Chapter 5 The beginning
Author: dEBB987 Beta: Nyx the Author
"I'm incredibly blessed to be able to listen to your voice once more, Hadrian-sama!" Harry flinched at the incredibly loud words that were shout in his ear, and would feel really annoyed if it wasn't due to the fact that the tone had been quite shaky, as if barely containing the urge to cry.
"Is everything alright Pandora?" Harry asked worriedly to Pandora's actor, who was left in charge of Nazarick's administration. He had been so absorbed with the activities in his original world he hadn't even thought about communicating again until the second week of September had arrived. A whole month without supervision seemed to have shaken the overdramatic NPC.
"Ah— o-of course! How could it be anything but? The sanctuary made by the Supreme Beings will always be in pristine form!" the tone sounded calmer, dramatic as it was usual coming from Pandora. Harry frowns skeptically at the deliberate change of tone, crossing his arms over his chest as he laid back on the individual sofa he was currently using.
"Is that so? I will request something from you, and I expect nothing but the unaltered truth Pandora" Harry said warningly, which made the NPC overreact by hurriedly muttering German phrases regarding honor and loyalty. Already used to the somewhat weird character of Pandora's Actor, Harry actually relaxed at the response; knowing he would get a truthful answer.
"Report on the events that have passed in my absence." he ordered.
"I hear and obey!"
He sits in the quiet room, the sound of merry flames burning away in the fireplace being the only sound that accompanied Pandora's voice. He hums at some of the events, gives advice at others where Harry didn't agree completely with the plan Pandora was going to implement, and—
"…repeat that last part." he said, realizing what Pandora had said.
"…I apologize profusely, to bother Hadrian-sama with something like this, but if I could get a recorded message of your high person— oh, or if I could put you on speaker! Is there a way to do that?" the doppelganger asked hopefully.
"Not that I'm aware of. What exactly did the other servants tell you?" he asked, now worried.
"Well, they didn't say anything per se, but Cocytus has been freezing everything around him, the Pleiades were wandering around the 10th floor sobbing softly, and I heard rumors about the regular maids building up an altar for—" Pandora began listing off.
"That's enough, I think I get the point." Harry interrupted before he got to know something he didn't really need to "My absence has not been that long… is everyone in Nazarick behaving that way?"
"…Ah, I'm afraid so. While I know it's only been a week—" Wait what? "—the absence of our only leader has left a thorn in everyone's hearts—"
"A week?"
"Yes! 168 hours without our Master, 10 080 minutes without—"
"A week!" Harry repeated exasperated, he had been about to tell them they were overreacting for only a month of absence, but it had actually been a bloody week! The NPC wisely keeps silent during this small outburst, which helped Harry calm down faster.
He passed a hand through his hair, silently admonishing himself for having forgotten such an important rule when dimension-traveling. Time ran at a different pace, always. Still, he was glad that the time ran faster in this world than it did in Nazarick's, he dreaded to imagine just what would become of the NPCs that were waiting for his return if a week in this world had been a month in Nazarick.
At most, Harry would need to stay around a year, which meant twelve months. If a month was a week for them then—
"If everything goes according to plan, I'll be returning in three months."
"Three months?! H-Hadrian-sama has never been away for so loooong!" the "o" in the last word was outstretched, since Pandora had decided to use the singing voice that defined his dramatic phrases. Harry could imagine him taking a pose, arms raised to the heavens as if begging for a godly gift.
"I will communicate with you once per week, and you can talk with me if an emergency arises." Or at least it would be a week for Pandora. Suffering through a monthly call to make sure everything was alright in his Kingdom was the least he could do in the current situation.
"Regarding the other servants… please give this message to them." Harry closed his eyes, picturing Nazarick's Throne room filled with the worried expressions of his dear NPCs. With this image in mind, the words that flowed from his lips were surprisingly easy to say, nothing but undisguised truth and love laced in them.
"I am Ainz Ooal Gown." he said regally, in a manner a king would, before his voice softened for the next words, now using a tone a parent would when consoling a child. "And so are all of you. For as long as a single member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick is alive, then my legacy and that of my friends live with you. While I may be currently absent, do not fear. I will do everything within my power to come back to you, to come back to my rightful home." A soft sniff could be heard at that, but Harry ignored it and continued. "In the meantime, I trust you with my precious treasure, to fulfill your assigned roles and work together to take good care of Nazarick's grounds. To take care of each other, for nothing is as important to me as your wellbeing. You will welcome my return with a job well done, won't you?"
"Of course Hadrian-sama!" the words seemed to have been effective, and Harry's effort was rewarded with yet another loud shout right in his ear. He brought a hand to massage his brows, sighing at Pandora's overly enthusiastic response, deciding to leave his message at that.
"Thank you for your dedication, Pandora's Actor. I trust my message will be delivered word by word, using the exact same tone I used?"
"Of course, please leave it to me!"
"I'm counting with you. There is another matter I want to address before I leave." Harry said calmly, wishing some of his serenity would get through the message and reach Pandora "Do you have the contingency manual with you?"
"Always! I don't go anywhere without it" Harry didn't know what to think of that prideful response, so he chose to overlook that fun fact as if he hadn't heard it.
"Please say 'Summoning runes' out loud" He listened as the NPC followed the instruction; a surprised, theatrical sound being uttered no long afterwards.
"Take the form of a Magic Caster, it doesn't matter who so long it has an ample range of MP points. Chose a location inside Nazarick to draw that circle of runes, up to the smallest of details, and enchant the spell that is written in the upper part of the page. This will summon me back—"
"I will do it immediately!"
"No, wait Pandora. The circle can only summon me back once I've finished my Quest, otherwise nothing will happen and your mana will only go to waste. I will communicate with you once I determine it's safe to go back. Am I clear?"
"…Is there really no other way to—?" Pandora began.
"I am certain. Do you have any doubts regarding this task?"
"…None, Hadrian-sama" the answer sounded resigned and somewhat sad, but still infinitely better than how it had been at the beginning of their conversation. Glad he had taken care of this pending issue, he finished the call after an exchange of farewells, taking off the little object that had been placed in his right ear.
The communication device he was using to talk with Pandora was a round, smooth white pebble, the size of a penny. It would look like some sort of bone if not for the fact that it was covered in strange symbols, which shined in a golden light at determined intervals when the device was in use. Right now however, the runes were not glowing, so the drawing of the symbols seemed to have been painted with black ink.
He placed the little pebble back into the bag hanging around his neck, before looking upwards at the ceiling with a long, tired sigh, thinking on the activities he had yet to accomplish. Why did all phoenixes reject him? He wasn't a bad person, his Karma scale was actually positive, and he always tried to be gentle with the magical creatures.
…Then again, he was surrounded by servants that would be immediately considered as evil. Thinking that may have something to do with his dilemma, he took advantage of the momentary isolation his personal chamber provided, and used his Djinn magic once more [I wish for a Phoenix] deciding to let go of the tight control he had over his aura.
The Djinn were shapeshifters, and one of the few heteromorphic creatures that could play with the aura of power they portrayed. As such, Harry had been experimenting if that had any impact in his attempts at getting a familiar.
A weak phoenix summoned when Harry displayed a weak aura. It didn't result, but the bird was not as aggressive as the others had been either. A strong phoenix with a weak-aura Harry resulted terribly however, he could swear the damned bird had been trying to make him go deaf, the screech was simply too loud…
So now he was going to try to summon a weak phoenix when Harry had his full, level 100 aura on display.
A ball of fire appears over his bed, the entrance of the phoenix being something Harry had gotten used to, before a small bird falls unceremoniously over the mattress with a scared squeak. Harry blinked in incredulity from his position in the individual sofa across the room, positioned just in front of the fireplace, before walking towards his king-size bed.
The magical bird stares up at Harry with curiosity, letting out another little squeak. It was a terribly young phoenix, judging by the way its body was covered in golden feathers instead of red ones, and Harry didn't mean young in the "recently-reborn" kind of way. It was so unusual, to find a newborn phoenix! The magical birds only had one or two offspring per century or so.
"…Ah, I apologize, I didn't mean to take you away from your parents." Harry takes the small bird using both palms, bringing the young bird closer to his face "Can you return home on your own?"
The phoenix stares at him, tilting its head in something akin to wonder before it used its beak to take one of the raven locks that framed Harry's forehead. He thought the phoenix was going to pull hard at the trapped hair, but instead the bird moves it gently to one side, as if trying to comb it.
"…Thank you?" the young bird chirps happily at him, before it flies off his palms, trying to get back home. It fails miserably however; too young to be able to fly on its own, so Harry caught it with wandless magic, levitating the phoenix back into his hands.
Damn. He didn't know where the [Summoned] creatures originally came from, so Harry could not help it go back. He could vanish the phoenix, but that would place it on a random place and it was likely that the young bird would not be able to grow into adulthood on its own.
"I'm terribly sorry. It seems you will be stuck with me for the time being." Not the way he wanted to get a phoenix, and it certainly wasn't the regal bird he had imagined he would have as a familiar. If anything, the little thing reminded him a little of Ron's small owl, Pigwidgeon. His only comfort was that at least it wasn't fluffy like a fledgling would be.
Feeling the bond between wizard and familiar manifest, the golden phoenix flapped its wings enthusiastically, letting out a happy note. Harry tried to get the excited bird on his shoulder, but it lost balance and almost fell down again.
Where the heck was he supposed to place it? He couldn't leave it alone, young phoenixes like this one required constant company to feel safe and grow healthy, but he couldn't carry it in his hands all the time either.
Harry looked up to the ceiling once more, as if asking to the heavens why these things always happened to him, before placing the little bird on the top of his unruly head. The phoenix lets out a joyful, beautiful note, making itself at home in its new nest that was composed solely of Harry's messy hair.
He ignored the familiar, cackling laugh Death let out at his dilemma, going out of his room without glancing back at the source of the sound.
"Well, you always had a nest for a hair!" was the horribly amused voice of his old friend, even if he couldn't see the entity anywhere around him.
"…You're lucky you are immortal" Harry snapped, feeling something between annoyance and embarrassment "because if you weren't I swear to God—"
The phoenix chirps before he finishes the phrase, as if censuring him, before starting to softly sing a calming melody. It made Harry relax his shoulders, overcoming his slight embarrassment momentarily, before he felt the magical bird flap weakly its small wings and accommodate further among his raven curls.
"Aw, aren't you a cute pair?"
"Didn't you have a ton of work to do?"
They bicker back and forth while Harry walks in the hallway, stopping only once he reached his destination. Death leaves him alone with a parting, mocking salute, Harry answering with a fed up humph before opening the doors in front of him.
Please let the library be empty, I'm not in the mood to explain—
"Hadrian-sama?"
God fucking dammit.
"Yes Sebas?" the butler's blue eyes seemed fixed somewhere above Harry's head, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Harry smiles with resignation, thinking it could have been worse. If he had been discovered so soon by someone, he was glad it had been Sebas, since he was the only NPC that had accompanied him that had positive karma points as well. With a sense of justice of 300 points, the butler had an alignment defined as "Great Good".
"Ah, please pardon my discourtesy. If I could inquire about…?" the phrase remains unfinished, but it didn't get a genius to understand what he was asking about.
"…young phoenixes seemed to be more receptive. I simply miscalculated exactly how young my [Summon] would be." the little bird choses this time to chirp at Sebas, flapping its small wings excitedly as if becoming the butler to come closer, singing in welcome. The male NPC doesn't say anything for a short moment, gaze still focused on the top of Harry's head, before he places a hand over his heart and bows slightly in understanding.
"Congratulations, Hadrian-sama. Should I call Aura so she takes care of your new familiar?" Sebas' figure is steady, and the voice sounds serious enough, but Harry's sharp eyes could see the small, almost unperceivable smile that adorned the butler's face.
Sighing in embarrassment, he raises his arm, wanting to pass a hand through his hair as he was used to, only to stop mid-way by the loud, excited squeaking of the phoenix seated on his head.
Right. The source of this whole issue was nesting there.
"I'd have called Aura if that were an option… but the phoenix is too young, he will have to stay within my sight until it is a little bit older and able to fly." Which would most likely happen next month, if Harry had judged its age accurately.
"I see, please forgive my thoughtless comment." Dismissing the apology with an offhanded gesture, he started to walk towards the end of the room, where Harry had placed the vanishing cabinet. He intended to fix it this afternoon. Just as he reached Sebas' position however, the still unnamed bird started to chirp once more.
Understanding the loud request, Harry halted just when he was in front of Sebas, before taking the phoenix from the top of his head and placing it on the gloved hands of his confused butler.
"It should be fine so long we are on the same room, just make sure I am always in its field of vision." Looking down at the young bird in Sebas' palms, Harry smiled at it before deciding on its name.
"Welcome to Potter Manor, Lyre." the young phoenix that had been staring with undisguised curiosity at Sebas turned its head towards him upon hearing its new name, singing happily for a short moment as it flapped its golden wings enthusiastically.
"Take good care of it." Harry muttered, raising his gaze to meet Sebas'. The butler is a little too slow to hide his content smile; the normally stern, icy eyes now full of warmth as he responded with an elegant short bow.
"I'll let you know if I need anything to fix the cabinet."
And with that he got down to work. He opened the dresser and started to throw diagnosis spells at it, confirming that the one that was broken was not the cabinet he had, but its pair that resided in Hogwarts. He would have to fix it from his side however…
He digs into the dusty corners of his mind, trying to recall anything that could help him repair the piece of furniture. In the end it was not that difficult however. The pair of vanishing cabinets was still linked, even if it was a little damaged. Taking this into consideration, Harry's 6th attempt is successful, tracing a repairing rune and embedding it with magic to stabilize the fragile connection.
The symbol he carved at the end of the dresser glowed in a green light for a moment, Harry's magic traveling through until it reached the cabinet's pair, where he imagined an identical symbol would be traced upon the wood.
As such, in only an hour since he began to work on it, the vanishing cabinet is stable enough to use it as a gate, the [Summoned] pixie he was using to prove its safety having returned without any harm.
The sound of a calm applause comes from somewhere behind him, accompanied by the excited sounds of a bird. Wait, if Sebas was clapping, that meant—
…yes, Lyre was on the top of Sebas' gray hair, looking like a very weird golden feathery hat. Was that how Harry had looked like? It was no wonder even someone as serious as the butler smiled in amusement!
Ignoring the embarrassment he felt, he thanks the butler before rising from the chair he had been using. Closing the doors of the vanishing cabinet, he placed a mild powered ward around it. It wouldn't do for a Hogwarts student to get inside the manor by accident.
Ah, if only his experiments regarding potions were so easy to make. No matter how much he played with different combinations and magical properties, there was always something missing.
Passing a hand through his hair, he ignored the needy chirping of his new familiar, thinking on his next course of action. How exactly was he going to introduce a young, innocent phoenix to his servants who had questionable morals?
Sebas had a positive karma of 300 and it was quite fine. After him would come the elf twins, with a scale of -100… then Solution, then Shalltear, and at last both demonic NPCs, Albedo and Demiurge.
Deciding Mare would be the next best option, he sent a [Message] requesting his presence in the library. The male elf enters the room with insecure steps, mismatched eyes looking nervously at Harry, who was seating at the end of the room as far away from the library's entrance as physically possible. Lyre was on Harry's right palm, being held close to his chest in hopes it would not feel so threatened, and Sebas was standing still behind him.
Had it been an older, more experienced phoenix, the bird would have known there was more to it than simple appearance. Young as this one was however, it seemed to be instinctually wary, but did not reject or react negatively to Mare's hand when the elf slowly came close to pet it. Harry repeated this action with Aura, but other than being more wary around her and puffing its feathers a little when she petted it, Lyre seemed to accept her presence.
Solution was a completely different story however, the bird puffed immediately, letting out a warning sound from the moment the maid entered the library, even when Harry was standing exactly at the opposite end of the large room. As the maid slowly approached, the warning sounds turned into scared squeaks. Lyre looked up at Harry with a begging gaze, the puffed feathers were so straight than it made the bird look like an odd fluffy ball of golden plumages.
"She is not going to harm you, Solution is my maid and ally." using his free hand to caress the small head, Harry increased his magical aura as he tried to reassure his new familiar. Noticing the difference in power between Harry and the pleiade made the phoenix calm down enough to tolerate her presence at least, even if it still was a puffy ball when Solution gently petted it.
It was alright, he only needed it to be able to deliver things to the NPCs so it was not like they had to be best friends. So long Lyre could stand their presence without reacting negatively should be enough.
Deciding he had overwhelmed the small creature too much for its first day, he left the introduction of the last three NPCs for another date.
Faster than Harry thought it would be, the days turn into weeks, until he had reached the day when everything would begin. It was Halloween, October 31th.
Mare, Albedo and Solution are with him in the Potion's lab. The elf and the succubus discuss theories back and forth, writing down notes on which combination of ingredients could work with what, while Solution states how many batches they could make until running out of ingredients once again.
Harry was using a pensieve in the meantime. He was reviewing his memories from the years 5th to 7th in Hogwarts, choosing the ones he would be sending later in the night. This was a slow process, since he wanted to portray certain events without showing too much information. As such, he spends the next couple of hours reviewing the chosen memories again and again; filtering more of them until he deems it's acceptable enough.
Going out of the pensieve, he takes a relatively large flask to contain the chosen chain of memories. Feeling playful, Harry ties a small note to the neck of the small bottle, remembering with amusement the first attempt of the Floor Guardians at seeing memories.
Once that's done, he announces to the NPCs within the Potion's lab that he will return shortly, once he has sent the memories with Lyre. The young phoenix had grown up enough to know how to fly, even if Harry had been forced to take the form of a bird to teach it. As such, this was going to be Lyre's second errand.
When Harry opened the door to get out of the Potion's lab however, the view that greeted him made him halt in surprise. A dark feline the size of a horse shows its canines threateningly at him, the thin throat inflating in a manner similar to a blowfish with large, external spines covering the furless skin. Before it has the chance to growl however, Aura falls down over his head with a panicked shout of "NOT HIM YOU IDIOT! MARE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SCARE MARE!"
Harry chuckled at the heartfelt apology Aura directed at him, smiling with amusement at the female elf. Trust Aura to use one of the most dangerous creatures known to wizardkind for a Halloween prank!
The creature was a Nundu, a large East African beast that resembled a leopard. It moves silently, despite its large size, and is considered by some to be the most dangerous creature alive. The breath of the Nundu is toxic and filled with disease so potent that was known to wipe out entire villages of people. The Nundu is extremely hard to subdue, and has never been defeated by less than around one hundred wizards working together. Compared to the dragons used in the Triwizard Tournament, which were stunned into submission by around ten wizards, the prospect of this rare beast becomes truly terrifying.
And Aura had decided the best use for it was a prank.
The subdued Nundu and the female elf stand at the side with a bow, to let Harry pass. He ruffles Aura's hair with an amused chuckle before going upstairs to his room, where Lyre was resting in its perch.
The young phoenix has a combination of red and golden feathers which denoted its true age, but still managed to fly gracefully towards Harry. He moves to the side, evading the magical bird that had intended to land on the top of his head, before admonishing it.
"I've told you many times already. You can land on my arm or shoulder, but not on my head, you're not so small anymore" Lyre lets out a saddened note, before landing on Harry's outstretched arm with resignation. Honestly, he may have spoiled it a little too much…
Caressing the head of his familiar in consolation, he places the bird in his desk before taking out the small leather bag that contained the flask with memories and tying it to the outstretched claw of the phoenix. If Lyre had already been to Hogwarts, he would be able to teleport to the school, but the bird had been too young to send it in such a long trip. As such, it would have to take the long route, which was the reason Harry needed to send it with time if he wanted the phoenix to reach its destination at night.
"I'll be counting with you, Lyre. Don't deliver this until the owner of the office is alone in it ok?" the phoenix chirps in understanding at him, rubbing its head against Harry's palm in a way a cat would have, before flying off his open window.
Getting out of his room, a surprised male cry could be heard all the way to the second floor. Harry laughed softly at that, silently congratulating Aura in a prank well done before walking downstairs to continue to work on the potion batches.
Later in the night, an old wizard entered Hogwarts' Headmaster office, wearing an expression of worry and apprehension behind half-moon spectacles that made him look much older. He was thinner as well, something the Deputy Headmistress never failed to comment on with concern.
Dumbledore strode with automatic movements into the office, seating behind his desk. The events that had passed in the last few months where taking a toll on him. First, his wand had disappeared in August. It had not been stolen, but simply disappeared. He was sure of this fact because he had been using it in that moment, spell halting mid-way due to the elder wand vanishing from his dominant hand.
He had been forced to take out his original wand, and the fact that he didn't know what caused such event still made him lay awake at night. A thousand of hypothesis ran through his head, each as unlikely as the last, so he was already alert when Amelia had called for him on that fateful night.
A dementor's revolt in Azkaban, as if the Ministry didn't have their hands already full with the events of the Quidditch cup. Such a thing was unavoidable; he had warned Cornelius of that fact many times before it happened, stating that the dark creatures would not remain loyal to the Ministry, since Voldemort (or any Dark Wizard for that matter) could offer them much more scope for their powers and food than Cornelius would ever be able to.
What he couldn't understand was why the dark creatures were able to get through the wards placed to contain them, nor the reason the patronus were ineffective against them. He feared an unknown Dark Wizard was moving behind the stages, for if it had been Voldemort's doing, then the Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban would not have died. He imagined a dark, cloaked figure, planning an attack with Dementors that could not be stopped by Patronus.
It would not be fight, but a one-sided massacre, since that charm was the only defense the wizards and witches had against such dark creatures.
If he had had troubles getting sleep before, it was nothing on comparison on how it was after that particular event. And now…
He placed his head in his open palms, closing his eyes with worry as he ignored the muttering of the portraits in his office. He was wondering about the night's events and how Harry's name could have ended up in the Goblet of Fire when the calming melody of a phoenix reached his ears.
Naturally, he turned to Fawkes to smile gratefully at it, thinking it had reacted to his unease, but the bird was silent as it flew towards him, positioning itself on his right shoulder. Curious, he turned towards the window, since Fawkes was staring at it quite intently.
A phoenix that had more golden feathers than red was gracefully posed in the window that led to his office, finishing off its song with a beautiful note before falling silent. He uses his original wand to open the window, the magnificent bird flying towards his desk. Now that it was closer, he could see it had a small bag tied in its claw, which the bird raised towards him upon landing.
Untying the leather bag, he's surprised to discover a small flask with swirling, grey liquid inside. The contained memory has a small note tied to the neck of the bottle, the mocking words he recognized from the muggle book "Alice in Wonderland" written in it.
Please don't drink me.
AUTHOR NOTE:
For those that have read my other story, now you know why all the guardians drank them first! You hadn't noticed, I'm sure hahaha! You lucky readers, I somehow had enough time and inspiration to write down this chapter. Lucky you, lucky you!
Now, this is probably really the last you'll see in a while, but I guess no one sees the future. Next update may be in this story, or in my other one. It may be next week, it may be in two months, who knows? Wish me luck either way.
As for why Aura seemed to know the concept of "Halloween"? I'll write about that in another chapter. Let's just say the concept of holidays was entered when Harry got his own Kingdom, which ensued in a lot of entertaining situations that made him curse to the heavens.
Well, that's all. Hope you liked it and see ya' around. Whether is soon or not it's up to real life events I guess~
Bye and thanks for the support! Leave me reviews, those make me feel like I'm doing a good job with this story :P
*Words in this chapter 5.5K = 11 pages in Word.
Nyx: Check out my stories as well for more Overlord stuff, as well as some other stuff like RWBY and FMA.
dEBB987: Personally, my favorite is his x-over with FMA. A very interesting read, I really recommend it!