CHAPTER 3:

CONCERNS

Harry and Hermione compared notes on what Gideon and Melina told them. "So, what do you reckon?" Harry asked.

"…I'm not sure I trust him that much yet," Hermione admitted quietly. "Leaving aside the fact that I just met him, there's something about him that reminds me a little of Professor Snape. Not quite as overtly nasty, but…well, why would you call yourself Sir Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing unless you have an ego?"

"Fair point. I feel that Melina's a bit more trustworthy, but that may be because she's rather nicer than him," Harry said. "That weird sigil thing over her eye, like a tattoo…and she claimed to be a ghost of sorts, albeit one who could become solid." He nodded to the thick tome in Hermione's hand. "Is that your homework from him?"

"Sort of. It's a rather brief history of this world."

"Brief," Harry said flatly. "That book could kill a large dog if you dropped it on them."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's snark, before placing the book on a table in their quarters. The children were being taken on a tour by Andromeda. "I'm not sure if this place is better or worse than back home, Harry. The Shattering may have died down to a stalemate, but if what Gideon said is true, it's immensely dangerous anyway."

With that, Melina appeared, making Hermione jump. "I am afraid that Sir Gideon Ofnir is correct. The Lands Between are very dangerous."

"Hermione, this is Melina," Harry said.

"Ah, yes." Hermione offered the spectre a nod. "But who are you, exactly?"

"I don't remember," Melina said. "Much of my prior life is lost to me, like smoke on the wind. All I know for certain is my name, and that my mother tasked me with finding my purpose. However, I can offer you help in knowledge. As a spirit, I can technically roam freely across the Lands Between without fear of harm. Thus, I know much of the lay of the land. It is only in close proximity to sites where Grace gathers that I can truly manifest myself in a physical form for long. The Roundtable Hold is one of them."

Hermione frowned, before opening up her book, to a map of the Lands Between. "Okay, well, if you know these things, could you please tell us more about these lands?"

"Certainly." Melina pointed to the southernmost parts of the map. "Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula. The demesne of Godrick the Grafted, the least of the Demigods, a tyrant who abducts people and has them grafted to himself and others." Her finger moved to a part to the east of Limgrave. "Caelid, site of the last battle between General Radahn and Malenia the Severed. Thanks to Malenia's desperation, the entire region is infested with the Scarlet Rot, an ailment and a poison both."

"Lovely," Harry muttered with a grimace.

Malenia's finger moved to the north of Limgrave, over a vast lake with islands. "Liurnia of the Lakes. Seat of Raya Lucaria Academy, where Queen Rennala dwells. The library there surpasses that of Roundtable Hold, but it is dangerous, ever since Rennala was confined to her chambers for her insanity, and the scholars run amok." Her finger moved to the northeast. "Altus Plateau, and Leyndell, the Royal Capital, seat of the Erdtree, and of the gods, ruled by the Veiled Monarch." Her finger moved again, to the west. "Mt Gelmir, where the Volcano Manor ruled by Praetor Rykard and his circle of Recusants lies." Finally, her finger moved to the east of Leyndell. "The Mountaintops of the Giants, a snowbound wilderness."

"And nobody has tried to deal with these problems? These tyrants and monsters?" Harry asked, feeling his familiar righteous indignation flare up.

Melina shook her head solemnly. "Some have tried…and failed. The most promising was a Tarnished known as Vyke, but…he took leave of his senses, seeking the Flame of Frenzy, a vile force of madness and destruction. To this day, nobody knows exactly why, though there are many theories. You must understand, though: the demigods are the greatest of the threats of the Lands Between. It is partly because of their heritage, but also partly because of the Great Runes they claimed. They are too powerful to be slain easily. It is why the Finger Maidens exist, to empower chosen Tarnished with Lesser Runes. But there are many who slay Finger Maidens, for power or for sport, such as the Bloody Fingers. Finger Maidens were already rare, but there are fewer left in this world."

"Finger Maiden…sounds like an innuendo waiting to happen," Harry remarked. "Who names these things?"

"Believe me, I have heard every tawdry and bawdy jest about that," Melina said with a scowl of annoyance, one shared by Hermione. "They are so dubbed Finger Maidens because they serve the Two Fingers, the emissaries of the Greater Will."

"Like angels?" Hermione asked.

"…No, they are considerably more…solid than angels," Melina said. "And strange. They…unnerve many."

"So, why are you helping us?" Harry asked.

Melina met his gaze evenly. "You are newcomers to the Lands Between, to this very world. And while I seek someone to assist me in finding my purpose, I also wish to help others, as best as I can. There are many Tarnished who arrive in the Lands Between, guided by Grace, who yet perish, or succumb to despair, or fall to worst fates than death. And while too many may sneer at altruism and kindness…without them, these lands would be worse off."

Harry looked at Hermione, who shrugged, before returning his gaze to Melina. "Okay. But our trust isn't easily earned, though it's easily lost. We've both been burned by those we considered friends and allies, Melina."

"I see. I saw the pain in your eyes before, and I wondered what the cause was. I will be frank: I remember little of my life before becoming this shadow of what I once was. But as I have said before, I will not knowingly cause harm where it hasn't been offered. Nor will I knowingly deceive you. At best, I will withhold information from you, but I will tell you why if I can. Does that satisfy you?"

"For now," Hermione said. "But you've been a good help anyway. But like Harry said, we've been betrayed by those whom we thought we could trust."

"Then I will endeavour to earn your trust," Melina said with a slight curtsey.

Not long afterwards, Harry opted to explore the Roundtable Hold, partly to familiarise himself with the place, partly to see if he could find Andromeda and the kids, and partly because, well, a new world, a new place to explore…why not? His sense of adventure had been hobbled by his experiences at Hogwarts and the aftermath of Voldemort's death, but it never really went away. Hermione, meanwhile, was still chatting away with Melina, discussing the affairs of the Lands Between…such as they were, anyway.

It was while exploring that he came across the first major sign he was on another world. The old-fashioned architecture and clothes were one thing, and Melina basically being a ghost who could become solid was novel, but they were things he had experienced back home to one degree or another. Even the Grace hovering over that table wasn't truly anything new to a relatively seasoned wizard.

But then, he saw the hunched-over form working on a sword on an anvil.

The creature was vaguely simian, with stunted wings, grey skin, its beard the only hair on its head. The skin had scales, as well as small horns growing from places on its body. It was also chained by its legs to a wall. It looked nothing less than a particularly bizarre gargoyle, brought to life.

Still, he was curious, despite himself, so he approached, gently clearing his throat. "Excuse me?"

The creature looked up at him with its beady eyes, before returning to its task. "A new face, aren't you?" it rasped in a masculine, rough voice. "No matter, it's all the same. If you want smithin', lay out your arms."

"Arms? You mean like swords?"

"Swords, shields, staves, bows…if it can make somethin' bleed, I can work on it," the creature said. It halted its work, and peered at him. "Ah, so you're the one that little chit of a girl called her father."

"Yeah, Delphi. She's adopted, but…well, she's pretty dear to me. Anyway, I'm Harry Potter. What's your name?"

"Hewg," the creature said. "And just in case you have the same questions as the girl and the boy, to say nothin' of that woman…I'm a Misbegotten. One cursed from birth, like an Omen. Don't read too much into the chains. I'm a prisoner, and if you try to release me, there'll be trouble."

Harry blinked. He had wondered about that, and while he knew this creature was probably a prisoner for a reason, he didn't seem bad…so far. Gruff, yes, and there was definitely a lot of misanthropy in the few sentences he had spoken so far…but he sensed no malice. "Nothing I can do to help?"

"I am bound to the Hold anyway. These chains are just an extra precaution. Besides, my being a prisoner is no fault of yours, and I enjoy smithin'," Hewg said. "Besides…it helps me take my mind off…never mind. I've no time for small talk."

Harry nodded, though his heart still went out to Hewg. He had to wonder why he was a prisoner. The Misbegotten didn't seem like the sort to be a criminal, as far as he could tell. Then again, he looked ancient, and for all Harry knew, he had committed many crimes ages ago. "Well…if you're willing to talk about this world…I mean, I'm new to this one. I needed to get away from my homeworld."

"And you came here?" Hewg chuckled incredulously. "Well…I'm not much for teachin', especially the history of this world. You'd be better off with learnin' from the All-Knowin' Tosspot. But…a bit of talkin' every now and then…I'll bear it. Away with you for now. I have work to do."

Harry was a little nettled by the abrupt dismissal, but Hewg's surly demeanour was tempered by a melancholy that had Harry tempering his own attitude to the Misbegotten. Though he had to admit to stifling a giggle at Hewg calling Gideon the All-Knowing Tosspot. While Gideon had given them the benefit of the doubt, his attitude made that nickname somewhat deserved.

He noticed an open door nearby. He went in, and saw a robed woman sitting on a bed. "Excuse me," he said, thinking he had, before turning to leave.

"No, please…my door is open to all. If you wish, you may enter."

Harry, after a moment, shrugged, and walked up to the woman. Her face, half-hidden by the hood of her robes, was quite beautiful, framed by blonde hair. "You are the father of that girl. Such a precocious child. She gave me a hug," the woman said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Fia."

Harry frowned, before he realised he heard the name. "Yes, Gideon said you were something called a Deathbed Companion, and he warned us to stay clear."

"Of course that uptight old fool would," Fia scoffed. "We Deathbed Companions are feared and loathed throughout much of the world, partly due to misunderstanding. Because of that, I have been forced to take refuge here in the Roundtable Hold. Indeed, had they seen me embracing your child, they would have tried to kill me, though I did nothing more than give her the hug she desired."

This set off alarm bells in Harry's mind. "…Why is that?"

"We take warmth from willing champions, the essence of life, just a little mind, and give it to the freshly deceased, to bring them back to life," Fia said, before she held up a hand. "It is all consensual, I must emphasize. I did nothing to your daughter but hug her, and I took nothing from her. And sometimes, all some people want is a gentle embrace."

Harry had to admit, he was somewhat repulsed. No wonder Gideon had warned against her. "I hope you're telling the truth about doing nothing to my daughter, Fia. And you'll forgive me for not allowing myself to be embraced by you."

"That is fine. Hatred and wariness are familiar conditions to me, and indeed, caution is laudable in a newcomer to the Lands Between. So with that in mind…be cautious in your dealings, not only with the outcasts of the Golden Order like myself…but with those who are part of it. The demigods, the Two Fingers, and the Greater Will…the Golden Order is little more than a gilded shell over a decrepit carcass," Fia said. "The Tarnished, Those Who Live in Death, the Misbegotten, the Demi-Humans, the remnants of the Great Caravan…ask yourself, and ask others, what place do they have in the Golden Order? I daresay you would not like the answer…"

It took some time for Delphi to make her excuses and head back to the expanded trunk, the one with her new room, and her things. Including her toys. All the precious ones packed up for their journey. She liked stuffed toys and dolls and the like. Not in the traditional little girl way, at least not wholly: along with her My Little Pony figures, she had plushies of a dragon and a basilisk, made for her by her Aunty Luna.

But of late, she had become enamoured with a strange doll she had found in the attic of 12 Grimmauld Place. And she was surprised when, eventually, the doll started talking to her, like she was out of a Shakespeare play or something. She never told Dad, he'd warned her about the Diary her…birth father used. But the doll was different! She was a princess! A bit weird, and cold, but still…

Without her, Delphi would not have forgiven Dad when she learned who her birth father was. It was the doll who coaxed her into thinking about things, and into apologising, saying that she had hurt her family with harsh words and absences, and by the time she realised what she had done…it was too late to apologise. And Delphi was glad the doll told her this. Dad was…well, Dad. He gave the best hugs…well, aside from Aunty Hermione and Aunty Luna.

Delphi hated what he was driven to do because of her, though, to leave Magical Britain. All because some idiots wanted her dead for her birth father. But he loved her, and she loved him. He gave her a life, as happy a life as he could manage.

She just hoped it would be happier for both of them now.

As she entered her new bedroom in the expanded trunk, she shut the door carefully behind her, before hurrying to the shelf where her friend, the doll, sat waiting patiently. "Hey, are you awake?" she asked.

The doll stirred, before she looked up from beneath the wide-brimmed hat, like a witch's hat. "I am now. I wonder how thy father deals with thine dogged energy and persistence," she said in a soft regal rasp of a voice, though her faint smile belied her words. "So, we art in the Lands Between?"

"Yeah, in the Roundtable Hold! We met Aunty Hermione's birth father, Sir Gideon the Know It All. He seemed a bit rude, though. But…when should I tell them about you? I mean, you come from here, right? You helped Aunty Hermione with her ritual, even though she didn't know it. So…when will you tell them?"

"Soon. Soon, I will be ready. Thy father is a good man, Delphi," the four-armed doll with blue skin and a spectral mirrored face paired to its physical one said. "But I fear he may not understand, yet. But I hope he will. Now, let us speak of other things a while, shall we?"

Delphi nodded. "Okay, Renna!"

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

Wait, what? Delphi has Ranni's doll? Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione have learned more from Melina, and we have Fia and Hewg appearing.

Ranni's doll appearing in the Potterverse is something I've been doing with many versions of an Elden Ring crossover, but this one was, admittedly, a last-minute addition, to give Harry more of a reason to venture forth into the Lands Between.

No numbered annotations this time.