Harry's trip to India
Chapter 6
Harry was sitting on his bed, sorting out the photos.
"Good... Good... Could have been better... Okay, I suppose..." He murmured as the pile slowly decreased.
As this was the first time he had indulged in photography, he was reluctant to part with any of his captured pictures. But, he still discarded one photo which just showed an awkward angle of the floor at the Magical Market. The rest he packed up, with the sole intention of leaving this city while his luck was still in his favour.
As he exited the Hotel, going back to the Magical section of the city for a portkey, two Officers entered the room for finding any clues on the mysterious man.
The whole room was rather unused looking, the only indication that a person had stayed here was just a photograph discarded in the dustbin.
The junior Officer had disregarded the photograph as unimportant, but his senior stayed his hand. When examined closely, one could see a trail of cleanliness in the dust covered floor of the market.
What was interesting, however, was that a set of foot-prints could be seen inside the trail, which led them to infer that it showed a man carrying some kind of cloth or cloak over him, and walking around the marketplace. That's when it clicked inside the senior's head.
"You know what Arvind? That trail is a photograph of me tailing him inside an invisibility cloak. But why would he leave this picture here? Unless... He knew we would come and check. He wanted me to know, Arvind..."
"And what was it he wanted you to know?" Arvind asked in a starstruck voice. It looked like he had found a new idol to aspire to be.
"That invisibility only hinders the sight; there are many other ways still of detecting a person. Maybe he heard me breathe, or he heard my shoes walking... The possibilities are endless. I guess it was a message for us, that we should never become overconfident in anything we do, and that we should always be alert."
The junior Officer nodded, heart filling with firm determination to do exactly that.
*
Harry entered a store which had pictures of various places and famous monuments around India pasted outside the shop, and was named Easy travelling for Wizards and Witches.
"Hello there, young man! How can I help you today!" Said the storekeeper.
"Can you help me with a problem? I came to India for a vacation, but do not know where to go from here on. I know that it is a very broad question, but any recommendations would be welcome."
"You're young, so you won't have any problems roughing it a bit, would you?"
"Not at all, as long as no actual dangers are involved, I would in fact like to see the local communities everywhere I go. Language won't be a problem." He added the last part to answer the question before it was asked.
So the storekeeper asked the second one he had on his mind. "Is money a problem to you? I ask not as a slight to you, but to ensure my suggestions would work for you."
"Let's just say that I can live a luxurious life without earning a Paisa ever and leave it at that."
"Ah so you're rich then? Then I recommend you visit the Caves of Meghalaya. This is the best weather for exploring them, and as you're a wizard a lot of danger is instantly eliminated. You can create water, and fend off any wild animals with a fire instantly created by your wand."
"It sounds fascinating. How would I be able to go there? Is there another way than a portkey journey? I have a bad reaction to portkeys, and do not like using them in general."
"I am afraid that the fastest way is via portkey only. You can take an airplane to Shillong, that's the capital city of Meghalaya by the way, but I won't recommend it. The wizards and witches are actually banned from using an airplane due to the risk of them loosing their control of magic; but since the fine is very low, many travel anyway.
"You could board a train to Shillong, but it will be a very long journey. If you have time, like 50-60 hours, only then should you choose that option."
Harry knew he only had two months to experience the whole of India, so reluctantly took the proffered portkey.
"Only twenty rupees," said the storekeeper when asked about the price.
Before it activated, he said to Harry, "We have stores in all capital cities in India, and we are authorised by the government to provide portkeys. So do visit them when you would like to continue your journey. Shubhayatra" He said the final word as the portkey activated, and he was whisked off to Shillong.
As the shopkeeper had been nothing but courteous and helpful, Harry decided to follow his advice.
The world came back to focus sharply, and he again stumbled down due to the sudden change.
He started to stand up, and almost fell back down by the shocking change he saw.
Gone was the traffic and the loud noises of the city, replacing it was the peace and quiet of Shillong. The roads here weren't that well maintained, he could see many hand-drawn and bullock carts taking people from one place to another.
The concrete jungle was replaced by many trees growing everywhere; he could see one house which had one wall composed completely of trees.
He could understand exactly what was being said around him, this meant the devices were functioning as intended.
After the initial moment of disorientation, he started walking along the road, taking in the sights, the smells, and the feel of this new place.
The smell of fresh rain on grass and mud filled the air everywhere he went.The trees looked a lot greener, the plants a lot livelier.
It was amazing, and it was beautiful.
As he trudged along, he spotted a sign which said: "For a ride to the famous Mawsmai caves, please inquire inside."
He went inside, and was greeted by an elderly woman.
"Hello young traveller! Do you want a ride to the famous caves in Cherapunji?"
"Yes," he agreed. "What do you charge for one passenger?"
"It will be 500 Rupees for one car ride, irrespective of the number of passengers. The cars will arrive to take you at around 6:30 AM. Where are you staying?"
That indeed is a good question, thought Harry. Sun was already going down here, and night would fall soon. He answered honestly, "I have got no idea. Where do you recommend I stay?"
She grinned happily, and said, "We have the facilities for boarding and lodging here. Would you like to stay the night here?"
How could he deny such a generous offer? He accepted of course.
"I would love it, thank you. Where can I get something to eat?"
"Dinner will be served in an hour. Get comfortable in your room till then."
And he did. It was a very simple room, with bare furnishings and a small attached bath, but it was comfortable and had a very homey feeling. And he had lived in a cupboard for 11 years, it was a mansion compared to that.
Food was served within the hour, as promised.
The dishes included a variety of the local cuisine, which he appreciated. He was sure that he won't get to visit this place again, and wanted to experience it fully.
Doh-Neiiong was his favourite, hands down. The whole meal was delicious.
It seemed that this trip would make him a very heavy eater.
By the time Pumaloi was served, he decided that Hogwarts would get a new menu, come September.
He slept at night comfortably, even the nightmares of Sirius seemed to reduce in number.
*
The next morning, he had no trouble getting up early, a lifetime of conditioning ensured that.
He sorted out the things in his bag, keeping the things he might need on the top of the pile.
He ate breakfast, packed a lot of said food to last him two days, and started the journey along with a young couple out to explore the world before settling down.
They made small talk, but Harry was captivated by the lush green hills and valleys they were passing by, and spent most of the time taking pictures.
So he was very excited as they reached their destination, and eagerly gave his share of the rent.
The Guide to India had this to say about the caves:
Mawsmai caves are one of the few caves which can be explored without a guide; though it is advised to always be in the vicinity of others in case you're lost. The forest surrounding the caves is said to have a small tribal Magical community, though no one has ever found them. The legends say that they are peaceful people, so it is safe to go inside their territory.
Harry was surprised to see the last part, but went inside anyway.
He had a lot of fun travelling inside the caves, from one place to another. They were like the secret passages in Hogwarts, you didn't know where you would end up when you entered them.
He also found a lot of primitive markings on the walls, indicating that these caves had once housed their ancestors while they were still Hunter-Gatherers.
Harry took many pictures, of the paintings as well as the people.
It was night-time when he exited the caves, intent on camping in the forest.
He flicked his wand to create a magical fire, set up his magical tent, and unwrapped the food he had packed earlier.
He ate, listening and enjoying the soundful silence of the forest, with its critters and beasts making various kinds of noises. It was a symphony of nature, and Harry loved every minute of it.
As the tent was warded to repel any Non-magical beasts and insects, he was able to sleep with a very sound mind.
The forest continued its music that only Nature could understand; and the stars twinkled in the heavens, shining a faint grey light on the forest.
*
The next morning found Harry extinguishing the already dying embers of the campfire, having a healthy breakfast, and starting to walk in a random direction deeper into the forest. Harry was pretty sure he could take care of himself should a beast attack him, and wanted to explore this forest further.
He would be lying if he thought that he didn't want to interact with the rumoured Magical community.
On and on he went deeper into the forest, as the trees increased in number and the sounds grew louder...
"Mai!" Came a loud cry from somewhere to his left, and he changed the direction without a thought.
He found a small boy running from a fully grown Himalayan Black Bear. He was fast, but the bear was faster.
Harry instantly created a protego shield between them, but had to really exert himself to keep the shield up when the bear attacked it with full force. The bear seemed hardly fased with this new interruption, and began banging at it viciously.
Sweat was pouring down his face, but he held on. The boy had realised that he was not in immediate danger and was coming towards Harry.
Finally the shield broke, and Harry let it happen. He tried a variety of spells to incapacitate the beast, but they were made with a human in mind and lacked the power to stop a rampaging bear. Ropes were torn apart, petrification didn't really last but ended up enraging it further, and stupefy only caused a moment of dizziness.
Finally Harry started using the more lethal curses he knew. He didn't want to hurt the bear, but he felt he had no choice.
But before the bear could truly be hurt, a bunch of darts suddenly flew towards it, all of them contacting the vulnerable skin. They appeared to come from the forest behind him, but he couldn't care any lesser about it. He was just thankful that help had arrived before he had to do something regrettable.
The bear slowed down, then fell asleep right in front of Harry, breathing slowly and deeply.
Catching his breath, he turned around to thank his helper, but found himself being stared by what looked like a group of young men dressed in various outfits.
One of them was elder than the others and obviously the leader, and Harry got near him, starting to thank him.
"Thank you for helping me take down the bear. Who are you people? Do you live here?"
"Ah you speak our tongue, youngling. Very few do outside our small community. And we should be the ones thanking you. The children in our society have a very high standing, they represent our future hope and opportunity for growth. You saved a child of our heritage, and we would like to reward you. What do you seek?"
Harry thought for a moment, then asked a very obvious question.
"Do you know of Magic?"
"We do not know any of this magic you speak of, but we know of the energy which you used to try to stop the bear. The same energy which has kept us a secret from the world. We know of it, and we have our own ways of using it, though your way was very different. We have never used a stick to use it, it flows from our hearts down through the hands directly."
Wandless, wordless Magic, thought Harry excitedly, here I come.
"Then as a reward, I would like to seek your hospitality for one day and one night. Know this, I mean you and your people no harm, and I shall only fight if someone attacks me first."
Though some discussions did occur; his proposal was accepted unanimously as the Elder One said, "Welcome to the Jhanghala community."
#
AN: Okay guys, here's the inevitable.
I need more ideas about where to take Harry from here on. As you may observe, I have deviated quite far from Make A Wish, though the idea is essentially the same.
So I need ideas about more places where Harry can have more adventures, and keep killing bad guys accidentally.
Only one constraint is applicable, the places are to be in India.
I am not sure that Harry would spend the entire summer in India, but that is the idea I have at the moment.
Shubhamastu!!