Chapter 2
The sun rises over a desolate peninsula and a harrowing chill permeates the air promising to remain unbroken no matter the time of day,season, or even year. The cold was unnatural and to the young wizard who had just arrived it felt almost magical. Harry hadn't expected the ship to come with him into the new world but his death had also created a new body or modified and transported his old one so it wasn't completely impossible he supposed. So far Harry thought the next great adventure was rather drab, dreary, and remarkably uncomfortable. If the Harry Potter that walked into the forbidden forest tried to survive here he would most likely die. Luckily the Harry Potter that stood on the deck of his ship surveying the small harbor at which he was docked had changed. This Harry Potter was both stronger and wiser having changed physically and mentally. When Harry had first awoken freezing on the deck of the ship he had instinctively conjured thicker clothes and had cast warming charms on them and him. He had been quite confused as previously he didn't know the spells to achieve such an effect nor was he strong enough to cast them wandlesly. I suppose me becoming master of death or taking the Horcrux with me must have been the cause of this Harry thought. Well I'm not going to complain it will make my new life significantly easier. Harry looked around noticing that the buildings were in a state of near total disrepair. Thinking about what it would take to fix the buildings a dozen spells popped into his mind "well that's quite interesting I will have to try these soon" Harry said, talking to noone and nothing in particular. Harry looked over the side of the ship noticing it was quite high up and still quite far from the docks. Well that's not good how am I supposed to get to shore he thought Instantly a spell popped into his mind. Harry Immediately cast the spell laughing overjoyed that his new gifts made this possible. "Flyht" his body seemed to go weightless and just like he had seen voldemort do almost a year ago on the night of his birthday he shot up into the sky faster than any broom. "THIS IS BLOODY FANTASTIC" Harry yelled into the wind, quickly flying far past his destination. Harry didn't mind however he was simply so overjoyed by the rush of flying unaided that all his worries seemed to disappear. It was quite a long time, although not quite as long as some quidditch games he had played, that he stopped circling through the air and descended to the icy ground of the peninsula below. It was a desolate town; the buildings had burnt husks and bones litter the ground. This is a place full of death thought Harry Although there is not enough magic to sustain ghosts like in Hogwarts, the new master of death could detect the screaming of the men, women, and children that died in droves in what appeared to be a great tragedy.
Harry knew what needed to be done immediately, he walked towards the largest of the wreckages where within he could detect stronger spirits who still had some semblance of sanity. Harry walked through the small doorway and into a clearing of ashes surrounded by the husks of the once mighty hall's walls. Kneeling in the center he channeled his magic into his hand and called upon his powers over life and death and touched a blackened skull. A green glow the same shade as Harry's eyes appeared in its dark sockets and Harry stood up holding the skull in his hand. "I have called you here spirit so that I may learn what caused this devastation and so that I can free your souls." Harry spoke to the ghastly skull looking into its eyes. A green mist began to pour out of its jaws and it responded. " Greetings greenseer My name is Chief StoneFist and I would be happy to share my knowledge" "Good I promise that if it's your desire I will send you to the great beyond if you answer truthfully" Harry stated solemnly. "Good Good" the chief's skull spoke "then let me tell you the tale of the devastation of Hardhome. At one time Hardhome was the greatest of the settlements north of the wall" "I'm sorry north of the wall?" Harry interrupted gently. "Yes north of the wall. The Wall is a giant ice miles hundreds of feet high spanning hundreds of miles separating the southern kingdoms from the desolate north" Harry nodded along. "I see continue" " Hardhome was the largest true settlement north of the Wall; most of us free folk that live north of the wall do not live in settlements. It is simply too cold to farm almost anywhere so the free folk usually migrate hunting and Shepherding. But here in Hardhome we did things differently: the caves and cliffs gave us shelter and the harbor was perfect for ships. So we stayed here and we fished instead of hunting. Our ancestors built homes when the caves got too crowded. And Soon they attracted the attention of foreign traders. They brought many goods like metal tools, grains, fine clothes, and everytime they brought something new and different from the wide expanse of the Valyrian empire ." The Chief paused and his next words were tinged with longing. "We were so happy, the people were healthy and all were prosperous. But we wanted more, the other free folk would occasionally raid, and during harsh summers the sea would ice up and many would starve.we could get more food from the traders if we weren't always paying to replace our tools. And more steel in the hands of our guards would save many spearwives from being stolen. And so we hired a Pentoshi man. He thought the caves were promising that they showed signs of containing iron and silver." The chief stopped speaking once again, and his eyes dimmed and when he spoke his voice was full of horror and regret. "It wasn't wrong for us to try for a better future was it?" The chief asked rhetorically. "If I knew then what I do know I would have killed the Pentoshi man and any other that sought to delve deeper into the caves" the skull laughed bitterly
"I used to laugh at the traders when they told us of the dragons of Valyria, great flying beasts that kept the Pentoshi under heel. Now I know the true horror of dragons. The miners must have turned down the wrong tunnel because soon after a dragon emerged from its lair inside the cliffs. It wasn't very large but it didn't have to be. Its scales were like steel and nothing we could do would harm it. It burned everything. Dragonfyre is no ordinary fire, it is hungry and hot, it consumes everything and it spreads faster than any forest fire. I still remember the sight to this day, the dragon circling in the sky pouring fire down upon us. The children screaming as it ate their flesh. The buildings burned and crumbled ice melted and still the dragon wasn't content. It burned the ships and it burned the forest too. The sky was full of ash. But worse than all was the oppressive weight of the air the fire spit and popped where it met the air fighting the dread cold. But the cold air wasn't on our side no, no instead they joined forces to kill us all. Many died by the fire only for their corpses to rise with eyes like ice to kill the few survivors that remained. This building was the last to stand as it was made of stone. I was fighting the servants of the Others to protect the weak inside when the stone finally failed." The chief finishes the tale, eyes beginning to burn brighter again. "These Others who are they?" Harry askes. "The Others are great spirits of ice and death some north of the wall worship them as gods but others such as myself consider them an enemy to all life. What all can agree upon is that several thousand years ago they marched south under eternal night commanding armies of the undead, and that the Wall was made by Brandon Stark to keep them from going south again." Harry knew now why he was sent here; these Others were clearly an affront to death far greater than even Horcruxes. "You have my word chief that I will help free the tortured souls of your people" The Chief's eyes grew brighter in their hollowed sockets and the skull spoke once again. "You are a good man greenseer but clearly you know little about the lands you find yourself in. I will voluntarily stay here to advise you, consider it repayment for what you do for my people." "Very well I accept Chief StoneFist. And since we will be keeping each other company you can't keep calling me greenseer. Use my name instead Harry, Harry Potter." "I believe together we can achieve great things Harry" StoneFist said as Harry began freeing the inhabitants of Hardhome from there endless torture.
