Harry Potter and the Mystic Force
By Michael Weyer
Hard Arrival
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Harry let out a loud gasp as he felt himself landing onto the ground. He winced as he rose up, shuffling off his robe to rise up, alert. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. He appeared to be in a forest of some sort, the air nice and clear. He realized he was no longer at Hogwarts as the sun was up and the forest allowed plenty of light to flow around.
Harry sighed, letting out the tension that had been filling his body. He sat on a nearby rock as he tried to gather his thoughts and feelings. Absently, he opened the bag to examine the contents.
He recognized his invisibility cloak along with a change of clothing. He was surprised to see the scrapbook of photos of his parents which he had left in his room in there as well. Aside from that, there wasn't much else except for a couple of spell books and a few vials of ingredients. It was almost as if someone packed this for him knowing he'd need to take a bag quickly.
That made no sense but then again neither did any of this. Harry sat back as his mind tried to focus on what had happened. Cedric was dead. He knew that, he'd seen him die, he'd seen him killed right before his eyes. And yet now he was back and was accusing Harry of being behind it all with no mention of Voldemort.
So what was going on? Was this an imposter? No, no, Dumbledore would have checked that carefully. Yet Harry had seen Cedric killed and even if that wasn't really him why would Cedric claim Harry had been behind it all?
It made Harry's head hurt thinking about it all. He leaned back on the rock as he tired to figure out what this all meant. Assuming that Cedric was believed, that meant others would now assume Voldemort was not alive again and Harry was the one trying to organize forces. Harry started as he realized that by the time Skeeter was done, the wizarding world would be convinced he was the next Dark Lord.
That was, of course, insane. Then again, so was Harry and Herimone believing in all this. That after all they'd been through, his two best friends would just turn on him like that hurt Harry more than anything. He thought they trusted him and believed him enough not to turn on him with so little evidence. Apparently, he was wrong and that just made the situation worse.
He rubbed his temples as he stood up. This whole situation was too much to handle right now. He needed to find out where he was and get his bearings before he could deal with it all. He glanced at the note and frowned. Another mystery to add to the pile was who left this for him. It couldn't have been Sirius, he'd have called Harry by name. But he couldn't figure out who else would be helping him. Shrugging, he hefted the bag on his shoulder and began to walk through the woods.
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"Rootcore…Rootcore…" Harry muttered. "Too much to put a bloody map on this?" He put the piece of paper back into his pocket and tried to pick up his pace. He'd been walking for an hour but the forest appeared unending and he had no idea what direction he was going in. Hell, he had no idea where he even was. The sun was starting to set which meant things would be even more difficult to get around soon.
He was passing by a large stump when he heard something behind him. He paused and slowly turned around, searching the bushes nearby. His hand reached to grip at his wand, his body tense, his senses as alert as possible.
"Hiya."
Harry yelped and spun around, his wand aimed at the figure who had snuck up behind him. The figure likewise let out a yell of fear as he stumbled back. Harry took a few breaths to still his racing heart as he took in the intruder. He was short and dressed in rather grubby clothing of pants, a dark vest and jacket and a cap on top of a patch of unruly hair. His pointed ears were covered with warts, as was his large and pointed nose. He managed a smile, showing off a mouth of broken, misshapen, yellowed and even missing teeth. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"Who…who are you?" Harry managed to gasp out.
"Oh, I'm Phineas," the troll said with a smile. "Nice to meet ya."
"Um…Harry."
The troll frowned. "No, Phineas."
"No, no, I'm Harry. That's my name."
"Oh, nice to meet ya, Harry!" Phineas beamed. "Sorry, was just on a walk, taking in the sights and such." He held up a basket. "Also hunting eggs."
Harry looked at the basket and wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Um, they're all rotten." He looked closer. "Except that one."
"Ooops, thanks!" Phineas took the one good egg and tossed it aside. "Almost got that mixed in."
Harry blinked before shaking his head. "Um, well, I, ah, really am just arrived here." He looked around. "In fact, not really sure where I am."
"Oh, lost?" Phineas nodded. "Yeah, that happens to me a lot." He paused and looked around. "In fact, right now, I think I'm lost."
Harry bit his lip as he tried to hold in his patience. "Do you know where I can find a place called Rootcore?"
Phineas' eyes brightened. "Oh, yeah, I know it!"
Harry waited a few moments, watching Phineas nod before speaking. "Do you know where it is?"
"Yep, I do."
Another pause followed and Harry felt like he was having a conversation with Dooby. "Where is it?" he asked, trying not to grit his teeth.
"Oh, um, kinda hard to tell. Like I said, I'm lost."
Harry closed his eyes in pain before opening them. "Can you at least…give me a hint?"
Phineas tapped his long nose for a few moments, his eyes crossed in thought. He put a finger to his tongue and held it up as if testing the wind before pointing over Harry's shoulder. "I'm gonna say…that way."
Harry nodded. "Thank you. Um…nice to meet you."
"Same to you!" Phineas grinned. "Good luck!"
Harry just shook his head as he walked on, wondering if this was a good sign or bad for his time in wherever he was.
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Harry had never been the most athletic of children and thus a long hike like this wasn't improving his mood any. He was grateful it was a cool day to keep him from sweating but the long march was reminding him that he hadn't eaten in hours. He was heading around a large tree when he heard noises ahead. He knelt down to peer closely to try and see what it was.
His eyes widened behind his glasses as he took in the bizarre scene before him. There were a dozen figures crawling about, resembling men in torn brown robes and hoods with black gloves and silver belts. They scurried about, many holding large double-edged swords as they searched for something Harry couldn't see.
It was the figure in the center that got Harry's attention. He was tall and clad in a massive suit of blue armor with spiked spots about it, his lower half also in blue armor with spiked knees and large boots. A golden belt was around his waist but seemed built into the armor and a golden embalm was upon his chest that looked like a twisted bat. One each shoulder stuck out a large silver spike and his head was covered completely in a dark helmet. It was faceless with no mouth, just a black faceplate with a silver spot by the mouth and a triangle of blue around the eyes. One hand was clasped around a large triangular shield was a blue and silver bat design that had a large sword slide into it.
The figure gazed about and a large voice boomed from the helmet. "Faster, you fools! Find the jewel or I'll have you all carved into meat for the Master's hounds!" The robed figures stepped up their actions, searching bushes and trees. Harry shivered as he watched. He had no idea what these things were but he knew darkness when he felt it and it was coming in waves from them…especially their leader.
As if he heard Harry's thoughts, the figure turned his helmet around, scanning the nearby trees. Harry froze, doing his best to keep as still as possible. He wished he'd thought of putting on his invisibility cloak but it was a bit too late for that now. He held his breath as the armored knight moved toward his spot.
In a quick motion, the man pulled his sword free of the shield and sliced it toward the bush Harry was in. With a yelp, Harry fell backward, feeling the wind of the blade inches from his face. He scurried back, trying to keep a hold on his bag even as the armored figure came toward him. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice laced with savage anger.
Harry felt his hand grip his wand and point it out. "Stupefy!" A blast of light shone out from it. With a speed that belied the bulkiness of his armor, the knight raised his shield to block the bolt, the energy dissipating into the air. It did give Harry the time to get to his feet and start to run.
"After him!" the knight called out and Harry heard the odd cries of those creatures as they rushed after him. He picked up his pace, leaping over logs and branches as he tried to put as much distance as he could before his pursuers. Once again, Harry found himself running for his life but this time he felt the stakes were much higher somehow.
He was turning a corner when his foot caught a snarled branch and made him trip. His bag went sprawling as he gasped in pain. He rolled about to get back to his feet only to have one of the robed figures leap at him, snarling as he swung a blade at his head. Harry barely dodged it only to have another figure tackle him down. They rolled about, Harry pushing the creature back as he tried to run but was tackled by another and another and another.
Harry found himself on his back, held down as the knight came forward, his blade pointed right at Harry's throat. "I gave you a chance," he hissed. "But you interfered in matters beyond you." He raised his sword up, Harry struggling but unable to break free of the holds on him. He stared at the dark blade as he reached its arc and then began to swing downward…
A blast of white light flowed over his head, striking the knight dead on. The figure cried out, more in surprise than in pain, as he was knocked backward. The creatures seemed as surprised as Harry, even more so when a wind blew out of nowhere to send them flying away. Harry tried to roll back to his feet but felt something strike him in the back of the head. He stumbled and fell, holding it, his vision blurry as his senses reeled.
Glancing up, Harry tried to focus his eyes but his head hurt too much to concentrate. He saw a figure in white attacking the creatures and seeming to drive them back. Then merciful blackness took him.
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The sound of a tweeting bird echoed in Harry's ears as he woke up. He sat up slowly, wincing as he felt his head. It took him a moment to realize his glasses were off and he looked about, taking a moment to feel them at a table next to him. Slipping them on, he took in his new surroundings.
He was lying in a small bed in what appeared to be a large room with almost entirely wooden settings. A small set of stairs led to a raised section with what looked like a crystal ball set on a stand with various glowing symbols around it. Light was set from a series of fixtures circling the room and a large multicolored pane window in a raised corner. One wall contained five brooms, each set before a stand with a glowing color: Yellow, red, green, blue and pink.
Harry slowly stood up and looked about with curiosity. He saw various volumes of books scattered about with a large shelf on one side packed with more. A large pot bubbled nearby a bench filled with various labeled bottles. He also saw a desk containing a computer of all things. Despite its strangeness, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit peaceful as he took it all in.
"Ah, you're awake."
Harry whirled about to see a woman who had suddenly appeared behind him. She appeared to be in her forties but was very attractive with red hair cascading in curls around her shoulders. She was clad in a pair of white britches and a dark white shirt laced up in the front with a shawl that flowed into white sleeves upon her arms and backward like a cape. While impressive, her face was set in a nice smile that, combined with her deep brown eyes, instantly set Harry at ease.
"Um, hello," Harry said as he looked about. "I'm…Harry. Harry Potter." Only when he was done speaking did he realize the dangers of giving his real name. However, she didn't appear to recognize it in the slightest but simply nodded her head to him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter. I am the sorceress Udonna. Welcome to Rootcore."