Chapter 11: Sage Counsels
21 BBY, Coruscant
Obi-Wan Kenobi walked alongside his former Padawan and Harry Potter as they made their way through the Jedi Temple. Despite the fact that the man was quite cordial since they spoke to him, neither he nor Anakin wished to risk him leaving again and restarting the search. The Jedi Master had no wish to wander the streets of Coruscant again, especially since the presence of a well-known Jedi would likely not calm the unrest in the city-planet’s underworld.
To think that, after all this time and effort, Potter would have been in Dex’s Diner, of all places. Obi-Wan had planned on going there, mostly for the food, and to get his old friend to investigate the rise in gang violence that they had witnessed when they delved into the depths of the city-planet. They had not expected to find their target casually eating there, and had all but jumped at the chance of bringing him back to the Temple, lest he disappear again.
Thankfully, Obi-Wan had notified the High Council, and the full Council were physically present, ready to meet Harry Potter, without any delay. A full Council meeting hadn’t been a common occurrence since the Clone Wars began, but they were all present because Mace Windu had deemed it prudent to reveal the existence of the Sith Shrine in person, instead of risking the information being intercepted.
Now that he met him in person, and without the chaos present, he could see why Anakin had thought it prudent to get them to meet with Harry Potter. He could feel the Force constantly telling him to be wary of this man, to not risk his ire, and it was a warning that Obi-Wan felt inclined to follow.
Anakin had made his theory clear that he thought Potter was not dangerous in himself but likely possessed some kind of dangerous device or artefact. While it might have been true if the warnings had stopped after the affair in Maridun, Obi-Wan had a different theory in mind, but one that he needed to get the measure of Harry Potter to confirm.
And funnily enough, the man seemed interested in tales about Anakin’s antics as Obi-Wan’s Padawans, and he was not one to deny such an advantage. The way that it seemed to drive Anakin insane was only a guilty pleasure on his part. Potter was seemingly doing it to get a rise out of him as well, and while Anakin looked like he would have preferred to fight a Rancor bare-handed instead of suffering through this, he had acted noticeably calmer than before.
While Obi-Wan’s main mission was to find Potter and bring him to the temple, there was a secondary objective that Master Yoda had discussed with him before, mainly to observe how Anakin changed since the Battle of Quell. Obi-Wan had planned on doing that anyway, but he liked having someone as wise as Master Yoda worrying about Anakin as well, especially since what he had experienced (the Sith possession, especially) was not something that they had seen before.
And Anakin was certainly different. Obi-Wan had known this since he felt his presence in the Force, but his change in behaviour was more subtle. He was far more composed, far less frustrated, while they searched for Potter in Coruscant. Oh, he was just as reckless as ever, and hints of his arrogance still remained, but he was less tense during that time and more at peace. It was not something that Obi-Wan had expected after being possessed by an ancient Sith, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
However, that gave him more than enough time to get the measure of Potter. Obi-Wan would not say that his judgment of character was infallible, but it was more accurate than not, and everything so far told him that he was dealing with a strange but eccentric man, but not a malicious one.
The conversations with him reminded him eerily of ones he had with Master Yoda, where he got very few straight answers, with a hint of mischief to tell him that he knew what he was doing and found the entire affair amusing. But beneath it all was a very intelligent mind, one that he could not afford to underestimate.
After all, according to Anakin, Harry Potter had not set foot in Coruscant and came from some system in the Unknown Regions that didn’t even know of the Clone Wars. He had also come to the city-planet without any significant cargo, and yet, it hadn’t escaped the Jedi’s notice that he paid for his food at Dex’s Diner with credit ingots, as opposed to credit chips, which was not exactly illegal, but tended to be the currency that the more… criminally-minded preferred, to avoid payments being traced back to them.
Despite the timing being quite… suspicious, there was one thing that he could not doubt, was that Potter was intelligent and certainly resourceful. After all, Coruscant was a brutal place, especially to newcomers, and yet, the man had somehow managed to not be swallowed by it. In fact, he had found himself with enough credits to give Hermione, the waitress at Dex’s, a very generous tip.
There was also the way he walked, completely at ease. No, Obi-Wan was sure that Anakin had been wrong in his assessment. Harry Potter was certainly a dangerous man with a dangerous mind, and the Force was warning them of such.
Finally, they arrived at the doors of the Council Chambers, and Potter smirked, “Well, isn’t that a familiar sight?”
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, “Hopefully, our long-awaited meeting shall take place this time.”
The green-eyed man snorted in amusement, and the Jedi Master turned towards Anakin and gave him a look, as well as a small nudge in the Force. He had been somewhat trying to avoid this, the fact that Anakin could not be part of the meeting, as he was not a member of the Council.
He had expected some anger at the reminder, but all Obi-Wan felt was a small flare of irritation that Anakin quickly let go of, seeing the logic for what it was. “I am going to check on Ahsoka. She should be in one of the training rooms, and she tends to overwork herself when I’m not there to supervise.”
As Anakin walked away from them, Obi-Wan suppressed the urge to snicker at the fact that Anakin was much the same as a Padawan, but mostly, he smiled at the proof of his former Padawan growing up after Maridun. He would speak with Master Yoda after the meeting between Potter and the High Council, and reassure him that the change in Anakin was a positive one.
Of course, he expected to be assigned missions alongside his former Padawan for the near future to ensure that there wasn’t anything that he missed, but he felt some of the tension that he built up relaxing slightly, over the worry that something else might have happened to Anakin.
Finally, the doors to the Council Chamber opened, and they walked inside. Obi-Wan quickly made his way to his seat, letting Potter stand in the middle of the circle of Jedi Masters, which were, without a doubt, some of the wisest and most powerful Force users in the order, and likely the entire Galaxy.
Most would have been extremely intimidated by the sight, including most Jedi. Unfortunately, Harry Potter had somehow gotten a mug in his hands and started sipping what was most likely Hot Chocolate, given his previous antics.
Obi-Wan could feel the offence that many of his fellow members of the High Council felt at this action, but tellingly, he noticed Master Yoda’s ears twitch as he gave Potter a piercing look. Potter seemed to ignore them all and focus on the Grand Master of the order, before slowly walking forward towards him, and handing him the mug in question, to the entire council’s incredulity.
Of course, that did not prepare them for Master Yoda to grab the mug and start sipping, his ears almost wiggling in delight. The rest of the High Council just looked at the scene with what seemed to be confusion, with some exasperation from Mace Windu’s side.
Mace Windu was obviously prepared to speak and ignore this series of events, only for a loud sip to interrupt him, from Potter himself, who had another mug of Hot Chocolate in his hands… somehow.
Obi-Wan’s eyes boggled for a moment, but he took a deep breath. Perhaps it was because of his experience with Anakin doing ridiculous things as a Padawan that had desensitised him to much of what he was witnessing, but his fellow Council members didn’t have this luxury.
Of course, that was when Potter broke the silence, addressing the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, “I’m glad that someone else has the wisdom to appreciate the beauty of a good cup of chocolate.”
“Delicious, it is,” Master Yoda nodded in agreement.
“Why, thank you. I make it myself, you know. The trick is to add a small pinch of salt. It really brings out the flavour. Also, using quality cocoa beans is critical. The ones that I use were a gift from my wife, the most delicious cocoa beans in the universe…”
The Grand Master of the Jedi Order seemed completely focused on it, enough that Mace Windu ended up audibly clearing his throat, stopping their little conversation, “I am afraid that the Jedi High Council did not summon you to speak of… Hot Chocolate.”
“You didn’t?” Potter answered with pure bewilderment on his face, “That’s a shame. I had a lot to say on the matter… Then why did you bring me here?”
And wasn’t that a great question? Why did the High Council want to speak with Potter? Obi-Wan had been so focused on finding his target that he hadn’t truly questioned it. After all, it had been the Will of the Force, but now, as he opened himself up to the Force seeking guidance, the Jedi Master found himself to be quite… empty-handed.
Given that it had been Master Yoda who had tasked him to do it directly, they all looked towards him, only to see the Grand Master of the Jedi Order focused completely on the mug of Hot Chocolate.
Master Windu pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to speak up, “We first wished to speak with you regarding some of the events that took place in Maridun that Knight Skywalker corroborated, specifically, the events within a certain temple there.”
“Ah, I’m assuming that you’re talking about the whole possession by a red man with face tentacles.”
Mace Windu visibly tried to restrain his frustration, “Yes, that is what we are talking about.”
“Sure, what do you want to know?”
“Young Skywalker told us of his possession from an ancient Sith through his Holocron. He also claimed that you were the one who ended the possession,” Mace continued, seeing Potter nod in agreement, “So, how did you manage to do that?”
Potter frowned for a moment, as if in thought, before answering, “With great skill and my natural genius, of course.”
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi seemingly had enough of Potter’s attitude, given the way that he spoke up, “Do you think that this is some sort of joke? You stand before the Jedi High Council, discussing matters that concern the safety of the Order and, potentially, the Republic itself. Yet every answer you provide is wrapped in sarcasm, half-truths, and mockery. This is not a joking matter, and I urge you to take the matter seriously, for the betterment of all.”
The council looked at Potter, eager for his response, only for the man to take a sip of Hot Chocolate and then stiffen, looking towards Master Mundi, “Did you say something? I think I saw a butterfly somewhere and got distracted, sorry.”
Obi-Wan could feel Master Mundi’s irritation flare at the dismissal, and he interjected, trying to calm tempers, “We are attempting to understand a threat that could endanger countless lives. If you possess knowledge that could help us, then we would be very grateful if you share it.”
Potter chuckled at that while shaking his head, “And here I thought you’d have been more interested in your little Dark Lord problem than to bother a few tricks of mine.”
That single sentence shattered what little calm remained in the Council Chambers, with everyone tensing and more than a few masters starting to speak at once. This was stopped by Master Yoda, who finally seemed to gain interest in the meeting aside from the segment about Hot Chocolate. The Grand Master turned his gaze towards them, and the mere act silenced the rest of the Council.
He huffed and looked at Potter, “Dark Lord problem, say we have. Explain, you will.”
The man smiled at that, “Well, you see, while I was exploring this lovely planet, I realised that certain… events happened a lot more than I’d like, namely being attacked in what I had assumed was a random manner. After a few… enthusiastic walks, I found out that someone had put a bounty on my head, which I thought was strange, given that I have barely been on the planet for more than a handful of hours.”
Mace Windu argued back, “Bounties have been issued for many reasons before. That doesn’t mean that a Sith Lord was involved in any of them.”
Potter shrugged, “You could be right, of course, but I suppose that the fact that the bounty was seemingly issued by a hooded man that could throw lightning should be enough. I was also very curious as to how he even knows of me in the first place, enough to even spread a generated hologram of myself in the HoloNet.”
For a moment, no one spoke, struck speechless by this, not just by these words themselves, but by the fact that the Force itself seemed to actively confirm them as the truth.
Obi-Wan was no different as his eyes widened at that, though these words sparked a memory, one of Count Dooku just before the Clone Wars began. The Count had tried to use the claim of the presence of a Sith Lord in the Republic’s Senate to get Obi-Wan to join him. He had thought it to be a trick then and had not believed in it, as deception was the way of the Sith. But perhaps, he was speaking the truth after all; perhaps there was a Sith Lord in Coruscant, hidden from them.
It was all becoming quite the real possibility, especially with the reveal of the Sith Shrine beneath the Temple that had blinded them. A Sith could have easily used this to hide from their sight completely. After all, Jocasta Nu had found records that the Shrine had been there since before the Temple but destroyed by the ancient Jedi, with the hopes of purifying the Force Nexus. Alas, the Shrine had been rebuilt, further proof of the Sith being active on Coruscant years ago. The thought of a Sith influencing the Senate had a lot of implications regarding the Clone Wars, ones that he certainly did not like.
There was much that they needed to ask Potter, like where he got his sources from, how he knew of the Sith's presence, and if it was a rumour or he had seen him with his own eyes. There was much that remained unexplained beneath the man's words, yet it all paled to the truth: that a Sith on Coruscant had truly set a bounty on Harry Potter.
Potter used this shock to continue speaking, “I suggest focusing your search on the Senate Building. Though things are somewhat chaotic over there with a lot of senators being in hot water… Very lucky for you, huh?”
The man then turned, preparing to leave, only for Mace Windu to stop him, “If a Sith Lord is hunting you down, Potter, then we must insist that you remain within the Jedi Temple for your own protection.”
Potter raised an eyebrow at that, “Meh, I think I’ll be good on my own, and I do have sights to see, and a galaxy to explore. Besides, you have a lot to do, a lot indeed. I wish you good luck, and may the Force be with you. I have a feeling that we will meet again… soon.”
Obi-Wan noticed that a few Masters prepared to interject, likely hoping to convince him not to leave and to stay in the temple, only for the room’s light to flicker for just a moment, darkening the room, and he felt his jaw open as he felt Potter’s presence completely disappear in the Force.
When the lights returned, Harry Potter was nowhere to be found, and pandemonium quickly followed, with only Master Yoda remaining calm as ever, sipping the mug of Hot Chocolate in his hands and staring at the location the man had been just a few moments prior with an unreadable look in his eyes. It was also then that Obi-Wan understood why Anakin seemed so resigned whenever he spent any time with Potter. It was certainly... an experience that he would remember, without a doubt.
AN: I had fun writing this chapter, even if I rewrote it a couple of times. As I said before, I’m still getting the hang of writing a Star Wars story, so bear with me if anything feels off.
This chapter was a bit tricky to do, and I did struggle writing it. I, again, settled on using Obi-Wan's POV for it, mostly since it felt like a suitable continuation of Anakin's POV in the last chapter.
From the next chapter forward, I will focus a lot on Harry's POV. He has been up to a lot that I didn't mention before, and I think that putting it in this chapter would have overwhelmed it a bit, at least compared to the interactions with the Council. I wanted Harry to seem a lot more confident about his presence in the Galaxy after he went on a few... enthusiastic walks on the planet. Plus, Harry is pretty happy with making even more problems for Palpatine, aside from the mess in the Senate. A lot of it will be revealed in the next chapter.
I'm still really hesitant about how I handled this chapter, to be completely honest. I didn't want Harry to just go join the Council, since they wouldn't agree to teach him anything about the Force, as he isn't one of them, which is something that Harry would want to explore, as well as going on other planets. The Jedi's reaction to this will be very telling, both a Sith influencing, as well as actually speaking with Harry. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter, to be honest. There's a lot that I want to reveal.
Also, feel free to let me know if you have any things you'd like to see in that story. SW lore is pretty expansive, especially Legends stuff, and there's a lot that I'll probably miss, so I'm counting on you guys :)
As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this chapter depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.