Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Elder Scrolls. Nor am I making any profit from this story.
"Speaking"
Thoughts
'Telepathy'
"Spells"
"Foreign Languages"
"Thu'um/Dovahzul/Divines/Daedra"
§Parseltongue§
A/N: I redid this chapter, taking out the large vampire exposition and changed the powers that the Hallows gave Harry. No more vampire!Harry but he is still pretty Powerful!Harry. Hope you all enjoy it.
Harry leaned smoothly out of the way of the Brain-Withering curse, Aridacrura Cerebrum. The spell caused the target's brain to dry and shrivel up into a tiny desiccated lump. The effect usually worked quickly but could be slowed or quickened by the user to increase the amount of pain the victim felt. Harry had been in a running battle with his target for nearly a week now. Attacking and tracing his steps. It all led to a temple used by a cult. He normally wouldn't be doing this by himself but his partner, a Norwegian witch named Aslea had been severely injured and had to be taken back to a hospital.
Leaping forward Harry slammed his right bracer in his targets face, hearing the satisfying crunch of a broken nose. The bracer doubled as a wand holster made partially of basilisk hide. It was lined with Demiguise hair and Acromantula silk and sewn together with Unicorn hair. As long as it is worn it is invisible and intangible and could only be removed by the wearer. The special metal around it allowed Harry to utilize it as a weapon.
It held his Holly and Phoenix feather wand and a spare wand he had learned to make. Redwood and Griffin feather, twelve and a quarter inches. An exact copy of the holster sat on his left forearm and held the Elder Wand and Voldemort's Yew and Phoenix feather wand, taken off of his corpse. Apparently even though he had the most powerful wand in the world in his possession Voldemort couldn't bring himself to part with the one he received as an eleven year old. Separate simpler holsters on each of his legs held Draco Malfoy's Hawthorn and Unicorn Hair Wand while the right one held his parents old wands along with a knife. While he didn't necessarily need a wand to perform magic anymore each of the wands were significant to him for one reason or another.
Harry had not given much thought to being descended from the Peverell line but it turned out to very important. Through luck or fate Harry had gathered together the three Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. It was said that they were gifted to brother's Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell by Death itself. However, in truth, they were artifacts of Old Magic. Anyone possessing them would be able to access a number of their abilities. It was only in the hands of a Peverell when their true power was realized. Harry had done something none had ever done before since the brother's Peverell, he had united the Deathly Hallows.
Through him their full powers were fully realized. Harry became more than he was, more than merely a mortal human. Harry had become much stronger and faster physically with greater senses. His magic was fully unlocked within him, making him stronger than he ever had been before but paradoxically his control had also improved exponentially. Magic came remarkably easy to Harry after he united the Hallows, both wanded and wandless. His mind also seemed to have expanded and he could recall every moment of his life with perfect clarity.
Harry learned that he healed a lot quicker than he ever had before, he was much harder to injure and he could not die. No Death Magic could touch him. He found out the hard way when Death Eater remnants had ambushed him and tried to kill him. Harry had shrugged off the Killing Curse like it was nothing. He hadn't even felt it. It was only later when Neville had informed him that he had been hit by the Killing Curse several times that he had even known.
Harry learned that he could sense when someone died or was close to death and if he concentrated he could sense when someone was meant to die. This made his training as a Healer quite strange but also helped him at times when he was able to save a patient. He learned that he could also sense Death Magic including Necromancy and the taint it left when he hunted down a dark wizard the Ministry had put a bounty out for.
It was another time that Harry was being mobbed by well-wishers and fans that Harry had discovered that he could assume any shape he desired. It hadn't been a fun time but Harry very much enjoyed his new ability. Through experimentation he learned that his shapeshifting ability was greater than even Tonks' had been as he could take the form of animals and other magical species.
After the Second Blood War, as they were calling it, Harry had not gone on to be an Auror but actually furthered his education. He had taken his NEWTs before leaving England to learn and explore. He found both knowledge and treasures. Sometimes he would spend months in places sometimes a year or more.
His personal relations changed as well after his transformation. Ron had become somewhat leery of him along with Ginny being unwilling to reenter a relationship with him. Arthur and Molly had tried not to treat him differently but the times he visited The Burrow were slightly awkward. Hermione, Fleur and Bill had stuck by him alongside Neville and Luna. Harry went to see Teddy as often as he could but was often stuck with the odd conversation on a two-way mirror, letters or gifts. Bill became a sort of older brother and teacher to him and knew a vampire friend who helped Harry through the changes his inheritance brought. Luna and he had a passionate fling but never really declared it a relationship.
Harry had come a long way from the confused and easily led youth who defeated Voldemort. Harry had actually grown with help from good food and magic alongside his creature inheritance. While not as tall as his once best mate Ron who stood four inches over six feet Harry was only a few inches shorter than him. His shoulders had broadened and he had put on quite a bit of muscle, giving him a surprisingly solid body under his armor. Plus his strength was not only physical but mystical as well.
Harry did not stop at repairing and improving his body but also worked to expand his mind. He had sought out Masters of many different disciplines, becoming a Master in many of them himself. He devoured knowledge like a man dying of hunger. Defensive Magic, Charms, Transfiguration, Dueling, Enchanting, Light Magic, Grey Magic, Spell Creation, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Shamanism, Druidism, Healing, Warding, Curse Breaking, Potions, Divination and Alchemy. His thirst for knowledge and power had surprised even himself as he had been a rather lackluster student outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms in his Hogwarts years. He didn't even limit himself to so called "good" magic but also studied the Dark Arts, Necromancy, Soul Magic, and Blood Magic. He was singularly responsible for producing and publishing many counters to these dark and dangerous magicks and inventing new uses for others. He traveled the world discovering lost treasure and forgotten legends and magic.
He did not limit himself to magical disciplines either. He learned many muggle subjects as well. Law, Philosophy, Business, Psychology, Economics, Metallurgy, Sociology, History, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming, Construction, Fine Arts, Carpentry, Culinary Art and even Medicine. He learned many different martial arts, sword fighting, staff fighting, knife throwing and fighting, boxing, kick boxing, archery, hunting, survival training, riding, driving, surfing and snowboarding. He even learned how to develop his own wines, alcohol and tobaccos.
It was not all work either. He took vacations between work. He traveled the seas, rafted down raging rivers, visited museums and amusement parks. He especially loved skydiving and parachuting and learning to fly planes and helicopters. Sometimes he went alone, sometimes he took a lover.
A few years earlier Harry had grown bored and had signed up as a mercenary for the ICW. He spent most of his time tracking down dark uprisings, kidnappings, out of control magical creatures and rising Dark Lords. In return he was given training, weapons and a lot of money. Harry's special issued battle robes and armor had been heavily enchanted, capable of stopping spells, swords and even bullets.
The long sword was a Dwarven masterwork. It had been gifted to him by the Dwarves for his help in saving several Dwarven clans during the evacuation of their city in the south due to an erupting Volcano. They had presented him it at a banquet in his honor along with his full set of armor made of Dark Iron. An armor that was nigh invulnerable to magic. The spells integrated into it had to be introduced during the forging of the dark armor.
The blade was the color of silver with a golden strip down the middle, ending several inches from the tip. Up and down it were two lines of runes. The pommel had several jewels set into it, the largest at the pommel, a large sapphire. They stored magic that he could absorb if his reserved ever ran low and could be used as a cruder secondary focus. The runes made it so the blade would never dull, was extra sharp, never need cleaning nor would it ever break. The dagger he kept visible was actually goblin made, gifted to him in perpetuity for the betrayal of Griphook and his defeat of Voldemort who himself had killed many goblins. Harry had had it impregnated with basilisk venom like Gryffindor's sword had been just in case he came upon something or someone hard to kill.
"Why do you fight for them?" Gildert hissed through bloody teeth. "They would revile you and treat as if you are a freak."
A smirk tugged at Harry's lips even if his eyes narrowed slightly at the hated word.
"I do not do it for them." Harry drawled. "I do it for the innocents but mostly for the money. My job pays extremely well."
Gildert chuckled.
"At least you're truthful and pragmatic."
"I liked to think so." Harry smirked before he was caught in the chest by a spell.
"Oof." Harry grunted out as he was blasted through the stone wall more out of shock than any pain.
His battle robes protected him from the blunt force of being sent through a three foot thick wall. He wasn't wearing his armor since it was a pain to put on and take off but he swore once he was finished here he would do something about that. Harry forced himself to focus to send two trios of vicious looking wolves after the fleeing wizard. From the scream he heard they had to have injured him before he heard the noises of canine pain and the sound and scent of splashing of blood and other body matter.
There was a hissing sound before a group of inferi ran towards him hungry for his flesh. While his brow raised in surprise it didn't stop him from a firing a burst of white fire at them, quickly turning them to ash. He didn't even hesitate before running after his target. He had to blast through several conjured walls before he stood before a pair of large iron doors. Three cultists, two men and a woman, stood in his way wearing golden mask and robes.
"You will go no further wretch!" One of the wizards screamed. "You will not stop our Lord from carrying out his will. You will not prevent the Summoning."
"Do you guys really want to fight me?" Harry asked pacing in front of them. "I have killed twelve of your brethren already. Is he and what he is doing worth dying for?"
A dark red blood boiling curse flying his way was his only answer.
"Foolish." Harry whispered, batting the spell towards the other cultist, a witch.
The cultist cast a shield to dissipate it before casting their own spells towards Harry. A torrent of water poured from the wizards wand before the witch turned it into a large collection of razor sharp ice shards which were sent sailing towards Harry. Keep his cool Harry raised his wand and released a concussive blast which blew outwards and caused the shards to explode. A burst of wind sent the now larger collection of slivers back towards the two cultists only hit a shield that ground them to powder. The second wizard whipped his wand through the air turning the powder into a snow storm. Harry countered with a storm of fire melting the snow into rain which he directed to splash against the cultists.
"Galnus Fulgar!" Harry chanted causing a dark grey bolt of magic to leave his wand and strike the ceiling. The spell immediately began spreading, generating storm clouds. The Galnus Fulgar charm was one he learned from his partner Aslea's grandfather Tostig. He grinned as bolts of lightning erupted from the storm to envelop the cultists as he directed it. One of the wizards and the witch were able to raise shields but the second wizard was not so fortunate. Holding a sword in hand and being soaked with water the electricity burned through his body leaving him a crispy corpse on the ground. Harry allowed the storm to continue for several seconds, lighting crackling over the shields of the other cultists before he jerked his wand ending the storm with a grumble of thunder.
The two cultists stared at the burnt body of their compatriot giving Harry time to make his next move. It was not something he wasted. Jabbing his wand at the ground Harry caused the earth to buckle beneath the surviving male cultist while he was distracted. The cultist attempted to jump aside but was hit by a second spell.
The cultist screamed as his mask boiled on his face before rapping around it and squeezing till his head popped. The female cultist screamed in fury at the other's death. A blistering stream of curses leapt from her wand battering at the temple around Harry as he dodged around them. What else might be said about Gildert he clearly chose his followers well. They were all intelligent and magically powerful.
"That was my twin brother you bastard." She screamed with hatred only to gasp as he appeared behind her and ripped her throat open with his claws. Panic and pain shown in the woman's eyes. A stunner knocked her out so she would die without pain.
Shaking the blood of his hand he cast a cleaning charm on it before turning towards the doors. They were so heavily warded his tongue almost tingled from the magic. Snapping the Elder wand out into his hand he began casting. Gildert or whoever had prepared the temple was clever in their warding but not clever enough. With his knowledge and power he would get in. Twenty minutes later he was at the last ward. Catching it with the tip of his wand he grunted as he pulled back. It was a mighty effort as the ward fought against but finally it snapped, magic arching over the doors erratically before they exploded inwards.
"Nontedae Esquisae Vartitarum –"
Harry heard as he walked into the room. What he saw gave him a slight chill down his back. There was an arch similar to the one in the Department of Mysteries that had claimed the life of his godfather Sirius Black. Instead of a fluttering red one this one appeared to be filled with a fluctuating red light. Gildert stood before a podium reading from a book, hands held high, magic streaming from them into the arch. Several cultists knelt before the portal screaming in agony as their bodies were dissolving into streams of viscera and magic which were sucked into the portal.
'Tussio Praefoco!' Harry cast silently.
Gildert choked in the middle of his chant and started to cough. A wave of his wand released him from the curse before he was swiftly disarmed by Harry. Literally, as his right arm fell off, spraying blood away from his body. A wild howling filled the air, getting louder by the second as if something was sucking the air out of the ruins.
A look of fear came to Gildert's face.
"No! You fool!" Gildert screamed throwing himself away from the area. "Do you have any idea what you have done! You've destabilized the portal!"
Harry's attention was brought forcibly to the light inside of the arch. It was flashing angrily before it turned violet. A fierce wind was quickly picking up. Harry watched as loose stone and other small pieces of debris on the floor began vibrating before being pulled towards the portal. Harry quickly wandlessly summoned the grimoire he had been sent for from the pedestal next to Gildert and stuck it in his Mokeskin pouch before grabbing a nearby pillar.
"Shit!" Harry cursed as the wind and pulling increased. He could feel it trying to pull him in. Ahead of him Gildert had grabbed the pedestal with his remaining arm.
"How do you stop this thing?" Harry growled.
"It cannot be stopped now Potter!" Gildert yelled. "Your interruption saw to that!"
Harry tried to quickly apparate away but was bounced back by wards. Tapping his family ring he tried to activate the portkey built in to take him home. It would normally work even across the world.
"That isn't going to work Potter! I have warded against it!" Gildert screamed before laughing insanely. "I may die but you'll die with me!"
"You first arsehole." Harry muttered before blasting the pedestal causing Gildert to scream as he was pulled towards the portal. He screamed in agony as he was pulled inside.
"Agent Potter!" A male voice yelled from his pocket. Grumbling he reached in and pulled out a mirror. On the screen he could see a squad of ICW Enforcers. Late to the party again of course. His mind spat sarcastically. "What's happening in there? We are sensing a large source of fluctuating magic."
"Don't try to enter the temple." Harry yelled. "There is an unstable portal in here. It's sucking everything up. I can't stop it."
Harry heard ominous cracking above him. Looking up Harry saw the a large crack forming in the pillar. Harry launched a repair spell but it was too late. With a groaning crack the pillar came loose from the ceiling.
"Argh!" Harry yelled as he was pulled towards the portal. Thinking quickly he conjured several spiked chains to hold him to the floor his mirror fell from his hand and was sucked into the portal. All of his surroundings were groaning and cracking, debris being pulled into the portal.
Calling the Elder Wand from it's holster he worked faster than he ever had before, casting several protective charms over himself. He hoped with their addition and the power of the wand he would be protected from what had so pained the other wizard. Whatever was on the other side, well, he would face that if he survived the trip.
"Sh –"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"it!" Harry yelled as he was thrown about inside of the portal. There was a brief sensation of flying before he his solid ground with a grunt and a sharp exhale as the air was driven from his lungs before he rolled several times. Harry panted as he laid on the ground before groaning and pushing himself up.
"Ow."
Darkness was all around him with a small amount of light being given off by some strangely glowing lichen that looked like half jelly fish. Luckily he could see with his night vision which caused the shadows to look like grayed areas instead of all encompassing darkness. He appeared to be underground or maybe even in a cave system. Smelling a new stench he turned around. There hissing and popping on the ground was the heavily burnt corpse of his target, recognizable only by part of his robe and clumps of hair.
"At least he's dead." Harry muttered before banishing it away from him. Cooked human did not smell good even to those without enhanced senses like his own.
He was especially glad now that he had had the forethought to raise his protections even if it left him slightly drained. Better tired than dead. Even if it hadn't killed him it looked like it was extremely painful by the way Gildert's mouth had still been open in a scream of agony.
Stretching he grimaced at his sore muscles. Looks like he would need to find somewhere to bunk down for the night. He quickly found a small cavern which he explored and found relatively empty. A few wards chased off any vermin and would keep them and anything else harmful out, ignoring his little hideaway. A flick of his wand before dragging it upwards caused the stone floor to rise up, shutting off the cave except for a few holes for air.
A wave caused it to turn transparent on his side so he would know if anyone was outside before he lowered it. Opening a pocket on his belt he pulled out a shrunken trunk the size of a deck of cards. Luckily he kept most of his things on his person nowadays. A tap of his wand had it turned back into a full sized metal multi-compartment trunk.
The trunk was actually of his own design and had taken him several years to complete. Three of the compartments stored things in large compartments but the last was the most impressive. It was linked to an estate that Harry had stored in another dimension. Within it was an entire house and grounds. Some might have thought it weird or inconvenient to live inside of a trunk but Harry thought it convenient. He could have all the comforts of home while being in an entirely different country. He could never be locked inside and could actually move the trunk while inside if he desired. It was layered with wards so it could not be stolen or moved without his permission and was protected against weather, physical damage and magic.
§Open section four§ Harry hissed in Parseltongue causing the four compartment to pop open as he channeled his magic through his wand.
When you stepped inside it was a wooden room with a single door. Harry put his hand against the door allowing it to test his magic. Opening the door he stepped into the large entryway with the Potter family crest done in gold in the marble flooring. The room was well lit by a large gold and crystal chandelier and what appeared to be natural sunlight from different windows.
His home had ten bedrooms with the Master suite being the largest, a study, library where he kept a copy of all of his books and scrolls, a kitchen with charmed appliances and cold closet and ice box, six bathrooms, a formal and informal dining room, a lounge, trophy room, several storage rooms, two Potions/Alchemy labs, a ritual room, and two gyms, one muggle and the other magical. The muggle gym was set up with a full basketball court, and a workout room. The magical gym was set up so weapons and magic could be trained. It had two dueling platforms, obstacle courses, and fully animated training simulacrum.
The grounds were filled with large areas of grass, magnificent gardens, fields of vegetables, a fully stocked lake, fish farms for both fresh and salt water species, farms, orchards, stables, bike trails, hiking trails and even a magical creature preserve well away from his home. He saw what was happening to the environment due to the actions of muggles and even how they were treated by witches and wizards. Harry offered a home to the various magical creature's and beings, free from shrinking habitats, poachers and persecution.
It was fully staffed by dozens of house elves so he didn't even need to maintain any of it himself if he didn't want to. With everything on his lands he was completely self-sufficient and made quite a bit of money by selling the extra. Even the environment was completely self-reliant. Harry could control everything in his dimension from the weather, time of day, and the temperature. This came in handy since many of the magical creatures needed different environments. Now that he was a in a new world he would have to see what would happen with the products he produced.
A pop announced the arrival of the Head Elf Nelly.
"Master has returned." Nelly said. She was tall for a house elf and wore a floral patterned dress. Seeing the state of him her eyes widened. "Is everything alright Master?"
"I am fine Nelly. Though I wouldn't say no to a hot bath and a good meal." Harry replied, offering her a smile. "I will have an announcement to make tomorrow morning so be sure that everyone gathers together."
Harry looked out over the crowd that had gathered before him. Most of them were House Elves but there was also a couple of packs of werewolves and a coven of vampires that fed from blood donated by the werewolves. They were the Vacini coven, a coven of Blood Vampires. Small in number with only thirty members, five of them being children, but Harry had helped them escape destruction by a larger coven. They had sworn themselves into his service for the deed and he had allowed them to build their own village on his lands free from persecution and possible destruction. They were led by a Master Vampires named Markus Vacini, a Vinician vampire three hundred and fifty years old and his mate Lucretia who was fifty years younger than her mate.
The werewolf packs each numbered around fifty members each. They were made up of those who had been turned against their will or were born werewolves but still wanted to be a part of society. In return for housing them they worked his lands and helped take care of the magical creature preserves. The two packs were the Dastrict pack led by Scottish born Ewan Taylor and his mate Marla while the Alisian pack was led by David Song a Japanese American and his mate Lara. The two packs lived together in their own small town. They were allowed to hold wands and learned both magical and non-magical subjects. With his help searching ancient ruins and records they had learned to control their beasts and could change at will and still be in control. They had become the legendary Lycans.
"Thank you all for gathering here today." Harry said. "I have an important announcement to make. During my fight against the Dark Lord Gildert yesterday I was sent to a new world via a portal."
Murmurs broke out before Harry held up a hand.
"I do not wish to alarm you. I have not had a chance to explore this new world yet but I can safely say that this should not effect our home here. I am not asking for any volunteers to explore here until I am sure that it is safe and you will not be prejudiced against. Even then you will not be required to do so."
Many of them left with only Markus and his mate remaining and the leaders of the packs. Markus was tall and thin with slicked back brown hair and blue eyes. His mate Lucretia was just as tall as him with long black hair and kind brown eyes. Ewan was a bear of a man standing nearly seven feet tall with short curly red hair and fierce amber eyes. His own mate was petite compared to him with shoulder length wavy brown hair.
"Lord Potter I speak for my clan in saying that you may call upon if you need to." Markus said. "It would be our honor."
"Aye we are with you as well my laird." Ewan rumbled while the mostly silent David nodded.
Harry climbed out his trunk which he then shrunk down and replaced in his belt. Waving his hand caused the stone wall he erected to retreat into the ground with a low grinding sound. His eyesight sharpened exponentially causing the cavern around him to light up brighter, turning darkness into a world of grey. The cavern he was in was quite tall but did not seem to have any exits. Frowning he sent several charms at the walls looking for a thin point. Finally finding one ten minutes later he grinned as he ran his finger down the rock in the shape of a square door. Harry gave it a kick, sending the new door flying outwards. He blinked several times as multitudes of torches sprang into life around him.
"Where the hell am I?" Harry muttered as he looked around.
He appeared to be inside of some underground temple or tomb. Whatever it was it was definitely old as the walls were crumbled in several places. The stone floor and walls were covered in many places with moss and fungi. Several large roots were also thrust through the walls, nature forcing it's way inside. Nearby skeletons and corpses laid inside of long, thin cubbies carved into the stone.
"Is this some kind of tomb?" Harry wondered. The air was cold and musty and filled with the smell of decayed bodies, mold and many other scents.
Casting several charms around he found several enchantments but nothing that appeared to be harmful. Some were faded like the one to keep the temple intact and preservation but the one which lit the torches was obviously still working. Seeing a glint in the corner of his eye he turned and walked up to the nearest corpse. Sitting beside it were several gold coins and a vial of some kind of potion. Picking up the gold coin he found it weathered but in relatively good shape. On the front was the head of a regal looking man and on the back was a banner with Latin writing. Something about an Empire. Holding up the vial of red potion he saw that it appeared to still be good. A couple of charms later showed that indeed it was still good. Harry whistled.
"Amazing." He said. "Who knows how long it has been down here for."
Turning back to the corpse he saw that it had been prepared somewhat similarly to mummification with it's skin taught around old muscles and bones. Several had obviously wasted away more as they were little more than skeletons. In the corpses folded hands was a long dark sword pockmarked with rust and covered in dust and cobwebs.
"Clearly an ancient tomb with weapon like that." Harry muttered to himself.
Shaking his head he pocketed the gold and the potion. He needed to find a way out of here and find out where exactly he was. Luckily it appeared the way he was walking tilted up slightly so hopefully he was heading towards as exit. Making his way through several rooms he found more gold coins and several books. Luckily for him they appeared to be in English even if they were a slightly archaic version of it. Still he read them without much difficulty. Three of them were stories about folk lore, one of a land known as Skyrim and the people called Nords.
"Not on Earth then." Harry muttered to himself before reaching for the last book. It glowed as he opened it, his body absorbing some kind of energy.
Harry yelped, dropping the book. He had not even sensed any magic in it. Scanning it he saw that whatever magic was tied to it wasn't harmful. It was actually amplified something within the user. Picking it up again he opened it and found it to be a guide on picking locks of all things.
Is it a Skill-book like in video games? Harry wondered, feeling a little amused. Now that he had a feel for the enchantment he could feel it slowly recharging itself. Figuring it might be worth something he pocketed it along with the others. He had become something of a bibliophile since leaving Hogwarts. Hearing a noise beside him he whirled around.
"What the fuck is that?" Harry exclaimed as a large rat looking creature jumped at him. He batted it away but it ran back towards him, a feral look in it's eyes. A slicing charm took care of it, cutting it in two. Several more ran out of the next room squealing in anger. Thrusting his hand forward brought forth a wave of fire that rolled over the beasts, cooking them. Their squeals of pain quickly cut off.
Curious Harry toed one with his boot before casting several spells on it. According to it's spells it was similar to a rat, was free of disease, was three years old and was safe to eat.
"No thanks." Harry grimaced. He had never eaten rat and had no desire to see what a cousin of one tasted like. Kicking them aside Harry made his way towards the next room. As he stepped through the threshold there was a shattering sound as the top of nearby standing stone coffin was forced outwards and hit the ground.
"Oh what now." Harry groaned.
Standing inside was a corpse wearing ancient looking armor and wielding a sword and shield. It's eyes were lit up with bright blue, ethereal light. Growling something in a language Harry didn't know it rushed towards him.
"Yeah fuck you to buddy." He grumbled.
Stepping aside he tripped the corpse causing it stumble before it turned with surprising swiftness. A flick of his wrist sent the corpse flying backwards into another wall, a flaming sconce piercing through it chest. His finely tuned senses felt an enchantment snapping before the blue lights in it's eyes were extinguished and it relinquished it's grip on it's sword with a rattling gasp. The shield slipped down it's arm and landed with a clatter on the ground.
"Whew." Harry breathed. "Clearly some kind of Guardian. At least they aren't as bad as the mummies in Egypt or those zombies in Brazil."
As if Murphy had heard him there was huffing and the sound of feet behind him. Two more corpses were coming down the hallway. Harry cursed when an arrow slipped past his head causing him to jerk to the side. A blasting curse took the archers left arm off at the shoulder but it growled at him and kept coming, pulling a dark ax of it's hip sling. Sending a slicing curse at the duo he watched as it's companion jumped over the curse while the archer was cut through the middle and fell still to the ground.
The other spat a curse in it's tongue at him before raising it's hand. He was unprepared for the flash of icy cold wind that enveloped him. He struggled briefly at the frost tried to hinder his movement before he moved to the side. A banishing charm caught the corpse in the chest sending it stumbling backwards and ending it's spell. Harry's hand flashed to his waist and gripped his sword. A super fast slice had the offending limb sliced off before it's head quickly followed.
"Okay that one was a little tougher, I'll give them that."
Walking up to the archer he reached around it's back and pulled an arrow out it's quiver. For clearly being centuries old it was in fairly good shape. The wood was still strong and the flint tip was still sharp. Sniffing he dropped it and continued down the hallway. He would definitely be keeping an eye out for anymore of the buggers. They could probably be more troublesome in groups.
Harry cursed as he heard a click as that usually meant a trap. Thankfully his insane reflexes saved him as a he got a shield up in time to deflect little darts away from him. They kept coming for nearly fifteen seconds before they stopped. Cautiously letting his shield down he bent down and picked up one of the darts. It was about an inch long and from the sheen on it was clearly poisoned. He whistled as a diagnostic charm revealed that the poison would have caused his muscles to seize up in pain. If he was a normal person he most likely wouldn't have been moving any longer and definitely not without a lot of pain. Looking at the ground he found a round nearly flat stone jutting out of the floor painted with symbols he couldn't read. Obviously a weighted trap as it went off when he had stepped on it.
Remind me to watch where I step. Harry thought with grim amusement. Should have been paying attention.
Walking further he found a small room where the other two walking corpses had obviously come from. He found a small bag of the gold coins and a green potion on a stone table that also had old linen and tools that looked like they were for embalming. Clearly not something he wished to own. He blinked as the passageway in front of him was covered in webs.
A bit of caution slipped into his mind. Did they have big spiders here as well? He had never enjoyed his encounters with Acromantula and their attacking Hogwarts hadn't done anything to endear them to him. Pulling on them he found the webs to be pretty tough even if they were obviously old. Pulling out his dagger he cut through them as quickly as he could. Grimacing he sheathed his dagger. His eyes narrowed as he found a large circular cave filled with more webs, several web sacks and large eggs.
Yep looks like large spiders. Harry thought sarcastically. Great.
With a hiss several spiders about four feet in length with longer legs fell from the ceiling.
"Son of a bitch." Harry cursed. "I hate being right sometimes."
The spider closer to him hissed at him before running towards him. A blasting charm sent it careening towards a wall. It bounced off before falling to the ground apparently dazed. He leaned out of the way as one actually spat venom at him.
"Well that's new." He muttered. Jabbing his wand he cast steel cables from his wand that quickly wrapped around one of the spiders, tying it up. One had stepped aside and a quick charm had it dancing wildly causing his lips to twitch into a smirk.
The smirk was wiped off his face as he stumbled forward. One of the spiders had gotten behind him and was trying to climb on top of him. Growling he grabbed several legs and slammed it to the ground in front of him, cracking it's carapace causing green ichor to ooze out. Spotting movement out of the corner of his eye he turned and thrust his sword through the spiders eyes. The spider screeched in agony before quickly backing away. A quick incendiary charm caused it erupt in flames something it clearly didn't like as it took off running like a chicken with it's head cut off. It finally fell over hissing and popping as it's insides cooked away.
What was the spider repelling charm Ron used? Oh right...
"Arania Exumai!" Harry growled as the last one tried to run away. A beam of bright light erupted from his wand and slammed into the spider throwing it backwards with a screech before it curled into itself dead. Breathing deeply he quickly calmed his heart. While they weren't really tough opponents he really didn't like giant spiders.
Casting a charm on the nearest spider he whistled. Their venom was interesting as it would cause lethargy in the body of the victim making it harder for them move and react. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out several vials. Using a charm he coaxed all the venom he could out of them. Sealing them he wrote a quick description on the vials. Putting them in his potions pouch he walked towards the other end of the room. The way seemed clear but he was cautious.
"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed as a large blade swung down in front of him followed by several others along the path. Narrowing his eyes Harry's perception of the world slowed to crawl allowing him to neatly and easily dodge around the various blades. Seeing a chain with a handle hanging down he pulled it causing the blades to stop. A growl had him turning around.
Another of the walking corpses was rushing towards him. Stepping to the side he thrust his sword backwards and stabbed through it's head. The thing tried to grab for his blade before the enchantment on it broke. Walking towards the other end he found a pair of black iron doors carved with the same archaic symbols as the stone trap earlier.
There didn't appear to be a keyhole so he looked around. Finally he found a lever partially hidden by some rubble. However the lever was partially stuck in the floor. Grumbling he looked around.
Seeing several similar thin pillars he looked closer this time. They were inside of a circular trench that had apparently been cut in the floor. Putting a hand against the closest pillar he pushed causing it slide slightly with a grinding noise. There was a click and he saw the lever raise a little. Getting the idea he pushed the other pillars along until they clicked in place, the lever raising each time until it was fully raised. Walking over he pushed the lever to the other side causing the doors to swing open.
The room was large with the floor covered in several inches of water. There were raised walkways on either side and a large set of stone steps with tall stone seats. Several of which held familiar looking corpses both naked and armored. Harry's attention however was on the largest which was also sat on the largest throne like chair. A black spiked helm sat upon it's head and it's body was covered in black armor made of a metal he had never seen before.
He barely saw it's eyes light up, his wand raising to face it.
"Fus Ro Dah!" A deep growling voice called out.
Harry didn't even get off a spell before he was hit by a large wave of force sending him flying backwards to fall into the water, his wand knocked out of his hand. He groaned from the floor but luckily he felt no real pain. The corpse stood up and growled at him in their strange language. Several of the other corpses came to life and started making their way towards him.
"I'm really getting fucking tired of these things." He grumbled to himself.
Harry rolled across the floor away them and quickly stood. Pulling his dagger from it's sheath he rushed towards the nearest corpse. With a flurry of slashes two of the corpses fell to the floor in pieces. The next blocked his sword strike with a shield. Growling he backhanded the shield away leaving the corpse completely open to attack. Taking advantage of it he thrust his dagger into it's chest and send a large stream of lightning through it. The corpse screamed before it erupted into flames.
The largest corpse growled at him before motioning towards itself daring him to come forward and attack. Narrowing his eyes Harry walked around it, keeping it in his sights. He quickly dodged to the side as it sent a spike of ice at him. Growling it rushed towards him, surprisingly faster. It was clearly a level above the others. A bit of mischief flashed over his face before a tripping jinx hit the corpse causing it stumble forward. It clearly didn't like it.
"Fus!" The large corpse spat.
Harry dodged this time but was still caught at the edge causing him to spin in a circle. Narrowing his eyes his sword flashed forward, carving a trench in the dead man's face. It's jaw fell to the floor but it kept coming. It swung it's sword at him with surprising strength but Harry deflected and kicked the corpse in the chest sending it flying across the room to collide with one of the stone walkways.
Growling the thing held up a hand and sent a flurry of ice spikes flying towards him. Narrowing his eyes Harry nimbly dodged aside. However the corpse was tricky and had some cunning and actually managed to send another which hit Harry in the shoulder with bruising force. Grunting Harry gritted his teeth. The corpse was really making him mad now.
Deciding to end it Harry snapped his fingers causing two pillars of flames to erupt upwards and twist, engulfing the corpse. It growled as it staggered it's way towards him, apparently trying to attack him some more. Finally a couple of feet away it stumbled before falling to the ground, it's papery skin turning to ash. It's armor and helm fell to the floor with a splash. Narrowing his eyes at the pile he found a jagged piece of pale purple stone about three inches long.
Casting a diagnostic charm on it only for it to show that it was empty of magic. However the crystal also seemed to cling briefly to the magic residue from his spell. Reaching down he picked it up. Rolling it around his palm he stared at it. Pinching it between his fingers he held it up towards a nearby torch.
"What is your purpose?" He wondered. Shaking his head he pocketed it before picking up the undead's sword.
The handle was gold while the blade itself was long and slightly curved downwards. The blade was also slightly thicker than his long sword and strangle colored black. When turned to an angle it had a slightly purplish tint. He had never seen the metal before. Testing the edge he hissed as it cut his skin before it healed over. Definitely sharp then. Shrugging Harry picked up the golden sheath and took it for himself. Even if he never used it he could always add it to his collection or sell it. It was with a similar thought that he pocketed it's black armor and a couple of the other corpses' ancient weapons and armor. Those would be going into his own collection as he enjoyed collecting ancient artifacts, armor and weapons.
Walking up the steps he found a large circular stone walls with depictions of dragons carved into the top. Looking closer he saw there was also writing carved into it but it was different than the rest of the tomb. Pulling out a roll of special wax paper he stuck it to the wall with a sticking charm before sliding a black block over it causing it to transfer the writing to the paper. A cutting charm cut the paper off the roll before he quickly but carefully folded up the paper.
Spying a large steel chest with bands of gold he walked towards it. Scanning it the chest came up clean of any enchantments except preservation. Pulling the lock apart he opened the lid. Inside of the chest was a pouch of gold coins, a ruby and a sapphire as large as a galleon, a couple of larger versions of the pale stone he found earlier with several crystals fused together, a set of steel armor, steel gauntlets and boots, a book and a golden ax. Picking up the ax he swung it around marveling at how light it was before slicing through a nearby wooden pillar effortlessly without applying very much strength at all.
"Still sharp too." He said before putting it back.
Picking up the book he could feel an enchantment on it. He decided not to open it just yet but turned it over to see a tree embossed on the cover. Shrugging he put it back in the chest. Deciding he liked the chest as well as the contents he put a lightening charm on it before shrinking it down. Pulling out his trunk he set it inside before closing it. Walking around the room to see if he could find anything else he caught a whiff of fresh air. Striding over towards it he found a stone and dirt tunnel that headed upwards. Figuring that it might be a way out he started up the incline.
Harry's eyes widened as he got his first true look of this new world. He noticed he was on top of a tall hill. Down below him was a valley filled with grasses and riots of vibrantly colored flowers. The sun glinted off the deep blue waters of a river that flowed through it. His supernaturally sharp eyes could see several deer, elk and rabbits frolicking across the valley. A forest of deep green trees stretched across the opposite side, several visible paths winding through it.
A cool breeze playfully ruffled his hair. Harry inhaled deeply. A look of contentment came over his face. The air was so fresh. There was no chemical tang to it from muggle industry or conveyance, no smog. Just clean fresh air. The other thing he noticed was the magic. It was in nearly everything in this world even the air he was breathing. It was …
"Amazing." He breathed.
Pale blue eyes sitting above a face painted with green warpaint widened as a dark shape flew towards them. The eyes narrowed before their eyes pulled a steel sword from it's scabbard. When the blade was a guard position archaic symbols could be seen caved into the blade. Blond, nearly white hair blew in the wind.