Chapter 8: The Beginning

At 6am on August 1st Allan walked into Harry's room and harshly shook him awake. "Get up now, we need to leave soon. Remember to dress for heat," he said to Harry.

Harry grudgingly got up and took his pack to meet Allan and Ginny downstairs. After last night's festivities he was still a little tired. When he reached the bottom of the stairs Harry saw Ginny in a similar state of disarray with a bleary look upon her stunning countenance. You look as spry as I feel right not, thought Harry. However, she still looked absolutely gorgeous in the shorts and tight blue t-shirt combo she was wearing.

Shut it you, replied Ginny.

Contrary to the other two, Allan seemed wide awake. He was bouncing on his toes and waiting patiently for their journey. "We'll just say our goodbyes and then we're off," he announced.

All of a sudden Molly came rushing into the room with a bag of food for them to consume. "I don't trust Allan to feed you properly. You both take care of yourselves and don't get hurt. Remus would have been here but he had to get ready for the full moon, it's only two days away."

Just then, a frantic Hermione came bustling down the stairs and hugged Harry and Ginny in turns. She whispered to both of them, "Please, be careful." Ron, who was right behind Hermione and still looked rather tired, shook Harry's hand and gave Ginny a hug.

"Gmparh," Ron said in his half-asleep voice. Harry and Ginny took that to mean "good luck."

"Okay guys, grab on to this and we'll be out of here!" Allan announced, while holding onto a big gold coin that had four different animals gracing its face. Harry and Ginny took a side to the coin and instantly felt a pull on their navel as they were whisked away through time and space.

After a few seconds they landed. Ginny found herself gazing at a staircase right in front of them. The staircase was attached to a mountain and it had to be at least 100 steps long. It led to what appeared to be a green-canopied forest. Looking to the top of the mountain, she noticed different coloured birds flying around trees and observed a few animals scampering around the edges of the forest. Turning to get a better view, Ginny saw a beach with red sand and, from what she could make out, the clearest water she had ever seen in her life. Past the forest was a sleeping volcano where she could see fire billowing from its peaks. This place looked so peaceful from where she was standing. The only thing she dreaded was…

"Okay time for a walk people!" Allan announced happily, while Harry just grunted and started walking. Unlike Ginny, he didn't look the least bit surprised or angry.

"Where are we Allan?" Ginny asked, taking a few tentative steps up the mountain.

"This is the entrance to the fortress, or as it was called a long time ago the 'White Haven,' Allan responded.

"Allan actually calls it 'The Fortress of Solitude.' He got the name from a play on the muggle book hero Superman," said Harry. "The fortress should be in the middle of that forest. As to exactly where, I think we're about 220 miles east of a Philippine Island called Luzon, its an island that's secluded and un-plottable."

"That's right. The fortress was left to my ancestors and I use it as a place to train and hone my skills. This Island is considered one of the safest places in the world, next to Hogwarts of course. Although, there's one catch; in order to reach the fortress you need to be accompanied by one of my blood that has magical ability. To even find this island you'd have to be incredibly lucky and have some kind of freak accident to your ship. That being the case, only I can reach this island and enter the fortress at all times, since I'm the first magical person born to my family in the last 1,500 years." He practically took two steps at a time as he said all this..

How can he be so bloody energetic every time we come here? Harry mused as he trudged along.

Is he always like this?

You have no idea. The first time we got here he practically flew to the top of the stairs. The man keeps complaining about how he can't find energy when he's away, but when he gets here he has the energy of a bloody two year old.

Maybe it's just this place. It seems so calm and peaceful and I bet it probably refreshes him to some extent. I mean, wouldn't you love to spend a quiet weekend with just us here alone? It would be perfect.

Yeah, it's definitely this place that does it for him, but we'll find our own island to share. From what I know of my inheritance I think I have a house in Costa Rica. After everything is done we'll spend a month there away from everybody.

I like the sound of that Mr. Potter.

They finally reached the top of the staircase. Ginny felt a little tired from the exertion while Harry and Allan looked ready to take on 1000 more stairs. "You guys seem fit, what's your secret?"

"Don't worry red, you'll see. By the time you leave this island, you'll be able to run 5 miles without even breathing hard," smiled Allan.

Ginny stopped to take a breath and looked around. It was gorgeous. A sunset was shimmering in the water, which was reflected from the massive beach around the island. The red sand was truly magnificent in that glow from the sun. Around her, she saw the lush forest with the great vegetation. It seemed that the outside of the forest was shimmering from the sun, but the inside was dark, yet alive with so many animals.

The trio began their trek through the forest and passed many different animals, a lot of them magical in nature. As they journeyed through, Ginny saw hoards of species that most wizards never got to see in their lives. She saw a herd of Griffins flying overhead between trees, roaring as Allan waved to them. Catoblepas streaked across from them with their piggy features. Pegasus and Unicorns were in a clearing, feasting on the lush fertile gifts of the ground. She even thought she caught a glimpse of blue dragonheads, but a second later she realized she must've been mistaken.

About 100 meters into the path they were following, they stopped to drink some water before it got too dark. The lake that they stopped at was a site that would always be in Ginny's head whenever she wanted to picture serene. The water's edge was littered with fairy lights and aspares nymphs. "The aspares are here because of the dead ancestors that have had their ashes scattered near the lake. Legend says that to drink the water of this lake will give you the protection from any type of possession," Allan informed her.

At the back of the lake stood a huge waterfall. It was completely picturesque, as it shimmered every colour imaginable. Around the stones of the waterfall were kappas, basically turtle-shelled monkeys, which guarded the water from any invasion from the purity it contained.

After taking some water and resting a bit they went back into their trek of the forest. They walked for another 2 hours and it began to get dark before they finally reached the gates of the fortress. The walls were built of white marble and held an enormous oak gate that looked immensely strong.

Allan put his hand on the door and it opened automatically. The three of them walked in to see a magnificent Japanese garden. It had two bridges that passed over ponds littered with water lilies. All around the garden were roses of every colour and wood sprites littering every tree and shrub. There was a familiar hoot and Ginny saw the snowy white Hedwig happily descend on Harry before resting on Ginny's shoulder. I missed you too girl, Ginny thought and offered her finger for Hedwig to nip. There were great cherry trees in an octagon pattern around the garden that were blossoming and spreading a very sweet scent into Ginny's nose. A wind rustled the trees and for a moment, it was a snowstorm of pink petals around the property. It was magnificently picturesque. She saw different animals playing here as well. She saw a Griffin walk up to Harry and offer it's head to be petted. Harry obliged and scratched its feathered head. A black Pegasus and Unicorn hybrid came to Allan and brushed its head on his arm. Allan grunted and smiled at it while petting its silver mane. Ginny thought it was beautiful.

The last animal they came across went to Ginny. The creature was one she wouldn't have ever expected to see, but that didn't stop her from caressing its long marvellous mane. It was a hound with a fiery head that faded to a brown. It looked like a wolf on an engorgement charm. He was big enough for her to ride on.

"Ah I see he likes you. Since its custom that we don't give names until the animal chooses you, would you like to name this dire wolf? This one is special because it controls the element of fire and has some phoenix characteristics. Actually, the only things it doesn't share with the phoenix are the tears and the flame after death," Allan told her.

"I'll name him Firebug. It was a nickname Charlie once gave me after I'd accidentally lit him on fire," Ginny said as she petted behind the newly christened Firebug with her right hand. Firebug sure did seem to like his new name and the attention, as he was whimpering happily with Ginny's continual petting.

"Now to introduce you to these magnificent animals around us, this black stallion next to me is a cross between a unicorn and a Pegasus and is named Black-moon," said Allan.

"This one's named Gold-Sight. She befriended me when I came here and has been a good friend to Hedwig," Harry spoke as Hedwig nodded in approval of her friend.

Just then, Jade and Fawkes both flashed into existence and greeted their companions. They both flew to a near by branch and started to preen each other. Looking like their counterparts but in reverse colours, they started to trill a song.

"I think they're falling for each other too, just like another couple," Allan winked at Harry and Ginny. This made Harry and Ginny blush from embarrassment and love. "I think we're missing Gold-Sight's mate. He should've been here by now."

With that, a magnificent golden griffin soared down before landing near Gold-Sight. He stared right at Ginny and came to her. He bowed his head and put his head underneath her unoccupied left hand. She petted the new arrival and looked down at the creature. Do I name him too? She asked Harry mentally.

Yes. It seems like our companions like to mate with each other. Phoenixes, Dragons and Griffin's are known to mate for life. Just like a couple of humans I know, Harry thought with a wink.

Ginny blushed again and looked into the eyes of the griffin in front of her. "I think I'll name you Gubernatis, after the magical zoologist. He did a study on Griffins that I've read about before, I think it fits," said Ginny while still petting her two new animals.

"Okay… I'm guessing Hermione made you read that book," inquired Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"I will have you know that she isn't the only one that's top of her class!" Ginny replied defensively, she walked right past him with her two new animals following her.

"Okay, stop the bickering people and let's get inside." Allan moved towards the large keep. It was again made of the white marble like the walls but seemed to generate light from its smooth surface. The house was three stories tall and twice the size of Grimmauld place. It resembled a smaller version of a castle, but much more stable.

Once inside they took in their surroundings. There was a crystal chandelier over the top entrance of the foyer. On the left side was a grand staircase leading up to the top floors. Straight ahead, was a great dining room that had a long table and looked like it had a very extravagant dinner set up for the three of them. To Ginny's right was a game room with a variety of muggle games set up. All these rooms had huge wooden French doors that depicted this graphic of a winged man fighting or protecting something. Each one was intricately carved and seemed life-like, as if sensing the people within the fortress and was showing off for them.

"Bitsy, Botsy, are you there?" Allan asked, and with a pop two house elves appeared.

"What is it you wishing master?" The house elf to the left asked. Her voice was high-pitched and squeaky. She was wearing what must've been what she considered to be a dress, but really resembled a colourful long rag.

"Bitsy, please show both Harry and our new companion Miss Ginevra Weasley to the dining room where they may take their lunch. Botsy, please come with me so we can set up the rooms. We will be staying here for the next 9 days," Allan had ordered and Bitsy took both Harry and Ginny's hands to lead them to their feast while Allan left with Botsy, who wore pants and and a bright yellow shirt with black lettering that said, "Big ears have big things!"

Harry and Ginny sat at the dining room table and ate their feast in a comfortable silence. About 30 minutes after Allan left, he came back with a golden goblet in his hand with the two phoenixes following him.

"Had your fill yet Ginny? Good, time to shove off. Grab your pack and meet me on the second floor. Harry knows where it is," Allan told her while leaving abruptly again.

Harry shrugged and told her to get her fill because where they were going she wouldn't be able to eat like this. They ate for another 10 minutes and then exited up the staircase for the second floor. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand to lead her to a part of the hallway that had a door on the northern side. These doors were the mahogany that the door on the outside was made of. Although, these doors were different because they had patterns carved on them. There was a dragon on the east side of the door with a tiger facing the dragon on the west. On the top sat a tortoise while a phoenix graced the bottom below.

Allan popped in and put his hands on the door. A glow emanated from his hands and the doors flung open to reveal a huge room with a pedestal at the center and a dome of light above it. Power was surging into the very core of each person standing in front of these doors. This made Ginny shudder at the anticipation of what the room contained.

Allan turned to Harry and Ginny with a very serious expression on his face. "All right Ginny, this is where you'll be spending the remainder of your days here at the fortress. This very chamber is the reason why the island is so well protected. It's also the reason why there are a number of different magical beasts that roam these lands. The Fortress is built on ley lines, also known as the magical power lines of the Earth and was built on exactly 24 of them. 24 happens to be the highest concentration of ley lines there is in the world. These ley lines converge into an epicentre which is that very pedestal.

"What makes this room special is that because of all the power coming into this place, the very fabric of space and time is altered. In this space, any type of land can be conjured; plants can be cultivated here, animals can be born here, different terrains can be brought because of the potency of magic contained within this room. Time also happens to be affected. With the power surrounding this room, time needs to speed up or else it would become too volatile and create a rift in the fabric of reality. In this room, and just note that it's only this room, one year spent in here is a week everywhere else. This is the reason why Harry seems to be in such great shape. We spent two weeks on the island last time, that's equal to two years here. He got into shape while I started mentoring him on techniques that he needed to know. Here you too will be trained and ready." Ginny looked shocked at the revelation that Harry was actually two years older than when she last saw him.

"What? Did you think he would change his mind about you for even a second?" Allan continued, indicating Harry. "That boy right there is a stubborn one. I had to put up with continual ranting and raving about how it was for the best, how he couldn't endanger you, blah, blah, blah. I practically had to beat him everyday before he finally understood. Believe me it wasn't pretty, stupid boy." Allan gave a slight swat upside Harry's head and Harry cried indignantly at that.

"Now this room isn't just the balance of power for the world; it also holds secrets that have been guarded by my ancestors for thousands of generations. This is the room where the four animal gods were placed when the great demon war happened in Asia. Here is where their power resides and this is where their power can be sustained. It isn't just the power of the Earth that inhabits this room, but to keep that balance of power the four gods need to be in perfect Harmony with the room. This harmony is what keeps a rift from forming again. They're like the glue that holds the place together. If they're not in harmony there would be an explosion so great it would destroy every reality ever conceived and open up every dimension to this world.

"Before we step into this place though, I need to tell you some rules. Only two people can enter this room at a time. More than one person throws off the balance of the energies that exist in here. Harry, as you know I have to be first with Ginny. Give me the first day and then when I leave you may enter to complete her training."

Harry was about to protest to completing Ginny's training. Allan would be the better teacher after all, but before he could utter this Allan cut across his thoughts. "No Harry, I would not be the better teacher. You and Ginny need to work together, with her knowing everything about you and your destiny; it is the best for you to be the one to train her. You should know how, since I did train you.

"So now Ginny, are you ready to enter a new realm of magic?" Allan asked, staring into her eyes with a stare that seemed to bore into her soul as it had the first time they formally met in the attic.

"Yes," was all she needed to say. She felt Harry's anticipation and fear for her well-being but the look of determination in her eyes quelled his fears. I know you can do this Gin, you have the power thought Harry and this gave her an even greater resolve.

With a nod, Harry left her as Allan ushered her into the room. Once she took the first steps into the room, the door closed behind her and she felt a sense of loss. Her knees buckled but she didn't fall. Allan looked at her with sympathy and said with a genuine smile, "Don't worry you'll see him again in 52 days. I'll make sure he'll be here for you to see him again, but first your body needs to be prepared for the strain of this room."

They stepped towards the pedestal and Allan laid down the golden goblet in the middle. "Before we do anything Ginny, you have the right to learn more about me. So please sit down and we'll talk about… well… me." He waved his hands and conjured two chairs for them to occupy.

"I am a man that doesn't like to beat around the bush so I'll tell you straight up. I'm not totally human." Ginny peered at him and looked at him to see if he was joking or not. When she peered into his eyes, they changed. They were white with only black pupils. She looked at his body and saw his feet starting to turn into talons before it stopped. She also got a glimpse of two things starting to come off his shoulder blades. She gave him a wide-eyed surprised look.

"As I said, I'm not totally human. I was born from humans, but my ancestry goes much farther than just humans. Millions upon millions of years ago there lived much more than just humans, elves, centaurs, and goblins. There were a number of beings that were considered sentient and had humanoid appearances. They lived with each other in harmony. One of these ancient peoples was called the Tengus. The Tengus was a cross between a bird and a human. Tengus were considered a race of warriors that were in tune with the magic of the Earth; some even say they were the first to conceive the marital arts. They protected the Earth because it was their life mother and they were supposed to be created because they were needed to protect it.

"Then a mysterious force swept the Earth. A rift between the worlds was created and death and destruction reigned. Akumas, which is the name for demons of immense power, came to pillage the Earth that we now know. Many creatures banned together to fight back. The war unfortunately resulted in the decrease population of magical creatures. Before this war everybody was equal, after the war there was destruction in many different species, some were extinct forever.

"At the forefront of the war were the Tengus. As guardians of the world and the greatest warriors to fight for the Earth, they banded the races together to fight the darkness. Here on this island the final fight between light and dark took place. In the fortress where this pedestal rests was the source of rift between space and time. This here was where the start and end of the war took place. This is the reason for this chamber.

"When the final fight ended, all that was left was the greatest of each army. The last Tengus named Ginrajan and the last Akuma named Ryoma was all that was left. Their battle lasted for days over this site and created shockwaves across the world. At last Ginrajan used the last of his powers, concentrated them on his sword, and stabbed Ryoma through the heart and into the rift. With the blood of the Akuma spilled, and mixing with Ginrajan's blood, Ginrajan incanted a blood seal to lock the Akuma from the world. With his dying breath, he called the four animal gods to help with the protection of the seal. The four gods erected this fortress to stop any army from entering this place.

"To see the death of one of the earth's greatest heroes was heartbreaking to the gods. The Akuma laughed at his enemy and said 'you may have taken me away but there will be a time when I come back and the precious Tengus will be no more for they have died with this one right here. I will forever rule this world and you have no weapon against me.' With this, he was banished from the world.

"The four gods pondered upon his last words and decided that this couldn't be. With the risk of trapping themselves forever in this room they used their power to send the spirit of the greatest of the Tengus to Ginrajan's human mate's womb where a baby was being made. The baby turned out to be a human since the Tengus blood had only a 50 chance of actually becoming part of the human.

"There was a prophecy that stated, 'once the moon takes life and the light stars blink in explosion the darkness will emerge again. The dark will be subtle but taint for those populating the world. Only the awakening of the wings will be the power needed to destroy the darkness. The true power of the wings will be brought forth through tragedy and blessed by fire. He will conquer his heart then lose it in a swift motion. Then he will be bathed from the waters into a warrior of heroic ages or plague the world with death.'

"During the fight for dominance between America and Russia in the muggle world, the first part of the prophecy happened. There were humans that left the earth to access the moon. When this happened there was a bright explosion in the sky. A supernova happened and this shook the Earth's magical foundations. It created a seep in the rift. It was a tiny rift, but the essence of the Akuma was able to leak out. All of this happened in 1969. Because of the war with Voldemort, most people didn't recognize the powers of the Akuma starting to penetrate society. Ryoma, because of the death of his body, became a spirit. It was exactly like the spirit that Harry had encountered in his first year.

"The gods, not knowing what happened, needed to do something. It took them two years but they finally realized what they had to do. They remembered the soul of the great Tengu Ginrajan and awakened it to service. They saw that there was one that bore a resemblance to Ginrajan in spirit and in potential. This person was me; the gods granted me access to the Tengu blood needed. A messenger was sent to me when I was born and marked me." With this Allan lifted his shirt and showed his back to Ginny. She saw a tattoo of two wings drawn from the shoulder blades and ending at the small of his back. "These symbolize my power. My parents, being muggles, didn't understand what was going on. That is until Nicholas Flamel finally told them what happened. Nicholas Flamel had been the messenger of the gods. He explained what I was and what had to be done with me.

"Nicholas Flamel was also the one that finally found this island. The gods had contacted him and sent him here using their now limited powers. Since Flamel found the wall, he heard the prophecy. This was approximately 500 years ago.

"You know what the funny thing is about prophecies?" He paused for dramatic affect. "The funny thing is that they're first told to people that have already had prophecies about them. Flamel was prophesised to be the leader of alchemy and stop a plague of disease, which he did using the Sorcerer's Stone. Dumbledore was prophesised to stop Grindewald and usher the coming of new heroes, Harry and me. Its also pretty coincidental that Flamel mentored Dumbledore after he found out that Dumbledore needed to complete a prophecy from Flamel's own mentor, and how Dumbledore mentored me when I was in Hogwarts after Flamel had come to tell him about the signs when I was 13.

"This is the reason why I was transferred to Hogwarts in my third year. Dumbledore had to start training me, and with the threat of Voldemort gone, he was able to have the time to do it. When he finally looked, he saw that the world was in another great convergence between Good and Evil and was slowly dying from Ryoma's influence. Ryoma was a cause for the muggle separation between superpowers. He was a reason for the cold war. Ryoma had astutely observed that, if you control the muggle world, you're then able to control the existing world. This is the reason why I'm not like Harry here. It's because most of the fighting I had to do took place in the muggle world. Therefore, Dumbledore took me in and made me his apprentice. He taught me everything I needed to know to battle the dark. He taught me about my powers and their proper use and he even showed me how to fight like a muggle. He told me things and brought me to people that were true artists of war. How I finally understood my true heritage and what I could really do with my blood is another story which I'll share with you at a later time.

"Now there's a part to this story that I haven't shared with Harry but that I'm going to share with you. I'll let you explain this part to him because it concerns you and you alone, however it will be your choice whether to tell him or not.

"Why do you think Dumbledore never taught Harry personally? The answer to this is simply that Dumbledore, other than giving advice, wasn't allowed to teach Harry personally. Because of the hall of prophesies, he knew that I would be the one needed to train Harry to be the warrior he needed to become. Dumbledore also knew that I would be the one to fulfil this because I had learned about a prophecy when I was 18.

"A very good… friend of mine—" stated Allan with a little emotion at the word friend. Ginny couldn't tell whether the emotion was directed toward anger, sadness or love— "was a seer," he continued. "One night she prophesised the coming of a new age. When this prophecy was told to me, it fulfilled the bargain of each fated person. When one learns of a prophecy and starts to create it, they are forced to teach the next prophesied one. This is the reason why I trained Harry and why he is my apprentice instead of Dumbledore's. The prophecy that was told to me stated, 'the 7th of the 7th will be bonded to the 'One' and the Dark Lord, the first daughter of the seventh generation. She will be his connection but not seen until the death of the one's star father. Together they will unlock the power that is not known and together they will bring peace. If separated then hope will be forever lost, the 7th of the 7th must bond with him...' When I heard this prophecy, I informed Dumbledore and he looked disturbed at this.

"We kept it to ourselves and in the back of our minds since we didn't have any clue who it could have meant. Not only that, but I still had to act on my prophecy since the darkness wasn't stopped. Don't worry, I'll tell you the rest about myself at a later time, this however concerns why you are here. You see, when I completed my task the year I turned 19, it was your 1 st year at Hogwarts. Remember what I told you about how your soul bonded with both Harry and Tom Riddle's, the 'One' and the Dark Lord? Well, when Albus had informed me of this, it hit me. I told him that no matter what you had to be protected as Harry must. You were a key. You see, you're the seventh child of the seventh generation, Harry finally noticed you after Sirius's death (the star father), and so you're the second prophesied one. This is why I'll be starting your training as Dumbledore had with Harry. Ultimately though, Harry will finish your training as I had with Harry," he concluded while looking at Ginny who sat there shocked.

Although, before she could speak to ask questions, she heard a roar in the background and saw stirrings in the shadows.

"Ah, they're here. Finally, we can begin. Ginny, I would like you to meet the four animal gods that protect the convergence." The light blossomed into a 25-foot dome and there she saw them.