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First Meeting

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Elemental Trinity

A Harry Potter/Pokémon Crossover

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Dec 6, 1994; 7:30 AM; Great Hall

I rubbed at the bridge of my nose, trying to fight off a slowly building headache. It wasn't working.

"You should eat, Harry." Hermione chided from the other side of the table.

I stared down at my untouched plate, not feeling much of an appetite. "I'll eat later. Not hungry."

"Harry." She seemed irritated.

I rolled my eyes, just as I felt two hands settle themselves on each of my shoulders. I turned to see one of the Twins sitting to my right, with the other to my left.

"Good morning." The two said at the same time, making my head pulse in slight pain.

"It's too early in the morning for this." I wanted to sigh.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, brother mine." One of the twins said. "But it seems Harry here isn't feeling so well."

"I do believe you're correct, my good chap." The other agreed.

"My, he must have had trouble sleeping."

"Dreaming of fair, blonde maidens, are we?"

"Young ones in Ravenclaw, perchance?"

They were talking about Luna, I realized as Hermione's mouth curled into an amused smirk- it did not suit her.

"Yes, yes." I actually did sigh, this time. "I bet the whole school knows I stare at the Ravenclaw table by now."

"You do?" Neville joined the conversation, looking up from his Herbology book. He turned his gaze to the table in question, frowning. "They don't look too happy, actually."

"You're right." Dean also noticed it.

We looked in that direction as well. The Ravenclaws looked somewhat ill- the source of which was a small group at the end of the table, judging from their disgusted stares.

A small, familiar group- the ones who'd been bullying Luna.

I stared at the Twins, who were adopting an exaggerated expression of angelic innocence.

"You two work quickly." I said quietly as I turned back to the table, looking for one Ravenclaw in particular. My eyes met hers, and she gave a small smile of gratitude.

"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Potter?" The left twin asked in mock confusion. "Surely you-"

"-Are not suggesting that we, the Twins of-"

"-Terror-"

"-Terror?" One stopped, looking dubious. "No, that's not right, brother mine."

"Virtue." The other suggested, instead.

"Respectability."

"Morality."

"Honesty."

"You are literally none of those." Hermione looked like she wanted to throttle both twins.

"Perhaps not, dear Miss Granger." The one to my left acknowledged with a considering look.

"Sneaky is more like it." I snorted. "Where did you catch them? One of the hallways?"

The left twin clutched at his heart dramatically, even as the right took a few bites of sausage.

"It pains my heart so, my dear boy." He said. "That you have such little faith in our abilities, enough to think we'd commit acts of mischief in the hallways."

I absorbed the words slowly, until it came to me.

They'd hit them in the Ravenclaw dorms. Of course, they'd probably known where those were, as the Map had been in their possession for three years before they'd bequeathed it to me.

I smiled and gave a nod of respect.

"Now, if you don't mind." The one who'd clutched his heart declared as he grabbed his brother, who was still chewing on a sausage, and pulled him to another part of the table. "We have two ladies we need to… speak to."

The last thing I heard from the two was the other twin shout "now!?" in a surprisingly alarmed voice as they went farther down the table, near to where Angelina and Alicia were sitting.

"Harry." Hermione grabbed my attention. She looked infuriated. "What was that?"

I considered her words, before answering with a steely look which seemed to shake her resolve to the core. "Something that needed to be dealt with."

Looking down at my plate, I began to eat, my appetite somewhat restored.

Oooo

"It's ridiculous." I said, staring out at the vista before me. The Great Lake looked as serene and enthralling as it always did. "They want us to go in it in February."

"Perhaps as a test of preparation?" Red spoke from the device held in my right hand. "Your first task, as they said, was a test of daring. Of course, You had knowledge of the beast beforehand, but it was still mostly being able to stall or battle the dragon long enough to steal the egg."

I nodded as I knelt, pulled my right glove off and dipped my fingertips in the freezing water- shivering and pulling them out just as quickly.

"This one is a mystery to solve, with the message itself being a test of knowledge, as well as all that follows." Red continued.

"Lucky I had help in that department." I said, before stopping to see Viktor Krum swimming in the Great Lake. "But I guess I'm not the only one with help."

"Yes." Red agreed. "You've mastered the Bubblehead Charm, but that is not all you need to do."

I didn't reply. Red took it as his cue to continue.

"As you've said, the water is quite cold, probably very close to freezing." Red continued.

"It gets worse when the winter truly hits." I confirmed.

"A human body can generally withstand extreme cold temperatures for ten to twenty minutes before feeling weakness in the muscles, thus causing a loss of coordination and strength. This happens because your blood will naturally move away from the extremities to preserve the core of the body." Red explained. "This is hypothermia, as you know it- after a certain point, your body will not be able to generate enough heat to counteract the cold of the Great Lake. You are, after all, one human facing the might of nature."

I nodded, feeling a little unsure about the whole situation. "So, I either need to complete the task in twenty minutes, or find a way to adapt to the cold environment."

"Precisely." Red agreed.

"Something to maintain my body heat in a highly cold climate…" I mused for a few seconds, before snapping my finger in realization. "Pepperup! But.. Wait, no. That's just to cure the common cold. Isn't it?"

"You're on the right track." Red said vaguely.

I stared down at the Pokédex in slight annoyance. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"It's best to learn things through study and practice." Red countered, already in teacher mode.

I didn't reply for a few seconds. "A hint, at least?"

"..Very well." Red acquiesced. "It has to do with the Pepperup Potion's ingredients."

I narrowed my eyes in thought, recalling that specific potion's ingredients. Salamander blood, english thyme, powdered… Something. And… Fire seeds!

"Fire seeds!" I said in realization.

"Correct." Red praised.

"That'll increase my body heat, enough to make it comfortable in the freezing water." I nodded before shivering. "...I'll have to test it, won't I?"

"Undoubtedly." Red seemed almost amused. "No pain, no gain, as they say."

My eyes lingered on the Durmstrang Champion, who was looking in my direction. I nodded towards him, before turning and heading towards Hagrid's hut, missing the fellow Champion's return nod.

The trip to Hagrid's went much quicker. There was an awkward moment where I walked past the Beauxbatons' Headmistress, but it passed quickly.

Soon, I found myself facing Hagrid's door. I knocked.

"Maxime?" I heard the man's voice call out in surprise as he opened his door, finding nothing but air- until he looked down. "Harry!"

"Hagrid." I smiled slightly. "Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" He said quickly as he all but ushered me in. "I was jes' about ter finish a few things."

I walked in, noticing that his table was covered in sawdust and wood shavings. At its center was a trio of figurines- very familiar looking figurines.

"Like 'em, do ye?" Hagrid took one of the figurines and handed it to me. It was a good approximation of what Squirtle looked like.

"You made these?" I turned the rough wood to examine the details. "This is really good work, Hagrid!"

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Ah, it was nothin'." He waved it off bashfully, taking the figurine back quickly. "They're not even finished, yet! Still a few details I missed, and some seed oil to bring the wood's true shine out!"

I smiled, pulling the balls out of my pocket. "Can I..?"

"Of course!" Hagrid immediately agreed. "Ye never have to ask me for that!"

I snorted. Of course, Hagrid would say that.

I released all three of my companions. With a bright flash of light, Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle appeared in the small confines of the hut.

Immediately, Charmander went to hug the old Gamekeeper, while my other two companions merely waved at the gentle giant.

"Easy there, little one." Hagrid soothed Charmander and grabbed his whole body with one hand, scratching him in all the spots he liked.

The two never ceased to amuse.

Hagrid set Charmander down on his special fireproof sheet, before showing him the figurine. Delighted, Charmander began to chatter away at Hagrid, who almost absent-mindedly pet the little lizard.

"Hagrid." I started as Squirtle and Bulby settled down next to me, each staring at their figurine in wonder and appreciation. "What do you know about fire seeds? I remember- you used them when…" I trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

"Aye, I did." Hagrid nodded at my statement, fully understanding what I was referring to. "Helped with Norbert's hatching. Useful plant, especially in the dead of winter. I still keep some here."

He gestured to a closed, stone container near the fireplace. He grabbed it, pulled the lid off, and showed me its contents.

It was a pile of orange seeds vaguely in the shape of a flame.

"Isn't that dangerous to have near the fire?" I asked in alarm.

"Perfectly safe!" Hagrid said in true Hagrid fashion, pulling a seed out of the bunch and extending his hand to me.

I took the seed, marveling at how it felt cold to the touch. "That's strange."

"It's only hot when it's still attached to the fire bush, Harry." Hagrid explained. "I had to look up how to harvest 'em when hatching Norbert."

"Really."

"It's got plenty of uses, too!" Hagrid took one of the seeds and flicked it into the fireplace, which had been slowly dying down. As soon as the seed made contact, the fires grew significantly hotter.

Hagrid threw another log in as the Pokédex beeped in my pocket. I pulled it out, opening it to display Red. "May I scan one of the seeds? I'm curious to see what else can be done with it— if it can be ingested, for example."

"I don't see why not." Hagrid scratched at his beard before displaying the open container to me. I held the Pokédex above it, allowing Red to scan the contest.

"Analyzing." Red had his eyes closed as the machine whirred ever so slightly in my hand. "It seems it can indeed be ingested by the human body, though probably very dry going down."

"Perhaps that's why it's put in the Pepperup potion to sit for a minute at the end-stage." I mused, pulling the sophisticated machine away. "Not crushed or anything."

"I probably wouldn't chew on it if I were you. You'll need to swallow it down whole, maybe with a bit of water." Red agreed. "There will be time to thoroughly test its effects on you, and even in the waters of the Great Lake."

"Right." I said dryly as Hagrid closed the lid and placed the container back near the fire before resuming his petting of Charmander, who was beginning to look quite put out at the lack of attention from the gigantic fellow.

"Duration will be important, I gather." I added thoughtfully. "I may have to learn how to cast the Bubblehead silently- or at least figure out a method to have the seeds in the bubble. A switching spell, maybe."

"All in good time." Red assured me as Bulby handed me her figurine and nudged at my forehead in order to bring attention to it.

I snorted, turning my attention as the little Pokémon requested. "Hagrid? Can I have this one?"

"'Course!" The big man said immediately, smiling behind his thick beard. "Made them for you, after all."

I swallowed back the emotion and smiled at my first friend. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"Don't mention it." He said as Charmander gave a delighted cry. "So, what's this I hear about ye asking a certain Ravenclaw to the Ball?"

The groan that came out of me made the much older man and Red laugh. Did everyone know?

oooo

It was nearing the time I'd set for me to meet up with Daphne. I bid my farewells and made my way back to Hogwarts Castle proper.

The time spent at Hagrid's house lifted my spirits, I thought. With everything going on, the hard revelations, the drama with Luna's bullying, the Ball, and other things, I needed that meeting- however short it was.

For a moment, I wondered how Sirius was doing, my mood quickly turning into one of worry.

To think, if I'd been a little smarter, a little quicker on the uptake, Pettigrew would have been stewing in Azkaban, and I'd have been living with Sirius, instead of the Dursleys.

A smirk formed on my face. I couldn't wait until they laid eyes on my Pokémon. Dudley would likely wet himself.

My aunt and uncle would probably bluster and give their typical looks of disapproval, but would likely do nothing, as they had no power over such creatures.

I took my scarf off, placing it, as well as my gloves and earmuffs back into my bookbag as I found myself inside Hogwarts' walls.

With a quick mutter of "Tempus", I realized I'd arrive early to my destination, even if I took my time.

So, I did. I had no actual plan for what the encounter would entail.

Would it be a trap engineered by Malfoy? He was a scheming ponce, to be sure, but this seemed a bit above his skill and planning level.

Malfoy was the sort to get what he wanted the moment he asked for it. He didn't know how to plan for extended periods of time.

It was possible that he hinged his plan on Greengrass' insistence on seeing me, but unlikely. He simply did not have the patience and determination required to achieve his ends- at least, in this particular manner.

A quick look through the Map showed that there was, in fact, only the name 'Daphne Greengrass' at the meeting spot.

So, if a plan of his did exist, it would not take place today.

It was with that slightly relieving thought that I turned a corner to see the girl in question. Daphne Greengrass stood off to the side of a seemingly unused classroom, looking extremely bored.

She's early. I thought as I approached her. She quickly took note of my presence.

"You're late." She looked annoyed.

"You're early." I shot back with a snort, glancing into the unused classroom. "Do you have any preference as to where you wish to practice?"

She looked a little surprised at the line of questioning, before giving a minute shrug and gesturing for me to go inside the unused classroom beside us.

I tensed very slightly, moving towards the unoccupied room, ready to pull my wand out at a moment's notice.

Just because Draco and his stooges weren't here, didn't mean that he couldn't have left any traps, or instructions for Greengrass to do so.

Strangely, and pleasantly enough, for that matter, there were none.

I relaxed slightly as I sat on one of the desks, giving my fellow Fourth Year a long, appraising look as she closed the door behind her, locking it with a wave of her wand.

"Just to reiterate." I said as she turned to me, eyeing me with neutral blue eyes. "You want to learn how to fight."

"Yes, Potter." She gave a nod, her body language betraying nothing but a very slight nervousness.

"Why?" I asked.

Her mask broke into confusion before going back to normal. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"It's clear that you're studying fifth year material- possibly further than that. I remember the books you were carrying that night." I said, shrugging off my bookbag and making sure the Pokéballs didn't fall out of my robe's pocket.

"Taking a keen interest in me, Potter?" She challenged, an icy fire in her eyes.

"Hardly." I snorted, the sheer dismissal in my tone irritating the blonde. "It's normal to remember embarrassing moments like that. Wouldn't you agree?"

She looked like she wanted to disagree, but she conceded with a nod, instead.

"Still." I continued. "It's obvious you're ahead of the curriculum, so I'm not sure I can teach you any spells of value- assuming you've mastered your-"

"I'm not looking to learn new spells, Potter." She cut me off, taking a seat at the teacher's desk, her legs dangling off the edge.

I nodded. "You just need someone to practice against."

"That is the case. Yes." Greengrass confirmed, pulling a headband out of her robe and using it to secure her voluminous hair so that it didn't get in the way.

She hopped off of the table, pulling her wand out of her pocket and giving it a wave, sending a few of the tables to the side of the room.

I wasted no time, doing the same for my tables.

Soon, I was face to face with my Slytherin opponent.

I took a deep breath, feeling excitement come over me. My competitive spirit rose in full swing, invigorating me and banishing whatever was left of my morning headache.

"Rules?" I asked.

"No cheap shots." Greengrass said. "Try not to leave any marks on my face."

"Don't want to ruin your image?" I smiled, finding her vanity mildly amusing.

"Hardly." She glared, before she shifted her look to polite disdain. "I wouldn't want to explain to Professor Snape why there's a bruise on my face, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to explain such a thing, either."

I shrugged, quickly losing interest in the conversation. If Snape was going to get angry at something like this, then it was on him.

Greengrass was the one who'd approached me, not the other way around. It was possible they wouldn't see it that way, but I was beyond caring what they thought.

The time spent alone after my name had come out of the Goblet had shown to me that I didn't need my teachers to excel at magic.

They were simply the people there on-hand to grade assignments and exams. Hell, Snape routinely gave me zeroes or accused me of cheating half the time, so it was no skin off my nose.

Of course, the Greengrass girl had no idea what I was thinking at that moment, and so, I replied with an uncaring shrug.

"Let's go." No sooner than I had said those words, was Greengrass moving, snapping her wand at me with a silent Jelly-Legs Jinx, aimed low at my legs.

"Scutum!" I incanted, the small, but powerful variation of the Protego charm sending the orange spell flying into the wall, where it dissipated harmlessly. "I thought you said 'no cheap shots'."

Greengrass did not reply, her shocked eyes shifting into frustrated determination. She assumed a stance for dueling I wasn't familiar with.

It wasn't the one Snape and the fraud Lockhart had shown us during the brief existence of the Duelling Club.

It wasn't one I'd learned from Salazar's books, either.

She started off light, throwing a series of tripping and tickling jinxes, which I managed to dodge and parry with relative ease.

Still, I was impressed. It wasn't simply the Jelly-Legs- all of her spells were being cast silently.

Her spells turned a little more vicious after, I realized. Parrying a silver corkscrew-like spell had made me feel as if I was beating away a brick wall with my wand.

Its effects were just as devastating, drilling a sizable hole into one of the desks. I quickly turned my attention back to the girl, noting that she seemed winded.

Likely, something that powerful took a good chunk of her reserves.

She was quickly tiring- and to be honest, I was beginning to feel some strain, myself- but she pointed her wand at me again.

A purple light flew out of it; I made to parry the unknown spell. However, it wasn't aimed at me, but at one of the tables beside me.

The purple light impacted against the chair sitting on top, transforming it into a chicken, which clucked as menacingly as an angry chicken could and ran straight towards me.

I moved to gain some space, even as Greengrass repeated her spell on various other class implements.

I quickly realized what her plan was- it was reminiscent of what Diggory had done against his own dragon, a few months ago. Or so I'd been told, at least.

Still, her tactic was leaning on the possibility that chickens would freak me out, or induce a moment of paralyzing fear in me. They didn't.

Fighting the basilisk, spending weeks training in the Forbidden Forest and going up against a Horntail would do that to you.

And so, it was an unpleasant surprise for Greengrass to be interrupted from her casting of the drill spell, instead caught in my Full Body-Bind Curse, falling backwards into the stone floor- that had to have hurt.

A few incantations of Finite Incatatem later, and the chickens, as well as Greengrass were back to normal.

She gave me an annoyed look as she nursed the back of her head- likely where a bruise was beginning to form.

"You all right?" I asked unnecessarily.

"It's nothing, Potter." She waved it off, barely concealing the look of frustration on her face. "I just didn't expect to be taken down so... Easily."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. She'd put up a decent fight, after all.

I made sure to tell her that.

"You've done better than any other Fourth Year I know." I added, before reconsidering. "Except, maybe Hermione. I didn't recognize some of your spells, but I reckon she could."

"I don't need any consolation, Potter. My spells didn't even touch you- you barely even moved from your spot!" Greengrass retorted, letting some of the heat out as she adjusted her headband and shifted her robes to get more comfortable.

I blinked, checking my positioning to see that, yes, she was right. I'd barely moved, and I'd only used a total of two spells to knock her flat on her back.

Granted, I kept Scutum up for the better part of a minute, simply parrying her jinxes, hexes and curses.

Still, I'd only used one offensive curse to defeat her.

"I should've known a band of chickens wouldn't have had any effect on you." The girl snorted- a move which seemed to contrast her normal icy demeanor- summoning a chair to her and taking a seat. Another wave, and she was drinking water from a canteen. "You've faced the dragon, after all."

I smiled slightly. "Yes. After that experience, a small group of chickens is hardly intimidating. Still, I wasn't joking. You've done very well. Is this your first time in a fight?"

"Ah, not quite." She answered, schooling her face into neutrality again. "I have had a little instruction in the art."

"Are you talking about the Duelling Club?" I asked dubiously, wiping a bit of sweat from my brow. I could use some water, myself.

"Merlin, no." She seemed almost offended at the mention. "That was a farce- Professor Snape is indeed skilled, to be sure, but Lockhart was a fraud."

It was my turn to snort. "That's rich."

"Something funny, Potter?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Weren't all the girls obsessed with him?" I asked, eyeing her with amusement.

"Yes, well…" Did I detect a light blush on those pale cheeks? "After his first quiz, I knew what I was dealing with."

I winced, remembering that particular day.

"When a quiz has questions along the line of: 'when is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?'" Daphne seemed a mix of amused and annoyed as she spoke. "You know the man's at best a narcissist, and at worst, highly incompetent."

"True." I laughed, seeing a faint flicker of a smile form on the Slytherin girl's face as she relaxed ever-so-slightly.

Maybe they aren't all as bad as Draco.