hermia were married.”

The android beeped and whistled as if he was laughing at C3-RW’s tasteless comments. Meanwhile, inside the hut, the six humans and Rembacca were discussing the battle plans.”

As always, Hermia took charge of the situation. “From what we’ve been able to establish, this band of Death Troopers are the last troopers in the galaxy so at least this battle is not in vain, if we win.”

“When we win.” Sirius interrupted.

Ignoring him, she continued. “Also we’ve found out that both Darth Vormtail and Emperor Palpamort are in the Death Mark II, so that’s where the Death Troopers are. That’s where we attack. The Elvoks are in place and ready for the signal.”

One member of the Order chipped in. “What about Palpamort and Vormtail?”

“Harry will sort them out,” Sirius answered. “Our concern is the Death Troopers.”

“But what if they come out to attack us?”

Sirius shook his head. “They won’t. Their battle is with Harry, and he will destroy them.”

Hermia raised her eyebrows. “You sound so sure about that.”

“Trust me. Everything will work out.”

Hermia sighed. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”

Sirius felt something come from the princess that he had never felt in her before--sorrow and longing for Harry. He empathised with her, for they both wanted someone that they cared about to come back. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him with sad eyes.

He smiled genuinely. “Come on, Princess. Let’s move.”

She smiled back at him and then stood up in an authoritative fashion. “Right, time to get going.”

The rest of the Order followed her and they walked in single file out of the village, making their way to the Death Mark II. Eventually, they found their destination with an uncountable number of Death Troopers waiting outside it. They all got on their knees, except for the androids and peered over a bush.

“That is what the new Death Mark looks like?” Hermia whispered.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. “Looks like it to me”

“Well, they’ve really gone downmarket since the last one.”

“That was probably the idea. Anyway, how should we do this?”

“You tell us. It was your idea.”

“Okay then. I say we just go for it.”

However, before anyone could move, each member of the Order felt a gun at the back of their necks and a voice command, “Get up.”

The Order obeyed but as soon as they were on their feet, Rembacca roared and charged at the troopers. One shot at him and the wolf-like creature yelped but he was able to swipe the same trooper with one paw. Suddenly the rest of the troopers were pushed back invisibly until they collided with trees.

Hermia gasped. “What the hell…Sirius!”

The whole group was gobsmacked as they saw Sirius with his hand outstretched. A gunshot was heard from behind, and the Order turned around to see the rest of the troopers heading towards them.

“F2, the signal!” Hemia shouted.

The android whined and beeped as loud as it was possible. Suddenly, hundreds of Elvoks descended upon the troopers from all sides with as much force as their tiny bodies would let them. The troopers fired their guns at the creatures--some were killed and some were wounded, but the troopers were always overrun by dozens more creatures in their place.

Hermia was more surprised than before. This battle scene should have been comical; and though it was, in its own way, she could not believe that Sirius may have been right. And speaking of Sirius, what was that all about?

“Are you…are you a Wizard Knight?” she asked him.

Sirius winked. “I’m full of surprises, or didn’t you know that already? Well, are you going to just gape at me or are you going to fight?”

Hermia retrieved her gun from its rightful place and smiled. She shouted, “Charge!” and every single member of the Order launched to join them.

Emperor Palpamort had been waiting for this moment for a very long time--some might say too long. And yet, it had been worth the wait to watch the great Harry Skypotter being brought to him, his wrists bound together. Two Death Troopers were by his side but Harry showed no resistance as he was led to Palpamort’s throne.

“Welcome, young Skypotter,” Palpamort said. “I’ve been expecting you. You no longer need those.” With a small motion of his fingers, Harry’s binders simply fell away, clattering to the floor. He added to the two troopers. “Leave us.” And they did, leaving Harry alone with the Dark Lords.

In the moment of tense silence, Harry was motionless, wondering what was going to happen. He had expected the Death Troopers to confiscate his lightwand, but it was still in its rightful place in his belt. He could take it now--yes, he could take hold of it and strike down the Emperor. However, the moment passed and he did nothing.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment, Skypotter.”

“Well, I hope I’ve not disappointed you,” Harry said calmly, but there was a strong hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“On the contrary, my young Wizard I foresaw it just as I have foreseen that you will become my new apprentice.”

Harry tried to keep steady. “You’re gravely mistaken. You will not convert me to the Dark Side. Soon, I’ll be dead and you two bastards with me.”

The Emperor’s laugh was vile. “Are you talking about your pitiful Order? They are no match for my army. Or are you referring to you friend, Sirius Solo?” Harry blinked and the Emperor smiled wider at the reaction. “Yes! I know all about Solo! Did you know that he is a coward, that he left your father to die?”

Harry tried to keep calm but he found it hard to ignore Palpamort’s taunts. He replayed the advice that Al-Bus and Sirius had given him in his head but it was no good. All he could think about was his lightwand resting in his belt, and the temptation to use it was strong.

“Yes.” The Emperor sounded triumphant. “I can feel your anger and hate. Take your weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Give into your desires and strike me down!”

Harry told of his lightwand with his gloved hand, trying to resist the temptation to kill this evil man--no, he was not a man. He was too inhuman to be one.

“Yes” The Emperor’s voice was snake-like. “Do what your pathetic father never could!”

The young man gave in. He released his lightwand from its holster and launched at the Emperor. As he leaped into the air, Vormtail’s red wand flashed into view, preventing Harry’s attack. Harry jumped back and turned to face Vormtail. There was a tense silence until it was broken by Palpamort’s evil laugh.

Meanwhile, the battle outside the Death Mark was in full swing. The Elvoks were proving to be a strong race despite their small size. They threw rocks at their opponents, knocking them to the ground. Plus, the creatures used blow darts on the troopers and Sirius could not help but think that it was the same weapon that the Elvoks had used on him and Harry while they were trapped in the net. The troopers kept firing their pistols, but the Elvoks’ primitive weaponry of clubs, rocks and blow-darts proved to be very effective.

Of course, the Order was playing their part in the battle as well. Rembacca was showing off his amazing strength by swiping the enemy away with his sharp claws. He could have used his teeth but a bite from a creature such as him would have meant he passed the curse onto his victim and he had once said, in his human form, that there was enough of his kind already without bringing more to the galaxy. Still, he was doing enough damage by using his paws as weapons.

The rest of the Order, excluding the androids and Sirius, were using pistols. Each of them was good with a gun, especially Hermia who was known to be an excellent shot--she never missed. Sirius was using his lightwand as well as the Force to kill troopers and block shots aimed at his fellow fighters.

Suddenly, Hermia cried out, “Some are getting away!”

Sirius looked up and saw that she was right--several troopers were on their brooms and were flying away. He looked around and found two discarded brooms lying a distance away in the foliage.

He reached out his hand and said “Accio, broom!”

Both brooms flew straight to his hand, but he only grabbed one and left the other floating in the air. He got on his broom and turned to the princess.

“Fancy coming with me?”

Hermia could not believe it. “Why me?”

“Because you’re the best shot. Now, are you coming along or should I just take the glory?”

She hesitated for a second but then rushed to the floating broom, taking hold of the handle. They both set off after the escaping troopers. They went higher in the air until they towered over to the troopers. They caught up quickly and Hermia got her gun at the ready, but after several seconds, she had still not fired.

She suddenly heard a voice in her head. What’s wrong?

She answered, I can’t do it.

Yes you can. You’re a good shot.

I’ve never done it in the air before.

Go on. Do it or do you want Solo to mock you for the rest of you life?

In an instant, she felt a spurt of confidence inside her. She focused on the trooper nearest to her and fired. It hit the trooper in the back and, she watched as he fell off his broom, falling into the abyss. Feeling good about herself, she did the same with the other troopers and they fell off their brooms like dead flies.

When all of them had fallen, she turned her broom around, and she noticed that Sirius had stopped following her. He was still floating in the air but he was completely motionless otherwise. She flew back to him and saw that his eyes were closed. There was an expression of sadness and pain on his face.

She reached out to touch him. “Sirius, are you okay?”

Sirius did not answer, but this not out of rudeness. He was no longer flying on a broom--he was in the Death Mark with Harry…

Darth Vormtail and Harry were staring at each other. Sirius noticed that Harry’s face was full of anger and hatred.

Vormtail said, “Sirius knows what it is to be a coward…he ran away from us like a scared puppy.”

“Search your feelings, young Skypotter,” the Emperor urged, “and know it to be true.”

Harry was seething with more loathing than before, and the Emperor smirked at the reaction he was receiving. “Yes. Release your anger and kill the real traitor.”

“Sirius!”

The space pirate woke up to see the princess looking at him with concern. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s Harry. He’s in trouble. I’ve got to go to him.”

“Hold on. You told us that he could handle it.”

“Yeah, well I was wrong.”

Hermia sounded almost desperate. “But what about the battle?”

Sirius insisted. “Hermia, Harry is in serious trouble. I can feel him turning to the Dark Side and if he does, than it’s all over. Everything. This battle will be lost. Plus, you’re a big girl. I’m sure you can handle it.”

Hermia smiled softly. “Okay, go and help him.”

The pair swooped down back to the battle below. Hermia fired at several troopers from above and Sirius used the Force as best as he could. When he was close to the entrance of the Death Mark, he leaped from his broom and used his lightwand to deflect any shots that came in his direction. He eventually reached the entrance hallway of the building and ran as fast he could, hoping he was not too late…

Slowly, Harry and Vormtail circled, with their lightwands crossed, ready for the attack. Vormtail brought his wand forward for the attack, but Harry was quick on the defensive. Then came several blows but both fighters were able to defend themselves. Once again, they circled around the throne room, neither of them losing eye contact.

The second attack came from Harry, his determination and aggression more evident in each blow. Although each was met by Vormtail’s defence, Harry continued to attack. The Dark Lord kept retreating until he lost his footing and fell.

Harry smirked. “And you were so good at this last year.”

“Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy,” the Emperor goaded. “Let the hate flow through you!”

Harry faltered--he realised what was happening and he was confused. He wanted to strike down this monster and the Emperor; it was the right thing to do. And yet, what price would it take? To succumb to the temptations of the Dark Side? He suddenly remembered what Sirius had told him.

“Just remember that anger and fear are the Dark Side. Once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny.”

No, Harry did not want to become the thing he had spent the last few years of his life trying to destroy. He took a step backwards and lowered his wand. In that moment, Vormtail took the opportunity to attack. He lunged forward, forcing Harry to reverse defensively. More blows were thrown at each other, draining the energy of the two fighters. Vormtail swung his wand once again but Harry leaped to the overhead scaffolding.

“Coward!” Vormtail called out.

“It takes one to know one,” Harry taunted. “Al-Bus and Sirius told me all about you--how you turned to the Emperor when you thought the Dark Side would win. You’re a traitor and a coward!”

Vormtail laughed and Harry almost chuckled at the Dark Lord’s pathetic attempt to deepen his squeaky laugh. But then, Vormtail spoke, “And you should know what it is like to be in the company of cowards.”

“No!”

“Yes! Sirius knows what it is to be a coward. When it all got too much for him, he ran away from us like a scared puppy! Your father pleaded for him to come back.” Harry could actually feel Vormtail smirking behind his dark mask. “In fact those were your father’s last words.”

“SHUT UP!” Harry snapped.

“Search your feelings, young Skypotter,” the Emperor urged, “and know it to be true.”

Harry did not want to believe it and yet the words sounded so true. He could see it in his mind-- no, he was seeing it through Palpamort’s mind--his father writhing in agony under the Emperor’s power.

“Sirius!” James cried out, reaching his hand for his best friend. But Sirius was running as fast as his legs could carry him, ignoring the desperate pleas.

Harry felt the anger boil up inside him, but the images were so vivid that they had to be true.

“Yes!” The Emperor commanded. “Let out all you anger and hate!”

“NO!”

Harry turned to see Sirius run through the room. Vormtail did the same and raised his lightwand in defence. Sirius launched at his former friend, and blue light collided with red light. Harry watched as the space pirate completely overpowered the Dark Lord. When Sirius pushed Vormtail back to break the clinch, Vormtail hit his head on an overhanging beam and stumbled backwards, forcing him to his knees. The Dark Lord raised his wand to block Sirius’ aggressive assaults and Sirius slashed off Vormtail’s right hand.

Sirius towered over him, the point of his glowing wand resting at the Dark Lord’s throat. He suddenly felt a blade against the back of his neck.

“Harry” He said softly “I know what you’re thinking but you can’t believe what they say.”

“You left him to die!” Harry shouted.

“No, Harry!” Sirius pleaded. “I tried to help your father but I was writhing in agony. I watched your father die in front of my eyes. I would have never run away from your father. He was like my brother--I loved him!”

Harry still felt his anger inside him but then another vision appeared: Sirius, weak from the Cruciatus lightning, trying to crawl to help James from the Emperor’s grasp. James screamed one more time before becoming lifeless and then everything went black.

Harry felt his hatred towards Sirius weaken and then he remembered Al-Bus’s words: The Dark Side is very naughty and anyone who practices it will try to mess with your mind.

The young man broke out of his thoughts when he heard the Emperor bark, “Do it! Release your anger and kill the real traitor!”

He stood erect and hurled his lightwand away. He turned to face the Emperor and took a few steps forward. He heard Sirius deactivate his own lightwand.

“No” Harry said confidently. “I won’t become like you.”

“Very well.” The Emperor stood up. Vormtail had crawled like a wounded animal to his Master’s side. “If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed.”

Palpamort raised his bony hands towards Harry and red bolts of energy escaped from his fingers. Suddenly, Harry felt himself being pushed away and watched as the red bolts tore through Sirius. Harry saw Sirius collapse to the ground in sheer agony. He crawled to the pirate’s side, but then, an indescribable pain ripped through him. As he writhed next to Sirius, he heard footsteps until the Emperor was towering over both of them. Another evil laugh echoed through the room before the two victims saw red again.

The Emperor rasped. “You’re a fool, Skypotter. You could have had powers and greatness beyond your wildest dreams. You will pay the price for your lack of vision. And, as for you Solo, you will watch him die just as you did with his father!”

He laughed maniacally, and the energy bolt from his fingers increased in intensity. The sound was loud, drowning out the screams of his victims. Harry felt his body stop moving altogether--all he could do was watch his friend struggle in as much agony as he himself was in.

“Sorry,” Sirius mouthed.

Suddenly, they saw the Emperor being lifted up, his hands still shooting bolts of energy. With the torture no longer inflicted on them, Harry and Sirius watched as Palpamort was carried away by…

“Vormtail!” they called out in unison.

Yes, it was Darth Vormtail holding his Master high in the air. As the Emperor struggled in Vormtail’s grip, the Dark Lord continued to move towards a pit on the other side of the room. With a remarkable spasm of strength, Vormtail hurled Palpamort into the abyss. The Emperor, however, grabbed hold of his servant and Vormtail followed his Master into the chasm. For a few seconds, there was the sound of their cries mixed with the sound of the energy bolts and then there was silence.

Harry and Sirius lay on the floor for some time, letting the pain subside. Eventually, Harry crawled over to Sirius and the two intertwined in a hug.

“Thank you,” Harry whispered. “I’m sorry for nearly killing you.”

“The Emperor is powerful when it comes to corrupting visions but he’s not the only one that can communicate with minds.”

“So you did send me the vision on how my father died.”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t want to because it’s dangerous, but you had to know the truth. I had to do something to calm the anger in you.”

“I believe you, Sirius. I know that you wouldn’t abandon my father like that.”

“I would have died before letting that happen.”

“I know.” After a silence, Harry added, “I also knew that you would come to help me.”

Sirius chuckled. “Well, I couldn’t let you take all the credit, could I?”

Harry laughed, though it hurt to do so. “Looks like Vormtail would do, if he was still alive. I don’t understand what happened there.”

“I think I do; he was honouring a life debt.”

“Who did he owe a life debt to?”

“Me. Remember when I had him by the throat and you had me by the neck?”

Harry groaned. “Oh, don’t remind me of that.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Sirius replied. “What I’m saying is that when you backed away from me to face the Emperor, I did the same to Vormtail. I know I shouldn’t have done but I was more concerned about what the Emperor was going to do to you.”

“Yeah, so what about Vormtail?”

“When you backed away, I could have killed him there and then but I spared him to protect you. Regardless, he owed me a life debt. What do you know of bonds like that?”

Harry thought for a moment and then spoke, “When two friends share a life bond, the debt can be paid anywhere they seem fit. But a life bond between enemies…Ah!”

“Exactly. When it’s between enemies, the person in debt must pay up when the person he owes it is in danger. It’s not of free will but forced,” Sirius explained. “So, I spared Vormtail’s life. I was in trouble so he had to do it. The Force is a funny thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Harry smiled. “It’s still fun though.”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah. Do you think you can stand up now?”

“I’ll try.”

“No.” Sirius said in a mocking tone. “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Harry laughed. “Oh, shut up.”

Sirius was the first to stand, and he helped Harry to his feet gently. The pair helped each other make their way though the throne room, picking up Harry’s discarded lightwand on the way. They kept on moving slowly until they saw the entrance. They opened the door together and stepped out in the daylight. After becoming accustomed to the blinding sunlight, they saw a pile of dead Death Troopers--the rest were bizarrely at the mercy of Elvok warriors.

Sirius said, “Well, I guess we’re not needed here anymore.”

“HARRY!”

At first, Harry thought that an Elvok had screamed his name. Instead, he saw Hermia running up to him, a very happy look on her face and her arms wide open. In the next instant, she had enveloped him into a tight hug.

“Woah.” Harry was seriously surprised. “Hermia giving me a hug!? Is it my birthday?”

“I’m just so glad to see you, that’s all.”

Harry flashed a toothy grin. “Sirius, I’m certain that it is definitely my birthday!”

Sirius started to laugh but he was muffled by Rembacca holding onto him in a bear hug.

“Okay, okay” His voice was gagged by the creature’s greyish fur. “Don’t suffocate me, mate.”

“Hey, Solo,” Hermia said.

His head still buried in Rembacca’s fur, Sirius mumbled, “What?”

The princess shuffled nervously. “I just wanted to say…well, I know that we haven’t got on lately and I thought this idea of yours was stupid but I guess I was wrong so I just wanted to say…I’m sorry.”

Sirius gazed at her in shock. “Oh, Force. I think it’s my birthday!”

Harry laughed, and soon the quartet was laughing out loud, although Rembacca sounded more like he was roaring. They all embraced in one friendship hug, and Harry felt complete.

In the starry sky, brooms were setting off the most beautiful fireworks that anyone had ever seen. A huge bonfire blazed in the centre of the Elvok village square. The Elvoks and surviving members of the Order rejoiced in the celebrations--laughing as well as singing and dancing to the beat of the primitive music.

Harry leaned against one of the huts and watched the merriment. He cheered in silence, feeling at peace with himself for the first time in several years. Ever since that fateful day that Al-Bus had taken him away from his depressing life on Privetooine to save a princess from the Empire, his life had become one hectic journey, focusing on becoming a Wizard Knight and overcoming the Empire. And now that journey was over, what could he do now?

He watched as Rembacca took hold of Sirius’ hand and led him into an empty hut. Before Sirius went in, he turned to look at Harry, and they both smiled simultaneously. And then Harry watched Sirius disappear into the hut, knowing that they would not surface again until the next morning.

He heard Hermia tut and say. “I don’t know.”

“Aw, come on, Hermia. It’s not that bad.”

“Well, it’s not natural. The thought of Sirius and Rembacca in his wolf form doing….that?”

“What? You don’t think that they do it all the time, do you? Sirius told me that they only do it while he’s returned to his human form.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. I mean, they may be space pirates but they’ve got morals.”

“Ah, but after today, is Sirius still a space pirate?”

Harry shook his head and spoke truthfully, “I don’t know.”

Hermia sighed. “Well, I guess he has his uses even if he is a git.”

Harry smiled. “I could say the same for someone else.” When Hermia glared at him, he chipped in “Anyway, do you fancy a dance?”

She raised an eyebrow and then she smiled back at him. “Yeah, alright. What the hell?”

And so, the two danced throughout the night. Harry had no idea whether this was the start of something special between the two of them or whether Sirius would resume his place as a Wizard Knight or hell, he did not even know what was going to happen tomorrow. And, to be honest, in that moment, he did not really care. All that truly mattered was dancing to the beautiful music and feeling as free as he could possibly be.

End