I have redone the Language of High K'haril dictionary. You can see it by
going to my page. It's a useful guide to High K'haril. There are separate
chapters for Potions, Plants & Animals, and the regular vocab. Feel free to
use it in your own stories, so long as you put in a disclaimer saying who
actually invented it.
Chapter 8
Harry bottled his potion and looked at his watch, he still had a full hour. He glanced about; no one else was finished; they were all working hard on the silencing potion, which turned the drinker mute. Harry cleaned his caldron with a wave of his wand and began on another potion called Itrasel. (Go see The Language of High K'haril for the full description) The potion was highly complex and difficult, but he had another hour and Harry knew he could make it in that time. He thought hard, remembering the recipe for one gallon of it.
Use a caldron made of Akanro T'shen. (Blood metal) Add to 20ml of water from the Crystal Spring. One full leaf of nightshade, picked on winter or summer solstice, and soaked in unicorn blood for 2 min, must be whole, clean the unicorn blood off before adding. Two Dragon heart veins (six inches long each), soaked in Itelonul for twenty days then dried, chop into tiny pieces before adding. Flying Squirrel blood (2ml), taken from the webbing of the glide-wings. 4g of dried poison dart frog eggs, shred before adding. Sap of the Leach mushroom, 3ml. Sap from a tree of the Golden Forest, 12 ml. Spidren tears, 6ml. Dried Yeti Fur Moss, 2g, shred and add slowly. 1ml of phoenix tears. Heat to 98 degrees and hold temperature for five minutes. Cool while adding 4ml of Zoran tears, one drop at a time.
Harry went to work, carefully ignoring everyone around him, concentrating only on the potion, never looking away for a minute. This potion was dangerous and difficult, and many of the ingredients were rare.
"Harry what exactly was that potion?" Hermione demanded as they left he dungeons. She was referring to the potion Harry had been making. He'd finished the one they'd been assigned and had started on something else.a potion that giggled obnoxiously as he added ingredients.until it decided to send a huge gaseous cloud of pale purple fumes up. Harry had captured this into a jar. The gas had been stuffed in, pushing out the air, and now all that was left was the gas, so dense in the jar it was almost liquefied. The pale purple swirled placidly in the container. But the remaining potion had spit blue sparks everywhere until Harry had finished. Scooping out the remaining potion (which was a neon green) and placing it on the desk. Where it had writhed around like a living thing until, with a squawking squelch, it had launched itself right at Snape's face. Harry, not seeing Snape, had deftly captured it in another jar when it was in mid air only a foot away from Snape's face, and calmly went to work on weighing it.
Snape had been furious. Not only had he been unable to recognize the potion, but it had also attacked him, a grievous insult with a usual punishment of certain pickling for whatever had attacked him. However Harry had refused to hand the potion over, claiming that it was for Snape's own safety that he did not. Snape had ended up taking five points form Gryffindor.
"Nothing really, the potion is used in making War Mage armor, that's all." Harry replied, he'd have to find time later to take the potion back to the Palace for storage; he had plans for it later.
"It acted like it was alive." Ron said with a shudder, they passed Neville, Parvarti, Seamus, and Lavender.
"Why didn't he just let it attack Snape?" Seamus wondered aloud.
"The way it leaped off the desk! I though it was alive." Lavender was saying quietly.
"It's supposed to do that, the quicker it leaps the stronger the potion is." Harry explained, making the four jump. "And it wouldn't have done anything to him had it hit him, it's not dangerous, I just told him that so he'd quit snarling at me like a rabid dog."
"What was it?" Parvarti asked him curiously.
"A special potion, it's used in making special armor." Harry said, apparently his weird jumping potion was quickly becoming the gossip around Hogwarts. Harry ignored it completely; he'd have a talk with his apprentices about it later.
** Twang! The sound of an arrow whistling through the air, then a soft thunk as it hit its target, dead center. But before it had even hit another had been loosed from the white and silver bow, and the second snapped the first right down the middle. Harry waved his hand almost carelessly; the arrows leaped from the target and came to him. One split open down the middle, the other in perfect condition, the gold and black Gryff feathers it was fletched with straight and unruffled. Harry dropped the broken one to the floor, then put the other back in the quiver. He backed up ten feet and shrunk the target, then took a deep breath and began, snatching an arrow and putting it to the bow, drawing and shooting in smooth effortless motions, his aim precise every time. When he was done twelve gleaming arrows of dark gold wood were clustered as tightly together as possible at the center of the target. Harry called the arrows back and turned as he heard someone approach.
Albus walked into the room, he had been watching for some time, Harry had been ignoring his presence until he'd finished the exercise.
"Is it time?" Harry asked him, putting away the quiver and arrows.
"Yes, the staff are waiting for us in the staff lounge." The old wizard replied, together they started off in the direction of the staff room. It was late and the halls were empty, save for Peeves, who fled at the sight of them. He had been avoiding Harry ever since Harry had frozen him solid for two hours a few days before.
"It is going to be difficult to pick just twelve students to go, there are so many who would do well." McGonagal was saying as they entered and took the two remaining chairs.
"I think I can narrow down the list a little, there are some students who will be going next time." Harry said, pulling the list the teacher had written up so far he proceeded to cross off the names of his apprentices. "They'll be going next time." There were still sixteen students left.
After much argument, especially form Snape who wanted as many Slytherins as possible going, they found the twelve who would go. Harry had flat out refused to bring two of the students on the grounds that they were not in near good enough physical condition for the trip. And another he cut out because of unwillingness to learn or use the muggle fighting methods, something the elves thoroughly approved of and had originally invented.
"Finally, twelve students, that was hard." McGonagal said at last, it was nearing eleven and they were all tired.
"Bites to be you Potter, you've got Malfoy, Granger, Weasely, in the same troop, living together for nearly three weeks? Ouch!" Snape said, sounding like he really meant it, and Harry knew he probably did, this was going to be rough.
"Yeah, lucky you lot, you won't have them fighting in your classes, everyone else might actually learn something." There were a few appreciative chuckles at this, those three were always at each other's throats, even without Harry behind Ron and Hermione, Malfoy still went after them.
"I'm going to announce the names tomorrow at diner. We leave on Tuesday morning. I have to ask that they be excused from all classes on Monday and tomorrow to prepare. They're going to have to learn enough elf protocol and such to get by. And I'd like to give them some lessons in map reading, purifying drinking water, what plants are edible, etc." Harry requested, the professors agreed, with some grumbling form McGonagal and Snape, which Harry ignored. "Well good night, I'd best go and start getting the supplies ready." He said, taking the list he left, heading out to one of the stone/wood sheds on the ground where he was keeping all the supplies he had gathered so far.
** "Silence please! Now at the beginning of the year I told you that twelve students would be chosen tog o to the land of the elves for three weeks. The teachers have finished selecting these students. They will be excused form classes tomorrow and Monday, they eave on Tuesday morning. They'll be spending this time and the whole weekend preparing for the trip. Mr. Potter will read off the names, when your name is called please go to the door and wait there." The headmaster finished and sat down, the hall was deathly silent as Harry rose and gracefully walked to the side of the head table where he stood, resting one hand upon it, and the list in the other.
"You know the criteria upon which these students were selected so I will not go over it again. For those of you who are not chosen this time we," here he gestured to the staff and himself, "apologize, it was a difficult choice. There is another group going after this one, so if you work hard you might get chosen to go that time." He began to read off the list, aware of all the eyes watching him, and not particularly caring, War Mage calm and confidence radiating from him.
"Dawn Tolis of Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws burst into thunderous applause as Dawn leaped up and hurried to the door at the other end of the hall.
"Draco Malfoy of Slytherin!" The Slytherins cheered loudly, Harry heard a few Gryffindors boo softly. And he could see the shocked looks on Ron and Hermione's faces.
"Hermione Granger of Gryffindor!" Now the Gryffindors screamed and cheered.
"Seamus Finnegan of Gryffindor!" More enthusiastic cheers, Ron looked angry now.
"Carol Dataego of Slytherin!" Slytherins roared, cheering their housemate.
"Martha Lyues of Hufflepuff!" the Hufflepuffs cheered happily, so far they only had one person going.
"Jay Boot of Ravenclaw!" More cheers and applause throughout the hall.
"Parvarti Patil of Gryffindor!" Parvarti headed for the door as her house cheered.
"Susan Bones of Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuffs cheered, Harry noted how worried some others were starting to look; there were only three more to go now. A sort of anxious nervousness swept the hall. The older student's eyes glued to him hopefully.
"Danton Carimore of Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws roared their approval, not the tension in the hall was even more. Harry was finding it quite amusing. Ron was looked horrified now at not being chosen, and pissed and jealous.
"Ron Weasely of Gryffindor!" Ron nearly fainted with relief, and then hurried for the door.
"And lastly, Blaise Zabini of Slytherin!" There was a round of loud applause from everyone. Harry noticed that some students were crying or looking depressed, and his apprentices looked thoroughly hurt.
"For those of you who weren't chosen and still want to go there is a second group going after this one gets back. The two groups will be visiting different parts of the elven kingdom. And, if the elves approve, perhaps there will be a chance to go next year." He folded and pocketed the list and walked out after the group.
They were waiting for him just outside the door, an overly excited group of teens.
"This way," he said, leading them to a door and opening it. Inside was a large round room, a fireplace in the wall, torches about the room. In the center was a small table with thirteen chairs around it, Harry gestured for everyone to be seated and sat down himself.
"Now, I know you're all excited about being chosen, but this is serious so please pay close attention. We will be living in the wilderness, on our own, for a few days on the long hike to the Elven Kingdom. You will be supplied with appropriate clothing and supplies. You won't be able to bring much with you so pack carefully. No huge books. And you may not shrink and lighten anything either, there is a no-magic zone just before the elf lands that we must pass through. And the elves will sense your spells, they can perceive magic, and having such spells catching on their senses all the time is most annoying for them." Hermione looked scandalized at not being able to bring any books.
"Secondly, all your parents were notified yesterday about your being chosen and have given their permission. However you will not be able to write to them once we leave so don't try. The only letters we send will be a weekly report you will all write together, which will be read to the whole school. Since these weekly letters may well end up in some book or other, or official Ministry documents, they must be well written, but we'll worry about that a week from now." He noticed that he had their complete attention so he got down to travel plans.
"We'll have a four day overland trek through the mountains. We'll stay low in the valleys mostly. I have a map for each of you, our campsite's are marked on it. We will meet up with a Elf patrol just outside the barrier. This patrol will be almost entirely young elves, about 100-200 years old."
"Young?" Carol asked incredulously.
"For an elf. Elves do not reach full maturity until 50 years of age, and their training continues until they are 300. Unfortunately because so many have been killed, first by Wigdarel, a dark wizard about a hundred years ago, then Grindlewald, and then Voldemort, there are only a handful of elves over 600 years old left. The king himself is only 480 years old. This patrol, probably of 20-30 elves, will escort us to the capital, a four-day journey from the barrier between their world and ours."
"All of you are getting one of these backpacks." He raised a hand, they all looked, from a pile of hiking backpacks one rose into the air. "These are muggle hiking packs, the best quality ones there are. We'll be bringing all our food for four days, clothing, weapons, and a few books and other things." The back pack dropped to the floor again.
"You'll need to bring three t-shirts, three long-sleeved shirts, two vests, a jacket, three pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, you'll all be given high quality hiking boots and a special cloak and robes. Bring as many changes of underwear and socks as you wish, but keep it below ten. Typical daywear will be a long-sleeved shirt under a vest with long pants and thick warm socks. The robes will be for formal occasions only, their open-fronted and meant for fighting. Oh and bring a swimsuit." They all nodded, looking around Harry continued.
"You'll each get a sword, two knives, and a bow and arrows. You've been practicing archery in Dueling class for eight days to prepare. And the elves will teach you how to use them well. The backpacks are small, as you may have noticed. The backpacks have a special built-in spot on the outside to attach a quiver and bow to."
"As we travel I will be teaching you most of the magics you'll miss while away. When you return you'll make up most of the rest. When we return some officials form different Ministries will want to question you a bit, don't worry about it."
"You will be required to keep yourself organized during the trip and not loose anything. Are there any questions so far?"
"Where will we go in the Elven lands?" Hermione asked quickly.
"We'll spend two days at the capital, three getting there, two traveling to another smaller city, two days there. Ten days traveling through the deep forests of the elf lands, three days traveling among some of the smaller communities, and the remaining few days traveling to a Fortress and then back home."
"How often will we be able to bathe?" Parvarti asked.
"Every two to three days or so. Don't bring shampoo or conditioner, when we reach a river or stream deep enough to bath in I'll show you how to make shampoo form plants. The other stuff contaminates the water and kills the plants and fish."
"Do any of the cities have libraries?" Of course this was Hermione.
"Yes, but all the books are in elfish. And before I go any farther, DO NOT TRY TO LEARN ELFISH!" They all jumped. "It is forbidden, supposedly impossible, and they have every right to arrest you if you try. And I for one won't stop them if they do." He paused for a moment. "For that matter do not insult any of them, and if you gravely insult the elves and they attack you I'm not going to stop them from beating the crap out of you. Elves love to jest so feel free to, just don't go to far or you'll find yourself thirty feet up a tree with no way to get down faster than you can blink." There were a few smiles at this, but the serious look on his face stopped them. "Elves don't do much human magic, but I know that they'll be happy to learn anything you care to teach them, so you'll be expected to return that. If they offer to teach you anything don't turn it down. They're excellent teachers and spend centuries perfecting their skills. Anything else?"
"Do the elves really climb trees a lot?" Seamus asked.
"Yes, you won't see them until they attack, they practically live in the trees, they even sleep in them. Actually so do I. Once you get used to it sleeping in the trees is much better than on the ground. Trees are powerful to those who can draw on their power, it's very comfortable." They all gave him looks, "what? You're looking at me like I'm weird or something."
They went to bed late that night, having stayed up discussing the trip for hours, Harry finally sent them all off to bed, telling them to meet in the same room the next morning after breakfast.
That night Harry dreamed of the elf in the cave. The image of the elf, lying in a dark dreary cave, soaked in its own blood, torn and battered, not breathing, blood everywhere, a shattered arrow in its shoulder, a knife slash on its arm, visible through the torn, bloodstained sleeve. Again he couldn't help but wonder at those dark elegant features, this elf had to be one of the Royal Family.
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Chapter 8
Harry bottled his potion and looked at his watch, he still had a full hour. He glanced about; no one else was finished; they were all working hard on the silencing potion, which turned the drinker mute. Harry cleaned his caldron with a wave of his wand and began on another potion called Itrasel. (Go see The Language of High K'haril for the full description) The potion was highly complex and difficult, but he had another hour and Harry knew he could make it in that time. He thought hard, remembering the recipe for one gallon of it.
Use a caldron made of Akanro T'shen. (Blood metal) Add to 20ml of water from the Crystal Spring. One full leaf of nightshade, picked on winter or summer solstice, and soaked in unicorn blood for 2 min, must be whole, clean the unicorn blood off before adding. Two Dragon heart veins (six inches long each), soaked in Itelonul for twenty days then dried, chop into tiny pieces before adding. Flying Squirrel blood (2ml), taken from the webbing of the glide-wings. 4g of dried poison dart frog eggs, shred before adding. Sap of the Leach mushroom, 3ml. Sap from a tree of the Golden Forest, 12 ml. Spidren tears, 6ml. Dried Yeti Fur Moss, 2g, shred and add slowly. 1ml of phoenix tears. Heat to 98 degrees and hold temperature for five minutes. Cool while adding 4ml of Zoran tears, one drop at a time.
Harry went to work, carefully ignoring everyone around him, concentrating only on the potion, never looking away for a minute. This potion was dangerous and difficult, and many of the ingredients were rare.
"Harry what exactly was that potion?" Hermione demanded as they left he dungeons. She was referring to the potion Harry had been making. He'd finished the one they'd been assigned and had started on something else.a potion that giggled obnoxiously as he added ingredients.until it decided to send a huge gaseous cloud of pale purple fumes up. Harry had captured this into a jar. The gas had been stuffed in, pushing out the air, and now all that was left was the gas, so dense in the jar it was almost liquefied. The pale purple swirled placidly in the container. But the remaining potion had spit blue sparks everywhere until Harry had finished. Scooping out the remaining potion (which was a neon green) and placing it on the desk. Where it had writhed around like a living thing until, with a squawking squelch, it had launched itself right at Snape's face. Harry, not seeing Snape, had deftly captured it in another jar when it was in mid air only a foot away from Snape's face, and calmly went to work on weighing it.
Snape had been furious. Not only had he been unable to recognize the potion, but it had also attacked him, a grievous insult with a usual punishment of certain pickling for whatever had attacked him. However Harry had refused to hand the potion over, claiming that it was for Snape's own safety that he did not. Snape had ended up taking five points form Gryffindor.
"Nothing really, the potion is used in making War Mage armor, that's all." Harry replied, he'd have to find time later to take the potion back to the Palace for storage; he had plans for it later.
"It acted like it was alive." Ron said with a shudder, they passed Neville, Parvarti, Seamus, and Lavender.
"Why didn't he just let it attack Snape?" Seamus wondered aloud.
"The way it leaped off the desk! I though it was alive." Lavender was saying quietly.
"It's supposed to do that, the quicker it leaps the stronger the potion is." Harry explained, making the four jump. "And it wouldn't have done anything to him had it hit him, it's not dangerous, I just told him that so he'd quit snarling at me like a rabid dog."
"What was it?" Parvarti asked him curiously.
"A special potion, it's used in making special armor." Harry said, apparently his weird jumping potion was quickly becoming the gossip around Hogwarts. Harry ignored it completely; he'd have a talk with his apprentices about it later.
** Twang! The sound of an arrow whistling through the air, then a soft thunk as it hit its target, dead center. But before it had even hit another had been loosed from the white and silver bow, and the second snapped the first right down the middle. Harry waved his hand almost carelessly; the arrows leaped from the target and came to him. One split open down the middle, the other in perfect condition, the gold and black Gryff feathers it was fletched with straight and unruffled. Harry dropped the broken one to the floor, then put the other back in the quiver. He backed up ten feet and shrunk the target, then took a deep breath and began, snatching an arrow and putting it to the bow, drawing and shooting in smooth effortless motions, his aim precise every time. When he was done twelve gleaming arrows of dark gold wood were clustered as tightly together as possible at the center of the target. Harry called the arrows back and turned as he heard someone approach.
Albus walked into the room, he had been watching for some time, Harry had been ignoring his presence until he'd finished the exercise.
"Is it time?" Harry asked him, putting away the quiver and arrows.
"Yes, the staff are waiting for us in the staff lounge." The old wizard replied, together they started off in the direction of the staff room. It was late and the halls were empty, save for Peeves, who fled at the sight of them. He had been avoiding Harry ever since Harry had frozen him solid for two hours a few days before.
"It is going to be difficult to pick just twelve students to go, there are so many who would do well." McGonagal was saying as they entered and took the two remaining chairs.
"I think I can narrow down the list a little, there are some students who will be going next time." Harry said, pulling the list the teacher had written up so far he proceeded to cross off the names of his apprentices. "They'll be going next time." There were still sixteen students left.
After much argument, especially form Snape who wanted as many Slytherins as possible going, they found the twelve who would go. Harry had flat out refused to bring two of the students on the grounds that they were not in near good enough physical condition for the trip. And another he cut out because of unwillingness to learn or use the muggle fighting methods, something the elves thoroughly approved of and had originally invented.
"Finally, twelve students, that was hard." McGonagal said at last, it was nearing eleven and they were all tired.
"Bites to be you Potter, you've got Malfoy, Granger, Weasely, in the same troop, living together for nearly three weeks? Ouch!" Snape said, sounding like he really meant it, and Harry knew he probably did, this was going to be rough.
"Yeah, lucky you lot, you won't have them fighting in your classes, everyone else might actually learn something." There were a few appreciative chuckles at this, those three were always at each other's throats, even without Harry behind Ron and Hermione, Malfoy still went after them.
"I'm going to announce the names tomorrow at diner. We leave on Tuesday morning. I have to ask that they be excused from all classes on Monday and tomorrow to prepare. They're going to have to learn enough elf protocol and such to get by. And I'd like to give them some lessons in map reading, purifying drinking water, what plants are edible, etc." Harry requested, the professors agreed, with some grumbling form McGonagal and Snape, which Harry ignored. "Well good night, I'd best go and start getting the supplies ready." He said, taking the list he left, heading out to one of the stone/wood sheds on the ground where he was keeping all the supplies he had gathered so far.
** "Silence please! Now at the beginning of the year I told you that twelve students would be chosen tog o to the land of the elves for three weeks. The teachers have finished selecting these students. They will be excused form classes tomorrow and Monday, they eave on Tuesday morning. They'll be spending this time and the whole weekend preparing for the trip. Mr. Potter will read off the names, when your name is called please go to the door and wait there." The headmaster finished and sat down, the hall was deathly silent as Harry rose and gracefully walked to the side of the head table where he stood, resting one hand upon it, and the list in the other.
"You know the criteria upon which these students were selected so I will not go over it again. For those of you who are not chosen this time we," here he gestured to the staff and himself, "apologize, it was a difficult choice. There is another group going after this one, so if you work hard you might get chosen to go that time." He began to read off the list, aware of all the eyes watching him, and not particularly caring, War Mage calm and confidence radiating from him.
"Dawn Tolis of Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws burst into thunderous applause as Dawn leaped up and hurried to the door at the other end of the hall.
"Draco Malfoy of Slytherin!" The Slytherins cheered loudly, Harry heard a few Gryffindors boo softly. And he could see the shocked looks on Ron and Hermione's faces.
"Hermione Granger of Gryffindor!" Now the Gryffindors screamed and cheered.
"Seamus Finnegan of Gryffindor!" More enthusiastic cheers, Ron looked angry now.
"Carol Dataego of Slytherin!" Slytherins roared, cheering their housemate.
"Martha Lyues of Hufflepuff!" the Hufflepuffs cheered happily, so far they only had one person going.
"Jay Boot of Ravenclaw!" More cheers and applause throughout the hall.
"Parvarti Patil of Gryffindor!" Parvarti headed for the door as her house cheered.
"Susan Bones of Hufflepuff!" The Hufflepuffs cheered, Harry noted how worried some others were starting to look; there were only three more to go now. A sort of anxious nervousness swept the hall. The older student's eyes glued to him hopefully.
"Danton Carimore of Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws roared their approval, not the tension in the hall was even more. Harry was finding it quite amusing. Ron was looked horrified now at not being chosen, and pissed and jealous.
"Ron Weasely of Gryffindor!" Ron nearly fainted with relief, and then hurried for the door.
"And lastly, Blaise Zabini of Slytherin!" There was a round of loud applause from everyone. Harry noticed that some students were crying or looking depressed, and his apprentices looked thoroughly hurt.
"For those of you who weren't chosen and still want to go there is a second group going after this one gets back. The two groups will be visiting different parts of the elven kingdom. And, if the elves approve, perhaps there will be a chance to go next year." He folded and pocketed the list and walked out after the group.
They were waiting for him just outside the door, an overly excited group of teens.
"This way," he said, leading them to a door and opening it. Inside was a large round room, a fireplace in the wall, torches about the room. In the center was a small table with thirteen chairs around it, Harry gestured for everyone to be seated and sat down himself.
"Now, I know you're all excited about being chosen, but this is serious so please pay close attention. We will be living in the wilderness, on our own, for a few days on the long hike to the Elven Kingdom. You will be supplied with appropriate clothing and supplies. You won't be able to bring much with you so pack carefully. No huge books. And you may not shrink and lighten anything either, there is a no-magic zone just before the elf lands that we must pass through. And the elves will sense your spells, they can perceive magic, and having such spells catching on their senses all the time is most annoying for them." Hermione looked scandalized at not being able to bring any books.
"Secondly, all your parents were notified yesterday about your being chosen and have given their permission. However you will not be able to write to them once we leave so don't try. The only letters we send will be a weekly report you will all write together, which will be read to the whole school. Since these weekly letters may well end up in some book or other, or official Ministry documents, they must be well written, but we'll worry about that a week from now." He noticed that he had their complete attention so he got down to travel plans.
"We'll have a four day overland trek through the mountains. We'll stay low in the valleys mostly. I have a map for each of you, our campsite's are marked on it. We will meet up with a Elf patrol just outside the barrier. This patrol will be almost entirely young elves, about 100-200 years old."
"Young?" Carol asked incredulously.
"For an elf. Elves do not reach full maturity until 50 years of age, and their training continues until they are 300. Unfortunately because so many have been killed, first by Wigdarel, a dark wizard about a hundred years ago, then Grindlewald, and then Voldemort, there are only a handful of elves over 600 years old left. The king himself is only 480 years old. This patrol, probably of 20-30 elves, will escort us to the capital, a four-day journey from the barrier between their world and ours."
"All of you are getting one of these backpacks." He raised a hand, they all looked, from a pile of hiking backpacks one rose into the air. "These are muggle hiking packs, the best quality ones there are. We'll be bringing all our food for four days, clothing, weapons, and a few books and other things." The back pack dropped to the floor again.
"You'll need to bring three t-shirts, three long-sleeved shirts, two vests, a jacket, three pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, you'll all be given high quality hiking boots and a special cloak and robes. Bring as many changes of underwear and socks as you wish, but keep it below ten. Typical daywear will be a long-sleeved shirt under a vest with long pants and thick warm socks. The robes will be for formal occasions only, their open-fronted and meant for fighting. Oh and bring a swimsuit." They all nodded, looking around Harry continued.
"You'll each get a sword, two knives, and a bow and arrows. You've been practicing archery in Dueling class for eight days to prepare. And the elves will teach you how to use them well. The backpacks are small, as you may have noticed. The backpacks have a special built-in spot on the outside to attach a quiver and bow to."
"As we travel I will be teaching you most of the magics you'll miss while away. When you return you'll make up most of the rest. When we return some officials form different Ministries will want to question you a bit, don't worry about it."
"You will be required to keep yourself organized during the trip and not loose anything. Are there any questions so far?"
"Where will we go in the Elven lands?" Hermione asked quickly.
"We'll spend two days at the capital, three getting there, two traveling to another smaller city, two days there. Ten days traveling through the deep forests of the elf lands, three days traveling among some of the smaller communities, and the remaining few days traveling to a Fortress and then back home."
"How often will we be able to bathe?" Parvarti asked.
"Every two to three days or so. Don't bring shampoo or conditioner, when we reach a river or stream deep enough to bath in I'll show you how to make shampoo form plants. The other stuff contaminates the water and kills the plants and fish."
"Do any of the cities have libraries?" Of course this was Hermione.
"Yes, but all the books are in elfish. And before I go any farther, DO NOT TRY TO LEARN ELFISH!" They all jumped. "It is forbidden, supposedly impossible, and they have every right to arrest you if you try. And I for one won't stop them if they do." He paused for a moment. "For that matter do not insult any of them, and if you gravely insult the elves and they attack you I'm not going to stop them from beating the crap out of you. Elves love to jest so feel free to, just don't go to far or you'll find yourself thirty feet up a tree with no way to get down faster than you can blink." There were a few smiles at this, but the serious look on his face stopped them. "Elves don't do much human magic, but I know that they'll be happy to learn anything you care to teach them, so you'll be expected to return that. If they offer to teach you anything don't turn it down. They're excellent teachers and spend centuries perfecting their skills. Anything else?"
"Do the elves really climb trees a lot?" Seamus asked.
"Yes, you won't see them until they attack, they practically live in the trees, they even sleep in them. Actually so do I. Once you get used to it sleeping in the trees is much better than on the ground. Trees are powerful to those who can draw on their power, it's very comfortable." They all gave him looks, "what? You're looking at me like I'm weird or something."
They went to bed late that night, having stayed up discussing the trip for hours, Harry finally sent them all off to bed, telling them to meet in the same room the next morning after breakfast.
That night Harry dreamed of the elf in the cave. The image of the elf, lying in a dark dreary cave, soaked in its own blood, torn and battered, not breathing, blood everywhere, a shattered arrow in its shoulder, a knife slash on its arm, visible through the torn, bloodstained sleeve. Again he couldn't help but wonder at those dark elegant features, this elf had to be one of the Royal Family.
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