FicWad

Chapter 15: The Shredder Strikes Part One:

"It's almost like the teachers in this school don't want us to enjoy the Easter Holidays," remarked Theodore lightly.

Daphne, Theodore, Hermione, and Harry were sitting in the library, starting on the significant amount of homework, which the teachers had set for the Easter Holidays.

"The teachers are trying to prepare us for exams I suspect," said Hermione absentmindedly as she flipped through a book, searching for a reference for an answer.

"The exams, which are ten weeks away," said Daphne. "Yet, they give us this monstrous pile of homework."

"Ten weeks is not a very long time at all," said Hermione. "We need to pass these exams to get into Second Year."

"Hermione, we know," said Harry in a tense tone of voice. "You told us at least ten times already. I am going to have to come back a few days earlier than I had planned."

"You're still leaving for New York even with this pile of homework," said Hermione incredulously. "Harry Potter, you do not need to procrastinate on this, you need to pass the exams to get into second year and you need to complete this homework."

"Eleven," said Harry in a bored tone of voice. "Hermione, bringing tremendous amounts of stress upon yourself is no way to achieve high marks in school. I’ll get every single bit of my homework done trust me. After all, if I remember correctly, I achieve the second highest marks of the year over all, after you of course."

Hermione could not come up to an answer to hard disputable logic.

"Harry does deserve a break, Hermione," said Daphne. "I came down to watch the Slytherin Quidditch practice the other day and honestly, it looks like a nightmare. Flint is taking his training regiment to insane levels and that is only after winning the first two games, I would hate to see what would have happened if they would have lost."

Harry shuddered at the very thought. Flint was a harsh enough taskmaster when they were winning, but Harry hated to see what would happen if they were losing.

"Please don't go there," said Harry. "For all the things holy and pure, please don’t go there."

"Still, Harry, you have been rather tight lipped about a certain subject," said Daphne. "It seems to involve what happened in the Forest that has you freaked out."

"Actually, I do have a very good reason to be freaked out," said Harry. "He's alive, my suspicions are confirmed, and I do not know when he is going to strike. To top it all off, I saw him in the Forest."

"Surely not You-Know-Who," said Theodore his eyes going wide. "I can't be him, for one, how can he even get around the Forbidden Forest if he doesn’t have a body."

"Possession," said Hermione simply. "He is possessing someone else's body, either willingly or not. The same person sent the troll in on Halloween and is after the You-Know-What on the third floor."

Harry looked thoughtful suddenly but gave his head a shake.

"Yeah, but still, Voldemort seems to have one person in his path," said Harry. "After all, the only person he is said to fear is Dumbledore. So, if Dumbledore remains in the school, Voldemort may be delayed at getting the Stone."

Harry did not voice his overwhelming suspicions there was something about Dumbledore that was not what it seemed. He knew this to be true but he could not put his finger on what the trouble was. Harry could not help but remember a few months back where Dumbledore attempted to resort Harry into the Gryffindor House. Something about this attempt by Dumbledore appeared to be shady.

Walking off, Harry decided he needed to attend to one minor piece of business before he departed for New York. He never paid Malfoy back for landing him in detention by running to Snape. A lesson needed to be taught to Malfoy about following the wrong people around at night and the consequences in doing so. Remembering another charm written on a piece of scrap paper found in the back of Simple Potions for Every Day Pranks by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Harry had a fiendishly clever idea. He thought it would be a shame if this charm got into the hands of a pair of twins who thrive on making mischief.

Fred and George Weasley were roaming around, up to no good as usual. They had a few ideas for a prank they could new to alleviate their boredom, but nothing concrete had come as of yet. It seemed Fred and George had suffered from the rare and often dangerous affliction of creative draught this afternoon.

"Fred, George, I need to ask a favor of you," said a voice from behind the twins. Turning around, they saw the form of Harry Potter, who had a serious look on his face.

"Ah, Harry, what a pleasant surprise," said George beaming.

"What can we do for you, Harry?" asked Fred with a curious look on his face.

"You see, I have a piece of paper which I need you to keep an eye on for a moment," said Harry. "This piece of paper must not fall into the wrong hands, as I have the password for the Slytherin Common Room as well as an illusion spell written upon it. This illusion spell makes wizard's robes look like a Muggle schoolgirl outfit in a way where the wearer of the robe does not even notice but everyone else around him does. It would be a shame if someone got into the Slytherin Dormitories undetected and put this charm on the robes of some unfortunate person, for instance Malfoy. The embarrassment and shame Draco would be a travesty."

Harry gave the twins a wink before handing them the paper. The twins looked happy, their prank dilemma has been solved.

"Yeah, it would be a shame," said George, looking as if Christmas had come early. "We will guard this paper with our lives, Mr. Potter and fear not, we shall not let it fall into the wrong hands."

Yeah, this password, just out of curiosity, how long would it last," said Fred. "Not that we would use this information for pranking purposes."

"Until the conclusion of the Easter Holidays," said Harry. "Remember, you didn’t get this from me."

"Get what Harry?" asked the twins in unison, feigning confusion.

"Exactly," said Harry just before turning and walking off with a bit of a smirk on his face.

The twins broke out into evil grins. This was going to be a blast, as they could put this nice little spell to good mischievous use. After all, what good would it be just sitting on a piece of paper and not being used to prank people?

Harry went down to the chambers underneath the Slytherin Library. He pulled the Portus-Amulet out from underneath his robes and touched his wand to it. The familiar jerking sensation pulled Harry from Hogwarts straight into the warehouse which house the elevator leading to his home. Stepping into the elevator, Harry felt once again there was no place like home.

The elevator opened to reveal his brothers in the middle of an intense practice session. Harry stepped in quietly, looking on.

"You know what I like best about weapons practice," said Raph while twirling his Sais. "The weapons."

Mikey flew from high above right at Raph, swinging his nunchucks around, while wrapping them around Raph's Sais before yanking them out of his hand and tossing them up into the air, causing the Sais to clatter down.

"Yeah, the weapons are great, when you have a real weapon like the nunchucks," said Mikey. "Not like those silly toothpicks you carry."

Don leaped into the air while twirling his Bo staff and sweeping Mikey's legs out from underneath him.

"Now, Mikey, don't you forget, the Bo staff is where it's at," said Don with a smile on his face.

Leo pulled out his katanas, with a smirk upon his face.

"Boys, it's time to put away the toys," said Leo swinging his katanas and quickly disarming Raph, Don, and Mikey with three quick swipes. "Because double katana is where it's at."

Leo bowed, looking smug before a spinning double edge sword flew into the air, knocking the katanas out of Leo's hand.

"Ah, Leo, but what good is a weapon when it can be knocked out of your hands by the element of surprise," said Harry who was walking into view.

"Well, Harry," said Leo attempting to hide his disappointment at getting shown up. "You do know how to make an entrance."

"I do try," said Harry while picking up his weapon. "Still it could have been someone more sinister than me disarming you. It could have been some sadistic megalomaniac who found the lair and attempted to cut your head off."

"Yeah, Harry does have a point," said Raph. "Still, welcome back, Harry."

"Yes, welcome back my son," said Splinter who was walking into view now. "Still, the lesson about the element of surprise is a valuable one, perhaps you should take it into heart my sons. Well done, Harry."

"Thank you Sensei," said Harry before Splinter used his cane to knock Harry's weapon out of his hand and then put the tip of it on Harry's chin.

"And perhaps you should take your own advice," said Splinter. "You seemed to be off your guard for just a few seconds, which was costly. From what I can see, your mind at the moment seems to be clouded with other thoughts which are taking away the focus which is demanded for the mental focus needed for ninjitsu."

"I’m focused," said Harry getting a bit angry, the stress over the past few weeks was manifesting within in and the resulting anger was slowly bubbling up to the surface.

"You could have fooled me," said Splinter shortly. "We will talk about this matter further when you have had a little time to cool off."

Harry gave Splinter a short bow for turning around and walking off. Harry held his breath in. He did not want to become angry.

Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Don got up but Splinter held up a hand to stop them.

"If you want to follow him, do it at a distance and discreetly," said Splinter. "Give him space, it seems he has a few demons to work out of his system at the moment my sons."

Harry walked around the city for about twenty minutes before climbing up to a nearby rooftop. A stack of newspapers lay abandoned on the roof. Harry angrily kicked them up into the air before throwing his double-edged sword in the middle, slicing the stack cleanly in two. He expertly caught the sword before tossing the halves off and slicing them into bits with his double edge sword.

"The only reason I’m unfocused, because Voldemort is after that stupid Stone," said Harry angrily cutting the newspapers into little pieces. "I have every right to be troubled. Master Splinter does not seem to get the amount of stress I’m under right now."

Harry took a deep breath, attempting to calm his anger. Unknowing to Harry, a ninja was perched on a ledge of the roof higher up than where Harry was. He was wielding a crossbow and stuck an arrow in it. Pulling it back, aiming towards the boy's head just as his master had asked him. This was the first test of the boy's skills. The ninja, with expert skill, shot the arrow off before slipping off quickly.

Harry could hear the object coming at his head and spun around, slicing it in half with the end of his sword. The arrow snapped in two before falling harmlessly to the ground. One end of the arrow had a note attached to it. His curiosity getting the better of him, Harry slid the note off and unfolded it.

Dear Warrior:

If you are reading this note at this moment, then you have passed the first test. If you wish to find out more, and follow the ways of nijitsu and bushido, you will come to 6th South Boyle where we can talk further

Harry looked at the note. It had no signature but still, Harry felt he needed to meet whomever sent this. Perhaps he could get some answers about questions, which had been troubling him.

Little did Harry know his brothers were following him at a distance. They had wondered what exactly he was up to tonight.

"It is not like Harry to be wandering off around the city angrily like this," said Don. "He is normally a bit more calm."

"You think he found out something was being hidden from him about the night his parents well you know," said Mikey. "What else could make him so stressed out?"

"Wow, Mikey, that was almost profound," said Raph. "Are you sure you are feeling alright?"

"Still, we need to follow him," said Leo. "He is acting a lot like Raph right now and that is not necessarily a good thing."

"Yeah that is not necessarily...wait a minute, Leo," said Raph in mock anger.

Harry entered the place, which the note specified. He looked around; there was no one around.

"This has to be the place indicated by the note," said Harry, frowning to concentrate.

Harry looked around and he saw a very familiar symbol staring back at him. It was the red foot-shaped symbol on the outfits of the ninjas, which had attacked him and his brothers several times previous. Harry's eyes blazed with fury. Then, out of the shadows came a group of ninjas, surrounding Harry.

Harry's brothers were on the roof, looking in on their younger brother.

"Thirteen To one," said Mikey. "It seems rather unfair for them. After all, there are thirteen of them."

Raph smacked Mikey across the back of the head for his inappropriate joke.

"Looks bad," said Raph. "Extremely bad but let's see what this is about."

"Exactly," agreed Leo. "If Harry needs our help, we are watching him."

Harry looked around at the ninjas. He had to formulate a plan of attack. He did not have much time as the ninjas circled him, moving in for the attack. Ducking underneath the sword swipes, Harry blocked them and kicked three of the ninjas back. Harry looked and caught a staff swung upward, holding it in his hand, before pulling the assassin wielding it into an uppercut punch to the chest. An elbow to the ribs and an arm toss disabled another one of his opponents from the battle.

Two sickles were raised up into the air but Harry blocked them and flipped the ninjas over with his feet. Two more charged into battle but Harry was prepared for them. Standing on his hands, Harry unleashed a split kick for either side. The remaining four ninjas rushed Harry but Harry knocked one to the side with a blow from the flat end of his double-edged sword before blocking a sword blow. A spinning back punch caused the sword wielding ninja to fly into the air. The other two were taken out but Harry somersaulting onto the ground before grabbing them by their pant legs and pulling them together with Harry sliding out of the way at the last second.

Harry sprang up to his feet and he heard a clapping sound. Harry remained on his guard as a black haired man with white and gray robes with the same symbol the ninjas had on their sleeve appearing out of the darkness.

"Impressive, very impressive," said the man. "My men told me you were impressive but their description surely does not do you justice."

Harry looked at the man. He did not know what quite to make of him yet, as the man standing before him seemed to be a bit of an enigma.

"Ah how rude of me, I forgotten to tell you my name," said the man. "I am Oroku Saki, eighth generation master of ninjitsu and you are..."

"Harry Potter," said Harry in an emotionless tone of voice.

Saki looked at Harry with a knowing expression on his face.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I have heard of your tale," said Saki as he surveyed Harry calmly. "I am not magical but I have had business dealings with those in the magical community."

That was a well-calculated lie on Saki's part. Saki knew the full extent of his dealings was a meeting with one Lucius Malfoy about the possibility of Voldemort and Saki joining forces but this was only a few weeks before Voldemort had his little accident. Still, the boy must not know of this and Saki knew a careful rearranging of the truth is the best way to gain capable followers.

"The tales about you are quite extraordinary. Never the less, I have not called you here to tell you about your fame, as I suspect you are growing quite tired of being gawked at due to your fame," said Saki. The look on the boy's face suggested to Saki he was correct in his assumption. "We have important matters we need to discuss."

"You're damn right we have matters to discuss," said Harry in a tense tone of voice. "About those ninjas, your ninjas, attacking to crack my skull and the skulls of my brothers multiple times. It seems to me you may have sent those ninjas."

Saki looked at Harry. The boy was bright; Saki could admire that, because if Saki were able to manipulate the boy, he would be a valuable tool for his organization.

"Yes, it is an inconvenient stroke of misfortune we have been pitted against each other when we actually should be on the same side," said Saki in a regrettable tone of voice. "It seems there is little you understand but allow me to set the record straight."

"I'm listening," said Harry, wondering what exactly Saki was getting at.

"You have been caught up in a battle much bigger than yourself," said Saki. "There is a corrupt and evil force that exists, working its insidious tentacles into every walk of life. All that stands between this ancient evil and total domination is my humble army of ninjas and myself. I fight against the evil like my master did and his master did before that. It has always been my destiny to fight on the side of good."

"Then where does my brothers and I come in," said Harry.

"I was hoping you would find it in your hearts to join me," said Saki. "Together, we can join forces to neutralize this ancient evil."

Harry opened his mouth to answer but Saki held up his hand to stop him.

"I cannot possibly ask you for your answer right now," said Saki. "Meditate upon what you have learned today and return with your answer tomorrow evening."

Harry went to leave but Saki was not quite finished yet.

"Before you leave, I have something for you to take with you," said Saki. Saki clapped his hands and another ninja walked from the shadows, carrying a sword.

"I would like to give you this blade as a token of my sincerity," said Saki. "It was forged in seventeenth century Japan by master craftsman Toji Kurahara. Kurahara is said..."

"To fold the metal over a thousand times, to remove an impurities," said Harry in a bit of an awe of the legendary sword. "I can't take this"

"Oh but I insist," said Saki. "Take it. It is a gift. I will be awaiting your answer tomorrow night. Goodnight Mr. Potter."

Harry took the sword and slinked off to the shadows. Saki looked smug. The boy had swallowed the bait, now all Saki had to wait was to reap the rewards.

The Turtles were watching from the roof and they were just shaking their heads in disgust.

"I could have swore Master Splinter has always told us, never take swords from strangers," said Michelangelo.

"Come on, let's see what happened in there," said Leo as his other three brothers walked off, following him.

Unknowing to the Turtles, Harry, or Saki, two of the Guardians from the TCRI building had been watching the whole events as they unfolded.

"I better report these events to the Council," said one of the Guardians while pressing a button on his armband. A holographic screen popped up, revealing the three Council members in the TCRI building.

"Report, Guardian," said one of the Council members.

"The boy known as Harry has been seen speaking Saki," said the Guardian. "We do not know of his allegiance or the allegiance of the Turtles as of this moment."

"Find out what you can Guardian," said the second Council Member.

"However, if they are in league with Saki, I am afraid we must terminate them all," said the third Council Member.

Agent .19 was standing outside the room with the Council in at the time the Guardians made their report. She knew in her heart Harry would not join forces with Saki, as given time to think he would surely see his evil. The fact she still didn't know her true identity or her connection to Harry was irritating Agent .19 to no end. She hoped her memories would completely return, as the block, which seemed to have been put on her mind was slowly breaking down.

Harry was on the rooftops, deep in thought about what he just heard. Saki sounded sincere but Harry's Slytherin paranoia sense was starting to tingle. Of course, he was brought out of his thoughts before his four brothers leaped behind him.

"Harry Potter, yous gots some splain' to do," said Mikey in a faux Mexican accent.

Raph walked up, yanking the sword Harry was carrying out of his hand.

"Nice sword, bro," said Raph sarcastically. "Is that the price for selling out these days?"

Harry shook his head in amusement.

"What's so amusing, Harry?" said Leo. "You seemed to be aligning with that guy in there."

"No, I am way too paranoid to make an alliance with someone I don't know well," said Harry. "I just made him think I was going to consider his offer of alliance."

"So a ruse," said Don catching on. "A carefully crafted set up."

"Exactly," said Harry. "I can be crafty when it suits me. Still, I need answers and I know just where to get them."

Back at the lair, the Turtles and Harry were sitting in front of Master Splinter. The rat looked like he aged thirty years when Harry told him the story of what had happened tonight. He signed while clutching the sword and the piece of torn fabric with the symbol from the ninjas, which Mikey had brought back many months ago.

"My sons," said Splinter with another sigh. "I had hoped this day would never come. I know who these people are. I have always known who these people are. They are a criminal organization of ninjas known as the Foot. Their leader is Oroku Saki but he has another more sinister alias. He is known as the Shredder."

Splinter looked up at the Turtles and Harry with a far off look in his eyes before speaking.

"I have often told you of my beloved Master Yoshi. He was a great master of ninjitsu of the highest class," said Splinter in a sad tone of voice. "I was his faithful pet rat. I had learned all I knew from mimicking his moves from my cage. We were happy. We were a family."

Splinter looked off into the distance, looking choked up before continuing.

"One day, my world came crashing down as the Shredder came to our home. He accused my Master Yoshi of working for the enemy. My Master fought bravely but in the end, their dishonorable ways proved to be his destruction. As the Shredder prepared to finish my Master Yoshi off, he had one thing to say," said Splinter before pausing for dramatic effect. "My Master Yoshi's final words were, he who lives without honor will end without honor."

Splinter wiped his eyes on the piece of fabric with the Foot Symbol before finishing.

"The Shredder killed my Master Yoshi on that night," said Splinter. "I was forced to flee and then you know the rest."

Splinter got up with an angry glint in his eyes.

"The Shredder serves no great purpose. He fights no great evil. He is great evil!" thundered Splinter causing the Turtles and Harry to back off slightly. "Anyone who gets in his way, he will try and destroy."

Splinter was not the only one who had been angered on this evening. Harry's green eyes were blazing with a fury he had never experienced in his life. If there was one thing Harry James Potter did not like, it was someone trying to manipulate him for his personal gain.

"If The Shredder wants an answer, then I say we give him one," said Harry in a calm voice but the anger in his eyes was visible by all.

The following night, on the rooftops, the Turtles and Harry had set out to give the Shredder their answer. They waited for a few moments but a storm was brewing in the sky. The lightning could be heard in the air and in a flash, a group of Foot Ninjas jumped into view before they moved in front of Harry and his brothers.

"Tell the Shredder where he can shove his sword," said Harry while tossing it into a windmill. "The answer is a resounding no."

The rain was dripping down, as the Foot Ninjas pulled out their weapons ready for action.

"Let's rock," said Harry as the Foot Ninjas leaped into the air, brandishing their weapons. Harry ducked a swing and kicked one of the ninjas to the side.

Donatello twirled his Bo before leaping up and bashing one of the foot ninjas over head with it. A jabbing blow to the ribs caused one of the Foot Ninjas to double over before a swift kick to the face knocked him down.

A trio of Foot Ninjas surrounded Michelangelo but he twirled his nunchucks and smashed each ninja in the ribs, which caused them fly backwards, crashing down with a sinister thud. Raph blocked a shot with his Sai from a sword and flipped back, before kicking one of the ninjas.

Mikey held his nunchucks allowing Harry to springboard high into the air, smashing the bottom of his feet down on the head of one of the Foot Ninjas, causing them to crumple to the ground. Leo blocked a sword and snapped it in half with a well-placed swing. He leaped up over two of the ninjas and Harry knocked them both back with a split kick. Don swung on his Bo, catching one of the foot ninjas with a double kick to the face. Raph twirled his Sais, pinning one of the ninjas to a nearby wall before Harry elbowed the ninja in the ribs. The ninja slumped down and Harry tossed Raph's Sais back to him.

Harry swung his double-edged sword out but two of the foot ninjas swung staffs down upon it. Harry blocked it and delivered a sweeping kick, knocking one of the foot ninjas backwards. Harry leaped into the air and Mikey rolled into place, swinging the end of his nunchucks into the ribs of the other ninja.

From high in the air, Leo leapt downwards, swinging his sword and whacked the flat end into the face of one of the ninjas, knocking him back. Harry was being pinned down by two ninjas and was barely blocking them but Raph and Leo jumped up, kicking them off. All the ninjas were knocked unconscious.

"Well, all in a day's work," said Don.

At these words, the monstrous form of Hun crashed through a door, which had led to the roof. The Turtles and Hun, who turned out to be the leader of the Purple Dragon's street gang which Harry loathed, had tangled before when Harry was in school.

"Oh no, not him again," said Mikey with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"We beat him before, we can beat him again," said Leo.

"Speak for yourself, I barely even know him," said Harry shaking his head. Hun looked pumped up and he was cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"I have been looking forward to this rematch for some time," said Hun. "Now I will teach you freaks a lesson about respect."

Hun rushed forward like a raging bull and knocked Don back with a punch. Mikey swung his nunchucks but Hun caught them and kneed Mikey in his stomach, before flipping him over. Raph spun his Sais but Hun caught him with a vicious sidekick, which sent Raph spiraling down to the ground.

Harry leaped into the air but Hun caught Harry's double-edged sword and used it to flip Harry over. Hun stepped on top of Harry but Leo kicked Hun off before Harry could be subjected to Hun's massive weight too much. Leo swung a punch at Hun's face, which caused the behemoth to stagger a few inches.

Hun had a sadistic look on his face, for now he spied the sword in the windmill. Hun grabbed the sword and Leo attempted to block it but Hun stepped back and knocked Leo's swords out of his hand. Hun swung the sword but Leonardo managed to avoid decapitation.

"Leo, no," said Raph in anguish as Hun raised the sword for what he hoped to be the final blow.

"Get back guys," said Leo before impacted Hun right in the chest with a series of rapid-fire kicks to the ribs. Hun staggered back on one foot before Leo leaped up, delivering the final blow.

Hun fell back, crashing through a skylight window on top of the building, all the way to the floor below. The sword dropped down, sticking into the ground, just a few inches before it would have hit Hun in the throat.

Leonardo pulled himself up as Raphael picked up his swords, walking up to Leo.

"Here you go, bro," said Raphael.

"Thanks Raph," said Leo.

The Guardians were perched on the rooftop. One of the guardians pressed the button on his wristband, revealing the holographic screen.

"Report," prompted all three Council members in unison.

"The Turtles and Harry have rejected Saki," said the Guardian.

"Good," said the first Council Member.

"Yet it remains to be seen.." started the second Council Member.

"If the enemy of our enemy is our friend," finished the third Council Member. “Monitor the situation further Guardians and report what else you have found out.”

Agent .19 breathed a sigh of relief from the opposite room. She knew Harry would not join Saki; he did have enough sense not to join that evil thing. Once again cursing her inability to remember, she set off to continue her work on the device, which the inhabitants of the TCRI building had been working on for years.

Back on the rooftop, the Turtles and Harry were preparing to head home.

"That was neither easy nor was it pleasant," said Harry as his four brothers nodded in agreement.

"Still, we should sleep easily tonight," said Donatello looking tired but satisfied at the success.

At those words, more Foot Ninjas had came out of nowhere onto the rooftop. They surrounded the Turtles and Harry. Then another figure leapt up and landed on the ground right in front of the army of assassins. This figure was decked out in spiked metal armor from head to toe. Topping off the look was a set of demonic glowing red eyes built into the helmet. Harry realized this man could only be Oroku Saki's more sinister alter ego, the Shredder.

"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better," said Harry in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Those who are not with me, are against me!" thundered Shredder as his eyes glowed to their deepest red. "And I shall obliterate all who stand against me."

Harry realized he and his brothers were in for the toughest fight of their life. This could in fact be the end of all five of them.