The Mysterious Traveler

Sorry for the late update! I've been busy and also very tired. But with summer coming up, hopefully I'll be able to do more chapters.

Thank you to those who are leaving reviews. It does mean a lot to me. Please keep 'em coming.

Disclaimer: "I do not own Harry Potter or Avatar: The Last Airbender!"

Enjoy Chapter 14!

Chapter Fourteen:

Pity

Severus ran as fast as he could down the purple pathway, daring not to look back as he pushed himself.

He could sense the hostile catching up with him, hearing the snarls and heavy breathing from behind, motivating him to go faster. And for the moment, he felt he could make it.

However, just as he made it to the end of the pathway, he felt the hostile tackle him from behind and fell. As the ground rushed up to greet him, he immediately found himself on his back, staring up towards his enemy.

Fear slivered through him as he looked into those blue, purplish eyes that stared back at him, almost as if they could see deep into his soul. Its dark cloak and hook refused him the knowledge of what his attacker looked like, only seeing a darkness where the face should be. Only the color of blue and purple were visible, but they held a danger to them that multiplied his growing horror.

Once he felt the cold steel of its knife against his neck, Severus pulled out his wand and quickly casted a Stupefy, forcing the dark hooded figure to fly off of him. Quickly getting back up, he aimed his wand at the hostile, realizing the figure was back to its feet now and was attempting to make another run at him.

Under the cloud of fear, he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The green light flew out the tip of his wand and hit the figure in the chest, falling onto its back with a thud.

Staring at the body of his attacker, realization slowly sunk as his eyes widened. He had used an Unforgivable. The infamous Killing Curse that was outlawed. He had taken a life without a second thought.

Dropping to knees, tears filled his eyes and his wand fell to the ground. He struggled to gain control of himself in such a state.

But the stiffen body suddenly began to move and rose to its feet as if gravity held no control over it. Its eyes glowed brighter in death, staring directly at its murderer.

Though he was terrified, Severus remained still, his expression only displaying shock and guilt.

"This is what you did to me," the figure said in a dark, low voice. The very wind seemed to die at its words. "Now you are what many have claimed what you would become. A murderer."

Supporting himself on his knees and hands, he stared at the ground, feeling his body begin to shake. And soon, tears began to fall from his cheeks.

"Look upon your work," the figure spoke again. "Look upon the life you have taken."

Severus shook his head, feeling the hole in his chest grow.

"LOOK!"

The voice echoed in his ears, a haunting sound that refused to go away.

Opening his eyes, Severus felt the cool air against his face as he allowed the dream to sink in for him. After a while, he removed the blanket and allowed for his arms stretch. He noticed Katara staring at him with concern from the side, but pretended not to be aware of it.

His attention was then caught by Aang, who was pacing back and forth on the saddle, panting.

"Would you sit down?!" exclaimed Sokka, who was piloting Appa over the clouds and mountains. "If we hit an air bump, you'll go flying off! What's bugging you anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said!" Aang sighed. "I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."

Memory came back to him as he remembered the Airbender telling them all about Roku's warning of the coming Sozin's Comet. And that the current Fire Lord would use it to end the war, the same as the last Fire Lord who used it. The very thought that a comet could grant such power almost made him worried.

"Well, lets see. You pretty much mastered airbending, and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."

Severus rolled his eyes at the boy's sarcasm.

"But I haven't even started waterbending, and we're still weeks away from the North Pole!" the Airbender started rubbing his bald head in frustration and stress. "What am I gonna do?!"

Katara reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to drop to his knees with her, "Aang, calm down! It's gonna be okay."

Why can't people just be truthful and encouraging, instead of lying to make others feel safe!?

"If you want, I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know."

Aang's eyes lit up, "You'd do that?"

Katara happily nodded.

Severus rolled his eyes at this, So clueless. Both of 'em!

The two crawled to the edge of the saddle and looked down below.

"We'll need to find a good source of water first," the Waterbender declared.

"Maybe we can find a puddle for both of you to splash in," replied Sokka.

After a little bit of time of searching, they came across a beautiful river, surrounded by trees, high cliffs and also a waterfall.

"Nice puddle," Sokka said, sarcastically.

Severus quietly chuckled at both Katara and Aang, who had expressions of joy on their faces.

Hearing a loud grunt, they looked up to see Appa flying over the river and then allowing himself to fall into the water, making a big splash. Though the group was at a safe distance, Momo was caught in the radius of the splash and became soaked. The bison rolled on his back, letting out sounds of pleasure.

"Yeah! Don't start without me, boy!"

Aang was out of his clothes within seconds, except for his underpants, just about to dive right into the water.

"Remember the reason we're here," said Katara, making him stop.

"Oh, right. Time to practice waterbending," the monk started to redress.

"Great!" Sokka whined. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

Looking towards the ground, Aang picked up a stick and handed it over to him.

"You could clean the gunk out of Appa's toes."

Sokka frowned and folded his arms over his chest, "So, while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work, picking mud out of a giant bison's feet?"

"Yep! Mud and bugs!"

Thinking about it for a moment, Sokka shrugged and took the stick, "Okay."

Though not in the mood to do anything, Severus followed him into the water, taking out his wand.

"Here, I'll help you."

"You don't need to, Alex. I'm fine doing it on my own."

"My way is much easier and faster than using a stick."

The warship sailed across the sea as Fire Prince Zuko practiced his firebending with one of his men. However, the practice was brought to an early end as the ship began to turn, making both them hit the railing.

"Someone's changing our course!" Zuko declaring, heading up to the bridge.

Every since his encounter with the Avatar and Commander Zhao at the Fire Temple, Zuko had decided to lay low for the time being, while continuing his search. He began to question the whereabouts of Alexander Blackwater, having not seen him since their duel on Kyoshi Island. Though he did hear stories of his involvement in the prison rig breakout, the firebender began to worry he may have split from the Avatar.

"What's the meaning of this mutiny?!" Zuko yelled at the helmsman as he walked onto the bridge. "No one told you to change course!"

"Actually, someone did," came General Iroh's voice.

Turning to his uncle, he saw him playing a game of Pai Gow with some of his men.

"I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

The Firebender's eyes lit up a bit, "Is it something to do with the Avatar or Alexander Blackwater?"

"Even more urgent," Iroh sighed. "It seems I- I've lost my Lotus Tile."

"Lotus Tile?"

"For my Pai Gow Game. Most people think the Lotus Tile is insignificant. But it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ."

"You've changed our course for a stupid Lotus Tile?"

"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they'll have the Lotus Tile in stock and I can get on with my life."

Breathing deeply, Zuko let out a steam of smoke in anger.

Iroh smiled as the smoke covered him, "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew."

Appa was grunting and sighing in pleasure as Severus used his wand to summon a cleaning spell on him. Between his toes and in his fur, all kinds of stuff was falling out and flowing down river.

"Enjoy it while you can, buddy," said Sokka. "Because you'll be doing us next."

The bison let out a long sigh.

Once they were done, the two of them then decided to go for a swim up by the waterfall, while Katara practiced with Aang with waterbending. Disrobing, with only their undergarments on, they left their clothes on a branch and dived in.

While enjoying the cool feel of the water, Sokka spotted something.

"Hey, I think there's a cave behind the waterfall. Want to check it out?"

Looking at the hidden entrance, he nodded and they swam towards it.

Avoiding the pressure of the falling water, they swam on into the cave and admired how big it was, especially how the sound of water reflected around the walls. They could also see some colors as well.

"Wow," Sokka stared in awe.

"You act like you've never seen anything like this before," Severus said.

"That's because I've never left home before. Hey, Alex, can I ask you something?"

Severus became stiffed, his back to him.

"Go ahead," he reluctantly replied.

"Why are you so secretive about yourself, and your past?"

He continued to float in the water for a couple of minutes, letting the silence sink in, except for the sound of the waterfall behind them. He didn't know how to respond, let alone find a way out of the conversation.

Sokka sighed and closed his eyes, "Hey, look, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. But despite that you've gained a little trust from me, I do have my suspicions. I trust that you are not a friend of the Fire Nation, nor an enemy to us. Everything you've done has proven that. But..." He paused. "... you can't blame me for asking questions. You're the guy who fell out of the sky, and lived. You're the guy that can do amazing things with a piece of stick. You're the guy who is a hero in my sister's eyes-"

"I'm no hero!" he growled.

Though taken back by his anger, the Water Tribe boy continued, "But you are to my sister. The same way Aang is to her as well."

"He qualifies more than I ever will be," Severus closed his eyes, his back still towards him.

"But you're no bad guy either."

The words sunk in for him as he looked into the water and saw a reflection of himself. He saw how much he had changed since arriving in this world a full month ago. His hair was now curly and much longer, extending down to his neck. His skin was much better, almost flawless. But the scars on his chest and back remained, despite the healing he had been undergoing. For some reason, the scars halted in healing after Kyoshi Island. Though mostly faded, they still had some visibility for others to see.

Realizing he was lost in thought, Sokka swam closer, "What about the scars?"

Coming back to reality, Severus turned towards him, "What?"

He pointed towards his back, "The scars. How did you get 'em?"

Feeling anger rise within him, he turned away, trying to push feelings to the back of his mind.

"Katara told me about the dreams the you've been having. She doesn't know what exactly they are, but she remembers a few involving your... parents."

The anger was now doubling inside of him, making it harder not to lash out. He continued to look at himself in the reflection of the water, trying desperately to bring up his Occlumency walls. But it was a fight he was quickly losing. He was about to lash out until he remembered the last time he lashed out in such anger.

'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods-!'

Feeling the tears threating to fill his eyes, he forced them back, taking full control of his emotions.

Sokka looked at him with a sad expression, "I don't know how you got 'em, but you don't have to tell me. Just know that there's no shame in confiding in us. Especially in my sister."

Severus turned away, unable to face him.

The Water Tribe boy continued to stare at him with sympathy in his eyes.

"I don't need your pity!" Severus whispered.

Despite his anger, Sokka replied, "Maybe I do pity you, but I won't apologize for being human. You shouldn't slap away compassion or help from others, Alex. "

Though he wanted to protest, Severus turned away and began to swim away from him, finding dry ground at the end of the cavern.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to be alone!" he called back.

Getting out of the water, he sat down and closed his eyes, his back still towards the Water Tribe boy. He didn't have to look back to know that he was leaving the cave.

Listening to the peaceful sound of water, he let his Occlumency walls relieve him of his emotions at the moment. Allowing for full control of himself.

Opening his eyes, he sighed and let his mind wander.

He thought about the dream and what it meant to him. He could recall the sound of his own voice casting the Killing Curse at the figure. He could see its dead body on the ground, unmoving. Then he remembered the fight between the Leviathans and the dark hooded figures at the Infinite River. He also remembered the young, mysterious girl, impressed with her skills.

But there was the one memory that raised so many questions.

"Why is it that there is always a Severus Snape getting in the way of things?"

What did the figure mean by that? Why and how was he somehow involved?

Last he checked, the only cloaked figures he was in contract with were the Death Eaters, but he had no interest in joining their organization now. But even if they had seen his disappearance as a refusal to join, it wouldn't warrant this kind of attention. And none of them had blue, purplish eyes either.

Clearing his mind, he began focusing on the information the spirit had given him about an Infinity Orb, which would grant him the power to get back home. But in order to find one, he first had to locate Wan Shi Tong's Library and get the status of its whereabouts. But he had no idea where to locate it, let alone know where to start looking.

Sighing to himself, he continued to sit and listen to waterfall, sorting out his emotions to stay clear within.

Remembering his slightly forgotten magic training, he wondered how long it had been since he last trained in the art of perfecting his wandless skills. With everything that had been happening, he berated himself for forgetting to practice more often. Not only was he being hunted by firebenders, but now he had dark hooded figures chasing after him as well. If that wasn't an indication that he needed to become stronger, then he didn't know what was.

Sighing, he got up and got into a battle stance, pretending that he was holding his wand. For the next few hours, he practiced his basic skills of magic, feeling himself becoming stronger with every attempt. The colors of his magic reflected off the walls of the cave, mixing with those from the waterfall. Sweat covered him as he pushed himself, eager to make progress.

Feeling his body beg for rest, he decided to resume his training the following day and left the cave, savoring the cool water that touched his skin. After using his wand to dry himself and redressing, he made his way back to the campsite, where Appa was waiting. Though wondering where the others had gone, he relaxed on the bison's stomach and looked on up towards the sky.

Appa sighed.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he asked, immediately feeling upset with himself for talking to an animal.

The bison sighed again, as if he was replying something back.

"If Hagrid were here, he'd probably die a happy man after meeting you. This place would be an animal gold mine for him to explore."

The animal sighed, resting its head against the ground for a nap.

Nodding, he closed his eyes as well, listening to the sound of the river.

Not long after, he heard voices in the background, waking him.

"-you took their waterbending scroll!"

"I prefer to think of it as high-risk trading."

"Hahaha! Good one, Katara."

Sighing, Severus opened his eyes and turned to see Sokka, Katara and Aang in a deep conversation.

"Sokka, where do you think they got it? They stole it from a waterbender."

"It doesn't matter," Sokka protested. "You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes."

"These are real waterbending forms. You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending."

He watched as Sokka waved them off and walked away, "Whatever!"

Getting up, he met the boy's eyes as he approached, "What has happened now?"

Sokka sighed, shaking his head, "My genius of a sister stole a waterbending scroll from some pirates and we just barely managed to escape from them. And Aang wasted our money on some stupid whistle that doesn't even work."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "I thought we were good on supplies that the village gave us."

"Yeah, well, Aang practiced nearly all of that down the river. So we went into town to buy some more. Now we're down to only two copper pieces for money."

Severus nodded, "We'll need to get a move on in the morning. If those pirates are out for that scroll, then they'll be on the search for us."

"Agreed. The sooner we get to the North Pole, the better. This trip is draining us dry."

Standing with his uncle in the streets of the market place, Zuko's face was red with anger and frustration.

"I've checked all the shops on this pier," Iroh sighed. "Not a single Lotus Tile in the entire marketplace."

"It's good to know that this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" the Fire Prince spat his words into his uncle's face.

"Quite the contrary," Iroh's sad expression changed to a smile. "I always say the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain."

Some of Zuko's men walked right past them, carrying tons of items back to the ship.

"You bought a sungi horn?"

"For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds."

Iroh began walking down the pier, looking for more shops. Seeing a pirate ship in port, the former general's face lit up with excitement and hope, "Oh, this place looks promising!" He took off, leaving his impatient nephew to follow.

Boarding the ship, he found a monkey statue with red diamonds that caught his attention.

"Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"

While watching his uncle examine the artifact, Zuko's attention was immediately caught by the conversation of two pirates.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl, and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

Stepping forward, he asked, "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?"

From behind, Iroh did an impression of the artifact and imitated the sound of a monkey.

The two pirates turned towards the firebender and studied him over.

"And what interest do you have if this monk did?" the one with the reptile bird asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm willing to make a deal with you."

"Really?" the pirate smiled.

Zuko nodded, "What did they do to earn your... attention?"

The pirate hesitated, making the Fire Prince nervous that he knew the monk was the Avatar. But his reply quickly eased his worry.

"The girl stole a waterbending scroll from us."

"Then my deal should be simple," he offered his hand. "Help me find the boy and I'll make sure you get your waterbending scroll back."

The pirate accepted his hand as his smile grew bigger, "It's a deal."

As the sun began to set in the distance, both Sokka and Severus watched as Katara attempted to help Aang in his waterbending training. While Severus wanted to get back to his own training, he felt drained and tried, and knew he needed to rest. And besides, he wanted to see if what Sokka told him about Aang being better at waterbending than Katara was true.

The moment she had tried to do what was known as the Single Water Whip and hit herself on the forehead, Sokka broke out into laughter, while Severus sneered.

"What's so funny?" she asked in a dangerously low voice.

"I'm sorry, but you deserved that," Sokka turned to Aang. "You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself."

"Aang will get his turn once I've figured out the water whip."

Severus's sneer disappeared at the sound of her voice, slowly beginning to worry.

As she attempted to do the trick again, the attempt accidently hit Momo on his rear, making him screech in pain and anger.

"Ugh!" Katara exclaimed. "Why can't I get this stupid move right?!"

"You'll get it," Aang replied, walking towards the river.

While Severus didn't see it, he could sense the angry expression she was making. He could even sense and feel the anger radiating off of her.

The monk began performing the waterbending trick with ease, "You've just gotta shift your weight through the stances. There! See? The key to bending is-"

"WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT YOUR AIR HOLE!" Katara quickly approached him and began to scream, her voice echoing through the woods. "BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YOUR INFINITE WISDOM GETS A LITTLE OLD SOMETIMES! WHY DON'T WE JUST THROW THE SCROLL AWAY SINCE YOU'RE SO NATURALLY GIFTED?!"

Though Sokka wasn't so surprised by her reaction, Severus was. Never before had he seen such emotion from the Water Tribe girl. Though he figured there was a hidden anger with her, it was the outburst that hit home for him.

Once calming down, Katara turned to her brother and saw the disapproving expression on his face.

"What?!"

He nodded back towards Aang, forcing her to turn towards the monk boy and her anger immediately melted away. Tears began to form in the boy's eyes, showing the damage she had caused.

"Oh my gosh, Aang," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But you know what? It won't happen again." She picked up the scroll and handed it over to him. "Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore."

The monk nodded, "It's ok, Katara."

"What about Momo?" Sokka motioned towards the lemur, who was rubbing the spot where he was hit. "He's the real victim here."

"I'm sorry, Momo," Katara got to her knees and began to pet him.

"And what about me? There was that time you-"

Katara's anger instantly returned and interrupted him, making Momo fly off at the sound of her voice, "No more apologies!"

"Just saying."

Severus sneered.

"You know, I'm hungry," Aang rubbed his stomach. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"Most definitely isn't going to be nuts," Katara smiled. "I bought some bread from the market for us to eat today."

"Come on, when are you guys going to admit that hard nuts are healthy for you?" Sokka whined.

"Not going to happen as long as I'm around," said Severus as he turned to walk back towards the campsite.

Katara's smile changed to shock, almost as if she was struck by lightening.

Did he just 'try' to make a joke?

Zuko boarded his spare boat as it left the warship and set sail into the water of the pier. Meeting up with the pirates in their ship, they sailed from the pier and down the river, passing trees and riverbanks.

"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?" the pirate with the reptile bird asked.

Zuko shook his head, "We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?"

The pirate nodded, "Mm-hmm."

"Then they'll be on the water."

The pirate smiled.

Everyone sat down around the campfire to eat their dinner, sharing bread and a little bit of fruit. While everyone was having a nice conversation, Severus kept silent, lost in his thoughts.

Watching him with worried eyes, Katara attempted to start a conversation.

"So, Alex, what do you plan to do once we reach the North Pole?"

Severus was caught off-guard by the question, but he quickly recovered.

"Not entirely sure," he shrugged. "I thought I did."

"You don't plan on searching for your home?" she pressed. "Your family must be worried about you."

"Trust me, I highly doubt they've even noticed," he hissed.

Taken back by his anger, Katara tried to calm him down, "Alex, I meant nothing mean about it. I just figured you had family is all. Are they... dead?"

Severus shook his head, "No."

"Then why wouldn't they be worried?"

The anger returned, making him look away, "It's complicated."

"Then talk to us."

"Katara, don't!" Sokka tried to stop her, only to be ignored.

"No, I've had it!" the Water Tribe girl rose to her feet, getting everyone's attention except for Severus, who stared into the fire. "For an entire month since we've met you, you've not once told us anything. You fell out of the sky and somehow survived the fall. You have all of these scars you refuse to explain, and you can do things that I've never even dreamed of. You talk as if you need to get back home, but yet act like you don't really want to. The only thing I've gotten out of you is that you have a family, but yet you say they won't notice if you're missing. You talk about 'em as if they've hurt y-"

Severus's eyes widened as he looked up and saw her expression, seeing her anger change to shock and horror.

"Katara, what is it?" Sokka asked.

"The scars!" she gasped. "That's why-"

"Don't assume you know anything!" Severus shot up from where he was standing and stared deep into her eyes. "I don't need your pity! I've gotten nothing but pity since the day I was born! Your brother says you see me as a hero. Let me correct you by saying that I am definitely not. If you've known who I was - who I am - where I come from, you would assume the complete opposite. You may not see it now, but you will. So keep your pity and please keep out of my business!"

Turning away, he walked to a spot on the ground and laid on a bed of fur, pulling a blanket over him. Even as he closed his eyes, he failed to fall asleep, especially with so many emotions running free within his mind.

Meanwhile, everyone stared at him before turning their attention back to the fire and their food, but sat for a while in an uncomfortable silence.

"Katara, you just can't-"

"What was I going to do, Sokka? The way how he walks and holds himself just drives me insane. I can see the pain within him, and I've always wondered why he never opens up. But now I do know. It's his family, Sokka. I think they're hurting him."

"You mean like abuse?" Aang asked.

Katara nodded, "I don't know where he comes from, but I don't think he should go back."

"Oh great!" Sokka teased. "Now you're taking in strays."

"We can help him," Katara punched his shoulder. "I know that our mission is to reach the North Pole, but what happens afterwards? After mastering water, Aang will need to master earth, which will probably bring us closer to Alex's home. If we can show him that being us is better than the life he has known for so long, we can help him become a better person. Look, he may have fallen out of the sky, but I think that was because he was trying to escape by doing... whatever it is that he does."

Sokka and Aang looked at each other.

"But that's up to him, Katara," said Aang. "We can try to win him over, but it will ultimately fall on him to make that decision."

Katara sighed and nodded, "I know. But there is still a part of me that wants to help him. No one should have to live like the way he does."

After finishing up their food and cleaning up, they all got ready for a night's rest. But as they did, there was a sense of dread and sadness, unwilling to leave.

Okay, reviewer 'Sierra' has mentioned in one review about the status of Severus's training of wandless magic. Please rest assure that it will play a part in the story and that we will see Severus progress through his training. I did forget about it during my earlier chapters, but only because there was so much going on, which I decided to use an explanation for why Severus hasn't been training. He still uses his wand as it is his most powerful source of doing strong magic. A lot of his strength for wandless magic is due to strong emotional outbursts, which we've seen before.

And yes, Severus's physical changes will be explained later on, including his ability to perform both wandless and wordless magic. I already have an explanation laid out.

Sorry for the late update. I figured it was time to get back on track.

Please leave a review, and I'll see you guys in Chapter 15!