Call of the sea.
Disclaimer: The HP characters and places do not belong to me, they belong to JKR and other people. Though the Thrae World and its people, traditions and everything else about it is mine. Hands off!
AN: This started off as a Rebel!Harry ONE SHOT. But it's turned into something else, which I really love. Though it is still a ONE SHOT. Very Angsty.
"You have been accused of murder and what does the court say?" a lone voice said sternly.
"Guilty!" 30 or so voices replied.
A single tear fell from the emerald eyes as the 16 year-old was lead away.
"It's been 10 years boy, how I've dreaded this day." The man spat to the ground. "Well come on then boy! Get up and get out!" the man turned and left him on his own, the door flung open. Slowly he got up and walked out of the cage in which he had been a prisoner for the past 10 years.
He shielded his eyes from the sun as the now 26 year old stepped out of the prison.
"What to do what to do"
Hands in pockets he set off down the street lost in thought.
"Where the fuck has he gone?" a male voice shouted.
"How should I know?" another replied.
"He was in the prison and now he's fucking disappeared!" the first shouted back.
"Well instead of shouting about it why don't you go look for him." A sharp female voice interrupted.
"Hey Bolt wake up!" a pair of green eyes blinked and the owner sat up.
"Get up Bolt we've got a meeting to get too."
Bolt stood up and dusted himself off, picked up his glasses and left for the meeting.
"It's been five years and not a bloody sign of him!"
"Maybe he's dead."
"Don't go there Thomas!"
"Well no ones seen or heard from him, and there hasn't been even a whisper of his whereabouts in over five years.." Thomas drifted off, it wasn't wise to piss off his boss.
"I know, but I refuse to believe he's dead. Harry's not like that. He wont be beaten."
"Maybe he doesn't want to be found, I mean we did send him to prison..."
"I know, but oh damn him. Keep looking!"
"He's still looking." Thomas said later that evening.
"I know, he can continue to look but he will never find anything. Good work Thomas, keep it up and you may get a bonus." Thomas smiled and left the office.
"Keep looking Weasley you will never find me, and if you do..." he laughed bitterly "You may not like what you find."
"Give it up Ron! It's been 10 years since he was let out and no one, no one, has seen or heard even a whisper of him! He's gone! Let it go!" Hermione turned and swiftly stalked out of the clattered office, that belonged to the man she was once engaged too. Behind her, Ron Weasley sat behind his desk, his head in his hands, looking as if was about to give up all hope and life. And it was not to far from the truth.
Thirty-six year old Ron, had been looking for the boy that was once his best friend, for ten years, almost to the day. The red head glanced at the calendar and sighed, the beginnings of tears formed in his eyes. It was 20 years ago to the day, and very nearly the hour when young Harry Potter was accused of murder and expelled from Hogwarts and taken to the Ministry of Magic, where he had to sit in a cell for three days praying that he would be found not guilty and be released back into the wizarding world. But it was not to be, young Harry Potter, supposed saviour of the wizarding world was found guilty of murdering Ginny Weasley and was sentenced to ten years in Azkaban. Why he was not given a life sentence Ron didn't know, but he suspected that Dumbledore had a hand in it. But ever since Harry had been released no one had any idea where he was. The guard that watched over him, instead of the Dementors, which had vanished too, was found skinned and burnt in his office, three hours after Harry was supposedly released from his cell. They had even gone to 4 Private Drive to question the Dursley's, but they too, were all dead. Their bodies burnt to a crisp. The stench of burning skin and boiled blood had filled the air and even now, twenty years on the thought of it still made Ron gag.
Young Thomas, who five years ago had been his apprentice, and who was quickly climbing the ladder off success had vanished, Ron had sent a search out for him too, but all they came back with was the burnt body of the young lad.
It seemed that every one of the workers, besides Ron and Hermione, who had a hand in trying to find Harry turned up dead. Most of the time burnt. Though a few looked like they had been bathed in acid. The Forensics all said that every victim that there had been, had been burnt alive.
Even Voldemort had vanished again, taking his Death Eaters with him. It seemed that all the pure blood families, that were not allied with Dumbledore during the second war had just disappeared off the face of the earth. Search after search had been performed but every hand came back empty, if they came back at all. For most had been killed in their searches. Again all were burnt.
Ron was running out of ideas, and running out of staff.
"Sir?" a kneeling figure said, in his silky voice to the Shadow that was sitting in the high backed chair.
"What is your report?" the Shadow said, his low voice echoed off the walls of the chamber.
"Weasley is still searching sir, but he has almost given up. The dead body of Marie Abbot properly had something to do with it. Your spies claim that they were involved for a while."
"Good," the Shadow almost purred, "Who else if left working for him?"
"Hermione Granger was seen coming out of his office yesterday, they reported that she shouted at Weasley, telling his to give up his search, as Harry Potter was gone, and was never coming back."
The Shadow chuckled, "Hasn't changed, anything else?"
"Yes sir, they have stopped the searches for the Death Eaters, you were right sir, and they would not think to check."
"I knew they wouldn't, the Ministry having never been competent." The Shadow replied. "any more?"
The kneeling figure shock his head, "No sir." He looked up, his black eyes stood out on his pale skin, "Sir, if I may ask, do you think we ever will return?"
"Stand up" the Shadow whispered. The dark eyed man did so, the Shadow beckoned him forwards. Slowly the dark hair man moved closer. A pale finger ran its way down the mans cheek, and he closed his eyes, to stop the tears. "Do you wish to return Severus?" the Shadow asked him softly.
Severus opened his eyes, the pain that swam beneath their surface was almost unbearable, and the sadness in them would have made the Shadow look away, if he did not see the same sadness in his own eyes every morning.
Severus took a deep breath before speaking, and when he did his voice was only a whisper, "I am used to a life of shadows, but even now, almost ten years of living in the darkness is..." he paused and closed his eyes again, a faint smile appeared on his face as he remembered old times, or imagined new ones, "but it has been so long since I saw the sun rise, so long since I heard the birds tweet or smelt the morning dew on the grass."
"Oh Severus," the shadow said softly, "if someone who I thought so cold misses the land so much then I fear what the rest are feeling. Come we shall visit the land, and hope that it will not be our last time to do so." The shadow stood from the chair and leaned down and kissed Severus, in the flickering candle light a watcher would have seen tears falling from their closed eyes, as both clung to the other, as if they were the last life line.
With a heavy heart Ron packed away all the information he had gathered over the years, there wasn't much. Having had nothing but rumours and guesses where Harry, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were hiding. Closing the draw of the cabinet and sealing it shut with a spell, Ron sighed picked up his muggle jacket and left his office.
He walked out of the muggle side door of the building and headed off down the empty street, hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground, his heart and life had died years ago. So now all that was left was an empty body, whose soul did not know how much more heart break it could handle.
High above the street, back in the building he had just left, a pair of tear filled brown eyes watched him go.
Hermione turned away from the window, trying not to think of the broken man that was slowly fading away and faced her partner.
"I'm worried." Hermione said to him. Draco Granger, moved over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He had taken Hermione's name, so he could leave the life of the Malfoy's behind. So far it had not caught up to him, he only hoped it would stay that way.
He heard Hermione sigh sadly, and he held her tightly, "he'll be okay." He whispered into her ear, "He's strong, he'll pull through." Hermione sighed again.
"How much more do you think he can take, now that Marie's gone, he has nothing." The rest of the Weasley family had been killed by the Death Eaters whilst Harry had been in jail, the only reason Ron survived was because he was unconscious in St Mungo's, he had been poisoned and no one thought he would survive, but Hermione had found a cure a year after the Death Eaters attacked, Ron had woken up to an empty ward, save for a tearful Hermione, that day was the day when Ron Weasley's life ended. The spark that filled his eyes died that day, and since then Hermione tried and tried to bring it back, and she almost did, but then the obsession with finding Harry took over and it went again. Now he was just a shell, and she didn't know what to do.
"Is everyone who wants to do this ready?" Shadow asked Severus. They were standing by the entrance to the land, a group of 50 or so witches, wizards and Thraens were behind the pair of black haired men, smiles of excitement and uncertainty were on the faces of them all. It had been more then fifteen years since some of them had been to the land, others had never been and for some it had barely been a few months.
"Everyone is here, sir." Severus replied. Shadow smiled at him.
"When we are on the land, do not call me sir, or shadow, it has been too long since the name from my mother and father has been used. So once we leave here call me Harry. Just Harry." Severus nodded, and Harry sighed deeply before stepping through the waterfall illusion and back into the land that was known as Earth.
He brought his pale hand up to shield his eyes from the burning sun, that was high up in the sky. He stepped forwards and behind him he heard the sounds of his people following him back into the land in which most were born and grew up in.
He walked to the edge of the grass and looked down over the cliff face into the sea below. He felt Severus come up next to him.
"Beautiful." The dark haired man said softly.
"Yes it is, I had forgotten how beautiful the Earth was."
"Harry?" the shorter man, known as Shadow to his people, turned to Severus, "Thank you, for doing this."
Harry smiled and looked over his shoulder, his people were running around on the grass, taking in the sound, the smell and the touch of it. They were laughing happily and smiling. The site of their happiness filled Harry's heart, he was so happy that his people could be happy, in both worlds, unlike him who could not be happy in either. He jumped slightly as Severus rested his hand on his shoulder.
"Your people love you Harry, and now they will love you even more. Because you have given them what the previous Shadows could not." Harry looked at the older man, and Severus finished his sentence. "You have given them happiness."
Harry smiled again, and thought on Severus' words. They were true, when Harry had first joined the Thrae world there was only sadness and pain in it. The Shadow that ruled at that time was cold hearted and had had a horrible life, and in his position of Shadow, he cast his pain and hatred upon all of his people.
After Harry had gotten out of prison and left the Wizarding world, he had chosen to try his luck in muggle London with his lover/colleague/spy Thomas, who had links with the Thrae world, and both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. After a while he received an invite, addressed to Bolt, the nick name that Thomas had blessed him with, to visit the Thrae world, and he had done so. He dinned with the leader Shadow, and was taken on as the 'prince' of the Thrae world. Bolt did not find out why until he had been in Thrae for five years, and the Shadow died. That was when he found out that the man who he had looked up to as a father for the past five years was his wizarding world rival, Voldemort.
The body was burnt, as was the custom, his ashes were scattered over the ground, in the Cavern of the Dead, and the name Tom, was carved into the stone walls, underneath the Shadow before him.
Harry took over the position of Shadow that day and began to try and make his people happier. From Tom's rule the people of Thrae had grown, but only because of the Death Eaters he had brought with him, and their families. So for the next five years Harry worked hard to help the Death Eaters and the Thrae people get along, the first thing he did was get rid of everyone's surname. By the end of the five years the number of battles that occurred were limited to petty things, minor disagreements, the Thrae people had accepted the Death Eaters and now they were getting along. For the following five years Harry had kept people in all three worlds, reporting back to him, saving those from both the magical and the muggle that were on the edge of life, with so much pain and suffering that they were so close to giving up completely. Harry had them brought the Thrae and nursed back to life. But now fifteen years since Harry joined the Thrae world, the only ones who were still on the knife edge of life were Harry and Severus. But soon a new member would join them in Thrae, one that had nothing left going for him, and who was so close to giving up he could almost taste the sweetness of Death itself.
"Hey, have you seen Ron?" a sad voice asked the group of wizards in one of the offices, they all shook their heads sadly. She moved through every office, every room asking everyone if they had seen her friend.
But Ron had vanished and Hermione only hoped that his burnt body never turned up. She would rather him missing then dead.
Having made her way through the entire building Hermione returned to her office where Draco was waiting for her. She shook her head sadly and he crossed their office quickly pulling his wife into a hug, holding her tightly as she cried for all those she had lost.
Ron blinked and slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted with a dark stone ceiling and the flickering on it meant that there were torches somewhere in the room.
"He's awake!" he heard someone call. Ron blinked again and then saw only black.
"He woke up sir, before falling back to sleep." Shadow looked at the doctor and nodded his head,
"Good work, can you keep me informed?"
The doctor smiled, "Of course sir."
Harry looked over at the sleeping body of his friend once more before leaving the room, returning to his own, where he knew Severus would be waiting. He didn't know how he felt about Ron being here.
"He wont know that its you." Severus' voice whispered into his ear as he entered his rooms and felt the strong arms wrap around his waist. Harry leaned back into his embrace.
"I know, but I know."
"And that matters,"
Harry nodded, "Yes, yes it does. I just don't know what to do Severus."
Harry turned around in Severus' arms and stared into his dark eyes. Harry had lost count the amount of times he had drowned in the dark pools.
"When he wakes completely we can house him with a Thraen, instead of an Earthen. There is a chance he would recognise the Earthen."
Harry nodded, "I know, that's one of the things that has gotten me worried."
Severus thought for a bit then spoke once more, "We could put him through the Efil task."
Harry nodded his head into Severus' chest. "He would not survive it." He muttered.
"He might, if he does not, we can return his body to Earth, the wizards would find it, they always do."
Harry nodded again, "I know they do, Sarah always comes back with tales of the magical folk being so confused. They do not understand that to fail the Efil task means losing your life, and in doing so you are burnt with the Haden water."
The Efil task is taken place in the lower caverns of the Thrae world, called the Cavern of Light, where the Evol lines run through the ground and join together at one point. The tasker has to stand on this point for 3 days and 3 nights, and if the goddesses of the Haden deem them worthy then the tasker becomes one of the Thrae, if they are not deemed worthy the Goddesses of Haden drown the tasker in their tears. They cry because they can not save them.
Harry was broken out of his thoughts by the doctor knocking on the wall of his room.
"He's awake sir!" the doctor panted, Shadow nodded and the doctor ran off again. Harry glanced back at Severus.
"Three days, then he will go through the Efil task." Severus nodded and Harry disappeared down the corridor.
"Where am I? Who are you? What have you done to me? What do you want?" Shadow walked into the room where Ron was lying on the bed. His wrists, ankles and waist were strapped down. Either to stop him from escaping or to stop him from trying to kill himself, or possibly both.
"You are in the Thrae world, I am the current Shadow leader, you were brought here to heal, and what do I want? That is a difficult question." Shadow sat in the chair next to Ron's bed and looked at him. His glasses he no longer needed having gone under corrective eye surgery when he was in muggle London all those years ago.
"The Thrae world is a myth!" Ron spat.
Shadow shook his head, "No it is not, and that is where you are. You were saved by my people two days ago when you tried to kill yourself." Ron looked away from Shadow as shame filled him.
"There is no need to feel shame Ron, most of the people who were brought here from the Earthen lands were brought here because they tried to die."
Ron looked at him again, "Does that include you?"
Shadow looked at Ron for a long time, debating which answer to give him. In the end he settled on the simplest one. "No, I was already dead when I was invited here."
Shadow stood and moved towards the end of the bed, before turning to leave he glanced back at Ron and smiled sadly. "In three days time you will undergo the Efil task."
Ron was left to his thoughts as Shadow returned to his rooms, where Severus made him feel loved again. At least for a little while.
"Think he will survive?"
Shadow looked at Severus. "Three days ago I said 'no', but in those three days he has improved so much. So now I am not so sure."
Ron stood on the centre point of the Evol lines, he was dressed in the traditional long white robe. The material was a thin cotton and it was very light to wear.
Shadow approached Ron.
"Do you understand the process of the Efil task?" he asked him. Ron nodded his head.
"Then let us begin." Shadow moved back slightly and began to chant.
The ancient words echoed throughout the cavern and a breeze began to pick up. On the centre point of the Evol lines Ron stood still with his eyes shut, allowing the chant to flow over his body. He didn't even notice when Shadow stopped chanting, or when the sun set above the cavern and the Thrae world went on with out him for three days and two nights. On the third night Shadow returned with Severus at his side.
Together they stood and waited for the end. The body of Ron Weasley, last of the Weasley family fell to the ground in a slump, burnt by the tears of the Haden goddesses who could not save him.
Severus held Harry as the young Shadow cried. He cried for the death of his first true friend, cried for the death of his second family, cried for himself and cried for the world.
He did not remember Severus picking up his worn out body and carrying him back to his rooms.
Shadow awoke the next morning, dazed and slightly confused, only the strong pair of pale arms around him were a normality. Silently he got out of the bed and pulled on a robe, before making his way to the Cavern of Light.
He choked back a sob as the body of Ron still lay where it had fallen the night before. Slowly Harry moved over to it and picked it up. He turned and walked towards the waterfall illusion that separated the worlds.
On his way he passed Severus who without a word followed him silently. Offering comfort and letting Harry know that he was there.
"Sir! Sir!" Shadow and Severus turned at the call. A young lad, barely 15 came running up to them. "Sir! They are saying that you are leaving!"
Shadow smiled sadly at the young boy, he remembered when he first came to Thrae, Nathaniel, the boy, had just been born. Bolt had helped raise him, and he taught him the ways of the Earthen people and those of the Thraen. He saw Nathaniel as a younger brother, maybe even a son.
"Nathaniel, you know not to believe everything you hear." Shadow replied smiling sadly.
Nathaniel's face brightened, "So you are not leaving then?"
Shadow shook his head, "No for once they are right, I am leaving, I need to return to my home land one more time."
Nathaniel looked to the floor and Shadow knew that he had started crying. Without a word Severus took the body of Ron and Shadow crouched down in front of Nathaniel.
"Nathaniel I want you to do two things for me okay. One, I want my name to be carved into the stone walls in the cavern, under Tom's, I want you to carve the name 'Harry', just Harry, nothing else. Do you understand me?"
Nathaniel nodded sadly, "And the other?"
Harry smiled, "I want you to take over the position as Shadow, can you do this for me? If you need any help talk to Sarah, she knows more about the three worlds then I do, you can always turn to her if you need help."
"Thank you sir." Nathaniel said before launching himself at Harry and hugging him tightly. Severus could see the tears in the boys eyes and he forced himself to look away, before he himself started to cry too. He had long discarded the mask he had held in the Wizarding world, the mask of cold indifference. He no such mask could be held in place, even though he tried.
"Goodbye sir, and you Severus. The Thraen people will miss you both greatly, you have done so much for us. Thank you." Nathaniel bowed deeply and Harry returned it.
"Good luck Shadow, I trust you." Harry whispered before taking Ron's body back from Severus and walking through the waterfall. Severus paused and glanced at Nathaniel one more time, he smiled at him and bowed once before he too stepped back into the land of his birth place.
With a sad heart Nathaniel turned away from the illusion and began his journey as the Shadow leader of the Thraen people. He would make Harry proud.
Hermione looked up from her desk as there was a knock at her office door. "Come in!" she called.
She felt her heart stop as she recognised the two figures in the door way. "H... Harry?" she whispered in shock. Harry nodded once, before stepping into her office and closing the door behind him with his foot.
Cautiously Hermione moved over to Harry, her old friend had changed in the past twenty years, then again when she looked closer she saw that he hadn't changed at all. He was still the same scared uncertain little boy she saw on September the first all those years ago.
Fearing the worst Hermione looked into the face of the body in Harry's arms. She chocked back a sob and slowly ran her fingers through the still red hair of her other best friend.
"Thank you for returning his body." She said to Harry softly. Harry was watching her, watching the emotions dance across her face. The pain he saw in her eyes was so familiar it hurt.
Without another word Harry laid the burnt body of Ron on the chair next to the window and the silently walked out of the office, and out of her life once more. Hermione moved over to Ron and sat on the floor holding onto his charred hand, crying even more as she remembered her past and all the good and bad times she had had with him.
That was how Draco found her, when he walked into the office not five minutes after Harry left. Needing no words he pulled her into a hug and sat her on his lap, just holding her close to him and she cried out all the pain and the hurt and then as cried herself to sleep in his arms.
Once he left the office Harry returned to the cliffs. Where he knew Severus would be waiting for him.
"I love the sea." The taller man said as a greeting. "It's so beautiful and so powerful, yet calming.
"It's hypnotic, and magical." Harry whispered in reply.
They looked at each other and shared one final kiss before they both stepped off the edge of the cliff and fell into that which they both loved as dearly as they loved each other.