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Posted January 6, 2014.

SUMMARY: The Commonwealth of Valicadia removes Harry Potter from his abusive relatives, and sets him up to attend the College of Winterhold in Skyrim... and Harry makes his first true friend in a ginger-haired Breton boy named Mazhe.

2: THE RESCUE

July 1996 – July 1997

Early morning, July 31, 1996
Little Whinging, Surrey

Number Four, Privet Drive was identical to all the other houses in the neighbourhood, with its neatly cut grass, trimmed hedges, and well-kept flowerbeds: the home of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, along with their six-year-old son, Dudley. If one were to peer inside of this home, one would see the typical photographs lining the mantle of the fireplace, indicating a happy family of three lived there. Yes, a family of three, not four.

However, there was a fourth person living at number Four, Privet Drive: a young boy named Harry Potter... the boy-who-lived. You see, he was left there almost five years prior, after a tragic series of events resulted in the death of his parents, leaving Petunia as his only living relative.

Life at the Dursleys was not easy for young Harry, being the unwanted burden from a sister Petunia had wished to forget about. What, with her unnatural... abilities, it was the last thing she wanted around her precious Dudders. The thought of it, her sister's spawn, contaminating her child!? HELL would freeze over before Petunia Dursley would allow that to happen. And so, rather than giving the child one of the spare rooms, she put him in the cupboard beneath the stairs, amongst the cleaning agents, junk, and spiders—much like one would treat something more apt to be discarded than kept—something she wanted to keep out of sight.

When Harry was old enough to reach the cooker, he was expected to cook meals for the family, at first starting with breakfast, then working up to the others. Chores were expected of him—hoovering, laundry—that was new starting that past winter, weeding the flowerbeds—that started the previous summer, and the boy was pretty sure that, come the next, he would be expected to cut the lawn as well. Harry didn't know it, but he was effectively doing the work of a live-in housekeeper at this point, having just turned the tender age of six.

Yes, that's right. Today was Harry's birthday. Not that anyone else noticed. He'd lived in this most unhappy environment for nearly five years, having been left on the doorstep in the early hours of 1 November, 1991, to be discovered by Petunia later that morning as she set out the milk bottles. It had only been two years prior that he'd actually learned his true name; most of the time the Dursleys had other names for him: 'boy', or worse, 'freak'. It had only been the year prior that he'd learned when his birthday was, finally daring to ask his aunt not long after his cousin's. It had earned him three days locked in his cupboard, but she still answered him.

So it was, all the occupants of Number Four, Privet Drive were still in the bliss of slumber on that last day of July. For Harry, it was the third day locked in his cupboard—this time accused of causing all the tires on Vernon's car to deflate. As was always the case, he had no chance to defend himself. It was just a strong-arm into the cupboard, the door locked, and then left to his own devices.

Harry only stirred slightly, hearing his horse-faced aunt lumbering down the stairs, but he knew shortly she'd be banging on the cupboard door, screeching for him to get up. Perhaps today she'd let him out of the cupboard longer than to visit the loo and do his business. Maybe today, he would get something to eat. His belly was beginning to ache from lack of food.

The loud rapping on the front door yanked Harry out of his half-sleep. Footsteps down the hall told Harry his aunt was going to open the door, and voices confirmed exactly that... voices which grew louder and heated, and he distinctly heard the strangers speak his name several times. Petunia suddenly shrieked, and loud footsteps rushing past his cupboard told him she'd panicked and fled, likely into the kitchen—confirmed, as he heard the swinging door to the kitchen bang.

More footsteps followed, and some part of Harry actually began to panic. Obviously they were there for him, but... that wasn't necessarily a good thing. He curled up on the small mattress, trying to make himself invisible... something didn't feel right. What if it was the orphanage people Vernon kept talking about?

Too late, the latch on the door was being undone, and the door swung wide open, revealing a figure crouching down so he could see into the space. And then...

"Harry Potter?"

Because the Commonwealth of Valicadia was not a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, they knew they had to tread very carefully in how they handled the situation. It was considered kidnapping. Cut and dry, without the sugar-coating. It was more than likely, no matter how it was spun, the Commonwealth would take a lot of heat from the international community.

However, with the amount of background information the Department of Information was able to obtain, it was clear the powers that be had no interest in ensuring the proper care was taken with the famous boy. As far as the Commonwealth was concerned, the gross negligence on the part of the English Ministry of Magic was far greater than the action the Commonwealth was about to take. The lesser of two evils. The greater good. A matter of protecting the future. Perhaps most important of all, to save a little boy from a waking nightmare. In the end, that was what mattered.

So it was, on that early morning on the final day of July, 1996, the silence was momentarily disturbed as a blur of figures suddenly appeared in an alleyway not far from the Dursley household. The trip had taken under two minutes, with them traveling by floo powder from the Ministry of Social Services in Trevelyan, to a public fireplace in Erwin. Erwin was the oldest city in the Commonwealth, located about six kilometers underground, beneath the cliffs of Dover on England's south coast. A port key completed the journey.

There had been debate on who all to send as a 'rescue party'. In the end it was decided that a trio of Aurors and a caseworker from the Ministry of Social Services would be more than sufficient. Alice Wheeler was one of the senior caseworkers in the office, having handled a large caseload over seventeen years at her job. She had a nearly spotless track record when dealing with the particular type of abuse Harry was suffering from.

They arrived at number Four, Privet Drive just after 7 am, and Alice knocked on the door, her Ministry credentials ready. It opened a few moments later, a woman narrowing her eyes at the people she found on her doorstep. She was tall, with dark hair and a horse-like face, dressed in a housecoat and slippers.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Petunia Evans Dursley?"

"Yes. What is this about?"

"My name is Alice Wheeler, and I'm here from the Ministry of Social Services." She held up her Ministry credentials. "I'm here regarding your nephew, Harry Potter."

"Oh. What's he done this time?"

Petunia's sneer was firmly in place, and she mentally tacked on a few more days to the boy's punishment. Bringing people to the door? What would the neighbours think?

"We would like to talk to him. It seems there have been a few irregularities with regard to his file, and we're here to correct them, ensure he's in good hands, and so on."

"Oh... I see... well, this... really isn't a good time," Petunia stammered.

If they were to discover where he was being made to sleep—she knew deep down it was wrong, and could land both her and her husband in jail.

"This shouldn't take long," Alice persisted.

"Mrs. Dursley, we insist," spoke one of the Aurors, retrieving a piece of parchment from his robes. It was then Petunia remembered there were other individuals with the caseworker... and it dawned on her.

"You're some of those people!" she hissed, moving to slam the door.

The second Auror simply reached up and held the door with his hand.

"How dare you!"

"Madam, please show us to Harry. We don't want to intrude longer than necessary," said the third Auror.

"Leave my doorstep, you, you, you... freaks!"

"No." The Aurors now produced their wands, and although they did not point them at Petunia, she let out a shriek, and tore down the hallway, leaving the door agape. The Aurors stepped through first, one of them directing his wand in front of him.

"Homenum revelio," he commanded, and instantly, several pinkish glows appeared. Two of them on that floor, including a small shape under the stairs.

"You two. See to Mrs. Dursley," the first Auror directed. The pair went off into the kitchen, while the remaining Auror approached the locked cupboard.

"These people are monsters," he muttered, as he began to undo the lock.

He pulled the door open, and stood back, letting the dim light flood into the closet. Alice's heart nearly broke, as she took in the sight before her. Glancing to the Auror at her left, she knew he was feeling the same thing.

A boy lay curled up on a mattress meant for a crib, eyes blinking at the sudden light flooding into what was clearly his prison. The closet was dirty, smelling of dirty clothes, although not the fault of its occupant. This wasn't a home—it was captivity. Collecting himself, the Auror dared ask, "Harry Potter?"

"Y-yes," the small boy answered.

"You have a light or something in there?"

"No, Aunt Petunia took it out," Harry answered, timidly, "Are... are you gonna hurt me?"

"No. No, 'course not."

At hearing that question, Alice came forward, also kneeling down so Harry could see her.

"Harry, I'm Alice Wheeler. I'm a caseworker from the Ministry of Social Services. We received an anonymous complaint about your treatment, and we're following up. May I ask you a few questions?"

"I... did I do something wrong? Are you people from the orphanage?" Harry asked, timidly.

"No. Though we sometimes do have to place little boys like you in places such as that, we try not to. My job is to make sure those who take care of you are doing a good job."

"But..."

"Harry, they're making you sleep in a cupboard. That's not right. Where does your cousin sleep?" the Auror asked.

"He's got two rooms."

"Two rooms?"

Alice kept the look of surprise and anger off her face.

"How about you come out of there, so we can chat in a more comfortable setting? My knees are starting to ache, crouching down like this."

"Uh, sure."

Harry was feeling a little more relaxed at the strangers talking to him. Maybe they were really there to help. But no, he remembered, last time people came to help, nothing was really done in the end. He earned four days locked up in his cupboard with only stale bread and water. Still, with the small thread of hope in the back of his mind, he obliged, fumbling for his glasses in the dim light.

Just as he climbed out of the cupboard to stand in the narrow hallway, there was a pounding of footsteps on the stairs.

"Stop right there!" A voice thundered.

The three of them spun to find an enraged Vernon Dursley at the foot of the stairs, brandishing a double-barrel shotgun. He'd obviously taken the time to get dressed, and had been likely listening to the exchange up to this point.

"I demand you all leave this instant!"

"Mr. Dursley. Put the weapon down," the Auror spoke, calmly.

"This is my house! Now-"

Harry didn't exactly understand what happened, but there came a noisy BANG, and the weapon was blasted out of his uncle's hands. He whirled to see a second man standing at the door leading into the kitchen, brandishing a short stick. Vernon was struck between being terrified, and being enraged. Fear won out, and he backed into the corner.

"Mr. Dursley, I suggest you stay out of the way," said the first man, who then turned back to Harry. "How about we find somewhere to sit, and get miss Wheeler off her feet?"

"Uh... into the lounge," said Harry, timidly, still concerned this would turn out like the other times the authorities attempted to investigate his home life. They'd attacked uncle Vernon this time! Locked in a cupboard until he was old enough to graduate, at this rate! His mind still racing with the terrible ramifications of this 'visit', he led the visitors into the lounge.

"I... I object to this... this—"

Vernon had followed them, his face purple with rage. His fear had only lasted a few seconds, really.

"Ah, Mr. Dursley..." The third Auror had swept in from the garden, wearing a predatory look on his face. "Won't you come join us? We've been wanting to ask you a few questions with regard to your nephew."

"But... but..."

"But, what?" The Auror sneered, "Didn't think WE wouldn't notice neglect toward a magical charge? Sir, you're seriously deluded if that's what you believe. Now come join us in the garden, so we might discuss this away from the ears of your soon to be former charge."

While Vernon followed the Auror, Harry hesitantly took a seat on one of the sofas. Alice took up Vernon's favourite lounge chair, while the first Auror stood off to the side. He didn't seem as gruff as the others.

When was the last thing you had anything to eat?" Alice asked, sitting across from Harry.

"I don't remember. Three days, maybe?"

"He'll need to see medical soon as we get back to Trevelyan," the Auror seemed to think aloud.

"Agreed, Matt. The Ministry will look after that sort of thing. We'll have the healers do a full check-up. When was the last time you've seen a doctor, Harry?"

"A few months ago when I, uh... fell down the stairs," Harry answered, his eyes darting to the floor.

Alice had seen that sort of behaviour before. A quick peak into Harry's mind gave her exactly the answer she'd expected: one of the Dursleys, in this case his much heavier cousin.

"The place we're going, you won't have to worry about 'falling down the stairs', or any other sort of accident on the count of someone responsible for your care. Harry, you're special. What your aunt and uncle have done to you is against the law... do you understand?"

"I thought that was just what happened to boys when they were bad," Harry answered, timidly.

"What happens when your cousin is bad?" the Auror named Matt asked.

"Well, not a lot, really."

"Completely contradictory behaviour. We've seen this sort of thing before between siblings when one is magical while the other is not," Alice commented, "At least two thirds of the cases, the magical child is moved in with a magical family." She looked Harry in the eye. "Are you ready to leave the Dursleys behind you for good?"

"Yes miss," Harry answered, honestly.

"Do you have anything you would like to bring with you?"

"I... have a few things in my cupboard... but it's really dark."

"I can fix that. Matt, go let the others know we're about done here. Harry, let's collect what you need from your cupboard, and we can be off."

"Yes ma'am." Matt made a path toward the garden, where the other pair of Aurors were still having a discussion with Petunia and Vernon.

As expected, the cupboard was a disaster, discreetly lit by the caseworker's wand. There were cobwebs, spiders, dust, clutter... most appalling conditions for a six-year-old boy to endure. There was a light socket, but the bulb had been removed. There was a pile of dirty clothes stuffed at the bottom of the mattress, and yet another pile at the head. Harry went to grab those, but Alice put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get you new clothes once we get to Trevelyan. Those things should be discarded."

"Oh. Well... then I just have this stuff."

Harry pulled a box of items out of a hidden spot against the wall, covered by a wad of old rags. Alice had seen this type of thing before as well. These were the boy's treasures. Things most would consider rubbish, junk, stuff to be discarded. Harry backed out of the cupboard, the box held tightly in his hands, and Alice closed the door. To Harry, it was finality. This was truly happening.

"Miss Wheeler? All set?" the third Auror had come from the kitchen, looking grim.

"I believe so."

"The three of us will be remaining behind to take the Dursleys to processing at DMLE in Erwin. You're taking him to Trevelyan?"

"The minister himself may want to have a word. The government wants to make sure this is done right," Alice answered.

"Safe journey."

Alice turned back to Harry, and produced what looked like a beat-up pie plate from her hand bag.

"All right, Harry. We're going to be using what's called a Port key to start our journey."

"A port key?"

"It's a very special form of transportation, for a very special boy," Alice answered, with a bright smile.

It had been decided that they would for now limit the amount of magic they actually used in front of Harry. The excitement of the morning was enough as it was. She held the plate out firmly.

"Got a good grip on your box? Good. Now grab hold of the pie plate."

Harry looked at it, and did so, a little shyly.

"Ready?" At Harry's nod, Alice spoke, "Goodbye Dursleys."

Harry felt the most peculiar sensation, akin to a hook being jerked behind his naval. The narrow hallway of the Dursleys fell away, and he was flying off in a rush of colour and sound. He redoubled his grip, one hand on his precious treasures, the other on the pie plate, afraid that if he let go, he might be permanently lost somewhere. It was the craziest form of transportation he'd ever heard of, but... if it was getting him away from the Dursleys, then so be it. He'd had to endure worse.

Then, suddenly, it was over. Harry landed on solid ground, a hand steadying him. His insides were unsettled, but he stood up straight, looking about. They had arrived on a raised platform in a circular room, with several individuals standing around, some dressed in suits, the others in—dresses? Including the men? Harry was confused.

"Clear the platform, please," spoke one of the individuals at the edge of the platform.

Harry found himself led to the edge of the platform, where Alice deposited the pie plate into a bin labelled with a long word Harry had not seen before. 'De-con-tamin-ation,' he sounded out in his mind.

"Why did you put the pie plate in there?" Harry asked.

"Because it was used, right? So it's dirty and they have to clean it," Alice answered.

It was close to the truth, but for a small boy, it was more than enough.

She then asked, "How did you like your first ride by port key?"

"It was weird, but it was wicked!"

"Good, good, because we have to do it a second time," Alice explained, as they led Harry from the room.

"I'm really away from the Dursleys... for good?"

"I promise, Harry. The three gentlemen who came with us are taking your aunt and uncle into custody. What they did to you is against the law, as I explained before."

"So they will be punished? I... I didn't want to get anyone in trouble—"

"Harry." Alice put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's theirs."

"I just..."

"It's all in the past now," Alice reassured, as they entered another room. This one was virtually identical to the one they'd just left, with another raised platform. This one, however, had a queue of people waiting. They joined it.

"Miss... where are we?"

"This is the city of Erwin. We're about six kilometres under the cliffs of Dover. You know where that is, don't you?"

"Sorry."

"It's on the south coast of England. The place we're going next is in Canada's Northwest Territories. Or, like this place, several kilometres below the surface."

"We're really underground?"

"Very much so." Alice could see the boy was having his doubts about the truthfulness of that statement. "We're a rather isolated people," she continued, "We have been for a long time."

"Oh."

Harry was still trying to work out how it was possible. A small part of him still doubted everything that had happened up to this point, but... just maybe...

The queue moved rather quickly, and as they got closer, Harry had to giggle, seeing the blur of appendages as the port keys took people off to where they needed to go. It was...

"It's like magic!" Harry suddenly blurted.

"I should have expected you to catch on," said Alice, as the group of people ahead of them took their place on the platform. "Just hold your questions until we get to Trevelyan."

"Then it's real? Magic?"

"Just hold your questions," Alice repeated, "We'll have a lengthy conversation about things over a nice breakfast."

At mention of the word, Harry's stomach let out a growl of protest, and the boy smiled broadly. The group ahead of them were gone, and it was their turn.

The ride was every bit as wild as the last, this time using an empty pop bottle, but Harry was ready for the sensation, and did a little better as they arrived at their next destination, only stumbling a little. They landed in an identical circle as the one they'd just left, and this time, two people stepped onto the platform to greet them.

"No trouble collecting him?" The man was dressed in a suit and tie, and the woman dressed in a business suit.

"None whatsoever. The Aurors are looking after the Dursleys," answered Alice, then indicating to Harry. "Will, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Will Jarvis, my immediate supervisor, and Jill Corson, another colleague."

Harry was momentarily confused at the hand presented him, but remembered seeing Vernon shake hands with people, and so duplicated the motion, if perhaps a little stiffly.

"Now as I was saying to Harry before we left Erwin, we might like to get something to breakfast, and have a chat."

"Breakfast? More like a late midnight snack here," said Will, with a laugh. Harry looked confused.

"It was breakfast though..." his stomach again let out a groan.

"We're seven hours behind here," Jill explained.

"You'll get a proper welcome in a bit, but welcome to Trevelyan. We're located in western Canada," Will added.

"The colonies?" Harry remembered his uncle muttering a number of times about the colonies—Canada, Australia, and a few other places that still retained some sort of political ties to England.

"We were at one time," Alice answered, "Many, many years ago. Just hold off your questions until we get to the office."

After stopping at the cafeteria to pick up something to eat, they gathered in a medium-sized conference room with a window overlooking the city. For a place where they did magic, it seemed rather mundane, with simple furniture, and muted decoration. Harry immediately noticed it was dark outside. The question of why, however, was again overshadowed by his hunger.

Will had only bought a small amount of food, since it was known that the boy had had very little to eat, and eating too much at once would only make him sick. So it was, only a few simple items were offered.

While Harry ate, he again posed the question. "So magic is real?"

"Let me ask you this, Harry," said Alice, who had sat across from him, "Have you ever had anything strange happen around you? Something you can't explain?"

"Well... there is my hair. Aunt Petunia gets so mad sometimes, she chops it all off with a pair of scissors. And then the next morning, it's all grown out again." The boy seemed to think a moment, then said, "Then there was the horrible jumper she tried to make me wear once. It shrunk itself so small, it might have fit Aunt Marge's dog. You mean, stuff like that?"

"Exactly. Harry, you're a wizard."

"I can do magic?"

"Absolutely. We think that's the reason why your relatives treated you so badly. We see this sort of thing sometimes, even here. We want you to know, Harry, that won't ever happen again, if we have anything to say about it."

"What if, say in a months' time, we could send you some place where you could learn about magic? What do you think about that?" Will questioned.

"Really?"

"If that's what you want," said Will, "We can certainly make it so. There are people who can make it happen."

"The person in this case comes from a place far away from here. We've already mentioned you to him," said Jill.

"Well... I think I would like that," said Harry.

He now truly believed everything was changing, right before his eyes. This was the first time he'd actually been removed from the Dursleys. Getting that far, he had to believe there was no going back. These people truly wanted to help... and if he could really do magic, then... whatever they had to offer, he wasn't about to turn it down. Anything would be better than the five nightmare-like years he'd suffered at the Dursleys.

"In the mean time, we would like to ask you a few more questions about life with the Dursleys," said Will, "I know things were difficult, but we do need to understand, so they can be dealt with appropriately."

"I... I don't want them to get in trouble..."

"What if it was your cousin?"

"Well..." Harry thought a few moments. What if it was another boy or girl going through the same thing? No, he realized, Will was right.

August 12, 1996

The past two weeks had been filled with excitement, some good, and some bad, as Harry adjusted to life without the oppression he'd suffered at the Dursleys. For the time being, he had been placed with an older couple in Trevelyan. Over the past twenty-seven years, Ellen and Joe Saunders had taken in dozens of children for the ministry on a short-term basis.

Most days up to this point were spent with the social workers, as well as a few teachers from the ministry of education, as they worked out where he was mentally. It was well known that the preschool years of a child's life were critical to social and mental development. Based on the investigation the government had conducted on Harry's home life, there would have to be some corrections.

Today, however, was a rather important date, since it would be the first time Harry would meet Savos Aren, the Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold. The social workers had most certainly explained who he was, but Harry was more than curious, given how they'd described him. An elf? What was an elf, anyway? Not having been allowed to read anything that involved fantasy in any way, shape or form, somewhat limited what he knew about such things.

A little after ten in the morning, Harry again found himself in a conference room at the ministry of social services. The usual group of people were present, and after introductions and small talk, Will took out his mobile phone, and connected a call.

"Guardian Elaine? ...Yes, he's here... five minutes? Super, see you shortly." He disconnected the call.

Five minutes later, there was a barely audible 'pop' from outside the room, and seconds later, the doors opened, to reveal a pair of individuals, one of which Harry had met before: Guardian Elaine. She was perhaps one of the most important people within the Commonwealth, being a member of a group of people responsible for the study and protection of a powerful magical artefact. To this point, he'd not seen the artefact, but from the description, it sounded fantastic.

The other person was significantly taller than she was, wearing a strange set of robes with a hood that covered his head, only exposing his face. He looked almost ancient, with dark crimson eyes, and a beard which had been tied in a knot. More striking, his skin looked to be a greyish-blue shade. He was most definitely not human. So that's what they meant by 'elf', Harry realized.

"Harry, I would like you to meet Savos Aren. Savos, this is Harry Potter."

"Mr. Potter. Glad to meet you finally," said Savos, as they shook hands. Harry had gotten slightly better at meeting people, and so the handshake wasn't so stiff.

"I... I've heard loads about where you're from. It sounds fantastic," he said, enthusiastically.

"For a young boy, it would be. Do be aware, that should you come to study at my college, it would not be all fun and games. Skyrim can be a hostile place."

"I know, Will and Alice keep reminding me about that. And Elaine's showed me loads of memories. But I want to learn."

"You also understand there aren't any others around your age. I have but one student who comes anywhere near your age, and he turns eleven next month."

"I still want to do this."

"Even though you have just been removed from a terrible place? I need you think very carefully before you truly commit."

"It's not that he's discouraging you, Harry," said Alice, seeing the sad look crossing Harry's face, "He wants you to be absolutely sure before you commit to it."

"And Savos, really, we will want to maintain contact periodically, to ensure he's doing well," said Elaine, "There are a number of things he needs to learn from our world."

"But Mr. Potter's safety is paramount," said Will, "The government wants to put as much mileage between him and his former world as possible."

"But why?" Harry asked, "Did... did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all. All you need to worry about is doing well when you start school in September—or Hearthfire, as it's called in Skyrim," Alice answered.

"He should know more than that," said Elaine, darkly, "Harry, there are a number of people from the magical world back in England who would do you harm. We're doing what England's magical government has failed to do. All I ask is that you trust us. Can you do that?"

"Yes madam Guardian."

"Good. Now how about we work out a few more details on what you'll be studying for the first year? I know some of it will be a bit dry, but most of it is about having fun. Does that sound like a deal?"

At Harry's nod, the expanded group got down to business.

September 1, 1996 / 1 Hearthfire, 4E191
College of Winterhold, Skyrim Province, Tamriel

It had been a busy couple of weeks since that first meeting. There had been numerous meetings after, a trio of shopping trips during which he was outfitted with clothes that actually fit, a proper medical exam conducted by an experienced healer, and an eye exam. The eye exam resulted in a visit to a strange facility within the hospital, and an hour-long procedure that permanently corrected his vision. Some sort of laser eye surgery, something Harry didn't understand. All he knew, was that he could see without glasses, and that was one of the best belated birthday presents he'd ever received. Well, one of the few he'd ever received, but in the end, one he appreciated greatly.

Now, though, it was time for him to move to the College of Winterhold. He'd already said good bye to the wonderful couple who had seen to his care since he had been taken from the Dursleys. It was understood he would likely not see them again. All of his new possessions had been collected and packed away in a miniature box, secured for the trip to Skyrim.

By this time, travelling by Port key was old hat for Harry. He, along with Guardian Elaine, Will, and Alice, were transported to a snowy courtyard of what looked like a stone castle. The sky was somewhat overcast, with the occasional snow flake wafting to the ground. Harry had already been given a thorough virtual tour of the land through a number of pensieve memories, and so knew somewhat what to expect.

"Guardian Elaine. Harry and friends. Good to see you again."

"Likewise, Mirabelle," Elaine answered, "The Arch-mage is expecting us."

"He should be down momentarily. He's been tied up all morning answering some sort of urgent missive from the Thalmor Embassy. In the meantime, if you would follow me, I will show you to the Hall of Attainment. It's the living quarters here at the college."

Mirabelle Irvine was the master witch at the college, and effectively the second in command. She was actually in charge of the day-to-day running of the college. None of the group were surprised to find her meeting them in the Arch-mage's stead. They fell into step behind her as she led them across the courtyard to a large set of doors.

Inside, they found a circular room with a number of doors leading off of it, and a stairwell leading to the upper floors.

"This will be your room while you're here, Harry. You'll be sharing it with a boy a few years older than you—you'll meet him a little bit later, he's in his Alteration lesson right now, I think."

"If I might make a few adjustments. Harry might like to have a bathroom and so on-"

"No," Harry interrupted her, "I think I should get used to things here... but thank you anyway."

"If you're sure. There are a number of differences between our world and here," Elaine warned.

"I saw the memories, madam Guardian."

Harry looked to be thrilled to be there. Oh sure, he had a bed all to himself back in the Commonwealth, but this just felt... better, for some reason. There was a desk and a chair, with a stack of books waiting to be read. There was a large chest at the foot of the bed, and a set of robes was set on top of it, waiting to be worn.

There was a second bed in the room, and another desk, this one piled with books and parchment. That side seemed to be a little cluttered, perhaps 'lived in' might be the better phrase for it. The other occupant wasn't a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination, and if Harry thought about it, his aunt would have had loads to say about it. 'course, come to think of it, his aunt wouldn't let someone that freakish through the front door in the first place! He tried but failed to hide a smirk.

"Something funny, Harry?" Will asked.

"Aunt Petunia would never allow someone to keep a room that messy," he answered, his eyes flicking to the other side of the room.

"But we aren't at your aunt's anymore, are we?" Alice pointed out.

"While we expect you to keep things relatively tidy, we don't expect it to be perfect," said Mirabelle, "It is a little cluttered, but acceptable."

"Oh, okay then."

A door opening and closing drew the group's attention to the front doors. Savos Aren had just stepped in.

"Wonderful, I see you've all arrived. Thank you, Mirabelle, I'll see to them from here."

"I'll return to my office. Harry, we'll talk again later." With that, Mirabelle excused herself.

"I see Mirabelle has already shown you to your quarters. Very simple rules here. Keep the noise to a minimum, since your fellow students may be engaged in study or delicate work. As you learn your craft, I will expect you to be careful as you practice. Do not engage in activities that may cause harm to those around you. And most important, I do expect you try your best. Are there any questions?"

At Harry's shake of the head, Savos said, "Then let's take a tour of the college, and introduce you to a few more faces you'll be seeing a lot of over the next few years."

That ate up the rest of the afternoon, with the group finishing up in the Arch-mage's quarters. Harry found the place fascinating, featuring an enormous circular garden growing in the middle. A good number of the plants were both bizarre, and intriguing.

"Alchemy is one of the few areas of study for which we don't have a teacher. If you show interest, I can set aside a bit of time to teach you."

"That would be brilliant," Harry agreed.

"Which brings us to the next order of business," said Will, "Even though you will be staying here, there will be a number of instructors who will be coming through to teach you mundane subjects, such as mathematics, language, spelling, and such. We will also work on improving your reading skills."

"And like your studies in the college's academics, I will expect you to try your best in those subjects being taught by your world, Harry. The mundane subjects are just as important as the magical ones," said Savos, seriously.

"I promise to do my best."

"Good. That's what we like to hear," said Elaine, "And I'm lining up tutors and instructors that will try and make things engaging and fun for you. If it works out as I hope it will, you won't know you're learning."

Early the following morning, Harry was awakened by someone rifling through a desk nearby. He'd slept rather restlessly, not being used to new surroundings and all that.

"Who-"

"Oh. Sorry." Harry focused on the speaker. He'd not had a chance to meet his roommate the previous day, since the meeting had lasted late into the evening. Harry had found his roommate already asleep when he turned in for the night. So...

"I knew you were coming yesterday."

The boy was definitely a few years older, with stringy, coppery red hair, and blazing green eyes that rivalled his own. Harry guessed he was easily a head taller, and he was already dressed in grey robes

"I'm Harry," said Harry, offering a hand.

"Mazhe," the other answered, as they shook. "So... the Arch-mage gave you a tour already. Saw you with your... well, with your parents—"

"No, just some people looking out for me," Harry answered, "The Arch-mage thought I might do well here."

"And so far?"

"It's brilliant," Harry grinned.

"Savos Aren's a great wizard, but he doesn't teach that much anymore."

"He's offering to teach me alchemy."

"Take it! Gods, take the offer, you won't regret it."

"I'm here to learn whatever I can and then some."

"How old are you again?"

"I turned six in July."

"Err... right. Pull some robes on and we can get some breakfast."

Harry only grinned, and stood up, knowing already it was the beginning to a beautiful friendship.

By month's end, the pair were inseparable. It had been reasoned that, since the pair were both relatively new at the college, with Mazhe having arrived only a year before, it only made sense that they be paired up for classes. Harry's tutors quickly offered to teach the ginger-haired boy as well, meaning that they virtually spent every waking moment together.

From the Commonwealth's standpoint, it was better news than they could have hoped for. Harry was rapidly finding a mentor in Savos Aren, and more importantly, a good friend in Mazhe. A quiet investigation revealed that Mazhe came from a small settlement named Ivarstead, in the western part of the Rift hold. He had lost both parents in some sort of attack when he was nine, and had been sent to an orphanage in the city of Riften. He later escaped, and ran off to the college, where he had been a student for the past year.

The pair of them had shared a similar experience—Mazhe, perhaps less than Harry... but both knew what it was like to be bullied, abused, mistreated. The Commonwealth's investigation into the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften painted a bleak picture of conditions there. The woman in charge was a monster.

By the new year, Harry had adjusted to life in Skyrim. The weather was cold and harsh, making it very unpleasant crossing the courtyard to classes. For the first time ever, he experienced a wonderful Christmas, with numerous individuals arriving by Port key from the Commonwealth throughout the day. He'd amassed a mound of gifts, and cards had seemingly covered the wall above his desk.

Said desk contained a hefty stack of books, a third of them having been borrowed from the Arcaneum, as the boy's natural curiosity had been at last uncapped. He was growing into a quick study, being gently pushed in that direction by his eager roommate and close friend. Though most of what they studied was still beginner stuff, Harry also enjoyed learning about the world he found himself in, immensely fascinated by the different history. If anything, he was finding his own world rather bland by comparison.

Skyrim, and Tamriel, it seemed, had an equally colourful history, and perhaps more so. Here, magical and mundane people coexisted quite happily (perhaps with the occasional incident)... much like it was back in Valicadia. He still found it confusing how most of the magical world kept itself isolated and hidden from their non-magical counterparts... as if one side would attack the other. Of course, Guardian Elaine had explained the reason, but it still didn't make a lot of sense for Harry. Perhaps when he was older, it would make more sense.

When Harry asked Mazhe what he thought, it didn't make a lot of sense to him either. Being able to cast magic was just a part of who someone was, not the end all and the be all.

"It's no different than who we were born as," he said, "I mean, you've got Colette, right? She's a Breton, same as I am. Then you've got Enthir, he's a Bosmer. Both can cast magic, both are scholars here at the college. Where's the difference?"

"Other than Enthir's mischief?"

Mazhe smirked. "Right."

"There's none. They're both real good... but Collete's really good at restoration magic."

"As it goes for everyone. Each have a speciality, something they do better in than the rest of their magical skill."

"When will I know?"

"You just will. I think you're gonna make a smashing mage one day. Now we'd best hurry, we're gonna be late for our Illusion class."

"If Drevis is one of his moods, he probably won't even notice we're missing," Harry smirked. That got a chuckle out of Mazhe, since it was agreed on by everyone in the college, Drevis Neloren was a strange duck.

June 28, 1996 / 28 Mid-year, 4E192

Returning from the Arcaneum to meet the afternoon tutor just inside the entrance to the Hall of Attainment, Harry and Mazhe were surprised to find Will waiting for them along with a strange boy instead.

"Where's miss Heather?" asked Mazhe.

"She's not able to tutor the pair of you anymore," answered Will, sadly, "Her mother is doing very poorly, and may pass on soon. She wishes to be at her bedside."

"Please pass on my deepest regrets."

"And mine too," Harry added.

"In the meantime, you need a new math teacher. This is Justin."

"Er... nice to meet you," Harry grinned, offering a hand. Justin was of average height, with dark eyes, fair skin, and dark hair that fell to his eyes. He wore a baseball cap backwards, and a dark red-coloured jacket with cream sleeves. It had a large white 'D' sewn on the left chest.

"Gods, you're still just a boy," said Mazhe, making his own judgement.

"Perhaps," Justin answered, unfazed by the remark, "But that's neither here nor there. All you need to know, I've just finished my sixth year at Sir Malcolm Davis, and I'm hoping to get into University after I graduate next year."

"He's going for a Bachelor of Science," Will picked up, "Meaning that if you two make nice with him, he'll be able to teach you science in a few years."

"Oh, well that's good then," Harry grinned.

"Where do you usually set up for study?"

"There's a vacant room upstairs. This way," said Mazhe, indicating they follow.

Mazhe was still unsure of the new kid. If anything, the boy was too young to be teaching, right? He still gave him the benefit of the doubt, as he led them up to the small room on the second floor they usually conducted lessons in.

Justin looked around, and noted the room had indeed been set up much like a classroom. It was clear the other tutors had left their own mark, with a blackboard being set up, along with a few other props and so on, all aimed at teaching younger children.

"Miss Heather and I did speak of where the pair of you are at, but I do need to see your notebooks."

The pair of them both produced their workbooks from their rucksacks, while Justin pulled off his jacket and took a seat at the table. He first picked up Harry's notebook, and flipped through it, humming in a few places. He then put it down. He then picked up Mazhe's. It was somewhat surprising, until Justin remembered Mazhe had not had any sort of education up until this point. They were at about the same place.

"The pair of you are in roughly the same place, that's good. I think for the next few days we'll just work on some review. That sound all right?"

"Yeah, it's fair," Harry agreed. Mazhe simply nodded, although he was on the same page as Harry.

"Great then." Justin drew his wand, and produced a stack of cubes. Another gesture had them scatter in a close but flat pile.

"How many cubes might there be here—no, no counting. Give me an estimate."

"Uh, nineteen," Harry guessed.

Mazhe shook his head. "No, looks more like twenty-three."

Will did remain until the end of the lesson, but for the most part kept quiet. This was more or less just to make sure the new teacher would be a fit. He was rather young, after all, but they had asked for not only a good student, but someone who was likable. Justin Fraser was well liked by his peers, one of the top students in both mathematics and science, and was already tutoring his classmates. It had been rather simple to hire his services.

Watching the three of them laugh together was all the indication Will needed. This was going to be a good fit. Harry and Mazhe were already joined at the hip by this point, and another young person added to the mix could never hurt anything. The thing was, in only a few years, Harry would have to make a decision. How would they all adapt, particularly should he decide to attend Hogwarts, such as his parents did?

AUTHOR NOTES: So, some significant changes from the first write of this chapter. In axing the Avengers from the story, I've most definitely changed the focus here, letting Harry and Mazhe bond a little tighter. The Commonwealth also has a much closer tie to Harry, even though he's in Skyrim. The Commonwealth's artefact is allowing the connection to be kept open, allowing port keys to work between the two worlds.

Justin will have a larger role this time around, rather than the 'fifth wheel' he was early in the original work. Him being one of Harry and Mazhe's tutors works out better than 'just being along for the ride', such as it was. But be ready to see more of him, since Harry will certainly not be setting aside his non-magical courses once he starts Hogwarts.