Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dragon Age.

Author's Note: Sorry this update took so long. Real life has just been a pain. Shout out to my mom on her birthday, she's been a big help with all the crap I've been dealing with this year.

Hope you all enjoy!


"I see why they call them the Deep Roads," Harry said with a smile on his face. The amount of work carving these enormous caverns into paved passageways, complete with columns and statues was simply staggering. Even with all the magic he knew, it would have taken him a lifetime to build something like this. Not to mention the fact that the ceiling must have been forty feet or more. For short and stout people, it seemed quite extravagant.

"It is said that in the days before the First Blight, the dwarven kingdom stretched across all of Thedas, with thousands of miles of these Deep Roads connecting all of the thaigs," Leliana replied as she looked around in wonder.

"Thaigs?" Sirius asked.

"Cities," Wynne answered. "Although the great thaigs were more like city-states, acting as trading hubs with smaller settlements and countless mines around them."

"Aye, and they've practically all been lost," Oghren spat. "Too many damn deshyrs arguing over nonsense and not enough warriors to drive back the darkspawn. Not even golems were enough to change that."

Shale snorted. "Perhaps the others of my kind merely decided not to bother with protecting your pitiful little kingdom any longer. I can imagine all sorts of annoyances coming from mouthy little dwarven rulers."

The path reached a branching point and Harry came to a stop. "So, which way?"

Oghren pointed off to the left. "That way just leads to the Aeducan Thaig. Original home of the ruling family of Orzammar. Patrols are sent there all the time, although it seems like that's more to train up young warriors and do a bit of scavaging more so than trying to retake it. Not much reason for us to head there."

He turned to the right. "This way leads to Caridin's Cross, a major crossroads that tied together several parts of the ancient kingdom. Beyond it is Ortan Thaig, where Branka was supposedly heading when she left a couple of years ago. That's where we need to go."

"Alright." Harry looked around for a moment. "Do you know if the path remains this large for very long?"

"Aye, as far as I know," Oghren replied.

"Excellent," Harry grinned and stuck his hand into his mokeskin pouch. "It's time for you to get to experience something new."

"Carpet?" Sirius asked.

"Yep."

"What do we need a carpet for?" Oghren grumbled. "Is the road too hard for your surfacer feet?"

Leliana giggled. "It is a treat that I believe you will enjoy. Even Shale approves."

The dwarf watched for a minute as Harry got his flying carpet out and positioned them all upon it. "Now what?"

"Now, I'm going to teach you how to fly," Harry smirked.

"You do know that dwarves and magic don't do so well together, right?" Oghren replied with a frown.

"It's not a spell for you," Harry answered as he put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder just before he made the carpet rise.

"Urgh!"

There were many snickers at Oghren's outburst.

The dwarf looked over the edge of the carpet as they were now floating almost ten feet off the ground. "Why are we so bleeding high?"

"You never know when we may run into resistance of some sort," Harry shrugged. "Creatures, enemies, traps- who knows? We're out of the reach of most things up here, and we've still got plenty of clearance."

"I didn't bring a missile weapon," Oghren said. "You wizardy types might be able to fling spells around, but what am I going to do if we run into trouble?"

"I assumed that you and Shale could hop off and smash anything that looked at you funny," Sirius chuckled.

"Dwarves don't hop," Oghren scoffed. "And it's too damn high, if we did."

Shale snorted. "I'm sure if the drunken dwarf asks nicely, the little mage will lower our transport first rather than merely throwing it beard first into combat. Personally, I think it might be fun to land on a few genlocks, squishing them beneath my feet."

They began to fly and Oghren tried to settle himself. Harry held back a laugh as the dwarf scooted several feet away from the edge of the carpet, just in case.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Sirius cheered as they began to fly.


Less than an hour later, they had to come to a stop. The trip had been smooth so far, but now they had a problem- namely that the passageway ended with a collapsed section and two much more rough tunnels led off to either side.

"Which way?" Wynne asked.

"I'm not sure," Oghren grumbled. "We need to keep going mostly south, so whichever path keeps us going that way, but I can't see through stone."

"Let's try right then," Leliana suggested. "The beginning of the tunnel at least is still high enough that we can keep flying for a bit longer in that direction."

"It beats walking all the way," Sirius agreed with a laugh.

"Keep your eyes open for enemies," Harry said. "We've been lucky so far, but my luck never seems to hold out for long."

"Just remember to let me off if we do find something to kill," Oghren added.

Only a minute later, the dwarf got his wish. Darkspawn were spread out around a huge cavern, with a bridge stretching across a deeper chasm where Harry could see something like magma flowing.

Shale pointed Harry towards the closest group of enemies and walked to the edge of the carpet, timing her fall to squish one particularly unlucky genlock. Leliana turned up her nose as the creature became a smear of viscera under a literal ton of rock.

The other three magic users began firing spells at more distant targets while Harry lowered the carpet enough for Oghren to leap off and bellow a challenge taunt towards the nearest hurlock which growled back as it slashed at him. As soon as the monster got within the reach of his two handed maul, the dwarven berserker caved its head in.

He didn't wait any longer before taking the carpet back up again, and then Harry began to scan the room for any particularly dangerous targets. There was one of the darkspawn emissaries with a staff that he spotted, so Harry channeled his new favorite spell- the Crushing Prison- and watched as the creature was immobilized and shaking from the torment of pure spirit damage.

With his foe no longer a concern, Harry went back to focusing on one of his first loves- flying.

As Leliana used her longbow and his other passengers kept up the spellfire, he made sure to zip the carpet out of the way of incoming projectiles as well as throwing up an occasional Shield Charm. Next time he would have to remember to use Sticking Charms before hand so he could really screw with the enemies. But having to worry about not accidentally throwing his friends off forced him to be less of a dangerous lunatic in the air.

The thought took him back to his first wife briefly, a smile on his face as the genlock archers with their shortbows kept failing to damage most of the party.

Meanwhile, Shale and Oghren were decimating their enemies as well.

"There are more on the other side of the bridge!" Morrigan called out a warning.

"And they'll know we're here with all this ruckus," Wynne added.

"Our ground forces look like they're having fun," Sirius chuckled. "Maybe we should wait a moment to let them have time to get near the bridge before we fly over-"

"We're going to do a strafing run," Harry announced.

"A what?" Leliana asked.

"I'm going to fly us quickly over the enemies, while you all fire a volley of arrows and spells at them."

"I remember how you fly, Harry," Sirius shook his head. "Sticking charms?"

"That's what I was thinking, yeah."

"Alright," his godfather agreed. "Ladies, we're going to be casting a spell to keep our feet firmly attached to the carpet. That way you won't fall off no matter how fast Harry flies."

"That sounds fun," Leliana agreed with a smile.

"I was never as good on a broom as the Potter men," Sirius replied with a grin. "But it is a lot of fun. Just try to remember that Harry is a natural in the air."

"Oh my," Wynne said as Harry charmed the bottom of each shoe. "I have a feeling this is going to be quite memorable."

"Don't bother doing mine," Morrigan said when he turned to her. "I can shapeshift and leap off if need be."

"Be careful if you do," Harry warned her. "We're going in fast and furious."

"Let's do this!" Sirius grinned.

"Ready your weapons," Harry said. "Here we go!"

He pushed the carpet to a speed he normally wouldn't risk in an underground cavern and rocketed across the chasm to the other side.

"Ogre!" Morrigan called out, and Harry spotted a much larger darkspawn in the back of the enemy group they were heading towards. It towered over the rest, probably twelve feet or more in height and with a couple of large horns sticking up out of its head. The massive clawed hands looked like they could crush a man whole.

As they approached, a torrent of death rained down on the darkspawn below. A Blizzard from Morrigan froze a number of them in place, making easy targets for Leliana's arrows and Wynne's conjured boulder to shatter a couple of them. Bolts of lightning chained between the rest, arcing out from Sirius' staff.

The ogre was the only thing still dangerous, and it roared up at them, picking up a chunk of stone and hurling it at the flying carpet.

Harry's skills kept them moving too quickly for it to hit though, which was definitely a good thing.

"We don't want to get up close and personal with that thing," Wynne said as Harry spun the carpet around before they hit one of the walls. "We could try another pass, I suppose."

"That doesn't sound very fun," Sirius replied. "Padfoot wants a shot at it."

"Are you insane?" Leliana yelped at him.

"Maybe just a little," he said with a grin.

"Get ready," Harry warned as he aimed the carpet right at the beast. If Sirius did get into trouble, Harry would have to get him out of it. At least this time, he knew how to do just that.

Or so he would later tell himself.

As the carpet zoomed in, the grim leaped off, its paws scrabbling over the ogre's head and biting at its face before tumbling over the top of it. A small bird flew over Harry's shoulder and a moment later it was shifting into the form of an immense spider that stung at the monster before leaping out of the way of a swipe from its clawed hand.

Sirius chose that moment to leap back into the fray. Unfortunately for him, the ogre was ready and it swatted the great black dog aside with ease. Blood specks dripped off as Padfoot crashed into the ground ten feet away.

Wynne had tried firing another conjured boulder at it, but the Ogre knocked it aside as well, any damage only minimal due to its immense fortitude. A couple of arrows from Leliana were also sticking out of it, but it showed no signs of slowing down yet.

"It is resistant to spells," Wynne said. "We need something else if we want to kill that thing before someone gets seriously hurt."

Harry snorted at the unintentional pun even as he reached into his pouch. "I've got just the thing. But Wynne, you're going to need to control the carpet."

"How do I do that?"

"Just focus your magic on grabbing a hold of it and keeping it still," Harry answered as he pulled out a sword. "I'll have this over in a moment."

"What are you-" Leliana's question was cut off as Harry leaped down towards the beast, blade first. He managed only a glancing blow, but it was enough to leave a deep scratch along the ogre's left cheek and it bellowed out in pain as it swatted Harry aside.

He landed in a heap near where Sirius had been just a moment before. Wincing, Harry took a moment to rub his sore ribs as the grim and the spider kept dancing nimbly around the ogre, looking for openings to strike.

They didn't have to work long though because soon the ogre was shrieking as the basilisk venom went to work, coursing through its veins. Claws began tearing at flesh, the ogre trying to rip the deadly toxin out of it.

If it weren't a mindless beast capable of nothing but death and destruction, Harry might have felt sorry for it.

Wynne and Leliana approached him, the carpet lowering.

"You need to cancel your spell," Leliana yelled.

Harry waved his left hand and they were soon freed. Wynne hurried over to take a look at him. "I thought you were wise enough not to pull such a foolish stunt," she chided him.

"It worked, didn't it?" Harry chuckled, a grimace interrupting his attempt at humor as she began to try to cure him.

"And your ribs are thanking you for your effort," she smirked.

"I've had worse."

"That's a very fancy sword," Leliana said as she took a look at it. "And there's writing-"

"Don't touch it!" Harry hissed as Wynne's healing spell finally numbed the pain. "It can kill anything."

"Anything?" The bard took a step back.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed as he got to his feet. "That's why I knew it would work."

"Merlin," Sirius whispered. "That's Gryffindor's sword, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I've kept it with me for a long time. I try to only pull it out in dire situations. Like the basilisk had been, once upon a time when I first found it."

"You are not much of a swordsman," Morrigan said with a smirk as she came over to join them.

"I don't need to be when the blade carries the most potent venom in the world," he shrugged. "Or at least, it was in our old world. It could literally kill anything, even powerful magical items and mythical beasts."

"It appears we missed all the fun." The golem was stomping towards them while Oghren winced and hobbled behind it. "At least there were still some of those pitiful little things for me to throw off the bridge. I just hope that isn't all the excitement for today."

"You say fun, I say a pain in the ass," the dwarf hissed.

"What happened?" Wynne asked.

"There were traps all over the bridge," he replied. "Things big enough to snag a bronto, not that it stopped the stone giant here."

"But they took a chunk out of you," the older witch replied as she knelt down and began to inspect his bleeding calves. "Hold still and I'll have you fixed up in just a moment."

"That's good because I think we're going to have to walk for a bit," Harry added. "The only other path I saw leading out of here was much smaller."

"Maybe a short rest then," Leliana suggested. "I spotted a couple of chests earlier. They might have useful supplies for us."

"We should check our downed foes as well," Morrigan said. "You never know what sorts of things they may carry."

"I'll conjure up some glasses and drinks," Harry said.

"Good idea," Sirius patted him on the back. "A good fight always has worked up a thirst for me."

"Just water, Sirius," Harry snorted. "We're not going to try fighting while drunk."

"Why not?" Ogren complained. "I'll have you know some of my best battles have been done that way."

"The next time we're in a town, you two can have all the bar fights you want," Harry grinned. "Hell, I might even join you for one. But not when we're heading deeper into enemy territory like this."

"Stinking nug humper," the dwarf grumbled. "You better at least let me drink when we stop for the night."

"When is night anyway?" Sirius asked. "It must be afternoon, right?"

Harry checked his battered old pocket watch that could probably use yet another mending charm judging by the crack in its face. "The day cycle of this world seems to be about the same as ours was. So, it's not yet five. I figure we should try to keep going for at least another couple of hours before we stop for dinner."

"That works for me," Sirius agreed with a smirk. "We did get a late start today. Did Morrigan keep you up too late?"

At the teasing remark, Harry turned to Morrigan who was searching a hurlock and apparently far enough away to have not heard them. He winked at his godfather before responding. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell. Shouldn't you know that?"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "I never was much of a gentleman. But I'm glad to hear that there may have been something for you to refuse to speak about."


They trudged through the rough hewn tunnel leading away from the large cavern where the battle had taken place in a much tighter formation than Harry would have liked. Limited space meant they had to make do though. Thankfully, they didn't run into anything more dangerous than a few annoying carnivorous lizards that Oghren identified as deep stalkers. The creatures were more of a pest than a challenge, and after the group had killed a few of them, the remainder fled into cracks and crevices.

A few minutes later, Harry happily sighed as they once again came out into one of the finely carved roadways the dwarves had created so long ago.

"You said these paths stretched across all of Thedas, right?" he asked.

"Yep," Oghren said. "Thousands of miles, I've been told. Of course, who knows how many of them are still passable, not even counting the damn darkspawn."

"Fascinating," Harry replied as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'd almost think that wouldn't be possible, to have so many huge underground areas carved out- you would think cities on the surface would cave in on them if they were near enough."

"It likely has to do with magic," Morrigan suggested. "The dwarves built around lyrium, and raw lyrium holds incredible amounts of magic."

"Magic did it," he chuckled. "I should have known."

"It was a common excuse back home," Sirius added with a grin. "I know plenty of witches and wizards who didn't look too deep for answers, as long as the spells and enchantments worked."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "I think that's true of most people, magical or not." He turned to the dwarf. "So, which way?"

Oghren pulled out his map and looked it over for a few minutes. "Left should curve around and lead us towards Ortan Thaig. That's the last place I've heard of Branka's people going. After that, we're going to have to look for clues."

"Works for me," Harry nodded. "Should I get the flying carpet back out?"

A chorus of voices answered yes.

The group lifted back off and followed the path for a moment before Sirius called out, "What the bloody hell is that?"

Harry threw up a Shield Charm to stop the oncoming projectile, an enormous spear that had been streaking towards them.

"Is that a ballista? What is it doing here?" Leliana asked

"A siege weapon in the middle of the road," Harry grumbled as he lowered the carpet.

"Charge!" shouted Oghren as he ran towards the darkspawn in the distance. The golem stomped after him.

"It's too bad," Sirius said. "Attacking from the air made things more difficult for our foes."

"I've got a couple of brooms," Harry suggested. "Leliana could fire her bow while you fly."

"Brilliant." Sirius was smiling as he was handed one broom, and then laughed as he saw the one Harry pulled out for himself. "Is that the Firebolt I got you?"

"Yep," Harry grinned. "I took pride in keeping it in good shape. You know, it's more than a century old now. Practically an antique."

"Less talking and more flying," Leliana cut in. "I don't want our companions to get overwhelmed. Besides, I'm interested to see how well this will work."

Sirius began to hover and patted the broomstick in front of him. "Climb aboard my dear and be sure to hold tight with your legs if you're going to be shooting your bow."

"Don't throw my focus off in the flight, Sirius," she teased as he wrapped one arm around her.

"Would I do that?" he laughed.

They zoomed off a second later and Harry turned to Morrigan. "I assume you can't cast spells when you shift forms, correct?"

"Correct," she nodded.

"Shall we?" he asked as he scooted back on the Firebolt, making room for her.

"I expect you to fly rings around them."

"Just make sure you don't miss with your spells," Harry teased as they blasted into the air. He zigged left, past another ballista bolt that came flying at him as Morrigan froze the genlock who had been manning the siege weapon.

"Don't be daft," she yelled back at him over the din of violence. "I never miss."

He grinned in response and pointed his left hand at a trio of darkspawn with crossbows. "Confringo!"

The Blasting Curse left a pile of broken bodies. Morrigan took that as a cue for her turn, raining down a Cone of Cold upon the next group of hurlocks they came upon. Harry laughed as he watched her work from then on.

Sirius and Leliana were enjoying themselves as well, judging by the laughter. Her arrows were still quite precise even as they wove through the air.

All that was left was carnage a few minutes later. The aerial bombardment was once again a potent option that the darkspawn had little defense against. Meanwhile, Oghren and Shale were arguing over the last hurlock they'd killed.

"I caved that thing's ribs in," the dwarf growled. "That means it was dead."

"It was still moving, as the dwarf would have known if it weren't so inebriated," the golem corrected him. "That was why I needed to smash its head to a pulp. Therefore, I was the one who killed it."

Huffing, Wynne came upon the group. "Why can't the two of you share?"

"Fine," Oghren said. "The big pile of rocks can have a third of the credit."

"A third!" Shale scoffed angrily. "Heads are required for you squishy fleshy things. I will be gracious enough to give the drunken dwarf a quarter of the credit, since it did make the hurlock an easier target for me."

Harry snorted and flew back up, not wanting to get in the middle of the argument, no matter how amusing it was.

"That little oaf is already being a bad influence on Shale," Morrigan sighed. "Why did you feel the need to bring him along?"

"He had a map."

She turned her head and glared at his grinning face. "We could have bought a map."

Harry leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck, taking great pleasure in the low moan she gave in return. "Relax. We're making good progress through these Deep Roads. Before you know it, we'll find this dwarven paragon, wrap up the messy politics, and get a dwarven army ready for war on the surface."

"You sound far too confident."

Harry snorted. "I'm sure it won't go that easily, but I'm going to keep saying optimistic things while I can. Knowing my luck, we're bound to come across a gigantic army or some sort of enormous monster down here."

Morrigan sighed and patted his left arm that had been wrapped around her waist. "Why don't you just plan on making something delicious for dinner? That may soothe me enough to want to end the night in a more pleasurable way."

"We should stop for the night I guess," Harry agreed. He flew back down to the others, watching happily as Morrigan got off the broom in front of him. Even at his age, there was still something wonderful about watching the sway of a woman's behind.

Sirius interrupted his train of thought. "Do you mind if I keep this?" he asked as he held up the broom he'd been using.

"No problem."

"It's not sentimental, is it?"

Harry looked closer and chuckled. "That's actually one that Sirius Black used a long time ago, when he was still a teenager."

"I don't remember it," his godfather replied with a frown.

"I meant my son."

The shock on Sirius' face was evident as he whipped around. "You... you had a son... and you named him after me?"

Harry smiled and shrugged. "Since I became the head of the Black family because of you, it felt fitting. Besides, I had four other sons, so there wasn't too much pressure on little Sirius."

"Four..." Sirius shook his head and whistled. "Merlin, Harry. How many kids did you have?"