This is my first Fic. Ever please be nice! And a review would help to.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Summary: After having a boring summer at the Dursleys Harry finally gets some time to spend with the Weasleys near school time. What happens when Harry uses the floo powder again but somehow he didn't go to Diagon Alley but went to a place called Dragon's Alley Manor that lies unknown in the dark reaches of the swamps of Louisiana? What will happen when he meets the owner of the mansion? Well one thing's for sure Harry knows he has some dark secret.
Harry was finally at the burrow. A long summer it had been for him at the Dursleys again and he was now happy to be free. The Weasleys were like family to him and he enjoyed being with them. It was almost time to go to school and Harry and the Weasleys along with Hermione went to go get their books before school. School would be starting next week and Harry could hardly wait.
Of course when it came time to go Harry had to use the floo powder. Harry had already had a bad experience with it before but it didn't stop him from using it again. Ron and Hermione and the other Weasleys were already at Diagon Alley it was now his turn. Harry got a fist full of floo powder and threw it down in the fire place. He was so nervous about something wrong happening again he miss pronounced Diagon Alley and said "Dragon Alley" and before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew it he was gone.
"Oh no dear! Harry didn't say Diagon Alley and I don't know any Dragon Alley's what are we to do?" Mrs. Weasley
"I don't know maybe he'll be able to come back but if he doesn't I'll send word to Dumbledore immediately." Mr. Weasley said uneasily to his wife.
Somewhere in the far reaches of the dark swamps in Louisiana a giant Mansion stood. Gothic style stone and design with dragons as decorations and ornaments everywhere. Inside was spacious yet dark and gloomy interior. Old tapestries of dragons lined the walls. There were 3 floors with a grand marble stair case in the middle. On the second floor there were two huge dark marble like doors and behind them was an expansive library covered in dust and dark from no light because of the large bay windows were covered thickly with dust and grime. A large fireplace with the shape of a dragons head stood in a near corner of the room with a wing back chair in front it.
Suddenly there was a burst of green in the fireplace and Harry came tumbling out in front of the wing back chair. As soon as Harry came out a normal fire came into place in the fireplace. Harry coughed and looked around knowing full well he wasn't where he wanted to be. He also got the feeling he wasn't alone there and the feeling led him to look at the wing back chair. Two red eyes stared at him in shock and surprise and Harry shuddered and backed up nearer to the fireplace looking for a place where there might be floo powder.
"If you're looking for some floo powder than well your searching in vain dear boy. That fireplace hasn't been used for floo travel in ages." Said a calm sophisticated voice where the red eyes lied. Even though there was now a fire in the fireplace Harry still couldn't see who or what was in the chair because it was far enough away to where light of the fire could not reach.
"Who are you?" Asked Harry working up the nerve to ask the stranger.
"Actually I should be asking you that since you've come into my home uninvited." Said the person with his red eyes narrowing.
"I'm sorry sir but I was trying to get to Diagon Alley and well I ended up here since I was nervous and said it wrong." Harry said looking down
"You are forgiven. I've made a few mistakes myself traveling by floo." Said the red eyed man. The man was now out of the chair and seemed to swoop over to Harry in a graceful fashion. Harry took a good look at the man in the fire light and saw he had oddly colored hair. His bangs and the top of his head was a snowy white color while near the base of his neck there was black hair. His eyes were not red anymore but a dark grey under thick snowy white eyebrows. He had a very angular face and looked to be in his mid 30s. He was wearing what look liked a black and white fur cloak that oddly looked as if it had numerous tails and it also helped blend the rest of him into the darkness of the room.
"Well?" the strange man asked Harry.
"Um well what sir?" Harry asked not knowing what the man was asking for.
"Your name boy! Or do you have one?" the man said with a smirk gracing his handsome features.
"Oh it's Harry, Harry Potter." Harry said to the man whose smirk dropped instantly by hearing his name.
"No you can't be the Harry Potter can you!? Here? But you live in England! That floo powder wouldn't have been able to get you here! Especially since I know for a fact this mansion has been off the floo travel list for ages! I would understand if you lived here in America for this mistake to happen but not from a different country." The man said bewildered at Harry.
"Well I am sir." Harry said to him going over what the man had said in his mind. "Well you sure are a long way from home boy." The man said to Harry.
"Whoa wait did you just say I was in America!?" Harry said shocked. "Yes your in one of the bayous of Louisiana." The man stated.
"Oh man I am a long ways from home." Harry said looking down from shock.
"Well maybe I can get a hold of some wizard families around here and we'll figure out how to get you home from there." The man said contemplating about this odd predicament.
"Um you never told me your name sir." Harry said looking at the man who seemed to go rigid at the question but relaxed and soon said.
"Damien" and he looked away towards the door and soon started out the door of the library with Harry right behind him.
"Damien who? Surely you have a last name sir." Harry said looking at him again.
Damien sighed in a frustrated manner and said "Okay my name is Damien Snape! I think you've heard of the last name before." He said angrily as he was now going down the steps of the grand staircase.
"You mean you're related to professor Snape? My potions master?" Harry said shocked. To him this day was just getting even weirder by the minute.
"Yes, Serverus is my cousin." He said grimily and continued to walk with his odd cloak somewhat animatedly moving behind him in a sweeping motion.
Harry followed wanting to know how he could get back home but also wondering why he didn't sound too fond of his cousin.
Damien escorted Harry to what looked like a huge office it had a big desk in the middle complete with its own little library of reference books and it to was covered in dust and cobwebs. The things that grabbed Harry's main focus however was a huge black globe that looked like a world globe but solid black and you couldn't see any thing if there was something on it. The one thing that really got Harry's attention was the huge vulture like thing on a big branch that was being used as a perch.
The vulture like thing looked strangely different than any bird he had ever seen. It looked like it had some sort of beard hanging from its crude curved beak. It was also almost as big as Harry only though as wide as it was tall. It shrieked at him maliciously with gleaming eyes showing what was impossible for a bird to have.
Fangs it had sharp rows of teeth and it's talons were far so much bigger than an average bird would need for a perch.
Harry without realizing it was coming closer to get a good look at the strange bird until Damien's voice stopped him.
"Not very wise to approach a harpy." Damien said looking through books which startled Harry because he hadn't even turned around to witness that Harry was getting to close to the bird.
"A harpy?" Harry asked curiously
"What did you think I was boy!? A stupid bird!?" Came a ragged voice from the giant bird itself.
"IT TALKED!!!" Harry yelled shocked
"Of course he talked he's a harpy all harpy's can talk. Of course when you try to make a conversation with them you'd be better off talking to a corpse or well being a corpse since harpies have little tolerance for humans. That's why it's rare to see one so they are usually classified as a fictional bird in both muggle and wizarding worlds Of course a human from any world has yet to come across a harpy and live." Damien stated not even turning around.
"I'm not a bird!!!" The Harpy screeched at Damien
"Of course your not I mean who would think a winged thing with a beak and stature of a vulture was a bird." Damien said smartly to the Harpy who in turn glared daggers at him.
"But if it has little tolerance for humans than why..?" Harry was about to ask when all of a sudden Damien went rigged then continued to look through the books and then looked like he had found what he was looking for.
Damien went past Harry and sat in the desk chair while combing through certain pages of the book.
"Hmm it seems the only witches around here are in New Orleans but unfortunately for you they aren't very nice. The New Orleans witches are called the Voodanti because they practice voodoo and are quite good at it. But if you'd want we can go and see if one of them will allow you to use their floo chimneys but like I said the Voodanti clan isn't the nicest of witches and rumors have it that some started Voodoo under the rules of he who must not be named." Damien said reading and flipping to some pages of the book he was looking at.
"Um why are there only witches in New Orleans?" Harry questioned.
"Because most of Louisiana is swamp lands and most witches live the high life in New Orleans but there are some hermits like me who live in the bayous but we aren't listed." Damien stated.
"Oh um I guess we could try New Orleans unless you suggest somewhere else." Harry said to Damien.
"Um it's up to you really I mean I'm not the one who needs to go home." Damien said pulling out a long slender pipe looking thing that held an unlit cigarette at the end.
"Okay we'll try it unless you know some of the hermits and if they..." Harry said cut off when Damien furiously shook his head no.
"You don't want to meet one of the hermits boy most of them aren't as nice as me and I at times haven't been a real gentleman myself." Damien said looking sternly
"Well okay New Orleans it is um I guess." Harry said insecurely
"Well given either the hermits or the witches in New Orleans I say you've made the best choice. Now I do know some witches but they moved to North Carolina to practice brewery in the mountains and they were pretty nice of course they are a very secluded family themselves." Damien said to Harry going off on a tangent again.
"So um when are we going to go?" Harry asked
"We can leave right now just let me get the horses and carriage." Damien said and disappeared in thin air.
"Whoa is he a ghost?" Harry turned to the Harpy hoping to get an answer
"Not really all though he would think it would be fun to be one going into people's homes and scaring them have to death." The harpy stuck it's horrible sharp beak up into the air.
"Damien? He'd do that?" Harry asked in disbelief
"I wouldn't put it past him. That man has a record and you being in school even with his own cousin should have known about him. No one knows what runs into that insane cranium of his well no one has at least survived trying to at least. Best to keep your distance boy even I don't know what he's up to have the time and I've been his friend for ages." The harpy looked over concerned at Harry
"Why are you warning me? I thought Harpy's don't have any tolerance for humans." Harry asked
"Consider me a more lenient Harpy also one that has heard of you Harry Potter." The Harpy said looking Harry in the eye.
"Well since you know my name may I know yours?" Harry asked the Harpy
"My real name cannot be pronounced in your tongue but I will tell you the name I was given by Damien as a promise of friendship. It's Naga." Naga replied
"Well Naga it certainly is a pleasure to meet you. I also have one more question." Harry hoped the Harpy wasn't getting annoyed with him.
"Well go on" Naga replied
"What did he mean by horses and carriage?" Harry asked confused.
"Heh don't be fooled by this horse drawn carriage my boy. In other words I'd hold on if my life depended on it." They Harpy yawned and turned it's back to Harry signaling it was done from answering any more questions that harry might have.
'Horses and a Carriage? How does this guy expect to go through city traffic without a commotion?' Harry said deep in thought but went down the stairway and through the massive doors with dragons carved in them and soon found himself outside.
Harry stood there astonished when he saw 4 huge horses that looked like Clydesdale work horses with the huge muscles tufts of hair around their hooves. They were solid black with strange looking harnesses emblazoned with the Dragon Alley Manor symbol, the dragon. Their muzzle Harness gave them two huge horns in the middle of their head sinisterly curved backwards. The horses looked like they were snorting smoke as if inside them was a living fire like a dragons.
Behind the beautiful creatures was the Carriage. It was beautiful in it's own way it's gothic creepy dragon filled way. There was no driver but the door to the Carriage was open none the less. It was black with silver dragons adorning it for decoration with Dragon Alley Manor's symbol emblazed on the door in what looked like pure silver.
Harry got close to the door when an arm came out an dragged him and as soon as Harry was in the door shut and the Carriage was off in a hurry and it tossed him around like a rag doll. He looked for the culprit who had pulled him in.
Damien was sitting across from him smirking like the devil as Harry bounced around.
"Man how fast are we going?" Harry asked Damien still unable to stay in one place as the unmoving Damien.
"I dunno I guess I never really speed tested this thing but I guess you could guess by looking out the window." Damien said indifferently leaning back
Harry tried looking out the shaded Carriage window only to see that they were already in town and going at a remarkable speed in fact cars and pedestrians obviously new this Carriage and had run ins with it before and were desperately getting out of it's path. It also seemed that the police were waiting for him to show up seeing as there were now 4 cars after them. Harry looked at Damien worriedly and Damien just smirked at him.
"Don't sweat it kid the cops can never catch a magical Carriage with magical Steeds." Damien said laid back
Sure enough the Carriage went through alleyways and turns at such a lightning speed that is left the police behind in the dust.
Harry could only wonder what he had got himself into.
End of Chapter 1.