No Man is an Island

By Andrew J. Talon

Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own Harry Potter or any other copyrighted works mentioned in this story. I am not writing this for profit.


Portkey, Apparation, and the Floo were all well and good when a wizard knew where he was going. But for venturing into the unknown, they still required a vehicle. And for seeking out on the high seas, that still required a boat.

She was called the Phaethusa, and had borne Dumbledore on several trips in his youth. She was a Bermuda-rigged sloop, her sides painted in white, red and gold. Her sails shimmered in the morning light, stretching from the strong, sturdy mast. Thanks to numerous charms and spells, she practically sailed herself.

Which was fortunate, given these South Atlantic waters could be quite unpredictable in July.

His crew was small, but loyal: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, Septima Vector, and Nymphadora Tonks. And, in the case of Hermione Granger, Ron, Fred and George Weasley, stowaways. They in particular had impressed him: They'd managed to find out his plans and sneak aboard the Phaethusa, only being discovered when they were just out of Apparation range.

Nevertheless, Dumbledore appreciated their presence. He pored over the map on deck, checking his deluminator and many other magical instruments he had brought along. They were all united, in one singular purpose:

To find and rescue Harry James Potter, from the last, spiteful act of hate by Bartimus Crouch Junior.

The Death Eater who had been impersonating Alastor Moody grinned nastily through the haze of the Veritaserum. He had just finished telling his tale, how he had escaped, infiltrated the school, killed his own father, and arranged for Harry to be taken to help resurrect Voldemort.

Now, the madman leered at the teenaged boy.

"It is a shame I did not get to kill the boy for my Master," he said, "to end the threat he poses."

"Threat? What threat?" Snape scoffed.

"The prophecy," Crouch stated. Harry stared in confusion, but he easily noticed how Snape and Dumbledore had tensed up.

"What could you possibly-?" Snape tried.

"Severus!" Dumbledore warned, but it was too late.

"What prophecy? What about?!" Harry demanded.

"Harry, don't!" Dumbledore cried. Crouch grinned sickly.

"Never told him, did you Dumbledore? I thought not. My father suspected. Had some sources that revealed part of it. 'As the seventh month dies... Defied him thrice...'"

"Silence, Crouch!" Dumbledore ordered, but before he could do anything, Harry rushed in front of Crouch.

"What prophecy?! Tell me!" Harry shouted.

Dumbledore stepped forward and tried to grab Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, don't listen-!" Dumbledore tried, but Harry turned back and glared, his wand out.

"He's on Truth Serum! He can't lie or deceive me!" He glanced back at Crouch, just enough, his wand hand shaking only a little. "Tell me the prophecy!"

"NO!" Dumbledore shouted. "Harry, you musn't-!"

Crouch laughed, still in his strange, drug induced monotone.

"You've been set up to be Dumbledore's pawn," Crouch stated, "he needed a weapon against my Master. Only one marked as his equal could stand a chance. That's you. He arranged it all: Your parents' hiding place. The traitor Pettigrew. Where you live. Your Weasley friends. Your life has all been a charade. Training you like a dog, to kill the Dark Lord for Dumbledore."

Harry spun around, staring at Dumbledore in shock and disbelief. And despite his best efforts, Dumbledore couldn't hide the shame in his eyes.

"He... What's he talking about?" Harry demanded.

"It means nothing, Potter!" Snape growled. "The ravings of a madman-!"

"You learned the prophecy, Severus," Crouch stated, "you passed it to our Master. You sealed their fate."

Snape went silent, pale. Harry gaped.

"Is... Is that true?!" Harry demanded.

Snape looked away, his jaw clenched. Dumbledore raised his hands, holding his wand up and away from anywhere near Harry.

"Harry... Whatever he's telling you... We can explain it all. Please, put down your wand. Let's talk this out-"

"HE SOLD OUT MY PARENTS?!" Harry roared. "YOU KNEW?!"

"No! Harry, it's... Please, it's not as he says," Dumbledore tried, stepping forward again.

"Protego!" Harry shouted, forming a shield between them. Yes, Dumbledore could shatter it in an instant, but at this range... And Harry's eyes already wild and distrusting...

"Harry, don't-!"

"It's true, isn't it?!" Harry demanded, pointing his wand at Dumbledore. "You've sent me back to that hell every summer! You've known everything that was going on at the school, every year! Those defenses in first year-The basilisk-The dementors-Sirius' innocence-this-tournament-You KNEW!"

"I swear Harry, I have not deceived you! Please, let me explain," Dumbledore tried, but Harry shook his head rapidly.

"No! No, I don't know what's going on! He's not Moody, and you're-You've been using me as a puppet! Tugging my strings, leading me around, keeping secrets-!"

"I never intended for things to happen like this, Harry!" Dumbledore said, angry and sorrowful.

"Well too bad!" Harry snarled. "They have!"

"Get out of here, Potter!" Snape snarled, "get out!"

"NO!" Harry bellowed. "I'm not going until I have some BLOODY ANSWERS-!"

And in a pop, Harry Potter vanished. Barty Crouch grinned. Dumbledore gaped.

"Another Portkey," Dumbledore whispered.

Crouch smiled sickly. Even when Dumbledore's sheer magical power slammed him up against the wall. Dumbledore pointed his wand at him, eyes blazing.

"Where did you send him?!" Dumbledore seethed.

"Randomized Portkey," Crouch coughed, "even I do not know where it went. Chances are, somewhere lethal to him. Outside of Britain."

Crouch slowly looked down at Dumbledore. The old wizard had the feeling that if the man wasn't on Veritaserum, his tone would be gloating.

"He will die in rage and despair. Your one hope is dead, because of you. My Master will prevail. How does that make you feel?"

It took Minerva, Severus, Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey to pull Dumbledore back and keep him from killing Crouch then and there...

Dumbledore returned to the present. The sound of the sea, the waves lapping against the hull. He spied Remus, Septima, and Hermione on one side of the plotting table, working with various devices, pen and paper and talking.

The Weasley boys were fishing. The twins were trying to bat each other with fish, but their hearts didn't really seem in it. Ron in particular was morose, just staring out while holding his line.

Tonks was at the fore, talking with Sirius. Every so often, Sirius would shoot a glare up at Dumbledore. Dumbledore didn't return it. He just checked on his map.

Hagrid walked up alongside Dumbledore.

"I got in touch wit th' Argentinian Magical Government, Headmaster," Hagrid reported. Dumbledore looked up with a smile.

"Oh?"

"Yeh. They've told us there's an island in this search grid o' yers," he said, pointing at the map. That got everyone's attention, and they came over to crowd around the table.

"And you're sure you did the calculations right?" Sirius asked urgently.

Septima sniffed, and nodded.

"Yes, if that device that the Headmaster provided can indeed track Mister Potter-"

"It can, I assure you," Dumbledore said.

"And thanks to triangulation by Apparating to these three points," Hermione contributed, pointing to several ever smaller triangles on the map, "Harry has to be in this area!"

"So if Harry's alive-Er, I mean," Ron started, but he resumed, "when he ended up here... He could have gotten to this island?"

"Harry is alive," Dumbledore said firmly, "my tracker could not detect him if he was otherwise."

"Can it tell us anything else about him?" Ron growled. Sirius and Remus also glared, expectantly. As did the Weasley twins, and Hermione. Tonks frowned deeply, and Septima was pensive. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No," he stated, "but he is still alive. As long as he's alive, we have hope of finding him and returning him safely." He looked up at Rubeus with a smile.

"What do we know about this island?"

Hagrid cleared his throat.

"Well uh... Its actually somethin'... Somewhere I've been meanin' ter visit," he admitted. "It's got the highest population in the world of a certain type of creature, ya see."

"Oh God, what is it?" Tonks groaned, "dragons? Acromantulas?"

"No! No, nothin' like that!" Hagrid said. For once, he didn't look very excited about a potentially lethal monster. "It's a preserve... Fer Lethifolds. Lethifold island, they calls it."

There was silence. Much of the crew looked fit to burst into tears, start hexing Dumbledore, or both.

"I have an aunt named Hope, why don't you kill her, too?!" Tonks snarled.


Lethifold Island had been rendered Unplottable, with Muggle repelling wards on buoys around it. It was picturesque though-A tall volcano cone rose out of the sea, covered in green jungle. The shores were sandy and smooth, white and pure. Tropical flowers bloomed everywhere, and waterfalls cascaded from smooth rocky cliffs, filling the air with rainbows.

Yet every shadow in the deep, impenetrable jungle, could be a monster just waiting to devour them. Dumbledore stepped onto shore first, disembarking from a small launch from the Phaethusa. Fawkes flew up, scouting overhead, as the rest of the boarding party stepped foot onto the island.

Dumbledore, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, and the twins all soon congregated on the hot sand. Septima had stayed on the boat, citing the need for someone to stay behind.

Hermione held onto her broad sun hat, keeping it on her head against the wind. Ron's eyes were scanning everywhere, his wand already out.

"Now," Dumbledore stated, "I believe our best chance will be to stay on the shore. We will look for any signs of Harry. He would most likely not go too deep into the interior."

"We hope," Sirius growled. Dumbledore looked at Sirius in a weary expression.

"I'm sure he's fine," he stated.

Sirius stepped very closely to Dumbledore. He lowered his voice.

"I'm just saying, if he isn't-"

"Then I will be doing far worse things to myself than you can imagine, Sirius," Dumbledore sighed, "I assure you."

Sirius huffed. He shifted into his Padfoot form, and sniffed the air. He then began sniffing the sand. He paused, then pointed his nose to the right.

"That way!" Ron cheered.

Sirius headed off, and the rest of the crew ran after him.

"Sirius, slow down!" Hermione shouted.

Sirius came to a halt after about ten minutes. Which Dumbledore was thankful for-He may have been spry for his age, but he was definitely feeling all 137 of his years. They soon caught up, gathering around the panting Sirius. He switched to human form, and held up a trainer.

"This was Harry's," he said firmly, "he's here."

"It's hard to tell, but yes, I think this is one of his," Hermione said cheerfully.

"HARRY!" Ron shouted.

"HARRY!" Tonks bellowed.

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed.

"HARRY! WHERE ARE YA?!" Hagrid roared.

Nothing responded. Sirius shifted back into his dog form, resumed sniffing. He took off further down the beach, and the party followed. Soon, the shore bent inwards, into an inlet. It was guarded by large rocks on the outskirts, forming a natural harbor.

Fawkes flew overhead, chirping excitedly, before he flew back down deeper into the inlet. Sirius ran after him, and soon the rest of the party was huffing and puffing behind.

"Damnit Sirius! Wait up!" Fred shouted.

Still, it wasn't like their destination was hard to spot. Hermione's eyes widened when she caught sight of it.

It was a pile of cargo containers, off a freighter. They'd been arranged into a crude house, stacked like Lego bricks. Sirius bounded up to it, turning back to a man and grinning.

"HARRY! HARRY?" He shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?! HARRY!"

"HARRY!" Hermione shouted. "HARRY! WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU!"

Again, nothing. The group finally convened at the cargo containers, and began searching around. A bed was in one of the containers-Crudely transfigured from leaves, wood and cargo blankets. A grill, made of wire and bricks, sat just outside a larder filled with dried fish, clams, crabs, and a few birds and rabbits. Along with some local fruit. A few pipes had been cobbled together to bring water from a nearby waterfall into a basin, rigged up to be warmed by the sun and provide a shower-As evidenced by the shower curtain he'd drawn around it.

"Well, looks like he's been busy," Remus observed.

"Very Robinson Crusoe," Tonks said, looking over a few Muggle tools in a crude workshop Harry had set up.

"Heh, guess he can be motivated," Fred chuckled, as he played with what looked like a set of wind chimes at an entrance.

"Probably an alarm," Sirius said. "So watch out for traps."

George snorted.

"What kind of traps?"

George took a step... And a rope grabbed onto his legs and pulled him up, pulleys and winches whining loudly.

"AHH! OKAY! I SEE!" George shouted, dangling from his feet.

"Hang on George!" Tonks called out. "We'll get you down!"

"Most ingenious, indeed," Dumbledore chuckled.

Hermione had broken off from the others, exploring the home Harry had built for himself here. She found some books arranged on a crude bookshelf, in what looked like a kind of study. He'd even put a desk and chair here, possibly recovered from the containers?

They weren't much, sad to say-Romance novels, but they did look like Harry had thumbed through them. She bit her lower lip, and sank into the chair.

Harry was here. He was alive. She'd been in so much fear and anguish, for over a month. Hoping, praying... Desperate to find him, alive.

So where was he?!

It was dark and cool in this study, she noticed. She sighed happily, and leaned back. She noticed a little figurine on the desk, and picked it up curiously. It resembled samurai armor, examples of which she had seen in art museums as a child. But it was brightly colored... White, red, and blue. What a curious thing!

She was so intent on the figurine that she didn't notice when the shadows began to close in around her. It was only when she felt the temperature drop that she looked up. Her eyes widened as a black something wrapped around her!

"MMPH! MMMMMPH!" She shrieked, as a huge black appendage yanked her down through a hole. Down, down she went, underwater! She struggled to breath, tried to get to her wand... The black thing drew her up, out of the water, behind a waterfall. She gasped and coughed for breath, desperately, as the gigantic blackness oozed out from behind the waterfall.

She shrieked in horror-It was some kind of gigantic Lethifold, as big as whale! Its dark form resembled an octopus, mighty dark arms drawing her in-!

"EXPECTRO PATRONUM!"

A gigantic glowing silvery knight, riding a great armored stag, rammed into the monster. She fell, screaming, but the stag broke off from the armored form and flew under her. She landed hard, and held on for dear life as she was carried away from the waterfall. She looked backwards as the powerful knight struck the monster Lethifold, several times, with a blazing sword!

Multiple midnight black appendages fell from the monster, and she could almost hear it shriek. The armored figure split into multiple smaller forms, all with stag-like antlers, who pummeled the monstrosity with repeated charges and blows. Finally, they recombined into a gigantic single armored form, who formed a gleaming spear. It flew up, and dove, penetrating the monster right in its very center!

An unearthly scream pierced the air, and the monstrosity burned away into ashes. The Patronus stag set Hermione down, before galloping back to rejoin the main form. The rest of the party ran up to join Hermione, wands out, as the huge Patronus advanced on them.

"Hermione! Are you okay?!" Ron called urgently.

"Y-yes, that thing almost got me, but that..." She pointed at the huge silvery being, that began to diminish. "Harry...?"

"Can't be!" Tonks cried, "what kind of a Patronus is that?!"

The silvery knight and stag faded away, piece by piece, step by step... Until a human boy emerged from the magical construct, only a few feet away.

His hair had grown long and shaggy. He had only black shorts on, revealing tanned, scarred, lean muscle. His glasses were heavily reinforced. He had a backpack over one shoulder, and a fishing spear in his left hand.

In his right was a holly wand.

He studied them cautiously for a few moments. Dumbledore made to move forward, but Sirius held him back.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, walking up to him slowly, her hands open and arms wide, "it's us! It's me, Hermione!"

"Yeah! Remember?" Ron called out calmly, copying Hermione's pose.

"Oh bugger, what if he's gone native and doesn't know how to speak English anymore?" Fred muttered.

"His savage heart can only be tamed by a gentle, beautiful woman," George swooned, "with an enormous bosom!"

"I'm not taking my top off, and that's final," Tonks growled.

"Quiet, you!" Hagrid hissed, very serious. "Don't make a move. He's been alone fer a long time... Just be nice, and quiet, and calm..."

Hermione stepped up closer to Harry. Ron did too. Harry looked back and forth between them. His eyes widened.

"... R-Ron? Hermione?" He managed.

Hermione beamed.

"Yes Harry! It-It's us!"

"You recognize us!" Ron sighed in relief.

Two armored arms of Patronus magic formed, and wrapped around the two. They were pulled into a tight, desperate hug, Ron' eyes going wide while Hermione blushed. Harry sighed happily, hugging them.

"It's you! It's really you!" Harry cried, tears coming to his eyes.

"Urk! Yeah mate! Nice to see you too!" Ron managed.

Sirius sighed in relief. Dumbledore smiled happily, the twinkle back in his eye. He stepped forward as well.

"Harry," he began, "I'm so happy to see you. We've come to take you home... You... Do recognize me, right?"

Harry stared at him. A hundred fist sized Patronus stags erupted out of nowhere, and punched Dumbledore right off his feet, across the beach, and right into the water. The old man rose, and spat out some sea water as Sirius, at first shocked, broke into loud laughter.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dumbledore observed under his breath.


Sirus' laugh broke the tension, and the other members of the party raced over to hug and check on Harry. Sirius and Remus hugged him, Hagrid pulled him into a big bear hug, the twins laughed and made ape impressions, and Harry responded with a Tarzan yell...

Tonks lingered back a bit, looking awkward. Perhaps because she'd just seen Harry flatten the most powerful wizard on Earth in one shot. But Harry looked upon her, confused, as she worried her lower lip.

"You... Have we met?" He asked.

"Ah," Tonks started, "well... Yes, but um..."

"This is Nymphadora-" Remus began.

"OI!" Tonks growled. Remus sighed.

"Tonks, but she prefers to go by her last name," he finished. Tonks beamed at Harry, looking a bit shy.

"Um... You probably don't remember me," she said, "but we're second cousins. And my mum and your mum were friends, since well, my dad was Muggleborn and my mum was a Pureblood princess who ran off. Ya know, exiles. I uh... I played with you when you were a baby, a few times."

Harry stared for a very long time at her. So much had been buried underneath the years of abuse by the Dursleys, and yet...

"... You had... A duck face, and pink hair..." Harry murmured. Tonks' eyes lit up, and then filled with a few years. Harry grinned at her. "I-I thought I imagined you!"

Tonks hugged Harry tightly, and he returned it just as tightly. Sirius and Remus laughed, clapping Harry on the back.

"I can't believe you remembered that!" Sirius chuckled. "Oh geez, Moony, remember when she dragged Baby Harry up to her stuffed animals to marry him?"

"Marry him?!" Ron laughed.

"I was six!" Tonks yelled, her hair and face turning bright red. Harry blinked in astonishment.

"Woah, how'd you do that?!"

"I'm a metamorphmagus," Tonks said, shifting her form to pink hair and duck face. Harry laughed, before Tonks transformed into a twin of Hermione.

"Took a lot of practice to master, but it's worth it!" She said, in a perfect reproduction of Hermione's voice. Hermione gaped in astonishment.

"You didn't tell me you could do that!" Hermione cried.

"Didn't ask," Tonks smirked, returning to her previous form.

"Blimey Harry," Ron said, looking around the area, "you survived here all by yourself?!"

"Had to," Harry said with a grin. "Fortunately, the lethifolds started avoiding the area. The smart ones did. Except for that last bastard."

His face darkened, and he wrapped a muscular arm around Hermione's waist. She flushed, but she didn't pull away.

"Lefty was a crafty bastard."

"Er, Lefty?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged.

"Always attacked with the left tentacle first, so I called him Lefty," Harry explained. "He was a smart one. Learned how to hold his breath, I guess, since most Lethifolds can't swim. Acted like a big octopus."

"Sounds amazin'!" Hagrid breathed.

"Er, sorry I had to kill him, Hagrid," Harry apologized, hugging Hermione tighter, "but I wasn't gonna lose Hermione to him."

Hagrid chuckled, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Yeh, I can understand that. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

Harry turned and smiled at Hermione warmly, and planted a kiss on her cheek. Ron gaped, as the Twins looked like they wished they had brought cameras.

"I'm sorry I didn't get him sooner," Harry apologized earnestly, looking deeply into her eyes. Hermione's entire face burned red, as the Twins and Tonks hooted at them. Ron gaped in disbelief. Harry pulled away from Hermione, and then gave Ron a big hug.

"Ohhh! Bloody hell, it's great to see you all!" Harry laughed. He pulled back and grinned. "Ron? I forgive you for the whole Goblet thing."

"Wait what?" Ron gaped. "But-I mean, that was months ago-"

"Yeah, but uh, I was still really resentful over it! And I'm sorry, mate, I really am," Harry said, wincing guiltily. "I realized that... You were just afraid of being left behind. But I never will leave you behind. Promise... Er... Though I might do some things that will make you hate me."

Harry gave Hermione a significant look. One Ron missed, but Hermione didn't, judging from how red her cheeks got.

Ron stared in confusion, shook his head, and then laughed. He clapped Harry on the back.

"Stupid Harry, always gotta be the hero and the martyr and worry about everything!"

Harry laughed back.

"HA! Stupid Ron, emotional depth of a... What did you say, Hermione?" Harry asked, looking back at her.

"Teaspoon," Hermione said, very quietly. Harry turned back and grinned, his teeth shining in the sun.

"I think she undersold you mate! You're at least a tablespoon! HA!"

"Wanker!" Ron shot back.

"Git!"

Harry pulled Ron into a healock and noogie, and the taller redhead struggled while laughing.

"Gerroff, gerroff, c'mon ya island freak!" Ron giggled.

Dumbledore observed all this merriment in silence. Harry... Was very much not what he expected. The anger towards him? Oh yes, he'd expected some of that. Harry had an incredible temper, one he'd had to bottle thanks to his difficult childhood.

This though...? This was just one improbable event after another. He was happy. He was healthy. His magical power had exploded by leaps and bounds! While on an island filled with vicious, unrelenting monsters!

Dumbledore sighed, waved his wand, and dried his clothes off. He walked up onto the beach, and cleared his throat.

"Well, we are all glad to see you are alive and well, Harry," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "So, shall we be off for home?"

Harry went very still. He shook his head and his smile changed tone.

"Hm? You must be hungry," he said, "and I'd hate to let my last catch go to waste. Come on! A farewell party to my island home, what do you say?"

"Well," Sirius hummed, "that sounds very irresponsible."

"I have a few beer kegs that washed up that I've kept cool underwater?" Harry offered.

"What kind of beer?" Sirius asked suspiciously. Harry shrugged.

"The kind with alcohol in it?"

"I'm sold!" Sirius cheered. "Lead the way, Harry!"

"Er, um, well," Hermione stuttered, "I mean, maybe we should get going-"

"Please, Hermione?" Harry asked, hugging her and looking her deeply in her eyes again. The girl flushed, and looked around.

"W-Well, uh... If it makes you happy, Harry, sure, but we really need to get going," she pressed.

"It'll just take an hour or two, we've got plenty of day left," Harry said cheerfully, gracing her with another kiss to her cheek. He bounded off, leading the group to the cargo containers. "Come on!"

Dumbledore cleared this throat again.

"Harry, I-"

He felt a large hand on his shoulder, and looked up to Hagrid's red face.

"Rubeus," Dumbledore said, "he does need to return home."

Hagrid stared back at him, quiet and thoughtful.

"To them Muggles what locked him up and abused him?" Hagrid asked.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"He needs to be safe, Rubeus," he said, "he has a life back home, friends-!"

"I know, I know," Hagrid sighed. He watched Harry head off into the cargo containers, "but I've never seen 'im... Happy before. Not like this. Puttin' him back there..."

"He is on an island of monsters, Hagrid," Dumbledore pointed out. Hagrid sniffed.

"And he's fit as ol' Buckbeak, and a sure sight happier, too," he stated. He stared at Dumbledore for a long moment.

"Headmaster, I've been yer man for many a decade, an yer friend," Hagrid said quietly, "I ain't questioned yer decisions too much. Not even in me own mind. But I know beasts and animals. Harry's like a... A wolf that's been abused, caged, all his life. He lashes out sometimes, when he's scared, cause he ain't had other wolves t' teach him better. When they get outside, into the sun... Huntin' their own food, findin' their way... They're... Alive, fer the first time."

Hagrid sniffled.

"He's free, and happy, fer the first time," Hagrid whispered, "I wouldna imprison a beast under my care like that if it were my decision."

"I'm not imprisoning him, Rubeus," Dumbledore insisted, though he had to admit... He sounded tired and defeated to himself.

Hagrid stared at the headmaster for a time, before nodding.

"Not in yer mind, no," he said quietly.

"HAGRID! DUMBLEDORE! COME ON!" Tonks shouted.

"Comin'!" Hagrid said, cheerfully heading off with only a second glance at Dumbledore.

The old wizard stood alone on the beach, silent. Fawkes flew on to the cargo containers, trilling happily in the bright tropical sunshine.

Dumbledore sighed, and began to walk.

Alone.


More to come...