Edited 05/02/2020
One cold night over winter break Harry made his way out of the common room and found a peculiar room with a lit fireplace and mirror. Harry quickly stepped up to the fireplace to thaw his freezing feet. As he waited for his feet to warm back to life, he saw himself in the mirror. Only it wasn't his current self.
What Harry saw was himself surrounded books on alchemy. Some he recognized others he didn't. The form of himself he saw was stronger than his current self. The Harry in the mirror was blessed with enlightenment.
Harry took out a pen and a piece of parchment and copied down the titles. From there, he turned his back on the mirror and left. He saw what he wanted most in the mirror, a path forward.
After making his way to the library, he found each title on his list. Most were alchemy, some were magic forging, and others were curse breaking. Each book was vastly more complicated than his year. When he arrived back to his dorm, he saw a small collection of presents on his bed. Absently, he put on a sweater from Ron's mom, as he turned the pages in his alchemy tome.
After finishing each tome, he went back through collecting notes. Within each tome was the knowledge to get started in each field. Curse breaking would require more study, but it would eventually come to him. Harry was certain he'd gain the understanding he needed soon.
Harry returned to the mirror. This time under the cover of an invisibility cloak. In the mirror Harry saw himself forging blades of impeccable power. They dazzled with a gleam as if starlight was captured in their blades. These weapons crafted by green flames and the winds of rocs held the power of severing.
"Careful Harry many wizards have been enchanted by this mirror. Have you read the frame?" Professor Dumbledore asked. Harry turned to the frame and read it quickly. The words were off. Standing on his hands allowed Harry to view the warning.
"I show not your face but your desire. I guessed as much. Knowing what I want is very useful. Professor is the mirror a permanent feature here." Harry asked.
"Alas no Harry the mirror will only be here for a short time." Harry viewed the mirror and saw himself looking into the mirror. Knowing what he wanted was simply too useful a tool to give up. He looked to the headmaster and let his expression soften.
"Professor is there a place in Hogwarts for blacksmithing?" Harry asked. The older man brushed his beard.
"Yes, there is an old smithy yard in Hogwarts though it is currently in disuse. I'd advise you to be careful. Many a promising young wizard has been burned from the practice." The headmaster said.
The smithy was open to the elements and filled with rotten old forges. Some were made of stone and held up well against the test of time. It was one of these smithies that Harry claimed as his own. Harry heard a pop and chunks of raw iron appeared in the ore refinery.
Getting from raw iron ore to steel wasn't an easy process. There were many steps between the process and would take time. He was going to sever the impurities from the iron and infuse it with less than 1% carbon to create steel. More pops resounded adding coal, and limestone on wooden pallets.
With a piece of flint and an old knife, he slammed them together getting a spark. From there he dug up some straw and waved his wand counterclockwise. "Siccitas," it was a drought spell. It was a famous dark spell used by roman wizards. Now it was used to dry out kindling. With a few strokes of metal to flint a spark shot out and the straw caught fire. He quickly moved it to the smithy. "oxygeni satietatem, Harry spun his wand in a slow circular motion feeding oxygen to the fire. It was one of the spells used by the Spanish inquisition to burn muggles threatening the statute of secrecy. It made the flames extra hot. In Harry's case it made the flames catch the coal he'd fed them.
All the spells he'd used so far were in the beginner's blacksmith text. Ipsum satietatum was the next spell on his list. If used properly, he'd be able add just the right amount of carbon to the iron. He added some limestone to the mix to further purify the iron. He began to circulate his wand drawing in the carbon he'd need to turn the iron into steel. Then he took his wand and wave it like the conductor for an orchestra. From there, he activated the spell ipsum imperium. It was a control spell for carbon.
Hours flew by, as he poured the iron into a mold and added just a little carbon. From there, he decided to add his own qi to the mix. While essence was the tiniest particle of creation itself qi was also quite small. He was curious about its interactions with steel in the shape of a sword. Something designed for severing. With a swish and flick he levitated the blade from its mold and quenched it in oil provided by the convenient pops.
As the steel quenched, he could sense the blade force out most of his qi. The blade took on a faded green appearance. Once the blade was cool, he pulled it from the oil and hammered a handle onto it. From there Harry took the sword to a dilapidated bench grinder. Over the next few minutes Harry sharpened the blade.
Harry held up the sword before swinging it. At the midpoint in the swing the blade snapped in two.
With a sigh Harry went through the process of melting the blade back down and started over. Harry visited the mirror a few more times hoping to gain insight, but he only saw more books. In a few days' time classes would begin and Harry would have less time to forge.
After three more attempts, Harry made a sword without adding his qi. The blade formed with no trouble but there was nothing special about it. The green tinge wasn't there nor was the qi. Harry didn't feel any pride in mere steel. He wanted something that was his own, or did he?
Harry revisited the mirror and saw the blades. They didn't have the green rippling pattern they were weapons all their own. The mirror was saying Harry didn't want swords only of his Dao. That wasn't the Dao of forging. He was tainting the forge path with the path of severing.
In the forge once again, Harry fed his qi to the flame. The flames quickly took on an electric green appearance as they burned bright. Harry sensed the flames absorb essence and burn away the impurities leaving only ash behind. As the flames burned, they leaked pure qi letting it rise and add to the impure essence. Soon the forge was filled with ever purer essence.
The amount was too small to matter to the world at large. Harry began shoveling coal and iron ore into the forge. Harry waited for the Dao to tell him how the blade should turn out.
He continued to wait as the ore melted and he added limestone. After a moment, he decided to make something a bit less complicated than a sword. Once the process was settled again Harry sat down and focused on his sixth sense.
The green flame was burning at a constant pace. It blasted the iron with high quality essence which passed through the iron and melded with the world. The iron needed something. It was changing but it needed another force to finish the change. Essence wasn't qi, it only left a hole, an empty spot.
Harry was getting close to solving the problem with his forging.
With further research, he learned a few techniques to better his weapons. After pouring the molten steel into a mold for stakes, he prepared to quench them in unicorn blood. The forest was lousy with the stuff. Since biological creatures naturally shied away from the blood and it was full of consciousness power, it was perfect. The essence in the stakes acted as a buffer protecting the steel. When they were quenched in the unicorn blood, they became cursed. Anything struck with such a weapon would have the bad luck of drinking unicorn blood.
Well Harry had the consciousness of a unicorn within his qi. That might protect him from the curse.
Harry waved his wand using the levitate charm to hold many of the foot-long stakes aloft. They glowed with a slight silver light. With a soft flick of his wand the stakes banished to a wooden target he'd made. From that point, a random bolt of lightning flashed striking the stump. In minutes the stump was ash and the stakes remained pristine and silver. Harry quickly realized that these weapons would be useless for anything but killing.
As the last days of winter break passed him by, he worked on making nails and broad heads. His skills with forging had increased quickly with the help of magic. He wasn't ready to make a sword again yet.
The mirror was gone before he could use it again. Harry didn't know how to feel about that. It had become an important tool. When he needed new information, it was convenient. It gave him titles and cut down his search time.
The night before the train would return, Harry took a trip into the forest. As he made his usual rounds near the dwindling unicorn herd, his sixth sense flared. Harry leapt to the side as an inky black curse hit his barrier, before sliding through and hitting him in the shoulder.
Pain shot through his body, as he felt a sizzling sensation spread rapidly. The scent of burning flesh filled the air as something leaked through his arm. Drops of bubbling flesh left his arm as his veins turned green. His skin bubbled and melted away and in moments he could see the bone in his arm. He opened his mouth and screamed at the sight.
The figure in black emerged from his hiding place. Walking backwards towards Harry. Green light swirled at the tip of his wand as the figure pointed his wand backwards. The creature's arm popped dislocating causing the front of the creature to release a pained whimper.
"Silence or I'll treat you to greater pain." The covered face said. Harry's head felt like it was full of cotton. Purity spiral had already eaten through half of his qi reserves to stop the spreading. Another black spell flashed striking Harry in the leg. Harry screamed as his flesh sizzled and his blood became acid.
It was only when the pain made him want to black out did, he think of a solution. He pointed his wand at his body. "Finite incantum," His blood returned to normal and purity spiral quickly charged into his wounds. Another black spell fired. Harry placed his foot on the ground and leapt away.
The damage to his left leg wasn't much but his left arm was in shambles. Harry struggled his way up a tree as a cutting spell sliced into it. As the tree fell, he scrambled away as the figure gave chase. His arm was healing rapidly but his qi was dwindling. Harry was running on empty. He moved downhill under fire. The edge of a cutting curse hit his side cutting deep.
Harry pocketed his wand and put pressure on the wound as he ran. Mind blinding pain hit him and for a moment, he was frozen before his qi drove the presence away. With dwindling qi Harry moved for the only safe place he could think of, the river that flowed from the forest through the fairy gate.
It was just one of those things Hagrid warned him about. A detail he hadn't put much thought in before. Another black spell missed his head by millimeters. If that had hit him, no amount of healing would matter. As Harry sprinted the figure moved at a sedate pace. He knew where Harry was heading and steered him towards it.
Harry made it to the wooden bridge Hagrid made for easy travel over the small part of Cocytus the river that flowed through the fairy gate. He stopped in front of the quick moving river. It was filled with chunks of ice broken off from upstream. The water was undoubtedly frigid and with open wounds, it would be even worse. Harry turned to see the two-faced creature approach him. Its wand glowed with green light.
From his side pouch, Harry pulled a stake from his bag. It was the only one he'd carried with him. The figure in black approached no further. Harry felt his finger twitch on his left hand. The arm was coming back quickly. The air here was thick with high quality essence. Harry's refinery was working rapidly to replace the qi he'd lost.
"I didn't imagine you'd be so impressive." The creature said in a whispering voice. It flicked its wand firing two inky black spells. Harry twisted and dodged them losing ground.
"In a duel every spell is must lead into the next one. The art of the duel is the lead your opponent into your design." Two more inky black spells fired, and the creature flicked his wand again. Harry dodged the spells only for another hidden spell to split open his thigh. While Harry was reeling the creature thrust his wand. Harry felt a powerful impact smash into his diaphragm.
Harry took a step back touching nothing. His qi was practically dry. Frigid Cocytus waited below ever patient. His wounds kept mounting with no hope of replenishing enough qi to survive. Harry pulled his wand thinking quickly there was one curse he knew well. "Siccitas," Harry yelled bending the full might of his consciousness power and his remaining cultivation base behind the spell. A blindingly yellow spell launched itself from his wand.
Instead of dodging his attacker extended his wand and caught the spell at the tip. "Your knowledge of the dark leaves much to be desired. Perhaps you'll do better in your next life." Harry flicked his wrist and the creature froze. A silver stake stuck out from the creature's back.
A smile spread across Harry's face. "How unfortunate for you." Harry said. The figure in black pulled the stake free as silver blood leaked from the wound. The creature pulled a small yellow potion from his robe and ingested it. The wound closed.
"How fortunate, I was prepared for such an eventuality. Good attempt a lesser wizard wouldn't have been ready." The yellow beam shot back, and Harry dodged it only for a final thrust of the figure in black's wand to send Harry over the edge. Harry pointed his wand at the creature with words for a spell on his lips. "Silencio," the words died on Harry's lips as he fell screaming silently.
The cold hungrily soaked into his body as Harry was caught in the current. He held tightly on his wand as the river took him far away. As he flowed away in the current, he felt his qi finally start to recover. It was the qi of the seventh stage of refinery that saved his life and kept him from drowning. If Harry had been a stage lower, he'd be dead suffocated in the river. It was the purer essence in the forest that helped him regain qi quickly. In the river, he was carried past that gate of fairy and into the old forest.
He couldn't help but remember Hagrid's warning. 'Remember Harry don't go over to the lands of fairy time is funny there. A day here is ten there and there be monsters older than the earth there.'
After the river took him deep into the old forest, he arrived at an ancient bank. Harry crawled out of the water shivering and spluttering water from his lungs. His hands dug through the sharp shell covered shores making his way up to dry land. The shells cut into his frigid hands as he made his way up.
Wand in hand, he pointed it at some brush he collected. Nothing happened, he continued to point his wand and will it to fire off the spell. He couldn't do it even with all his will. Harry stripped himself of his clothes and dug into the soil. Handful after handful of acidic clay flew, as he made himself a burrow.
With the last of his strength, he made his way into his den and closed his eyes to rest. Harry opened his eyes to his dirt covered haven hours later. His qi was recovering rapidly. Now he had roughly 20% of his reserves restored. His body was back in peak shape. 'One more thing Harry in the old woods directions don't matter. The only way out is to find a key.'
The only way to get a key was find it in the old night's castle, the fire giant's keep, ice giant's mountain, or the Drow underground. Hagrid had a key as the groundskeeper. Finding Harry in here was like finding a needle in a haystack thrown randomly in the Sahara Desert. His haven shook as something large began to make its way to Cocytus river for a drink.
Harry crawled from his haven to see a massive scaly green hydra drinking from the river. One of the heads turned to him. "Hey, look guys a snack." The hydra said. The other two heads lifted from the water to look at Harry. Each head was as big around as a beach ball they were thick and green. A wingless dragon like body with a thick heavy tail held the heads supported the heads.
"Wait don't eat me." Harry yelled.
The hydra heads looked to each other. They convened for a moment then lowered to him.
"Speaker child why shouldn't we eat you. What's in it for us?" Harry was at a crossroads. Should he smash the hydra's head or try diplomacy? For the time being he decided that diplomacy was the better outcome.
Harry took a moment to work his jaw. It was great being able to speak again. "I'm a wizard. If need be, I can help you acquire prey." Harry said.
One of the hydra's stuck out its tongue and hissed. It curled around Harry scenting him. Before it returned to its other heads.
"He smells strange but trustworthy. There is one prey we desire that we can't catch. We want to mate with the dragon Gondor. His scales are red as blood and easy to admire. Capture him for us and we will consider you a friend. Do not worry if you fail, Gondor might consider you a present." The hydra said.
The hydra was well over 20m from snout to massive snake body. She moved faster than a creature her size should be able to. Harry could sense small concentrations of magic in her body. He wasn't sure if his magic could damage her.
Harry had a quest to complete for the hydra. Honestly, he needed a guide around this place anyway.
"Where is Gondor's lair?"
Harry found the lair of Gondor. It was a burrow in the side of a cliff. By the claw marks and rock that had melted and hardened, this was dug by Gondor. Harry climbed down the cliff under the watchful eyes of the hydra. She wouldn't let him out of her sight until the deal was concluded.
"Remember we have your scent. If you run, we'll find you." The hydra said.
Harry climbed down the sheer cliff and made his way into Gondor's lair. He crept in silent as a mouse noting the skeletons of lamia and naga. Had the hydra attempted this with other serpents? Harry turned a corner to see a naga girl tending the flames beneath the dragon Gondor's bed. The dragon slept in a bed of heated sand. The naga girl's hood emerged when she saw him approach.
"Don't try it, the master will only kill you or enslave you like he did me." The naga girl warned. She was thin, too thin, her face was emaciated, and some of her scales were falling out. Her hair was burned in places. Harry sighed and took a step forward.
The second he appeared the dragon looked over at him. "Ah, a mammal that defect conned you into capturing me. It's too small for a proper slave. It looks even younger than the others. Slave what age is this mammal?" Gondor asked.
"I'm eleven Mr. Gondor." Harry said.
"A speaker, quaint. You are but a cub did the defect devour your caretakers." The dragon asked with a rumbling voice. Harry could sense a twinge of anger.
Harry stepped to the side as it splashed sand out of its bed. "No sir, I was asked to help her out in exchange for my life. She said if I tried to escape, she'd hunt me down." Harry said.
"I refuse to mate with a defect. My spark is more expensive than she could afford." Harry hopped upon the dragon's bed barely feeling the hot sand.
"Tell me then Mr. Gondor what is a spark and why is it so expensive?" Harry asked.
"Hm, you were given no knowledge only forced to agree. How despicable, it would have been kinder to devour you." Flames appeared in the dragon's mouth. "Would you prefer a quick death? I've grown skilled at killing quickly with my flames." Gondor said.
Harry appeared behind Gondor's head with a quick step. He hung to the edge of the sand bowl with his toes.
"I'd prefer to live. Now tell me about the situation. I feel that I'm lacking in information." Harry said.
"A spark is the core of a dragon it is our knowledge, power, and genetics. After we mate the female often devours our bodies to keep our spark to themselves. It's a necessary evil to limit the chances of inbreeding among our kind. Other species like the defect and the child below often chase us. If they can collect our spark their offspring will inherit dragon abilities." Gondor said. Harry blinked at the moderately large dragon.
"Why would you go through with it if, you would just die?" Harry asked.
"We are a long-lived species? Within each of us is the acceptance that this is the way. We are born knowing that we must sacrifice ourselves to further our species. No male may live beyond fifty summers." That made Harry curious.
"Who gave you're the name Gondor?" Harry asked.
"I am a red male born of a generation that can be divided by five. My name must have Gon in it. My dame gave me the name." The dragon said.
"Would you mind if I stayed the night while I think things over?" Harry asked.
"You may but there is no food for you and my slave hungers for fresh meat. She may strike you and devour you whole." Gondor said. Harry turned to see the naga girl looking at him hungrily.
"I'll be back, I'll find her something to eat." Harry said.
"The Hydra will be a deadlier predator at night. Are you certain you wish to go out?" Gondor asked.
"Sir, I'm much recovered. I'll find your guest a deer or something. She's wasting away." The dragon turned its large head to the naga. More of her scales had fallen out and her hood sagged.
"But I shared my kill with her only six months ago. Do other serpents need to feed more often?"
"Yes, they do. I need to eat at least once a week to remain healthy." The dragon stared perplexed its massive yellow eyes blinking owlishly.
Harry sighed and leapt from the cave. With his qi mostly restored, he was able to jump from the cliff into the tall trees below.
The first creature Harry saw wasn't a deer. It was a massive two horned horse that drove the unicorn consciousness inside Harry wild. A black coated Bicorn feasted on the silvery remains of a unicorn. It calmly feasted with little worry.
Harry dropped down silently from the tree on the back of the bicorn. The equine didn't feel him sit on its back. Despite the unicorn's protests, Harry slipped his hand through the bicorn's black mane. The creature realized something was wrong and suddenly began to buck.
When the bicorn shot its hindlegs up Harry leaned forward as it threw him to the side. The black horse spun ramming its side against a tree and picking up speed. It twisted its horns and Harry put more qi into his barrier. Electricity buzzed across the bicorn's coat steam rose from the mount's nostrils as its fur began to heat up. It reared up bucking in the air before falling backwards. Harry placed a hand on the ground arresting both of their movement. With a light push from his arm the bicorn was back to its feet.
The horse continued to buck and bash itself against trees. Miasma from poisons erupted across its body ineffective against Harry's barrier. As powerful as the unicorn's healing magic was Harry sensed the bicorn was equal in destruction.
After hours of bucking the bicorn started to settle down. Harry rubbed his hand through the bicorn's mane. The bicorn circled back with Harry on its back searching for its kill. They returned to see a group of black furred wolves feeding on the unicorn. Electricity shot between the bicorn's horns.
Harry's sever all orbs appeared behind him. He couldn't manifest them against the figure in black. Harry needed all his qi for healing.
The green orbs shot forward ready to kill off one of the wolves only for the creature to react and jump away. Harry flattened one and launched it watching as before it hit the wolves, they reacted. The wolves began howling and yipping as they surrounded them.
Harry singled one out as his bicorn launched a stream of miasma. Poison filled mists flew off the bicorn targeting the wolves.
While the wolves moved away from the poison twelve sever all targeted a single wolf. One shot out tentacles as the wolf dodged and dashed away. Only for it to dodge as the next spun disk flew behind it. Just as it dodged the last one a green spike shot up from the ground impaling it.
After the first death the wolves began to slowly retreat. Harry split his concentration in four places now that he knew what it took to kill one. Sever all orbs flashed hitting the wolves with three consecutive attacks. The first three died but the fourth one dodged a third time. Harry noticed this wolf was bigger than the others. It was possible this was the alpha.
Harry let twelve orbs spin around the alpha as he waited. He looked down on the animal daring it to react. Instead of disappointing Harry, it launched itself instead of retreating. It dodged five attacks before Harry managed to hit it. Instead of dying right away it cried on the ground as it bled out.
After climbing off his bicorn, he approached the bleeding corpse of the wolf. Harry placed his hand in the blood filling the body with qi. Harry felt the consciousness move from the body into Harry's qi.
For a moment it fought him before Harry's stronger consciousness power overwhelmed it. This wasn't like the unicorn. It rebelled, and Harry beat against the creature until something broke. Then everything that was the wolf became Harry's.
Five years of wolf memories flew through Harry's mind. The wolf had been special even as a puppy. It had an ability like all its kind possessed but its power was greater. It could read the future better than any other of its kind. It didn't know, it couldn't see, but it had a sense of Déjà vu. Harry heard a hissing sound before the hydra struck.
It was like he'd done this before. Harry dodged a series of bites. He leapt through the attempt to bind him and delivered a powerful blow to the hydra's mid-section. "You stupid mammal, you lied to me."
"Did you really expect to get the dragon out of his cave for free?" The hydra paused her attack.
"Go on, what are you planning?" Harry had no plan and was flying by the seat of his pants. The serpent's rough scales had torn the flesh on Harry's knuckles and blood was seeping down his hand. While the hydra had already regenerated from the blow.
"I'm going to woo Gondor on your behalf and convince him mating with you is a better idea. By the way do you plan to devour him after you mate." All three hydra heads turned to the side at that.
"Of course, if he is a poor mate. Does he have a fetish?" The hydra's six eyes widened as they tasted the air. "You don't know."
"Its complicated, but five wolves would make quite a gift." Harry said.
"Yes," Harry let out a sigh. He needed to find a way to get out of here.
Your mount is unnecessary. Harry's eyes widened as the hydra struck. Massive jaws latched on to his bicorn's throat as the other necks bit into it. Blood and venom fell from the creature as the hydra injected their venom.
Harry quickly put a hand on his bicorn and took its mind into him. It fell into his qi disoriented and scared. The unicorn quickly tried calming it down. Harry felt black destructive power surge through his body from the bicorn. The body went limp immediately after.
"You have a month until my mating season begins. Don't waste it." Harry knew that the best weapon against a hydra is fire. What he didn't know is why Gondor didn't kill the hydra.
Now that he took in the bicorn's consciousness, he had access to destructive magic. Harry held up his hand and moved his qi through the bicorn's power. Small orbs of poison, fire, lightning, ice, and dark appeared in the palm of his hand. In his current state, he didn't have much control. He needed more consciousness power and much tougher skin.
Taking the corpses of the wolves, he made his way up the mountain. He heard the slithering of the naga girl. She quickly took one of the wolves and wrapped it in her coils. Harry heard the bones break as her coils tightened around the wolf corpse. Once she sensed there was no movement, she opened her very human mouth filled with venom drenched fangs. She looked at Harry then turned her back on him. Her mouth stretched over the wolf bones didn't dislocate they stretched. The wolf quickly passed her mouth as her stomach grumbled for it.
She devoured all five wolves. Harry walked over to a corner and sat down. He began to meditate as Gondor snored.
Harry awoke in the coils of the naga girl. For a moment, he feared for his life only to realize she wasn't squeezing him hard. His head rested on her chest as they slept. Harry hadn't noticed himself passing out in mediation.
Author's note:
This won't last more than three or four chapters. Then end of the year begins. Please drop a review and tell me what you think in the shift.