Unstoppable!

Forward

This is a crossover where Harry gets the (somewhat diminished) power of the Juggernaut at the end of first year. He will interact with a number of Marvel characters over time, but the story will also focus on his time at Hogwarts.

There is a certain synchronicity in life as at the same time I started this story I noticed a Challenge with the same basic "What if..." This is not a response to that challenge, but there may be some similarities. As is to be expected from the premise, this is a Super!Harry story. He still has weaknesses and challenges, but he also has powers not present in the HP canon. Except where specified in the story, I try to assume canon events and interactions. I do not re-write canon unless I feel it necessary, so a whole book may be covered in a chapter.

I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from those stories. Nor do I own any of the Marvel Comics characters. This story should not be taken as a claim of ownership. It is written in the spirit of Fair Use.

Chapter One

"He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket – and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow – incredibly – he'd got the Stone."[HP:PS]

He could not keep from putting his hand in his pocket to investigate. When his finger brushed against the smooth crystal Harry was surprised to find it warm. Hot even. The heat seemed to rush into his hand and up his arm, growing hotter as it moved. Quickly the burning sensation washed over his whole body. When it hit his curse scar his head seemed to explode, sending him crashing to the floor in agony. Harry had no idea how long he was burning and thrashing. He felt his flailing foot strike the Mirror, sending it spinning away. His right arm pummeled Professor Quirrell, eliciting an anguished cry and flinging the stuttering menace into an unyielding stone wall. The last thing Harry saw before the incredible pain caused him to surrender to unconsciousness was an inky black cloud seeping from under the motionless professor's turban.

Harry woke in the Hospital Wing. It was dark except for the moonlight beaming through the tall windows. "Awake at last, my boy," said Professor Dumbledore quietly as he reached a soothing hand to pat Harry's shoulder. "Lay back. You still need rest." When the Headmaster leaned into a moonbeam and Harry could see the concern in the old wizard's eyes. This was not a sight with which Harry was particularly familiar. Other than Hermione, no one ever worried for Harry's welfare.

"I'm fine, Professor. Really I am," Harry protested weakly, allowing himself to be pushed back into his pillows. Suddenly remembering what had transpired, he jerked upright and spoke in a rush, "How are Ron and Hermione? And … Quirrell was after the Stone!"

"Indeed he was. But you stopped him, keeping him from getting that which he must not have." Professor Dumbledore answered quickly. "Your friends are well. Mr. Wesley sustained a knock to the head which Madam Pomfrey was able to heal quickly, while Miss Granger came out of the adventure unharmed, if not unruffled. All in all I'd say you triumphed beyond what any sensible wizard might have ever expected of a trio of first years. You've much to be proud of. But before Madam Pomfrey comes back and begins another examination I must have your side of the story. I've heard what happened from your compatriots. Please tell me what happened after you went through the fire."

Harry spent the next few minutes telling the Headmaster about his short encounter with Quirrell and the Mirror. At the appropriate moment in the retelling he reached to feel his pocket from the outside, so as to avoid touching the Stone directly. He found he was not wearing his pants. Indeed he seemed to be in an unfamiliar nightshirt. As he looked down to examine his attire, he got his first good look at himself. "Ahhhh! What happened to me?"

"We are still trying to determine that, but somehow you seem to have absorbed the Philosopher's Stone and it's sparkled some significant changes in your body."

"Changes? I'm HUGE!" Harry could see his shoulders seemed to be so broad that he barely fit on the hospital bed. His feet actually stuck out past the rail at the foot of the bed. His hands were like beater bats and he could barely see over his massive chest. He jumped out of bed and rushed to a mirror hanging on the ward's wall. Staring at his reflection, he touched his face to be sure it was indeed his reflection in the mirror. He looked like a clean shaven Hagrid.

"Yes, you are," the Headmaster agreed calmly. He strode to stand beside Harry and the boy could see that he was not really a giant, but he was almost as tall as the old wizard and easily twice as wide. "Whatever happened to you does seem to have caused a massive growth spurt. You're larger now than you likely would have grown to be as an adult. And you have a few odd accoutrements as well." The Headmaster pointed at Harry's wrists where a blood red band encircled each of his lower arms. Then he gestured to Harry's chest, where a blood red gem seemed to be embedded in his sternum, pulsing faintly with each beat of his heart.

"Is that …"

"The Philosopher's Stone? It is. And Madam Pomfrey tells me that it cannot be removed. In fact it seems to resist all magical and physical forces we were willing to try on it."

"And these?" Harry felt the bands on his wrists. They felt like metal, but were neither warm nor cold to the touch. He could feel magic that seemed to be streaming through them, from the tops of the bands towards his hands, but the energy was contained within the bands. He tapped the two bands together to hear if they clanged, but they made no noise at all.

"They seem to be made of an otherworldly energy in solid form, and again they resist anything we were willing to do to them. There is something vaguely familiar about them, but I'll need to spend some time researching to find out more."

"Ahem..." Madam Pomfrey stood in the door to her office and glared at Harry and the Headmaster. "Why are you out of bed, Mr. Potter? Headmaster, I'll thank you not to so disturb my patients. It's almost breakfast time. Might I suggest you join the staff and students in the Great Hall while I give Mr. Potter a proper examination now that he's awake?"

"I suppose I have my orders, my boy. I hope to see you again soon. We still have much to talk about."

Harry spoke before the Professor reached the door. "Sir, what happened to Professor Quirrell?"

The Headmaster looked at him silently for several seconds before replying quite seriously. "He is dead. He was possessed by a dark spirit. The encounter with you, and the protection conferred upon you by your Mother's sacrifice, was too much for him. No one could have survived that sort of possession for that length of time."

"The spirit was Voldemort?" Harry paused as the Matron gasped. "He's not really dead, is he?"

"No, not as such." After a moment of contemplation the twinkle returned to the Headmaster's eyes. "But that is a conversation for another time. For now I want you to concentrate on your recovery. Once our dear Madam Pomfrey has cleared you we'll address these other issues." With a nod of his head to the Matron, the Headmaster left the ward.

It was two more days of tests and potions before Madam Pomfrey was satisfied Harry's condition was stable and she would learn nothing more about his changes. During that time Harry had no visitors. He thought it was because Hermione and Ron were mad at him for leading them into trouble. The thought that they were mad at him made the young wizard sad. A voice in the back of his head was telling him they were right to avoid him and that a freak like him, even more of a freak now, did not deserve friends. Although it had been so nice to have them for a while.

When Madam Pomfrey left the ward harry snuck a look at his file. While her neat writing was easy to read, most of what was in the file was meaningless to him. Other than a notation that her diagnostic charms were having significantly reduced effects on him, most of what he was able to understand was about his physical changes. His had grown from 4' 6" to 5' 10" and from 75 pounds to 385 pounds. He no longer needed his glasses to see clearly. His strength had increased an unknown amount, beyond that explained by his increase in size. The Matron did not have any strength tests she was willing to use on a recovering invalid. His file said the crystal in his chest did not seem to be interfering with his respiratory or circulatory systems. Harry took that to mean that he was having no trouble breathing or his heart beating. Nor did the arm bands seem to be having any negative effect on him. If anything they seemed to be aiding in the recovery of his magic over time. Most amazing of all was that his curse scar was gone. Nothing in the notes said why but it was fading when he was brought to the Hospital and had healed completely since he woke up. At the end of the second day she cast one last spell on him, frowned at the lack of results, then told him he was free to go.

"Ummm…," Harry muttered when looking at his uniform hung neatly in the wardrobe next to his bed. Madam Pomfrey watched as Harry held his shirt against his chest. It was obviously too small for him. He looked at her beseechingly.

"Yes. Well we can do something about that at least." The Matron waved her wand and his clothes grew. The fit was not perfect, but he was not splitting his trouser or shirt seams when he put them on and the enlarged robe Harry wore over top hide most imperfections. He made sure both the crystal and the bands were covered.

"Thank you."

"Well it'll not last for more than a week or two, so you'll need to pick up new uniforms for next year. I'll mention it to Professor McGonagall. Now please be careful. I don't want to see you in here for the rest of the year, preferably much longer. But that might be asking too much. Just like your father, you are." The Matron paused a moment, looking up at him. "Well, maybe a might bigger than him now. Go on. It's almost lunch. You should go meet your friends in the Great Hall. I've had Morgana's own time keeping them out of here while you recovered."

Harry smiled both because he was happy to be getting out of his least favorite part of the Castle and because he now knew his friends had been trying to see him all along. Once out of the Hospital wing he made his way to the Great Hall. The corridors were packed with students all going towards the same destination. Harry was surprised than none of them were staring at him. He caught a few glances, but mostly people were trying to avoid bumping into him. He realized he was one of the largest students in the corridors. Harry saw Marcus Flint, the hulking Slytherin Quidditch captain, go past and realized he was now bigger than that brute. Eventually the crowd flowed into the Great Hall. Harry paused for a moment in the doorway to look for Ron and Hermione. He did not notice when three people bounced off of him. After that the other students flowed around him like a boulder in a stream. Soon he spotted his friends seated at the bottom of the Gryffindor table. He rushed over and called out, "Hermione! Ron!"

All motion in the Hall stopped as Harry's new deeper voice boomed across the House tables. The two young Gryffindors thusly addressed started and whirled to see who was calling them. They stopped. They stared. Then Hermione leapt on the bench and threw her arms around Harry's neck. He expected to get knocked back from the impact, but she felt like a feather borne on a gentle breeze brushing against him. "Harry! You're okay. I was so worried. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us into the hospital and Professor McGonagall wouldn't tell us how you were, only that you were recovering. What happened to you? Why are you so much bigger? Is this going to last or …" Hermione paused for a moment as she ran out of oxygen.

"Blimey! Is that you Harry?" Ron stared at him suspiciously. "Hermione, I think you should step away from him."

"What? Ron? Don't be silly. Professor Dumbledore said there had been a slight mishap and that Harry had magically grown."

"Thank goodness," Harry said quietly when he realized that all eyes were on them. "I'm glad he said something. I didn't know how to explain this … all this."

"Please have a seat, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall's no-nonsense tone was a comfort in its familiarity. "You are blocking access for other students." Harry quickly sat at the end of the bench. There were enough other students on the bench that it did not raise into the air, though they did look at him as they all felt him sit.

"Are you two alright?" Harry asked as he pulled food to his plate. Ron just nodded, still looking somewhat askance at this friend.

"We were released the next morning," Hermione answered. "But we've been so worried about you. What happened?" The last was said in a forceful whisper.

"I'll tell you later, but not here," Harry said quietly, or so he thought. Several nearby students looked at him and he realized he needed to learn to modulate his voice better.

"Not much later," Ron said. "The Leaving Feast is tonight. We go home tomorrow."

"Right," Harry muttered. His thoughts immediately went to Privet Drive and how his relatives would react to his changes. His friends could see that something was bothering him.

"How about we go for a walk around the lake after lunch? We can talk privately then." Hermione hesitantly placed her hand on Harry's and squeezed. He did not respond. He did not even feel she had done so.

"That sounds good. Afterwards I have to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Harry decided to ask the Headmaster if he might be able to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, especially given the recent changes. He really did not want to try to explain his new body to the Dursleys.

The three friends wandered out of the castle into the warm early summer daylight and started towards the Black Lake. Before they had gone a dozen yards three figures seemed to appear in their path. "Merlin's Balls Scarhead," Draco sneered as he, Crabbe, and Goyle blocked the way. "I never knew your mother actually bred with Dumbledore's oaf. I suppose I can't even call you Potter any more. Harry Hagrid. Seems fitting somehow." Draco's bookends laughed at what passed for Draco's wit. Harry started forward. Hermione, walking on Harry's right side, grabbed his forearm, trying to hold him back. She was pulled off her feet as Harry reached for his wand.

"Ahhh!" Hermione screamed as she was whipped towards the Slytherins. Harry realized what was happening and managed to grab her before she went flying. He swung her around to his left, where Ron caught her and they set her gently on her feet. Draco and his goons just stared, hands frozen halfway to their wands.

"Harry, ignore them," Hermione pleaded. "Please. It's not worth getting into trouble on the last day of school."

"Too right, mate," Ron reluctantly agreed. "They probably have Snape hidden watching, waiting to spring out and give us detentions or something." Harry looked at the Slytherins and growled. They stepped back and readied their wands. Harry sighed and shook his head. Without a word he stomped forward forcing the three troublemakers to step out of his way. Goyle tried to stand his ground and was knocked off his feet when Harry's massive shoulder brushed him aside. Hermione and Ron followed through the opening.

"Where do you think you are going, half-breed?" Draco shouted. "Don't turn your back on my when I am talking to you. Diffindo!" Draco cast the Severing Charm at Harry's broad back. Ron and Hermione watched as the spell passed between them to splash against Harry. The cloth of his robe and shirt were neatly sliced, but the skin beneath remained untouched. Harry turned around, walked up to Draco, who stared up at him dumbfounded, and said "Boo!" Draco let out a high pitched "eeep!" He turned, and ran for the Castle, followed closely by his bodyguards.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, examining his sliced clothes, looking for any sign of injury.

"One of the things I found out during my stay in the prison, I mean hospital wing, was that I seem to be resistant to many or most spells." Harry kept his eyes on the running boys. Making sure they did not turn back to attack.

"So you knew that one wouldn't hurt you?" Ron asked.

"No for certain," Harry admitted. "I don't think we tried that one. I don't think I've heard it before. What does it do?"

"Harry!" The three friends continued their walk. Hermione thought about the encounter with the Slytherins and Harry's effortless manhandling of her. "I know you're much bigger now, but you seem to be much stronger too."

"Yeah," Harry admitted.

"How strong are you?" Ron asked. "As strong as Hagrid? As strong as that troll?" Harry just shrugged. "Let's test it and see." Ron was getting excited. He looked around the shore of the lake. It was rocky in this section. The ground was sown with rocks left behind by a long ago glacier. Ron found a stone about twice the size of his head. He tried to lift it and could not budge it. "Can you lift this?"

Harry grabbed it with both hands like it was a bowling ball. He lifted it easily, not even noticing its weight. He tossed it into the lake, where is sank with a loud splash. Ron pointed to another stone almost twice the size of the first. Again Harry had no trouble lifting and throwing it. As there were no larger stones loose on the shore they continued. Eventually they came to a spot where a rock shelf had broken off and was leaning against another large boulder, forming a small cave. "I bet you can't lift that," Ron taunted, pointing to the massive flat rock.

"That must weight tonnes," Hermione protested. "It would take a super to lift that."

"A what?" Ron asked.

"A super, sometimes called a metahuman," Hermione starter to lecture. "Much more common in the US than in Britain, superheroes and villains have been publicly active since World War II. They've become much more common since the late 1960's. Some of the most famous include the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Even Britain has a super group known as Excalibur. Thor or the Thing or Captain Britain might be able to lift that, but no normal human could possibly do so."

While Hermione was talking, Harry walked over to the rock and looked for a way to grab it. He found what he thought would be working handholds then lifted. Ron and Hermione looked on silent in shock as Harry lifted the multi-ton sheet of stone over his head. Unfortunately the stone could not support its own weight in that position and with a resounding crack it began to crumble around Harry's head. In seconds he was completely buried in small boulders and rubble. Ron and Hermione started to dig him out, but even with magic they could not shift the large rocks. Suddenly the rocks began to rumble and shift. Harry's hand thrust upward, flipping one of the larger stones out of the way. This was followed by Harry moving boulders like they were beanbags. In seconds he was free. A quick examination showed he was none the worse for the wear, though the same could not be said of his robes. Several reparos managed to alleviate that issue.

"So . . . Pretty strong then," Ron finally stated. Harry did not know what to make of the way his best mate was staring at him.

"Definitely superhuman level," Hermione concurred.

"Great," Harry muttered. Even though he had never been allowed to watch TV, not even the news, Harry had still heard of supers. Unsurprisingly Uncle Vernon had nothing good to say about them. He called them muties and freaks. Harry realized that Uncle Vernon called so many different types of people freak the word was effectively meaningless. Harry grew silent as they continued around the lake. His friends left him to his thoughts. When they returned to the castle Harry said, "I have to talk with the Headmaster. I'll see you at the Feast."

"We'll save you a seat," Hermione replied softly. She reached out to squeeze his hand. He saw it and very carefully squeezed back. Harry could tell it was still too hard from Hermione's poorly hidden grimace. He dropped her hand and quietly made his way to the Headmaster's office.

"How can I help you, my boy?" Professor Dumbledore asked once Harry was comfortably seated in the Headmaster's office. The old wizard had conjured a specially reinforced chair to better hold Harry's weight after the original chair collapsed under him.

"Have you found out anything about the Stone or these arm bands? You told me you'd look into it."

"If I'd found anything you needed to know I would have told you. I'll keep looking but for now we'll just have to work with what we know." Professor Dumbledore watched as Harry seemed to be working towards saying something. "Was there anything else, Mr. Potter?"

"I was wondering if there was any way I could stay at Hogwarts for the summer. I really don't think it is a good idea for me to go back to the Dursleys. They're never going to understand what's happened to me. And I really don't know my own strength. I might accidentally tear up the house or even … hurt someone. And there won't be anyone around that can fix it with magic. And ..." he finished in a much more subdued voice, "I really don't like it there. I'm happy here. Please can't I stay?"

"I'm very sorry, Harry. There are some very good reasons you have to stay with your family over the summer. It's essential. But don't let this make you unhappy. I'll send a note to your Aunt explaining what has happened and reminding her why it's so important that you are kept safe in your family's home. And remember it's only a short while. September 1st will be here before you know it."

"Yes, sir," Harry said as he slowly rose to his feet. He stepped slowly to the door.

"Have a good summer, my boy. I will see you in September." Harry did not acknowledge the Headmaster's farewell.

Harry went back to his dorm to pack for the summer. He emptied his trunk onto the bed and sorted through all the various books, equipment, parchment, inkpots, and quills. He took out all the clothes, both his Hogwarts uniforms and his grungy hand-me-downs from Dudley. None of them, not even the baggiest sweatpants, came close to fitting. He set them all aside. He carefully put his beloved Nimbus into the trunk, as always amazed that the broom fit into the seemingly shorter carrier. He organized all of his belongings, using some of the old clothes as padding to ensure that nothing would spill or break during transit. He made sure his father's cloak had pride of place and was easily retrieved. When he was through there was a pile of discards and detritus left on his bed. He decided to deal with that after the feast. Still dressed in his enlarged uniform Harry made his way to the Common Room.

Professor McGonagall was waiting for him. "Mr. Potter, you'll need a new wardrobe. For tonight you can wear the night shirt Madam Pomfrey provided, and this outfit," she paused and waved her wand silently. His clothes seemed to refresh themselves and became a trifle more fitted. "…will do for this evening and the ride home." She conjured a pair of jeans and a red pull over. "You can change into these before you get off the Express. Beware these will only last three days. Your family will need to take you shopping for muggle attire for the summer and, of course, you'll need to buy all new uniforms before the next term. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. One last thing," She handed him an envelope. He saw that it was addressed to Mrs. Petunia Dursley. "You'll need to give this to your Aunt as soon as may be."

"Yes, Professor."

"Now please make your way to the feast. You shouldn't be late."

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Harry. Professor Dumbledore's shenanigans to make sure that Gryffindor won the House Cup and his friends proud cheering were all muted as Harry fretted about his upcoming return to the Dursleys. The feast tasted like dust.