Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling nor Bioware, so I don't own these things.
Sirius passed out the drinks when they got back to the table. Morrigan and Leliana looked uncomfortable, and Harry had a feeling they hadn't bonded over anything while he'd been chatting with his godfather at the bar. Morrigan stood up and motioned for Harry to slide into the seat closest to the dead soldier.
He took the hint, pocketed a coin pouch that he found and shortly thereafter vanished the corpse. The notice-me-not charm was still holding, but he wanted to avoid any smells from a dead body.
"So, Leliana, what is a beautiful woman like you doing getting in the middle of a bar fight?" Sirius asked, smiling as he leaned in a bit.
Harry stopped himself from chuckling- he might not have played the part of wingman in a long time, but he didn't want to screw over Sirius, especially on the first day of them being back together. Besides, the old dog had a valid question.
"I... had a dream, a vision," she replied, a bit of uncertainty creeping in. "There was an impenetrable darkness, and I stood on a peak watching over it. This darkness consumed everything, a storm so great it devoured all in its path- and I fell into that abyss. When I awoke, I went to the Chantry's gardens plagued by the nightmare I'd dreamt. But in the corner there was an old rose bush, long thought dead, and yet it had bloomed. A single beautiful red rose. It was as though the Maker had stretched out his hand to say, 'Even in the midst of this darkness, there is hope and beauty. Have faith.' At first, I believed it was about the Grey Wardens and the coming Blight. But now..."
"Fear not, dear lady, for we are on a quest," Sirius boasted with a smile. "My lad Harry here is off to stop this Blight. You are welcome to join us."
"Are we to take in every stray that crosses our path?" Morrigan turned to ask Harry with a glare. "I could understand the dog, but now a religious fanatic who is having visions from her imaginary Maker? Mother will be so disappointed when she finds out what a fool you are."
"You never know who some of your best allies might turn out to be," Harry replied softly, his eyes staring off into the distance. "One of my oldest friends was a girl named Luna. When I first met her, everyone told me that she was crazy, that she believed in things that were ridiculous- creatures no one had heard of, conspiracies about the government and the like. But in the first true battle of the war we found ourselves in, mere children at the time, she fought off hardened killers and saved my life. She was barely fifteen, a slender little girl that most people would overlook, but when things got really bad- we were outnumbered and over matched- she was the last of my friends still standing by my side that day. And it was hardly the last time, either."
"And then his handsome godfather swooped in, leading the cavalry on a rescue mission," Sirius added. "You said the others made it out alright, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "You were the only casualty, or so we thought at the time. But, back to you, Leliana. What skills might you bring to aid us in stopping the Blight?"
"I didn't always live in the Chantry, you know?" she teased. "I have a number of abilities that could come in handy. I am quite skilled with a bow for one, or picking locks, if the circumstances call for it."
"Ah, a rogue," Harry said. "No wonder Sirius approves of you. Although I always thought of him as more of a scoundrel, if we want to nitpick."
"Scoundrel, I like that," Sirius chuckled. "I guess any reputation I have here will have to be earned the hard way."
"Better than mass murdering psychopath," Harry snorted. "Or, the only man to have broken out of Azkaban prison."
"I was only ever guilty of the second, and you know it," Sirius grumbled.
"True," Harry agreed. "Well, sister, you should be warned that we have a lot of magic on our side, and if that's going to be a problem for you, then you might not want to come with us. But if stopping the Blight is your concern, then we are your best bet."
"At least you have confidence," Leliana answered with a smirk.
"I have seen many great and terrible things," Harry replied with a sigh. "But I have no doubt that my magic is one of the greatest and most terrible of all. My last world was destroyed by war; I'd like to keep that from happening to this one."
"So, we're going to admit that?" Sirius asked with a frown. "That could be riskier in the long run."
"Only to our companions," Harry said with a shrug. "At first, anyway."
"You claim to be from another world?" Leliana was clearly shocked. "Why would my vision be so hard to believe then?"
"I never said I didn't believe it," Sirius answered. "I've heard of much crazier things being true. Hell, one of my great aunts was a seer- she even told me that one of my brothers would betray me when I was six years old. Only problem was, it turned out to be two of 'em."
"No, it was just the one," Harry interjected sadly. "Regulus died trying to stop Voldemort- that's why he was killed."
"What? But... but he was a Death Eater!"
"You told me that he had been recruited while he was still in school, and I think with your mum, and so much of your family for that matter, already leaning towards blood purity, I don't think Regulus ever had much of a chance. But, he found out the truth about Riddle long before anyone else."
"Riddle?"
"Sorry, that was his real name," Harry explained. "Tom Riddle. Voldemort was just some crap he made up to sound more intimidating. When I was teaching my friends, I demanded that they all used his real name- made him seem less like some boogeyman, you know? Probably saved a lot of lives too- once the ministry fell, saying Voldemort became taboo, and he could track it. However, he could hardly do the same with a name like Tom. Far too common, which was why he hated it.
"But I'm getting off track. The reason that monster didn't die properly was that he had created horcruxes to tie him to life. Regulus found out and stole one of them. He died doing so, but it helped a lot once I found out and was able to destroy them all. That wasn't easy, though. On the plus side, I ended up becoming an expert on soul magic."
"Soul magic?" Morrigan asked with a raised eyebrow. "I think that is something I'd definitely like to learn about."
"I can probably teach you most of it, but there are some things I wouldn't teach anyone," Harry answered. "Creating a horcrux is an abomination of the foulest sort, and there was a damn good reason why Riddle ended up being so insane. The more powerful the magic, the greater the cost can be, and some things just aren't worth it."
"What things would you be willing to teach then?" she asked.
"To the right student?" Harry replied, looking at her serenely. "Almost everything I know."
"I hope so."
"Right, well speaking of getting off track," Sirius interrupted the little staring match going on. "What do we need to do in this town before we move on?"
"I need to see a map," Harry said. "Then figure out where we're going next. The treaties we have mention several groups that are sworn to give aid to the Grey Wardens in the event of a Blight, but I want to start with the mages, wherever this Circle may exist."
"It lies on the northeastern shores of Lake Calenhad," Leliana replied. "The journey would be mostly northwest from here. There is a map in the Chantry that I should be able to show you."
"Excellent," Sirius said as he finished his glass of ale. "Shall we get going then?"
On the way to the Chantry however- and Harry thought it funny that they had a special word for a church in this world- they ran across another sister of Leliana's faith and a few villagers arguing with a merchant, whose cart was loaded with goods.
Harry groaned and waved his wand again. "Muffliato!"
It seemed that the merchant was swindling the townspeople by charging exorbitant prices due to the panic about the oncoming darkspawn horde.
"We should step in and put a stop to this," Leliana argued.
"Why?" Morrigan countered. "The merchant is doing the smart thing; 'tis hardly his fault the foolish customers are so desperate."
"The smarter thing for everyone involved would be packing up their belongings and fleeing," Harry sighed. "At least, if they were smart enough to value their lives."
"What do you think, Harry?" Sirius asked. "I can see both sides, but I'm not sure if we should get involved. You and I are newcomers here, after all."
"I think that if the merchant wants to be ruthless, then he should expect no less from the people he deals with," Harry said with a smirk. He conjured a sack and quickly enchanted it to be bottomless and then handed it over to his godfather. A couple of quick notice-me-not charms finished his idea. "Why don't you and the good sister lighten his cart? Leliana, I'm sure you would know what sorts of supplies we might be able to use."
"Well, I suppose it is for a good cause," she laughed.
"Then, I would be proud to escort you in this endeavor," Sirius added with a grin.
"If we must," she said with a smile.
"And now, my dear Morrigan, let us be a distraction," Harry suggested.
"Do you expect me to follow your lead?" she raised her eyebrow with a hint of annoyance.
"I don't mind leading, but feel free to take the spotlight," he shrugged.
"Very well."
Harry canceled the privacy spell and followed her as she stepped right into the middle of the disturbance.
"I should have the templars give away everything in your carts," the sister said. Harry identified her by the fact that she was wearing the same type of robe bearing the sunburst pattern as Leliana.
"You wouldn't dare. Any of you step too close to my goods and I'll-"
"Cease this foolishness at once!" Morrigan commanded, staff in hand. Harry had to admire her confidence. The fact that she could probably kill them all with a thought certainly helped, but that she didn't care at all that these religious people saw her as a monster was also something that appealed to him.
"An apostate!" the sister hissed.
"My good lady, would you care to help a poor businessman deal with these fools?"
"Why should I?" Morrigan asked.
"I'm certain I could offer you a reward," the merchant said with a smirk.
"He is charging outlandish prices for things people desperately need. Their blood is filling his pockets!"
"'Tis only survival of the fittest," Morrigan replied.
"My good lady, I've a hundred silvers if you'll help me drive this rabble off, starting with the priest."
"Very well." She raised her staff and the priest cursed at her before running off. The townspeople had fled much faster.
"You have my thanks," the merchant said.
"I would prefer to have your coin," Morrigan responded with a glare.
"Of course," he stammered reaching for a coin purse and counting out the reward.
Morrigan waved Harry over, so he came forward to take the money and slide it into one of his pockets.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
The two of them walked away, over towards a wall that ringed the area just outside the church's courtyard. 'Chantry' Harry reminded himself- he was going to have to try to get used to that. Sirius and Leliana joined them a moment later.
"What's the haul?" Harry asked them.
"A handful of potions, a staff that this world's sort of mages carry, some coins, a bottle of wine, and a very fancy crossbow," the last of which Sirius held in his hands. "This thing reminds me of Hagrid."
"Yeah, but his was a lot bigger," Harry chuckled. "That was true of everything with Hagrid though."
"Whatever happened to him?" Sirius asked.
Harry's expression instantly fell. "He lost an arm in the war."
"Damn."
"Yeah, but he took a couple of giants down in the fighting, and he saved a lot of lives, so he said it was worth it." Harry shook his head to clear away the memories. "They had to hire someone to help him mind the grounds afterwards though."
"You want the staff, Harry?"
"No, you keep it for now. In fact, why don't you and Morrigan stay here for a few minutes while Leliana shows me to this map? If you wouldn't mind, anyway."
The redhead smiled. "Not at all. I have a few things that I would like to gather before we leave."
"Excellent," Harry nodded. "We shouldn't take long."
"Waiting like this makes me wonder- was Harry intending for you to keep an eye on me?" Morrigan asked.
"It's wise to have someone backing you up when you're in unfamiliar territory," Sirius shrugged before starting to grin. "Or maybe he wanted you to keep an eye on me."
"May I ask you something about him?"
"Sure. But, you'll have to keep in mind that my information is out of date. I haven't seen him since he was a teenager."
"And exactly how long has that been?"
"I'm not sure. He said he's got a lot to tell me. Many years at least."
Morrigan nodded and looked back over towards the Chantry. "I heard you also mention that mages from your world age slower. 'Tis something I am curious about."
"Well, we didn't age a lot slower than normal folk," Sirius replied. "We tended to grow up at roughly the same rate and would reach adulthood in about the same amount of time. But our middle age years lasted longer and some of us were known to remain fairly spry even after turning a hundred. As for a maximum? I'm not sure, but I recall old Griselda Marchbanks was pushing one hundred and sixty when she tested Harry on his OWL exams which... well, it was only a month or so ago for me. He would probably know more."
"Fascinating."
"He sees something in you, you know?" Sirius added. "The last time I was able to talk to him, Harry was going through a really rough spot. His faith in others had been pretty badly shaken- especially in authority figures. The government back home was practically useless because it was so mired in corruption and incompetence, and the weight of the world was on his shoulders. I felt bad for him, and a fair amount of it was my fault.
"But you..." Sirius shook his head and smirked. "He's warmed up to you really fast, which is not like the Harry I knew. And for the record, I don't think it's just because you're an attractive woman. That's much more my style than his. For his sake, I hope you're worth it."
"I see," Morrigan muttered and then sank back into silence.
Thankfully, Harry and Leliana returned a few minutes later before it could get too awkward. The sister was now carrying a bow with a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.
"All done?" Sirius asked.
"I'm ready if you all are."
As they walked towards the other side of the village, the group came across a very tall and muscular man in a cage speaking in a foreign language. Or at least he was similar to a man, although his features were unlike any Harry had seen before.
"Who is that?" Sirius asked.
"A qunari," Leliana replied with a frown.
"Where are his horns?" Morrigan wondered.
"Apparently, they are occasionally born without them," Leliana replied.
"What is a qunari?" Harry asked.
"A warlike race who invaded from the north hundreds of years ago," Leliana said. "This one was arrested for slaughtering an entire family, even the children."
"He could be useful," Morrigan added. ""Twould be a shame to pass up a skilled warrior."
"Perhaps," Harry murmured as he walked over to the caged man. "Greetings, I am Harry. Who are you?"
"I am Sten of the Beresaad- the vanguard of the qunari peoples."
"Is it true what they say about you? That you killed an entire family?"
"It is."
This Sten was very stoic about the entire situation, and Harry didn't know what to make of that fact. It was somewhat disturbing. "Even the children?" he asked for clarification.
"Yes."
Harry nodded and turned back to his companions. "Morrigan, the other day you said to me that trust is a liability. I would argue that it isn't, and that it is in fact practically a necessity to be able to trust in your closest allies when you're in a war. Now, I may not always be the most virtuous of men, but I do have my limits. A man that would slaughter innocent children is not someone that I would ever fight beside."
"I agree," Leliana added. "Some things are unforgivable."
"I think you are making a mistake," Morrigan asserted. "However, I will follow your lead for now."
"Thank you. Let's keep moving then."
As they passed a large windmill, Harry noticed a group of what looked like farmers and townspeople holding weapons. None of them seemed dangerous- short swords and daggers were the most common weapons and he had to chuckle when he saw that one of them was wielding a literal pitchfork, as this was exactly what simple, religious minded muggles might have tried to pull on his ancestors centuries ago.
The fact that this new world was clearly stuck in the middle ages was still something of a shock, but after the years of hell he'd seen, it also brought back memories of dear old Hogwarts. Seeing all the parchment and quills at the Chantry had driven that home a bit too- but he was definitely going to miss indoor plumbing.
That was also why he couldn't wait to get out of town and find some out of the way spot in the wilderness to set up camp. He had a couple of magical tents in his mokeskin pouch, and the second one was going to see a lot of use very soon. The primary one he'd used in his solitude wouldn't be big enough, although it had suited him just fine.
The larger tent had been something he'd used when he'd still had a family. It was a thought that still brought him up short, dragging his mind away from his surroundings.
"That must be the witch!" one of the villagers shouted out.
"An apostate? I don't know about this," another one muttered.
Harry's attention snapped back to the present and he sighed as he pulled out his wand. Maybe a display of power could save these poor fools from doing something they wouldn't have time to regret?
"Excuse me, but you do realize that an enormous swarm of darkspawn is headed this way, right?"
"Aye," the boldest of them nodded as he stepped forward and raised his sword. "The reward for dealing with an apostate will be a great help."
"You can't receive a reward if you're all dead," Harry replied. "I believe any of my compatriots could likely handle the lot of you."
"We've got you outnumbered!" one of the others yelled. But Harry could see doubt in the eyes of several of them.
"If you were smart, you'd already be packing whatever you needed and fleeing," he sighed. "This town is going to be overrun, probably within a week at the most. For your own sakes, take heed of my warning and go. Because if not..."
He waved his wand with a swish and the entire group of villagers floated several feet up into the air. There were plenty of screams and curses. Harry just chuckled- it had been one of the first spells he had ever learned, and yet even now, it was still proving so very useful. Of course, back then he had just been floating a feather in the air, but the principal remained the same.
He flicked the wand softly towards the ground and let them down.
"Don't make me do anything worse to you."
A couple of them muttered but the group was fast to turn away- three of them had immediately run off at his words, including the one farmer who dropped his pitchfork. Harry exhaled and smiled.
"Ignorant fools," Morrigan scowled.
"True," he agreed. "One would think that in a world that fears mages the common man would be much more likely to run. Flight over fight, if you will."
"Most people would," Leliana said. "They were just desperate."
"And desperate people do dangerous, foolish things," Harry nodded. "I've seen it before."
"I was kind of hoping to try this thing out," Sirius chuckled, waving the mage's staff they had purloined from the grumpy merchant. "I'd bet the blasting curse would pack quite a punch."
"Yeah, but be careful where you aim it," Harry replied with a grin. "You don't have the best of luck with that spell, remember?"
"Hey, that wasn't me. It was the rat," his godfather growled.
"But you still got blamed for it. My point, though, is don't fire something like that if you could hit one of the rest of us, yeah?"
"Right."
"Shall we be on our way then?" Leliana asked, leading them to move on.
On the outskirts of the town, the members of Hawke family were still trying to decide what to do about the darkspawn. None of them had known the truth about the Grey Wardens, nor had they known about the Archdemon and the fact that this really was the beginning of another Blight. If they had heard Harry's warning, they may have packed their things and fled.
Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't leave until it was almost too late.
But that is a tale for another time...
Meanwhile, Harry's group were near the outskirts of the town and the road leading north when they heard someone call out for help. It had just been one of those days- Harry couldn't wait to get out of this town and finally get some rest.
Author's Note: Sorry to Sten fans, but he won't be joining the gang on their quest. It's nothing personal, but as someone whose entire life changed because someone tried to murder him as a small child, I just can't see Harry wanting to ally with someone who brutally murdered innocent kids like that.
I threw in a mention to the Hawke family because I do have a couple of ideas of how I could continue this story into a sequel, although that is quite a way off at this point.
Also, if I do get that far, I'll be making a few corrections to the timeline... because the year 9:31 has too many things happening that can't all fit together.
Anyway, hope everyone is having a good holiday season! We've almost escaped 2020! Till next time. :)
