Here is the seventh full chapter in Book 5, released on time as promised. This the second chapter in what I am calling the Mergence arc as the story progress to the point were the other arc that began Book 5 comes back, this being the first major chapter in it as it is the initial merger and sets the initial timeline for what is to come. However, that is all I have for now though and as there isn't anything to respond to that means that it time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 7th full installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 5: Duty.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.

Chapter 7

Harry led Luna, Ron and Remus to his study. It was where he kept his bar and where he conducted most of his work these days. Despite being retired, his advice was still sought and as such he used his study to correspond with those seeking his advice.

His study was basically the same as the one he had back in Republic City only larger with an additional couch, wider drink selection, more books, and more family related pictures on the walls and desk. The biggest of these being a framed portrait of Harry and Albus over the fireplace that had been painted after Albus had passed his Water Mystic tests and was about to set out on his journey, so he was in his new cloak that denoted his profession.

Once there had been a portrait of James in his military dress uniform complete with all his awards after he'd been named a Terra Team Captain but that had long since been removed and put in storage in the wake of his crimes. The only picture Harry had of his eldest son was a family picture taken the year Lily started at the Elemental Academy, back before everything changed. He kept that on his desk to remind himself of better days, before he lost his sons.

"I don't know about you, but I need a drink." Harry said as he headed over to the bar area and poured himself a healthy measure of fire whisky from the open bottle in his collection. "What about you? What's your poison?"

"I want one but alas my age prevents it." Remus said with a smile as the last of Harry's parents' friends sat down on a couch, under a portrait of Harry's dad and his friends from their probending days that Harry kept there next to one of his own Team from their own heyday after they defeated Hermione. "So just water for me."

"I understand, Ron, Luna?" Harry asked. "What about you two?"

"I'll have what you're having." Ron said as he came over to help Harry. "I only just got the news from them on the flight over here, so I need to process it."

"A little plum wine if possible." Luna said. "I never really enjoyed spirits; they dull my senses too much."

"Coming up." Harry said as he poured 2 glasses of wine as he knew that Ginny would be in soon.

As if on cue Ginny walked in to see who had arrived and likely check on Harry as he hadn't come back after leaving to see who arrived. She was followed by Lily and a confused looking Sirius who seemed to be unsure of what to do but clearly realized that it was best to be where everyone else was.

"Harry, who…" Ginny began before she saw her brother and best friend and went over to hug them as Harry finished sorting out the drinks. "Never mind, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk to the Avatar about something that concerns him." Remus said and Ginny startled before seeing him. "I'm sorry for coming without notice Princess, this was an emergency though, so we came here as soon as possible."

"Archabbot, I am sorry I didn't recognize you." Ginny said bowing a little to the leader of the Air Nation, Lily and Sirius mirroring the gesture of respect to the venerable airbender. "I saw my Ron and Luna and, well, I haven't seen them in months, so I went straight to them. I should have checked."

"Ginny I barged into your home unannounced with your brother and sister-in-law." Remus said with a slight shake of his head. "I expect no less from you in your own home. Though I admit, I am surprised to see Lily here, I thought you were busy in Republic City, Chief."

"No Archabbot, I had to deal with something in Omashu and then things progressed from there and I ended up here." Lily said formally. "I'll be back there soon though."

"Please Lily, we are in a private home, and you've known me your entire life, you can drop the formalities and call me Remus." Remus said. "We are long past the need for such frivolities outside of when it is mandatory."

"Sorry, force of habit after dealing with Omashu formalities for a few days." Lily admitted sheepishly. "You know how it is in the ISEK, they can't have a meeting without at least 10 minutes of them, especially when I'm involved."

"I can see that; this nation never got the hang of simplicity." Remus said. "But such is the nature of culture and when we are in the ISEK we must adhere to their culture when possible."

"So true." Lily said as Harry finished sorting out the initial drinks and he and Ron began handing them out.

"I assume you both want something to drink as well." Harry said as he handed Ginny her drink while Ron handed Luna hers and they sat down on one of the couches. "What will you take?"

"Well, you did pour me one." Ginny said sitting on Luna's other side as Harry passed the glass of water to Remus before heading back to the bar. "So, I don't see why they shouldn't."

"None for me, I may still be needed tonight in Omashu and need to keep my wits." Lily said shaking her head. "I may be done with what I came her for but there is still a fair bit of paperwork. You know how extradition is, it's a bitch."

"It is some of the worst if I recall." Harry said with a sigh at the memory before he turned to look at his grandson who was still in the doorway. "Sirius please, come in and drink if you want. You want to show yourself as different, I feel like now is as good as ever to start seeing as all the remaining members of Team Avatar and the last Marauder are here right now."

"Er, thanks Avatar." Sirius said a little sheepishly as he walked into the room but remained standing by the door. "If you have some bourbon I'll take it, I am not classy in anyway, so I've never developed a taste for the good stuff."

Harry nodded and poured the drink for Sirius from some of the decent bourbon he had, gave it to him and then sat down. Normally Harry would sit at his desk, but it was a relaxed setting, so he didn't have to deal with formalities which meant that he sat down in the armchair by the fire. It was at that moment that the others finally realized that Sirius was there.

"Not to be rude." Ron said with his usual bluntness. "But who are you and why are you here? Harry called you Sirius and you look strikingly familiar, but I know we have never met."

"We haven't Prince Ron." Sirius said with a small nod of his head. "Or should I call you Great-Uncle."

Ron proceeded to cough on his drink at that as he'd taken a sip as Sirius spoke. Everyone laughed a little at that and the tension was somewhat broken.

"Your one of Harry's grandkids?" Luna asked and Sirius nodded at her. "Damn, Albus was some horndog back in the day wasn't he. 5 kids from all over, that's damned impressive. I never thought the kid had it in him. That is some high-quality seed, or he must have something special down there to get all those women in bed with him."

This time everyone spluttered on their drinks. Even after 80 years, Luna seemed to be unable to resist herself or her nature. Admittedly, this time she did have a point, Albus seemed to have been really fertile, or at least good at getting in girls' pants, when he was a Water Mystic though he wasn't the reason for Sirius.

"Actually, my father is James." Sirius said and the three newcomers' mouths fell open at that. "Yeah, I'm the son of the Princeps, not his brother."

"It's a long story." Harry said. "But we just found out today so that was my first earth shattering revelation to deal with."

"Fuck." Luna said breaking the silence and causing everyone to turn to her. "I challenged fate the other day about what else was about to reveal itself and this happened. It's not as major as what we learned but it is still something pretty big all things considered. Fate really doesn't like to be challenged it seems."

"Well seeing as ours isn't a major, why don't we quickly recap for you and then we can get into why you are here seeing as yours is truly unbelievable." Harry said and the others nodded. "Alright, let's begin."

It took about 15 minutes to give a quick rundown as to who Sirius was and why he was here today. The others listened patiently and asked a few questions about everything going on but for the most part they kept their silence.

Their reactions were basically the same as Harry's had been. Shock, surprise, confusion, and amazement at how it had all been a secret for so long. Well, that and the added factor of the major coincidence that had happened but as Luna said, fate hated being challenged so that explained that.

"I was truth seeing the whole time he was talking earlier so I know that Sirius speaks the truth." Harry said when the recap was over. "He wants to find some redemption for the family after what James did, and I think he deserves that chance. Remember what happened with the Unholy Triumvirate. That situation exploited how Albus, and Scorpius were always compared to me, and Draco and those three terrorists almost succeeded because of it. I don't want to allow that mistake to happen again, and I don't think Sirius should be compared to James."

"I agree." Ron said having recovered the quickest as Harry expected he would. "I think this is a good idea and I trust your judgement in this matter Harry."

"Thank you." Sirius said with a small smile on his face. "It means a lot to be allowed to be myself and not the son of the Princeps."

"Of course, though we will still need your help understanding him." Ron said looking Sirius in the eye as he spoke. "If you are up to it."

"I will do what I can so long as my connection to all this remains private." Sirius said and Ron nodded at that. "Thank you, I do not wish to draw attention to my relation to him or the Avatar until I am ready."

"Good." Harry said glad that that was over and turning to the major issue that had been brought to him. "Now, Remus, Luna, what the hell happened? How the fuck is the Air Nation of all nations on the brink of a schism?"

"Oh yeah the reason why we are here." Remus said clearly having temporarly forgotten due to Sirius while Ginny gasped at what Harry had said as she didn't know anything that was going on regarding why her brother, best friend, and the Archabbot of the Air Nation were all in her home now. "Well, it happened at the ANNC."

"That was a few days ago." Harry said remembering that this was the time of year when the Air Nation met as a whole to discuss its national policies for the coming year. "You were up at the Northern Air Temple, right?"

"Yup." Remus said with a nod. "And it was all going well until he showed up all of a sudden and made a grand entrance. We don't know why, and we can't confirm much but the evidence we've seen at least indicates that he spoke the truth."

"Who?" Lily asked a little confused as Ginny and Sirius also looked similar to his daughter at Remus's words.

Harry realized that only he knew why the trio had arrived but even he knew little more than that there had been a major issue within the Air Nation recently. It was one that was serious enough to require the Avatar due to the claims that had been made.

"He calls himself the Ekrizdis, or just Ekrizdis I guess, I don't really understand his title." Luna said. "And he is apparently the 13th to hold that title. He claims to be the leader of Exiled Nomads and their base is the Exile Temple or as we know it the Lost Temple. He also claims that he is the direct descendant and heir to the legacy of the airbenders who survived Sozin's genocide 303 years ago and who have been hiding there ever since."

That caused Lily and Ginny to stare dumbfounded at Luna for a different reason than usual when it came to the airbender. Harry could feel their reaction, it had been his when he had learned it, at least until he heard that it had caused something even worse. It was so implausible, so unexpected that it was hard to believe. Oddly, Sirius wasn't as surprised but seemed to be in thought about something.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. "That is a bold claim, and many have done so in the past, only to be found out as liars when put to the test."

"We don't have a truth seer, no non airbender or acolyte is allowed at the Convention, but we are pretty sure." Remus said. "Wroxton confirmed the stories of the Lost Temple, so we know the myth exists and there are so many remote locations and islands out there that have never been seen or mapped that it is plausible. In addition, he used airbending techniques never before seen by any living member of the Air Nation, but which matched descriptions of lost techniques from before the genocide."

"I believe you." Harry said as he knew Remus spoke the truth and even without his abilities the three of them were all trusted individuals so he would have taken them at his word. "But I will need to meet this man in person, on stone, and confirm it with my abilities."

"That is something I know he wants as well and one of the reasons why I came to you." Remus said. "This revelation is huge and if true something we must look into. The lost history we could recover alone commands it but also the growth of the nation and the addition of airbenders who have knowledge we lack would be beneficial to all. We must investigate this to ascertain the truth."

"However, I can tell that that is not the only reason why you are here and need me." Harry said seriously. "You said as much earlier. I am guessing that this Ekrizdis person is not the most reasonable man in the world and is thus the reason for this potential schism."

"That would be an understatement." Luna said with a snort. "Arrogant, narcissistic, self-centered, powerful, charismatic, uncompromising, and ambitious. That is how I would describe him. Sound like anyone else we know."

"Other than a willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals he sound all too familiar." Harry said with a sinking feeling. "In fact, there are 6 people I can think of you fit that description though this is the first time one has appeared without some violent act to mark his or her arrival. The others may be gone but their legacies are eternal, as are the memories of what they did and stood for."

"Oh, I do not doubt this man has that willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals." Remus said darkly. "I don't think he will do it personally though; he seems to be a strict adherent of the old pacifistic ways so he won't get his hands dirty, but he will do what it takes and that is what worries me. He spoke of taking in airbenders who we rejected by the Air Nation, and you know what it takes to be expelled or banned from the Air Nation, it is not the kind of people that should be serving a man like that. They aren't bound by the old ways like he is."

"No, they shouldn't, nor would any of them have any compunction to fight against the current Air Nation." Harry agreed. "And I doubt he will treat them the same as the Exiled Nomads."

"He won't." Luna said shaking her head. "He spoke of his lot in terms that almost sounded like a Purist. He sees the Air Nation as an abomination on the philosophies of the old nomads and in need of reform. He sees it as a perversion of ideals. He also claims that as the Ekrizdis and the heir to the past, he should be the leader of the nation and basically demanded Remus hand it over to him. When Remus refused, he threatened Remus and then easily defeated the guards in one move and escaped."

"I see." Harry said stroking his beard as he thought on the situation. "A man like that, with that kind of drive and dedication, will stop at nothing to seize what he sees as his right. He is a threat but if he is only one man with likely not that many behind him, why is he such a threat that I am needed to intervene in this matter?"

"Because there are rumblings in the Air Nation and a lot of people are sympathizing with him." Remus said. "It seems that he has had plants in the Temples for a while and there is a lot of stuff being circulated now that he's in the open. That and the allure of the past, the true nomads, have some already siding with him."

"He's creating a rift and that is the first stage to a schism which is what will lead to a civil war." Ron said. "Making sure that there are those who will join him when he makes his move to declare his intent and thus divide the nation before a war can happen. We know a lot of impressionable airbenders are likely to join but that's not the worst of it."

"It's not?" Ginny asked. "How can it get worse?"

"While it can't be confirmed due to the Air Nation's aversion to an internal investigative force beyond standard guards." Ron said clearly not a fan of that but that was something the Air Nation would never agree to, at least not under the current leadership. "We believe that at least one, if not 2 of the Head Abbots are sympathetic to him."

"Who?" Harry asked. "That would change things."

Now he was worried, if Ekrizdis got a temple Head Abbot on his side his resources grew exponentially as a Head Abbot could deliver his or her Temple to Ekrizdis. He would also deepen the rift, easily turn it into a schism, and gain legitimacy within the Air Nation if he did that. That could lead to at the best a splitting of the nation which might be manageable, but Harry could already tell that Ekrizdis might be the man who wasn't satisfied unless he had all of it and that would mean the unthinkable for the Air Nation. War.

"I know that Luna and Davis are loyal." Remus said alluding to the Southern Air Temple High Abbot as well. "I know both well and they have served faithfully so they can be trusted. However, I am unsure as to the other 3. We are pretty certain the Edgecombe is sympathetic; she is the kind of person who follows power and does whatever she can to advance her own goals. Had it not been for the Principate War, she would never have been a Head Abbot and she knows she has no chance of being Archabbot so she may join Ekrizdis if he promises her more power. That leaves Cho and Brocklehurst as the other two possible traitors."

"We can leave them for now." Harry said. "If one or both have joined this Ekrizdis person then we won't know until it is time."

"Dad's right, what of Wroxton and Bexley?" Lily asked. "Education and military as important as the Temples, it's why they are on the National Council, and we can't let him take those branches."

"Bexley is loyal, he knows the type thanks to his work during the Principate War and will never join someone like Ekrizdis." Remus said causing Harry a sigh of relief that the ANDF would stay loyal to Remus in a potential dispute. "As for Wroxton, he is neutral as far as I can tell. The education branch always has been that way, though he was sympathetic to us during the Principate War, part of why he became Head of the Air House. He won't side with us, but he does not support extremists either."

"That is good." Harry said. "Well not good but at the very least a little more than half the nation is definitely loyal to Remus. I do see the need to prepare and get ready for the worst-case scenario, but I need to meet the man first."

"He will want the same given your position and expressed as much if I remember." Remus agreed. "Luna, can you get on that?"

"I can." Luna agreed with a nod. "I will reach out and use the lines of communication we have to begin working on setting it up at a neutral location. What about you? What will you do Remus?"

"I need to call a Council of World Leaders in Republic City so that we can discuss this threat to my nation." Remus said looking right at Harry as he spoke. "Avatar Harry, I am officially exercising my right as the Archabbot of the Air Nation to call such a meeting. You know the procedures and you know that you will have to be there to head it. We need you Harry, we need the Avatar."

"I know, this is clearly serious enough to get me involved so I will be there." Harry said with a sigh. "I formally confirm your request, though as the caller, you have the duty to reach out to Firelord Ursa, King Xiang, President Teddy and Chiefs Altinak, Dominique, and Titus to organize the meeting. As is tradition, the meeting will be held at the top of the tower on Air Temple Island and not within the bounds of the city or the United Republic. Unless something comes up, the meeting will take place no later than 14 days from this moment."

"Agreed." Remus said with a nod. "I will began making the calls I need to as soon as we are done here."

"Now if only I knew more about this Ekrizdis and his exiles I could be more prepared." Harry muttered holding his chin as he thought. "But who out there has even heard of him, let alone knows anything about him? This has been a secret for so long that they are clearly good at hiding themselves."

"I've heard of the Ekrizdis." Sirius said causing the entire room to snap to look at him.

It seemed that they had forgotten about James's son as he hadn't spoken yet and was still standing by the door. He had instead been deep in thought and decided to speak now that Harry had inadvertently voiced a question to the room.

"You do?" Harry asked breaking the silence.

"I have heard the name before at least." Sirius said nodding. "But I don't much. I didn't even know that this referred to the airbenders until now but I've heard that name long ago."

"Anything will be of assistance to us." Remus said. "Please, this is a threat to my nation, and I need to be prepared to deal with it."

"I want to help, and I will do my best." Sirius said as he furrowed his brows clearly deep in thought. "But I know little more than you do. I knew the name was familiar and was thinking on it while you guys talked. I knew I had heard it before; it just took a while to recall where I'd heard it. It was during the war, one of the few times my parents were talking when I was present, but I heard it then."

"During the war?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I was only 7 but I overheard them speaking." Sirius said with a nod. "Mom was asking dad what he wanted to do about the Ekrizdis as he could be a thorn in the future. Dad said not to worry, that the man was old and would pass soon and regardless, when the war was over they could turn their attention to the Exile Temple and deal with them then. That is all I heard, and I didn't understand it back then but now it makes more sense."

"That is more than we know." Luna said. "It seems that James knew about the Ekrizdis, that doesn't surprise me for some reason, he seemed to be able to find out things he shouldn't have known but then again he did have Arncliffe with him, and she excelled in intel gathering. That said, the current Ekrizdis is middle aged, so I think they were speaking of his predecessor."

"Probably." Sirius admitted with a shrug. "I never asked because I was supposed to be asleep at the time so I couldn't find out more back then, not that I would have understood it myself."

"Is that all you know?" Ron asked. "Are you sure there isn't something else out there that might help?"

"Maybe." Sirius said thinking before he snapped his fingers as he clearly had an idea. "There may be something in the records I have."

"Records?" Harry asked. "That's new."

"Oh, yeah, in all the excitement I forgot about them, but I promise to turn them over." Sirius said embarrassed. "Dad kept a lot of records of him and his Uniques secret. I was told of them before they left for the Second Siege by mom and sworn to secrecy regarding them. After I renounced their views, I rediscovered my memories of them thanks to the Foggy Swamp and checked them out to confirm they existed but didn't read them as I was afraid of what I would learn. I decided to keep them just in case, but I never went back out of fear of being spotted."

"Where are they?" Remus asked. "If they have something on the Ekrizdis then I would like to know. It could be crucial in our preparations."

"And if not, the personal records of the Princeps would help to understand his motivations and the Principate more." Ron said. "I know it is painful, but can you get them for us?"

"I can." Sirius said. "And I will be of whatever assistance I can be. It's not like my dad's reputation can get any worse can it? This will be my first act of redemption for him."

"True and I will go with you." Lily said. "I can deter any questions and I have a few cover stories to explain it depending on where they are."

"Thank you." Sirius said. "When everyone heads to Republic City, I will take you to the vault where they are kept. You will need me anyway, only I can open it. The entire lock is pure platinum, and it is rigged with traps to incinerate everything inside unless the lock is bent in a certain way."

"Sounds like James." Lily said with a hint od annoyance in her voice. "That's fine though, I can work with that."

"I hope it helps." Remus said. "But if James knew, then would his Uniques know?"

"Mom did and I presume the others did as well as dad didn't keep anything from them, well except my existence I believe." Sirius said. "Dad trusted them implicitly, well most of them as Dhillon had other motivations but from what I've understood he was a simple man by the time dad recruited him. They would have known but they are all dead now as far as I know."

"Not all of them." Ron said. "Rohit, the Sand Unique, was taken alive. He was the only one though, the rest all died during the war."

"Oh yeah, I forgot we talked about him briefly at dinner." Sirius said. "Been a long day. Still, he's in prison, not the most accessible person."

"Not for me." Harry said shaking his head. "I just need Altinak's approval, and I can meet with him in that ice cell he's in up north, under the Firebending Supermax Prison. I can talk with him and get some info. If I have to, I will make a deal depending on what he knows but given his status as a high-profile prisoner, the highest actually since Hermione's parole and death, so it will require approval from the World Leaders to ratify it, but it can be done."

"That is a good plan but there is only one problem." Ron said. "Rohit isn't in the north anymore."

"What, he was transferred?" Harry asked confused. "Where? Why wasn't I informed?"

"Oh, you were." Ron said. "I know that the Warden of the Prison wrote to you, but you are a little selective with what you read and this was back when you were still recovering in the South so you could have easily missed it."

"So where is he?" Harry asked. "There's only one other place that can realistically house him."

"The White Lotus Earthbending Supermax Prison." Ron confirmed as it was the only other place equipped to hold a bender of Rohit's caliber. "He had been cooperative and pled guilty, so he was dumped in that pure ice cell and forgotten about. However, after 3 years, he was fed up with the cold and requested a transfer."

"Yes I was still recovering then." Harry said remembering his painful rehab after his injuries. "I doubt I would have seen a transfer notification."

"Probably not as he was already under White Lotus custody and the only other prison that could house him was the earthbending one, so the transfer didn't need approval of anyone by the Grand Master of the White Lotus." Ron said. "The request was approved and under extreme guard and restraints with no metal or earth, he was also heavily sedated apparently, Rohit was transferred."

"Well, that will have to change in future." Harry muttered. "A high-profile prisoner requires my personal authority to classify and should be the same for transferring them even within the White Lotus system. Very well, who do I need to see about permission to visit that prison. I've never actually visited one of their prisons, other than to drop Voldemort and James off and those were personal."

"The Grand Master of the White Lotus." Ron said. "Only he can give you permission to visit it and there are a lot of precautions you need to take."

"I know the prison; I have been there." Harry said. "Well, the last one at least, it keeps getting destroyed every 40 or so years. Seriously, that prison needs better security I think as they keep getting lax."

"That means no metal Harry." Ron pointed out, noting Harry's right hand. "So, no braces that you're used to."

"I have a simple cane for such a situation and other than my right hand I do have almost full mobility in my body." Harry said flexing his right hand via the metal glove. "And I do have some movement in my hand, enough to bend the other elements at least. I can go without it for a while."

"You are also the Avatar; you aren't exactly defenseless." Ginny pointed out. "You will be fine."

"This is true." Harry said. "Very well, I will get preparations ready for this and request emergency permission to visit him. There are some perks to being the Avatar and I can get this sorted within the week. After that I will head to Air Temple Island for the meeting. I hope it is ok to stay there Remus, I am still avoiding the United Republic unless I absolutely have to be there, but Air Temple Island isn't, so I prefer to be there when I'm in that area."

"I understand and of course you can stay there." Remus said with a nod. "I will make sure that Cho knows to have a room ready for you. It's not like you haven't lived there before after all. Though I think my son will be a bit upset that you didn't stay with him in the city."

"True, I did spend a few years there after graduation." Harry said. "And I know but I will see my godson at the meeting, that is should be enough for Teddy. I always attend the inaugurations but that is enough of the city for me. I am retired now; I don't want to deal with Republic City unless I absolutely have to."

"Retired but not without duty." Ron said.

"I know and I have been called so I will once more do my duty as the Avatar." Harry said seriously. "This is something I will not take lightly, and I will be there to see it through. There is a threat to balance and when that happens the Avatar must act. It is time to return the wider world, at least until this situation is resolved."

"Thank you Avatar." Remus said with a bow of his head. "We look forward to your assistance and aid in this matter. Hopefully we can come to a peaceful situation to this issue."

Harry just nodded as he finished his drink. It was clear that they had come to the end of their discussion, and it was getting pretty late and after all the revelations of the day Harry was exhausted. Fortunately, Ginny realized this as well.

"Well, if that is all then I say we retire for the night." Ginny said slowly getting to her feet. "Lily, Sirius, as you two are younger than us, please help prepare the rooms. Ron and Luna's and yours Lily are already set but we need to set up some of the guest ones for Remus and Sirius."

"Of course, mom." Lily said getting up. "Come on Sirius, I will show you where the bedding is and what to do. Remus, are you wanting traditional bedding or something nice? We do keep a room for airbenders who prefer a more traditional sleeping arrangement."

"Lily, I am way too old for the spartan lifestyle." Remus said with a chuckle. "I need a soft bed these days or else I can't sleep."

"Will do." Lily said as she and Sirius left.

"It has been great to see you, even if it was under these circumstances." Harry said as he rose. "But I agree that it is time to retire for the night. I am exhausted and come tomorrow there is going to be a lot to do. I feel that once again, the world is at a pivotal moment, and for the first time I have no idea where it will fall. We must make sure that it remains in balance though."

They all nodded as they rose, returned their glasses to the bar and left the room. Harry was the last to leave, turning off the lights to his study and heading to bed. He knew that the next few weeks would be critical for the sake of the world, he only hoped that they could prevent it early this time, something that they thankfully had for once. That was because Harry wasn't sure he could handle, or survive, another enemy and Ekrizdis was a budding enemy.

Only fate would tell what was in store for the world. One thing was for certain though, the Avatar was back.

I think I will leave it there on a nice little note. I am sure y'all can guess what is coming next now that the two early arcs have fully converged, and Sirius has showed his usefulness in being able to help with understanding the Ekrizdis. Well, at least he can point them in the right direction. The Avatar has returned to the world, and he has to be ready as only time will tell how much longer he has before Ekrizdis appears so he needs to prepare and do so quickly as this is an enemy unlike any he's faced before. Anyway, that is all I have for this post chapter note so I will leave it here. As always any questions in PMs or reviews will be answered before the start of the next chapter (as well as replied to if possible). Please follow, favorite and review, all are greatly appreciated. Until next week.

Stringdog