Chapter 2
Westhaven
In the blink of an eye he found himself standing outside what looked to be a giant castle. Yet it wasn't like any castle he had ever seen before. It had an almost Oriental appearance to it. but it still a had the imposing feeling of history standing in front of him, it reminded him of the feelings of awe and magic he had felt the first time seeing Hogwarts on the horizon.
Turning he scanned the surrounding area for any sign of people, all he found was a breathtaking view of a mountainous landscape. The fog hung low, hugging the valleys giving the appearance that you where standing above the clouds. he turned and started to admire the curves and beauty of the architectural masterpiece that was the castle he had been brought to. he was struck with such a sense of awe that he failed to notice the man in deep red armour and a black cloak flowing in the wind. The man slowly brought his hand to his mouth and let a gentle cough escape his throat, alerting Harry to his presence.
Harry jumped at the intrusion into his thoughts, he turned to regard the cloaked figure before him. The mans cloak, darker than midnight dragged behind him for a good 5 feet. It was held together with a single clip found between his collar bones. An intricate design that he recognized as the same emblem he had seen on the wax seal of the envelope.
Underneath the cloak gave him quite a shock. Deep dark red armour spread across the man's broad chest. It appeared a little like ancient roman armour with figurines of power and deep significance to the wearer plastered across it's surface. moulded muscles along the length of the breast plate gave the impression of great strength and power within the individual.
Yet out of his appearance, the thing that intimidated Harry the most about the man was the way he carried himself. almost as if he was moving gracefully, yet not moving at all. his posture gave the appearance of a coiled snake ready to attack at any given moment. His eyes hidden almost by his mop of blonde hair regarded Harry impassively. It gave him the impression that even though the man was staring at only Harry, he was pretty sure the man knew of everything occurring around the pair.
"Good day, Mr Potter I presume?"
The man's voice was deep yet soft, instantly relaxing the muscles of Harry's back that he hadn't even known had tightened up when he first noticed the stranger.
"How did you get there, i just looked there and you weren't there and now you are" Harry asked in a strangled voice, his hands were shaking slightly from the nervousness of the situation.
"My name is Aidan McDermott, I am here to show you within the walls of Westhaven" the man replied ignoring Harry's previous question. he slowly drew his hand along the whole length of the castle within there vision.
A glint of medal caught Harry's attention behind Mr McDermott's head. Protruding from the center of Mr McDermott's back was what appeared to be a sword hilt. Yet not a sword hilt like Harry had ever seen before. The pummel was almost twice the length of a normal hilt, and was intricately designed to be a dragon stretched out with its wings creating the hand guard. The metal of the dragon's backside looked worn right out from constant use, It seemed Mr McDermott was not a man to be taken lightly.
"Come, Mr Potter let us venture inside." With that he turned and started walking towards what looked to be a giant metal gate. Harry had to practically jog just to keep up with Mr McDermott's fast pace.
"Excuse me, er... Mr McDermott was it ? where exactly am I. What does the Brotherhood of the Mage want with me ?"
"First Mr Potter, you are presently walking toward the home of the Brotherhood of the Mage, or just the Brotherhood for ease of conversation. This castle is name Westhaven. As to your second question, that is not for me to answer" Mr McDermott walked briskly through the open gate with Harry trailing slightly behind.
As Harry's foot passed the threshold into Westhaven castle he felt the oddest sensation, almost as if he had walked through a wall of ice cold water. Yet after close examination of his clothing he appeared to be completely dry. doubt started to creep into his mind, wondering if he had actually experienced the sensation or just a trick of the wind. Curiosity got the better of him in the end.
"What was that ?" he asked timidly, fearful that Mr McDermott would think him mental.
"That, was Westhaven's security wards allowing you entry." he responded mater-of-factly.
"Oh" was all Harry could muster as he noticed for the first time that they had passed into a immense courtyard. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. high above the courtyard were floating square platforms that looked a lot like duelling arena's. multi layered platforms in the air that slightly moved towards and apart from each other. Harry got the impression of lily pads floating on the surface of a pond, gliding towards each other and away, flowing in whatever direction the wind took them on.
In the middle of the platforms stood what appeared to be racks filled with all sorts of weaponry. From axes to spears to weapons he couldn't even identify if he wanted to.
"What is this place ?" He thought to himself as he Turned and noticed Mr McDermott passing through a small door up ahead. Quickly he tried to stay with his escort as he jogged through the door he had traveled through. spotting Mr McDermott in the hall walking towards another hall on the left Harry jogged to catch with him. finally after what seem to be hours of walking, jogging, and running through hallway after hallway, Harry finally decided that he was lost. If he ever had to find his way back to the courtyard they were in, he couldn't tell you for the life of him how to get there.
Finally they came to a large wooden door.
"From here you travel alone" Mr McDermott said with a slight bow of his head. With that said he turned on his heel and started walking down the hallway, still with that unnerving stride, almost a dance. He floated yet every muscle seamed compressed and ready for action. Harry hoped he would never have to have him as an enemy.
Turning towards the door, Harry nervously raised his hand and knocked three times.
"Come in Mr Potter" said a voice from behind the door. the voice surprisingly had the same sound of power radiating off it as Mr McDermott voice had displayed. Taking a gulp of air, Harry slowly pushed the huge wooden door open and stepped inside.