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Chapter Text

Harry took one look at his cousin’s expression, watching as Dudley and his little gang of friends walked down the street, and stood up. The moon shone down on his cousin and his ‘friends’, providing the only light other than the pitiful street lights. He was sitting on one of the swings in the playground, having been exiled after dinner. Or… whatever dinner he could get from his uncle and aunt.

“Hey, Potter! How about a game?!”

Harry flinched before turning around and taking off in the opposite direction of the house. The house where no one cared about him or saw to it that he got enough food. He ran through the street, passing cars, and down another street, hearing the yells of his cousin and his gang.  

He ran down the street, distantly recognizing this street, and was about to turn around and head back to the house, when he ran right into a truck. He reeled back, eyes wide, as he looked up at the blue and red truck cab. The truck that he had never seen before. The truck that had its driver’s seat open.

It was parked at the end of the street, on the corner and a few feet away from the street light. Harry probably hadn’t seen it because of that, because most of their neighbors kept their cars in their garage, in their driveway or right under a street light.

Harry glanced behind him, hearing Piers and Dudley laugh about him, then made up his mind. His cousin and the gang were close. The truck seemed unoccupied. He climbed up the small step and hopped into the truck cab, closing the door quietly enough that he hoped that no one heard him. He ducked down into the footwell, hoping that no one would see him, and froze, trying to calm his breathing down.

Optimus Prime started awake from his deep recharge as his driver’s seat door closed. He glanced into the driver’s seat in his cab, optics widening at the small human that had made his way into Optimus’ cab. The little one was breathing heavily, a  human boy of about seven. The boy had short, untamed black hair and clothes that didn’t fit him, were multiple sizes too big.

The human boy was breathing in short, shallow breaths, tucked into the passenger seat footwell. Optimus watched as the boy stayed frozen, didn’t even look around him at the truck. But the boy did eventually look up, allowing Optimus to get a good look at his green eyes and the vivid scar on his forehead. The scar was shaped like one of the lightning bolts that came with a winter storm on Earth, pointing downward towards the boy’s nose.

Optimus looked out at the street in front of him, looking for any indication for why the human boy was now inside him. The street was an ordinary one, houses running along the sides of it and street lights lighting up and occasionally flickering. He had chosen this street because it was ordinary, no police, no firefighters, no government to be found on this human street.

A pack of more human boys came running towards the alley. These human boys were big and sturdy and if Optimus was any judge, leaning towards overweight. But he would leave the medical opinions to Ratchet, whom he dearly missed. The young boy inside his truck went even more still as the boys outside yelled, shouting for someone called Harry or… Optimus let his engines turn on, let them growl as one of the boys called out with another name…

“Freak!”

The sudden sound of loud, growling engines startled the group of boys in front of Optimus and they yelled out in surprise, running off in the other direction. The young boy inside his truck shivered in fear, whimpered a little. And… Optimus started a little too, at the amount of… power that emanated from the boy.

It was unfamiliar, not born of energon but of something from this Earth.

Optimus turned his engines off, not wanting to scare the boy even more and watched him. The young human quieted down, his body falling still, as he snuck up onto the passenger seat and peered through the window. The boy stared out, seemingly watching as the group of boys ran off, then sighed in relief. Optimus watched as the boy’s body began to quiver again then on a hunch, he turned on the heaters in his truck, quietly so that the boy wasn’t frightened.

Optimus watched as the boy slowly slumped into the comfortable passenger seat, his eyes slowly closing as he curled up. The boy’s eyes drooped closed, body stilling then relaxing into the added heat, and a few minutes later, fell asleep.

Harry blinked awake, the sun streaming through the truck’s windows and falling right on his eyes. He stared at the steering wheel of the truck, peering over at it from the passenger seat, studying the weird looking icon in the middle then stiffened. He had fallen asleep in this truck, in this truck that probably belonged to someone. Harry yelped and pushed open the passenger door and jumped out, knowing that the Dursley’s wouldn’t even give a shit that he hadn’t come back last night. But if someone owned this truck and found him in there…

Though he did vaguely remember hearing classical music during the night. He had woken up from one of his nightmares of a green light and cackling laughter to quiet music, a piano playing through the radio. It had sent him right back to sleep, drifting off against the comfortable passenger seat. And he hadn’t been cold at all. He remembered the engines of the truck turning on last night too, scaring off Dudley and his gang.

Maybe it was him that did those things. Maybe it was like when he had appeared on the school rooftop last year. He shrugged and with one last glance at the blue truck with the red flaming stripes, he walked back to the place where he slept and lived.

Chapter Text

Harry sighed, staring out at the lone train station parking lot and shielded his eyes from the late afternoon sun. His bags and Hedwig’s cage, with Hedwig in it, were beside him and his friends had long gone home with their families. The Dursleys were late or they had forgotten about him, again.

Hedwig hooted quietly, a lonely, upset noise and Harry stroked her wing feathers. “I know, Hedwig. I’m gonna have to catch a cab again, aren’t I?”

Harry idly wondered if Dumbledore knew about his home situation, knew that the Dursleys did not particularly care about him. A loud honk drew his attention to the road outside of the train station and the many cars jockeying for position to pick up passengers.

He scanned the street, looking for his aunt and uncle’s car and still not seeing it. A truck horn sounded over the car noises, yells and shouts of the train station and Harry turned to look near the corner of the road opposite him, his eyes widening a little.

The same truck cab that he had seen five years ago was parked on the curb, towering over all of the other cars and people. The roof of it was blue, with the lower half of it red with blue flames over red paint. It was the only colorful thing on the road and Harry stared at it, his heart racing. He couldn’t see anyone in the driver’s seat but the windows of the truck were tinted a little, making it so it would be hard to see into the driver’s seat.

He tilted his head in confusion as the truck slowly drove towards him in the traffic and as soon as it was parked in front of him, the door on the driver’s side swung open. Harry continued to stare up at the truck cab, peering at the towing gear on the other side of the cab and then up into the empty cab itself.

“What.”

Maybe it was magic but then again he hadn’t heard anything about magicked truck cabs driving themselves on the road. Besides, he had seen it those five years ago when he had fled from his cousin. And he was pretty sure that the Weasleys car was the only vehicle that had taken on a mind of its own.

Optimus stared at the small boy out on the sidewalk, seeing the changes in him. The boy was a little taller, a little more well fed than he had been five years ago and the power within him was… It was less wild than it had been, smoother but still… The boy still had immense power within him and Optimus didn’t know what it was. He was still as curious as he had been five years ago, when the boy had scrambled up into his cab without alerting anyone.

Optimus had come across many humans that radiated energy but nothing like the boy’s. And none of it had come from energon, no spark that marked them as transformers.

The boy had luggage next to him and a snowy owl in a cage on top of the suitcase, unusual for humans, Optimus supposed. Most humans had dogs or cats for pets. The boy’s green eyes widened as Optimus honked again, this time quieter, and heaved out a loud sigh, muttering something to himself.

Optimus watched as the boy picked up both the cage and the suitcase and headed towards him, keeping his narrowed eyes on Optimus. Harry, he remembered. The boy’s name was Harry.

Harry stopped right in front of Optimus and studied his alt form, looking around at the cab and to his towing equipment behind.

“I’m hallucinating,” Harry muttered under his breath, glaring at Optimus. “Or you’re following me.”

Optimus waited patiently for the human boy to make up his mind, keeping an optic on the surrounding station. His engines idled in place, using up the least bit of energon that would still leave him more. There was no one else with an owl cage around and there was no family of humans coming to pick Harry up at the station. Most children that had gotten off the trains that he had seen had been picked up by adults, welcoming them home. Harry had not.

“You better not go crazy with me in there,” Harry whispered, shrugging before picking up the owl cage with the owl in it and jumping up into Optimus’ truck cab. He placed the cage gently on the passenger seat before jumping back down to the sidewalk and grabbing his suitcase, tugging that up into the cab and heaving it into the back. “Alright. I’m going to let my owl free. She doesn’t like being cooped up and neither do I.”

Optimus turned the radio on in his cab and drove off from the curb, navigating London traffic and opening the passenger door window. He watched as Harry opened the owl cage and held it up to the big window, letting the bird within free. The snowy owl hooted excitedly as it hopped out of the cage and up onto the dashboard, peering down at Harry with its golden eyes.

Optimus scanned the bird, committing the features to memory, before focusing on Harry. The boy was staring at the steering wheel and at the autobot sigil in the center, reaching out a hand to trace it.

“So…  What are you?”

“I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots.”

Harry’s eyes widened so much that Optimus feared they would fall out of his skull. His face went pale as he stared at the truck dashboard. The owl hooted loudly, beating its wings agitatedly. Optimus drove through the streets of London, meeting the human speed limits, but not going in any particular direction. “You… You’re… not just a truck then.”

“No, I am not. I am an Autobot from the planet Cybertron.”

Harry blinked and glanced out the window and up at the sky as if he could see more things than just the sun and the clouds. “You’re not… You’re an alien.”

Optimus picked up on the awe in Harry’s voice though it was not as loud as it could have been. There was more than a little weariness in the boy’s voice and Optimus did not like it, just as much as he had not liked the boys Harry had been running from when they had first met.

“Yes.”

“Why… why are you here?”

“I am here because one of my own signaled that he had found the AllSpark. However, something went wrong when I entered your atmosphere.”

“Whoa, hold on. There’s more of you? What… Cybertron? Did something happen to your planet? Is that why you’re here?”

Optimus stayed quiet for a minute or two, watching as Harry’s eyes narrowed almost in concern. He had not expected concern from the boy, not when he had worried over him the first time they had met. And for Harry to immediately recognize that something must have happened to Cybertron for him to be here on Earth…

“Yes, something did happen to my planet. There was a civil war,” Optimus remarked quietly, as they drove. The late morning sun broke through the clouds briefly, shining down on his roof and panels, warming him up.

“Are all of… you like this?” Harry asked, patting the metal passenger door. The owl blinked at the door and Harry before tucking her head into her feathers and falling asleep on his dashboard. “Living… What are you exactly?”

“We are all sentient, living robotic beings,” Optimus answered, as they reached the suburbs of London and to the same neighborhood that he had seen Harry in before. He looked around for any alleyways or any good place to show Harry what he truly was and found it, driving towards the end of the neighborhood. “Autobots and Decepticons alike. What are you, if I may ask.”

Harry sighed and sat back in the passenger seat, his eyes narrowed in thought, watching as Optimus drove in silence for a few minutes. “You are an alien. I suppose you don’t count. I’m a wizard.”

Optimus drove into the alleyway behind several houses, looking at the homes intently, trying to see if they were occupied at this time. Most humans were at work during the day, just like Autobots and Decepticons had been before the war had interrupted their daily lives.

“If you’re looking to see if there are people at home now, don’t bother. I know only one woman who doesn’t work during the day and she’s… down the street that way,” Harry offered then wrinkled his nose. “If you’re looking for a place to kill me though… I can’t help you there.”

Optimus turned his engines off, turning his optics inward to look at Harry. “I am not going to harm you, Harry. I am just curious about you.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed but he nodded. “I figure aliens wouldn’t have much reason to kill me anyway. Alright. You said something about Decepticons and something going wrong with your entry into our atmosphere.”

“Bumblebee called in 2007. It is 1992 on Earth right now.”

Harry blinked at Optimus’ words and blinked again. “You mean… You traveled back in time?”

“There is no other explanation I can think of. You say you are a wizard. Do your people know of ours?”

Harry vehemently shook his head. “Nope. There are magical creatures in ours, dragons, hippogriffs, house elves, giants but no living robotic beings. And I may only be 12 but I’m pretty sure it would be in the papers if there were people like you.”

“Harry, I would like to show you my original form,” Optimus said, pulling into a shaded spot and turning off his engines, shutting off his lights. “If that is okay with you.”

“Sure. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. Original form though? This isn’t… You have more than one shape?”

“Yes. This is my alternative form, found by scanning a human made truck and slipping into the shape, as you call it.”

“Do you need me to move?”

“I would require nothing in my cab to transform back.”

Harry nodded and reached out to stroke the owl’s feathers softly. “Hedwig, girl, we need to get out of the car.”

“Hedwig?” Optimus echoed.

“She’s my best friend, one of my first friends. Wizards use owls to deliver mail and packages,” Harry explained, before towing and heaving his suitcase out of the cab. Optimus expected it to land heavily with a loud thump onto the grass beside him but he just heard a light thunk. “She’s good company too.”

The owl poked her head out of her feathers, peering at Harry curiously and walked out onto Harry’s outstretched arm as they stepped out of Optimus’ cab. On the way out, Harry grabbed Hedwig’s cage and threw it onto the ground behind them. Once out, Hedwig took flight and landed on a nearby tree, watching both of them with keen hunter’s eyes.

Optimus blinked his headlights on and off before transforming, mindful of where Harry was. He made a quiet noise of appreciation at transforming, stretching out the kinks in his machinery and as soon as he was done, he peered down at Harry.

Harry’s eyes were wide and so were Hedwig’s, as Optimus glanced down at the owl.

“You’re… tall.”

Optimus knelt down to be at eye level with Harry and stared right into his eyes.

“You’re still tall,” Harry muttered, peering up at him and then shrugging. “And awesome. I can’t believe there are aliens.”

“You’re not scared?”

“I’ve seen scarier things,” Harry replied, gesturing to one of the houses behind them. “My aunt and uncle among them. Besides, you’re not as intimidating as that basilisk I killed a month ago. Now that was scary. And then there was Voldemort in first year and second year and--”

“Who is this Voldemort?”

“He’s the guy who killed my parents,” Harry said, his eyes narrowing and flashing just briefly with anger. “He tried to kill me a year ago and again a month ago and then he also tried to kill me back when I was two. He killed my parents and tried to kill me but failed.”

Optimus stared at Harry, flashing his optics in confusion. “Voldemort has tried to kill you multiple times.”

“Yeah…” Harry trailed off, frowning. “It was something about a prophecy. I don’t know. My parents were the leaders of a group of people that were opposing him so he killed them. My mother died protecting me.”

“I am sorry, Harry. No one should have to deal with that on their own.”

Harry shrugged. “I have friends. What about you? You said something about a civil war?”

“I did,” Optimus remarked, peering up at the houses surrounding them. “Would you like to go for a drive while I explain?”

“I’ve never… I’ve been to Hogwarts, which is in Scotland but I’ve never been outside of London besides that. And I don’t know what my aunt and uncle will do when I get home.”

“They were supposed to pick you up at the train station.”

Harry nodded. “They were but I didn’t mind you picking me up. You haven’t yelled at me once.”

Hedwig hooted angrily from where she was up the tree and Harry grinned.

“The town of Southend-on-Sea is not too far away,” Optimus offered, standing up and transforming back to his alt mode. “I understand humans like the places where the ocean water meets land.”

“You mean beaches?” Harry asked, his eyes lighting up. “I’ve always wanted to go to a beach. Come on Hedwig! Are you sure you don’t mind, Optimus?”

“No, I do not mind, Harry. Put your trunk in the back of my cab and we’ll go.”

Harry grinned and hefted his trunk up into Optimus’ cab, threw Hedwig’s cage in with it and jumped up onto the passenger seat. “Do you mind if Hedwig is in here? She sleeps during the day so she’s all grumpy right now.”

Hedwig hooted and flew down to lightly nip Harry’s arm, quickly flying out of the way as Harry rolled his eyes.

“Hedwig, you are grumpy. You hate being in that cage,” Harry retorted, strapping into the seat. Hedwig flew up into the cab and perched on the dashboard once again, tucking her head into her feathers. “Optimus, I need to be back by dinner time.”

“No, I do not mind if your friend sits in here with you. I will see to it that you are. Your aunt and uncle do not seem to… care much about you.”

“That is a long story.”

Optimus turned on his engines and drove slowly out of the alleyway, heading for the highway. “We have an hour to talk before we arrive at our destination.”

Harry leaned back into the cushions of the seat and peered up at the roof of his cab. “If you really want to, I’ll tell you.”

“It might help me to understand what went wrong in my travel.”

“I don’t know about that but I’ll answer any questions you might have,” Harry offered.

Harry gave one last glance at the ocean, from where he was sitting on the sandy beach, and stood up, turning to look at where Optimus was parked. The sun had already fallen on the horizon, creating beautiful reds, blues and oranges. It wasn’t summer yet but it was already warm enough that he didn’t need a jacket. The moon had come out a few minutes ago, along with the brightest stars he had seen in a while. He wondered if Cybertron was one of them.

He had picked up a hotdog at a stand near the beach an hour ago, enjoying the near freedom that Optimus had given him in taking him here. His arm still ached where the basilisk had gotten its fangs in him and he ached everywhere else. And he was hesitant about going back to the Dursleys. He sighed and focused on the alien robot that had brought him here.

He still didn’t know why or how Optimus’ plans had gone wrong, why the Autobot was 15 years in the past. Harry sighed and headed over to the truck cab, seeing it swing open automatically at his approach. Hedwig had even gotten to hunt for food during their stay here, which he had enjoyed watching her come back with a pleased expression in her eyes.

He yawned and stepped up into the truck, settled down into the passenger seat and strapped in. “Thanks, Optimus. I really enjoyed the trip.”

“You are most welcome, Harry.”

He didn’t know when he fell asleep on the ride back but he remembered the quiet rocking of the truck lulling him back to sleep when he had a nightmare. And the next morning, he woke up back in the bed in what used to be Dudley’s second bedroom and now was his. The light of the new morning sun woke him up and he wondered if it had all been a dream, meeting an alien robot.

The loud honk of a familiar truck horn disabused him of the notion and he quietly jumped out of bed and raced over to the window. Optimus sat on the opposite curb in his alt form, an alien amongst humans. Harry grinned and waved at him, watching as Optimus turned his headlights on and off before shutting down into deep recharge.

Chapter Text

Optimus turned his optics inward and frowned, peering down at the boy, the young man, in his truck cab. When he had picked up Harry at the train station after his fourth year of schooling, the boy had looked like a world weary adult. Harry had had dark bags under his eyes, his shoulders were curled inward and his eyes were haunted and dull.

His magic also curled tighter around Harry, as if it was drawn close unconsciously to protect himself.

Optimus had managed to get the story of what happened to Harry right before he had taken a step out into the road. Optimus had not liked seeing Harry that exhausted, that weary and his optics had at that time allowed him to see that his human friend was trembling. Harry had long since told the Dursleys to not come to the train station to pick him up, had told them he had alternative means of transportation either way but it was clear that something had gone wrong.

Optimus had driven as close as he dared to the sidewalk, lowered his cab as far as he could to the ground and swung the door open, managing to catch Harry as he slumped into the passenger seat. Hedwig had hooted quietly from her perch on the trunk, drawing Harry’s attention to her.

A low whimper drew his thoughts back to the present, to where Harry was sleeping in the back. His truck cab was now littered with furniture designed to be more comfortable, a small bed and a perch for Hedwig. Both things Harry had brought to him last summer and Optimus had kept with him for this exact purpose, when Harry didn’t want to sleep in the Dursley’s home but still had to stay with his aunt and uncle.

Optimus had his own opinions about Harry’s relatives, ever since Harry’s cousin had chased him into Optimus’ cab all those years ago. Harry had said something about having to stay with his relatives for their safety but… Optimus sighed, turned up the AC in his cab to keep Harry comfortable and continued to drive along the highway leaving London.

It had been a warm and humid summer so far and Harry’s nightmares continued on, leaving him to wake up screaming more often than not. And it left Optimus with the urge to follow Harry to Hogwarts this next school year. If no human adult could protect him from getting kidnapped and tortured by the man called Voldemort, Optimus could and would.

He still didn’t know how or why he had gotten thrown back in Earth’s time and couldn’t find any other Autobot. He would just have to wait until 2007 and Bumblebee came to Earth and look after Harry until then.

At least Harry didn’t have to worry about waking up his aunt and uncle when he did wake up screaming. Optimus just turned on his radio, leaving the volume low, to a classical music station and let the music and the lull of the road lure Harry back to sleep.

“ Oooh, Don’t kill Cedric! Whose Cedric! Your boyfriend?”

Harry stared at Dudley, feeling his heart race at the words and curled his fingers over his wand tighter. Piers and the other boys in Dudley’s posse laughed at him, pointing at him and making obscene gestures. They were all overweight, all becoming boxers or wrestlers and they weren’t intimidating in the slightest. He didn’t expect much from Dudley at this point and he still sunk even lower.

He could see Optimus out of the corner of his eyes, where the Autobot had parked a mile away from the disused playground. The sun glinted off of Optimus’ roof and off the Autobot’s mirrors, just like any old car or truck and no one suspected that Optimus was an alien robot.

“ Mummy! Where’s your mum, Potter? Did your mum die?”

Harry sucked in a sharp breath and glared at his cousin, standing up. His heart beat thundered in his chest as he drew his wand, sticking it right in Dudley’s face. “What did you say about my mum?”

Dudley went silent, his eyes drawn to the wand underneath his chin. The other boys all jeered at him, at them both, wondering why Dudley was so frightened of a stick.

“Don’t you dare say anything about my mum,” Harry hissed through gritted teeth, hearing Optimus’ engines turn on and gesturing behind him to stay. Optimus blinked his headlights on and off, his engines growling loudly.

Piers and the other boys startled at the noise but stayed where they were, having aged enough to not be scared of a truck. The howl of wind filled the air and the trees surrounding the playground rustled as the sun disappeared behind clouds.

Harry’s eyes widened as he caught Dudley’s eyes, as rain started to hit them in big fat drops.

“Fuck!”

“What are you doing?” Dudley whined, glaring at him and crossing his arms. “I know you’re doing something. Stop!”

“I’m not doing anything!” Harry retorted, looking at the sky, feeling the chill air around him and flinching. This was what it felt like in third year, when the dementor had come on the train. “Dudley, we need to go!”

Dudley stared at him and Harry scowled at him, reaching out for his hand and tugging him into a run. He kept his wand in his other hand and turned around to see Optimus following them, headlights on in the sudden darkness. Harry looked around at the surrounding land, at the road and spotted the tunnel, gesturing to it.

The sound of Optimus’ engines kept his fear at bay as Harry ran alongside Dudley, breathing hard and sweating through his shirt. He stumbled into the tunnel, taking a minute to catch his breath against the wall. Dudley continued to run, not even sparing a last glance at Harry and stumbled into something.

Dudley gasped out and fell, his legs buckling, as a dementor hovered over him. Another dementor came around the corner and made straight for Harry and the sound of Optimus transforming filled him with strength, scrambling for his wand.

The dementor hissed at him and reached out a dark limb, knocking his wand away. Harry’s eyes widened and his heart raced as he stared at the dark creature in front of him. It howled eagerly and started to suck then energy came shooting their way, pushing the creature away.

Harry fell down to the cement ground and dazedly watched as Optimus shot again at the dementor, blue energy shooting right out of the Autobot’s arm and colliding with the dementor. The dementor squealed and Harry snatched up his wand, shaking his head to get rid of the remnants of his mother screaming.

“Expecto patronum!”

Prongs leapt from his wand, filling the dark tunnel with light and hope, and galloped towards the two dementors, antlers pointed towards the creatures. Optimus knelt down to fit into the tunnel and shot his arm cannon again, the pulsing blue energy of Cybertron colliding with the dementor that had tried to kill Dudley and pushing it away. Prongs finished the job, backing the two dementors out of the tunnel and impaling one of them on its antlers.

Combined with Optimus’ energon and his patronus, the dementor screamed and Harry hurriedly plugged his ears, watching as the creature shattered into tiny, tiny pieces. As soon as the other dementor fled, Harry’s legs buckled and he fell onto the cement again, idly watching as Optimus’ optics fixed on him.

“Harry, are you alright?”

Harry held up a hand, closing his eyes and taking a minute to catch his breath and wait until his heart stopped beating like it was in a race. Prongs loped over back to him, standing between Dudley, Harry and any other creature that wanted to try to kill them.

The touch of metal to his fingers made him reopen his eyes, his eyes widening as Optimus touched his metal fingers to Harry’s flesh ones. Harry stared into Optimus’ optics as his heart slowed down, moving his gaze to their fingers.

Harry’s lips twitched up into a slow smile as he breathed out a deep exhale. “Thanks.”

“You are most welcome. Harry, those were dementors. You told me they guard your wizarding prison.”

Harry nodded and sighed. “Yeah. Those were dementors. Fuck. Oh, wait.”

He looked over at Dudley, looking over at his cousin’s body. “Is he…”

“He is alive but in what condition, I do not know.”

“That’s… good, I suppose,” Harry offered quietly, dropping his wand into his lap. “Were you able to see them?”

“They had temperatures that dropped below zero,” Optimus said, withdrawing his fingers and hunching over to try to make it easier for Harry. “I could not otherwise see them however. What does this mean for you?”

“I don’t know. I’ll probably get a notice from the ministry,” Harry muttered as he started to stretch. “Should get Dudley home.”

The scratching of something against cement made him pause and Optimus’ optics turned to the corner of the tunnel.

“You should transform back,” Harry whispered, wondering if he had enough energy to haul Dudley home. “I don’t want anyone to see you.”

Optimus stared at him, a frown on his mechanical face and then began to transform back to his alt mode. Two minutes later, a truck sat in his place and Ms Figg walked into the tunnel, surprising Harry so much with her first words.

“Don’t put your wand away, Harry.”

Chapter Text

“Harry Potter is dead!”

Optimus struggled against the charm that had him restrained, pushing against the magic with all of his force and breaking through, turning his headlights on high. He was still in his alt mode, still where Harry had left him behind the big castle of Hogwarts.

He looked around, turning on his engines and driving as quietly as he could around the keep. The castle was crumbling around him and the shrill screaming of Harry’s friends echoed throughout him, energon bleeding through him. He could see the giant brother of Hagrid at the back of a group that held most of Harry’s friends and family, see the bodies on the stone ground of the courtyard.

Voldemort and his men and women stood several feet away from Harry’s friends and the other students of Hogwarts, his red eyes lit in maniacal glee. Bellatrix Lestrange stood next to him and a Death Eater Optimus did not know flanked them as well, holding onto a rope that was tied around Hagrid. Hagrid, who was holding Harry’s… body in his arms, tear tracks covering his cheeks.

He let his engines growl quietly as he stayed behind a corner of the wall, hiding from all of the humans. Harry had said that he would know when to fight, had said that he would be okay. And now… His best human friend was… lost to somewhere Optimus couldn’t follow.

“Optimus, don’t…” Harry trailed off, as he peered up at him a few minutes after he had dove into Severus Snape’s memories. “I’ll be alright. I need to do this on my own.”

“Harry.”

Harry grimaced, running a hand through his untamed black hair and coming away with blood. “I know you want to fight alongside me. I know that! I just don’t want Voldemort knowing about you! You’re the only Autobot on Earth right now and… I need to know you’ll be alright. I can’t be responsible for the death of Optimus Prime, not when you have and will have every Autobot depending on you!”

Optimus frowned down at Harry, watching as the man’s breathing hitched. Screams came from inside the castle and Harry flinched at a few of the voices. “Harry, I have had your back for the past four years. Let me watch your back now. You have become someone I would follow.”

“You can’t,” Harry whispered, gesturing for Optimus to lower himself down.

Optimus knelt before him, lowering down enough that Harry reached out to put a hand on his chest plates. The warmth of Harry’s hand invaded the metal that surrounded his energon spark, making him feel warm all of a sudden. His internal temperature rose a few degrees as Harry kept his hand on him, right over his spark. Optimus peered down into Harry’s bright green eyes, inhaling the scents of blood, sweat and tears.

“It needs to be me or him,” Harry whispered, catching and holding his optics. “The prophecy said… Well, you know what it said. You were there. It’s either me or him at the end.”

“Harry, I am not an expert on human prophecies--”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Neither am I. But… You can’t help me in this one. I’ll see you after the fight.”

“Good luck.”

Harry ‘s eyes narrowed but he nodded, walking backwards for a minute, keeping his eyes on Optimus for one last moment, before turning and running back to the fight. Back to the fight for their lives.

Optimus checked his systems, searching for Harry’s power signature and finding it. It was different than it had been just an hour ago, tinged with something that Optimus couldn’t describe. As he scanned him, his human friend and the one that had stood by him all these years, he narrowed his optics, searching for a sign and saw one as he watched Harry’s chest lift just the tiniest bit.

Neville Longbottom took several steps towards Voldemort and his men, the tattered Sorting Hat held in his hands. Optimus scanned the group of Death Eaters and Snatchers, taking in the sight of a group of only a hundred opponents. He had faced worse on Cybertron but this time, it felt different. Harry was among them and Optimus almost quivered with the need to reveal himself.

Memories flashed through his mind of killing more than a few Snatchers while he escorted Harry, Hermione and Ron on the run. Optimus had been at first adamant about not killing humans but Harry had been able to talk him out of it.

It was either kill or be killed and they had had to continue to search for Voldemort’s horcruxes. Besides, Harry had said if they had left even one Death Eater or Snatcher dead, they would have seen Optimus. Now… as he watched the group of loyal men and women huddle and tremble with exhaustion, he realized that every one of them would continue fighting even if Harry had been dead.

Optimus would have too, doing what he could to protect the survivors. Only Ron and Hermione had seen his true form but these people were good people.

The moment that Harry slipped out from Hagrid’s arms, alive and strong, Optimus gunned his engines, transforming on the spot as chaos spilled out through the courtyard. He could hear Harry running in the opposite direction, with Voldemort following him. The light of spells sped over the cobblestones and as soon as he finished transforming, he aimed his arm cannons and shot Greyback in the chest.

The werewolf screamed out as the energon collided with him and shot out on the other side of his chest. Everyone around them gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes before immediately drawing their wands with renewed energy. Greyback fell to the ground with a big, steaming, blue hole in his chest, dead as soon as he hit the stone.

Optimus picked his shots wisely, kept himself planted to the ground in between Harry’s friends and allies and the Death Eaters. He was keenly aware of some humans staying underneath him, aware of Neville pulling out a sword from the hat and slicing Voldemort’s snake in half. Energy roiled around the corpse of the snake and he took a step away from it, stepping over a few students.

“Try…” Harry trailed off, holding Voldemort’s gaze as the man circled him. It had come down to the two of them, as they stared at each other in the great hall of Hogwarts, surrounded by hundreds of witnesses. There was a buzzing in his ears as he circled Voldemort, explaining who really was the master of the Elder Wand.

Voldemort just stared at him, his red eyes glaring at him in disbelief. “Try for what, Potter?”

“Try for some remorse,” Harry replied, pointing his wand at Voldemort and yelled out at the same time that Voldemort spoke the two words. “Expelliarmus!”

Harry yawned and sat down at a random table, hearing cries ring out occasionally as he looked around at the great hall. There were piles of crumbled stone around the hall, something to clean up eventually, and groups of people that had split off into little units. George was taking care of Fred in the Weasley group, Ginny was checking on Luna and Ron and Hermione were sitting across from him, their hands entwined.

The bodies of the fallen had been lined up at the front of the hall while the bodies of fallen Death Eaters and Snatchers were outside. Most of the dead Death Eaters had wounds that were clearly Autobot inflicted while others had been dealt fatal wounds by spells. Voldemort’s, or Tom’s body was off in a separate room as no one had wanted him anywhere near the bodies of friends and family.

“Mr Potter.”

He turned to see Kingsley at his left, hadn’t realized the man had walked up to him. “Kinglsey, is there something wrong?”

Kingsley grinned and shook his head. “No, Harry. There isn’t. I was just curious about the extraterrestrial friend you have.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed as he looked around the great hall. No truck was in sight obviously and no one had asked about Optimus just yet. He hadn’t even gone to say hi to Optimus yet, didn’t even have the energy to get up now.

“What alien?” Harry asked, yawning again. He didn’t even cover his mouth over the yawn and decided Kingsley could just deal with it if he was annoyed. Voldemort was dead. His enemy of 17 years was dead and gone. He could relax now.

Kingsley blinked at him. “The friend you have? The one that aided us in our fight?”

“I have a truck, if that’s what you mean,” Harry offered, wanting to get up and walk out to sleep in Optimus’ cab. His legs though were not obeying his commands to stand up, exhausted as he was. “It’s a pretty cool one.”

Kingsley stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a vehicle. Muggles have them.”

“Not all muggles have them, Harry. I am sure you do not mean that.”

“I can vouch for Harry’s truck.”

Harry startled at the deep but familiar voice at his right. He swung around, his eyes widening at the sight before him. He tilted his head in confusion at the young man at his right, the man with the blue eyes and the red jacket and the short black hair.

“His truck is harmless,” the man offered quietly, with the same deep voice that Harry had come to know over the past ten years.

Harry smiled and patted the bench next to him, too tired to ask questions about how Optimus was doing this, and just slumped into Optimus as soon as he sat down next to him. Optimus wrapped an arm around him, a warm, flesh arm, and peered up at Kingsley.

Kingsley rolled his eyes and walked off, muttering about wizards and their alien trucks. Harry snorted and felt his eyes closing even as Luna walked up and winked at him, shooing him out of the hall.

“Go get some rest,” Luna whispered, gesturing at the door. “I’ll distract them.”

Harry grinned and nodded, knowing Luna knew something about the man beside him already.

“I am glad you are safe,” Optimus murmured.

Harry leaned further into him, getting a whiff of steel and metal and home. “I just want to sleep for a week.”

Optimus grinned and picked him up in one movement, standing up and striding out through the great hall.

“I’m gonna ask you later,” Harry muttered, flicking Optimus on his shoulder. “How…”

“It’s my holoform,” Optimus answered, as they stepped through the broken doors of the castle and out into the courtyard. The sun was rising around them and Harry closed his eyes slowly enough that the last thing he saw was Optimus’ truck in the courtyard.

Chapter Text

“Harry, the only source of energon I need is in space,” Optimus remarked quietly. “I do not think taking you with me is a good idea.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going with you whether you like it or not,” Harry argued, lifting his shoulders in a small shrug as Optimus drove. “You said there might be a Decepticon there.”

“You are human,” Optimus said, as the night wore on around them.

Harry scowled and leaned back in the passenger seat. “I am human and a wizard. I can protect myself. Besides, at the moment, you’re just one Autobot.”

Optimus was quiet for a few minutes as they drove through England and out of London. As he drove, they encountered fewer cars and less people, something they were keeping track of. 

“You said it yourself that I’m not aging,” Harry finally spoke, as they arrived at their destination. “It’s been five years since the Battle of Hogwarts and five years since I… you know… died. I’m becoming something else.”

“My home planet did not know about Earth,” Optimus replied, as he switched off his engine. Harry pushed open the door and slid out of the truck, backing up enough so that Optimus would have room to transform. “It would not be likely that a satellite location would have the information.”

Harry sighed and watched as Optimus changed, transforming into a tall, metallic figure. “You’ve said that the Autobots and Decepticons didn’t know about Earth until you found it. Just let me go with you. I have nothing else to do.”

“Your friends told me to beware of you becoming bored.”

Harry snorted. “Hey, just because I’m bored doesn’t mean I’ll die again. I’m not aging and I’m turning into someone who can see ghosts. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to die again.”

Optimus peered down at him, his chest plates curling inward slightly. “Very well. My ship is not too big.”

Harry’s eyes widened a little. “Wait. You have a ship??! You never told me you have a ship!”

“What did you think I arrived in?”

Harry shrugged as Optimus began to walk through a wooded area. “I don’t know. Maybe you could have changed into a small… escape pod?”

Optimus looked down at him, blinked his optics in what was probably amusement. Harry rolled his eyes and followed the bot, keeping his eyes open for people or anything else out of the ordinary. They had ended up in a wooded area not far from the coast, one that was mostly trees, bushes and big boulders and it took them a few minutes to happen upon anything that wasn’t natural.

Harry stopped before the medium sized transport ship that Optimus had apparently arrived in, looking over the sleek metal of it. He had seen Dudley pass by a tv channel that was showing Star Trek one morning and this ship looked a little like one of those ships, like a really small cruiser. It was shiny and alien and Harry let out a quiet snort of bemusement as the thought occurred to him. Optimus Prime was an alien. Harry hadn’t thought of the bot as an alien for a long time, perhaps ever since Optimus had saved his life in fifth year. There was nothing like it that Harry had ever seen before and he watched as Optimus walked over towards it, pressing his metal fingers to what looked like the door. 

It wasn’t as big as a skyscraper and yet as Harry watched, the door rolled open and Optimus walked in, not even hunching downward to fit. Harry’s heart skipped a beat and he grinned, running into follow his best friend. His mouth opened slightly in awe as he looked up at the panels and at the two hallways that filled the ship.

“This is so cool. Optimus?”

“I am on the control deck.”

Harry took off after the bot, running up a set of stairs and almost ran into one of Optimus’ legs. He reached out a hand to steady himself and turned to take in the multiple computer panels that were definitely out of his reach. They were of a height for an autobot and he couldn’t see any english anywhere around him. All of the symbols in the ship and on the panels that Optimus was busy typing something in looked like the characters that Harry had seen when Optimus looked for their destination.

The computer image changed to what looked like a map of the solar system though it was… much bigger than what NASA had compiled. It wasn’t just Earth and the known planets but everything else. Harry sucked in a tight breath and flicked his wrist, whispering an incantation under his breath and floating up to properly look. There were planets that no one on Earth knew about on the map and Harry’s eyes widened as he took it in.

“Is this where you were searching for energon?”

“Yes. There are not too many stockpiles of it outside of Cybertron but I was able to find a few,” Optimus replied, peering over at him. Optimus’ optics narrowed as he took in Harry’s position next to him but the bot didn’t comment, only taking a step closer towards him. “This ship is not made for human standards.”

“That’s alright. I brought along my trunk,” Harry offered, pulling his trunk out of another pocket and setting it on the ground. He also suspected that he would survive whatever atmosphere he encountered, after dying at the Battle of Hogwarts. “You did plan on making Earth a haven for Autobots, right?”

“I did. I even sent B-127 down to scout this world,” Optimus said. “I don’t know where he is now though. Something’s keeping me from interacting with him in this time. One of your professors had thought it was time itself.”

Harry nodded idly. “We’re getting closer to the time that Bumblebee called you, aren’t we?”

“Yes. It’s only 6 more years to go. Harry, are you sure you want to come along? You have never faced a Decepticon and they do not fight like humans do.”

“Optimus, I am not a fragile human anymore. I died and came back. I held my own against Voldemort for years. I am going.”

“Very well. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Harry looked over at him, smiling a little, and met Optimus’ optics, watching as the leader of the Autobots met his eyes. Harry floated closer towards him and leaned his head down, touching his forehead to Optimus’ metal head. Warmth from the bot radiated outward and he sighed as Optimus placed a light finger on his back, keeping him there. Optimus’ other arm slipped itself under his feet, supporting him.

The blue glow of Optimus’ optics made him look like he was glowing, as they stayed together, embracing. Harry let out a deep breath and pressed a kiss to Optimus’ metal forehead before meeting his optics again and nodding.

Harry slowly floated back down to the bottom of the ship and looked out the front windows as Optimus turned on the ship’s engines. There were only two front facing windows in the control pit of the ship and as the ship hummed around him, he leaned against Optimus’ legs and watched as the ship took off into the sky.

He didn’t feel the expected pressure or feel like he was losing air while they sped upward and he glanced up to watch Optimus, watching the bot move around. When they hit the atmosphere, he floated up off the ground, his heart racing and grinned. Harry looked down on Earth from above as the ship moved, peering out through the various view ports.

“It’s small,” Harry whispered, watching as they pulled away from planet Earth minute by minute. He could see the continents as a whole from up here and the oceans… 

“Small, yes. But the people who live there have much heart,” Optimus remarked, looking down at him as Harry floated up to be at eye level with the bot. “You fight with all your soul when you do.”

Harry blinked and felt his cheeks redden a little. “Thanks. So do you.”

Optimus stared at him, his optics sparking with warmth.

It took them two days to arrive at the small outpost that Optimus had found, a moon not even known to the scientists of Earth. It was far from Pluto and very far from Earth. 

“Do you ever go back to Cybertron?” Harry asked, as the ship landed on the rocky little moon. The light from the sun was faint and didn’t even cover half of the moon but Harry held out his fingers and conjured a ball of light. Optimus shone his own version of a light from the spark within his chest, or perhaps roughly where his spark was.

“It… is poisoned,” Optimus replied, as he hit the switch to lower the ramp down. “And will continue to be. Our war was… long and destructive.”

Harry let out a quiet noise and followed the bot down the ramp, looking around at the dirt and rocks. He didn’t even have to conjure a bubble of air around him as he walked out of the ship, his lungs weren’t struggling and he continued to look around. Optimus walked ahead of him, slow and searching for something.

He had said something about a beacon yesterday so Harry figured that was what he was looking for. The moon they were on was barren and rocky, not a hint of life that Harry could sense. It was just a little bit cold but nothing nothing he couldn’t handle.  

Optimus finally spotted the source of the beacon two miles away, a glowing icon in his senses. The spark within his chest hummed and Harry froze at the sight before them, the piece of mechanical… debris that moved and changed right before their very optics. Optimus scanned the metal, seeing the containers beyond the Transformer that were full of energon, and turned back to the Transformer, looking it over and spotting the Decepticon sigil. 

He growled and raised his arm, a pulse of energon at his hand. “Get behind me, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed and he raised his own arm, before shuffling closer to Optimus’ feet. “Would heat work?”

The Decepticon in front of them was black and red but not one that was familiar to Optimus. It wasn’t Megatron and it wasn’t Starscream though and Optimus sighed at the thought, at the memories that came with thinking about Megatron, and put those aside. 

“Only in the extreme,” Optimus said, keeping his voice low as the Decepticon roared out a challenge and charged them. 

The Decepticon rose higher and higher above them, towering over them before a wall of flame flickered into existence between them. The flames shifted and changed before his optics, turning into a wolf before changing to a bird and then finally to what looked like a stag. Optimus could feel the heat even here as he heard Harry swear under his breath. 

Optimus fired off a shot of energon and the Decepticon shuddered as the shot grazed its chest plates. The metal parts of the Decepticon creaked and croaked, shaking with rust, and Optimus flinched, dodging to the left as his opponent shot off energon.

He charged ahead, keeping Harry in his sights, before running to the east. He extended his other arm and slid out the large blade, hearing the Decepticon follow him. It was likely that the Transformer didn’t even consider Harry a threat and Optimus was grateful for that, even knowing that Harry could protect himself.

“Come get me, you brute!”

The Decepticon roared out again, gaining on him, and Optimus let him get ahead, only to swing around and impale him in the back. The Decepticon yelled out, guttural and pained before the light left its optics and he fell to the ground with a loud clank.

“Wow. You… You fight good.”

Optimus turned around to see Harry staring up at him, his eyes narrowed and a small grin on his face.

“It was war,” Optimus remarked quietly, seeing Harry try to subtly look Optimus over. “I am fine, dear one.”

Harry’s cheeks reddened slightly but he dipped his head in a nod, his eyes going soft. “I know you came out of the battle of Hogwarts fine but this was one of your own kind. You could have gotten injured.”

“I could have. This Decepticon was old though. Nothing like fighting young and reckless bots back during the war.”

“What was it like? The war?” 

Optimus stared at the corpse of the bot in front of them before closing his eyes and turning away. Harry fell into step with Optimus, keeping his eyes open for anything out of the usual.

“It was… loud.”

“Loud?”

“Loud and long.”

Harry reached out to put his hand on Optimus’ ankle but didn’t comment otherwise. The warmth from him seemed to invade Optimus’ every piece of metal and his spark… fluttered in his chest, to use a human phrase.

“Is that everything you need?” Harry asked, watching as Optimus dropped the last container of energon in their ship. 

“Yes. This will last longer and it will be more than enough to cover the energy needs of my team,” Optimus remarked, reaching out to push the button that would close the ramp door. “I will appreciate seeing you meeting the team when the time comes.”

“Yes, when the time comes.” Harry covered up a yawn with a hand, as he peered into the containers of energon with wide eyes. “Time in space moves very differently.”

Optimus smiled as he gestured to the command pit. “We will return home now but I can transform back into my alt form if you wish.”

“I am rather fond of your alt form,” Harry whispered, shrugging. “Despite it being a rather high tech truck for my time.”

“I… made a few adjustments and as I am an Autobot… There are certain things that would differ for me.”

“Of course.”

The travel back went faster than the journey to the moon, with Harry sleeping soundly in Optimus’ cab, listening to soft music.

Chapter Text

“Harry!”

Optimus watched as Harry froze, his feet at the edge of the roof, his finger on the Allspark. Power sparked between man and wizard and then Harry screamed, his eyes widening until Optimus thought they would fall out of his skull. Then he fell, tumbling over the roof of the human made skyscraper. Optimus could feel his spark freeze in his chest and go cold at the sight, distantly hearing Megatron jeer in amusement. The sun lit up the falling form of Harry as Optimus watched and it felt like he could no longer feel the warmth of the light now.

Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Jazz went quiet over their comms before jolting into motion, firing off shot after shot against their foes. The Decepticons they were fighting against fell back momentarily but Optimus only had eyes for the small falling form of Harry Potter. The human soldiers on the ground all stared up at the falling man but they couldn’t do a thing to catch him, as exhausted and busy as they were.

The other boy, Sam Witicky, stared dumbstruck down at Harry, his arms reaching out faintly. The Allspark was still in Sam’s hands, though it was flickering too, and Sam hurriedly raced back and down into the building, running away from Megatron. 

Optimus raced towards the building, his spark fluttering and tight in his chest, unlike anything he had ever felt before. 

“Optimus! Be careful!” Ironhide yelled out over the comms, firing off another shot against the Decepticon who had transformed into a military tank. 

Optimus kept his eyes on Harry, watching as he fell and fell and… started to glow? Optimus jumped over an upended fire truck, swerved around civilians who hadn’t yet gotten out of the way and ran, watching as Harry began to glow a light golden color. 

“Prime! Did I kill your human? For you to have fallen for one is beneath us!” Megatron shouted, continuing to run towards Sam and the Allspark. 

Optimus caught the moment when Harry’s fall was slowed, watched as the human man seemed to hover in the air halfway down to the ground, perhaps fifty miles up. And he watched as Harry changed. He focused his optics, watched as the Allspark vanished from Sam’s hands. The boy stopped running halfway down in the empty building and stared out the window, meeting Optimus’ eyes.

Harry seemed to grow, light filling the air around him, as he changed into… something new. Something that Optimus had not seen at all. Harry changed forms from human shaped to bird shaped, to a beast former. The bird that took Harry’s place was not one Optimus was familiar with but it was gorgeous, all golden and white, glowing with Harry’s new spark. The light of the Allspark glowed around Harry as he hovered in the air, huge mechanical wings beating steadily.

Huge, green glowing eyes stared blankly for a second, wide with what might have been a bit of pleasure and pain both. Optimus stared up at Harry, the first human-transformer to exist, blinking in awe. Harry peered down at Optimus, his eyes wide and then narrowing.

Megatron roared in challenge and jumped off the side of the building, reaching out right for Harry. Optimus charged ahead, tearing through Barricade, and headed right for his mate, his heart. The Decepticons all followed their leader’s direction, charging with renewed energy right at the Autobots. 

Ironhide yelled out a taunt and shot off a beam of energon, ducking down to shield some of the human soldiers that had followed them. Ratchet did the same, yelling for the human captain to retreat.

Harry was still hovering in the air but as Optimus watched, he moved with almost lightning fast speed. Power echoed all around him and sparks of… lightning danced between his wings. He was beautiful. Harry flew down towards the ground with a speed that far outpaced Megatron and dove for the tank Decepticon, the one whom the human soldiers were fighting. And Optimus had to turn his attention to Megatron, hearing the Decepticon roar in their language.

“Prime! I’m coming for you!” Megatron yelled out, his red eyes glowing with hatred.

“You are not leaving this fight alive, Megatron!” Optimus challenged, charging towards the other bot.

“We’ll see about that!”

Sam stared up at the giant bird that had been Harry Potter, the man who had appeared with Optimus when Sam had first met the other bots. The man was now… as tall as a two-story house, with a wing span of 65-70 feet, and giant, golden and glowing with energy. The man’s green eyes shone with an otherworldly light as he stared down at Sam before turning to look beyond Sam. 

Megatron lay dead in the middle of the street, his eyes dead and not glowing. The other Decepticons that had joined in the fight were dead as well, their huge, big bodies strewn throughout the streets in the middle of Mission City. 

Starscream had been brought down by Harry but he was still alive and no one knew what to do with the Decepticon. 

“Sam, are you alright?”

He turned to look up at Optimus, his eyes narrowing at the damage done to the Autobot. Megatron had fought to the last possible end and Optimus was showing the signs of it, with damage by energon gorged into his chest plates and some parts strewn around him. Optimus’ eyes were dim but they were proud as he peered down at the human boy who had risked everything for them.

“I am,” Sam replied, looking over to where Harry had started to shuffle towards them. “Are you?”

“I know when you are looking me over, dear one,” Optimus remarked, his optics amused. “Even if you are different now. I am fine. Can you change back?”

The giant golden bird tilted his head before shaking his head, his eyes… optics twinkling in what was very obvious amusement and excitement. 

“I can hear you,” Optimus said, his eyes widening. “Over our comms. You’re… a beastformer, a bot. Harry… You’re just…”

Optimus Prime. Lost for words. I can change back. I think.

Optimus let out a huge sigh of relief, his eyes amused. “You can speak then. Marauder.”

Harry trilled quietly, amusement in his voice, though the sound echoed over the rather silent battlefield. 

Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet all rolled up to them, followed by the human soldiers who had fought with them. Captain William Lennox led them, his eyes wide as he looked at Harry.

“Is this a thing now? People changing into autobots?” Lennox questioned wearily, as he turned to look over his men.

“I do not think so,” Ratchet explained, his yellow mechanical hide splashed with energon damage. “Optimus, you have some explaining to do, my friend.”

“It has been a long time for me in truth,” Optimus offered, shuddering gently. “Longer than… I met this young boy who kept me company for several years.”

You kept me company too. Sam, thank you for risking everything to protect their… our kind.

  “Your kind?” Sam echoed, hearing Harry’s voice in his mind and distantly wondering how that was possible. It sounded both rumbly and mechanical and light in his mind and he wondered what Harry was now.

...That is a long story. Optimus, I think that’s why I was… changing during those years. Well, there was that one Death thing and then… We’ll talk later.

Optimus dipped his head in a nod before turning down to look at Megatron’s body. “I wish it had not come to this. Thank you for fighting with us, Captain.”

The human soldier beneath him nodded, clearly exhausted as all of his men were. Ironhide growled low and transformed into his truck again, rolling over to the human soldiers. The soldiers who were still standing climbed aboard and sat down on the pickup truck’s bed, letting out deep sighs of relief. Captain Lennox turned to look at Ironhide, who flicked his lights on and off before wheeling closer to the captain.

Lennox stared at the truck, tired bemusement in his eyes, before leaning against the side of the pickup truck.

“We have fought and bled together,” Optimus remarked. “Thank you.”

The sound of more military helicopters drew Sam’s attention and he watched as the Secretary of State walked out of a waiting helicopter, his eyes wide as he took in the bots. After a few hours, everyone had gotten transferred to a battleship off the coast of New York, with room enough for all the bots.

“Where is Optimus Prime? I would like to talk to him.”

Sam grinned idly as he leaned into Bumblebee’s side, enjoying the warmth of the bot next to him. “Last I saw Optimus was talking with Harry.”

The man blinked, his eyes narrowing, before he looked around at the various assembled Autobots. Ironhide was still in his alt form while Ratchet was looking over Bumblebee on the bot’s other side. Jazz was holding his cannons on Starscream, keeping an eye on the lone Decepticon. 

Harry… was squatting down very still, in the middle of everything. The civilians who had not yet evacuated were staring at him with wide eyes, at the giant golden, mechanical bird in their midst. And beside him, almost leaning heavily on him was Optimus Prime. Optimus slumped into Harry’s side, sitting down, his optics dim. Harry’s optics were light as he met Sam’s eyes and then he turned to look up at the sky, crooning out a quiet noise.

The sunset made the two of them almost glow and Harry was definitely glowing, the same little sparks of lightning dancing around his mechanical plates. 

“If we were back on the street, Optimus would never have lowered his guard enough to do that,” Ratchet remarked, grinning a little. “It is good to see him happy like this.”

One of Harry’s wings curled around Optimus and Sam watched as the two of them conversed lightly, with Optimus sometimes speaking aloud. Optimus hummed lightly in reply to something and reached out to put his metal fingers over Harry’s heart, or spark or whatever, and the bot and bot/human looked each other in the eyes. 

“... Like us, there is more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime and I send this message to any surviving Autobots living amongst the stars. We are here. We are waiting.”