It had been 2 months until Harry finally showed his face at Potter Manor again after his disagreement with Walter. He had needed space and was angry at both Walter and Winston but eventually realised that he couldn't really blame either men for their actions. Winston was under a charm that stopped him from being able to divulge the whole story and Walter's portrait was designed for only one purpose, the protection of the relics. As much as they may seem like it at times these portraits were not living breathing people, just mere reflections of them and soon his anger faded. He was resolute in his decision to not learn how to fight but would honour the oath made to guard the secret. He had gone to the two men and apologised for his anger. Winston was immediately accepting of Harry's and the two men resumed their good relationship. While Walter was still annoyed at Harry for not training the two men had come to an uneasy truce. In the two years since that moment Harry had begun reading the journals and books found in Walter's library and devoured all the knowledge he could on the relics. They were truly amazing feats of magic and he could understand why some witches and wizards would want to lay their hands on them.

It was during this time that Harry made one final discovery about the Potter family. His eyes kept falling upon the sword that glistened in the firelight and he always felt some pull towards it. It wasn't until he was reading about the exploits of the last Magical King of England that it dawned on Harry what that sword was.

'Is that Excalibur?' Harry asked quietly into the room, eyes fixed on the blade. A rather large smile formed on Walter's face at that question.

'I have been waiting for you to figure that out! A truly magnificent sword, the greatest sword ever made.'

'How did you come into having it in your possession?'

'Before Arthur died he returned the Sword to the lake. He felt that England was finally stable and it was no longer needed. When I returned from the Crusades I began reading up on more of the myths of relics to see what else may be true. I was convinced that the sword of King Arthur was real and decided to visit Bodmin Moor where the Lady of the Lake gifted the sword to Arthur. While I was there she appeared to me.'

'The Lady of the Lake was real?' Harry asked incredulously.

'Very much so. She isn't a human and nor is she any other magical creature, she is more of a spirit that is bound to the sword, but very much real. She sensed my presence and arose from the lake as she had done for Arthur all those years before. She could tell that I had Arthur's blood in my veins and deemed me worthy to hold the sword. When I too neared death I went back to the lake to speak to the Lady and return the sword, she however told me to keep it, that her spirit and the spirit of Magic had deemed our cause worthy and that Excalibur would need to be used in action once again. And so here it has remained. Many Potter's have trained with it in order to prepare for this fight, but only a small few have ever had to use it in battle.'

Walter had hoped that upon hearing this new piece of information Harry may finally begin his training, however he did not. While he was intrigued by the sword and it's history, he still could not bring himself to pick up the sword.

And so for the next two years, the only change to Harry's life was that he was now protecting a deep secret, while learning everything he could about the relics. He had learnt to keep a better track of the dates and as he entered the kitchen in Potter Manor one warm July morning Harry was greeted to cheers of Happy Birthday by Cassandra and Philip.

Harry smiled warmly at them, 'Thank you, but you know I don't really care about my birthday.'

'We know, but we care' Philip replied happily.

Harry smiled lovingly at them and prepared his breakfast. Barefoot and dressed in some black trousers that came in at the ankle but were otherwise quite loose and topless it was clear to see how much he had changed in the last five years. He had stopped growing after his 20th birthday and so here at 23 he stood not taller than he did 2 years ago. He had, however, continued to develop his physique. His arms were big and strong, muscles clearly defined on his arms, back and chest from all the building, wood cutting and general manual labour of his job. He had decided about a year earlier that his hair had grown too long and despite liking the length, thought it should be kept just above his shoulders. He had also stopped growing his beard, it was still quite impressive but he made sure it remained just above his pecs. The scars were still as prominent as they had been five years ago and his naked torso was hard to look at, but after a few years Cassandra and Philip had gotten used to it while Harry couldn't really remember looking any different. He had added a few more scars over his time here as he had worked his way through learning how to build safely, but there were small compared to his battles with Vernon's belt, Dudley and the gang, Slytherin's monster, the Triwizard tournament, quidditch and of course Voldemort and his followers. They had become a part of who he was and he barely registered them anymore.

As Harry was about to serve his breakfast Winston rushed into Cassandra's portrait not at all resembling his usual calm and collected self.

'Harry, Walter needs you immediately.' Harry groaned, there was only one thing that would cause Winston to rush in like this. Leaving his food uneaten he made his way to Walter's study. The first thing he saw was the concerned face of Walter staring at something on the mantelpiece. Harry sighed deeply and let his eyes fall on the now black orb. His stomach sinking far down into his body Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed that life was not going to let Harry rest. He was finally in a clear mental state, his daily meditation had worked wonders. He still enjoyed being on his own and had long lost contact with his friends. Hermione would still send a letter or two to let him know what was going on in the wizarding world, he would reply after a few days, but apart from that he continued to have little to no contact with the wizarding world. His hunting, his Thestrals, cooking, building, reading and even flying around the Potter estate as a Raven had become his world and he was comfortable in it. As much as he wished that these events were not unfolding he knew that he could do nothing to stop them. He had sworn an oath to guard the secret of the relics and he knew that he couldn't betray that. He would answer the orb and provide what assistance he could, but he would not fight. He had seen too much death for one lifetime and was determined to remain with his comforts. Finally lifting his head with resolve clear in his eyes Harry spoke to Walter in a clear, calm voice.

'What do you need me to do?'

'The orb has a runic pattern on it that can only be unlocked by a Potter. I know you have been studying runes so quickly, use that knowledge to answer the call.'

Harry walked slowly, but with determined steps over to the mantlepiece. He picked up the orb and began reading the runes. Amongst the various protections placed on it to prevent fire, ice and water damage there were also communication runes, secrecy and silencing runes, some lethal attack runes in case the wrong person tried to use it and finally underneath a blood rune that unlocked the orb itself. Harry grabbed a small knife from the many weapons in the room and sliced his hand, letting the blood land on the rune. It glowed a warm blue and the light quickly spread throughout the other runes. Many disappeared as his blood was accepted. The black orb soon slowly changed its colour from black to a deep blue to match the light from the runes. From the orb spoke a voice in another language that Harry did not understand. Before he could think the message played again, but this time in English, clearly the language runes on the orb had translated what had been sent. A deep feminine voice with a slight husk came out of the orb and spoke to Harry.

'Lord of House Potter, my name is Zubaydah Amira, warrior Princess of the Medjai, descendents of Sa'id al Saff'ar. I call to you now to fulfil the oath our ancestors made. The time has come again where the safety of the relics are in peril and we cannot protect them alone. Myself and some of my tribe are coming to England in search of answers. We seek your help and must meet with you. Inform us of your location. Fulfil your oath!'

The orb went back to its original white state after the message had finished playing. He turned to face Walter who had a grim look on his face.

'Two wasted years! You could have been preparing for two whole years! Now we face the discovery of the relics and you are not prepared! We must begin immediately. Harry, grab Excalibur and I will begin to teach…'

He was cut off by a very irate Harry. 'I have told you old man, I will not fight! I will allow these descendants of Sa'id al Saff'ar into our home and I will help in any way I can, but I will not go back to war!'

Harry turned his back on an even more agitated Walter who began shouting at Harry as he left. As he made it back to Winston's office he heard a large sigh.

'I am so sorry Harry.' Harry closed the secret passage and turned to face his grandfather. Sadness and pain were shown all over the portrait's face as his eyes looked down. 'I am sorry that it had to be you. I have been hoping that things would not transpire as they have. I had hoped you would have been able to live your life free of this burden. What will you do?' Winston asked, lifting his eyes to meet Harry's gaze. Harry met his gaze with determination.

'Grandfather.' He began, 'I am determined to have the life I desire. Away from all this fighting. I will no longer bother with the troubles of witches and wizards. I will aid these Medjai as my oath requires, but only in a manner that I see fit. If they need a place to stay, they can stay here. If they need food I will cook. Money for travel and supplies, I will provide. Knowledge and ideas, they can use my library. But I will not fight. I will not touch my wand again for war. They will have to deal with that when they arrive.'

With that he turned and left the study, once again with his cabin in mind. He still held onto the orb as he thought of his reply. Once inside his cabin Harry crafted a reply for the Medjai and after studying the runes discovered how to send a message in return.

'Princess Zubaydah, I am Harry Potter, Lord of House Potter. I hear your call and shall respond. When you make it to England travel to a small town called Elterwater in the Lakes District. Head to Wainwrights Inn and wait for me there. I will know when you have arrived and will reveal myself.'

A few minutes after he sent the message the orb flashed green. He took this as a signal that his message had been received, now he just needed to wait until they arrived. He had no idea when they would appear in such a remote area of England and knew he would need to be patient.

Back in the Manor a very pensive Winston was currently sharing a portrait with Philip and Cassandra while they discussed Harry.

'I fear for him.' Muttered Winston.

'I know Winston. While we do not know all of what is going on due to the charms we can see that it is taking its toll on you.' Cassandra replied in a caring tone.

'Winston, he will be alright. He has made his mind up to stay out of whatever is going on and so your fears are unfounded.' Philip replied reassuringly a hand on Winston's shoulder.

Winston sighed deeply. 'There in lies my fear. I do not think he will be able to stay out of it. There are powerful forces in play and if Harry does not prepare himself it could be much worse for him. I had so hoped he could have avoided this fate.'

A small look between the other two portraits showed that they were concerned for their friend but were at a loss of what to do.

Meanwhile nearly 3,000 miles away muggle bombs fell on the people of Baghdad. Unbeknownst to the Muggles who were fearing for their lives a small group of witches and wizards were watching with hope in their hearts. Now was the time for the relics to be found and used again. Now was the time for the Brotherhood of Acer to rise again. Nothing could stop them. Rumours were coming out of the West and East of the relics and with the muggle war churning up so many lost secrets, now was the time to strike. A small voice with a French accent turned to her companions. 'Time to go. He will want to hear this news.' And with a small crack that wasn't heard over the sound of bombs the small group vanished.

'Do you think that ruddy bird will ever leave?' Asked Olivia, the 50 year old manager of the Wainwrights Inn, for the 5th time that day.

'He's just curious, Mum.' replied Sonia, her daughter who was helping with the Inn over the Summer holidays, slightly exasperated.

The Raven had been coming to the Wainwrights Inn everyday for the past 3 weeks sitting on their wooden fence and just staring at the customers. At first they had found the birds behaviour amusing and had tried to feed it chips and other snacks but it refused all offers. At times many thought the bird had died standing up but when they went over to it the eyes focused in on them and it would squawk. It was almost like the bird was… meditating, but that wasn't possible. And so people had gotten used to the strange bird that came and sat and watched day after day, only Olivia had found the behaviour annoying. It was a warm summer so far and many families had made their way up the lake district and the raven had become a small tourist attraction and many photos were taken with it.

'It's an omen.' Came a voice from behind the two women.

Sonia turned her head and smiled at her grandfather, Sam, the owner of the Inn. Her grandfather was an amazing man and had lived a full life. He had served in the army and then moved into a teaching role for recruits which had taken him all around the world. After his retirement 10 years earlier he had bought the Inn with his wife and together decided it would be a nice way to spend their remaining years. Unfortunately his wife, Agatha, had succumbed to breast cancer 3 years ago and so his grandchildren and children took it upon themselves to help him out. Olivia now worked their full time as the general manager while Sonia and her siblings helped out during the holidays.

One of Sam's favourite pastimes was Celtic and Norse mythology. He had read many books on the subject over the last few years and soon became obsessed with the culture. He had abandoned his Christian roots and now firmly believed in the old pagan gods and their influence on the land.

'Something is changing in our world. Whether for good or bad we will not know for sometime. I don't believe the wars in the middle east are all that's going on. We may see some more strange events yet.' Sam muttered staring intently at the crow sitting on the fence across the road from their Inn. As he spoke the raven turned its head and looked at the man, head cocked to the side.

Olivia sighed heavily, 'Come on Dad, time for bed.' Sam growled slightly and stayed where he was.

'It's okay mum, I'll take him.'

Smiled Sonia and placed a reassuring hand on her mum's forearm. Olivia sighed again but this time with more love than the first and nodded. She kissed both her daughter and father on the cheek before moving inside.

'Come on granddad, time for bed.' Sam huffed in reply, but as he turned to walk inside he heard strange popping noises nearby. As he turned he saw a group of 5 strangely dressed men and women making their way down the road. Sonia turned to see the strangers walking down the road, they were clearly not from around these parts and looked quite wary of their surroundings. There were five of them spread out in a line covering the width of the road, they looked as if they were expecting an enemy from around the corner, but had no visible weapons. The were all dressed in long black robes that were stopped at the elbow and just above the ankle. Each robe was cinched at the waist, allowing the wearer manoeuvrability and functionality. Their heads were wrapped in black fabric so that only their eyes and foreheads could be seen. Three had brown eyes, one had striking pale blue eyes that shone in the darkness, while the fifth had one brown eye and one grey eye. Each member wore jewellery, three wore thin golden bangles that covered most of their forearms, while two had one large golden bracelet on each arm that covered most of their forearm as well, while all had a long necklace worn over their robes with a pendant on it that sat on their breasts. As they drew nearer, it was clear that the three with the bangles on their forearms were women and the other two were men.

Two of the group stopped at the edge of the road and the inn's property, one man and one woman, the one who had the striking pale blue eyes. The other three walked up to where Sam and Sonia were standing slowly removing the material that covered their faces. The woman in the middle had strong features. High cheekbones and a sharp chin. She wore a serious look on her face, it was clear from her eyes that she was carrying a large weight. The woman on her right was obviously beautiful, her two differently coloured eyes enhanced, not diminished her beauty. Her oval face and full lips made her quite striking, yet she had a dark look on her face that showed she was not a woman to be trifled with.

The man on her right was revealed to be older than the two women. He had a short beard that was an even mix of grey and black. Despite his aged face he his eyes danced in the moonlight, his demeanour welcoming and friendly.

All had strange markings on their cheeks, the woman in the middle had some on her forehead while the woman on the left had some on her chin. It was clear that these were of a different language, one not recognised by the owners of the Inn.

'As-salaam 'alaykum' the woman greeted Sam and Sonia with a nod she spoke with a deep husky voice, 'We are travellers in need of a place to stay. Our friend from these parts told us to meet him here. We apologise for the late hour but we have had a long journey and could not make it any earlier. Do you have any rooms for us to stay in?'

Sonia had been watching the strangers with fearful eyes. What were they doing here so late at night, and why did they look like they were ready for a battle? She felt intimidated and her hands were shaky, she had tried to pull Sam back into the Inn but he had resisted, his eyes focused on the approaching group, face set, impassive. When the woman asked her question Sam returned the greeting in English 'And peace upon you.' He then looked across at the Raven that had been watching the group intently and nodded in its direction. 'I see our friend was right Sonia, here we have some travellers from the middle east after all.' A smile forming on his lips, 'Come my friends, I have some rooms you can use.'

'Sukran gazilan, thank you very much' answered the woman, bowing her head in respect which was again returned by Sam. She motioned to her compatriots on the street who then followed her into the Inn being led by Sam. Sonia was shocked, her grandfather had not even bat an eye-lid and welcomed the strangers in. As the final two of the group walked past her they too dropped the material from their faces and she caught sight of their faces before they passed into the Inn. The man was younger than the first, seemingly the same age as the women, ranging from their mid 20s to early 30s. He had a dark beard, the same length as the first man but this one was completely black. His face was hard and had clearly seen much danger in his life. A large scar ran from his right temple to the middle of his chin, connecting to the edge of his mouth giving him a permanent grimace. Sonia cowered even more at the sight of him. The blue eyed woman came last, she was quite plain looking. She had no defining features except for her brilliant eyes. If she didn't have those she would easily melt into the background of any gathering. His face was impassive, no emotion showing at all on her features. While she did not look hardened like her compatriots, she also didn't look delicate. Gracefully and quietly she made her way into the Inn. Both had similar markings on their faces as the first three and none spoke to Sonia as they passed her, only the older man acknowledged her existence, giving her a slight nod and a smile. Finally Sonia followed them inside, too confused to speak.

The Raven watched these events unfold closely. Once the group had made their way inside the raven took flight. It would not be coming back.

Here we go! This is the chapter that really turns the story to where I have been planning all along. I know Harry is still resisting but he was a child soldier, that messes people up. It is all about to start!