Author's Note: Co-authored by doenerkint, check out his work when you get a chance. It's really good.
ONE - Endurance
Harry stepped out of his grouchy Goblin boss's office and sighed. Bill Weasley, the tosser, failed to mention quite a few things when he'd sold him on the idea of becoming a curse breaker.
You'll get to see the world, he said.
You'll get to explore long forgotten tombs, he said.
You'll break curses and discover magic you'd never even thought possible, he said.
You'll have to drop everything you're doing and run at a moment's call, he did not say…
Then followed a year of nothing but Arithmancy and Ancient Runes to get the NEWTS required for the job. Three years of apprenticing, and another blasted year before he passed his exam and was a fully certified Indiana Jones. And what did he get out of it? Last minute run arounds and the collapse of his romantic endeavours.
Should the blighted redhead ever dare to cross his path in the near future, he was going to curse Bill something fierce. Something the veteran cursebreaker wouldn't be able to break himself…
Ill feelings toward the cunning Weasley aside, Harry looked at the folder in his hand and read the words outlining his task You're joining a muggle university's expedition to find Yamatai.
Yamatai…The lost island kingdom, believed to have been located off the coast of Japan, but even after years of searching nobody has found it - A real deal Atlantis or El Dorado or what-have-you.
As far as legends relay, it was ruled by an infamous "Sun Queen", the first of which was Himiko. Historians from the wizarding world believe her to have been a witch, and a considerably powerful one at that. Stories claim she could summon storms and had an army of immortal samurai sworn to her.
It wasn't on the radar of Gringotts until the muggle university had applied for supposed discovery permits in the estimated region. Not wasting a minute to chance, his bosses had managed to squeeze in a wizard by funding their research expedition. It was his luck that he'd been the only one you could trust to drop on a muggle ship without blowing the Statute to bits.
He sighed once more, better make sure Andy knows I'll be gone for the foreseeable future. Hermione ought to be told too. Even if he bemoaned the thought of convincing her that she couldn't join. His bookish friend would have stars in her eyes the instant he made mention of Yamatai…
They'd reacted just as Harry had expected them to, but now not even a full twenty four hours later he had left his home with everything he needed for his adventure to parts unknown.
Harry repositioned the heavy bag strung over his shoulder as he studied the rustic ship he would be spending the foreseeable future on. It was an older ship, industrial, with a navy-blue finish, no fancy trimmings or anything of the sort. Its name - Endurance- in black letters at the bow.
Making his way along the pier, Harry found an older man wearing a dark brown shirt that was stuffed into his trousers, the kind worn by park rangers or woodsmen near the ramp. His face appeared weathered, his short hair and beard mostly grey, and despite the clear signs of age catching up to him, he looked strong.
The man must have noticed his approach, straightening and turning toward him swiftly.
"Mr. Potter, I presume," he said, his tone belying no doubt that he knew exactly whom he was talking to.
"That's right, but it's Harry, please," he confirmed, his hand going in for a handshake. "And you are?"
The man grasped the offered hand and formed a polite smile on his face. "Conrad Roth, I'm the captain of this ship, glad to have you aboard. Let's get you settled right away, you're the last one to arrive and we're eager to set sail."
Nodding briefly, Harry followed the captain up the ramp and onto the main deck. He hadn't noticed or registered it before but now that he was on an actual ship, the salty tang of the sea in his nose and the calls from the gulls in the distance, he couldn't help but feel excited. It was his first time on the seas. That one time standing on a rock with Dumbledore didn't count.
"-ety young." The sound of Captain Roth's voice snapped him out of his musings.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"I asked how old you are?"
"Twenty-three, sir."
"Hmm," noted Roth almost mutely, probably more to himself than Harry. Still, the man eyed him again with a slight annoyed tension to his lip. "I'd watch out for Whitman, if I were you. He wasn't too happy about having someone sent to observe. Even if you're the money, he'll use any chance to pull rank on someone. I'm telling you now, so you don't accidently punch him."
"Have to protect our investments – No offence, it's business and my bosses can be zealous. I just have to be sure we aren't just funding a holiday spring break cruise."
"I get it, I'm not the one you need to be concerned about," said Captain Roth seriously. "But I wouldn't worry about it too much." He added with a knowing smirk.
They entered through one of the heavy steel doors that was left open. Once inside, Harry couldn't help but find it very utilitarian and cold with its all-metal surfaces. The tight passageways might leave someone feeling claustrophobic. On the other hand, he'd spent his formative years in a literal closet. This was a perfect luxury where he was concerned.
Harry heard the distinct sound of chatter reverberating against the walls. There were several voices, all sounding pretty excited. The optimism and sense of adventure of the trip had them all in high spirits. They entered the room right after a round of laughter spread through the inhabitants.
"Everyone," announced Captain Roth, drawing their attention. "This here is Harry Potter, the guy who'll be joining us."
Harry greeted the room, as Roth began introductions.
"Over here we have James Whitman," Roth pointed towards a glasses wearing, middle aged man with sandy blonde hair and a moustache—"
"–Doctor. Doctor James Whitman," said the man, interrupting Roth who ignored him and continued explaining without missing a beat. "The head archaeologist leading the expedition"
Dr. Whitman gave Harry a nod in greeting, but Harry could see the hint of contempt in his eyes. His annoyance with Harry's presence would have gone unnoticed, had he not already been made aware of it. The man had an air of arrogance, the sort who liked to wave their apparent superiority in one's face.
"That is our ship mechanic, Joslin Reyes, everyone calls her Reyes." He pointed to a dark skinned woman of African descent with a sleeveless jacket. Her toned arms indicative of the heavy lifting associated with her profession. She was skinny but gave off an aura of don't mess with me.
"Behind her is our helmsman, Angus, and our navigator, Jenna." An old but spry looking man with grey hair and a mix of wool and fleece that you'd often find amongst the working-class seniors stood beside a kind looking woman with blonde hair. The man, Angus, greeted him with a heavy Scottish accent, while the woman offered him a polite welcome.
"Next we have Jonah, our cook, Alex, the software genius and engineer." A younger pair compared to the rest of the room.
"Say hi to the camera," he heard someone say with a bubbliness that bordered on contagious.
Searching for the voice, he found a pretty woman, of - Japanese? - descent pointing a camera at him.
"Sam," she said with a smile.
"Save the filming for the real stuff, Sam," scolded Roth goodnaturedly before the smiling woman turned and began recording the other side of the space.
"That's Samantha, our director and filmmaker, she'll be documenting the expedition, so don't be surprised if you turn around and suddenly find a camera in your face." He grumbled the last part.
Of the two men in that group, Harry thought the large heavyset Māori form of Jonah seemed to be that of a friendly giant, if his demeanour was anything to go by. Alex, the bespeckled, nerdy-looking guy seemed to regard him cautiously, the unashamed stare a tad more discomforting than it should be but Harry didn't want to make enemies on his first day, so ignored it as best he could. What reason he could have for doing so, escaped him.
"Where's Lara?" asked Captain Roth, turning and failing to spy the person attached to the name.
"Went to her room, I think," answered Sam with a shrug. "Wanted to finish unpacking."
"Conrad, need yer input on this," called Angus, holding up what looked like a nautical map.
Captain Roth nodded, before he faced Harry again. "Why don't you drop your bag off in your room and then join us back here. Down the hall, take a left and then down the stairs. The last room on the right is yours. If you see Lara, ask her to join us as well."
Harry agreed, and with a wave to the others, left to find his room. His accommodations weren't difficult to find, not a lot of chances to get lost. His room, he found, was pretty small, but it had everything he needed. A single bed, small desk along with a chair, a closet that was more of a large locker. It even had a window, one of those round ones.
This would do perfectly fine he thought as he began to empty his bag into the locker. He, of course, had a mokeskin bag that contained his magical items which he left in the bottommost shelf of his locker. A quick flick of his wrist slipped his wand into his hand which he used to cast a notice-me-not ward on that shelf. Anybody besides him, unless explicitly looking for that shelf, would simply not realise it was there.
Once he'd finished there, he left the room and almost crashed into someone coming out from the room across from him at the same time. Luckily, he'd caught himself right in time to avoid knocking into the other person.
The girl, he finally noticed, had her brown hair fastened in a ponytail. She looked up as she tugged a pair of red earphones from her ears and Harry was caught by how beautiful she was. The slightest dusting of rosiness covered her cheeks as she peered curiously at him with her big brown eyes.
Lara observed the newcomer. He was around her age, tall, she thought. Not overly so, maybe around Jonah's height, with the messiest mop of dark hair that she'd seen in ages.
It was his eyes that drew her in though, a pair of green eyes bright enough that she could have sworn the shone for a second. It's a shame he hid them behind such a heavy framed set of spectacles.
She was pulled out of her musings when the smile which formed on his face made way for his words.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Captain Roth did mention someone else was down here. Harry Potter–" he held out a hand, "–You must be Lara?"
Lara shook his hand. "I am, and please, don't apologise. I wasn't paying attention either."
Harry's words caught, he was unsure of what to say next. "Uhm… Captain Roth said we should join them in the mess hall."
She gained a glint in her eyes, having caught onto his sudden bout of shyness. She thought he was cute.
"So, what's your job?" asked Harry, finding a topic to move to. "On the ship I mean. The captain has pretty much explained everybody's role on this ship as he introduced them to me."
She brushed a bit of her behind her ear. "I'm an archaeology student and here as Dr. Whitman's research assistant."
"Ohh, what's that like?"
Lara sighed and then was slightly taken aback by his honest gaze. It lacked the usual fake enthusiasm she'd encounter with other new acquaintances. She found it a welcome change. "Research, and… more research. Mostly the legwork for Dr. Whitman."
Harry grimaced before he chuckled, "I take it you're the one I should ask if there's anything I'd like to know about Yamatai?"
"That's right," nodded Lara, her smile showing her white teeth for the first time. "To be honest, I don't mind the research, really. Yamatai is fascinating, there are so many myths regarding it."
"I definitely have to pick your brain then." He leaned in a bit as if sharing a secret. "I don't really know that much, my bosses only informed me about the trip yesterday."
"That's terrible!" Lara was aghast. It wasn't going to be a short trip, and to drop it on someone so suddenly…
"That's my life," sighed Harry. "Honestly, if I knew that was going to be the norm, I'd have gone into accounting or something…"
"What is it exactly that you do?"
"I'm an inspector, of sorts," explained Harry, smoothly. "I do the field work when it comes to overseeing any investments," he lied.
Aside from having to clearly lie and fabricate most of what he had to say, Harry was enjoying the little conversation with Lara, and it was a real shame that they had reached the mess hall so soon already. He secretly wished the ship had been a few hundred feet larger. With a brief sag of his shoulders, he followed her through the door to where the rest of the crew waited.
Three weeks. That's how long he'd been on the Endurance. Three weeks that would have been absolute hell, had Hermione not given him the last-minute advice of stocking up on potions for nausea.
It's an experience to get your first trip by sea nearly ruined by sea sickness…
Minus the near brush with suffering, he would say it's been a fairly pleasant trip so far. He'd gotten along pretty well with most of the crew, making fast friends with Jonah. The large Māori man reminded Harry an awful lot of Neville, they had the same feel of quiet reliability.
He even managed to get along pretty well with Roth and the helmsman, Angus. The only two he had any issues with, or rather, had issues with him, were Dr. Whitman, an honest-to-god diva with a thirst for fame, and Alex. The former disliked Harry for reasons more for what he represented, oversight, than him personally, whereas Alex, Harry realised, was clearly jealous.
Of all the crew members, Harry had grown close to a few, but none moreso than to Lara. He had gotten very close to the stunning brunette, hence Alex's animosity toward him. Yet he couldn't fault Alex for his dislike for him, Lara was that kind of girl anyone would want to be close to. Take her out of the equation and he was pretty sure Alex and he would have gotten on splendidly.
Regardless, Harry had spent several evenings chatting with Lara until late into the night. They'd discussed her theories about Yamatai as he helped her go over the research, while having to keep it a secret that his magical background did offer him a wider perspective. Also, Yamatai wasn't the only thing they spoke about once they'd grown more comfortable with each other. Topics diverged and broadened as they spoke of their pasts, friendships, dreams for the future. Harry, unfortunately, had to give her a censored version of his own.
Things like Hogwarts became a private boarding school in Scotland.
His passion for quidditch became a passion for football, and so on it went with all sorts of other parts of his life.
What bothered him the most was that he had to lie about how his parents had died. He settled on their having been murdered, as opposed to a car accident as his aunt once led him to believe.
And despite his reservations about how he felt about his early life, he was stunned to learn that she too was an orphan. Her mother, a painter, had been killed in a plane crash and her father soon after deep set grief. He'd learnt that her love of archaeology was born from her father - of the trips she'd spent with him. He couldn't help but admire her goal of living up to the noble Croft name.
During one of their late talks, she'd shown him her precious pendant which she always wore around her neck. It was an artefact she'd found once during a dig with her father. She recalled how crestfallen she felt when he'd shrugged her off, and how glad she was when she'd shown it to Roth, and he'd extolled how impressed with her he was. The string that was used to turn it into a necklace had actually been Roth's shoelace from that day and it still featured around her beautiful neck.
His wandering glances aside, Harry had eyed the pendant curiously, when she'd told him about it.
"Can I see it?" he'd asked cautiously, not wanting to seem too eager.
She met his eyes, and after a moment, nodded softly. He smiled nervously, as he opened his palm and held it out to receive it. She unhooked the shoelace and albeit reluctantly, placed it in his hand. His fingers brushed her soft skin as he lifted the pendant to have a closer look.
Lara watched him intently as he focused on the pendant with a sharp stare. She couldn't possibly tell what he was thinking, but he'd gotten lost in thought enough that he didn't seem to notice her studying him.
She watched how his brow was scrunched in thought and his eyes shone. Her gaze drifted to his lips which were pursed in concentration, and she felt a blush form as her cheeks suddenly felt warm.
Harry found his suspicions confirmed. The pendant was enchanted. Though it wasn't anything really special, he recognised it as the sort of work often found on pieces of jewellery given to a loved one and meant to grant them protection. Though the enchantment was weak, it was of the rudimentary sort that drew the bit of magic needed to fuel it from the person wearing it. Lara not being magical herself had been unable to provide this. But he could feel it latch on his magic and start drawing slowly. He decided to give it some extra and pushed his magic into it. Once satisfied, he smiled and placed it back in her hand.
Lara couldn't help but notice the pendant felt very warm against her skin. Something she found curious but brushed it off as body heat from his hands.
His hand, it hadn't quite let go of her hand yet.
Harry hadn't realised it either. Hadn't noticed how close they were while observing the pendant. Moments passed, spent in silence, their eyes tracking the facial cues of the other.
And that's when Sam barged through the door…
That was yesterday and they'd yet to speak one word about what happened. Instead, tensions had gotten higher on board the Endurance ever since a near argument had broken out between Lara and Dr. Whitman regarding their failure at finding Yamatai, along with the direction they should be heading.
Lara wanted to go east, into the Dragon's Triangle, a patch of ocean near Miyake Island. Not unlike the more infamous Bermuda Triangle. The Dragon's Triangle was known for disappearances of ships and planes, as well as an area known for frequent intense storms. A detail that supported Lara's theory, as Queen Himiko was believed to have had the power to summon such notable storms.
Myths are usually based on some form of truth, Lara had said.
But despite her reasoning, Dr. Whitman was adamant in his rejection of her theory. Harry had to stifle a chuckle whenever the memory crossed his mind.
Dr. Whitman, red faced, not unlike his uncle and with the same kind of temperamental voice. "None of the books suggest Yamatai was that far east! I won't be swayed by the ramblings of a grad student with illusions of grandeur!"
Before Lara could respond, Sam cut in. "Nobody who wrote those books had ever found Yamatai…"
Harry had almost laughed, but stopped himself since it would be inappropriate, he had to admit though. Watching Lara refuse to back down and fight for her beliefs was definitely an impressionable sight.
Eventually a stop was put to it all when Roth pulled rank and declared they were giving Lara's idea a chance.
It was the twenty-second day of their journey now, and they had already entered the Dragon's Triangle. Alex wasn't kidding about the storms; the ship hadn't stopped rocking on the turbulent waters and relatively strong winds for hours now. Harry once again thanked his lucky stars, mainly Hermione for the potions.
He was currently in his room at his desk going over the information Gringotts had provided him with regarding Himiko and comparing it with some of what he had learned from Lara. He had just stood up and retrieved his mokeskin bag from his locker when the ship tilted violently, throwing him off his feet. He gasped as his back slammed into the ground, his head hit the wall sending a spike of pain through his skull as he saw a piercing siren blared, exacerbating the pain coursing through his head. Something was seriously wrong. He struggled to his feet when he heard violent banging on his door.
"Harry!" a muffled female voice called.
"L- Lara," he gasped. He stumbled as he grabbed his mokeskin bag and threw it over his shoulder. The charms on it took root, keeping it stuck to him unless he removed it himself. A feature for the field bags curse breakers used.
"Harry!" Lara screamed now through the door. "It's a freak storm. It surprised us. Roth ordered us to abandon ship. We need to get to the lifeboats! Come out!"
Before he could unlock the door, he heard a crash as Lara's shoulder slammed it open and parts of the lock flew and clanged across the floor. She rushed into his room, and he saw the relief in her eyes when she found him standing. He noticed water follow her into his room, as a red light flashed in the hallway.
"Harry," she breathed, her chest heaving from exertion. "We need to get off this ship. Now!"
Harry pulled himself together. "Lara," he said as he followed her out hastily. The constant violent rocking of the ship made running difficult, their balance constantly off centre as the ship was tossing in the waves. They tried for the stairs, but a sudden flood of water rushed down its steps. Turning quickly, they ran in the opposite direction, Harry a step behind Lara. There was a hatch at the far end of the corridor with a ladder that they could use. Lara was on the ladder in an instant. Harry began climbing as well as the torrent of water reached them. He braced himself as he shielded Lara from the wave that slammed into his back, knocking the air of him. He noticed her struggling with the hatch, the corridor was filling up rapidly.
He reached past her and placed his hand on the hatch. "Alohamora!"
The hatch wheel spun as it snapped open. A wandless banisher pushed up the heavy metal with Lara forcing it open the rest of the way. She didn't say anything about what he had done, this wasn't the time for questions.
Once they were on deck, Harry's heart leapt into his throat at the extent of the damage. The ship was split in two. Their side was tilting backwards, and he could see Roth on the other side of the chasm being formed between their two halves. The man was holding onto a pole with his hand out towards them and desperately screaming for them to hurry.
They ran for their lives as the gap grew. Harry was thrown off his feet again by another sudden jerk. He watched helplessly as Lara failed to make the jump and fell into the raging seas below. He'd met her eyes as she fell and screamed as he tried somehow to reach her. The storm had other plans and sent the wrecked ship rocking over again. Losing his balance once more, he felt himself falling backwards and before he knew it, everything went dark.
Harry gasped and coughed as he awoke on the soaked and coarse sands of a beach. The first thing he felt was pain, his entire body ached something fierce. Then there was the smell of salt water in his nose and the sting of wet wind against his cheeks.
He turned on his side and coughed some more before taking in his surroundings. Everywhere around him were the wrecked remains of ships and not all of them from the same century. Twisting around as much he could, his back muscles stung, but his keen eyes scanned the rest of his surroundings. He was between a messy, wreck-infested sandy beach and a gruesome, violent-looking, pale cliffside, and to his horror, squinting to look at the far side of the beach, he could see the two broken halves of the Endurance.
His memory slammed into him like a freight train.
'Lara!' He looked around feverishly, remembering the images of her frightened gaze falling into the ocean. The chances of anyone surviving that… He didn't even stop to consider that he had just survived the same.
'She's gone…' He hunched over as he grit his teeth, and his heart felt like a spike had been driven through it. He felt numb.
'Pull yourself together. Need to find the rest of the crew.'
He got up slowly and staggered, nearly falling again. On a second try, he somehow managed to stay upright and pushed down his grief. He needed to assess his situation. He had his wand and his mokeskin bag, so supplies weren't an issue. He checked himself for injuries, finding only some minor cuts and bruises which he healed with a few swishes of his wand. He still felt sore but any dangerous injuries were dealt with.
Harry reached into his mokeskin bag and pulled out a raincoat which he threw on over the long-sleeved sweater he had on. He pointed his wand down the neck and cast a drying charm followed by a heating charm. It didn't fully dry him, but he wasn't freezing anymore. If there were any other survivors, he needed to find them. They'd be hypothermic quickly if left exposed to the elements.
Despite knowing that the odds of Lara having survived that fall were slim, he knew that people were known to survive even the most gruesome things. Lara could still be alive. There was still a chance.
Taking stock of his location on this unknown land, he knew that the fastest way he'd find anybody was by apparating up and down the shoreline. He focused on the furthest point he could see and tried to apparate. The sudden oppressive force of a ward slammed down on his senses causing him to gasp and fall to his knees. He'd never felt anti-apparition wards this powerful, not even at Hogwarts. Now that he was aware of them, he felt them at the edge of his senses, constantly there. That answered the question of where he likely was - Yamatai.
So, walking it was and with a groan at his aching muscles, Harry began the slow trek towards the wreck of the Endurance.
"HARRY!" Lara called out over the roar of the wind, her voice felt scratchy, and it pained her throat. The beach sand and wet wind buffeted her.
"ROTH!"
"JONAH!"
"LARA!" she heard Roth's voice over the storm.
Searching around, she saw them further up the hillside. Roth and Jonah and Reyes. Lara felt a sense of relief well up inside of her. There were others alive.
"ROTH!" She yelled, desperately trying to get his attention.
"JONAH! I'M OVER HERE!" She took a shaky step towards them.
"RO—" A sharp pain shot through her skull, and she fell as everything went black.
END CHAPTER ONE