Chapter 2:
The howling wind could be heard outside the ship as it cut smoothly through the ocean. The crew carefully coordinating with the other ships in order to stay in formation to reach Kalimdor safely barked out loud orders on deck and men and women ran back and forth; their footprints echoing quietly upon the wooden floors. None of this reached one Harry Potter at the current moment however as his mind was pre-occupied with the most absurd tale… Well perhaps not the most absurd but still. Even fairy tales back home weren't as outlandish.
"So just so I'm clear on this. An undead force managed to rise up within the kingdom due to the apparent disinterest of the nobility in taking countermeasures immediately only to find themselves completely incapacitated when the crown prince committed patricide. The undead armada now lead by the turncoat prince annihilated the kingdoms allies; the magical nation of Dalaran and the kingdom of High Elves. Afterwards they summoned forth… an army of demons?" his voice trailing off at the end.
"In between all this however, many people have attempted to escape to the continent across from this one where none of your people have ever gone before. This was put in motion upon the words of the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore, who encouraged people to flee before the kingdom truly fell."
Harry's countenance was one of disbelief, not that the captain could blame him certainly. It seemed ridiculous to him as well.
"That is my understanding of it, my lord sorcerer" the captain remarked.
"For the last time captain," Harry began with exasperation, "it's just Harry, plain old Harry."
Indeed, having every witch and wizard falling over themselves in their haste to bow to him was irritating in the extreme. It served as an incredible motivational tool to perfect illusory charms though.
In hindsight it also was effective in driving him towards accepting the ministries offer to work amongst the aurors and unspeakables and look how that turned out in the end. Another fucking trap, yet one cunningly disguised as something worthwhile and intriguing; bound not by rope or chain but something far more sinister, perceptions and misconceptions. Too long had he lingered there and surely enough he had learned the hard way that bands of silk, silver and gold often tie you more tightly than ones of steel or magic.
"Forgive me, lo… Harry, it may seem difficult to…" began the guard but was cut off quickly by Harry's raised hand.
"I'm sorry captain for the momentary distraction; it wasn't out of disbelief for what you have conveyed to me I assure you. Just… unpleasant memories." Harry trailed off wistfully.
Shaking his head to help rein in his wandering thoughts, the captain was taken off guard by the intensity of the sorcerer's apparent gaze before him. Save for the battle at the beach, the sorcerer's attitude had been a farcry from how others of his ilk had acted. Granted, he had only known him for a handful of hours but his carefree and laidback attitude was truly a godsend. The people he had stayed behind for to defend until the very end hardly needed a dour, serious mystic barking out orders and demands. They had already endured enough hardship in their lives without strangers upsetting them even more.
"You were amongst the last, if not the last people to leave for the new continent?" questioned Harry.
"I believe so, many fled almost immediately from their homes when word went out the elves fell. Many rushed to the coastal settlements once they heard word of Lady Jaina's expedition and began passage west. The village we resided in was rather small and out of the way, it's why we weren't set upon for a time. We stayed around longer than we anticipated as refugees continually came by looking to escape. Eventually they dried up and we were decided upon leaving as well but then the undead came to us on that day and well… we knew we couldn't get all the villagers on in time so we chose to buy them as much time as possible. The rest is where you come in, Harry."
The captains eyes narrowed and his tone became tinged with disgust, "The tales told by survivors are disturbing. The undead don't feel pain or tire like other men; they're like vultures, sickening monsters whom feast upon the dead flesh of either man or beast. Their unending slaughter merely fuels their war machine, atrocious abominations and other dark creatures bought to life by unholy magic and…" the captain stopped here to take a breath, as if about to divulge something particularly painful, "the corpses of men, women and children." He ended in a whisper, perhaps in hope that volume of his words would mask his disgust at ever having to speak such distasteful words out loud for the world to hear.
It was difficult at times for Harry to be near non-magicals. Having no innate psychic defence their emotions in times of duress radiated from them strongly. To a master of mind magic such as Harry, it felt at if he was being drowned by the emotions that were broadcasting unaware. The lingering sense of despair, disgust and regret permeated the small cabin they occupied.
"Terrible tragedies indeed have your people endured, captain. Take heart from the fact you have served them proudly and with great honour. Many others have I known would have chosen the easy path, to escape without delay. Yet you stayed until the bitter end and saved many people; you walked the right path and need not hold yourself responsible for not managing to accomplish more." Harry stated solemnly, hoping his words could bolster the captains flagging spirit.
The negative emotions that once held dominion over the captain began to fade, replaced with a reluctant smile.
"You're right you are, Harry. Yet it's still difficult to accept. The trials we faced here are over and already we move towards lands essentially uncharted and we are void of any true information about them. Not the best prospects for people who already have lost almost everything."
Harry smiled encouragingly at the captain, "I give you my word I won't leave you all upon arrival. With any luck we can rendezvous with the other refugee's quickly. Perhaps they've even set up an encampment which we can easily find?" Harry supposed.
It was possible Sirius was on the other continent as well as his tracking charm hadn't changed direction much. Upon reaching their destination he realized that others may even know of Sirius' whereabouts, or even rumours of passing. He wouldn't put it past Sirius to prank people from another dimension, the cheeky dog. Perhaps this 'Jaina Proudmoore' character had magic that could aid him in his search as well. After all, saving her fellow countrymen ought to get him in with a bit a favour.
"You're a good man Harry," the captain said with a rueful grin forming on his face, "you're also a rather strange sorcerer. Most of them that I've met have been rather, well…" he trailed off, seemingly unsure of how to voice his concerns.
Harry answered his unspoken thoughts rather directly, "A bunch of obnoxious, uptight, arrogant tossers?" he finished with a laugh.
"Pretty much" the captain laughed alongside Harry, unable to think of anything to add to his rather apt description.
"Well, when I meet them at least it'll feel just like home then." Harry stated wryly.
The captain tilted his head sideways, his features tinged with curiosity, "Where do you hail from? Your accent is unlike any other I have heard."
Harry momentarily paused, as if weighing something up mentally before he spoke in a forlorn and soft tone, "Someplace far, far from here, captain."
Sensing the abrupt change in the mood, the captain stood up quickly and spoke plainly, "Well, you're more than welcome here. None of this captain business either anymore, call me Hadrian, by the light you certainly needn't stand on formality with us. I'll leave you to your rest, you certainly need it."
Harry smiled and nodded his head at Hadrian who walked to the door and opened it preparing to leave.
Before he closed the door behind him he turned to face Harry, "I'll let you know when we serve dinner or trouble arises from the light knows what in these oceans."
"Nothing should trouble us on the ocean, Hadrian. I took the liberty of casting protective enchantments that will most likely deter anything from attacking us." Harry stated calmly, his warding skills were impressive and his victorious encounter with the dead necromancer bolstered his confidence his work couldn't be undone or seen through easily by this world's inhabitants.
Hadrian nodded his thanks and closed the door. It was incredibly impressive Harry could cast spells capable of shielding multiple ships. From what little he knew it was very difficult to protect such a large area in such a short time unless the sorcerer in question was extremely powerful.
It was possible he was bluffing but Harry definitely didn't strike him as a man to lie so casually about something important, despite his rather lax and carefree attitude. His brutal and swift victory over the horde of undead and their unholy sorcerer reinforced this belief.
Hadrian knew they were extremely fortunate to have Harry with them and one day he hoped he would be able to repay the debt he felt he owed. He was not alone with this sentiment, as it was shared across many others on board the ships on route to Kalimdor.
Yet in time they would come to truly appreciate the magnitude of their fortune when Harry came to their aid. For Harry was a sorcerer unlike any other seen upon Azeroth; and so the Master of Death drew inexorably closer to his destination, and the world would tremble at his coming.