Finders, Keepers

AN: Sorry this has taken so long. I’ve had this partially written for awhile, but it was so bad, I couldn’t stand to look at it. I had to scrap all of the second half and re-do it.

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Gundam Wing. I am making no money from this work of fanfiction. Also, in chapter 6, the lyrics to the song that Harry sings are also not mine—they belong to J.K. Rowling.

Summary: The war is over, and Harry has made a startling discovery: he has an older brother, who is a Muggle (most likely), who was adopted away before he was ever born. Crossover with Gundam Wing. Pairing: Heero/Harry, some Neville/Harry, Post DH (no epilogue), and Endless Waltz


Finders, Keepers
Chapter 10

Duo immediately ordered a lockdown of the estate, but he knew it was already too late. The security outpost was only a two minute walk to the gate. Chances were, Harry’s kidnappers already had him in a car, on their way to wherever they planned to hold him.

It would take them at least fifteen minutes to get to the shuttle station—thirty if they hit heavy traffic—and then another hour to pass through security. That would be difficult to do with an unwilling passenger, but it had happened before.

Duo put in a call to the local Preventor’s office, and five minutes later, all shuttles were grounded. There would be agents waiting at the destinations of all those that left before the call came in, with descriptions of Harry and his captors. The L4 station was locked down, and Preventors were scouring the premises for the four. The Maguanacs had been dispatched to search the colony itself.

Harry would be found.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Duo demanded of the technicians who put in the call that Harry was missing. “Jody and I were responsible for watching quadrant one. You know, the gate and front half of the lawn,” the girl said, looking anywhere but at Duo. When the cameras in quadrant two malfunctioned, Jody was called away, and I was left to watch the area by myself.”

“What happened to my brother?” Duo asked, a bit more softly, trying to steer her back on track.

“I don’t—I’m not sure exactly. He was there one minutes—I took my eyes off the screen for a second, and then he was gone, sir!” The girl looked up at him, pleadingly.

Duo took a breath and choked down his anger. Giving this girl a much deserved dressing down wouldn’t accomplish anything at the moment, except to her into a babbling mess.

“Just calm down,” Duo soothed. “Now back up a bit. The last I saw, Harry was in quadrant two, escorted by Heero Yuy. When did he enter your quadrant?”

“Mr. Yuy brought your brother into the area about 0830. They met with Marcus Smythe at the security outpost, approximately five minutes later. Mr. Yuy spoke to Mr. Smythe very briefly, and then left your brother in his care.” The woman stood at attention, visibly fighting back tears.

“Heero left?” Duo asked, bewildered. “Do you mean to tell me that Heero left my brother there, not even checking to make sure that he was safe? Why didn’t you report this?”

The girl swiftly wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek, before resuming her military stance. “Mr. Potter was left with a Maguanac agent by Mr. Yuy, sir. I assumed it was done on your orders.”

“You ass—!” Duo cut himself off, clenching his fists hard enough to break the skin. It wasn’t the girl’s thought. Of course she thought it was okay—Heero did it! He forced himself to take ten calming breaths, before he could speak again. “Okay, what happened next?”

“Mr. Smythe, following procedure, entered the security building and secured it before allowing Mr. Potter entrance. Mr. Potter then entered, as well. The alleged Ms. Granger and Mr.s Weasley attempted to approach Mr. Potter, but Mr. Smythe stopped them.

“Mr. Potter and Mr. Smythe then had words, which resulted in Mr. Smythe exiting the building. The audio wasn’t working at this point, so I was not able to hear was said.”

“That isn’t the established procedure,” Duo bit out. He would see that Maguanac fired. Both of them! If anything happened to Harry as a result of Smythe’s actions, Duo would see him put on trial—if he was feeling generous. “Why didn’t you report that?”

“I, um,” the girl looked at her shoes. “I assumed Mr. Potter would be fine, since he was in a secure building, and Mr. Smythe was just outside.”

Duo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You seem to like making assumptions in order to excuse not doing your job,” Duo snarled. The girl flinched when he bared his teeth. Good. “What happened after Marcus so recklessly left my brother with the strangers?”

The girl frowned, shifting from foot to foot. “He, um, the shorter man advanced on Mr. Potter, making your brother back against the wall. At this point, I tried to hail Mr. Smythe on his com, to alert him to the problem,” she said, trying to cover her own ass.

“The girl said something, which placated the man. Again, I couldn’t hear the audio. An argument broke out between the four. I went to get help, since Smythe still wasn’t answering my hails. When I returned, your brother was gone.”

Duo was definitely firing Smythe—he might even set him on fire. “How did they get Harry out past the guards?”

“I don’t know, sir,” the girl apologized. “I tried to replay the video, but there is a minute of so of static on the feed. Something interfered and made the camera malfunction.”

Duo swore. Loudly and with great creativity. “Fantastic.”

He stalked away from the girl and the TV Room, to find the other ex-pilots. It was obvious these people were the ones causing the malfunctions in the equipment. They had to be professionals—and very good at their jobs—in order to (a) discover Harry as a potential target against the Gundam Pilots, and (b) take him right out from under their collective noses.

When Duo found his brother—and he would—these people would find out why he called himself the god of death.

***

Molly jumped up as the lead healer working on Harry walked into the waiting room. She grabbed Arthur’s hand, searching Alavi’s face for any sign on Harry’s prognosis.

Healer Alavi went to Hermione, Harry’s official emergency contact. His relatives would have been ideal, but Merlin knew they would never put themselves out for their nephew.

“How is he?” Hermione asked. Molly and the rest of the family gathered around, hoping the news was good.

The healer had a serious look on his face. He hadn’t been with Harry long—maybe twenty minutes. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

“The good news is that we have him stabilized,” Healer Alavi said. Molly sighed in relief, steeling herself for what followed. “The bad news is that I’m not sure what caused the collapse.”

He turned to George, who was clutching onto Ron. “You said Mr. Potter was fine before taking the Portkey?”

“Yeah. He was a little mad, but there wasn’t anything wrong with him,” George said.

The healer nodded, made a note on his scroll, and turned back to Hermione. “Has he ever had a reaction to Portkeys, before?”

Hermione shook her head. “N-not that I know of.” She looked to the Weasleys, and Arthur stepped in.

“Harry’s never had a problem with Portkeys. He doesn’t much like them, but he’s not allergic to the magic.”

“He has been ill, recently,” Molly said. “He just got out of the hospital a few days ago. Could that have something to do with it?”

“He left on his own,” George said. “His healers wanted him to stay longer, but he signed himself out.”

“Okay,” Healer Alavi muttered, writing down everything they said. “Can you tell me the name of the healer assigned to his case?”

Ron and Hermione didn’t, of course, since they’d been in Australia. Molly tried to think of the woman’s name and couldn’t. “She was tall, for a woman,” Molly offered, when no one else answered. “Brunette. Fairly young to have full healer status. Maybe in her early fifties?”

“And she had a rather large nose,” Arthur put in, which caused the healer to nod.

“I know who that is,” Alavi said. “Healer Munroe. I’ll need to confer with her, before I can move on with treating Mr. Potter.”

He turned to leave, but Hermione caught his wrist, quickly letting go when he stopped. “When can we see him?” she asked.

“After Healer Munroe and I check him over,” Alavi said. “After we agree on a diagnosis and a course of treatment, you will be allowed to visit two at a time for no more than fifteen minutes each.”

“Do you know when Harry will wake up?” Ron asked, before the healer could leave.

“Not at the moment,” Alavi said. “There are too many unknowns for me to say.”

Molly nodded, glad when the Healer left. There were only so many ways for him to say he didn’t know what was happening to Harry or how to prevent it in the future.

Harry might not be her child by birth, but she loved him as much as she loved Ron and Ginny and Bill and all her other children. After Fred, she didn’t think she could stand it if anything happened to another of her children.

Molly clutched Arthur’s hand and allowed him to lead her to a chair. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she could not look at any of her other children, huddled together in the waiting room.

***

Harry knew where he was as soon as he awoke. Without needing to open his eyes, the antiseptic smell of soap, the sting in the air that always came after prolonged use of healing spells, and the scratchiness of the sheets laying against his skin all told Harry that he was in a hospital. A little common sense let him know he was in St. Mungo’s.

“How long was I out?” he asked. The hospital staff would not let him alone in here, given his fame.

Especially not after the last time.

“Hello, again, Mr. Potter,” said a familiar voice.

He opened his eyes and saw Healer Munroe make her way over to his bed, a Muggle clipboard in her hand. She set it on the table and took hold of Harry’s wrist, feeling for his pulse. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon, or looking so lively.”

That had to be a joke—he felt like lukewarm death. “I just couldn’t stay away, Katherine,” Harry said breathlessly. “The way you treated me—the care you gave. My heart yearned for you. . .as my doctor.”

Healer Munroe snorted. “Stop it, you,” she said, giving him a light slap on the arm.

“Shan’t,” Harry said, trying for a Percy level of primness.

“Shall,” the healer shot back. She picked up her clipboard and turned her back to Harry, making some notes on the chart. When she turned around, her face was serious. “What brings you back, Harry? After we worked so hard to get you out.”

Harry shrugged and looked away. “My friends, I guess. They got worried when they heard I took a runner, and came to drag me back.”

“Surely, they realize there’s nothing we can do to help you. That’s why I let you leave in the first place,” she said. She muttered under her breath, loud enough for Harry to hear—probably intentionally, “If you’d just let me put your diagnosis in your file, I could have sent you out with the blessings and well-wishes of all the staff and board members. . .”

“And the newspapers and the rest of the world,” Harry said. He really didn’t want anyone else to know—that’s why he’d begged Munroe to keep it quiet in the first place. “Even my friends don’t know what’s wrong with me. I haven’t told them, yet.”

“You didn’t—” Healer Munroe plopped on the chair next to Harry’s bed. “You haven’t told them? Why not? You need their support right now.”

“I don’t want them to worry,” Harry said. “I just—I just wanted to live like things were normal, for awhile. Like I would be joining the Aurors in September, and getting a flat with Ron and Hermione until they get married. You know, things like that.”

Munroe laid a hand gently on Harry forearm. “You can’t live the rest of your life in denial,” she said.

“Of course I can! Shouldn’t be hard—there’s not much of it left!” Harry yelled, shaking her off.

“Harry, you have Genie Disease. Your friends have a right to know,” Munroe persisted.

Harry turned away from her, his face blank. “No one has a right to know but me. I expect this to be kept quiet, Healer Munroe.”

She nodded, her face closing off. “Of course, Mr. Potter. Would you like me to draw up your release papers?”

He nodded, staring at a bare wall. “Yes, please. I’m sure my brother is very worried about me.”

She didn’t comment on that, simply walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind her.

***

Ron was the first to see Harry walking—under his own power—into the waiting room. He rushed to help his friend, but Harry shoved his hand away when Ron made to grab his arm.

“I’m fine,” Harry protested.

At that, everyone noticed and clamored around him. All of Ron’s family—his mom, dad, brothers, Ginny, and Fleur—plus Hermione, Neville, Luna, Andromeda and Teddy had been waiting for hours for an update. That strange healer had been there the once, but that was it.

“Oh, Harry, are you okay?” Hermione cried. “We’re so sorry about everything—me and Ron and George. What did the healers say?”

Ron made Harry take his arm and led him to a seat. Bill and Charlie, thankfully, seemed to be handling crowd control and forced everyone to give Harry some space.

Harry sat like a lump, and gave Ron a wan smile. “Thanks, mate,” he said. He looked at everyone else. “I’m fine. The healers say I’m okay to leave.”

“Oh, thank Merlin,” Mum said, rushing forward to hug Harry. “I was so worried.”

Ron, though, was skeptical. Harry had collapsed not an hour ago, and rushed to the hospital, but he was perfectly okay, now?

“What did the healers say happened?” Hermione asked, obviously of the same mind as Ron.

“They, um, it probably had something to do with where I’d been on the colony for so long,” Harry answered, his eyes flicking away from Hermione.

“Then, obviously, you can’t go back there,” George declared. “Not if it’s going to do that to you.”

Harry’s lips thinned. That was not the right thing to say, Ron could have told George that. Harry hated to be told what to do.

“My brother lives there. I’ll be going back as soon as I can get another Portkey. I might even take a shuttle,” he said. “The healers said it wasn’t anything permanent, and I’ll not have Duo worrying about me unnecessarily.”

“Of course, love,” Mum said, petting Harry’s arm, her other around his shoulder. “When did you get a brother? Should we Floo-call him, to let him know you’re all right? Does he have a Mirror Phone?”

Harry shook his head. “He’s a Muggle. Duo’s my half-brother, on my mum’s side.” He glared at Ron, Hermione, and George. “And I’m not going to give him up, just because he lives on a colony.”

“Harry, we don’t want you to give up your brother,” Hermione protested. “We just want you to take care of yourself. You left the hospital—“

“And I’m leaving it again,” Harry said, standing up. He was a little more sturdy on his feet, this time. “I was just released. I need to find some food, and a phone.” Harry made his way over to the door and out of the waiting room.

Hermione made to follow him, but Ron grabbed her. “Don’t. He’s got a right to be pissed at us. Besides, look.” He pointed to Neville, who was practically flying to catch up to Harry.

“It looks like everything is going to be just fine,” Ron’s dad declared, clapping him on the back. “Let’s go home and celebrate.”

***

Harry was almost to the exit when Neville caught up to him. For somebody who just got out of the hospital, Harry was fast. Neville slowed down, and inserted himself beside Harry, as though he’d always been there.

“Hi,” Neville offered, keeping his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, Nev,” Harry said, looking at the ground. He always watched his feet when he was running away, like he didn’t want to see what was in front of him.

“How are you?” Neville asked, resisting the urge to sweep his ex’s fringe out of his eyes.

Harry laughed. He was so beautiful when he laughed, even as pale as he was. “I’m perfect,” he said. “My best friends just kidnapped me from my brother’s house—my Muggle brother’s house—and swept me away to the hospital.” He sighed. “Duo’s going to be frantic.”

Neville scratched his head, to keep his hands busy. “What’s this ‘brother’ business? Last I heard, you were an only child.”

“It’s kind of a long story.” Harry crossed his arms and turned to look at Neville. “I just found out a little while ago. Apparently, my mum got knocked up when she was still in school—I don’t know who the father was—and gave the baby up for adoption after he was born. He ended up in the colonies.”

“Wow. Oh, wow,” Neville said. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t know what he would do if he found out he had an illegitimate brother floating out there, somewhere. Especially if he didn’t have his Gran and the rest of his family to count on. Harry had only ever had those awful Dursleys to call family. “What happened?”

Harry snorted a laugh, and ran his hand over his face. “I tracked him down, which wasn’t easy, and went to meet him. I’ve been staying with him and his friends the last few days. He is, easily, the most overprotective person I have ever come into contact with—and that includes the way Ron is over Ginny.”

Neville gulped. That didn’t bode too well for his chances, if he tried to get back into Harry’s good graces. “What do you think of him?”

“He’s great,” Harry said, his whole face lighting up. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” Harry shook his head. “I need to call him, and let him know I’m all right. They took me away right under his nose. Duo’s going to be frantic.”

Harry took off down the street, heading away from the hospital. Neville, being fairly familiar with the geography surrounding St. Mungo’s, headed after him. He wasn’t going to let Harry get away so easily. Not again.

***

Harry needed to call Duo. He didn’t have his brother’s phone number, so even if he could find a phone that could dial the colonies, he couldn’t contact him that way. His mirror—which could call Muggle phones, with slight modifications—was in his drawer in his room at Quatre’s house, and therefore useless.

He needed to get back to Grimmauld Place. He could use the mirror in his parlor. He was pretty sure Hermione had put the proper spells on it, before she and Ron left the country.

The only problem was that he still felt very weak. He shouldn’t be running around London in the shape he was in. He probably should have still been at the hospital, at least until he felt a little better. He was never going to feel good again, so there was no point.

He couldn’t Apparate in the shape he was in, and given his reaction to the Portkey, he didn’t trust himself to use the Floo. He needed a cab—but he didn’t have any money on him.

“Harry!” Neville called, panting behind him.

Harry stopped and whirled around. “Nev, can you do me a favor?” he asked. He hated to look helpless in front of his ex-boyfriend, but desperate times and all that.

“Of course,” Neville said, always ready to help. “Just name it.”

Harry held out his arm. “Will you take me home?”

***

Duo cursed and threw the phone. He’d just finished talking with the head of the shuttle station. Harry was nowhere near the station, and according to their videos, had never been in it. Six of the shuttles that had left the station had already landed and been thoroughly searched. The other five would not reach their destinations (Earth) for another seven hours.

Harry was nowhere to be seen.

Harry had been gone an hour and a half, and no one could find him. No ransom demands had been made yet, but it was early, still.

Still, anything could have happened to Harry in an hour and a half. There might never be a ransom. Duo had to find him himself, and it just wasn’t working!

“Duo, calm down,” Quatre said, putting an arm on Duo’s shoulder before he decided to throw something else. “You’re of no use to Harry like this. You need to be calm.”

Duo clenched his teeth, and nodded. He knew his friend was right, he just couldn’t help himself. He felt so helpless right now. His brother was out there, in danger, and he couldn’t fix it! He couldn’t protect his own little brother.

“It’s not your fault,” Quatre said. “You couldn’t have stopped what happened.”

“I should have never left him,” Duo ground out. “I should have stuck myself to his side. He would be safe, then. He would be here.”

Quatre shook his head. “You can’t think like that. You did everything you could to keep him safe. Sometimes, it’s just not enough.”

Duo closed his eyes. He couldn’t listen to Quatre anymore. Harry was okay. He had to be. There would be a ransom note, and Duo would pay it and get his brother back safely.

And then he would kill the fuckers who took his baby brother from him. He would make them suffer.

He looked over at Heero, who was coordinating the Maguanacs searching the colony. He burned with rage when he saw his best friend. Heero was supposed to be watching Harry. If Heero had only done his job, Harry would be here, safe!

He growled and stalked away, not wanting to be anywhere near Heero at the moment. Maybe Duo could speak to him again, once Harry was back home and safe—which he would be!—but now, if he had to be in the same room as his best friend, he would hit him. That wouldn’t help bring Harry back.

Duo almost ran into a young Maguanac on his way out the door.

“Mr. Maxwell!” she said, saluting.

Duo grunted and made to move past her. He would find Rashid, and get an update from him.

“I have an urgent phone call for you,” the Maguanac said.

“Who’s it from?” Duo asked. He was waiting to hear back from several people. There were a couple of ways to get off the colony without officially going through the shuttle station. His people were tracking all the staff and luggage, just in case.

“He says he’s your brother.”

Duo froze. “Take me to the phone.”