Chapter four: Meeting the Arcs II
For the first time in a long, long time Harry Potter felt complete and utterly baffled. He could deal with a lot of a strange things. Hell he had already dealt with a lot of strange things, but this … this was a ´Harry you are a wizard´ level of bizarre and unlike then was no friendly giant by the name of Hagrid to explain things to him, no trip to the bookstore, no convenient invitation to a school that could offer him all he needed to learn.
Well to be fair there was a giant … vampire … Huntsman! Yes that was what the man was. Probably at least; the few time the word was mentioned the informations was infuriatingly vague. Really would it kill whoever lived in this room to have a dictionary? There were also books, but the small bookcase was a bit lacking in compared to the vast assortment of Flourish and Blotts.
Don't get him wrong there was some really useful information, but ultimately he was left with far more questions than answers?
Where was he? Still no idea.
What was the non-vampire? A Huntsman! What was a huntsman? Someone who fought Grimm aka demons using Aura and Dust. What were those two things? No idea. Seriously again was it to much to ask to have a dictionary in the room?
How where there demons around? The closest answer he got to that was that they had simply around since the dawn of humanity. Harry called bullshit on that however. What? Did a bunch of caveman fight and survive against a demon horde? No only that, but both humanity and the Demons were still around after centuries? Centuries of conflict without either side annihilating each other? Well to be fair he had know idea what timescale he was working with as he hadn't found anything resembling a history book and that was certainly a damn shame because it might have helped him understand his next question a bit, but considering what he had seen so far humans had to be around for centuries at least right?
Were the maps real? It hadn't resembled anything he was familiar with, but from what little he remembered from his pre-Hogwarts years the world hadn't always looked like it did now and it had drastically changed over the centuries, but he recalled very little of those lessons and he wasn't sure if the earth could ever turn into what he had seen on the maps.
All those questions were plaguing him, but the most prominent of them all right now was; 'What happened to the moon!' Harry stared aghast out of the window at the celestial body. While he held no special like or dislike for the thing seeing it partially destroyed send chills down Harry's body. It was the moon. The freaking moon. It was a constant fixture in the night sky. No matter how many centuries passed. No matter how many conflicts are waged. The moon was always unblemished.
How?
Who?
Why?
WHEN?
That last question especially got stuck in his head. When was the moon partially destroyed?
Again he had no time-line to work with, but something was seriously messed up. The map looked wrong, but he acknowledged that might happened after centuries of … what was it called again continental drift? The moon was damaged something that had definitely not happened in the past and demons had apparently been around since the dawn of recorded history. Did that mean the ritual had sent him in the future? A future where a lot of history was lost? For a normal human this might be an absurd thing to even consider, but he was a wizard to him it was a very real possibility.
No scratch that that theory did not make any sense. Despite the differences this place was to similar. They had forests that looked like a regular forest, the humans looked human, they apparently made comic books and movies, but most importantly they spoke modern English.
Leaving aside the fact that it was highly unlikely humans would still look the same after centuries of evolution. There was absolutely no chance the people would still speak (what he considered) modern English. So if the ritual hadn't send him forward in time then where had it send him?
He was not at any place on earth in the present or the past. The moon alone made that impossible. He was probably also not at any place on earth in the future as he had previously reasoned.
So if he was no transported to someplace on earth at some point in the past, present or future than that could only mean … Harry blanched. 'No, no, no. That is not the only logical alternative.' Harry scolded himself. 'I am not on freaking alien planet!' there must have been something he had missed.
After all no matter what the movies may say it was highly unlikely that even if there was (relatively) intelligent life out there they probably wouldn't look like humans or speak English for that matter.
Then another thought struck him. The Conjurer supposedly had summoned the demons from a different plane of existence. What that mean the books were rather vague about; a world that did not exist, but that did exist? What did that even mean? Or the world that was like ripples in a pond? It was like they were trying to vex future readers with their infuriating vagueness.
One thing was for sure though the term 'Different plane of existence' had remained constant. Not once did they refer to it as a different planet. So what did that mean? Well he knew that their were places that supposedly existed parallel to earth. Like the home of the Fae or the birthplace of the elven race.
Much information had been lost on either of those subjects, but from what Harry had read and more importantly understood those places existed, but not in their universe and could only be accessed by long sealed portals. If universe was the same as a plane of existence and that ritual had been a substitute for one of those portals then this might very well be very similar.
Again space and time magic was confusing at the best of times, but it should be possible right? After all if the Conjurer had summoned the demons from their plane of existence than it should stand to reason a ritual could be devised that did the opposite …
Harry blanched again. Forget aliens! Was he in the home-world of the demon race?
The images of last night and the view he was seeing now made him wonder thought. If some kind of demons world existed wouldn't it be a more hellish looking place and again this theory did nothing to explain why English speaking humans were around.
Regardless of where or when he was there was another rather worrying thing he had discovered or rather what he hadn't discovered. None of the books mentioned magic in any way. While Muggles have foolishly long since stopped believing in the miracle that was magic enough reference could still be found if you knew where to look. While they had become nothing more than myths and legends magic was still firmly entranced in earth's literature.
While he hadn't read every of every book from what he skimmed he hadn't seen anything close to what could be considered magic. If he was in the future had magic died? Had all traces of it disappeared? Or if his other theory was correct did that mean there was no magic in this plane of existence or whatever it was called and were he and the Death Eaters (assuming they were here) the only ones with magic?
Harry had to admit this latest train of thoughts was both equally terrifying as well as exhilarating.
A lot of magic had become obsolete over the centuries. Sometimes it was because something better had been devolved, but more often than not it was because protections and counters had been developed and as a result a lot of what he had learnt had no real practical applications because it was so easily countered (if it worked at all). So if no magic existed here than his repertoire had suddenly grown considerably … but so had the Death Eaters.
As much as he hated to admit it there was a distinct chance one if not all of them was more knowledgeable in the magical arts then he and to have them suddenly have access to an even wider arsenal of dark magic was frankly rather terrifying.
Even more terrifying was the sudden realisation there was no Master Li, no Hogwarts (or any other magical school), no Ministry of Magic, no nothing, but on the other hand … there was also no Statute of Secrecy.
Don't get him wrong he fully understood why magic was hidden from the world. Muggles, no humans in general were not the most accepting kind of people. For every five people that would be friendly/indifferent to the wizarding world if it was ever revealed there would be at least two that would be downright hostile (and that was probably a very generous estimate) and considering the prideful nature of magic users in general a bloody conflict was simply inevitable.
So logically he knew full well why the Statue existed, but at the same time Harry had always resented that he had to hide the best thing that had ever happened to him. Magic was not something to be ashamed of so why did they have to hide? He was not a supremacist. He did not believe that magic users were better than Muggles, but at the same time he also did not believe Muggles were better than magic users so why were they the ones that had to hide their amazing gifts?
But if there were no ministries of magic here, if there was no Statue of Secrecy here did that mean he could use magic whenever he wanted?
He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
On one hand he knew he should be horrified. He had been transported somewhere with no idea how to get back; Demons, Grimm whatever they were called were roaming the land and had been doing that for a considerable time here. He had not to recently seen someone get brutally mauled to dead, a stranger yes, but still a rather gruesome sight, but despite all that he felt a rush of excitement coarse trough his entire body.
Despite the utter stupidity of the mere thought Harry suddenly felt like rushing out of the house and using magic whenever and wherever he wanted, not at all caring who saw him. Despite the sheer elation he felt at the thought his more rational side managed to crush that easily before he could do anything stupid. He had promised not to magic for at least a day after all. Not to mention he had no way of knowing how people here would react to magic. No. That wasn't important was it? If those Aura users were allowed to flaunt their gifts like that then there was no way he was going to hide his birthright and if anyone had a problem with that … well it wasn't like he was a helpless firstie.
'As soon as I have recovered at least.' Harry thought with a groan as his body made it clear it did not appreciate the fact he had forced it to stand again. It was honestly rather vexing, but there was little he could do so he wobbled back to the bed. Once he had made himself comfortable on top of the sheets, secured his staff next to him, closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift through all the information he had learnt.
How much time passed as he reviewed, re-reviewed and re-re-reviewed what little information he had he wasn't sure, but when he was forced out of his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the door he immediately noticed that the room had become considerably darker and that the sun no longer illuminated the room.
He did feel remarkably calmer. The excitement and anxiety were still very much there, but he had managed to push those feelings to the back of his mind. Their presence still constant, but they didn't rule him.
He had managed to make a mental list of his biggest priorities and with a clear goal in mind it was much easier to focus on what he did know instead of what he didn't know. Gathering information and finding a way home was still a major priority, but cold hard logic had made him aware there was something even more pressing.
Basic needs.
Something even he took for granted these days. Food and water, shelter, sanitation, education and clothing even in his youth those thing had been available to him (most of the time) and after entering the magical world it only got better, but here?
He had a roof above his head, but it was nothing permanent. He could build a shelter with magic, but nothing to grand and where he could he even do that? He could hardly built a shack in the middle of a village (or even the outskirts). Assuming the people here where at least somewhat similar to the ones he was familiar with then they wouldn't like kindly upon some random guy building his own home in their neighbourhood.
He could conjure water, but food was a big no-no. As some not so random bloke had proved centuries ago food could not be conjured, if you had some it could be multiplied, enhanced and generally be improved, but as the man proved at the end of the day even that mattered little.
As for sanitation? Well there were spells to keep one clean, but other than a shaving charm Sirius insisted he teach him (even though he barely grew any facial hair the man had insisted it was his sacred duty as his Dogfather) he had never bother to learn any. Why would he? Showers were rather enjoyable and it was not like he expected to be stranded somewhere without access to basic facilities. If worse came to worst then he could always conjure a bucket of water and douse himself with it.
Education? Well he was definitely not enrolled in any school here, but it might be something to look into when the more pressing matters were settled. After all what better place (other than a library) to gather information than a school?
Clothing? Well that one was more easy taken of. Transfiguring some basic clothing … very basic clothing was not outside his skill range and while he didn't know any spells to clean himself his clothes were another matter. It had been rather surprising that it wasn't much harder to completely clean clothes than it was to remove a simple food stain.
So for now he had organised his priorities and had a clear goal in mind. First and foremost he would try and find a source of food and water and a place where he could spent the nights. Secondly gather information where he was, how those non-vampires/Hunters could fight like that (and if he could learn it because that would be wicked and more than a little useful), if the Death Eaters where he and how to get home. Thirdly try to get his hands on whatever passed as money in these parts.
So with a plan clear in mind Harry had manage to reorganise the whirlwind that was his mind in something more productive and so without hesitation he bade whoever had knocked on the door to enter.
It took a moment, but then the door opened, slowly and most likely not by the giant from before. When the door was only slightly open a head peeked around the opening. Harry raised an eyebrow at who he saw.
It was the little girl that was partially responsible for his current state. Her grey eyes seem to brighten when she saw him and to Harry's surprise the man had been right before. She seem to be perfectly fine. When she saw him looking she smiled shyly at him showing him she was a missing tooth which he was not ashamed to admit (in the private confines of his own thoughts) made her look rather adorable.
Harry smiled back. Did it suck he was more or less powerless? Yes and that was putting it mildly. Was it worth it to see this instead of a corpse. Most definitely. Would he do it again knowing the outcome? Well no … if he knew what was going to happen in advance then the fight would have been much easier and he probably could have reached the same end result without getting hurt. Still did he regret it? Not in a million years.
The door was then further opened and Harry noticed the girl was not alone. Following behind her was another member of the fairer gender only this one was probably a decade or two older than the girl.
It took him less than a second to recognise the much taller blonde and when he did he indistinctly gripped his staff tighter and he felt his entire body tense. Standing there was another one of those inhuman fighters; it was the spear wielder. The fact that she wasn't actually carrying her weapon did very little to ease his mind. Again he was pretty sure those people didn't want to do him harm, but the fact that they could and there was very little he could do about it in such enclosed space (and with his magic at such low levels) made him feel incredibly tense.
Still like with the man before it was rather hard to see her as the monster he had seen fighting. In fact with her it was even more apparent as she was not build like a half-giant. To most seeing her without her weapon and dressed rather casually the woman looked rather perfectly normal, but to Harry who had encountered enough duellists and even couple of Muggle fighters it was impossible to miss the way she moved.
He wasn't even sure if the woman was even aware of it or if she just moved like that all the time, but from what he could see the way she moved allowed her to not only move forward faster, but also reach for something behind her, presumably the place where she normally kept her weapon. Which was a bit weird considering that her spear couldn't be much if any smaller than his own staff and fastening that thing to his back in any comfortable way was simply impossible. Still all in all even if he hadn't seen her tear those demons apart her movement alone identified her as a well trained fighter.
''Hello!''
Harry blinked in surprise at the sudden noise right next to him. Turning his head he saw that the space next to his bed was suddenly occupied by the little girl he could have sworn had just been standing right next to the older blonde who fortunately enough for his sanity was still some distance away. Even if he had a bit distracted by the spear wielder how had he so completely lost track of the child that he hadn't noticed her until she opened up her mouth right next to him? Perhaps an even more important question however; were those pancakes?
While food had been on his thoughts not to long ago actually seeing it and more importantly smelling it made him suddenly realise that his lack of strength might come from more than just magical exhaustion. How much time has passed since he had breakfast? Far to long his brain instantly replied as the delicious smell registered in his brain.
''Hi.'' He eventually managed to reply tearing his eyes away from the plate of food and up to the girl's face not really knowing what else to say. He had never really interacted with anyone significantly younger than him other than the occasional fist year little bugger than did not seem to understood they had to pester Prefects and not him. Still being polite was always good right? And what better than to ask about someone wellbeing? ''Are you okay?''
In response the girl's eyes which he just noticed look to shine in a way he had only seen in certain annoying half-breed dulled considerably and she lowered her head for a moment before raising it again, a smile adorning her face. ''I am great.'' She intoned seemingly convinced of her own words.
Okay that was most definitely not normal. Again he was not a mind healer, but even he saw that her reaction was weird if not a little familiar.
''Thank you for helping me by the way.'' The girl continued, her words making Harry raise a eyebrow in confusion; did she even understood what would have happened if he hadn't gotten between him and that Demon? Was she simply unaware of how much danger she had been in?
''Daddy said you were probably hungry so to thank you me and Lu made you pancakes.'' The girl said as she raised as she raised the plate. '' I hope you like them. Of course you do. Who doesn't like pancakes? Well Vell doesn't, but she is weird so … not that you would be weird if you don't like pancakes or anything. I mean yeah it would still be weird, but you know what I mean, right?''
Harry did not in fact understood what the girl was babbling about. In fact while he was glad he had saved her he decided there and then he would try to stay as far aways as possible from her and any other child that might make just as little sense as this blonde. Had he ever been like that? His memories of his earlier years at the Dursleys were a bit blurry, but he honestly doubted it. Fortunately before he had to reply to the expectantly looking child someone spoke to her.
''Amber.'' The single word spoken by the young woman still standing casually in the middle of the room was more than enough to grab the attention of the child as she turned to regard her. ''What did father say about Mr Black?''
The girl, Amber presumably blinked owlishly for a moment before seemingly realising something as she muttered an apology. To who he had no idea, but he had no time to question her on it as the elder woman spoke up again. ''While I know my father already did it I too wish to offer my profound gratitude for coming to the aid of my sister. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if you didn't.''
Now that he could definitely believe. While he didn't really trust any of these people he was pretty that she was telling the truth about this. Either than or she was the world's best actor.
''Anyway the name is Lucilla Arc and like my sister said she and I made you some food.'' She said stressing the I as she pointedly looked at her sister who seems rather obvious. ''You should try to eat. It won't help you recover your Aura any faster, but your body needs sustenance to.''
''Thank you.'' He replied. What else was he going to say? 'No I don't want the food you went out of you way to make even if I am staying here as a guest?' Yeah that would go over really well. With some reluctance he let go of his staff and put it next to him and accepted the plate and utilities from the now smiling Amber.
An action that did not go unnoticed apparently as just as he about to cut of his first piece of the delicious smelling food Lucilla spoke up again. ''You know, it's understandable you are a bit on edge considering what happened, but you don't have to worry about getting attacked here. The twins are standing guard at the hole in the wall and my father and a number volunteers are patrolling the vicinity. The chances of Grimm getting in here are slim to none and if even they did I am still here.''
The confidence the woman seem to hold in her own fighting skills was almost staggering. It was not false bravado. It was clear that the woman truly believed with every fibber of her being that whatever she might face she could take down and it actually made him feel at ease somewhat. They may be scarry, but it was rather reassuring to have them protecting him … no matter how galling it was to be needing protection.
He nodded at the older woman who seem to understand the gesture for what it was as said nothing else. Harry focused his attention back to his meal, cut a peace of and was about to enter it in his mouth when he was interrupted again when a familiar voice spoke up again … only now from his other side!
''What is it called?''
Harry snapped his head to the side and lo and behold there was the grey eyed child. Somehow she had moved around the entire bed and was now standing on his other side without him noticing it … again. Either he really was out of it or someone really needed to putt a bell on her.
''What is called what?'' Harry asked after quickly putting a bit in mouth, chewing it and swallowing it. It was rude yes, but the smell was driving him crazy. It tasted familiar like something the Houselves at Hogwarts could have made. It was another bizarre thing something so familiar tasting existed here, but for once he did not mind. It tasted great and that was all that mattered for now.
''That.'' The girl said pointing towards his staff, but fortunately not touching it. There were a number of unspoken rules in the wizarding worlds and one of the most important ones was that one did not touch someone's else's Foci without permission. Still what did she mean by the name of his staff? It had no name. It was an extension of himself. Naming him staff would be like giving his different body parts a name.
''It doesn't have one.''
''It doesn't?'' the girl questioned. ''Doesn't everyone name their weapons?''
This time she directed her question to the other female in the room who by now had seated herself in the chair Harry himself had occupied not to long ago, but she had turned it so she was facing the two of the them. In response the woman gave a shrug and said. ''Most do, but if Mr Black hasn't name his then that is his choice.''
The subtle rebuke was probably a bit to subtle as the girl barely seem to register it as she returned her attention back to his staff, not weapon, staff. ''That's weird.'' She decided voicing her opinion out loud for everyone to hear.
Harry quickly swallow another bite to prevent himself from getting in a argument with a child probably a decade his junior. 'There was nothing weird about my staff.' He thought more than a little miffed for what even he could see was a pretty petty reason.
''What does it do? Can it transform? Why does it remain that size? Can you turn it into a gun to?''
And the headache was coming back. Great!
What does it do? Even if she was a witch there was no way that she would understand wandlore so a pointless question. Come to think of it if she thought it was just a staff what exactly did she expect it to do?
Can it transform? Yes, but who would transfigure a Foci?
Why does it remain that size? If she was his age than he was sure she was just messing with him, but now he was pretty sure this was another one of those 'I understand what is being said, but mine understanding is different from yours' things.
Can it turn into a gun? Okay that question was just plain offensives. Who in the right mind would want to replace a Foci with a firearm?
Fortunately before he had to say anything to the little girl in reply her attention was drawn by a strange, not mention rather annoying sound coming from her older sister. The woman pulled something from her pocket of her pants and drew it open? Harry blinked in surprise at what looked like a hologram straight out of a sci-fi movie suspended between two solid pieces.
'Okay .. what the hell is that?' He wonder as Lucilla looked at the … screen?
''It's from dad.'' The young woman said. ''He says that several bullheads have touched down. Mom and the others have also returned.''
'Bullhead?' Harry wondered.
''Really?'' Amber questioned excitedly. ''Were are they then?''
''Probably helping the others.'' The older blonde replied. ''You know how mom is like.''
''Can we see them?''
The older of the two Arcs glanced at him, seemingly conflicted for a moment before settling on the visibly exited younger Arc. Her stern demeanour seem to soften at the her practically bouncing sister. ´´I guess we can. The others are no doubt worried about us.´´ She then turned to Harry and said. ´´I apologies Mr Black I know this is terribly rude of us, but will you be alright on your own?''
Now that Harry did not need to think twice about. ''Sure.'' He replied. ''You want to see your family that's completely understandable. Besides I need to rest right?''
''That true.'' The older woman answered and for a moment she gave him a look that oddly reminded him of Madam Pompfrey. 'Stay still and rest' it practical conveyed. He guessed this was the power of an older sister. In a way it kind of reminded him of Penny, when she had been a prefect. Though it was a bit weird to receive from someone he barely knew. ''We will probably be gone for some time. Try and finish your meal, if you are feeling up to it I recommend you take shower, the warm water should help ease your muscles. You can find the bathroom at the first door on your right when you exit here. After that I recommend you try to rest.''
Harry had to admit he was a bit bewildered by the sudden rush of information. Not to mention the fact that they apparently trusted him, a more or less complete stranger to remain in their house unsupervised. Well he guessed he saved one of their own, but still it sounded a bit foolish to him. Although he had to admit a shower definitely sounded nice.
Unknown to his thought the solder sister beckoned her younger sibling over which she happily did. They turned and just before they left the room the older Arc left some parting words. ''The Bullheads have probably brought a couple of doctors. I will ask if one of them can check you out in the morning. Good night.''
The sight of the older blonde leaving the room should have eased his nerves. It would have … if not for her last couple of words that is. Harry may strongly dislike healers, but he could deal with them. Dockers that were not aware of magic … those he did not want to deal with. In fact he was pretty sure there were laws against going to Muggle doctors. After all it really wouldn't do for a Muggle to discover something odd and try and take a closer look.
The current situation was not exactly the same since those people here were also not exactly normal, but that did not mean he wanted someone who was specially trained to take a to close a look at him.
'What to do? What to do?'
It was then that he remembered his meal was still only half eaten. Deciding that if those people wouldn't show up until the morning he could eat his food in peace … and maybe a shower.
XxX
Several hours later a now full and relatively clean Harry was once again sitting on the bed that had been assigned to him. The shower had been heaven, leaving him feeling far more energised than before His muscles still ached, but now felt more tolerable and most importantly the headache that had gotten steadily worse again during the visit of the two Arc sister had returned to a more reasonable level. Of course he shouldn't forget that it was partially because the shower had been thankfully completely normal. Considering his luck he half expected some kind of bizarre futuristic/fantasy style contraption.
After the shower he had taken a quick tour through the house. He had avoided the closed doors, but from what little he had seen it had definitely look normal. Not really what he had expected of house full of figurative monsters. Of course he didn't study his surrounding to closely. With the house empty he only had one goal in mind.
Finding the door out of the house hadn't been hard. Seeing the streets literally crowded by people had put a damper on his plans however. With magic or even better his cloak he could have easily slipped away, but without it?
What do you do when you are trying to avoid doctors? Go into a crowd full of people who might try and 'help' you by escorting you to the nearest one just because you are limping. Or worse run into one of those Arcs who would most definitely escort him to one (or at least Lucilla). No that was not an option. He would need to wait for the crowd to disperse somewhat, but leave before a doctor would come to him.
So here he was back on the bed. Positioned in such a way that he would find it very hard to fall asleep, but still comfortable enough that his body was resting. Hours passed as he watched the sky slowly turn dark until only moonlight illuminate the room. It had been rather taxing remaining silent for so long while not giving in the urge to close his eyes.
His initial paranoia had waned somewhat during his shower and the first couple of hours of sitting still, but as more and more times passed and the closer he got to the morning he started to get anxious again. The only thing that kept him relatively calm was the steady return of his magic, faster than he had anticipated, but still not enough to put up much of a fight.
Eventually he had enough and grabbed his staff and slightly tapped his staff against his forehead while muttering an incantation and clenching his eyes shut. The effects of the spell were instantaneous and highly disorientating.
Even with his eyes shut the sudden increase of stimuli of his other four senses due to the Supersensory Charm he had cast on himself was rather unpleasant. He suddenly was painfully aware of the clothes on his back as a sensation which was normally not even acknowledged by his mind was suddenly amplified greatly. He was also incredibly glad he had recently showered because if the sudden foul smell of his clothes was anything to go by it wouldn't have been pleasant.
After several long moments he managed to get used to these new sensations to some degree and managed to focus on the sense that he had cast the spell for in the first please. It wasn't easy his sense of range was completely messed up, but eventually he concluded there was nothing close to him making noise (expect someone snoring), not in the house and probably not in the close vicinity of the house. That was what he had been waiting for; it seems the chaos he had seen earlier had died down. It looked like it was time to go.
Harry hopped of the bed, noticing his legs were cooperating far more than they did before which was to expected considering how much of his magic had returned to him. So with both his magic and body in a munch better state than it had been mere hours before Harry felt a lot more confidently as he slowly opened his eyes and slowly and as silently as possible stated moving the same route he had previous taken when he had scouted the house.
He winced nearly every time he took a step forward. While he knew he was tiptoeing and not making much of a sound the Supersensory charm made it sound like he was actually moving like a rampaging giant. It was highly unnerving not to mention it completely drowned out any other sound that might alert him that someone in house had woken up. The only reason he hadn't cancelled the charm yet was the fact his sight had improved to such a degree that while he couldn't see perfectly he was still able to navigate the dark house without some kind of light source.
He suddenly halted after descending the stairs when his enhanced sensed picked out a person nearby. Said person, a male was sleeping on a nearby couch. Harry scrunched his eyes. What in the name of all that was sacred was he wearing? Was that an onesie? Was that what people here wore as nightwear? Weird.
Keeping half a eye and his staff on the young man Harry inched toward the door. A glance toward the nearby window showed that his hearing hadn't failed him and there was indeed no one outside. He reached for the doorknob and without thinking about it about opened it … or at least he tried to.
Locked. Of course it was locked. Who did not lock their homes when they go to bed?
Unfortunately the door rattling had made enough sound for the youth who was in the same room to stir. Harry mentally curses as the blond shot up. Either he was one hell of a light sleeper or he had just found the first people who showed a somewhat reasonable reaction to a demon horde attacking his village.
Sadly this would do. He was trying to being stealthy after all. With his staff already aimed at the wide eyed blond who couldn't be much older than him. Harry muttered a quick incantation and the boy fell back fast asleep. 'Sorry mate,' Harry thought actually feeling bad for cursing what looked liked to be another one the children of his host. 'But I am not going risk getting dissected.'
Sparing one last look at the young man who would remain fast asleep for at least several more hours due to his handiwork Harry now aimed his staff at the door and non-verbally cast a spell he knew since his first year at Hogwarts. His enhanced senses hear the lock getting unlocked, but not wanting to making the same mistake twice Harry slowly opened the door. He breathed a sight of relief when even his enhanced senses heard very little.
As he passed the threshold of the house that had been a sort of safe haven since coming here Harry was suddenly indecisive whether he was really doing the right thing, but that only lasted a moment as he marched forward. He was still unsure what the hell was going on or the finer details on what he should, but one thing was for sure however. His life had changed forever … for better or worse.
Chapter Notes:
I hope you guys liked the chapter. Personally I wasn't really a big fan of the chapter. There was only so much Harry could do while resting, but I also didn't want to rush over it completely.
Volume 4 and the rest of this story:
So I have watched the last couple of episodes of Volume 4 of RWBY since I have posted the last chapter and while I generally liked it there are some elements I will not include in this story. The tale of the two brothers directly contradict what I have in my head for the history of the Remnant world so I will not include that nor will the four MacGuffin probably make an appearnce.