Shout-outs to reviewers from last chapter: zutarakid50, Retse, Thenchick, and kehlencrow. Thanks for your comments/reviews. Also, a shout-out to those who have added the story to your alert list, c2, or favourite list, it's almost as good as a review, 'ya know!
Chapter posted May 21, 2010
-CHAPTER XXXIV-
CULTURAL EXPOSURE
Or, Harry further connects with the Na'vi people
"What is it?" Harry turned to find Norm looking over his shoulder.
"It's one of my trunks," answered Harry, feeling significantly better. It was the same trunk they had used to link with Billy's world.
"How did it get here?"
"I don't know… magic, I guess."
"Is that always gonna be your answer?"
"Likely," Harry smirked, gesturing with his wand, shrinking the trunk down to the size of a shoe box. "Let's get back inside."
Back inside the research station, both Grace and Jake noticed the change in Harry's demeanour. "What put you in a good mood?" questioned Jake.
"This," said Harry, putting the miniaturized trunk on a nearby work station, "This is what woke us up."
"A shoe box?" Jake snorted, but Harry only smirked, saying, "No, not just a shoe box. This is a link into my home."
"So… how do you get into it?"
"If it was full-size, I could just climb in through the lid. But as it is right now, I have to apparate."
"So that's what you call it… when you disappear," Grace guessed.
"Yeah. You might know it as teleporting."
"So it's instant?" Norm asked.
"Almost."
"How far can you go?"
"Well, the better question is, how far can I apparate accurately? The greater the distance, the less accurate it is. A jump from London to Edinburgh, I'll generally get where I plan to land. A jump from London to New York, on the other hand… I'd likely end up miles off target. I would stand a fifty-fifty chance of landing in the Atlantic."
"Can you take people with you?" questioned Jake.
"Yeah, that's called side-along, and it makes it a little more difficult."
"Harry… d'you think I might be able to draw a small blood sample?" questioned Norm. Harry sighed, knowing that sort of question would come eventually. These people were scientists, after all.
"Fine. I don't know what you expect to find."
"Satisfy their curiosity," Jake muttered. He was busily scarfing down his breakfast, obviously in a hurry to get back to his avatar body. Harry had to smirk inwardly at that. He fancied Neytiri, and judging by her body language, the feeling was mutual. How in the world would THAT ever work?
Meanwhile, Norm had retrieved an item that looked like a pen from one of several field kits stacked in the cramped module. "This will prick the end of your finger… I just need a drop."
"I know what it does, I've had to deal with Muggle medicine a few times."
"Ready?" Norm pressed the end of the 'pen' to Harry's thumb.
"Just do it." Norm pressed a button on the pen, and it made an audible 'click' sound. Harry didn't move.
"You didn't feel that?" questioned Norm, as a drop of blood welled up on the end of the thumb.
"When you've been nailed many times over with the Cruciatus curse, that was about as annoying as a mosquito bite."
"Cruciatus curse?" questioned Jake.
"It's the most painful thing you can ever imagine. It's like your entire body is on fire. You can't think about anything other than the pain. All you can do, is scream. It can literally drive the victim insane."
"The Na'vi would suffer something similar if their queue was cut off," said Norm, as he collected his sample, "It's all nerve, covered by the braid."
"No, this is far worse. That would be intense pain, but in one spot. Just imagine, that intensity, on every square inch of your body."
"Have you cast it on someone?"
"Several times," answered Harry, "It's not something I'd do lightly… it's called an unforgivable for a reason."
"As interesting as this discussion is, village life starts early," Grace reminded.
"Get ready, I'll help you with your links in a sec," said Norm, as he put the sample of Harry's blood on a slide. The others were off into the other module, while Norm put the slide under a microscope.
"Still don't know what you expect to find," said Harry, as he followed Norm into the other module.
"Just curious. Never seen a wizard before, you never know," answered Norm, with a shrug. Jake was already hoisting himself and his useless legs into one of the link chambers, while Grace was manipulating its controls.
"Calibrating. Thirty seconds," she spoke.
"Neytiri says I'm almost ready to choose a banshee," said Jake.
"Don't keep her waiting," said Harry, with a smirk. He got a rude gesture from Jake in return, and a laugh from Norm.
"I'll be checking in with my friends, let them know I'm okay. I'll be back shortly," said Harry, "If anyone back at Hometree is wondering, feel free to let them know."
"You see them as friends?" questioned Norm.
"Of course!" answered Harry, "Anyone who doesn't see me as some sort of freak or the answer to their troubles, they're okay by me." Jake only nodded, and pulled the lid on the link unit closed. Norm was already calibrating the unit Grace would use.
"Right… I gotta go. Have a good day guys." Harry gave a half-twist, and vanished with a slight POP.
"Still freaky when he does that," said Norm.
Landing in the entry hall of the third trunk, he wasted no time passing into the second, then finally into his original school trunk. There were voices coming from the dining room, and that's where he headed, banishing the bubble-charm from his face.
"Harry!" Hermione almost shrieked, leaping out of her seat. Matt and Bill were on her heels, as he found himself almost smothered.
"Air… guys… need air…"
"What happened? Where did you end up this time?" questioned Bill, as they finally separated.
"You aren't gonna believe it… but it's an alien world, place called Pandora."
"You're still connected to it?" questioned Lily, from her portrait.
"Yeah, mum, the third trunk is still in their world. I've made a couple of friends."
"Come, you must eat," Molly insisted, ushering Harry to a spot at the table.
"Sounds good to me, Muggle freeze-dried food isn't all that appetizing." He guessed it was breakfast time, or just after, but gestured with a finger. "Tempus." '7:12 a' wafted from the end of his finger.
"Harry, why didn't you use the door we gave you?" questioned George.
"I would have, had it not been busted into six pieces. I tried to repair it, but I ended up turning it into a pile of ashes. You guys might want to put unbreakable charms on them from here on out."
"We have a couple more of them finished," said George.
"I'm finished, let me grab it," Fred offered, getting up.
"Great. I'll likely be hanging around there for a bit… there's something I'm expected to do, although I don't know what it is just yet—"
"Harry! That doesn't make any sense!" Hermione challenged.
"If you'd let me finish. I spoke to the same people, or one of them, as the ones I did when Voldemort nailed me with the killing curse after he was resurrected in my aunt's back yard. So it's not as if I can say 'no'."
"What about your classes?"
"I'll send my clone to keep up. But there's classes I'll miss anyway… I wasn't kidding when I said I would be skipping Dark Arts Defence," said Harry, as a plate appeared in front of him. Three pancakes, toast, eggs, a few slices of bacon, and two sausages.
"We were both in a state when you suddenly vanished, Harry," said Matt, "Holy fuck… one second you were there, the next…"
"I know and I'm sorry. I'd sent my clone to stay with you guys… I had some business to take care of involving Peeves… it was just better to do it myself. Filch walked in on me just after I'd left the payment for Peeves… and next thing I know, I'm falling through some alien atmosphere. If you guys want to follow me there, you'll need to brush up on your bubble-charms. The air's poisonous to us."
"Where's the trunk now?"
"In some sort of scientific research station. The air in there is safe to breathe."
"So what's it like? The people are human?" questioned Hermione, seemingly forgetting the underlying issue of Harry being missing for nearly two days.
"The natives aren't human. There are humans trying to colonize the planet—or moon, actually… but the natives are resisting that, and I don't blame them. Actually… after I eat, I have something to show you… and I need Dumbledore's advice on it." Just then, Fred re-entered the dining room, and placed another miniaturized door beside Harry's plate. "I've charmed the door in the entry hall to match this one," he said.
"Great, thanks guys. It'll make the connection a little easier."
"You think it's wise, connecting an alien world in that way?" questioned Remus. Both he and Sirius had remained quiet up to this point, although both were more than relieved Harry was okay. Their faces spoke volumes.
"I don't think it'll cause a problem. Not to mention, I can lock it as I've done with the one connecting us with the Gryffindor dormitory. And as I said, where the trunk is stored now, they're pretty much aware of what I am."
"You've exposed our world to Muggles… again?" questioned Lily.
"Mum. Their planet… Pandora… the magic there is insanely strong. Stronger than it is here, or at Hogwarts… and before I landed on Pandora, I thought Hogwarts was the most magical place anywhere. Shows how much we know."
"It still doesn't give you the right to just tell anyone about Magic, Harry."
"I know, Sirius… I just went with my gut. The people I've met so far are good people, they won't betray my secrets. I think they're more interested in seeing what I can actually do… much like the native people. They… they are definitely magical, just, they don't use magic like we do.
"The thing is, though, they're very distrusting of humans. I don't know exactly what the human colonists have done, but it can't be anything good. It took a strong magical oath before they even BEGAN to trust me."
"So what are they like?" questioned Matt.
"About nine or ten feet tall, long, lanky bodies. Ears and noses like a big cat—lion or tiger's. Yellow eyes, and a tail. Some of them speak English, but they have their own language. Hunter-gatherer type of people who live an uncomplicated life. Some ways, I envy that."
"Ten feet tall? No way," said George.
"I swear it on my magic," said Harry. It wasn't an official oath, but he knew it would stand up if it had been the case.
"Merlin."
"Like I said though, they're very distrustful of humans," said Harry, between bites. It was good to have home-made solid food again. Yesterday's experience with 'mystery food' was something to forget.
"You sound like you're itching to get back," said Remus.
"I guess I am," answered Harry, "It was nice waking up yesterday morning, not dreading having to deal with Umbridge… by the way, did anything happen while I was away?"
"Nothing really, but she's gonna start inspecting the other teachers Monday," said George.
"Keep your heads down, guys. And I will be setting up the Defence Association sooner rather than later."
"Don't use the Room of Requirement like you did the first time," said Bill, "Why not use the Chamber of Secrets? She'd never catch you that way." Harry nodded, and said, "Good idea. We'll have to move the shipping crate elsewhere then. Hmmmm… maybe move that one to Pandora. It would blend in with the research station."
"Harry."
"It won't do any harm there, and even with the DA, there are still people I really don't want to know about the trunk system."
"Why not miniaturize it like you did with the others?" Matt suggested, but Harry shook his head. "No, I'd rather keep it as it is. It's such a big object, so shrinking it down and re-expanding it too much could screw it up, knowing my luck."
"It sounds like you plan on keeping a long-term connection with this new world you've landed in."
"Possibly. How else will I keep in touch with my new friends?"
The others at the table knew this was a lost argument. If Harry wanted to do something, it was just about impossible to change his mind. The rest of the meal was spent with Harry answering questions to the best of his knowledge, although a lot of the time, it was, "I don't know." After all, being in Pandora for less than two full days gave him no chance to form an opinion on things one way or another.
"Right," he said, as the plate vanished, "I'll be back in about five minutes. I'll install the door, and I need to fetch something. Could someone floo Dumbledore, and let him know I need his opinion on something?"
"Got it," said Remus, standing.
"Great… I'll be back shortly."
"I'm coming," said Matt.
"Matt…"
"I'm coming. I don't care how dangerous it is!"
"Fine. But I'm only going for a few minutes, we're coming right back."
They crossed into the second, then into the third trunk.
"Grab my arm," said Harry. Matt already knew what he was about to do, and quickly grabbed hold of his arm. Harry twisted on the spot, and they vanished, with a somewhat noisy CRACK.
They reappeared in the research station's cramped living module. Norm looked up from the microscope, giving Harry a nod. He blinked, seeing the stranger. "Who are you," he asked.
"Norm, this is Matt, one of my partners. Matt, this is Norm, one of the people who… well… live and work here." Norm got up, crossed the short distance, and they shook hands.
"We're really in another world?" questioned Matt.
"Step outside without a bubble-head charm, and you'll find out," answered Harry. "We'll go outside later. Right now…" Harry pulled the replacement door out of his pants pocket. "Where could we put this?"
"Does it need to be in a doorway?" questioned Norm.
"No. just a blank section of wall."
"That'll be a challenge to find in here," Norm snorted, "Unless it can be leaned up against a window."
"Don't see why it couldn't," said Harry, "Although, we could probably set it up outside, but the problem with that would be setting up a containment ward. I'd rather my friends not suffocate the first time they come through."
"Put it there." Norm gestured to a window beside the airlock. "Grace ain't gonna like that, I'll tell you now."
"We'll sort out something more long-term. I don't want to intrude on you guys more than I have to," answered Harry, as he re-enlarged the door. As soon as it was set against the window, there was a brief POP sound, and the door instantly changed its shape, to appear like a second airlock, except for the fact it didn't have a keypad like the real one.
"Holy shit!" Norm was shocked. Harry only grinned—he suspected it would camouflage itself, but hadn't been entirely sure.
"The Weasley twins… their work is almost an art form," said Harry.
"When they're not pranking people," Matt muttered.
"Right. Okay, Norm. Ready to see some 'real' magic?"
"And this ain't?"
"Harry… the other thing."
"Oh. Right. Could I borrow the Unobtanium sample? I want to show it to someone."
"I… probably shouldn't. Don't be long with it, Grace will chew me a new one if she finds out I let you handle it, let alone take off with it," said Norm, opening up one of the field kits. He retrieved the sample, and was about to hand it to Harry.
"Actually, hold on it, you can come with us anyway, now that we're connected. As I said, ready to see some 'real' magic?" At Norm's nod, Harry pushed open the door. It swung inward, rather than outward, like the real airlock.
Norm actually did a double-take. The other side of the door was an entry hall of sorts, with a lengthy corridor. At the far end, a door lay open. They travelled through both of them, landing into yet another entry hall. This one had a set of stairs off to one side, and a ladder leading to a closed hatch. An arch defined the separation between it and a main room. He could easily see some of the furniture, with a pair of archways on either side leading off into other parts of the… residence?
"I think you broke him," Matt smirked.
"Tickling charm then?"
"N-no, that's… quite all right," Norm managed, as the three of them stepped into the first trunk. "Where… where are we?"
"This is my home," answered Harry, "It's actually a series of trunks—you saw one of them already."
"But how? Magic can really just… blow holes in the laws of physics?"
"Well, magic has rules of its own," Harry explained, "Like, there is a limit to how much I can expand things. The entry hall back there is the separation between two trunks. This one's been expanded pretty much as far as it'll go—once we enlarged the study… I can't get an inch more out of it. Things like, you can't bring back the dead… it's not as free and open as you might think."
"Ah, Harry…" Dumbledore stepped into the room from the hallway leading to the study.
"Professor."
"I understand you've been off on another adventure… and you've made a friend or two, I see."
"Yes sir," answered Harry, "Norm, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the school I attend. Professor, this is—"
"Doctor Norman Spellman, sir," Norm answered, offering a hand. The headmaster shook it. "My friends call me Norm."
"Sir, I just need a few moments. Norm… show him the Unobtanium." Norm only nodded, and fished the said item out of his pocket. "This is a mineral found on Pandora. We call it Unobtanium, because until recently it was, well…"
"Unobtainable," the headmaster finished, doing exactly as Harry did a day and a half earlier, gesturing at it with his wand. "Most peculiar. I daresay, this is a concentration of magic beyond anything I've ever laid eyes on."
"You're saying, it's pure magic, in physical form."
"Exactly, Harry. I must ask, what kind of magical activity is there on Pandora?"
"It's stronger than Hogwarts, professor, and not just in places. I mean, everywhere."
"That would mean, the superconductivity properties of Unobtanium are more magical, then," said Norm.
"Which means, Muggles are messing about with magical substances, professor."
"Yes, agreed. I leave this question for you, Harry. What would you do with that knowledge?"
"I don't know. Isn't this a breach of the Statute of Secrecy?"
"You people don't belong in my dimension though," Norm threw in, "This 'statute' of yours… isn't there limits on jurisdiction?"
"Also a good question. If you wish to actually enforce the statute, Harry, it would be up to you and you alone. I shouldn't have to remind you of your obligations here as well."
"No sir."
"Just keep that in mind. Is it your place to interfere? Everything happens for a reason, my boy." He handed the mineral sample back to Norm. "Exercise caution."
"I am, sir."
"Perhaps if I have a spare moment I might come for a first-hand look at this strange world you've landed in—satisfy an old man's curiosity."
"You'll need a bubble-head charm. The air's rather poisonous there."
"The gravity's about twenty percent less than that of Earth," Norm added, "And the atmosphere's a bit more heavy."
"I wondered about that," said Harry, "It took some time getting used to. The lighter gravity… that would explain why the Na'vi are so tall, then."
"Just about all the wildlife on Pandora is up-scaled by at least two."
"I'll leave you to it, then. Do be careful, Harry." Dumbledore walked over to the floo, stepped into it, and activated it. He vanished in the green flames, to Norm's horror.
"I think… I'm gonna need an asprin or two…" Norm muttered, "What the hell was that?"
"The floo network. He just went back to his office."
"So he's not dead?"
"No, of course not!" Harry laughed. He looked at Matt. "I'll leave my clone with you guys tonight, since we're connected again."
"Why does your clone disappear anyway?" questioned Matt.
"I don't know… maybe it's the disruption or something when I'm being hurled across dimensions. Even though he's separate, he's created through my magic, and somewhat attached to me, that's the only explanation I can think of."
"Can you send each other messages?" questioned Norm.
"Yes. Nothing complicated, but quick questions, or quick memories."
"Bloody useful," said Matt.
"Matt… you're going off again?" questioned Owen, stepping into the common room.
"For a bit."
"He missed me," Harry smirked, getting a scowl from Owen.
"I'd better get back to my side of the door," said Norm, "If someone comes out of link…"
"Yeah… we'll be along shortly," answered Harry, then to Matt, "Need to get a couple things from our room, and stop by the study."
After retrieving his Firebolt from the room, they stopped by the study. It was rather quiet, but then again, it was early on a Sunday morning, so not too many people would be up and about just yet. Sirius and Remus were the only people present.
"Harry… you're absolutely glowing… what's happened to you?"
"Magic," answered Harry, "Yesterday was one of the most frustrating days I've had… but also one of the most peaceful, all in all, I think."
"Maybe he's high on magic," Matt snickered, to which Remus answered, "Not as far-fetched as you might think, Mr. Tyson."
"And given the place has so much magic it's actually manifesting in a hard, physical form…" Harry pointed out.
"Is that so?" Sirius arched an eyebrow.
"Dumbledore pretty much confirmed it. The Muggles are mining the stuff… calling it Unobtanium… they want it because of its superconductivity."
"Muggles tampering with magical substances? Why doesn't the Ministry of Magic get involved there?"
"Sirius… I don't think they HAVE a Ministry of Magic in their universe. Whatever they did on Earth there, it killed all the magic there."
"So what's to stop them from doing the same thing on Pandora?" Matt pointed out.
"My thoughts exactly. The thing is, I'm one Wizard, against… I don't really know how many Muggles. They seem to be years ahead technology-wise."
"Whatever you decide to do, kiddo, we'll back you."
"Thanks, Sirius. Somehow, I'm gonna be dragged into the middle of this… whatever 'this' is." He thought for a moment, then said, "There's a door connecting us to the Muggle research stations on Pandora. I'll be keeping the security setting tight on it, at least until I give everyone proper warning about it… and that'll likely not be until I understand exactly what kind of dangers exist on Pandora."
"So you're gonna go flying around on your broom," Matt deadpanned.
"Harry…"
"I know… that's why I'll be casting a disillusionment charm on myself before I take to the air."
A minute later, Matt and Harry were back in the research station.
"Remember how to cast the bubble-head charm?"
"I think so." Matt drew his wand, and gestured at his face. A bubble half-formed, then fizzled.
"Try again. You have to get this before I'll take you with me."
"Loveshack this is Samson One Six Inbound," came a female voice. Norm punched a button on the communications console. "Loveshack, copy." Releasing the button, he said, "You guys can't be here, she's likely bringing more than just herself. Here, use this… you put it on like so…" He quickly demonstrated the use of an exo-pack, critical equipment for a human to step out into Pandora's atmosphere.
"Thanks," said Matt, and he quickly donned the offered equipment.
"Ready?" questioned Harry, as he pulled the door back to the trunk closed.
"Let's go," said Matt. Harry grabbed his arm, and they vanished with a loud POP.
They appeared in the upper branches of Hometree, which for the moment, was deserted.
"Where are we?"
"This is the Na'vi village, their 'Home tree' as they call it. But we really need to find out how many Muggles are here on Pandora."
"They can obviously talk to each other… we just saw that," Matt pointed out, "What about 'borrowing' one of their computers?"
"I'd rather not make enemies out of the scientists," Harry rebutted, "If anything they've been gracious about my presence. They sure as hell didn't need to be. They could have just turned me over to security, or whatever force they have here to keep the peace."
"Then maybe the first thing to do is find out what they really think of all this. What's their plan?"
"Sounds like solid logic to me."
"So are we gonna fly, or what?" questioned Matt, looking out across the far-reaching tree canopy.
"Thought you'd never ask." Harry retrieved his shrunken broom from his pants pocket, and restored it to its original size. He held it level, then mounted it. "Climb on."
With Matt seated behind him, Harry kicked off, leaving the safety of the massive branch.
"Holy shit this is high," Matt realized.
"I know… the tree's gotta be a thousand feet high, easily," Harry answered. He tapped himself over the head, and then Matt. "Best not to be seen. Ready?"
"Ready," Matt answered. Harry nudged the broom forward aggressively, and they were gone like a shot. The broom vibrating warned him he'd reached the maximum theoretical limit for it. He was rather surprised; the heavier atmosphere had no effect on the broom's performance. 'Chalk it up to magic,' he thought. They made a wide arc, and circled around Hometree, slowing down to half the speed so they could both get a good look at the tree and its local environment. They could see a good number of people moving about on the ground.
"They're really blue. I thought you were joking about," said Matt.
"What I told you earlier, it was the truth."
"Harry!" Matt shouted. Harry had just enough time to manoeuvre the broom, to avoid a head-on collision with a Na'vi riding a banshee.
"What the fuck was that?"
"They're banshees. The natives ride them like we ride brooms, I guess… but something tells me taming one is rather dangerous."
"You and me alike. I'll stick to a broom, I think—um… Harry…" He felt his head being nudged up slightly. Startlingly, there were dozens of the bird-like animals circling.
"Wow, talk about crowded airspace." He nudged the broom down, and they descended, until they were just above the tree canopy. "Rather not suffer a mid-air collision with one of those things." He turned the broom around, so they were heading back toward Hometree. "Hey… see the one in the burgundy halter-top?" It took a moment, but Matt answered, "Yeah… you know her?"
"Sort of. C'mon, I'm gonna play a prank."
Grace had been more than ecstatic, being able to once again attend Hometree, and reconnect with the children she had taught. She sat with a group of them now, in a soft patch of grass, flipping between speaking in English, and speaking in Na'vi. She had to begrudgingly thank Jake for making it happen. It had been a stunning blow, when the school had been 'closed down'.
Suddenly, she felt something flick her left ear, and as she turned to see who or what was responsible, something grabbed her tail, while something else flicked her braid.
"Hey!" she snapped, wheeling around to confront the prankster. She caught a glimpse of something that looked small and human, but it was gone as fast as she'd seen it.
Still disillusioned, Harry tapped himself on the head, cancelling the charm.
"'morning, Grace," Harry grinned. A second later, Matt also materialized, as did the broom. They were riding at eye-level to her.
"I should've known," she muttered. She started, realizing they were in fact actually riding a broom. "Oh good grief…"
"We're wizards…"
"And witches," Matt threw in.
"What did you EXPECT us to ride, vacuum cleaners?" That got a smirk from Matt, and a scowl from Grace.
"What is… va-koom… clean?" questioned one of the children.
"Ummm… it's a machine… you wouldn't like it, and you don't need it," answered Grace.
"Yeah, really noisy. Humans use them to keep their homes clean. But like Dr. Augustine said, you don't need something like that. Your home is beautiful as it is," said Harry.
"But you're a sky person! Don't you have to keep your house clean?" questioned an older girl.
"No. I use magic," answered Harry, with a grin. He lowered the broom to the ground, and they both dismounted. "Grace… this is one of my mates, Matt. Matt… Dr. Grace Augustine."
"Glad to meet you."
"You mate with another man? Why?" asked an older boy.
"Why not?" questioned Harry, "Would Eywa deny it if you fell in love with another boy?"
"I… I do not know."
"I was honoured with a chance to speak with Eywa. She's not always direct in her words and wishes, but to deny love? No, definitely not." He smiled, then said, "This probably isn't the best kind of conversation to have with most of you. You'll understand when you're older. Just realize, love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It doesn't care about race, religion, or whatever… it just is." He realized Grace had taken to translating for him, as he'd started using more adult words. Still, the children were looking at him with understanding, and a new respect.
"Love helped me to defeat one of the darkest, scariest people to ever walk the earth and wield magic," Harry continued, "So don't ever doubt the power of that emotion. It's raw, and it's just as real as the magic I wield. It's in us all, and sometimes, it rules us." Harry felt two arms wrap around him, and he was enveloped in a tight hug.
Watching the pair, Grace gained another level of respect for the young wizard. Whatever had happened to him, he had the ability to command respect from those around him. Just the way the young Na'vi were looking at him spoke volumes. He'd just taught a valuable lesson, something the kids would remember for the remainder of their lives. He landed on this strange world with no prejudice, with no misgivings. He treated the Na'vi as equals, and was rapidly earning their respect, something very few humans had done before. The thing was, when push came to shove, whose side would he take?
That evening, Jake and Neytiri practically dragged Harry and Matt up to the common area, where many of the villagers were gathered around a bonfire. This was obviously their meal time. Introductions were made, but there was no issue, as the people saw Matt was with Harry.
"You are mated with Harry, MattTyson?" questioned Mo'at.
"Yes ma'am. Well… not officially, but I hope to, someday."
"I've got three partners," said Harry, "One of which has been hurt badly. I haven't been able to speak to him in over a month."
"And where is the third?" inquired Tsu'tey.
"He's got an assignment back in my world. But you'll meet him eventually."
"Taste this," said Grace, passing him a chunk of meat.
"What is it?" questioned Matt.
"Talioang," answered Tsu'tey.
"We call it sturmbeest," said Grace.
"A fresh kill, it is good," spoke another hunter. Harry only nodded, and hesitantly took a bite. The meat was a little tough, and tasted a little wild, but Harry nodded again and smiled. "S'sgood, thank you," he spoke, then to Matt, "Wanna try it?"
"Sure." Once again, the others watched as Matt took a sample of the 'native cuisine'. He held his breath, removed the exo-pack mask, stuffed a chunk of meat into his mouth, then shoved the mask back on, so as not to breathe the dangerous atmosphere. Only when the mask re-sealed itself did he dare actually chew the bite. "Mmm, not bad," he said.
"At least you know where it came from," said Jake.
"Matt… we gotta work on that bubble-charm… that thing is a nuisance. Anyway, in the magical world, our food is usually pretty fresh too," said Harry, "In addition we've got preserving charms to keep things fresh. Came in right useful during my hols with the Dursleys."
"Still don't see why you protect them, Harry."
"They're blood. They may not have been all that nice to me, but they kept me safe from Voldemort, and they're the only blood family I have left, the only link back to my mother," Harry explained.
"You have no mother?" inquired Mo'at.
"Not directly. My parents were murdered when I was just a baby," said Harry, "Because I was one of two children referenced in a prophecy that was made by a seer just before I was born. An evil wizard set the prophecy in motion by killing my parents. He gave me this when he tried to kill me." He lifted his hair off his forehead, revealing the infamous scar. "This is my destiny. I have to kill the wizard who gave me this." He took another bite of the offered roast sturmbeest. "Hmm… this is actually quite good. Anyway… my life's not been easy. I've had to face things that would likely scare the hell out of an adult, let alone a child. Would any of you have a child go out into the forest with a hunting party? Or face ikran?" His question was met with alarmed faces and muttering in their native language. "When I was twelve, I had to face a creature that could kill with just a gaze, whose poison could kill in minutes. The following year, I faced creatures who could suck out your very soul, leaving only a living, but useless shell behind." Grace had taken to translating again, as he used larger words. "Last year, I faced a dragon… something three times the size of ikran. Something that can fly, can swallow a man whole, and breathes fire. I escaped only because of my flying skills."
"Toruk," Neytiri breathed.
"No. Nothing like the animals you have here," answered Harry, then, "You have something as big as a dragon?"
"Toruk," answered Grace, "Or Great Leonopteryx. They stick to the mountains, and are as big as one of your dragons. Leave out the 'breathing fire' bit." Somehow, Harry knew he was going to be answering more questions later.
"Great." Harry didn't sound impressed.
"You fly?" questioned Eytukan, "On what?"
"Here," said Harry, passing Matt the leaf-plate, then stood up. He reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out his miniaturized Firebolt. He tapped it once with a finger, re-enlarging it. "My godfather gave this to me almost two years ago as a gift." He moved a little closer to the fire, so he had more space, then straddled his broom. He floated up just a bit, then lowered back to the floor, and dismounted. "Not exactly a good place to be flying, but you get the idea."
"You must fly with us tomorrow, HarryPotter," spoke Tsu'tey.
"If I can. It would be an honour. But tomorrow, I may need to be elsewhere, back in my own world."
"Your magic is very strong. You have connected your world with this one?" questioned Mo'at.
"Yes. I won't say where, and I will say this much. The people I call friends on the other side will not be a problem here. I trust them all, or they wouldn't be in my home. You honour me by inviting me here." That was met by many warm smiles. Sure, they found his magic rather unnerving in places. Yet, this human was not like any other they had ever encountered up to now.
The next thing Harry realized, both he and Matt were sprawled out on the floor, the fire having died out to a few glowing embers. The others had all disappeared to another part of the tree. He stared up at the ceiling. 'If I had my way, I would stay here and never return.'
AUTHOR NOTE: Edited to fix missing text, May 21, 2010. Thanks to Thenchick for pointing this out.