Hello, everyone. I'm sure most of you have noticed that I have been slacking on my other story Time and Again. Please do not fear. I will continue to work on the story, but I happen to be one of those authors that have a life and so take longer to update.
Forgive me.
Anyway, I'm going to start putting labeled updates on my profile so everyone can keep up. I will try to do this periodically, but I make no promises.
I just wanted everyone to realize that ALL of my stories are slow going.
Again, forgive me.
This is a new story that has been rolling around in my head for quite some time. I DO plan on finishing it, But I am not a fast writer.
I know it doesn't look like a long chapter but let me tell you, these kind of things look SOOOO much longer on notebook paper. I honestly thought it would come out longer than this, even though I did do a little editing. I was kind of disappointed at the length. But I will get over it. I just hope my readers will as well.
And yes, this is sort of a Super Harry Fic. But unlike most stories, Harry isn't the only powerful one.
Anyway, This is a prolouge and I am thinking about making the seconf chapter purely informatory. Like mainly information that will be important in the story later. Let me know what you think.
It may take awhile to update, so I'm going to go ahead and let you know.
-Lady Iri
He was… floating… floating about in a vast nothingness. Yet, even in this nothing, everything felt right. It felt like there was nothing wrong. It felt as if nothing had ever been or ever would be wrong. Like perfection. It felt like there was nothing but the peace that existed here in this place. He felt like he could stay here… should stay here, float here… for all eternity.
'Wait.' he thought. 'This isn't right. This peace… this perfectness... It's fake. It isn't right. This is not real… It will never be real for me…'
"Well done, Harry." A voice echoed around him.
Suddenly everything and nothing seemed to be swirling around him. A wind whipped at his face and snatched away his breath. Just when he thought he would not be able to take it anymore, it all just stopped. He opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them.
He sat on the bank of a small river. The water was clear and he could easily see that the bottom was covered in smooth pebbles of different sizes and colour. The sound of rushing water filled the air, creating a calming effect. Harry leaned back and propped himself up on his hands. The grass was cool and lush beneath his fingers. Every thing around him was thriving with life and a soft, passive energy. A soft breeze played softly at his hair and he breathed in deeply. It was all just so…
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
His head snapped around so fast he was surprised that it didn't break. There, sitting beside him, was the source of the musical voice that had finished his thoughts. The first thing he noticed was how incredibly beautiful she was. The most beautiful person he had ever seen. He knew that no matter how long he may search, he would never find anyone who could compare to her.
Her hair was a deep purple, though some would call it black. It fell to her shoulder blades in a silky curtain. She had pale, milky skin that looked soft to the touch and ruby red lips. She had aristocratic features and was very regal looking. And he could tell, just by looking at her, that she was stronger than most men.
She wore an armour of deep purple trimmed in gold. There was a finely woven skirt draped around her waist that was threaded with a gold, shimmering metal. There was a head guard/helmet resting on her brow with five black feathers on each side. A sword was resting on her hip that was obviously of fine quality, made with magic and ready for battle. But what he found most captivating about her was her eyes. Eyes that he had seen in only one other place. Her eyes, they were Avada Kedavra green.
"Who are you?" he questioned.
There was something comforting about this woman. Something familiar about her presence. He tried to figure out what made him trust this woman, but no matter what, his mind remained blank.
She smiled softly at him and seemed to ponder the question.
"I have been called many things," she said. "But my true name is Hrist Valkyrie. Battle maiden and the eldest of the three Valkyrie sisters. It is we who guide the souls of the dead to where ever they belong after life."
"I see." he said. He turned and stared out at the river. He was not sure why a Valkyrie was visiting him. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep. He felt strangely numb and indifferent at what the reason might be.
"I am dead, then." he said.
Hrist gave a tinkling laugh. "No, dear Harry, you are not dead." She told him. "You shouldn't be for a long time. Besides, I haven't carted any souls for a long while."
He turned to face her with a blank expression. "Then I do not understand why you are here." he told her.
She was gazing out at the water and Harry could clearly see a sort of sad smile playing at her lips. She seemed to hold a great sadness, almost as great as his own. But there was also a happiness about her. A content type of joy at being where she was.
"Let me tell you a story." she said eventually.
"There was once an elf, the son of a king. He held more magic in him than any of the other elves. Over the years he grew in power, strength, and knowledge. He had a long time to accomplish this, of course, as elves are born immortal.
It wasn't until long that he began to fancy himself a god. And so he took what he believed to be his rightful place. He began to manipulate those around him for what he believed was a greater good. Mortals soon began to see him as an icon of hope and due to his manipulations, the once great race of the elves was wiped from existence.
The elves, for the most part, began to fade from human memory. And thus there was only one true immortal left. And he was worshipped as a god. This man's name was Odin. And he ruled the world from the sidelines for a long time.
After many years, the earth began to fill with the souls of the dead. These souls were known as the fallen. Souls unable to move on, trapped in the land of the living, unable to find peace. Soon, these damned souls began to possess the living and the soulless bodies of those that had passed on. And thus, the Valkyrie were born.
To this day, no one is sure how they came to be. Not even the Valkyrie themselves. Though it is widely believed that they were born from magic itself. Nature trying to right the wrongs, if you will.
There were three Valkyrie. The sisters Lenneth, Silmeria, and Hrist. They alone had the power to guide those that had passed to their rightful place.
It was Odin who raised them. Odin bound some of their powers and tied their souls to the earth. They didn't know this, of course. The Valkyrie were charged by Odin to gather the souls of the fallen. And they did so happily. The Valkyrie naïvely served Odin faithfully for a long time. Until it all began to fall apart."
She paused and all the sadness he had seen hidden within her seemed to surface. It looked as if she had slipped into some horrid memory. Harry didn't know what to say and so he said nothing. Eventually she seemed to have composed herself and continued where she left off.
"Lenneth, the youngest Valkyrie, met a young warrior in one of her many excursions to the land of the living. They met many times and became great friends. Eventually, they both fell deeply in love with each other.
Odin, of course, did not approve. He forbade Lenneth from seeing him ever again. But she defied him and continued to seek out the one she loved.
This angered Odin immensely and so he showed Lenneth what happened to those who defied him. He ordered her human, Lucian, dead. He then went so far as to go against the laws and cast Lucian's soul into the Realm of Nightmares.
For what Odin had done, Lenneth tried her hand at revenge. She failed. And her soul, too, was cast into death.
After guiding her soul to its rightful resting place, Silmeria, the second eldest of the Valkyrie, began to drift. She had witnessed all that had happened and so rebelled against Odin. For all her troubles, she, too, was cast into death.
This left only one Valkyrie left…Hrist, the eldest of the three sisters. But Hrist would not be controlled.
To aid their sister in her vengeance, the souls of Lenneth and Silmeria gave Hrist their power. They were restless and wanted Odin to pay. So Hrist made a plan. She did not know how long it would take to destroy Odin. So in an attempt to shorten the time, she cast upon Odin a spell that stripped him of his immortality. This way, even if she failed to kill him, he should still eventually die.
Odin became blinded in rage and so hunt down Hrist in an attempt to rid himself of the threat. They ended up in a ferocious battle. Perhaps Hrist would have won, but the spell that had stolen Odin's immortality left her weaker than usual. It was obvious that Hrist was going to die.
Rather than risk the chance of Odin regaining his immortality, she cast upon him one last spell.
It was the Sovereign's Right. An ancient spell that cast a soul into limbo, where it would then later be reborn in the living realm with no memory of their previous life.
Odin, in anger, retaliated with the same spell. And so both were cast into Limbo, awaiting rebirth."
She paused for a moment, simply staring out at the babbling water. She eventually took a deep breath and turned to look at Harry's pensive face.
"Do you know why I told you this story, Harry?" she asked.
Harry shook his head negatively. He didn't understand why a Valkyrie, off all things, would come to tell him her story. He didn't get it. Why him? And how the hell was she here talking to him anyway if she was dead?
"I am telling you this story, Harry," she began. "Because there is something you must understand. Odin was eventually reborn on earth. I may have taken away his immortality, but he is still an elf. And so, he still has an affinity for magic, and even in a human vessel he is strong.
I suppose most would not call Odin a bad person, but he is as blind as one could be without loosing his eyes. Odin strives for a greater good. This alone is not necessarily a sin. But he does so without regards for others. He doesn't care how others suffer. He is a firm believer in the end justify the means.
But there is no greater good when he is concerned. He manipulates people, plays with their lives as if it where nothing but a game of chess.
He is also stupid enough to believe that no one is as good as he is. This is the manner in which he perceives himself a god. He believes he can do no wrong, that all his decisions are right. He plays with people and takes away their choices. All in the name of his greater good.
He does not care who lives or dies. He is indifferent to it all. As long as he gets what he wants, he does not care. And that is the dangerous part about him. He firmly believes that what he does is actually right. Even when logic says that it isn't.
He is trying to shape a world into his image and he doesn't think that it's wrong.
I'm sure this sounds familiar, and I'm sure you can guess who the reincarnation of Odin is. Even in this lifetime, not much has changed about him."
"Dumbledore." Harry snarled.
"Yes." Hrist intoned solemnly. "Albus Dumbledore is the reincarnation of Odin Infanel. Already he has damned himself many times. There is little hope of salvation for him. Because he was reborn, Dumbledore will not be judged by his actions as Odin. Unless, he damns himself."
"It is up to you, Harry." she continued. "To decide whether or not to interfere with his fate. You can attempt to redeem him, or you can simply let things continue as they are. The choice is yours."
Harry glared up at the clouds above him. "I always knew that Dumbledore was too controlling and manipulative for his own good." He said.
"All my years at Hogwarts always seemed like some elaborate tests when I looked back on them. He left me at the Dursley's without even checking up on me, when I know for a fact that McGonagall warned him not to do so. He also had to know that they would abuse me. Though he probably did not know how bad it really was.
There is also the fact that I was never trained and prepared when he knew of my destiny from the beginning. He allowed me to be weak. No doubt afraid that I would best him. That, or I would become drowned by all the power and fame, when I know that would never happen. I would never allow myself to become that way.
But I don't understand how it can be up to me to decide whether he was worth the effort to save him. He's dead. And I am nothing special. He can not be saved if he's already dead, can he?"
"You honestly believe Albus Dumbledore is dead?" she asked him. "He is no more dead than you are. His 'death' was an elaborate hoax. It was a plan of his. A plan no one else knows about.
He was going to wait for you to finish off Voldemort before miraculously coming back, claiming to have been a prisoner. Then, in a great strike of tragedy, Harry Potter will perish quite mysteriously. All for the greater good, of course. Considering Harry Potter will have long since then become consumed in darkness and too powerful for his own good.
Evidence will later come to light that Harry was planning to take over the wizarding world. This would forever cause people to curse the name Potter. Not too long after, many people who were friends with Harry Potter will die quite suddenly. According to the reports, they all would have died of grief over their friend.
Many people would be saddened by their deaths, as it was well known that they had so much potential and would have become the next leaders of their world.
About a year later, Albus Dumbledore will announce that he has finally found the secrets to creating a sorcerer's stone, and made one for himself. Of course, what no one else will know, is that it was actually the stone that he stole from Nicholas Flamel and told everyone he had destroyed.
And so the immortal Albus Dumbledore will forever remain and continue to shape the world as he sees fit."
"As for your other question," she continued, completely disregarding the fact that Harry looked like he was about to kill someone. "That requires a bit of an explanation."
"Eventually, I, too, was reborn on earth. Like Dumbledore, I remembered nothing of my past life, though I held much the same morals. But there is something that neither of us took into account when the spell was cast upon me.
Even if it was all locked away, I was still a Valkyrie. No spell could change that. I was still immortal and still had all my powers. I just couldn't access them.
But what Odin did not account for was the fact that I could have children."
Harry's eyes widened slightly. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Was there another Valkyrie out there somewhere?
Hrist chuckled slightly. "Yes, Harry." she said to him. "Even though I could not access any of my special abilities because of the spell, I was still a Valkyrie. And so this trait would be passed onto any child I may have.
But, unlike me, my child would have complete access to the powers of a Valkyrie. Once they discovered them, that is."
"And that," she continued. "Is where the story begins to concern you.
In this new life, I was born to two loving parents and an older sister. I cared for them very much. When I was eleven, I went to a school for witches and wizards. I eventually married a young pureblood wizard whom I loved with all my heart. We had one son. Unfortunately, we both were killed before we could watch our little boy grow up."
Hrist was staring out at the water and as Harry watched, he could see a red tear go down her face. It looked like she was crying blood, and maybe she was.
"I'm sorry." he told her at last. "It must have been hard."
She smiled sadly at him with quivering lips. As he watched, more tears came forth and began rolling down her cheeks.
Suddenly, her armour began to melt away and as elegant white dress shimmered into view. He watched as her features began to morph slightly and her hair faded into a fiery auburn. She lunged at him and wrapped him a tight embrace. He could only sit in shock as the Lily Potter look-a-like cried into the crook of his neck.
"I'm so sorry, Harry." she whispered into his ear. "I should have been there for you."
Not knowing what else to do, Harry wrapped his arms with trepidation around the woman who looked so much like his mother. Even if she was a fake, he felt so happy to finally be able to hug his mother. Surprisingly, he didn't feel that angry at Hrist for masquerading around as his mother. Though he was still very confused.
She eventually pulled away, slightly embarrassed. She was sniffling and seemed to still be crying, though she had composed herself.
"Forgive me." she said, looking down at her hands. "But I have wanted to hold you in my arms for so long. How pathetic you must think I am."
"I-I… don't understand." Harry whispered. "What…What the hell is going on!"
Hrist raised her hand and caressed Harry's cheek lightly. She sighed at the wariness she detected in his eyes. She lowered her hand and pulled his own hand into hers. She began to lightly caress the back of is hand with her thumb.
"I know this is probably hard to accept." she said to him. "But you must. When I was reborn… I had another name. One you would recognize quite well."
She looked him directly in the eyes and he found that he couldn't bring himself to look away. Something… something in her voice… in her eyes, was telling him that what she spoke was nothing but truth. He felt like something was filling him up and he didn't know what it was. He just knew that whatever he was about to hear would change everything forever. More than it had already. And he probably wouldn't like it.
She did not disappoint him.
"My name was Lily." she told him.
"I am your mother, Harry Potter."
Harry just stared at her. He wanted to deny it. Wanted to do anything to stop his life from spinning anymore out of control. He had already lost all those he had cared about, had faced countless dangers and sorrow. What more did they want?
But he knew that he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to he couldn't deny or denounce anything that he had heard.
"Why?" he asked her. "Why me? And if you really are my mother, than why have come to me now? After all this time? After all the people that have died for me… you only now come and tell me that I may have had the power to prevent it? Why now? After all this? What stopped you from coming before now?"
Hrist sighed and let his hand fall back into his lap.
She stood up with her hands linked behind her back and slowly began to pace in front of him. All the while, Harry followed her with his eyes.
"Since the day I died and remembered, I have been planning. Instead of crossing over like I could have done, I stayed behind so that I could one day tell you the truth and help you anyway I could. Today is this day.
You are a hybrid Harry. More special than you know. The son of a wizard and Valkyrie with the powers of both. The only one who ever has or ever will exist. With training, you will be a force to be reckoned with. But that takes time. Time that I am not sure you have at the moment.
And so, I have decided to enact my emergency plan. The last resort."
She paused in her speaking but continued pacing. There where so many questions Harry wanted to ask. He Didn't know where to start. Where could he begin? What was so special about being a Valkyrie?
"Emergency plan?" he asked, instead.
Hrist stopped her pacing and leaned against back against a tree. She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.
"Yes," she said. "An emergency plan that I began preparing for as soon as I died. I had to help you in anyway I could. I knew I wouldn't be able to contact you until you were older. It takes years for spirits left behind, other than ghosts, to be able to contact the living.
But being a messenger of Death myself, I could have talked to you sooner. But I decided to better use my energy. And without this energy, I wouldn't be able to contact you for a while. This I knew from the beginning.
So, I began to collect energy and magic and devised a plan. It took a lot of thinking and research and I'm still not sure how I did it.
I'm going to take your mind and soul, Harry, and them back."
"Wh-What?" Harry stuttered, loosing most of his previous indifference.
"What do you mean? S-send me back?"
Hrist crossed her arms over her chest and stared out at the water.
"Harry, I've been formulating plans and preparing for seventeen years. I'm not sure how I did it, but once I got it in my head, I couldn't stop until I had succeeded. I have devised a way, dear Harry, for you to go back.
At the present time, you are unable to do much against Odin and the one who calls himself Voldemort. Things have sped up and you don't have time to prepare. This will give you some time and save a few lives along the way.
I'm going to take your mind and soul and cast them back in time, Harry, into the body of your younger self."
Harry stared at her incredulously, completely baffled. They were talking time travel here. He had heard of going back in time with a time turner, but only a few days at most. There had been rumors that Merlin did a bit of time travelling. But… Going back in time any further was supposed to be impossible, as it could create a paradox. Besides, going back in time to change things was completely illegal by the ministry and could have dire consequences. He voiced his thoughts to Hrist.
She merely scoffed and turned up her nose.
"You will find," she said. "That the Valkyrie are above the laws of mortals. They would be unable to do anything about it. According to their own laws, you are immune to anything they might try to do to you.
No paradox would be created because there would only be one Harry Potter. You can think of it as suddenly waking up from a very detailed vision of the future.
But I can only send you back so far. Time is part of the fourth dimension. We exist in the third dimension. As such, it takes a lot of energy to cross the existing boundaries. I can only send you bask to a little bit before your fifteenth birthday. But this should be enough if you work hard."
"Three years?" he asked, hope and awe finally entering his voice.
Hrist smiled at him, having picked up the emotions.
"Yes." she said to him, still smiling.
Her face suddenly turned very serious and the smile left her face.
"There are some things you need to understand before I send you back, Harry." she said.
"As a Valkyrie, you have a duty. As the last, you have a burden. We, as the first Valkyrie, were known as the sisters of death. It was our job to guide lost souls and decide where they go and when and if they are reborn. It was also our duty to protect the realms from the demons and the evil spirits. Our job to slay them, to banish them from the world, no matter what the cost.
This is now your job, Harry."
"Why me?" he whispered.
"Why is it always me? I don't want this! I don't even understand half the things you are saying.!"
"Would you really wish this on anyone else?" she asked him. "Could you really stand by and do nothing? Could you really forsake the duty you have been given?"
Harry looked away from her and glared at the ground. He vaguely noticed that a tear had fallen down his face. He clenched his hands and continued to glare at nothing.
"I want nothing more than to slaughter my enemies. To laugh at their pain as they have laughed at mine. To make sure that they never hurt anyone again. All I want is revenge. All I want, is to ensure that no one ever has to feel the pain that I have felt."
He whipped his head to glare at Hrist. Tears were streaming down his face but he couldn't make them stop.
"As long as they pay for their crimes… Then I will suffer an eternity of service."
"Very well," Hrist sighed. "So be it. You have made your decision and now you must stand by it for all eternity.
I have taken the liberty of collecting all the knowledge I believe you should know. Though magic has changed greatly since my time as Hrist, so some things are missing. You will have to find these for yourself.
Where ever or whenever you end up, the books and everything else will be shrunk and in your pocket.
Now, as the last Valkyrie, I need to give a name to my successor."
She gazed intently at him for a few moments, seeming to consider it.
"Grim." she whispered. She nodded to herself. "Yes, that shall do. I hereby name thee, Grim Valkyrie. This is now your true name."
She suddenly looked up and seemed to see something he did not. She sighed and looked at him with that sad look in her eyes and again he couldn't look away.
"Our time here is up. You have to go now. But before you leave, I have one last piece of advice."
Harry looked at her expectantly. He wanted to hear whatever she had to say. She had already helped him so much.
"Time flows differently in the after realms. I suggest you go there to train, as it will give you more time."
She took his head in her hands and leaned forward, kissing him on his forehead.
"Be well, my son." she uttered softly to him.
And then…
Everything went black.
That is the end of the Prologue. Hope you liked it.
I understand that you may not get some of this right away, but I think you will later.
Until then I guess.
-Lady Iri