XVI
Narcissa was poring over an old tome in the Black office in the Wizengamot, looking for anything she could sink her mind into. It might help her calm down. She couldn't explain why, but she felt extremely uneasy, and had felt that way for most of the day.
Of course, she'd had bouts of nerves ever since the group had left for Egypt, but until now, she had always been able to reach calm by reminding herself that Harry and the others were extremely capable, and that Harry had the luck of the devil himself.
It wasn't working this time, however, and she was becoming frantic. She eventually slammed the book shut, and headed for home. She arrived in the Cave and marched straight inside, and into the lounge, only to find Andie and Minerva there, both looking as agitated as she was.
Miss Granger entered the lounge, carrying a tray of chamomile tea in a bid to soothe their nerves. Narcissa couldn't help but notice Hermione wasn't looking anywhere near as bad as she and her sister did. Not to mention Minerva, who was looking worse by the minute, as she paced in front of the fire.
"Professor McGonagall, please sit down," Hermione tried, but the Headmistress ignored her.
Then suddenly, Minerva gasped, and clutched her chest. Hermione could see the other two women do the same. Minerva stumbled over to a chair, and sank slowly into it, with a shuddering breath.
"Something terrible has happened."
"We must go to Gringotts," Narcissa said when she had caught her breath.
The four women hurried to Diagon Alley, and almost ran up the Gringotts steps. When they reached the top, Threepwood was standing by a smaller side door, his expression grim, to say the least.
"Follow me, please," he said, and led the three women into the bank and toward the lower levels. Hermione could see a lot of goblins running about shouting and growling in their own, strange language.
Eventually, they found themselves in a conference room. Threepwood told them to sit down, and poured them all a glass of Firewhiskey.
"What has happened, Mr. Threepwood?" Andie asked, forcing herself to remain calm.
The diminutive goblin downed a shot of whiskey, and took a deep breath. "There was a massive explosion in the Dead City, earlier tonight."
Narcissa slowly closed her eyes and used every ounce of Occlumency she had, to remain in control. She opened her eyes, and saw Minerva, and Andie do the same. Miss Granger, who only had a very rudimentary grasp of the discipline, wore an expression of pure horror.
"And our loved ones?" Narcissa asked.
Threepwood shook his head. "Unknown, but I'm afraid it doesn't look good. The whole ruin was obliterated. All that's there now, is a massive crater full of debris. Not even the Scarabs seem to have survived. Please, stay here. Someone will bring you something to eat, and we'll bring you any news, as they come."
Once the goblin had left, Narcissa rushed over to Andie and gathered her into an embrace. Her older sister buried her head in her shoulder and sobbed heavily, and Narcissa was barely able to keep it together. They all had so much to lose. A daughter, a sister, and a lover.
Minerva conjured a sofa, where they all sat down in silence. Hermione sat down in the sofa, her eyes roaming the room, but she kept finding herself thinking about what had happened at the Stronghold earlier, when the three other women had clutched their chests in pain, but she hadn't.
Going back a bit further, Hermione had noticed, that Narcissa had been in a bit of a state most of the day. A bit snappy, and difficult to be around. Eventually, she had left the older woman and gone home, and found Andie in a similar state. Then Minerva had joined them, feeling even worse.
Hermione knew they had been worried about the others, but why was she not feeling it in such an intense way?
"What happened earlier, Narcissa? Back at the Stronghold, I mean?"
Narcissa was quiet for a bit, before she rose from the sofa, and started pacing in front of them. "Hermione, when you realized you were in love with Harry, what did you feel?"
"Feel?" Hermione asked in confusion. "I'm not sure. Love, I guess. A bit silly that I hadn't recognized it sooner... You were there, Narcissa. Are you asking about anything specific?"
Andie turned to look at Hermione, and regarded her with an unreadable gaze. "Did he invade every thought? Every waking moment? Did you feel as if you needed to be around him, just so that you could have any chance at happiness?"
"All consuming," Minerva added. "Did his presence burn away any self doubt, sadness, or pain you were feeling in your heart?"
Hermione shook her head after a moment. "Not like that, no. I mean, the morning after the Wizengamot session, I could hardly think about anything but Harry. And I felt in love with him, but it wasn't anything like what you're describing."
Narcissa nodded. "I suppose it's time for the truth, then."
"Aye, that would be best," Minerva added.
"Truth about what?" Hermione asked.
"You're not The Owl, Hermione. And I never believed you were," Narcissa said.
Hermione felt a bit ill. While she had been having doubts about that Owl business from the moment she heard it, hearing someone say that she was indeed not a part of whatever was happening with Harry and the others was a bit hard. Worst, however, was hearing it from the woman who forced you to confront your feelings for your best friend.
Narcissa stopped in front of Hermione and gave her a meaningful look. "Before you say anything, Hermione, I'd like to explain myself."
"Please do, Narcissa." Hermione was clearly quite upset.
"Yes, I did indeed lead you into believing you might be the Owl, Hermione, but I never felt you were quite right for it, mostly because of your upbringing."
"You didn't think I could join the group," Hermione stated, feeling a bit hurt. "Then why did you do that? Why have me confront my feelings for Harry?"
"Because I needed to get you away from the Idiot," Narcissa replied, and sat in one of the chairs, surrounding the conference table. "If you had stayed with Weasley, you would never have reached your potential. He would always have held you back."
"And that was the only way to do so?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"No. Usually, I'd prefer a more subtle approach, but this was the quickest route," came the reply. "I knew you'd want to free yourself from Weasley so that you could act upon your feelings for Harry, and that you'd want to do it as quickly as possible."
"But it's so... underhanded. You manipulated me!" Hermione was scandalized.
Narcissa gave her a smile, an icy smile that was devoid of any feeling. "I wasn't sorted into Slytherin, simply because I'm a Black, Hermione. When I meet someone, it takes me a mere few moments to understand them, their motivations and desires. How to use them to further my own ends."
"Aunt Dorea always said you could topple kingdoms without even trying, Cissy," Andie remarked, and walked over to the table, and poured herself, and Minerva another glass of whiskey.
"When Harry asked us to sit in the Wizengamot in his stead, we were given certain roles, Hermione," Narcissa said. "You are meant to be the face of change, the leader of the movement. And then there's me. If needed, I'm the one who moves in the dark, and stabs those who need removed, in the back, and blackmails the rest."
"Harry would never..." Hermione began, but Minerva stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"It's the way politics work," Narcissa continued. "Harry understands that, and it's one of the reasons he knows he can't stay there. He's too honest and righteous. Another reason is that he hates that place, with a burning passion. The Wizengamot sent Sirius and Bella to Azkaban, because the public called for their heads, and Fudge tried to use the assembly to have him expelled."
"But Harry's strong. He'd survive," Hermione said with conviction.
Narcissa nodded. "Yes he is strong, but you know Harry. He's upfront, and honourable. And he cares so much about people, that he wouldn't last a week in there. Or he'd change into someone we wouldn't know, a year from now. I am not prepared to sacrifice my love on the altar of politics."
"And you think I'll manage it?" Hermione asked, a bit baffled.
"You are extremely goal driven, and ambitious, Hermione. If it wasn't so slanted towards blood purity these days, I believe you'd have been sorted into Slytherin," Minerva added.
There was silence for a few moments. "Who is the Owl, then, if it isn't me?" Hermione asked.
Before any of the other women could say anything, the door opened, and Griphook came into the room, followed by his nephews. He was holding something in his hands, wrapped in a piece of cloth. The four women rushed to meet him, their pace frantic.
"Any news?" Narcissa asked.
Griphook placed the bundle in his hands on the table in front of him, then went and sat down on the other side and motioned for the women to sit down.
"Well?" Minerva prompted impatiently.
"There's some news. Some of it bad, some of it uncertain," the goblin began. "We did not find a single living thing in the crater. There were mummies strewn about, and the carcass of kind of beast was discovered. We did not find any remains that could be from the four that went into the ruin. But we did find this."
The goblin unwrapped the package, and revealed a rune covered piece of stone. Hermione leaned over to examine it, but she did not recognize any of the runes that were etched into the rock. She eyed the other three women, who shook their heads.
"What is it?" Minerva asked, in a barely controlled voice.
Griphook poured himself a drink, and took a sip. "It's a piece of a Gate."
"A Gate?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. There's only one in existence, that we know of, and it's in the Department of Mysteries."
"The Veil," Andie gasped.
"Precisely, Ms. Black. We believe they may have gone through, since we could not find any remains."
The three women were silent for a long while. The Veil. That changed things. While it was true, that no one had ever come back from the other side of that thing, the fact was, no one knew what it was.
The Unspeakables had studied the Veil for a very long time. Since the establishment of the Ministry, in fact. The prevailing theory claimed it was a barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead.
"Well, then," Minerva said and downed the rest of her whiskey. "I just hope the man will return before the next school year starts. I suspect I will have an opening available for Defence against the Dark Arts, as usual. I was rather hoping to ask Harry if he'd like the job. He'd do wonderfully."
Narcissa glanced at her sister, who raised an eyebrow, and smiled at her. "She's right, Cissy. I will not allow grief to eat me up. Until I see a body, my daughter and the others are still alive."
"Yes, you're right, of course," Narcissa agreed. "Harry will not let a small thing like death stop him from coming back to us."
"We must gather the Order at once," Minerva announced. The other three women eyed her, not understanding. Surely she did not mean to march through the Veil in the Death Room.
"You do realize what this means, don't you?" Minerva asked. "If the Veil is indeed what they think it is, then Riddle should be mortal, at least while Harry remains on the other side. This is our chance. Now we only have to find the disgusting serpe."
Narcissa smiled at the Headmistress. "Of course. I would like nothing more, than to welcome Harry and the others back, in a world free of Riddle."
"What do we tell everyone?" Hermione asked, as the women prepared to leave.
"The truth," Andie replied in a firm voice.
"Yes," Narcissa agreed, and grinned wickedly. "We tell the world Harry Potter is dead. That should draw the creep out."
Harry felt like he was standing on top of his Thunderbolt, the wind rushing around him, tugging at him, this way and that. He tried opening his eyes, but found he couldn't. To his relief, he could still feel Nym and Bella holding his hands, and he dearly hoped Fleur had not let go. And Hedwig, of course was still there, her talons securely latched into the leather of his armour.
Then, it stopped, the wind died down, and Harry opened his one good eye slowly. He took a deep breath, and heard his companions do the same. Looking around, he discovered they had found themselves in a small clearing, surrounded by a dense forest. The sun's amber rays told Harry it was nearing sundown.
"Is everyone al-"
That was as far as he got, before a terrible pain lanced through his head. With a grunt, he sank to his knees, vaguely aware of Nym and Fleur doing the same. Hedwig flew off his shoulder and onto Bella's, who strangely, was unaffected by whatever had happened.
"Harry!" Bella exclaimed, and knelt by his side, her eyes alarmed. As Harry dropped to his side, Fleur and Nym seemed to be recovering rapidly. The pair of them stumbled to their feet, and immediately turned their attention to Harry, who had coiled into a fetal position, his hands still clutching his head.
"Do something, Nymphadora!" Bella growled in panic.
Then suddenly, Harry started to relax, and was quickly recovering. After a moment, he rolled over onto his back, and opened his eye. "That was one hell of a headache."
Harry sat up, and meant to get to his feet, but Nym put a hand on his shoulder. "No don't stand up, yet. I'm going to take of your armour and shirt, and I'm going to have a look at you."
Nym unbuckled the cuirass, and put it to the side, and did the same with the belt. Then she removed the chain mail, and arm braces and finally unbuckled his shirt. Harry's upper arms were badly scratched in places, and he had nasty bruises here and there on his torso.
She raised her wand, and... nothing. She mumbled an incantation with the same result.
"It isn't working! Fucking hell! Fleur?"
Fleur tried her own wand, and got no response. "Non," she simply said.
Harry swished his own, and it was completely dead. He tried to extend his senses, but had no luck. Closing his eyes, he focused on his magical centre, and to his shock, there was nothing to be found. No cave, nothing.
"My magic's gone, Nym. It's just empty. There's nothing there," he said in disbelief.
"Lumos!" Bellatrix whispered, and to her shock, the crystal at the end of the staff lit up with a brilliant light, while her wand remained lifeless. "Nox!" And the crystal went blank.
"Well, this works," she said and knelt by Harry's side.
"Alright," Nym said. "Harry, this may hurt a bit, alright," she said and looked him in the eye. At Harry's nod, she placed her hands on his sides and back, and pressed gently. Harry gave a small grunt.
"Well, nothing seems to be broken, but your ribs may have hairline fractures, or be badly bruised."
"What can I do?" Bella asked, in a worried tone.
Tonks glanced at her aunt. "The spell I want you to use is Brackium Emendo. It mends broken bones. It's very simple, and doesn't require any wand motion. There are other, better spells a competent healer can use, but I hadn't quite gotten the hang of them yet. And besides, I don't know how you'd do them with that staff, anyway."
Bellatrix nodded, and gripped her staff by the end, at the foci and recited the incantation. Nothing happened. She cursed, and did the incantation for swelling, and pain relief. "Felura!" Again, she had no success. "Fuck!"
Nym shook her head in irritation and turned her attention to Harry's eye. Fleur opened up the Bag and extracted a canister healing salve they had taken with them. Tonks grabbed the salve and spread it liberally onto Harry's swollen eye, and after that, she rubbed it into the bruises on his back, and sides.
"So, what now?" Fleur asked.
"Well, I'd like to stay here for the night. The swelling of Harry's eye should go down, and his bruises much better by then," Tonks said, and reached into the Bag, and retrieved a shirt for Harry, who put it on quickly.
Tonks eyed the Bag curiously. "Hey, why does the Bag still work, while our wands don't?"
"I don't know," Harry said. "I mean, I can't feel my magic, but I am still the same as I was before, and Nym's hair has been changing colour non stop since we got here. Fleur, can you still feel Her?"
"Oui, Harry. She's still here," the French Veela said, and sat down next to Harry. "I think it may have something to do with the nature of the charm on the Bag."
"How so?" Harry asked.
"Well, there's a rune etched into the leather of the Bag, that draws energy from the world around it, and the Extension charm was bound to it. As long as there's energy feeding the rune, the Bag should work as intended."
"So, it must not have run out of juice when we were in the tomb earlier," Nym concluded.
"That's what I think, but I could be wrong."
Fleur and the two women set about making camp, while Harry scooted over and leaned back against a nearby tree. He closed his eyes, and focused on the sounds of the place they had arrived in. A deer, some ways off, and a fox. There was a stream close by, and he thought he heard a fish jump and land in the water. He tried sensing the world, but it wasn't working, of course.
Harry relaxed. There was nothing he could hear that might be threatening to them at that moment. He knew they needed to talk about what had happened, but not now. No, tonight, they would sleep, and rest. They could tackle this new place in the morning.
A ray of sunlight hit Harry's face, and forced him to wake up. He blinked his eyes rapidly a few times, and realized he'd fallen asleep against the tree the night before. There was a blanket around his body, and he felt very warm, and Bella and Fleur were leaning against him, on either side, sleeping soundly.
Nym was next to Bella, also sleeping, but there was no sign of Hedwig, yet. Harry wasn't overly worried. She usually went for a hunt in the early hours of the morning, and would no doubt be back soon.
He felt his eye gingerly, and learned the swelling had almost gone, and was happy it hadn't been damaged. He gently moved Bellatrix and Fleur around, so that they wouldn't fall over, and got to his feet. He felt around his body for a moment, then moved it around for a bit.
His body was stiff, and felt all kinds of wrong, so Harry walked over to the Bag. He took of his shirt, then removed the sword from the Bag, and unsheathed it. He carefully examined it, and found, it was in excellent condition, but needed to be cleaned. Well, that would come after, when he was done.
Nymphadora roused when Bellatrix nudged her with her elbow. She turned to look at her aunt, who had on a kind of a naughty look and motioned with her head. Tonks turned to see what was happening, and was not disappointed.
Harry was shirtless, working his sword through various... forms, she thought they were called. His torso was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and his muscles tensed and relaxed, as he moved in a slow, methodical fashion.
Tonks noticed Fleur join them, and that her breathing was a bit laboured. She had a glint in her eyes the Metamorph had never seen before, and before Tonks could say anything, she felt as if she'd just had the greatest sex in her life. She could not take her eyes of the young Veela, and her eyes roamed all over her friend's perfect body. Her lips, the lovely, bountiful breasts, nicely flared hips, and of course that delectable ars-
"Nymphadora! Snap out of it!" Bella hissed, and gave her niece a shove.
"Huh? Wha?" Tonks became aware of her surroundings again, and blinked her eyes a few times. When she had regained focus, she saw Harry holding Fleur close, and that he was whispering something to her. She nodded, and gave him a small smile. He released her, and she walked over.
"I am sorry, Tonks. I lost control of Her for a moment. I will try and make certain it does not happen again."
"It's OK, Fleur," Tonks said and shook her head. "I know you struggle sometimes. And who can blame you? I mean, look at him!" she said, and grinned at Harry.
"Now, now," Bella admonished them. "Don't embarrass Mr. Potter. See? You're making him blush," she finished and the three women laughed heartily.
"You done?" Harry asked as he put on a shirt, in that same dark green colour as the other one.
"Oui,Harry."
"Alright. Now, how about we go and take a look at this place?"
"Put on your armour, Harry," Bella said, her tone firm. "I'm not taking any chances."
Once Harry had put on his armour, and his cap, he looked up into the sky. "Has anyone seen Hedwig?"
None of his companions had seen her, and Harry was becoming a little worried. Oh, well. There wasn't anything he could do. His Owl did whatever she wanted, and she could certainly take care of herself.
"There's a river a little ways to the west. I suggest we head there first, follow it for a while and see where that takes us."
With Harry in the lead, the group set out, moving at a good pace. Without the use of his special abilities, Harry had to rely on his hearing, at least while they were in the forest. They reached the river without incident, and learned it was very big. Easily over a hundred yards wide, and fairly deep.
"A river this big will have towns on it, Harry," Fleur said as she gazed south, along the bank.
Before Harry could answer, however, Hedwig gave a bark somewhere close by. Harry's eyes immediately found her, perching in a tree to the south. The relieved young man smiled and set off in her direction. When Harry was almost at the tree, she dove down and latched onto him and nibbled his earlobe.
"Hey, girl. We're heading south, are we?" Hedwig gave a low hoot.
"Alright, let's go!"
The group had been travelling the heavily wooded bank for a few hours, when they came upon a narrower part of the river, that had been bridged. The sturdy stone bridge was a fairly straight forward affair, and wide enough for four or five people to walk across, side by side.
Or four, horse driven wagons, such as the ones that were passing each other on the bridge at that moment two heading in each direction. One was carrying slabs of some kind of rock, and the others were covered with a thick cloth, secured around it with straps. The foursome quickly ducked behind some bushes, before anyone could see them.
While the wagons weren't that strange to Harry, after all, there were people back home, like that weird lot in the US that drove wagons, some of the people flanking them were a strange bunch. For one thing, they all wore armour of one kind or another, and were armed with swords, axes or bows, and different kinds of pole arms.
"I'm going to talk to them. Stay here, out of sight, OK?" Harry whispered.
"Be careful, love," Bella said and squeezed his arm.
Harry nodded, and slowly made his way toward the road. "Ho, there!" he called to the drivers, his palms facing forward. "How far to the next town?"
The guards on both teams reacted immediately by readying their weapons, and then glare menacingly at Harry, who had stopped, his palms still facing them in a gesture of non violence.
"Who goes there?" One man, who had a mark on his armour asked.
"My name's Harry, and I seem to be a little lost," Harry said and gave them a sheepish smile. "I was wondering if you could tell me how far it is to the next town?"
The man looked at Harry a while longer, before he spoke. "You travelling alone? Unwise. There have been reports of bandit activity on the roads for a while now. You're lucky you do not match any of their descriptions, boy."
"Oh, I'm not alone," Harry replied and called to his companions, who emerged from behind the bushes. "I'm here with some friends. They're Bellatrix, Fleur and Tonks. Please, put away your weapons. We just want to get to town."
The man's gaze traveled around the group, his eyes lingering for a moment on Bella's staff, before he motioned with his hand, and the teams relaxed.
"You'll find the mining town of Stoneheart three day's march to the east. There's not much to see there, so you should head to the south-west, to the town of West Harbour. You should get there in a week, or so at moderate pace, if the weather holds."
Harry nodded at the man, and he and his group slowly walked up onto the road, careful not to make any sudden moves, as every man there seemed to be strung so tightly, that they were about to snap.
"Thank you for that, Mr..." Harry said, and extended his hand to the leader, who grabbed it after a moment's hesitation.
"Ivar Gnaeus, and don't mention it." He looked Harry up and down, with an appraising eye and then the girls. "Say, you wouldn't be interested in a job, would you?"
That surprised Harry. "Pardon?"
"The wagon heading into the mountains is a bit light on security. I'd feel better if I could send a few more of my men with them, and I can offer you five gold pieces to accompany me to the city, in their stead and help protect the cargo and the workers going for leave."
Bella was a bit skeptical. "Is this normal? Just offering random strangers work, in the middle of nowhere?"
Ivar chuckled. "No, it is not, but you seem capable, and you're a mage, which in itself should discourage any bandits. And, I have a good feeling about you lot, and my gut isn't often wrong. So, what do you say?"
Harry looked at the girls, who all shrugged. They didn't much care, but they were heading that way anyway, and there was safety in numbers.
Harry shook the man's hand. "Deal. But, you're only getting my sword and Bella's staff. Fleur and Tonks aren't fighters."
"Fair enough. Move out!"
That night, once they'd made camp, Harry sat down by the fire he shared with his companions, and began cleaning his weapon. He was getting looks from the rest of the guards, looks of appreciation and a bit of envy, perhaps.
After Harry had worked for a while, Ivar approached him, and sat down opposite. "So, kid. You mind telling me how you came to find yourself out here, by yourselves?"
Harry shared a long look with Bella and the others, before deciding to tell the man the truth. Some of it, at least. Perhaps he would know of another Veil they might go through.
"We were exploring a ruin on our own world, and were forced into some sort of gate, and ended up here."
Ivar looked at Harry for a moment, before shrugging. "Stranger things have happened. Now, that's a fine weapon you have there. What's it made of?"
"Meteoritic Silverite," Harry replied, and sheathed the sword.
Ivar nodded. "Fancy. Well, get some rest. We set out at first light."
The four companions watched the leader leave. Harry turned toward the others with a frown. "I know he mentioned earlier that he would have his men stand watch, but I think we should do, too. Something about all this doesn't sit too well with me."
"I reckon you're right, Harry," Tonks agreed. "No one offers complete strangers a job like this, out of nowhere, and compared to the rest of the guys, our equipment looks very expensive. They've been giving us looks. "
"Ok. You three rest, I'll take the first watch."
The three women rolled out their bedding, and went to sleep, leaving Harry alone to his thoughts. This was completely unexpected. They weren't dead. Unless, of course this was the afterlife. He turned his gaze toward Fleur and Nym, and he felt very worried.
Neither of them were capable of defending themselves in this world, if it was what it looked like. Well, Nym knew how to disarm people, since the Auror program did teach a little bit of physical self-defense, but that wouldn't be enough, Harry knew.
A motion to his left alerted Harry to someone moving into the trees, slipping away. Harry went and removed his bow and quiver from the Bag, then moved over to Bellatrix and woke her up.
"Bella, wake up Nym and Fleur, and stay alert. Keep your staff close. Some people just left camp, and I'm going to see what's going on. If Hedwig comes back, you get ready, alright?"
"Harry, why don't we just leave?" Bella hissed at him.
"What if someone is going to alert those bandits Ivar told us about before? If they raid the caravan, what about the workers? I assume most of them have families."
"Harry's right," Nym said, and stood up.
"We can't just leave." Fleur added, nodding her agreement.
Bellatrix clenched her teeth in annoyance. These people had nothing to do with them. She sighed, knowing none of her companions would consider running.
"Go and alert the workers, but try to elude the guards. We don't know who of them can be trusted," Harry said, and dashed into the thicket.
Harry moved as quickly and quietly as he could through the forest, wondering all the while just how unlucky one person could be. He was in another world, and, once again, he was forced into something like this.
Then he heard the men somewhere ahead of him. Harry slowed down a bit, not wanting to be discovered. After they had traveled a few hundred yards, they came upon a small clearing where a force of some twenty men, or so had gathered.
"Report," a large man holding a large halberd barked at the newcomers.
"There are a couple of wagons worth of loot in this shipment, that will give us a good yield, but the big prize are couple of women that should fetch a good price. Beauties, all of them, and one of them is a mage," one of the traitors said.
The large man's eyes seemed to light up at that and he whistled. "You hear that, boys? We'll be rich!"
"Any news from camp?" another of the traitors asked.
"We had to put one of the dark bitches down yesterday. She killed one of the men. A shame, too. She was one of the pretty ones. Would have fetched a good price. Well, I would have killed the idiot myself, anyway. We do not touch the merchandise."
"So, we're moving after this raid?"
"Aye. The Guard will have to act soon. The gold fattening his purse has had the captain looking the other way, but he'll have to be seen doing something, eventually."
Harry was fighting a losing battle with his temper. These men were slavers. He knocked an arrow and pulled on the string, taking aim at the large man. But, as fate would have it, a cloud hiding the moon drifted away at that moment, and the flash of the arrowhead caught the brute's eye. As soon as it happened, Harry noticed Hedwig take off.
As soon as Harry let the arrow fly, one of the traitors was yanked into its way by the big man, who snarled a curse. The man hit with the arrow, fell dead to the ground.
"Move it! We're under attack!"
Most of the men rushed into the forest, with only six or so left in the clearing. Harry dropped his bow, unsheathed his sword, and charged into the group, slicing and dicing as he went. As soon as the battle began, Harry understood this wouldn't be as easy as it had been so far. These men knew how to fight.
The trick was to keep moving, so he had to rely on his speed. He rolled under a swipe from the large halberd, and thrust his sword into the chest of the closest man, as he came to his feet. He yanked the sword free, and twirled to the side, and another was killed by a errant shot from a crossbow.
Harry rushed the shooter, and engaged him, before he could load another bolt into his weapon. The man dropped the crossbow, and unsheathed a knife, but was unable to bring it to bear, before he was beheaded by Harry. Three left.
"Go! Join the others!" The brute snarled. "I'll take care of this one. You'll just get in my way!"
Harry and the bandit leader, circled one another for a moment, before they came together in a clash of weapons. The halberd came flying, but Harry managed to angled it down, and it stuck in the ground.
Harry wasn't able to press his advantage, however, as the man let go of the stuck weapon, and unsheathed a large sword, and came at Harry, who met the other man's weapon head on, and the swords locked.
It was a mismatch, as Harry was much stronger than the other man, despite the difference in size and he pushed his enemy almost all the way across the clearing, where the brute ended on his back, in shock.
Harry didn't give him a chance to recover, and rushed over with all haste, and thrust his sword into the man's heart. Not wasting any more time on that idiot, Harry rushed back the way he came, but had the presence of mind to pick up his bow.
Harry sprinted as fast as he could through the forest, and came out in camp, and discovered a shocking scene. There was no fighting, no clash of steel, or flying arrows. Instead, it was eerily quiet.
Most of the men were standing on wobbly legs, staring at the tall creature that was standing in the middle of the camp, holding one of the men he'd seen in the forest by the neck, which was clearly broken.
It was Fleur. Only, it wasn't the Fleur Harry knew. It was Her. Fleur's eyes were completely black, and had no irises, and her face, while still otherworldly beautiful, had become covered with scales of some kind, and her teeth were pointy. The hand that was holding the unfortunate man was covered with the same scales as her face, and at the end of her fingers were claws that had to be at least three inches long, and wickedly sharp.
Harry let his eyes roam the scene, and found Hedwig and Bellatrix off to the side. Bella and Nym were standing in front of a group of workers, and Bella's staff was glowing. She was holding her niece by the shoulder, and the Metamorph was obviously struggling to maintain consciousness. Harry's eyes found Fleur again. Only partly transformed, she was this powerful? Harry shuddered to think what she'd be like fully transformed.
"Is there anyone else among you pathetic little weaklings, who would hurt me or mine?" She said in a low, sensual voice.
Fleur casually dropped her victim onto the ground, and sashayed towards the next man. "You, perhaps?" She ran a claw down the man's cheek, then grabbed him by the neck, and squeezed. The man's eyes bulged out in fear, but he was so entranced, that he couldn't do anything.
Harry recognized that man as Ivar's second in command. "Fleur!" he shouted and cautiously entered the camp proper.
The Veela dropped the man and slowly turned her black eyes to Harry. Her mouth curved in a seductive smile, and she glided toward him, grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head, and kissed him wantonly. Harry couldn't help himself, and responded in kind.
"Vous, qui etes digne de mon amour et de mon respect. At last we meet. If only it was under more pleasant circumstances," the Veela said once the kiss was over. "Though I must admit, it feels good to stretch my legs."
"So I assume you are here to protect Fleur?" Harry asked, once he'd gathered himself.
"But, of course. She is me, as I am her. I care about my precious little Flower more than I do anything else. Now, I have learned these men have a place in an abandoned quarry close by."
"They told you?"
Fleur smiled at him and cupped his cheek lovingly. "Few are those, who can withstand the powers of the mundane Veela, my sweet, and fewer still when We come out to play. But not you, my lovely. You're special. And you're all mine. The others are lucky I've deemed them worthy to share you with them."
Harry felt a bit uneasy. Was there some sort of universal language such erotic women employed, because Fleur sounded an awful lot like Maria. Harry rather hoped Fleur wouldn't be like that. Maria was bloody dangerous. Harry mentally chided himself. Fleur made Maria look like a novice.
"I'm not-" That was as far as Harry got, before Fleur silenced him with another searing hot kiss. Once she was done, she bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, then pulled on it a bit, before letting go. Harry felt a little dazed, and more than a little randy.
"I believe I have taken care of the filth," the Veela said with a look of disgust,"and I would like to go back to where I belong. The transformation takes a heavy toll on Fleur, because of her constantly reining me in, and she'll be very weak for a couple of days. I can count on you to protect my darling little flower?"
"With my life," Harry said with absolute conviction.
A shudder of desire ran through the partly transformed woman in front of him. "So strong," she breathed, before she leaned in for a hug.
Harry put his arms around her, and felt as Fleur slowly started transforming back. She shrank almost half a foot, and her skin returned to normal, and Harry could hear a definite change in her heartbeat, and breathing. Finally, she slumped in his embrace, too weak to stand on her own two feet. Harry picked her up in his arms, and headed toward Bella and Nym.
"Harry?"
"Shh, it's OK, Fleur. You're alright," Harrys said. "As are the others. You saved them."
"She wasn't too awful, was she?"
"You shouldn't worry too much about that now. Just rest, Fleur."
By then, he had reached Nym, who had almost recovered. Bella had gone for a blanket.
"Remind me never to do anything to really piss you off, babe," Nym said, and grinned at Fleur, who managed a weak smile in return.
"So, what happened here, before all this?" Harry asked, and gently put Fleur down.
"They came running out of the forest, and Ivar's men were quick to respond, but couldn't do much, when a few of them turned out to be for the other team. It was bad for a moment, before Fleur took action." Tonks revealed.
"She saved all of us, Harry," Bella said, and covered Fleur with the blanket. "Thank you, Fleur."
Fleur smiled at Bella, then allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
"Stay with her. I'm going to talk to Ivar," Harry told Bella and Nym, and headed of to meet the team leader.
Ivar was milling about his men, when Harry arrived. "How bad?"
The older man turned a weary eye on Harry. "Half my team gone, the rest are wounded. Some badly."
Harry nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you understand why I didn't have my friends alert you to the danger."
"I do," Ivar said with a nod. "You had no way of knowing who the traitors were. Why didn't you just leave? This has nothing to do with you."
"And leave the workers to their fate?" Harry asked incredulously. "No chance."
"A man of honour, I see. Somewhat of a rarity these days."
"My friend told me she learned of a quarry nearby where they supposedly have set up their base. Why hasn't anyone done anything about that?" Harry asked.
Ivar let out a long breath, and stared at the night sky for a moment. "The captain of the Guard is most likely in their pocket. Until two months ago, I was a sergeant in the guard, and I'd heard rumors of the captain taking bribes."
"And?"
"And I mentioned it to a man I thought I could trust. Well, I suppose I have him to thank I wasn't thrown off the pier, only discredited, and driven out of the Guard."
Harry stumbled a little over that bit about the pier, but decided it wasn't important.
"Where is this quarry?" Harry asked.
Ivar turned to the forest, and pointed. "On the other side of the forest. About half a day's journey, there's an overgrown path that leads to a small mountain. It's in the foothills."
"Alright. What will you do now?"
"There's a farm, close by, owned by an acquaintance, Magnus. We sometimes take shelter there, if there's a storm. I'm going to have to ask him to take us in, while I send a rider to West Harbour for wagons and medicine."
Harry turned to look at Bella and Nym, who were keeping vigil over Fleur. He knew what he was going to do, and he hated himself for it, for putting them through it. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You're going into the quarry aren't you?"
Harry looked at Ivar. "Yeah. They have slaves there. Some big brute said they had to put one of 'the dark bitches' down yesterday, because she killed someone who was about to rape her."
Ivar frowned, then rubbed his face. "Oh, by the gods. You fools."
"What is it?"
"Elves have always been treated as inferior to the other races. I don't know why, but that's how it is, and slavery is a real problem. Rumor has it the elves are ready to go to war to force a change. A council has been called at a place known as Crossroad Keep to try and settle things. The thing is, the dark elves make their home in the Great Sands."
Elves? Dark Elves? Harry wasn't certain what to make of all this. "The Great Sands?" he settled on asking.
"Right. The Great Sands is a large desert to the east. It covers almost half of the island we're on. They would have to go through here to reach West Harbour and take ship. I have a sinking suspicion these idiots may have been under orders to attack the delegation sent by the dark elves, to make certain they won't reach Crossroad Keep."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "You don't think there's more than that, though. You think they were sent to start a war?"
"Possibly. Things are extremely tense, and it won't take much make people snap."
Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Then we have to get those elves out, before someone comes to collect."
Ivar nodded. "Agreed, but I cannot leave my men, much less the workers. I do not expect any trouble from now on, but... I hate to ask this, but as things stand, I'm going to have to ask you to leave your mage with us. She's a force to be reckoned with."
Harry chuckled. "You have no idea. And yeah, she's staying. They all are."
Harry slowly made his way over to Bella and the others. Bella looked up when he approached, and became angry immediately, when she saw the look on his face.
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'? I haven't said anything," Harry grumbled, and unstrapped his sword and put it into the Bag, then extracted a harness that had four knives in it. Two long ones that had a curve to them, and two smaller ones. He buckled it on, the long daggers peeking over his shoulders, and the two smaller ones resting at his lower back. Once that was done, he grabbed his quiver and and bow.
"Whatever idiotic thing you're planning to do, I forbid it, Harry," Bella declared fiercely and marched up to him.
"Harry, what's she on about?" Tonks asked, and rose to stand by her aunt.
"The idiot is going to raid their base, Nymphadora."
Tonks sent Bellatrix a death glare for her breach of protocol, but didn't comment on it. She'd prank her later, somehow. "Harry, what the hell are you thinking?"
"There are slaves there, Nym. Waiting to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. I know at least one of them was put down like some kind of animal, because she resisted being raped. I will not ignore it, and I will not wait. I can't."
"And we're staying here, are we?" Bella asked unhappily.
Harry took his lover's hands in his own. "The people here need you, Bellatrix. Fleur and Nym, too. I'll be OK."
He turned to Nym, whose hair was a lanky brown, as it always was whenever she was unhappy or sad. "When I get back, we'll see about beginning training you and Fleur with some weapons, alright?"
Nym nodded. "Just promise me you'll be careful, OK?"
"I'll try," Harry replied, and gave Bella a kiss. Then he set off at a run, and Hedwig took to the skies, watching over her Harry.
As Bella watched the man she loved head, yet again, into danger without her, she felt her anger toward him dissipate, to be replaced with determination. She sat down on the ground and grabbed the book on her staff wielding. She needed to get better, if she was going to be of any help to Harry, moving forward.
Tonks growled low in her throat, an impressive display, since she practically sounded like a lion, as she made her way over to Ivar, to help with the wounded.
Harry set a strong pace through the forest, the knowledge of the elves' predicament driving him. He just couldn't leave those poor people in there a moment longer than they had to be. He was becoming more and more frustrated and angry with how some people treated those weaker than themselves. Different world, same bloody problems.
Eventually, Harry stumbled upon the path that lead to the quarry, but retreated back into the forest, as he didn't want to be seen. He managed to get there without being discovered, but by then, it was past midday, and the sun was shining. With some effort, Harry landed on the decision to wait for darkness to make his move.
Shielded by the trees, he moved around the quarry, which was a kind of a large pit, with circular paths leading down to the bottom, where he could see a number of empty cages. There was a door to one side, which Harry felt certain the captives were being held.
Harry climbed onto a large cliff that towered over a part of the quarry, and scouted the place. It took a while, but he mapped out the moving patterns of all of the twelve guards he could see. There were three stationed on top of the quarry, and the rest were wandering around down in the pit itself. Harry couldn't stop a grin that found its way onto his face.
The place would be poorly lit, and there were all sorts of obstructions down there, which would be perfect to help him stay out of sight. Unfortunately, that meant he would not be able to pick them off with his bow. He'd have to fight the ones at the bottom with his knives. Having finished his scouting, he climbed down, and settled in the forest to wait for nightfall.
He found a tree to hide behind, well beyond any guard, and leaned back. Then Hedwig came swooping down, and landed on his thigh. Harry stroked her beak and she leaned into his touch. As always, he felt comforted by her presence. He let out a sigh. He was tired. So bloody tired.
"Why do I have to be like this, Hedwig? Why do I care about a bunch of people I have never seen, in a world I'm not planning on staying in?"
Hedwig looked at him in a way that seemed to say; It's who you are, Harry. It's who you've always been.
Harry and Hedwig had always shared an empathetic understanding of one another, but this time, it was different. Harry was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice how it almost seemed like she was conversing with him, however. "But why? I mean Bellatrix and Narcissa wouldn't do this. Hell, Nym might not even do it, and I believe they're all good women."
Hedwig bumped her head into his abdomen. They are good women, but they're normal, so to speak. Even Nymphadora. You're not, Harry.
Harry grinned at his friend. "I suppose I'm not. I sometimes wish I was, though."
Hedwig ruffled her feathers in annoyance. No you don't. Normal people are boring. Why do you think I like you so much? Us freaks need to stand together.
Harry smiled a genuine smile and stroked her gently a few times. "Sometimes, I feel like you're the only one who understands me, girl and you just might be the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'll have to properly thank Hagrid for bringing us together, one day."
He looked her right in the eyes and was gripped with an unbelievable fondness for his greatest friend. "I love you, Hedwig."
Unseen by Harry, who had closed his eyes to sleep a little bit, Hedwig's chest puffed out in pride, and a pleasant thrill ran through her. It was tainted with a sadness, however.
If only she could tell him how she felt exactly the same, how envious she always felt when she saw Bellatrix, or any of the others pull her Harry into their embrace. She desperately desired to tell him that he belonged to her, and that she would always be by his side, not matter what.
Soon.
With one of his smaller knives unsheathed, Harry crept slowly behind the last of the three guards at the top of the quarry. As soon as he was in reach, Harry rose up, and grabbed the man, and slit his throat, then carried him off to a nearby crevice and gently lowered him into it. Luckily, those three hadn't carried a torch.
Harry quickly wiped the blood off the knife and sheathed it. He took his bow in hand, and knocked an arrow. Taking aim at the guard who was most isolated from the rest of them, Harry let fly, and hit his target in the head. Predictably, the closest one heard his companion fall, and went to check on him, only to fall to an arrow in the neck.
Harry shouldered his bow once more and dropped onto the uppermost ramp, and then quickly onto the next one. He silently dashed over and snapped the neck of the unfortunate sod who happened to be close by, and gently laid him on the ground. Now, there were no men left on the ramps. He unsheathed his two long knives, took a long, deep breath, and took a running leap of the ramp.
Harry's leap took him over the lowest ramp, and it was a total drop of almost fifty feet. He landed in a roll, and came out of it, and immediately flicked one of his knives to deflect a crossbow bolt that came his way.
Harry was very impressed with how the people down there had not allowed their shock to derail them by more than a single breath. He twirled around, slashing, and thrusting, but the people he was fighting knew what they were doing.
A sword thrust came in from the side, and nearly skewered him. Harry barely parried it, then twisted away, but stumbled as he caught a bolt in the thigh. Knowing he had to put down the woman who kept firing at him, he kept moving, while eyeing her.
He was engaged by the other fighters, but he caught sight of the sharpshooter loading her weapon. Using the opportunity, he launched the knife in his right hand, and hit her square in the chest. That little distraction proved somewhat costly, however, as he caught a glancing blow to the head with a club one of his enemies wielded.
It momentarily stunned Harry, who had to drop onto his back to avoid having his head cut off. The club came crashing down, but he rolled out of the way, and managed to slice through the Achilles tendon of another guy, who dropped his longsword as he fell to the ground.
Harry stabbed the man in the chest, and left the knife there as he grabbed the sword, and quickly got to his feet, and faced the three enemies that were left. The clubber, and two swordsmen. Harry noted a keyring on the clubman's belt. Harry felt a little more confident, now that he had a sword in his hand, but it was a badly forged piece of garbage. It was so poorly balanced, it felt like a bloody sledgehammer, and it was almost completely blunt.
Using this small lull in the fighting, Harry reached down, and broke off the stem of the bolt, leaving only a half inch. Then, he rushed his enemies, and engaged them in a furious battle. Gritting his teeth through the pain in his thigh, he worked up to his full speed, and without the threat of the crossbow looming, Harry managed to isolate each one, and quickly dispatch them.
Panting heavily, Harry dropped the crappy longsword and stumbled over to the fallen woman, and yanked out the knife. He then made his way over to the other knife, and did the same. Once that was done, he removed the keys from the belt of the clubber and made his way over to the door.
There was a small grate in the door. Harry peered through, into a sizable ante room with several empty bedrolls, and he noted a supply cache to one side. He opened the door, and winced as it creaked loudly, and listened intently for a moment, but no one came running. What he wouldn't give for his magical sensory abilities.
Feeling somewhat safe, Harry made his way over to the cache, and found some cloth he could use as a bandage. He quickly dressed the wound on his thigh, which luckily wasn't bleeding too badly. Now knowing the shape of the bolt head, he'd have to leave it in for now. Once that was done, he removed his blood soaked cap, and found a bad cut on the side of his head, above his ear, and he quickly took care of that, too.
Now, he was ready to venture further in. He left the room, and found himself in a corridor that sloped slightly downward. He heard muffled voices ahead, quite obviously distressed.
Harry rounded a bend and entered a circular room, that had seven cells carved into the rock. Each was equipped with a door you'd find in any old prison, and Harry quickly noted everything. In each cell, there were two prisoners, most were men, but there were a few women. Most of the prisoners were in bad shape; dehydrated and malnourished.
One cell was different, though. In it, Harry saw what he assumed was the body of the woman the big brute had mentioned earlier. And while that, in itself was horrible enough, seeing a little girl that couldn't be more than eight years old, hugging her knees by the back wall of the cell almost made Harry ill. Those fucking animals hadn't even bothered to remove the body from the cell. The girl made Harry think of Sarah Burton of Bullswick.
"Excuse me? Sir?"
The voice was hoarse and hesitant. Harry turned and walked over to the cell whence it came. He opened up the door, and swung it wide, allowing the young man and woman to exit. He took a moment to look them over. Both were quite dark of skin, their hair almost completely white, and their eyes were red. They had also been undressed, and were only wearing their underwear.
"My name's Harry, and I'm here to get you out. Can you people travel?"
They both nodded. "Yes, if it means getting out of here," the woman said.
Harry nodded, and removed one key from the ring and handed it to the man, who proceeded to open up the other cells. Harry made his way over to the cell with the dead female elf, and the child. He opened up the cell, and picked up the corpse, and gently put it down on the floor outside the cell.
Turning around once more, he called softly to the girl. "You can come out now. It's alright." The girl didn't move, however.
"Perhaps one of you should go get her?"
One of the women nodded and went into the cell, but the girl refused to move. "Asha, please."
When the girl still refused to move, the woman grabbed a hold of her arm, but the girl lashed out at her with her fingernails, nearly drawing blood. She retreated and gave Harry an apologetic shrug.
Harry turned his attention to the dead woman. "Was the woman her mother?"
"Yes," one of the men said. "Shari. She was the sister of our queen Shala, and chief diplomat. She was also the sister of Shana, our ambassador in the human kingdom."
Harry sighed. Of course she was. Steeling himself, Harry entered the cell, and took hold of the girl, who immediately attacked him, but Harry was much stronger than the woman, and easily restrained her.
"Shhh. It's alright, sweetie. It's over. No one's going to hurt you any more."
She struggled a bit more, but she was obviously exhausted, and couldn't go on, and finally slumped in his arms, defeated, and lost consciousness. Harry arranged the girl properly in his arms, and told the others to follow him.
"No! We cannot leave Shari here. We must bury her," the elf Harry had talked to first when he entered the room said with some force.
"What's your name?" Harry asked.
"Kalas."
"Alright, Kalas. I understand this is difficult for you, and I do not blame you in the least for wanting to honour her. It's a noble thing, but we must be gone by the time those who paid for you lot to be kidnapped come here to collect."
The man could only nod his acceptance. Once they reached the room Harry had found earlier, the elves found their clothes, and other gear. Two of the elves grabbed packs, and loaded them with any food and other useful things they could find. The rest went to a rack by a wall, and grabbed a weapon. Harry could instantly recognize that none of them had more than a passing familiarity with them. Noting an ink pot, and quill, as well as some rough parchment on a table, Harry scribbled a quick note, then folded it into a small square.
Harry led the elves out of the room, and into the quarry, but stopped. "Hedwig!"
To the surprise of the elves, a large, snowy white owl came swooping down, and landed on the human's shoulder. Their rescuer offered the bird the note.
"Will you go find Bella and the others, and let them know I'm alright?"
The bird was obviously quite reluctant. "Please? It'll give them a peace of mind. You can always return, once you've delivered it."
The bird relented eventually, and bumped her head affectionately into her human's head, then leapt into the air.
"Where are you taking us," Kalas asked.
"Magnus's farm. You know it?"
Kalas nodded. "I do."
Harry then led the group onto the ramps. He set a quick pace, wanting to put as much distance between them and the quarry as possible. Once they reached the forest, Harry slowed down, to a more manageable pace for the elves.
"So what happened, Kalas? I already know about the assembly at Crossroad Keep. All I want to know is what happened when you were taken."
"When we set out from the Oasis, we only had a small team of guards with us, because we were supposed to be met by a detachment of guards from West Harbour, that would join our own guards, and keep us safe."
Harry frowned. "That's a bit of a leap, wouldn't you say?"
Kalas nodded. "Yes, I would. I protested, but our queen's advisor, Jango told her it would be seen as a good thing, that we would be willing to extend such trust."
"What happened then?"
"We arrived at the predetermined location, and found there were indeed men waiting for us, and their leader was marked as we were told he'd be, which is why we were taken unawares when they attacked. They killed all of our guards there, and you know the rest."
The elf spat on the ground. "I suppose we can see now just how far we can trust the humans."
Harry was silent for a while, and listened to the little girl's heartbeat. "Don't be too hasty, Kalas. There's a man waiting for our return, who believes these men may have been hired to kidnap you to start a war."
That made Kalas uncomfortable. "Well, that won't be too hard, as things are. War is a can of worms that we must try and keep closed. No one in their right minds want a war."
"No, they don't, but you know war can be extremely lucrative for the right people."
Looking around, Harry could tell the elves were pretty much dead on their feet. They needed some rest. "We'll stop here for a while. Eat. Sleep, if you can. I'll keep watch."
Harry put the girl down, and reached for a blanket in one of the packs, and wrapped both her and himself in it. Three hours, then they would keep going.
When Asha woke up, she was warm, and she was jostling about a little bit. She quickly realized she'd been wrapped in a blanket, and strapped onto the back of the man who had taken her from the place where she and the others had been held. She tried to remember what he looked like, but it was a bit blurry.
"Don't be afraid," the man said. "Look around. Who do you see?"
Asha did look around, and she saw people she knew, walking behind, and beside them, and they were obviously alright.
"Kalas!"
The elf perked up, and turned his gaze to her. "Asha! How are you doing?"
She ignored his question. "Where are we?"
"Headed toward West Harbour. We'll stop by a farm, to join our rescuer's companions. He's offered to protect us until we reach the ship."
Asha nodded, and leaned back against the man, who she noticed was limping. "What happened?"
"A crossbow bolt," the stranger said. "Are you OK? Are you comfortable?"
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"I've had worse. I'll manage," the man responded.
Asha was silent for a bit. "You can put me down now. I can walk by myself," she demanded, and patted the man on the shoulder.
"Alright," the man said and motioned to Kalas, who quickly unbound her, and helped her to the ground.
When she was free, the stranger rolled his shoulders a few times, and shook his head, as if to clear it. He then removed a head bandage, and revealed a bloody cut on his head, above a very pointed ear.
"You're an elf!" Asha exclaimed in wonder. She looked around, and noted all the others were equally surprised.
"No. Human."
"But Harry, the ears," Kalas pointed out.
"Long story," the man - Harry said.
Asha let her eyes roam over the man, and she had to admit he didn't look like any elf she had ever seen. He was too tall, and too heavily muscled. And then there were the strange eyes. No, he probably was telling the truth about not being an elf, but human? Surely not. Her eyes then landed on his thigh.
The bandage was becoming red, and the bolt was clearly still in there. She eyed his face again, and saw he was a bit pallid, sweaty, and most likely feverish.
"You have an infection, Harry," she said.
"I know. I'll have it looked at when we get to where we're going. We're only a few hours away."
They set out once again, and Asha insisted on walking at Harry's side, despite him asking her, then telling her to stay back, with Kalas. Eventually, after half an hour of silence Asha became tired of it.
"Where are you from, Harry?"
Harry eyed her from the corner of his eye. "A large city called London. Or a village called Godric's Hollow, depending on how you look at it."
Asha became thoughtful. "I've never heard of a city called London, and my father insisted I learn all the important ones."
"Well, it's far from here, Asha," Harry replied, then grunted in pain.
"We're going to have to remove the bolt, Harry," Asha said. "Kalas!"
The elf came running. "Yes?"
"You've had some medical training. We're going to have to remove the bolt from his thigh, before it does him any more harm."
The elf looked slightly ill. "Right." Then he went and got one of the packs.
"Sit down, and lean against the tree, Harry."
Harry sighed and did as he was told. Besides, she was right. "Be quick. I want to get to the farm before dark."
As Kalas got ready to remove the bolt, Asha knelt by Harry's side, her eyes intent on him. "Why are you here, Harry?"
Harry cracked one eye open. "Pardon?"
"Why did you risk your life for ours? We're complete strangers to you, and not even of the same race."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, Asha. My friend Hermione tells me I have a 'saving people thing'. I learned you were being held captive, and would be sold as slaves, and I took exception to it."
"You're not a part of the Guard."
"I don't know what to tell you," Harry said, and took a deep breath. "How about you answer a couple of my questions now?"
"Alright," Asha said, and made herself comfortable.
"Why is a little girl travelling with so few guards? I would have thought the niece of the queen would be too important to be placed into the care of humans."
"I am being sent to my aunt Shana to study under her. To prepare for when I eventually succeed her as ambassador. As to why I was sent with this group, It's simply because there was an opportunity. We dark elves do not travel much outside of the Sands."
By then, Kalas had prepared everything. He brought a couple of steaming rags, and a wickedly sharp knife. He used the knife to cut away the bandage Harry had wrapped around the arrow, and his thigh. Kalas took one look at the wound, and hissed. There were dark lines reaching out from the wound, in several directions.
"What?" Asha asked.
"Well, the wound's definitely infected, but I could have dealt with that. The herbs we would need for that grow all around us, but..."
"But," Asha prodded.
"There's an infection in the blood, Asha. There's nothing I can do about that. He'll need a cleric, and soon. For now, I'll remove the bolt, and clean the wound. Luckily, the bolt isn't barbed, so I can pull it out easily enough."
Asha nodded. "Do it."
"You know, you talk like a forty year old, Asha," Harry remarked as he leaned against the tree, his eyes closed.
The young elf girl, and Kalas exchanged a worried glance.
"Just relax, Harry, and let Kalas take care of you."
Harry could feel he was fading fast. He was sweating buckets, and shivering, and his thigh hurt like hell. Even so, he was still ahead of the group, and he was managing to stay alert, for the most part. Pulling out one of his long knives, and focusing on holding it had helped with that.
Eventually, they quit the forest, and Harry could see Magnus's farm in the distance. "There! That's the one, right?" he said, and turned a tired eye to Kalas.
"Yes. That's the one," Kalas said, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, you need to rest. Sit down a moment."
Harry shook his head. "No. If I do that, I won't be able to get up again, Kalas. I told myself I'd see you to safety, and that's what I'll do," Harry said, and trudged on, his steps heavy and irregular.
The elves looked up in alarm, when they heard the fluttering of feathers, and the large snowy owl from before came flying from the direction of the farm. Harry stopped and the bird landed on his shoulder. They saw him smile in relief.
"Hello, Hedwig." Harry's breath was laboured. "I'm alright, just a little-"
That was as far as he got, before he dropped the knife, and toppled to the ground. Before any of the elves could respond, however, someone shouted Harry's name.
"Harry!"
Asha looked up and saw three women approaching, at a dead run. The one leading the charge, and quite far ahead of the others was a woman of average height, and short of hair, that changed colour in a rapid fashion, before settling on mousy brown. She reached Harry, and dropped a bag she was holding on the ground, before she herself knelt by his side.
"What happened?" the woman demanded.
"Who are you?" Asha asked.
"Tonks. Now, are you going to tell me what the bloody hell happened?" Her hair flashed an angry red, before reverting back to its earlier mousy brown.
Kalas stepped forth. "He was hit by a crossbow bolt in the thigh. I removed it, but there's an infection in the blood. There's nothing to be done, unless he reaches a cleric, but the closest one is in West Harbour, at least a day's journey from here, on a fast horse."
"Fuck that," Tonks said. "I'm not losing him!" She turned to Bella, and Fleur, who had just arrived.
"Mon Dieu!" Fleur gasped as she saw Harry.
"Bella! Give me a light."
Bella nodded, and whispered an incantation, and the tip of her staff lit up. She brought it down, and her niece set about cutting away the bandage. She growled in her throat when she saw the state of his wound, and how far the infection had spread.
"Fuck! Fleur, there are a couple of bottles in the bag, one green, and one yellow, and a syringe. Bring them here."
"Oui, รก la fois. Right away, Tonks."
The Veela quickly extracted the flasks, and handed them to Tonks, who popped open the green one, and poured the contents into Harry's mouth, and carefully coaxed it down his throat. Once that was done, she opened the yellow one, and pulled a large dose into the syringe, and plunged the needle into Harry's thigh, and injected the fluid into him.
"There's a paste in a round tin can, in there, Fleur, and some bandages." Tonks said. "Smear a bunch of it onto one roll of bandage, and give it here."
Fleur did as she was told, and gave it to Tonks, who gently, but firmly wrapped it around his thigh, and secured the ends with a clip.
Asha watched it all with a rapt interest. These were his companions, then. The three women were all exceptionally beautiful, and having watched all this happening, she would bet all the gold in the treasury back home that Harry was involved with all of them. An intriguing prospect.
"His fever is going down," Tonks said and sagged a little in relief.
Bellatrix clicked her tongue. "I'm going to kill the idiot when he wakes up!"
"You'll have to get in line," Tonks said, and put a hand on Harry's forehead.
"Oui," Fleur said with a frown. "It's my turn to scold him for being a fool, non?"
"You know, I kind of wish Andie was here," Bella said with a small grin.
Tonks stared at Bella. "Are you trying to kill Harry? If you let mum loose on him in this condition, he'll die from the shock."
"Well, the last time she had a go at the idiot, he took me and her and Cissy with him to Hogwarts to search for the diadem," Bella said with a quiet laugh.
Fleur snorted in a very unladylike fashion. "Perhaps I should let Her express her displeasure."
"You know, I wouldn't even have bothered with all of this if I'd known you were going to do away with him," Tonks said and removed her hand from his forehead, and frowned at it.
"He's not sweating. We need to get him to the farm and hydrate him."
At that moment, a wagon pulled up, and a stocky human who looked like he was in his late fifties, early sixties climbed down from the seat. A large orc wielding an axe came jogging a moment later. He was big, even by orc standards, at eight feet tall.
"How's he looking?" the man asked.
"He'll make it, Magnus" Tonks replied.
"Hmm. Good. I'm going to want to thank him personally for this." He turned to the elves. "So, you're the lot that was being held in the quarry, then."
"Yes, sir," Kalas said and stepped forth.
Magnus scanned the edge of the forest. "Am I going to have to be worried about a retaliation?"
Kalas shook his head. "No, sir. They're all dead."
"How many?" the orc asked suddenly, in a voice that sounded like a large stone tile being dragged across a paved road.
"Twelve," Kalas said.
The orc raised an eyebrow. "First, he kills Boris the Bear, and now this? Strong fellow."
Bella looked at Harry with pride. "You have no idea, Kurgan. He recently defeated a twenty foot giant by himself. And when he was fourteen, he survived an encounter with a dragon, with only a scratch."
Now, that revelation had the orc staring. "Truly?"
"Oui," Fleur confirmed with a nod, and a smile.
"Hmmm." Kurgan eyed the young man with something akin to respect. "Perhaps he would be willing to test his might against mine?"
By then, Asha had had enough. "Excuse me, but do you think you could take us somewhere we can clean ourselves?"
The farmer turned his attention to Asha. He eyed her up and down, and seemed to dismiss her out of hand, and turn once more to Kalas. That didn't sit well with the young elf girl. Not at all.
"Mr. Magnus, I wasn't done."
Magnus sighed. "Alright, then. Kurgan, put the young man onto the wagon, please."
He turned to Asha. "You, onto the wagon as well. It's past your bedtime."
Asha was in a rage. It was disrespectful, the way he was treating her. Managing to fight down a scathing remark, she climbed onto the wagon, after Kurgan had put Harry there. Tonks climbed up as well, and the elves that were the worst off. Hedwig latched onto the wagon as well, her eyes locked on her human.
After the wagon had set off, Asha turned her attention to Tonks, who was completely focused on Harry, her light mood from before evaporated. Now might be a good time to try and understand these people.
"You're all in love with him?"
Tonks barely acknowledged her, but nodded. "Yes. We are."
"And yet, you let him go alone."
Tonks's hair flashed an angry red, and she leaned over to Asha. "No one lets Harry James Potter do anything. This is none of your business, little girl, so leave off."
Asha wasn't about to do that, now that she had Tonks talking. "What's so special about him, that he has three women willing to share? I mean, he doesn't seem all that special."
Tonks kept staring at Harry, trying to maintain her composure, but she was struggling. Asha might be a child, but the little bitch was really pissing her off! Who the hell did she think she was?
"That's enough, girl." Magnus the farmer turned in his seat, and gave her a look. "Who they are, and what they're about is no concern of yours, and whatever secrets they have are theirs to share if they want."
Tonks gave Magnus a grateful smile. Asha wasn't best pleased, however.
"Human, I have just about had it with-"
"Girl, you say one more word, and I'll have you out mucking the stables before dawn. Understand? Now, I don't particularly care to know why you're trying so hard to push her buttons, but I do think you should be more grateful to the man who saved you from spending the rest of your life on your back at a brothel down in Cold Rocks."
Asha leaned back against the wagon, and sighed. He was right. She was annoyed with herself. She was used to have her way back home, but she wasn't back home, and it was rather unbecoming, the way she had been acting.
She wasn't doing it to be a brat, however. She, and all of the others owed their rescuer a life-debt. She, as the highest ranking member of their party would take on all the debts, and she wanted to learn more about her rescuer and his companions. Of course, she could simply ignore the debt. It wasn't as if it was somehow magically binding. It was a matter of honour to repay it, however.
"I apologize, Ms. Tonks. I merely wanted to learn more of him."
The young woman nodded, but didn't respond, her eyes locked on the man lying on the wagon bed, and Asha was again surprised to see the level of dedication that was being displayed. She could not deny that he had a noble air about him, and that he was probably more than deserving of the women's love.
By then the wagon had reached the farm, and stopped at the front door of the main house, which was rather large. Kurgan lifted the young man in his arms, and carried him inside, to be greeted by a beautiful woman in her late forties. To Asha, the way she carried herself, she had obviously been an adventurer or warrior in her youth. Of course, the long knife with the worn hilt on her belt told its own story.
"Bring him to the room next to the master bedroom, if you please Kurgan. I'll go fetch warm water and clean rags."
"Aye, mistress Sigrun."
Ivar then came stalking towards them, his face etched in worry. "What happened?"
"A bolt to the thigh, and an infection of the blood," Tonks replied. "I've already taken care of it, all he needs is a little rest."
"You've already taken care of an infection of the blood? Without a cleric?" The mistress of the house asked, the doubt clear on her face.
"I have my ways," Tonks merely said, and followed the orc as he carried Harry to the room.
"When Fleur arrives, send her to the room, please. She needs to rest. Oh, and bring me some drinking water."
Kurgan placed Harry in the bed, then left Tonks alone with him. She proceeded with carefully removing his armour and clothes. There was a knock on the door, and Sigrun entered, and closed the door, but not before Hedwig darted inside and landed on the headboard.
"What is the secret with that bird, Ms. Tonks?" Sigrun asked as she put down the steaming bowl.
Tonks eyed Hedwig fondly. "She's his first and closest friend. They've been together for nearly ten years. He was separated from her for almost two years, and she's been completely latched onto him since he returned."
Sigrun eyed the bird. "That's impressive loyalty, to be sure, and it seems to me, that he inspires the same in the people he meets."
"He does," Tonks said with a nod, and began cleaning Harry with the wet rags. She was meticulous in her work, and eventually, she had only to clean his back. Without being asked, Sigrun helped Tonks lift Harry onto his side, but she nearly dropped him when she saw the scars on his back.
"By the gods! What happened?"
"Werewolf."
Sigrun stared at Tonks in disbelief. "A werewolf?!" She had thought those things were merely myth.
"Yes, he put it and its friends down a few months ago." Tonks cleaned Harry's back, and eased him down again, then began easing water down his throat, a little bit at a time.
"He's had a hard life, and given how much Fate seems to think of him as her chew toy, it's only going to become harder still."
"The thing with the elves?"
Tonks nodded. "We're not of this world, as you know, and somehow, he's become embroiled in some kind of civil war. And he'll fight, no doubt. He hates injustice, and from what I have heard so far, the elves have been hard done by."
"That they have."
The door opened, and Fleur walked in, her brow low, and her eyes drooping.
"Damn it, Fleur! I told you to stay here!"
Fleur sent her friend a glare. "Non! Did you think I would stay here, and not come with you? I love him just as much as you and Bellatrix do."
Tonks sighed. Of course she did. "Get in the bed, and rest, alright. He'll be fine in the morning."
Sigrun watched the interplay with wide open eyes. The young man was involved with all of those women? How odd. Well, it was none of her business. She walked out of the room, leaving the three of them in there. When she was almost at the end of the corridor, she came upon the oldest woman, Bellatrix, who was staring on the wall, watching the one opposite with a frown.
"Ms. Black? Are you alright?"
The other woman turned her attention from the wall, and onto her. "Sure. Annoyed with that stupid idiot in there, but I should know better by now, than to expect anything else from my Harry."
"He's done things like that before, then?"
Bellatrix smiled sadly. "He's been doing such things since he was eleven years old, Sigrun. In truth, he should be dead many times over."
Sigrun nodded. "He's strong, though. I think he'll be alright."
Bellatrix eased herself away from the wall, and walked toward the room Harry was in. "I hope so."
Harry woke up, but kept his eyes closed for a moment. He took in all the scents in the room, and was relieved to find his three companions, as well as Hedwig in there.
"You know, Harry, you sure do suck at being a hero," Nym, who lay in the bed, on his left side, said in a playful voice.
"What?" Harry asked incredulously, and opened his eyes. He turned his head and stared into Nym's eyes, which were a strange shade of silver that morning.
"Well, yeah! You're always injured after trying to save someone."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Nym. Good thing we're going to be starting to train you and Fleur, then."
Nym smiled at him, but her eyes became sad. "No more almost dying for you, you barmy bastard. My heart can't take much more of it."
"I'll try."
"Thank you," Nym said, and rested her head on his chest.
Harry turned his head to look at Fleur, who was resting on his other side, her back turned to them.
"How's Fleur?"
"Tired. She'll be fine, Harry."
Hedwig gave a low hoot and Harry smiled at her. "Hey, girl." Hedwig gave her human another hoot, then swept out the window for a hunt.
"About time you woke up, idiot!" Bella growled as she rose from her bedroll, her naked body on full display as she set about dressing herself.
"Morning, Bella. What a nice way to wake up."
"Shut it, you! I'm angry at you."
"I'm trembling," Harry said in a jovial voice. He continued in a more serious tone. "I promise to be more careful next time."
"That's not enough, Harry," Bella said, as she laced up her armour. "Not any more. Next time, we will come with you, and that's final."
Harry nodded, knowing it was completely useless to try and tell them any different.
"Harry, we are going to need you to say the words," Fleur, who had woken up, said and got out of bed. She was also naked. Harry couldn't reply, and simply stared at the women, open mouthed.
Nym laughed at him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and got out of bed. Unlike the others, however, she was dressed, and ready to face the day.
Her eyes lingered for a long while on Fleur, though, and Harry could've sworn the Veela put on a bit of a show for the Metamorphmagus, and probably allowed some of her Allure to trickle out, as Nym's eyes went cloudy, and she almost began drooling.
Harry shook his head clear, and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. "I swear I'll not go charging into something like this by myself any more."
The three women smiled at him, seemingly satisfied. Harry stood up, and made his way over to a chair where his clothes and armour had been placed. Harry smiled when he noticed his clothes had been cleaned.
Once they were all dressed, they quit the room, and made their way to the dining area, to find the master and mistress of the house, as well as Ivar, Asha and Kalas, waiting for them. They were sitting at the dining table, which was laden with food and drink.
"Good morning," Sigrun said with a smile.
"Hello," Harry said and inclined his head. "I want to thank you for taking us in..."
"Magnus and Sigrun," the man said and they both extended their hands, which Harry grabbed without hesitation.
Harry turned to Ivar. "How are your men?"
Ivar grimaced, and ran a hand through his hair. "We were able to heal many of them, but some are still poorly. I sent a rider to West Harbour as soon as we arrived here. Assuming he wasn't waylaid, they should be here tomorrow, or the day after, at the latest."
Harry nodded, and sat down at the table, and turned his attention to Kalas. "And your people?"
"All we need is food and rest, Harry."
"That's good."
"Harry," Ivar began, and rubbed his hands together. "We have been talking about what you told me, about that Gate."
"And?"
"None of us have ever heard about anything like that, Harry."
Harry shared a look with his companions, who were all a bit disappointed.
"But," Ivar continued. "If there is anyone who might know something about it, you're bound to find them at the College of Crossroad Keep. It is the centre of knowledge and research in the realm."
"He's right, Harry," Kalas said, and gave Asha a look. The young girl nodded. "We would also feel much safer if you would be willing to accompany us on the long journey. Even with favorable currents, it will take us almost three weeks."
"Girls?" Harry asked.
Nym shrugged. Bella and Fleur nodded at Harry. "Might as well. We have nothing better to, really. And, this sounds like our best bet," Nym concluded.
"Alright. Seems we will join you, then," Harry said and reached for a plate and loaded it with food. His friends did so as well.
Once Harry and his companions had sated their hunger, Farmer Magnus caught Harry's attention. "I would like to thank you, Mr. Potter, for ridding us of this menace in the quarry."
"Don't mention it, Mr. Magnus. It was the right thing to do. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
They quit the house, and Harry walked over to an area where he could see a few training dummies, and archery targets. He sat down by a tree, and began taking care of his blade. Bella walked over to him, sat down next to him, and sunk herself into the large tome on staff wielding. If they were going to be waiting for Ivar's friends, they might as well make it productive.
Fleur and Nym stood by for a while, watching them, until they, too sat down. This was the first time either had seen Harry take care of his sword, and they found it somewhat soothing.
"Nym," Harry said suddenly, as he reached into the Bag.
"What is it, Harry?"
Her friend pulled out a long package, wrapped in a cloth. He handed it to her, along with a bottle of oil, and a cloth. She unwrapped the package, and discovered a long, thin sword that looked extremely sharp. The blade was covered with runes, similar to the ones she'd seen on Harry's sword.
The hilt was protected by an intricate metalwork; a snake that had been moulded into the figure of eight, and Nym recognized it as the snake that ate its own tail, the Ouroboros. The knuckles would then be protected by a piece of metal that curved toward the pommel, but didn't quite reach the end, and stopped about a quarter inch short. It was quite beautiful.
"I'd like you to clean the sword, and oil it. The difference between a living fighter, and a dead one is the condition of their weapon. You won't sharpen it today, but I'll teach you how, soon."
By that time, Harry was done with his work, and put away his weapon. He then reached into his Bag once again, and extracted his bow, and quiver, and a pair of smooth, leather arm guards.
"Fleur."
The French Veela came over, and took the bow and quiver, feeling somewhat silly. Harry led her to the straw targets. He walked up to the target, and measured the distance at ten paces.
"At his distance, all you have to worry about is not missing the circle. You won't have to worry about angling the bow upward, or account for wind. That will come later."
"Nym is quite a bit stronger than you, Fleur, and she'll do fine in close combat. I think you'd be best served in the back row, attacking from a distance, with Bellatrix. Now, lace on the arm guards, then let me see you draw the bow."
Fleur did so, and found it was surprisingly light. "I would have thought it was heavier," she commented, and drew it again.
Harry nodded. "It's one of the advantages of the recurve bow. You'll get the same power with less draw weight, compared to the traditional longbow. Also, you don't have to be ten feet tall. This time I'd like you to knock an arrow."
Once Fleur had done so, Harry came up behind her, and helped her set herself in the correct position. "Keep your feet a little apart, it helps with the balance. Whenever I draw the bow, I like keep my thumb beneath my jaw, and the string at the tip of my nose, like so."
They drew the bow. "Remember to keep your left arm straight. If you prefer to hold the bow at a bit of an angle to the right, that's fine. Now, I want you to release the arrow, but don't 'let go' go of the string. You want it to be as smooth as possible, so think of it as relaxing you fingers. Take a deep breath and hold it, and let the string slide off."
Harry let go of Fleur, and stepped back. She did as she was instructed, and the arrow flew, and hit the target near its edge.
"Well done, Fleur!" Harry exclaimed and smiled at her.
Fleur's chest swelled with pride and happiness. She felt giddy and excited, as she always did, whenever she learned something new.
"Don't worry too much about aiming. Just keep practicing, and get a feel for the bow, and work on your release."
Harry then noticed Sigrun make her way over to them. "Why don't you go and help your friend Tonks, Mr. Potter. I am very well acquainted with the bow. I'd be glad to help her along."
"I wouldn't want to impose..."
"Nonsense," the mistress of the farm said with a smile and a wave of her hand. "It's been a while since I had a pupil, and I think she'll do very well."
Smiling at Fleur's blush, Harry made his way over to Nym, who was finished with her work. Harry took the weapon and examined it, and was happy with the results. He sheathed the sword, and had Nym buckle it on.
"Very good, Nym. Follow me, please."
The pair of them walked over to the dummies, and Harry examined them, and found them satisfactory. He bent down, and smeared dirt on a few points on the dummy.
"Unsheathe the sword, please."
Once that was done, Harry kept going. "What you're holding is a rapier. It's mostly made for thrusting, but you can slash with it, once you've become proficient with it. How does it feel, Nym?"
"Fine, Harry." She swung it about a few times, and then held it steady. "I like it."
She grinned. "What are you going to teach me first, boyo? 'Bonetti's Defence' ?"
Harry understood immediately where she was going. "Well, it is excellent on uneven terrain," he responded, and went over and picked up a small branch that lay on the ground. "Then I'll attack you with the 'Capa Ferro'."
Nym smiled brilliantly. "Hah! I'll cancel it out with my excellent 'Thibault'!"
Harry then swung the branch with a flourish. "Luckily for me, I've brushed up on my 'Agrippa'!"
Nym laughed out loud, and took up a ridiculous fencing stance, but that wasn't all. Her hair turned black, and curly, and morphed into some kind of mullet, that reached her shoulders. Her eyebrows thickened, and, incredibly, she grew a moustache!
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya," she began in a terrible Spanish accent. "You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
That did it, and Harry had no choice but to let the branch go as he doubled over, holding his stomach and howled with laughter. Nym wasn't any better off. She had morphed back into her usual self, and thrown the sword off to the side.
Laughing soulfully, she stumbled over to Harry, tackled him to the ground, and straddled him, her hands on his chest. While Harry was still shaking with silent laughter, she had stopped laughing, and simply stared into his emerald eyes that were always so expressive. What she saw was pure love and affection.
She had loved Remus, no doubt, but she had never felt comfortable enough with him to let her own silly, bubbly self go so completely, as she had done several times since Harry had returned. It was liberating, and fulfilling. And the best thing was, Harry was just as silly, and goofy. God, how she loved him for it.
That was it. She wasn't going to deny herself any longer. She slowly leaned down, and gently captured Harry's lips with her own, and moaned ecstatically as she did. Merlin, but it felt good. She felt Harry slide his hands up and down her back. She purred low in the throat, and ground her self onto him, and forced her tongue into his mouth, and thoroughly explored Harry's own tongue, that welcomed hers. After a few moments, the new lovers had to come up for air, and they were both panting heavily. Nym let her head rest on his chest, and sighed happily.
"You know, I've always had this massive crush on you, Nym," Harry admitted once he had caught his breath.
Nym chuckled and closed her eyes. "I know. Did you know I was kind of into you, too? You were just so young, back then."
"I thought there was something there, but I wasn't sure."
"Well," Nym began, and got to her feet, and pulled Harry up. "Now you know. I'm going to want you to show me how into me you are soon, because I'm starting to feel itchy."
Roaring with laughter at Harry's deep red blush, Nym picked up the rapier, and approached the dummy Harry had marked earlier.
"So, how does this thing work, exactly?"
So, there you go, chapter sixteen. I hope you like it. I hope it isn't too bad with the typo's. My sheep are lambing right now, and I'm home alone, minding them, so I'm very sleep deprived.
Nym : krysdecker / art / Cheers-love-the-summer-is-here-699712869
