Fate Versus Determination

by EpicFail236

Why is it, I wonder sometimes, that it took this long for it to happen? Was it because of you? Was I supposed to help you? To teach you something? No, no I think it was you that was supposed to teach me something. Fortunately for both of us, you did. (Set post True Pacifist Ending, post Chamber of Secrets.) Many thanks to reviewers! Updates Sundays or Mondays

17. A Walk Along A Riverside

Chapter 17 - A walk along a riverside

==oo00**00oo==

It was a slow thing in this particular moment, waking. It started with a vague awareness of movement, the low rumble of a moving vehicle as it passed along the roadside. The sound of the radio, a bit too low to hear anything of detail but loud enough to drift to his ears over the sound of the air conditioner. A thunk and a scrape from another direction noting that there was something across the car from him. The warmth of the sun shining through a window. Taking a deep breath that almost certainly wasn't any sort of yawn, Harry could smell the fumes from the vehicle, the smell of tobacco, and the mild aroma of sunflower that he had come to know as Asriel's unique scent. Somewhere in his mind he considered it odd that he was being rather relaxed about the situation, especially considering he had no idea how he ended up in a vehicle. The rest of his mind overruled this train of thought however - it had been a rather ridiculous couple of weeks, he deserved a break. Taking another breath, Harry slowly opened his eyes and stretched.

He was right about the car it seemed. Harry found himself stuck in the back seat of a pickup truck cab, compressed against the seat in front of him and the back window. He noticed his pack rattling around in the covered truck bed, along with a bunch of boxes filled with wires and cables. Across the car from him Asriel was in the other seat, the back of his sunflower head facing him as he looked at the scenery passing by through the window. Looking to his right, he noticed the druid from the grove in the drivers' seat, glancing at him through the rear view. When their eyes met, he smiled.

"Ah, you're finally awake. Fantastic!" Harry turned towards the front of the car to see Casper smiling at him from the rear view mirror. "We're just a few minutes from where I'm going to have to drop you off, and I was worried I'd have to wake you. Sleeping like a baby, you were"

Harry shrugged "Honestly, Casper, I haven't felt this rested in ages." He nodded at Asriel, who had been looking at him with some concern. After seeing that, he merely rolled his eyes and turned around to look out the window again.

"Ugh, don't call me Casper outside of the grove, just Dave works. I feel like my old mentor when people call me that. The name's hereditary, given to the guardian of the grove and whatever of Gaia happens to be in the neighborhood. Speaking of which, let me go through a few things quick, since we don't have a lot of time before I have to drop you off. Now, you're obviously feeling well rested right?" at Harry's confirmation he smiled. "Good. That means her blessing took. You'll probably feel a bit giddy for the next few days, do yourself a favor and take a few walks through the woods while you're feeling it. Almost guaranteed to have some new friends by the time you leave if you do." Harry didn't know what to say to that exactly, so he just moved to the next question he had on his mind.

"What... um... exactly happened? Last night, I mean." Asriel turned quickly in his direction and stared hard at Harry

"You don't remember?" At Harry's shrug he frowned. "What was the last thing you do remember?"

Harry thought back, and was hard pressed to find anything in his mind relating to the night before. "Not much. I... remember looking into her eyes, then... nothing really. It's all a fog."

Asriel tilted his head at that, while Dave just scoffed. "You warn them, and they still look. It's like the old man said. Don't worry too much about that, It's common for anyone's first experience around an Emissary to be a bit off. You'll probably start remembering more and more of the night as time passes. Gaia's magic tends to give your brain the jumpstart it needs when you need it. Don't push it though, thinking too hard about it will just give you a headache even if you do remember all of it, trust me."

Asriel turned towards Dave "Emissary?"

"That spirit was of the grove yeah, but it's also a part of Gaia as a whole. Without getting too technical, basically that's a piece of the whole you were chatting with last night. There are points all over the world where spirits like her still show up, on their own, but still part of the whole. It's why our job as Druids is still around, even if we don't do the whole druid ceremony in public anymore. We keep the groves hidden and protected, let Gaia do her work, planet keeps on spinning. Like a public service, cleaning the parks and all that." He grinned "Cool side bonus - being all about saving the planet makes for good opening conversations at the pub." Dave turned off the main road and started driving into the countryside, cards and buildings making way to houses and suburbs, and quickly to open fields.

"Anyways, I'm telling you this because, whether you remember it or not, the job was offered to you as well." Harry blinked at that.

"What do you mean?" Dave shrugged

"Just that by being able to make it into the Grove, and being able to look into the eyes of an Emissary, you do have what it takes to learn the ropes of being a Druid. I know you've got the whole wizard thing going for you to, but I will say it never hurts to read up on other things."

David turned the vehicle onto a dirt path, driving for a few moments until he came to a stop by a river. Parking the car and turning it off, he turned around.

"Alright, unfortunately my time is short, so I'm going to have to leave you with that little tidbit. Come on, let's get you and your stuff out and get you moving with your little pilgrimage, eh?"

Harry and Asriel shared a look, and Asriel did as good of an impression of a shrug as a flower could do, so Harry grabbed onto the burlap sack Asriel was currently situated in and climbed out of the truck, following Dave around to the back. With a click, Dave opened up the back, and the first thing Harry noticed was his pack, looking a bit more full than it was before. He also noticed laying up against his pack a rather large, angry looking hammer. He reached out to his pack, and hesitated a moment. Dave turned towards him in confusion and then laughed.

"Ah, yeah that's just Betty. Don't worry 'bout her, she's just around to keep things from getting out of hand. Surprisingly busy thing, being a druid, even as a night job. You'd be surprised the things you have to deal with."

Harry grabbed his pack and hauled it out of the car, doing his level best not to look at the suspiciously rust colored head of the hammer as he did so. Seemingly oblivious, Dave continued.

"Now, I added a few books to your bag, just the basics on stuff you probably don't get in your own school. When you have some spare time, give 'em a read." after pausing for a moment, he continued "oh! and here, take this too" he reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a business card, handing it to Harry. "This has my number on it, you can reach me if you have any questions or whatever. Now, I can't actually get you directly to your magic friends, still some old rules about that, but if you follow this river up at a walk, you should be able to find a little magic haven by around lunchtime." He gave Harry a slap on the shoulder, knocking the distracted boy almost over on the ground. He then stood up and walked back to the car, getting in and hitting the engine. He leaned out the window as he shifted the car into gear and pulled away. "By the way, your friend wasn't feeling the car ride, wandered off into the woods. My guess is he'll find you later! Nice meeting you, mate! Hope to hear from you soon!'

And with that, Dave had driven up the road and disappeared, leaving Harry standing there, his pack on the ground, and Asriel next to him.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell just happened?"

Harry sighed and hoisted his bag up on his shoulders. "Honestly, I have no idea. But the good news is, I think I know what is going to happen next." he said looking up at the sign posted by the road on the other side of the river.

.Ottery St. Catchpole 12km

==oo00**00oo==

The next hour was spent in quiet conversation between the unusual pair as they walked along the riverbank, the worn grass of a nature walk slowly turning into a trod dirt path, then to a gravel walking trail. Though the side of the river they were on had nothing but open fields and woodlands, the other side of the river began to show signs of civilization, from a farmstead or two at first, up to a small community of buildings. Harry enjoyed the walk as it was happening, but it wasn't until they got nearer to the bridge in the distance that Harry began to realize something seemed... off about what he was seeing. It took him nearly ten minutes of wondering silently to himself before Asriel, unknowingly, provided the answer to him.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled, paying half attention to the conversation. He was brought up short by Asriel's question however.

"What's up with all these ridiculous hats some of these people are wearing?"

Harry blinked, then looked up across the river, and suddenly he began to understand what was off about what he was seeing. He could see that the small town was decidedly normal, with fairly recent buildings mixed in with classic but tasteful architecture, sure, but it was the people that suddenly stood out. Yes, there were plenty of cars and bikes and such, with muggles chatting and sitting and enjoying their drinks. But what was also surprising was the number of witches and wizards also walking around. Folks in robes and hats stood around with folks with cellphones and bike helmets, and the concept nearly astounded Harry.

"Those... some of those are wizards I think. I mean... I think they're wizards. I thought that muggles and wizards were separated though, I have never seen so many so close together though."

Harry had been so focused on the quiet conversation with Asriel that he nearly bumped into a bench, and deftly twirling around said bench, nearly bumped into a man seated on said bench. As he pulled up short Asriel did his best to swing around and sink deeper into Harry's bag. Harry immediately stammered an apology, looking down and doing his best to appear inconspicuous. The older man smiled.

"No harm done, young man. I often get a touch distracted while out wandering, so far be it from me to criticise another who does the same." he said with a chuckle. "It is quite a place to get lost in, isn't it?"

Harry awkwardly chuckled, trying his hardest to be as noticeable to this person as possible while still being polite. "Yes sir."

The man waved him off immediately with a scoff "Please, no sirs here, call me Xeno. I've certainly not done anything recently worth a knighthood at least. You're a visitor I assume? Have you been to our little town before?"

"Just once sir, and I didn't see much of the town itself - I was here visiting friends." Harry looked out at the scene across the river, just watching as people went about their day. It was odd, seeing wizards and muggles in such close proximity, interacting as though nothing was strange about it. Granted, no one was performing magic publically, but even people being that close was a unique experience to him.

"Ah, then you haven't seen this before. Doubly obvious that you would be distracted then. You were raised by muggles I assume, probably closer to the city am I right?" Harry was surprised by that, and turned towards the man. He grinned "I pride myself on my observational skills. One of the few things I can take pride in." He turned back towards the scene across the river. "Tell me, what do you see when you look over there?"

Harry followed his gaze to the people, wizards and muggles, mingling without a care in the world. "Im... honestly not sure what I'm looking at." The man laughed at that.

"It seems even more fantastical to those of us who are older, believe me. It's really not that much, simply a ward around the district to distract muggles from what the wizards are wearing, and some rather stringent rules around wands. But the implications are far greater than shared coffee on a patio."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He felt Asriel shift in his bag to try and listen to the conversation as well.

"Well think about it. For hundreds of years, the magical governments of the world have been so concerned about the consequences of the muggles finding out about magic that they have prevented interaction almost completely; if not by outright law, then by social norms. It was unheard of for anyone to even think that any form of interaction was anything but disaster."

Harry frowned, and looked over to find muggles and wizards interacting with the muggles none the wiser. "But it seems like this is anything but disaster. The wizards are fine out in public here. But they can do that anywhere, right?"

The man's smile grew "Oh that's true, but this is so much more than that. When a wizard goes out in public in, say, London, they're barely glanced at, but when muggles see them.." he looks at Harry expectantly... and Harry suddenly understood.

"... they're just looked at as... out of place people. Strange outfits, probably crazy. But," he turned back to the old man. "These people, they're talking with each other like-"

The man quickly interrupted him with a nod "-like there aren't any different. And all it took was a muggleborn on the city council, and a few families with some knowledge of warding, working together. An interesting thought, yes?"

Harry felt a bit rocked by this particular thought indeed. But before he could further unpack his thoughts, the man made to stand "But I've taken enough of your time up I think. You should get moving if you want to make it to the Burrow in time for tea." Harry's eyes snapped back to the man who merely smiled. "I told you, mister Potter I take great pride in my observational skills. Take the main road from the bridge there away from town, when you see a dirt road leading to a tower, take that road. That's the Rookery, our family home, and the Weasleys live about ten minutes past that up the road."

Harry couldn't do anything else but nod. "Thank you sir." He paused and continued rather awkwardly "I.. um.. I would rather not have-"

"You don't need to worry young man, I won't tell anyone else you happen to be walking through town. I will ask for two things in return. The first, again, please call me Xeno." Harry nodded with an apologetic smile. "The second... if you have time before you return to Hogwarts, stop by our home and have a meal with my daughter and I. It is not common anymore for my little moonbeam to speak to others anymore, and I worry she's going to close herself off to friends... I cannot be everything for her, that isn't right. Even if you couldn't be a friend, at least it would be good for her to speak to someone other than myself during this summer."

Harry frowned, there was a story there, he assumed, but didn't want to pry, so he simply nodded. "Of course, Xeno. And thanks for the directions."

Xeno waved him off, and headed into the town. Harry stood there for a few minutes more, just watching him disappear into the small crowd in town before shaking himself off and turning the opposite direction towards his destination. Asriel lifted himself up from his semi-hidden spot in Harry's bag and leaned over to look at the man's retreating back. "Are all wizards like that?" Harry frowned.

"Like what?"

"Weird. Really really weird."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated, then sighed. "You know, I would like to say otherwise, but..."

Asriel nodded "yeah I kinda gathered. I can definitely say hanging around you means I won't be bored at least."

"Buddy, you aren't kidding" Harry snickered as they walked along the roadside."

==oo00**00oo==

It wasn't long before things started looking vaguely familiar to Harry as he walked up the dirt path, and up in the distance the mismatched stack of rooms that was the Weasley's home began to rise up into view. As he climbed the hill that functioned as an overlook to the property, he couldn't help but smile. The house was probably the closest thing he had to a home, aside from Hogwarts. His smile turned a bit sad as he realized standing on that hill that it didn't quite feel the same as it did last year, seeing that house. Not that it didn't feel as welcoming, but rather that it had the feel of an old home, something he had fond memories of, and loved to visit, but really wasn't home anymore. From behind his head he heard Asriel make a noise of disbelief.

"Harry?"

Harry turned his head to meet his friend's eyes. "Yeah, Az?"

"Is all wizard architecture this..." he waved vaguely at the building. Harry couldn't help but giggle.

"Yeah basically."

"Why?"

Harry shrugged hopelessly "Honestly, I never thought to ask."

"I guess, after seeing the hats, I probably wouldn't ask either." He snickered. Harry simply shook his head and started walking forward. After a few steps Asriel hesitatingly continued speaking.

"...so... uh, this is where we're going huh? Meet up with your wizard friends?" Harry nodded. "Cool. So, um... I know we talked about this a bit, but... you sure they're going to be... okay with me?" The question brought Harry up short. Normally he would just assume everything was fine, but recent events had encouraged him to think a bit more. After hesitating a moment, he continued.

"So... the Weasleys are good people. I have no doubt they would be just fine with you. That being said... yeah there might be some people who would be less than welcoming of Monster in the wizarding world." Asriel nodded

"Yeah I kinda figured. How do you want to do this then?" Harry turned to him with a smirk.

"What, not just running and hiding?" he asked the flower. Asriel immediately struck the back of Harry's head with a vine.

"Shut up, just because I'm trying to be less angsty doesn't mean I won't knock you around if you give me crap." They both laughed a bit, and Asriel continued "No, what I'm thinking is you might want to do this slow like. You have been gone for a while, and let's face it, you look a bit beat up after your fall, even if you've pretty much recovered"

Harry conceded the point. "Alright, yeah. Mrs Weasley does get a bit defensive of kids in danger. How about this, you hang out in the garden over by the side of the house" Harry replied, motioning to the plot of tilled land alongside the home. "I'll go in and go through the initial meetings, then I'll come up with a way to introduce you to a few of the family members first, find a way to bring you inside."

Asriel nodded. "Sounds good. Don't leave me hanging too long though, or I might get bored and find something to distract me."

Harry laughed "Truly the most dangerous thing in a fifty kilometer radius, a bored goat-sunflower." As they neared the home, Harry set his pack down and let Asriel off, who dropped into the ground quickly, and popped up just a moment later in a space under an open window. He craned his neck to listen, and then turned to Harry with a nod.

Harry took a deep breath and stepped up the two stairs on the front stoop, and raised his staff to knock at the door of the Burrow.

==oo00**00oo==

A/N: So I'm going to try this thing where, rather than write for scenes as I have them blocked out in my head, I'm going to write for two weeks, then edit and post what I have, even if it's short. I'm thinking this may help drive a bit more consistency out of me long term, and maybe we won't have to do with another gigapause. To all of you who comment and like this, even after all this time, thanks for sticking around, hope you still enjoy what I put up, cause I'm likely gonna keep doing it. Also, I should note that I don't often directly reply to folks who review if you're making guesses on future plotlines (in large part because though I have the major story beats in mind, a lot of the little details are still being written,) but I will reply to questions about past items if you have them, or general questions. To the last guest comment that was three words - thanks for being my first troll comment, makes me feel all grown up!

Coming Up,

"Harry Potter. You disappeared from your summer residence without informing anyone of your plans or location. You fall out of range of any and all magical detection for weeks on end. Then, you arrive weeks later at the home of a friend hundreds of kilometers from where you were last seen without so much as a forewarning, wearing strange clothes, limping and using a magical staff, your want broken and lost. It appears you have a lot of explaining to do."