Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dragon Age.
"Excuse me!" a dwarf interrupted them shortly before they left Dust Town. He had a couple of armed guards behind him. "It is rare to see surfacers here in Orzammar, and even more so for mages. I have a proposal for you."
"What sort of proposal?" Morrigan sneered.
"The kind that can make us all a little richer," the dwarf smirked. "The name is Rogek, and I have a need of someone who can journey to the surface more easily than I am able to at the moment. With all the chaos surrounding the throne, business men such as I are suffering. That's where you come in. As outsiders, you can leave. And if you happen to take a package to my contact at the Circle Tower, and then return with the payment I'm owed, I'll pay you a tidy little finder's fee."
"How much do you offer?" she asked.
"The payment the mage owes is fifty gold for the lyrium. Return to me with that, and I'll pay you ten gold."
Morrigan scoffed. "You can do better than that I think. Without our help, you'll make nothing at all. Twenty."
Harry stood back and let her argue. It was fun to watch her scold other people for a change.
The dwarf grumbled. "Twenty then, but if you screw us over-"
"We have an accord," Morrigan interjected, sticking her hand out. "Give us the package. If you're lucky, we can have your payment back much quicker than you may suspect."
Rogek handed over the package of lyrium. Harry could feel the thrum of magic coming from the box. "The contact's name is Godwin."
"We'll find him and return."
Harry waited until they had left Dust Town before speaking to Morrigan. "I'm a little surprised that you've signed us up for another little quest."
"You were planning on returning to the tower anyway," she pointed out. "Two birds, one stone. That we'll make some money this way 'tis a nice little bonus for us."
"True. Plus, I'm always in favor of helping the mages."
"I'm well aware," she rolled her eyes. "This will also interfere with the Templars (and thus the Chantry) in their control over the lyrium supply that the mages have."
Harry laughed. "True. Anything to stick it to the religious, huh?"
"They are fools."
"Fair enough," he shrugged.
"Will you really be able to transport us all the way back to the Circle Tower using that magic you called apparition?"
"Just you and I?" Harry asked.
"For such a simple thing, it seems unnecessary to take all of the others," she replied.
"Then yes, easily. Taking the entire group might be more of an issue."
"Why?"
"Mostly because of Shale, I think," Harry explained. "I'm not certain how well a golem might affect such magic. Hopefully it would work fine, but I would need to experiment some first before I tried taking our large stone friend any great distance like that."
"Understandable," Morrigan nodded.
"We should stop in with the others and let them know what we're doing."
"If we must."
When Harry and Morrigan found the tavern, the rest of their companions already had a table in the corner. The organic members of the team were drinking while Shale was standing off to the side and grumbling about a dwarf that was talking the anti-social golem's ear off.
Harry wondered if Shale really meant it though because he had caught it smiling briefly when the various dwarves they had run into had all practically fallen over themselves out of awe.
Sirius waved them over and Morrigan reluctantly took a seat.
"We didn't order you anything yet, since I had a feeling you might be busy for a little while," he said.
"Good thinking," Harry agreed with a grin. "In fact, we may not be here long."
"What do you mean?"
"Apart from that little dwarf that you found who wants to study magic," Morrigan began, "I have found another reason to return to the Circle. Harry and I will be transporting there shortly."
"Well, it is getting late," Leliana said. "We were thinking of getting rooms to stay in for the night."
"We may just stay at the tower," Harry replied. "I could do a bit more research maybe..."
"What sort of research?" Wynne asked.
"I'm not thinking of anything in specific," he shrugged. "I just want to learn as much as I can about the magic of this world."
"Shall we leave from here?" Morrigan asked. "Or should we try to find some place more out of the way so as to not draw attention to ourselves?"
"Lady's choice," Harry grinned.
"Shale's drawing a lot of attention anyway," Sirius pointed out. "Us humans aren't nearly as interesting as a golem, especially to these dwarves."
"Fair enough," Harry agreed. He turned to Morrigan and offered her his arm. "Shall we my dear?"
"We shall."
"Then I guess we'll meet up with you guys tomorrow," Harry said as they disappeared.
A moment later, the two of them were walking back towards the dock that led to the Circle Tower.
"Why not just go directly to the tower itself?" Morrigan asked.
"I didn't want to be rude," Harry smirked. "Besides, do you want everyone to know that I can do just that?"
"You have a point," she admitted.
"I do have another reason to want to come here," Harry admitted. "Not specifically for research, but for something I should have done already. I thought of it when I was going through my pockets the other day. Do you remember when we were cleaning the mess up here that we ran into a few panicked mages that I stunned?"
"What of them?"
"I didn't want to try to run an interrogation in the middle of a battlefield, so I brought them with me."
That brought Morrigan to a halt. "How?"
"I transfigured them into marbles," he shrugged. "I think it would be a good time to bring them out and see what was going on with them. Plus, it will give me a chance to get a better read on the character of First Enchanter Irving, to find out just how he acts as a leader of the mages- how protective or accusatory he is, for example."
"What if they were trying to kill us? Are you still willing to work with people like that, even if they are mages?"
"Perhaps I can reason with them, assuming that is the case," Harry responded.
"You are sometimes maddeningly idealistic," she sighed.
"You may have a point," he snickered. "You are not the first beautiful witch to tell me as much."
Morrigan rolled her eyes and walked towards the old boatman waiting at the docks. Both of them were glad that it was no longer a templar standing guard there.
They ended up in the office of the First Enchanter and Harry surreptitiously used a compulsion on the templar in the hall outside to ignore the room for the next hour.
"Ah, the Grey Warden returns," Irving said as he bade them to sit down. "I hope the rest of your companions are doing well."
"They're fine," Harry replied as he sat next to Morrigan. "I merely had a few errands that required me to come here, but we will return to them once we're done."
"Then what can I do for you?"
"The first thing on our agenda is bringing you a request from a dwarf we met."
"You've been to Orzammar then," Irving said. "I hope you find allies there. The dwarves are a particularly hardy folk and we could certainly use their help against the darkspawn."
"Indeed," Harry agreed. "The request is from a young dwarven scholar named Dagna. She wishes to come to the Circle to study magic."
"Dagna..." Irving hummed as he opened one of his desk drawers. "I believe I may have received a letter from her before."
"She was quite enthusiastic," Harry said with a fond grin. "While she realizes she is unable to cast spells, she is still very interested in the theoretical side of magic. And she could be a great help with runes, lyrium, crafting, and that sort of thing."
"It would be a boon to have a dwarven perspective on matters like that," Irving nodded. "She could certainly work with our Tranquil if nothing else. I would allow her to join us here, and I believe Greagoir would have no objections either. Dwarves aren't at risk of becoming possessed the way we are."
"I will give her the good news then." Harry sat back and reached into his pocket. "The next thing we need to discuss is a more delicate situation."
"Oh?"
He pulled out the three marbles. "I believe I can trust you. I hope I'm not wrong."
"We mages have to stick together," Irving smiled.
Morrigan snorted but Harry nodded and stood up, setting the marbles down on the floor a few feet apart from each other. "When we were climbing the tower and battling our way through the monsters, we came across a group of mages that tried to attack us."
"Were they using blood magic?" Irving asked. "I know Uldred had convinced a number of our members to rebel, and to use it to fight against the templars."
"I did not see them do so, but it is possible," Harry admitted. "I am hoping they can be convinced to work with us, if that is case."
"Where are they?"
Harry pointed to the marbles. "Let me show you some magic that you've likely never seen before."
He undid his transfiguration work and the marbles shifted back into the unconscious forms of three mages.
"Great Maker!" Irving gasped as he stood up and hurried around his desk to look at the bodies. "How did you do that?"
"That is a very long story," Harry chuckled. "I learned magic in a place very far from here, and I no doubt know spells that those of you raised here in the Circle Towers have never seen before."
"I had a feeling you weren't from Ostwick," Irving shook his head in disbelief. "Are they alright after going through that?"
"They're fine. Believe me, I've done this before."
"Next, you'll probably tell me you're older than you look as well," Irving snorted.
"Much older," Harry agreed.
"I am not surprised. You have a presence unlike any but the most experienced mages I've known." Irving walked back to his desk and sat down. "Shall we wake them and get started on the questioning? If they are blood mages, I hope you realize that this could turn into a huge problem."
"I could fix that too," Harry replied.
"How?"
"I can temporarily bind their ability to use blood magic," he offered. "It would be difficult, but if they are willing to learn from me, it would be much better in the long run."
"What do you mean?" Irving asked.
"Compared to my home, magic involving blood is used very, very differently from what I've seen and heard here in Ferelden," Harry explained. "It was usually much more subtle and much less prone to the dangerous abuses that are common here."
"Those dangerous abuses are because of the power it offers," Irving replied. "You should have seen one of our lost apprentices- a young lad named Jowan. In his fear of being made Tranquil, he sought out the knowledge of blood magic. With a single spell, he was able to stun and bind several templars, including the Knight Commander, as well as myself."
"I can't say I blame him," Harry shrugged. "I would fight with everything I am to stop the rite of Tranquility. It is horrific."
"I agree," Irving sighed. "But sadly, it is sometimes necessary."
"Once I've dealt with the Blight, I hope to prove you wrong," Harry said.
"You plan to teach?"
Harry nodded. "I've been around many young mages before, and I believe I may be able to make their training easier."
"I would be glad to see that come true, my friend," Irving said.
"Well, let's get on with this then," Harry said as he pointed his wand at the unconscious mages. "Morrigan, would you watch the door and make sure we aren't interrupted?"
"If I must."
Harry smiled as he watched her roll her eyes and walk back to the door.
The mages groaned as they sat up and then stared at the room they were in. He was still smiling as they saw him. "Welcome back. We've got a lot to discuss, starting with why the three of you attacked my friends and I as we set about cleaning up the demons in the tower."
"And whether or not you were part of Uldred's rebellion," Irving added.
The one woman in the group gulped. "I take it he failed then?"
"Indeed he did," the First Enchanter confirmed before sighing. "I always had such high hopes for you, Solona. Why would you turn to blood magic?"
"To be free!" one of the men shouted. "You may have accepted your place here, Irving, but Uldred offered us freedom from the blasted templars."
"Calm down," Harry said. "I can understand not liking the templars, but we are all on the same side here."
"Are we?" Solona asked. "Do you not mean to turn us over to them?"
"No," Harry replied. "I need every mage capable to fight the darkspawn. And even if that weren't a concern, I would prefer not to have to fight any of my fellow mages unless necessary."
"What would make it necessary?" Morrigan asked. "These fools already seem bothersome."
"I would like to teach them to be better," Harry winked at her. "Don't worry though, I won't let it interfere in our work together."
"You seem eager to trust blood mages," Solona interjected. "Do you not fear our power?"
Harry laughed and shook his head. "No."
"You should," the more argumentative man interrupted with a scowl. "Blood magic is-"
"Used clumsily by people who don't know any better," Harry cut him off. "I have studied magic related to blood for more than a century. I could use it in ways you wouldn't believe. But, I'd rather not have to do that. The Fifth Blight is upon us, and Ferelden needs your help."
"Why should we help? The people hate and fear us, and the Chantry keeps us imprisoned here," the angry wizard sneered.
"Don't be a fool, Brynden," Solona argued with her friend. "Regardless of how the common people see us, the Blight threatens us all. Darkspawn will kill everyone on the surface if they aren't stopped."
"Precisely," Harry agreed. "Which is why I would like for the three of you to agree to help us."
"Unfortunately there is the concern that you would use blood magic to cause more chaos," Irving added. "Harry, I must ask you to do as you said you could."
"Very well." He pulled out his wand.
"What are you going to do?" Solona asked.
"I am going to bind your ability to use blood magic."
"But-"
"And if you agree to work with me," he continued, "I will be undoing the binding and teaching you how to use it carefully once this war is over. You will never get a better offer."
"How can we trust you?" Brynden asked with a scowl.
Harry smiled and patted the angry young mage on the shoulder. "Because I want you to be free too. If you are one of my friends and allies, then I will protect you from the Chantry and their templars."
"Even if you are as old and powerful as you suggest," Solona interrupted. "You are only one man. No mage is powerful enough to take on the Chantry."
"Don't underestimate me," Harry chuckled. "I've been doing the impossible since I was an infant. But, I do have an idea about how to get past your doubts and fears. Fawkes!"
There was a burst of fire that answered his call as the phoenix appeared and flew around the room before landing on Harry's shoulder. He sang out a soothing melody, easing the tension of the room. "Hello, old friend."
"What is that?" Solona gasped.
"His name is Fawkes, and he is a phoenix." The magical bird let out a happy little wark. "And he's also one of my secret weapons."
"He's beautiful," Solona whispered as she reached out to stroke the phoenix's feathers. She pulled back a moment later and bowed her head before Harry. "I will accept your binding, Grey Warden."
The other two followed her lead.
"Call me Harry. I hope we're all going to be friends for a long time."
"Let's find this Godwin fellow," Morrigan suggested once they were finished with the three former blood mages.
"Okay." Harry sighed as he looked down the empty hall. "I might need a bit of help from you after that."
"With what?"
"Distracting the templars."
"Why?"
"So I can use memory charms on them all to keep them from being disturbed by the mages I literally just pulled out of my pocket. They've been missing for a few days, and I have a feeling the templars will immediately become suspicious if I don't do something."
Morrigan scowled. "You have me doing an awful lot to help these pitiful mages."
"I'll make it up to you," he said with a wink.
"You had better."
In the general mage quarters, they found their target, a nervous young mage who was standing near a wardrobe.
"We have a package for you from a dwarf named Rogek," Morrigan began.
"Shh!" Godwin looked around nervously. "Don't let the templars hear you."
"Don't worry about that," Harry said. "I've got privacy charms up."
"Oh... that sounds like a useful spell," Godwin replied. "Well, I suppose it is good to get a shipment. Things had been delayed lately. I guess the whole tower being overrun with demons didn't help things for them. But I'm surprised that they got a couple of fellow mages to bring this here."
"We were his only option," Morrigan replied.
"Orzammar is in a bit of an uproar right now," Harry added. "Their king died and now they've got two competing forces trying to seize power."
"Great," Godwin sighed. "That means his next shipment will likely be delayed too."
"We may be available," Harry said.
"If the price is right," Morrigan smirked. "How often do you get these shipments?"
"Every three months usually," Godwin answered. "That's enough for me to sell to the templars and have plenty left over to go into our own secret stashes around the tower."
"You're selling lyrium to the templars?" Harry asked.
Godwin snorted. "It's one of the Chantry's dirty little secrets."
"Tell me more," Morrigan purred.
"Well, the templars need lyrium see- for them to use their abilities to defend against magic, track down mages, and everything," Godwin explained. "But what they don't want people to know is that templars get addicted to the stuff. Mages can too theoretically, but it takes a whole lot more for us to have problems like that. I guess because of our stronger connection to the Fade. Anyway, a lot of the templars, especially the older ones, end up needing lyrium just to get by with everyday life, let alone actually using the stuff to hunt mages. It's pretty rare to see templars reach fifty without needing to be kept out of sight."
Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"The Chantry's hypocrisy is even more exquisite than I knew," Morrigan grinned. "I should have wondered why I hadn't seen an older templar before."
"The Knight Commander is somewhat rare," Godwin added. "But I think Greagoir is healthier because he probably hasn't had to use his abilities as much as some of his fellows; just watching over the tower is a safer job than being one of those who hunts down apostates."
"Thanks for the information," Harry said with another laugh.
"You're welcome." Godwin looked around one more time. "So, um, fifty gold like usual, right?"
"I did say that we were your only option at getting this package," Morrigan scoffed. "Make it seventy."
"Seventy! That's robbery!" Godwin balled his hands into fists. "I suppose I could go as high as sixty."
"Done," Morrigan answered and waved her hand at Harry, who pulled the package out of his mokeskin pouch and unshrunk it. "A pleasure doing business with you."
As they walked off, Harry heard Godwin muttering about the 'greedy bitch' and glanced over at Morrigan who was smirking as she tucked her pouch of coins away.
"I heard that," she whispered to Harry. "I suppose that means next time I'll have to raise my price."
He snickered. "Let's not rip off the other mages too much, please."
"We shall see."
When they reached the hallway, Harry saw the young mage couple from the last time he had been there- and the fiery young elven redhead smiled and waved at him. "The name was Alia, right?"
"That's me," she grinned.
"And I'm Galen," the young man added. "I must thank you again for saving us."
"No problem," Harry shrugged. He motioned to a room and opened a door. "Alia, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
"What can I do to help?" she asked as they all stepped inside.
"I was hoping you could become my contact here at the tower," Harry replied as he reached into his pouch and summoned a couple of antiques that he hadn't used in many years. He pulled two hand mirrors out and gave her one. "With that you can contact me by saying my name, which is Harry by the way."
"Harry?" she said and the mirror's surface changed to show the view of his face in the other mirror. "That's amazing magic. Could you teach the spells to make this to others?"
"If I had enough time, yes. Unfortunately, that is going to be a bit of a problem until the Blight is dealt with."
Galen laughed nervously. "Most people would not be nearly so cavalier about what it will take to defeat the darkspawn. After seeing the magic you used to defeat Uldred and his demons, I'm at least slightly more confident."
"Harry is more powerful than he looks," Morrigan said.
"Why me though?" Alia asked. "I've only recently passed my Harrowing. I would think you would want someone more-"
"Experienced or powerful?" Harry suggested before shaking his head. "I don't need that sort of thing. What I will likely need is information. I'd prefer a younger point of view for that, especially since it seems like you have no love for the powers that be. Though we've only briefly met, the two of you came to mind as possible choices. And it seems like a mirror for a pretty young girl would be less likely to be noticed by anyone that could cause us problems."
Morrigan shot Harry a glare that he pretended not to notice.
"I would be glad to help," Alia replied. "What type of information would you need?"
Harry thought it over for a moment. "I do have a project that the two of you might be able to help with. The library here is likely one of the larger ones in Ferelden, correct?"
"It certainly is for arcane knowledge," Galen answered.
"Good," Harry responded. "I would like the two of you to research the magic involved in the darkspawn. There's something odd about it."
"'Tis called the Taint," Morrigan offered.
"Right," Harry nodded. "If you two could put together everything you can find about how the Taint works, what its effects are, how some of the darkspawn are able to use magic- basically everything important about them, that could be very helpful for me in the long run. Any little detail that could give me some ideas about how to more easily defeat them in other ways than just plain old violence."
"We could do that," Alia agreed.
"Great!" Harry grinned. "I've got a lot of work to do, and I have a feeling that sorting things out with the dwarves isn't going to be quick or easy."
"Thus we delegate this task," Morrigan added.
"Exactly."
"Could you mention it to Irving?" Galen asked. "He might be willing to give us access to restricted works if he knows we're doing it on behalf of the Grey Wardens."
"Sure," Harry said. He turned to the elven girl. "And if you have any problems, with the templars or anything else, you let me know and I'll take care of it."
"Thank you," she smiled.
"I'll see you two around," Harry replied.
"You seemed particularly fond of that girl," Morrigan said waspishly once they were finished talking to Irving about the research project.
"I have a soft spot for redheads," Harry chuckled.
"Perhaps I should warn Sirius."
Harry snorted. "No need for that. You're much more beautiful than Leliana."
If Morrigan raised her chin a bit with pride, he wasn't going to call her on it. No matter how funny it was.
"My mother had dark red hair like Alia's," he added. "Then when I went to Hogwarts, I met a family full of redheads. But the Weasleys all had a lighter shade of hair, closer to orange. Ron, Fred, George, and all the others- they were some of my best friends. And later on...
"Well, I probably shouldn't go off on a tangent."
"No, you shouldn't," Morrigan agreed. "I am glad we are staying the night here."
"I'd think the dwarves might have smaller beds in their inn," Harry laughed. "Probably better to sleep here."
"Those mirrors made me remember something," Morrigan began. "From when I was young."
"Do tell."
"'Twas one of the first times I had journeyed out of the wilderness. I did so in animal form, and I watched these strange townsfolk from the shadows. I happened upon a noble woman by her carriage, adorned in sparkling garments the likes of which I had never before seen. I was dazzled. This seemed to me what true wealth and beauty must be."
Harry smiled softly as he watched her speak.
"I sneaked up behind her and stole a hand mirror from the carriage. 'Twas encrusted in gold and crystalline gemstones, and I hugged it to my chest with delight as I sped back to the wilds."
He could see an image in his mind of Morrigan as a young girl, a cunning little grin on her face as she crept away with the treasure in hand.
If only he didn't know how the story ended.
"Unfortunately, I showed it to Flemeth," Morrigan admitted. "She was furious with me. As I was only a child and thus just beginning to learn my powers, my ignorance of the danger I was in was unacceptable to her. And all for the sake of a pretty bauble. To teach me a lesson, Flemeth took the mirror and smashed it upon the ground. I was heartbroken. "
"She was a cruel bitch," Harry said.
"Her lessons were important," Morrigan replied. "Beauty and love are fleeting and have no meaning. Survival has meaning, power has meaning. Without those lessons, I might not be here today, as difficult as they may have been."
"Beauty and love have great meaning," Harry argued. "Life without them is a sad and lonely thing. Power and survival are not enough."
"I disagree."
Harry sighed. "I hope to see you change your mind someday."
Morrigan shrugged. "We have already established that you are overly optimistic."
"True," he smirked. "But keep in mind that I am immensely powerful, and that I have survived things that no one else you shall ever meet could. There is more to my point of view than mere words. Besides, Flemeth is a bitter old cynic. Some amount of cynicism is healthy, but letting it consume you is not."
Morrigan pursed her lips. "Perhaps."
She led the way to the bedroom they had used previously. With so many deaths from the recent chaos, the Circle Tower had plenty of space for guests. Irving had reserved it for them for the foreseeable future. As long as the Blight went on, they were very unlikely to receive any new mages to train, especially with Loghain having closed the borders.
"I know 'tis getting late, but I think we should speak for a little while before turning in," she said.
"Alright." Harry closed and locked the door, then weaved spells to make sure they would not be disturbed or overheard. "I actually have an idea about something I could do back in Orzammar to hopefully speed up the process of sorting through the mess there."
"If 'twould let us not have to deal with politics, then I approve."
Harry snorted and nodded. "I very much agree. Here's the thing- I don't know if either choice is going to be much better than the other, and with their advisors blocking us at the moment, we may not find out until it's too late if one or both of them is a useless bastard."
"Likely both," Morrigan scoffed.
"Maybe. My idea is to go straight to the source and find out the truth."
"How?"
"Sneak in and interrogate them." Harry grinned at her smirk and continued to explain. "Getting past the guards wouldn't be too much of a problem, and then I can use some... normally prohibited spells to make them talk."
"What sort of 'illicit' spells are you going to use?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I believe I've already mentioned the Imperius curse to you before. A powerful spellcaster can use it to force their victim to do pretty much anything."
"Even making a politician tell the truth?" Morrigan snickered. "That is a powerful bit of magic. Is there any chance it could fail? 'Twould be most unfortunate if you were caught, and the dwarves are a bit more resistant to magic than humans or elves."
"It takes a very strong will to be able to resist the spell," Harry replied. "With a more forceful caster-"
"Such as yourself?"
"Yes. With someone like me casting it, it would be almost impossible to resist. Well, for a normal mortal anyway. It might not work on Flemeth." Harry rubbed his neck and thought for a moment. "Or Shale, for that matter. There weren't any golems back home to experiment on for something like that."
"When were you thinking of sneaking back to Orzammar to accomplish this task?" Morrigan asked.
"The middle of the night would probably be the best."
"Hmm..." Morrigan looked around the room. "You would still have plenty of time for us to do other things until then."
"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "You could always get some sleep if you want. I don't need to keep both of us up all night."
She set her staff against a desk and turned back to him with a smirk. "But perhaps I am looking forward to staying up late into the night with you."
"Oh?" Harry bit back his grin as she stepped closer to him and slid one hand up around his neck.
"Yes," she confirmed as she pulled him down and their lips met. Morrigan's free hand went to pull at his shirt, yanking it over his head a moment later. "If the others are going to gossip about us, we may as well give them something worth talking about."
"As you wish," he replied as he kicked off his shoes and considered where to start at removing her clothes.
"Harry," she breathed out as she looked over to the two beds in the room. "Can you make one of them larger?"
"Of course." He used his wand to make the nearest bed not only larger but much more extravagantly comfortable.
Morrigan felt the new bedding and turned back with a grin. "Very nice."
"Only the best for you, my dear."
"I'll be holding you to that," she teased as she began to remove her top.
His hands immediately went to cup her breasts as his mouth trailed kisses down her pale, slender neck.
Morrigan's fingers went to work at divesting Harry of his pants. He grabbed his wand and waved a couple of spells over her.
"What was that?" she asked.
"A contraceptive charm and something to dull any pain," he replied as he set his wand down on the night table.
"I could have taken care of that, but good thinking," Morrigan answered.
Harry grinned as he softly pushed her back onto the bed and pulled down the black pants she'd been wearing. One last piece of cloth then joined them on the floor, leaving her nude as she slid back further up the bed. "You are exquisite."
"Then join me."
He crawled up after her and she pulled him closer, one leg hooking around his waist once he was above her to draw him further in. Harry grinned and slid his right hand down between them. She was already starting to get wet. He slid one finger inside her as their lips met again and again.
"Harry," she moaned, her golden eyes half shut as he pulled back to look at her once more before his mouth trailed kisses downwards.
A second finger joined the first as he teased her pleasure up higher while his mouth slid down to her breasts, his tongue eagerly tasting and suckling at one nipple and then the other.
"Don't stop," Morrigan whispered, both legs now wrapped around him and squeezing him tight.
It might have been years since he'd done this, but some things you don't forget. More than mere enjoyment, Harry was really starting to love the way she moaned and purred at his touch.
And Morrigan's excitement had been much greater than he had thought, as she was soon reaching her first climax. A shudder passed through her and then she was gasping for breath. Her legs relaxed, and Harry sat back on his knees.
He watched and waited as she caught her breath and then looked up at him with a lusty smile. Harry took that opportunity to slurp his fingers and grin at her. "You're delicious."
She laughed. "Of course I am."
Her eyes drifted down and she smirked up at him. "It looks like you're ready, Harry. Don't keep me waiting."
"But didn't you know?" he leaned down over her again as her legs hooked behind his thighs. "Good things come to those who wait."
Morrigan reached down between them and guided him inside. "Yes they do."
He took things slow to start, his movement deliberate. Harry did not want this to end too quickly, no matter how divine it felt.
Morrigan's hand came back up and slid around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.
"Take me," she hissed, her legs squeezing him.
Not wanting to disappoint, he began to pick up his pace, pushing into her harder and deeper than before.
"Yes! More!"
Her arms had been wrapped around him and her fingers now began to claw at his back, the violence driving his thrusting on. Harry kissed her again and she moaned into his mouth.
"Harder!"
He should have expected that she would be demanding even in bed. The brief thought would have made him chuckle if not for how absolutely incredible it felt- the heat of her wet walls clamping around him as they pressed together again and again.
It was the age old dance, and even after getting to spend some time in the Fade with Daphne recently, Harry could hardly handle how much he had missed the physical intimacy.
That made him want to lose control and pound into her like an animal.
"Faster!"
And then she hissed out more orders at him, and he followed his instincts.
Her left hand grabbed his hair and she attacked his lips, her tongue demanding entrance. He thrust even harder. She pulled him closer with her legs and her free hand slid down between them as she began to play with her clit. "Yes, take me!"
He barely had time to even think of trying to somehow be more aggressive before she was peaking for a second time. It was like a vice squeezing him. His heart was hammering in his chest as she was so tight, and wet, and perfect.
He released a moment later with a loud groan and she answered with a cry of pleasure.
As the sensations started to fade, Harry realized it had been everything he had hoped.
And now they could start to get to the really fun parts.
He collapsed next to her on the bed, rolling over onto his back. Morrigan slung one leg over him as she curled against his side. Her left hand began to idly play with his chest hair.
Harry was still trying to catch his breath when he heard her voice.
"Would you do me a favor?"
He snorted. "As long as it doesn't involve moving too much for a few more minutes."
"I suppose I can allow you some small amount of time to recover," Morrigan replied.
"How magnanimous of you."
"You're lucky to have caught me in a good mood," she teased. "But I was hoping you would do something else for me tonight. There was another reason why I wanted to come back here to the tower, you see."
"Alright." Harry yawned. It was probably wise that he not keep laying down for too long or he might drift off. The temptation was that much stronger since he'd finally managed to get this gorgeous witch into his bed. "What do you need me to do?"
Morrigan kissed along his collarbone and then found a spot on his throat to suck at for a moment. It seemed like she really wanted to get his attention- and it was working. "Years ago, Flemeth lost a grimoire to a rather bothersome templar hunter. Since it contained arcane magic, it should have ended up here in the tower. With the Circle still recovering from the recent chaos, now would be a good time to search for the tome. I am most interested in finding out whatever secrets it may contain, especially with as angered about its loss as Flemeth was. 'Twas many years ago she lost it, before my birth, and yet still she spoke of it."
Harry laughed. "I hope you didn't sleep with me just in order to convince me to steal this grimoire for you."
Morrigan looked up and smirked at him. "Well, it wasn't the only reason."
Harry rolled over and kissed her again. Then he pulled back and glanced down at her. The devious grin she was teasing him with was both wonderful and also slightly worrying. He'd always known that Morrigan was trouble, but he was also hoping he'd gotten past her defenses somewhat by now.
"Will you do it?" she asked.
"Do you really think I would refuse you?" he countered.
"One never knows."
Harry sighed and sat up. Making it to the edge of his bed, he began to search for his clothes. "You should know by now, Morrigan. I will stand beside you for as long as you let me."
He got dressed and reached for his wand while she remained in the bed and watched him.
"Do you know of a spell to help locate an item?" she asked. "'Twould make the search so much easier."
"Luckily I do. Point me Flemeth's Grimoire!"
His wand spun in his hand for a moment, coming to a stop and pointing off to the west. The magic felt strong, telling Harry that the tome was nearby. "It looks like it's in the tower. Give me a few minutes and I should be right back."
"I'll be waiting," she purred as she sat up, giving him a smirk as Harry's eyes were naturally drawn to her nude form.
Seeing how shameless she was made him smile.
Sneaking through the tower that night was a breeze. There was only one templar still awake that he came across, and with a couple of spells to disappear from sight and muffle any sound, even that guard was of no use. Harry did have to use the spell a couple more times to pinpoint the location, but that was no problem either- the spell was simple enough to cast silently even without having used it very much over the last decade.
When he did eventually find the grimoire, it was in the First Enchanter's office. Harry took a moment to ponder how to deal with the situation- the shelf it was on had a layer of dust, so hopefully Irving would think it merely disappeared during Uldred's failed rebellion. With it having belonged to such a dangerous and ancient witch, Harry was concerned about what people might find in it.
Morrigan included.
He finally decided not to leave a copy behind. Although that also made him think of what he would have to do when he returned to his 'swamp witch.'
Shale's nicknames made him laugh- and walking around with a nigh invulnerable giant made him reminisce about Hagrid. The half giant had been his first friend, and Harry had a feeling that he would have loved searching this new world for interesting critters.
Either way, being the little mage next to a huge companion was nice. It made him feel young for a few moments.
And then he had returned to Morrigan, who was sitting in the bed with the sheet only up to her waist- making Harry smile again- and waving the yew wand around as she summoned her clothes into a little pile and then floated them off onto the night stand.
"Did you find it?"
Harry grinned as he pulled the black leather tome out and handed it over.
"Wonderful!" She immediately opened the book and began to read. Without lifting her eyes from the pages, she said, "I thank you, Harry. This may tell me much about things Flemeth would have kept secret from me."
He sighed. It looked like there wouldn't be a round two that night.
But he did have something else he needed to do anyway. First though, to the matter of the grimoire. "Morrigan, would you mind if I made a copy of that?"
"A copy?"
"So that I can read it as well," he explained. "I'm sure it may be interesting reading. Plus, with our different perspectives on magic, it may be quite beneficial to have two points of view of whatever lies within."
Morrigan paused and tapped her chin. "I suppose that will be alright. You have proven yourself both skilled and helpful. Go ahead."
Harry nodded and used the duplicating charm to make a copy of his own, which he then put into his mokeskin pouch.
"Are you not going to get started tonight?" she asked.
"I'll let you work on the grimoire." Harry popped his neck and stretched his arms. He'd had many sleepless nights before, but that didn't mean he enjoyed them. Still, duty called. "I'm going to head back to Orzammar. Two nobles need questioning. With a little luck, I might even make it back in time to get some rest before tomorrow comes."
Morrigan curled her finger to beckon him over with a smirk on her face. He leaned down and she kissed him.
"Be careful. After tonight, it seems I'll have one more use for you from now on," she teased. "'Twould be most ungentlemanly of you to leave me deprived of your company after you have proved yourself so valuable to me."
Harry snorted. "I'll do my best. Try not to stay up all night reading. One of us needs to be at our best for tomorrow."
Author's Note: I've had more IRL stress going on lately which caused a delay, but we did get to some more Harry/Morrigan quality time that I think a lot of you have been looking forward to. Hope you enjoyed it! Till next time.
