Harry wanted to rush at Brandon.
No, he wanted to rip the man's mind apart to understand how he knew of his title from another goddamn world, yet knew if he took action then the effects of the Guest Rights Oath would kick in.
And that was something he would rather avoid, like the damn plague.
So, he waited and said nothing, yet his magic had rustled the earth and wind, turning the air rather dense while the soil at his feet and those in the surroundings became harder than stone in just a mere few moments.
Harry maintained eye contact with Brandon, never once breaking away as the atmosphere between the two grew tenser and expanded out to the others watching from nearby, expect Brandon's younger brother, who was close by but stood dead still, keenly watching Harry for any hostile reaction.
Once a whole minute had passed, Brandon spoke after noticing Harry's temper had calmed as the air and land began to ease in tension and pressure.
However, Harry's eyes sharpened, not only on his figure but the surroundings as well, searching for a means to escape in the worst-case scenario.
"I have heard… and seen all the work you have accomplished for your people… for your empire.
The Old Gods blessed me with visions before leaving the Godswood of Durran Godgrief's lands, of a man that would fall from the sky, having saved his people and those of a similar kind from a miserable future to a world he'd rebuilt far greater and stronger than ever previous.
I do not know why you have led such a tough and selfless life, Hadrian, but I know the Old Gods would not inform me of your arrival if it wasn't for some honest to good reason." Brandon maintained eye contact while he spoke, only to break away so he could face the white trunk of the Heart tree.
"The Old Gods in their wisdom showed me the life… of one Harry James Potter, The Boy Who Lived," before he could continue further, without even having to turn around, Brandon knew he unleashed a beast long left sealed away.
Hell, even his family knew what he had said was not wise to say, yet they knew nothing of what he saw and witnessed by the will of the Old Gods.
In comparison to the Night King Beyond-the-Wall, Hadrian has fought greater odds and kept his sanity to provide not just for himself, but the world at large as evident by the simple fact of the Terra Empire's existence, and the world that holds their power.
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Harry on the other hand was furious that someone from this world already knew of his past, especially a title he long wished to leave behind, though couldn't escape it even with his family alive and well.
"What… did… you… see?" whispered Harry, yet his words sent cold chills not of ice and winter, but death down the backs of all close by, causing many tame reactions, yet Brandon stood tall, as if unaffected by the increasingly heavy magically charged energy bearing down on his shoulders with his back to the furious wizard.
"*Sigh* Far more than I should have… yet the Old Gods deemed it worthy of my knowing, even if such knowledge would turn a sane man mad."
Harry saw the truth in the man's eyes as they were filled with all sorts of emotions that they felt somewhat familiar, though it wasn't just in response to the life of Harry James Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, but the sorrows and pain from his own life as Brandon Stark, the Builder.
Sensing the basic thoughts coming off Brandon, Harry realised the young gruff man had experienced his own harrowing past that continued to haunt him, even after his many achievements would leave a legend behind to last eons.
"Did the Gods say anything regarding my fate in this world, Brandon?"
Noticing the heaviness from earlier had dissipated and the anger clouding Harry's reasoning had lessened, Brandon replied, "To lead the First Men from the Shadows, while the Alpha Wolf leads the greater pack of the North, all for the betterment and survival of this world."
Harry couldn't make sense of the statement at first, but understood part of it, much of which meant he'd be spending more time in the Kingdom of the North than he might have originally planned.
"Very well… if the Gods have deemed as much, then who am I to disagree," Harry said with a lighter tone carrying his voice, just as his clothes altered from the large wool, fur cloaks, and a thick tunic underneath, to a regal attire made of Dragon Skin and Basilisk Scales, with Acromantula silk.
Along with his Axe and Sword bound to his waist, Harry's appearance left all present wide eyed by the power he naturally emanated and the ease at which he utilised magic freely, without any chants or using a medium of some kind.
Willing his magic forth, Harry had it intertwin with that of the Heart tree, causing a positive reaction between the two forces of energy to not only blend together without fault but begin increasing the density of the magic in the surroundings, as it began improving the state of the untainted raw magical energy of the land.
"I, Hadrian, the Son of James, Grandson of Fleamont, Blood of Charlus, Blood to Arcturus, Godson of Sirius, Blood to Remus, called upon the magiks of Houses Potter, Black, Heiðran, Sayre, Eveningshade, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Peverell to watch over the bond formed by the Old Gods.
To keep it pure.
To keep it strong.
To keep it righteous.
To keep it honourable.
To keep all those, it encompasses safe.
So Mote It Be."
The coursing rush of magical power spread across the Godswood, seeping deep into the earth and the roots of the Heart tree, while the Direwolves of House Stark found the very same magic granting strength and power they weren't aware of it in the past.
Yet now they howled out at the sky covered mostly by the overextended branches of the Heart tree, as the rush of foreign energy entering their bodies sent crushing pains throughout their bodily systems, leaving them hanging on the edge of consciousness until the magic finally settled and the changes were accepted by their new stronger forms.
The Starks watched in horror at first before astonishment as their lifelong companions and sigil of their House grew in size and gained far greater shape along with weight that made them true war beasts in their service if ever they were required for war.
"I think it's time we get to know each other's family and loved ones, don't you think so, Heahþrym Magnar?" questioned Harry, only for dozens of people to suddenly appear, dressed in elegant and rich clothing's from the Pocket Dimension World into the clearing.
The Direwolves were already up from the changes to their bodies and became nothing more than curious about the presence of the new strangers, already advised by the magic Harry recently employed to know they were friendlies.
So, it wasn't odd for those from the Pocket Dimension to see Daphne patting a Direwolf that made his way over to her without being called, though the scene was rather shocking for members of House Stark.
Daniel and the Great Alpha Wolf, and one of his Alpha's, Remus Lupin, along with a dozen others, caused the largest reaction in the Direwolves, drawing everyone's attention for a time as both sides communicated through eye contact until Daniel pulled away and spoke, "It appears House Stark is fated to gain the strength and wisdom of a Great Alpha Wolf, evolved from their familiars bound to Stark blood."
Daniel, with Harry's silent approval, showcased his Great Alpha Wolf form, leading to Remus and the dozen other to do the same, which caused the Direwolves sized a bit more than a healthy large horse to kneel before the True Alpha of the Wolffolk.
It had caused the members of House Stark to freeze at the sight of the huge giants, but the actions of their Direwolves drew icy glares from most, except Brandon who waved his hand to calm the increasing temper of his loved ones.
It wasn't long before they witnessed the largest wolf of the lot to turn and face the emerald eyed wizard, before kneeling at his side, showcasing his allegiance to High King Hadrian.
Brandon appeared to be the only person uninterested by the actions of Daniel, Remus, and the others, including the Direwolves, whereas the rest of his family and loved ones were utterly shocked by what they witnessed.
Harry however suspected Brandon knew most things or had witnessed them through the actions of the ones he called the 'Old Gods'.
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A lot of eyes were on the large group of people leaving the Godswood, especially those unseen previously, however what left most puzzled and stunned were the size of the Direwolves that now roamed beside their bonded Stark.
Majority of the people ended up forgetting about the large group as they continued walking towards the Great Hall, most of whom were wearing far less clothing than deemed sane in the North without a single worry in the world about the harsh winter.
Brandon left ahead of the rest to organise the grand feast for the evening, while the others stopped every so often to admire different parts of the castle on their way to the Great Hall, with a couple of suggestions offered every so often to improve the home of the Starks.
Brandon's younger brother, Alaric, eagerly showcased his home to the guests, only to find their thoughts about various points for improvements were valid when discussing the castle and the land surrounding it.
He wasn't talented like his brother to help forge a castle with his magic through the True Tongue of the Blessed Children of the Old Gods, however the Second Son of House Stark knew more than he let on about construction, and crafting, a natural skill to have formed from a young age.
As a son of House Stark, the Kings of Winter for the last couple centuries in the North, Alaric learnt various crafts to satiate his natural talent, only for the passion to be buried under the tension of survival against not only the harsh climate but the supernatural.
What the young man hadn't noticed was the keen eye from one of the guests focused on his actions and behaviour when suggestions were made, and the realisation of the improvements made sense in his mind.
The once fabled wise Metal Forger of the Isu, known to most simply as Heph, had become part of Harry's greater circle of allies, and gained the opportunity to travel outside of the Pocket Dimension World, only to discover the land of vast opportunities and countless possibilities after seeing part of the North.
Yet the one thing to catch his mind and complete attention, within reason, had to be Alaric Stark, the younger brother of the High King of the North.
He wasn't the only one drawn to the young man, with Aelius closely watching Alaric, though very few noticed, and those who did chose to ignore it as they were concentrated on the castle of Winterfell, their new home for a time.
Harry and the others predicted Brandon would offer them land in the North, though none knew where exactly, and the responsibilities with said duty.
Thankfully, the specific discussion didn't begin for some time, as they were housed safely in Winterfell, and used Wintertown as the breaking ground for some of their innovations to ease the day-to-day life for the smallfolk.
Though it only came to be after gaining the authority of Brandon to proceed, they began to improve the state of life across Wintertown, and hopefully draw more smallfolk in time to call it home.
Harry and others even utilised their magic, aware the people had seen Brandon's own magical prowess, and were accepting of others doing the same if they were in service of House Stark.
All this was done to ensure people wouldn't have to constantly rely on scavenging for food just to survive another day until they failed enough times in a row that they came before Death.
It happened to be a sticking point for Harry, as he'd seen the state of the smallfolk of the North and was far from happy at their state in life, especially for such a large Kingdom.
Though the number of Giants and Children of the Forest present had made life easier, not only for Harry's people or their own, but more importantly the smallfolk by joining the Kingdom of the North from the lands Beyond-the-Wall and helping the progress of various projects.
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It all started with the Giants chief, Gathor, and the leader of the Children, Chit, gathering together with Brandon to begin discussions involving their aid to not only develop Wintertown, but also create dwellings for both species, and create regular work for them to become part of the North in a way that they couldn't be removed down the road.
At first, the conversation wasn't going as Harry had hoped, but after he joined the talks with a few guarantees and oaths made before a Heart tree, the wizard brought the two magical species of this world together to kneel and accept House Stark and the Kings of Winter as the rightful Kings to lead their people.
This assured their continued existence against the expansion of mankind and their cruelty, while strengthening the North in more ways than one could have ever imagined simply by their presence and knowledge aiding the Kingdom's progress.
Harry advised both Gather and Chit of his immortality, with Brandon supporting his claim from what he saw through the Old Gods, leaving the newly titled High Magnar Gathor of House Giantsclub and High Magnar Chit of the Children of the Forest not just surprised beyond reason, but left speechless once they heard of the Pocket Dimension World.
At this point Hephaestus joined the private meeting that continued to grow in size, explaining all the projects he'd overseen as of late, once he along with his daughter became the newest residents of the small private dimension.
Harry already sensed its recent growth in size due to his magical core absorbing the raw magical energy exuded by the Heart Tree of Winterfell's Godswood, as most of the power went to reinforcing both pocket dimensions Harry had bound to his soul long ago.
The Giants and Children of the Forest were granted sanctuary if they so choose in the future for whatever reason they would be required to leave the North, however with his presence in the world, such course of events was unlikely.
Hephasestus even promised to take some of the older clans of the Giants and Children of the Forest away to visit the Pocket Dimension World to gain a better understanding of the place and life there.
Either way such an offer, while drawing them away from their homeland, was ideal to protect the two ancient and magical species, especially after the sacrifices they made during the war of the Long Night, in which they fought a being of immense supernatural power.
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It was at this point Harry learnt of the Night's King and the truth behind its creation, one that spoke of the brutality and ruthlessness of the First Men once they came to accept the foreign land as their own.
In a desperate attempt to save their kind and homeland, a small enclave that was struck down by a rogue group of First Men, had caused some of the youth to survive the onslaught to utilise their magic in creating the first being known as a White Walker.
The magic utilised in its creation happened to be necromancy, mutating the individual through the beliefs, emotions, and vision for the creature by the remaining survivors of the enclave.
For a time, the first White Walker remained in the control of the enclave, however it turned against them during a battle against First Men, as it began to slaughter their brethren, only for them all to be raised as Wights in service of the first White Walker.
Gathor and Chit went further by explaining the losses they incurred during the war, with the survivors taking up residence in the region known as the Gift in another verse, after helping construction the icy wall separating the Kingdom from the lands further up north where the White Walkers had disappeared off to.
Harry couldn't help but seethe in anger at the actions of the Children of the Forest in creating the abomination, yet he faulted the First Men who indiscriminately killed the native species to the lands they had invaded upon without concern of repercussions.
Making his thoughts known to not just Gathor and Chit, but Brandon, Harry proposed they work together to begin improving the North and increasing their numbers over time so they wouldn't die out in the future, especially in the case of the Night's King return.
Such a proposition was agreed upon, and thus a new pact was forged, though one utilising Harry's own magical strength to bind it, with a Heart tree present to oversee the conditions of the oath.
Hephaestus became witness to the event, a figure that would rise to great heights in the history of the North to rival the Starks in prestige.
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Beside those present during the discussion, none were privy to the new pact formed, though it was noted by Brandon for future Heads of House Stark to understand through his private journal, which was strongly advise by Harry for the Kings of Winter to follow through with, as each began their own reign.
His forefathers had done the same, but some were not overly descriptive of their lives, rather instead focused on other matters pertaining to ruling.
In the meantime, Harry advised Milly to begin settling their people on the land awarded to them by House Stark on the outskirts of Wintertown as their first base of operations in the North.
It didn't seem like much at first, since it was largely an unkept forest but over the course of a few days and weeks, a manor of British and Northern architectural styles, with elements of French Renaissance.
Combined with lush gardens of native plants to the North that were procured by the various scouting teams sent out to gain a lay of the land, the manor became home to the rise of Clan Heiðruind in the Kingdom of the North.
Harry began to call over the numerous families and magical species from the Pocket Dimension World that could manage their illusion charm while taking up various roles like guard, servant, or craftsmen throughout the manor and lands under their control, while also working in the expanded underground production facilities.
There was no urgency to fill the positions throughout the manor immediately, but Milly made sure Clan Heiðruind, along with House Potter, Black, Longbottom, Weasley, Dagworth-Granger, Greengrass and so forth were seen actively serving the interests of House Stark in Wintertown as they all had guards and banners raised of their Houses to showcase their movement around the region.
Most people could remain safely alive in the Pocket Dimension World without having to leave, but Harry wanted everyone to experience life in the new world at one point or another.
For now, those who came outside onto the land of the North were given specific tasks, some of which required them to manage production lines at the manor which soon became known as Peverell's Bastion throughout Wintertown.
Carriages would travel daily from the manor on the newly laid roads of wide countenance to Wintertown, carrying fresh produce, clothing, blankets, kitchenware, and other basic items all people should have regardless of their station in life.
Clan Heiðruind chose to manage the costs for now and willingly handed out the goods to the smallfolk, all in the hopes to spread the items across the North in time, helping improve the standard of living for Northern First Men, and those across the rest of Westeros in time.
They distributed the goods from the newly organised open markets, drawing plenty of attention from Wintertown's smallfolk.
Handing out blankets, warm and thick clothing, food, kitchenware, coal, and much more wasn't much of a task for the staff of Peverell's Bastion, yet it drew more attention to their generous actions.
Best of all, none had to suffer from a lack of shelter as magical tents were setup in a specific area of Wintertown, with guards sent over from Peverell's Bastion and Starks own men included to patrol the grounds.
Once every knew how to use the magical tents, most people were taking up residence in the magical artifacts that were improved by Grandmasters such as Hephaestus, Ragnok, Kevngor and Olar, the Gnome King.
The four Grandmaster Smiths and Crafters expanded not just the size of the tent's interior but made it possible to allow room for around 100 people in each tent.
Set up from the inside to have living standards like those of apartment complexes from a modern world, the smallfolk would find themselves appearing in a long hallway with doors leading into the separate homes once they walked past the tent flaps upon its entrance.
All the homes were already filled with furniture, bedding, kitchen and dishware, a working bathroom, shower, and much more, so there wasn't much else on offer in Wintertown for the people to continue living there after the news was spread of the high living standards.
So as the smallfolk from Wintertown and other smaller settlements nearby travelled over to make use of the tent homes available, while the rest of Clan Heiðruind, House Potter and her allies were rebuilding the town, so it was actually worthy of the seat of the Kings of Winter.
Dwarves, Goblins, Gnomes, Centaurs, Aelflyn, Merfolk, Wolffolk, Giants, and many other species disguised through Illusion Charm artifacts, worked side by side to construct the foundation of what would become one of the largest and greatest cities of the world and the best representation of the whole North.
They freely utilised their magic, with the smallfolk believing they were likely students of their Heahþrym Magnar, especially after witnessing the Children of the Forest, Giants of House Giantsclub, and their mammoths helping in the construction of Wintertown, that would eventually become Wintercity.
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While this occurred, Milly had her Aelflyn join various men of House Stark to travel across the North to meet all the Houses loyal to the Kings of Winter, and even others willing to begin trading resources.
The reason for this was to ensure all their products were eventually made from procured resources of the North, which Milly knew would be vital in the long run to form a stronger unity amongst the nobility of the North.
Harry, in the meantime, worked on a separate project to ensure resources taken from the land could be refilled or recycled in some form or another so that the North wouldn't dry itself of natural resources over the course of a couple centuries because of their forward progress.
While he was occupied, the travelling Aelflyn were on course to meet with the petty Kings and Magnars of the North, spanning over the course of several months to complete due to the distances being travelled daily.
It was necessary for the Aelflyn to appear normal to the Stark guards as they couldn't showcase the full extent of their magical abilities just yet as per Harry's orders.
During this large window of time, the changes to Wintertown were finalized as homes were made similar to the modern homes of the magical tents, allowing the smallfolk to take up residence in the town instead.
Buildings were constructed in anticipation of businesses opening in due time to deal with the growing populous, as it was inevitable for trade to form with an economy taking shape.
Districts were set up to organise not just the residents of Wintertown but the visitors, so they didn't travel to areas not necessary or visited facilities that were guarded and protected by House Stark, Clan Heiðruind, House Potter, and their allies.
Public bathhouses, toilets, and warm water fountains were just one of the countless offerings set up for the smallfolk to utilise, and keep themselves healthy throughout the year, no matter the climate.
Wards were set up around the whole town and into its foundation to keep the place warm and safe from the chills of winter if they became overly strong, which included a sewage system that captured the water from melted snow and filtered it either for drinking, showering, or other uses.
All the houses that were built for the smallfolk and businesses were connected to the sewage system and water pipelines to ensure they could receive a direct supply of water to their place of business or residence, with a small fee for such services given as part of their tax to House Stark.
Parks were also spread out evenly across the whole town for children to enjoy like the playgrounds, while sporting fields were recently grasped by the smallfolk and Brandon, after witnessing a game of football (soccer).
Rugby, basketball, volleyball, cricket, along with highland Scottish sports were shown to the people over the course of a few days once Wintertown was complete to advise the smallfolk what they could utilise to further the culture and development of the North.
The Heahþrym Magnar of the North, Brandon Stark, originally wished to see the efforts of the High King of the Terra Empire at work, only to be left stumped by the work ethic on display, not just by the people following Harry, but the man himself was in the centre of it, sweating alongside the workers.
However, nothing prepared him for the efforts of their labour in rebuilding Winterfell into a far greater castle than even he had originally imagined as the seat of his House and throne.
First, they stripped down the castle walls, all the while building one that surrounded Wintertown, but with plenty of space for the expansion of the settlement within the boundary of the wall, before having to use the space beyond it.
Peverell Bastion remained outside of the walls being erected around Wintertown, however the manor had its own protects and wall to keep it protected and truly safe from all attacks.
They weren't the first walls of Winterfell to be taken down to the renovation of the castle, as the one surrounding the Godswood, three acres of sacred land, was next to come down so the area could be expanded.
Harry wanted the Godswood to not just house the Weirwood Heart tree of the Old Gods but become a home for chosen Children of the Forest directly serving House Stark for agreed upon period of time, making the Godswood their home.
At the same time, it would act perfectly to hide the means of magical transportation for Harry and the others, providing them all a means to freely move about the North without being watched by nosy smallfolk.
Brandon honestly found the reason acceptable and rather cunning, so he allowed the work to proceed for an improved Godswood, one that would even have its own alter to the Old Gods before the Heart tree, and another beside it set for executions, so that the blood of the deceased may allow the Old Gods to continue blessing their lands and people.
Harry with the blessing of Chit, chose to modify the Weirwood and Heart trees of the North, starting with the one in Winterfell's Godswood.
Neville, Hannah, Professor Sprout, a couple Dryads, Nymphs and Druids Harry had saved long ago and allowed to flourish in the Terra Dimension and his personal Pocket Dimension World, chose to assist in the project involving an Atkaye tree seedling.
Several R&D teams that specialised in herbology and its mundane science equivalents provided their assistance as well in the project, hoping to draw out the best characteristics from both trees while attempting to merge the plants magically.
Neville's natural affinity for plants and nature helped greatly in the project to combine an Atkaye seedling to the fully grown Heart tree of the Godswood.
The Children of the Forest sent by Chit, led by Leaf, were instrumental in allowing the seedling to take root and connect to the Old Gods power, though none knew to expect a sudden increase in the magical energy generated and expelled by the improved Weirwood trees.
They already gained a boost when made into a Heart tree as their connection grew stronger to the Old Gods, the land, nature, rivers, animals, and so forth.
The link was strong but far from enough to increase the influence of magical energy or the blessing of the Old Gods without pious servants doing their bidding such as the Children of the Forest.
But now, the enhanced Heart tree by an Atkaye seedling, sent rushing waves of untainted, clean but raw magical energy all across the region of their influence.
Spreading to not just the plants, animals and creatures anymore, but all that stood upon its land was soon encompassed by the energy naturally exuded in excess, as Harry once more became an unwilling generator and supplier of magical energy to the now modified Heart tree which spread its influence onto others through the aid of the Children of the Forest.
Thankfully Harry's own magical core had undergone improvements and a grand evolution once two Resurrection Stones forged together with his magiks and that of his power drawn from Death's Domain, merged it all into creating a core that generously produced magical energy in excess.
Most disappeared off to the Terra Dimension as well as the two Pocket Dimension Worlds tied to his soul, ensuring they were all sustained by the excess energy, as Lady Magic and Death enacted before sending him on his way to begin his next Great Journey, saving the rise of a monster of ungodly proportions from ruining all of Creation itself.
Yet even with their intervention, Harry had experienced his magical core cascade in on itself countless times due to the overwhelming amount of magical energy generated with the merging of two Resurrection Stones, and a True completed set of the Deathly Hallows.
The core rebuilt itself stronger each time if collapsed in on itself, making it incredibly durable by the last time it broke down.
In its current state, the dense magical energy generated daily added to not just the stabilisation of the modified Heart tree but also supply it with more energy and power than it could previously receive or generate to expel within a year.
All of this happened in the course of a short few hours, leading the Children of the Forest and the Giants of the North to revere Harry when they became known of the improvements he brought the sacred trees by the songs of the Old Gods sent to them through the vines of the renewed Heart trees.
They were also granted a new name, as they were not simply Heart trees anymore, but Heart-Atkaye tree, which all Houses of the North were expected to protect in the walls of their castles, while having another two planted for executions and for the smallfolk to visit for prayer.
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Brandon soon became so engrossed in the wonder of the Heart-Atkaye tree of his Godswood that even stood taller and wider than previous, with its whole body taking on a holy platinum hue and its leaves sparkling like deep red moon crystals high above the rest of the trees and their thick branch canopy, that he forgot to notice the new changes to Winterfell.
The original area considered 'Winterfell' had become known as the Inner Keep, reserved as House Starks personal residence, their servants, personal guards, and so forth as well as drawing in the Old Keep of House Stark that was built during the early foundation of the House millennia ago when First Men came to Westeros.
They were separated by their own baileys, or wards, with the Inner Keep also hosting the rebuilt Great Hall that didn't just have space for First Men, but Giants as well, native both to the North and those formerly of the Terra Dimension.
They were brought out and asked to assist the Giants of the North in their work, though it led to a small scuffle between Gathor and Grawp, Hagrid's brother, who'd become the King of the Giants and supported Clan Heiðruind in the goal to better the magical world.
Grawp was actually offended when Harry had asked him to gather the Giants to leave for the Terra Dimension when Lady Magic began to remove magic from his original homeworld, but he soon discovered the Terra Dimension offered his people far more.
For a time, he was at peace with his family, which included his brother, mother, and father by his side, but he chose to leave with Harry for an adventure along with his dear brother Hagrid and hundreds of other Giants.
His mother and father remained behind to lead the rest of the Giants in his absence, however this didn't remove the responsibilities on his shoulders, all of which were heavily reinforced into his thick skull through arduous education at Hogwarts before moving onto the University.
So Grawp wasn't willing to easily accept Gathor's rule and sought to challenge him for rule over House Giantclub, only for Harry to intervene when both Giants began to enjoy fighting one another so much that they forgot the contest.
To honour the Giant that had given his all to protect the people of Hogsmeade in the final battle against Voldemort, even incurring many injuries to save children from the pureblood supremacists, Harry with Brandon's approval named Grawp the High Magnar of House Fridwulf, name in honour of his mother, the Giantess.
Grawp immediately decided to tie his House to that of Gathor's, who proposed a marriage to his daughter, which the High Magnar of House Fridwulf agreed to, leading to a sudden marriage in Wintertown that involved the whole populous to join the celebratory feast.
Rubeus wasn't excluded in this moment, as Harry granted him the title of Magnar to House Hagrid, Vassal of House Potter, and fierce protectors of creatures, as well as their keeper.
Rubeus also received the right to lead the other Half-Giants from not only Westeros, but those of the Pocket Dimension World once they came to this world, given the chance to serve as Vassals to House Hagrid.
The friendly Half-Giant seize Harry and Brandon immediately, drawing the two into back-breaking hugs, as the tearful man accepted his duties and responsibilities by immediately proposing to Olympe Maxime.
They had secretly managed their relationship in their original world, only to carry it over into the Terra Dimension, but never once sought to marry one another.
Only after they joined Harry on his journey beyond, that they began to think of settling down and starting their own family.
As such, Olympe accepted the proposal, which only led to another wedding, once that was left in the hands of the Veela populous present to showcase their might for the greatest headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
It wasn't long before the new couples learnt of the lands they would oversee, including the large ranch House Hagrid would manage to look after animals and creatures native to the North and those brought from the Pocket Dimensional World.
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With that sorted, more hands were available to oversee the continued development of Wintertown, and Winterfell, as the home of House Stark soon became worthy of the Kings of Winter, and eventually Kings of the North.
The Dwarves, Goblins, and Gnomes all worked together to create one of the greatest forges the world had ever seen so far, as Hephaestus and his daughter used their advance scientific knowledge and special abilities to improve the work being completed.
They enhanced the quality of the forges, and method of the stones fused together to shape the new walls for the various keeps and buildings to ensure nothing could damage them, even if the magical enchantments failed.
Heating, pipping, the sewage system, glasshouses, and everything else Hephaestus, his daughter Aelius and newest apprentice, Alaric Stark could find to improve was advanced as far as they could take it for now, as they didn't want to gift anything overly complicated to House Stark that future generations wouldn't understand.
Ballista, scorpions, modified catapults, and even the odd few cannons were soon added to the giant walls being erected around not only the Inner Keep but the whole new Winterfell, with a deep and wide moat in-between another set of walls.
Hephaestus educated Alaric on the improved designs of siege weapons and how each component of the machines operated together to find the necessary areas for possible future developments.
Alaric eventually created his own variant of the siege weapons, only for them to be added to the Great Library of Winterfell in the new Tower of Knowledge and Wisdom being built with a solid bridge connecting it to the Great Keep.
It was designed to be accessible by not just the members of House Stark, but all of their servants and those in their service, as well as the smallfolk if they so choose to understand all the written knowledge it would hold one day.
A couple eager Dwarven, Goblin, Gnome, and Druidic friends got together to design a printing press for the Great Library to hold, and use freely, with magical functions enhancing the process and final product made from its use.
Aelius had helped as well and drew Alaric into the project so he could note down everything for future Stark generations to understand the value of the printing press and what to do if it were to break, however plenty of self-repairing enchantments and runes would keep it in peak shape.
The quality of the printed books easily trumped anything that could be found presently, and in the far future as the magic involved in its creation ensured it wouldn't fade away or degrade from the effects of time as long as it could draw on magic from the environment.
Hephaestus had learnt the value of runic languages through his own studies in the Pocket Dimension, which led to countless projects being developed throughout the world during his time there.
He even learnt of Hermione's own new runic script language, based of modern programming languages from her world that allowed for the creation of various modern mundane inspired magical artifacts for their enclosed society.
All of it went towards developing the Terra Dimension in the end and even growing the strength of Aestia, the former city Hephaestus had built and oversaw with his own two hands, but now his knowledge and strengths would serve a purpose for House Stark and the whole North.
Taking all that he learnt from his children as he had come to see Hermione, Daphne, Astoria, Ginny, Tracey, and the others as his own, Hephaestus gave the language of the Isu a chance second chance at life, rather than dying away.
Giving birth to a new magical language wasn't as difficult as most people thought, however Harry's generous act of supplying magical energy to the Heart-Atkaye that spread naturally to the Weirwood trees had made the ritual far easier to accomplish.
Hermione came to assist in the project as did many others like Daphne, Astoria, and Padma, giving the language of the last world another life in this one.
As such the Isu Runic Script soon found itself incorporated into Winterfell's grand strucuture, along with the other runic languages used by the various magical species assisting in Winterfell's expansion and improvement.
Thankfully Grandmaster Smiths led all the operations to ensure no unseen reactions would occur with the various languages used, though it still stunned most how well the Old Tongue and Isu Script forged together.
It would eventually be known as the language of the True Tongue as the Children of the Forest and Giants native to the North would find greater affinity with its scripture.
Either way, Winterfell became a Magical Nexus Point that easily trumped Hogwarts that was left to decay over the millennia.
Instead, it closely began to rival the magical strength of the Hogwarts from the Terra Dimension before Harry went back in time to the world he disappeared from, where the fate of his younger self was to appear before Lady Death and fall into her service.
In time it would rival the magical strength of the Terra Dimension Hogwarts that saw its Genius Foci activate after merging with the castle brought forth from the other world by Lady Magic once she removed her magical blessing upon the world that greatly disappointed her.
Harry suspected it would take a couple centuries at the very least for the Genius Foci of Winterfell to awaken, after which it would bring even greater value to House Stark for what it could achieve by its existence.
Three natural Leylines were found by Harry that naturally sat below Witnerfell, however with a couple adjustments, a number of artificial leylines were set up by Harry, ensuring the castle would become a powerhouse that could never fall.
A couple Rooms of Requirement were added to Winterfell for various purposes, which included the Recreational Hall that Harry had built into Hogwarts long ago.
Of course, they would be available to members of House Stark and their servants, guards, and anyone else in their service, but they had a new purpose as well.
One that wasn't expected but seemed appropriate.
A select few enhanced Rooms of Requirement were built to train soldiers of House Stark and help strengthen the resolve as well as teach future generations to not just learn how to fight but also lead a battle of their own.
Fighting in such situations would be deadly in real life, but the room gave the users all the necessary safety to survive and continue training until such a situation wouldn't ever be a problem for them to trump over.
This eventually led to several vaults being created underground of Winterfell, each separated to hold specific items, such as one that would hold all the currency in the hands of House Stark with an automatic counter to keep track of the wealth coming and going from its doors.
Another would hold the artifacts of House Stark and those gained from their conquests, though the plan was to set up an Artifacts Hall where all such items could be displayed freely for visitors and Starks to see over the generations to come.
Other Vaults were made to serve House Stark purposes, including one to store perishable goods for long term keep in preparation of winter however Harry had enchanted those specific vaults similar to storage dimensions, the very same he employed in the rings handed out to scouting teams.
They were managing specific tasks handed to them by Harry to head Beyond-the-Wall, so they weren't present, but the magic they had come to call upon as if second nature, had now been installed in a number of vaults for House Stark.
But the greatest gift Harry gave to his newest friend and ally was the support and wisdom of past Starks.
Calling on the souls of House Stark members since the inception of the noble House, Harry asked them all to leave a partial essence of their presence behind so he could develop Portrait Presences.
None opposed Death's Wizard and gave their support to his work, allowing Harry to quickly develop plenty of portraits to line the walls of the Great Keep.
In short time, it would be known by all that Winterfell contained moving lifelike portraits, capable of speaking and providing their wisdom to future generations of their House.
As the magicals became more widespread, it would eventually lead to other Houses following the same trend as House Stark, especially those of the North as they wished for each generation to pass on their wisdom to future generations, while overseeing their Houses, even if they couldn't do anything physically.
Currently, Harry spread the portraits throughout Winterfell, with the one of Brandon's own father and grandfather being placed in the solarium of the King of Winter.
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Brandon couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the changes to his home even after all the work he had done to create the new Keep after the old one wasn't enough to sustain all of House Stark as they became the Kings of Winter and needed to maintain that title now more than anything after the Long Night.
Now though, Winterfell and Wintertown felt far more worthy of the seat of Kings of Winter and the King of the North one day.
They were already accepting many more smallfolk into service, as Portrait Presences Harry brought along with him from the Terra Dimension saw to their education along with Aelflyn free to help out.
Around a couple dozen Aelflyn known for the stewardship skills, and running households, gathered up the courage to gain Milly's blessing to serve House Stark.
They were prepared to take their families from the Pocket Dimension World, believing they would be expelled and rejected from their brethren, yet instead they were congratulated for choosing a path in life.
No connection would ever be cut from the Pocket Dimension World for the families, allowing them the opportunity to travel between the two as they pleased, however it was expected they would be rather busy with managing the duties of House Stark.
They were introduced to Brandon, who accepted them into his Houses service, but only after awarding them a Northern last name, and advised they began to build their own Keeps.
One of the Aelflyn families would accept 'Cassel' as their last name, while another would take on 'Cerwyn', both of whom would become the closest and lealest supporters of House Stark through the ages.
Aerin Cassel would gain the title of Master-at-arms, tasked with maintaining order and security within the lands of Wintertown and House Stark through the guards in service.
He was allowed to call on more people to serve, but needed to ensure they were trained and equipped for such duties, as well as paid for their time.
He'd go onto redefining what the title of 'Master-at-arms' meant by not just educating the children of House Stark in fighting battles, duels, and even wars, but giving them lessons on strategy, and survival in the wilderness.
Yet all that didn't compare to the ruthless training of the guards in service of House Stark and the eventually army that would be organised.
Drawing Dwarves, Goblins, Centaurs, Gnombes, Veela, and even Half-Giants to service as guards was achieved by Aerin in his time as Master-at-arms, as they all shared a uniform that improved their unity and collective pride for their station.
Elrond Cerwyn instead would receive the title of Chief Steward of Winterfell and begin training the servants and staff of the grand castle to be worthy of service House Stark.
From clean cut uniforms to stringent butler training, and a deep education on meals, diets, and hygiene, Elrond would turn the staff of Winterfell into a hidden force of its own in due time, while raising House Cerwyn into a leal vassal of the Kings of Winter.
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To hold the increasing number of servants, guards, smiths, cooks and so forth required larger new quarters to house them all and their families, with a special runic array copied from the Room of Requirement.
The Keep would generate a new room for each new servant to enter, recognising their unique energy signature to remember them for reference so they wouldn't call upon a new door each time they entered the area.
First floor of the Keep would allow for all to freely roam around and utilise the common facilities on offer, while the upper floors would have countless rooms that would spawn a door to an apartment like home with its very own backyard and modern amenities.
The magic in the runic array would continue to recognise the individual signature of the home's resident, and anyone else considered part of the 'family'.
As such, none that weren't allowed to enter the home would not be given entrance.
The guards had something similar, however they had the option of having their own homes in the Guard Keep, or with their families in the Servants Keep.
All these new Keeps had their own bailey or ward in Winterfell, each connected to the magical sewage system that didn't just collect filth and flush it away into a nearby river, but rather processed it into fertiliser.
It was distributed to the farmers in service of House Stark, and further processed before being packaged for sale not just in the Kingdom of the North.
The water on the hand was filtered heavily before being used in the toilets or for the farmers to freely use for their crops.
Though it also went to the fountains that offered clean drinkable water all across Wintertown and parts of Winterfell.
These fountains also were set up to expel hot water for the smallfolk to gather and use as they needed, without it ever going murky or being tainted.
Yet such structures were set up in case of large visitors unable to be accommodated by Winterfell, and Wintertown, leaving them to set up camp.
All these different projects and the new ones constantly being started attracted plenty of workers, many of whom were not skilled, but had the passion to learn under the right guidance.
This only drew more accomplished craftsmen that graduated Hogwarts University to appear and take on apprentices, which included Albert, also known as Dudley, to take on a dozen or so students to educate on a wide array of subjects.
House Dudley, as they would be recognised into Northern nobility, would become known for their stringently educated sons and daughters, all of whom would serve to better the progress of the North, typically serving in the court of the Kings of Winter.
Ragnok, Kevgnor, Olar and other Grandmaster craftsmen, as well as Masters, had made themselves available to aid in the development of a various schools to educate the smallfolk, wealthy and noble to specialise in specific fields.
Their children to accompany them all with Harry's journey had begun to settle in the North, taking on the duty to raise their Houses in service of House Stark, typically adding to the strength of Wintertown, eventually leading to it gaining a mayor.
They were positions gained for a lifetime, only a new one being chosen once the last had passed, but it was the responsibility of Wintertown's residents to make the choice on who would gain such a responsibility.
This only drew forth Minerva McGonagall, the former Dean of Hogwarts Educational Institute before passing it over to her successor so she could travel with Harry.
Her husband, Elphinstone Urquart, joined her along with their combined families, which were now leading the educational development for the North.
Elphinstone Urquart even found himself as the first Mayor of Wintertown as it slowly began to form into a city, which would later become a known trait of House Urquart, as they would have several sons and daughters take on the responsibility throughout the course of its existence.
Dumbledore even found himself called to assist, which led to Grindelwald appearing too, though the man was strictly in Harry's control and had his complete loyalty.
It had a lot to do with Harry having achieved his status beside Lady Death, something Gellert came to understand wasn't possible for himself as he didn't have the blood of Ignotus Peverell.
Therefore, Gellert was an upstanding individual and never once caused any sort of issue that would draw Harry's ire.
He personally invested time in developing training dummies for the guards and warriors of House Stark to improve their fighting styles, with or without weapons equipped.
Dumbledore on the other hand would serve as the first Wizard in service of House Stark, leading to his brother and sister establishing their Houses in the North.
House Dumbledore would go on to raise some of the strongest and wisest Wizards and Witches of the North, largely in service of House Stark, but typically chose to become educators or professionals of a trade.
However, they would be well known instead for one particular site of Wintertown, that would become part of the legend that is the North.
Aberforth and his son, Aurelius, would establish the Hog's Head Inn, with his good-daughter, Nagini, turning the place into one of the most popular places to dine, drink, and rest.
House Grindelwald instead became a Northern noble house due to establishing the Magical Corps, a loose Order that served House Stark, and the North.
Made up of Wizards, Witches, Dwarves, Goblins, Gnomes, Giants, Centaurs, Veela, Wolffolk, and many others, Gellert Grindelwald ensured they could cooperate with one another in battle, or even operate on their lonesome in a war to cause the most damage upon their foes.
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By the time Aelflyn returned from meeting petty Kings and Magnars of the North, Brandon had met with all the magical creatures and beings brought over by Harry and his people, only to accept them all as people of the North once they showcased their true selves.
He could sense there was magic at play to hide their appearance, but never could get past the illusion.
Now though such magic wasn't required because he'd spread the news of the various magical species alive and in service of House Stark through their newest Vassals.
The Heahþrym Magnar of the North made sure none went against his order and spread the word through the Aelflyn that had travelled all over the North to meet nobility.
Yet this only led to another addition they needed to make to secure the North, and make communication easier, so certain people were set on developing the Owl Messenger service for the North that magicals created.
Harry had asked the team dedicated to the project to include animals from the North rather than completely drawing upon the Pocket Dimension World
It honestly was an exciting time for House Stark and the North in general as the value of traded goods soon led many Houses across the whole North to actually show their appreciation to House Stark, as many advised they would visit during the next great harvest to celebrate together.
This only led Harry to plan the improvement of the soil across the whole North, with Druids leading the rituals and laying the magic stones engraved with runes to feed the necessary magical energy to improve soil fertility.
Of course, most of the assistance went to the lands under the control of House Stark or their allies, but the rest of the North also benefited over the course of the next year, with the smallfolk stating it was the blessing of the Old Gods through their revered champions, Brandon Stark the Builder, and Hadrian James Potter, the Wizard King.
The title was actually spread by Brandon after speaking with Alaric on the matter and their mother, Snowtear, a Child of the Forest.
Both agreed the title perfectly visualised all that encompassed Harry, especially after the year that passed brought more crops into the storage vaults of Winterfell that it exceeded all previous records of grain and foodstuff kept for dire times of the year like winter.
Now though, with the rise of the White Walkers, seasons had changed, and winter didn't last just a few months each year but could last years, and the North had very little to show for seasons such as summer, spring, or autumn.
Though the work of the Druids and Dryads together with the Nymphs helped improved the soil of the North far faster than anyone expected, as the magic generated from Heart-Atkaye trees spread out to the rest of the Weirwood trees of the North via the aid of the Children of the Forest.
This naturally affected the druidic blessings upon the land and greatly improved their effects throughout the entire North.
Staple crops like wheat, barley, rye, corn, rice, potatoes, and oats were abundant as harvests began to happen more often than anyone predicated at first.
It came around because of the magic from the Heart-Atkaye trees hastening the growth of the produce and the enhancing the quality of the harvested crops.
Other vegetables and fruits Harry's people brought along, as well as local goods were now planted freely across the North, many in specific crop fields to make things easier.
Though it just increased the produce in storage, causing another area for Harry's people to now focus on to ensure people didn't become needlessly unhealthy.
As there was an abundance of food on hand, the need for healthy and safe diets became far greater, as recipes and meal ideas for the smallfolk and nobility were promoted heavily throughout the North.
This came around the same time as domestical animals were heavily introduced to the North, not just to expand the range of meats and leathers available, but also to help improve the land as the animals helped increase the wildlife.
As an effect of all these improvements, the Aelflyn were called upon to harvest lands not reachable by the inhabitants of the North, yet the druidic blessings extended to, with all the crops stored away in the Stark vaults.
Other times they helped the various petty Kings and Magnars allied to House Stark to manage the crops, only further leading to better relations.
This eventually led to Harry and Brandon meeting Rodrick Greywolf, the Warg King who ruled out of Sea Dragon Point.
The northern Monarch had built a grand Keep of his own, and had plenty of people living under his protection, which was made easier with the sudden changes brought forth by House Stark and their newest vassals.
Since Rodrick kept close ties with the Children of the Forest even after they became vassals to House Stark, the northern Monarch knew of the Wizard King and his people that now served in the interest of the North and House Stark.
This wasn't something Rodrick liked but realised the folk of the North had given much to the local First Men without having been asked to do so.
So he requested to meet with the Wizard King and King of Winter, though privately without advisors or sons around to interfere.
The King of Winter appeared grizzled and slightly aged for all that he had accomplished and experienced in his life so far, whereas the Warg King was younger and rash, but aware of the legendary power seated across from him.
He wasn't worried about Brandon in comparison to Hadrian, the Wizard King, who sent off waves of magical energy just by his presence alone.
Rodrick hadn't ever experienced such strength from any Child of the Forest or Giant, yet here he sat before the Wizard King, a man whose forces had turned the North into a haven from the lands down south.
Therefore, his next course of action was necessary for the continued lineage of his bloodline, though it left the other two men to reel back in surprise.
"I will accept Heahþrym Magnar Brandon Stark as my High Magnar and King, paying my homage and respect to House Stark, as will my blood, all with the blessings of the Old Gods."
"Huh…?" commented Brandon alone, while Harry spat out his tea, coughing hysterically for a time, as the other two leaders in the room looked at him a little funnily.
"Alright there, Hadrian?" questioned Brandon out of concern, only for Harry to croak out, "… peachy…"
The conversation continued shortly afterwards, with Brandon questioning why the Warg King was willing to kneel and accept the rule of House Stark.
Rodrick explained the news that had reached his lands, and how the smallfolk spoke of Clan Heiðruind, House Potter and her vassals, as they rebuilt the home of the Starks into a palace of heavenly proportions.
Not only that, the amount of food available for people to choose from had far exceeded anything the North could have produced before the events of the Long Night, so it was rather heartening to see the smallfolk doing far better than they had ever done so previously.
It wasn't the only factor that led Rodrick to his decision, but it was one of many to ensure his lineage survived.
Harry soon had an idea of his own to ensure the Starks weren't affected in their right to rule, unless dire circumstances led to their downfall, but even so, his plan of magical contracts soon came into practise, and it started with Rodrick, the Warg King.
"You'll sign this contract not just for yourself, but your whole lineage that may come from your blood.
They will serve House Stark and the North loyally, without daring to ever rise up in rebellion, though if such a time comes, then they will be simply stripped of their lands in the North, all authority taken away and exiled from the North.
They may return one day, but only after repenting for their crimes and seeking the forgiveness of House Stark as well as signing another magical contract but with more conditions that restrict their power and influence for a time if not completely." Stated Harry with while handing over a magical contract for Rodrick to read through.
It was written in the First Tongue, a language organised and written by Millicent Bulstrode, Lily Moon, and Terry Boot, with assistance from Hermione and the magical Data Slates she'd crafted and refined since her days at Hogwarts.
Data Slates became vital to the Terra Dimension and helped magicals in their day to day lives, acting similar to mundane computers, but with assistance from Oliver the Magitech Wolf, they became far greater in value.
Not just that, they offered more capabilities than previously, but they weren't going to be heavily introduced across the North or Westeros just yet.
For now though, they organised the creation of the written language of First Men from the Old Tongue runes, allowing people to better understand and communicate with one another.
It would eventually spread all over Westeros and even reach Essos in time, but for now, it was in the grasp of House Stark and her allies.
Hephaestus had in his time used the Data Slates to ensure the Isu Script and Old Tongues worked in harmony, eventually leading to the creation so the written form of the True Tongue.
It was potent and only utilised by the Children of the Forest, Dryads, Druids, and Nymphs as they were best suit to the nature of the script, however for someone like Hephaestus, it wasn't difficult to incorporate in his various projects around the North.
Rodrick having been made aware of the language through the Children of the Forest, wasn't caught off guard by the contract and the terms noted, so he didn't disagree in signing the contract with his blood.
And thus began the conquest of House Stark over the North, though not all battles would be won without bloodshed.
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This began the creation of roads throughout the North, though only for those allied to House Stark currently, causing Clan Heiðruind to lead the recruitment drive.
They trained all who came to apply for the job and begin the lucrative career that would lead their families towards a better life.
The smallfolk who applied for the position were informed they would also be required to later manage and maintain the roads.
All the knowledge to road construction would be noted and recorded into the Great Library of Winterfell, so it wouldn't be lost over the ages, however it could easily be handed over the next generation through the labourers.
It would be good to see generations having passed on the knowledge to the next, but in this instance, Harry wanted both options covered just in case.
Though in truth, the people chosen for road construction would be asked to later join the army of House Stark that underwent a thorough restructuring to be of great value to the Kings of Winter and the North one day as a whole.
Only a portion of the workers would ever join the army, with many simply accepting the offer as they had no other family left in the world or lacked any real connections to be remembered.
So most that joined wanted to accomplish some sort of feat to be remembered by or to settle a family that might continue their legacy.
For now, they were tasked with protecting the borders of the North from invaders by sea, and to stop rogue elements like bandits from rising up and harming the smallfolk.
Clan Heiðruind forces came in great force from the Pocket Dimension World, prepared to provide their full support to create the perfect army for House Stark, though true progress only came from the Basic Magical Sentience Harry developed based off Pleiades, who remained back at Hogwarts when Harry left the Terra Dimension.
Bokuden, named after a legendary wandering swordsman, that was skilled in not just swordsmanship, but all weapons he could get his hands on.
As such, Harry selected the man's personality to be the foundation for the Basic Magical Sentience to shape around.
Harry met the real Bokuden while travelling through Japan around the year one thousand five hundred and six, meeting Bokuden on the road to a city where a tournament was being held in honour of the clan overseeing the land.
Only aged eighteen at the time, Bokuden learnt directly from Harry for a time after meeting one another, before leaving for the tournament, which began his legend as a Wandering Swordsman through Japan.
Harry developed the new Basic Magical Sentience, utilising much of its skill and personality off Bokuden, before presenting the finished product to Brandon, after which the Heahþrym Magnar learnt how badly out skilled his men were.
Even with Aerin Cassel training the guards of House Stark, they were far being able to compete against Bokuden, who even beat Aerin Cassel with ease, causing all the guards of House Stark and even Brandon to pause at the ferocity of the Basic Magical Sentience.
Along with training the guards of House Stark, Bokuden quickly gained the responsibility of training and developing the army, turning them all into fierce soldiers not just capable of medieval warfare, but modern tactics and military styles, which led to a discussion regarding the creation of a possible naval.
Clan Heiðruind members took those very same members of the army and guards to train in the grand Rooms of Requirement designed to give the soldiers a simulation of real war and battle, while in all sorts of climates and scenarios.
They were even sent to help the roadcrew to work on the river pathway leading to the outskirt of Wintertown, where a large manmade lake was being formed.
Giants native to Westeros and those from the Terra Dimension joined the roadcrew teams and Stark army soldiers in service to hasten along the digging of the river path and lakebed, before Wizards and Witches reinforced it all and let the water seep in from the White Knife.
As the manmade river and lake would connect to the river White Knife leading up to the Long Lake and out to the Narrow Sea, certain defences needed to be set up, which led to further projects being organised by not just Brandon, but Clan Heiðruind however they had to advise the King of Winter what they were doing.
This all eventually led to Brandon kickstarting a project around the completion of the lake and river defences, by building shipyards and a port that would allow smaller ships to sail up to the home of the North.
The ships however could be sent out to the Narrow Sea or remain within the North, travelling through the rivers, transporting people and goods.
Brandon wanted House Stark to gain a piece of the ship building as Clan Heiðruind, House Potter, and her allies planned to network the whole North in such a way that the roads wouldn't be the only means to quickly travelling over the whole Kingdom.
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All this work going on around Winterfell and the lands under Stark control eventually led the Heahþrym Magnar to advise Harry of the Shivering Sea and the Isle of the Bay of Seals.
Skagos and the islands surrounding it were supposedly rich in natural resources and the legends said Unicorns existed on the islands.
Harry interested to discover said Unicorns accepted the challenged posed by his dear friend Brandon and began to discuss its conquest with his friends and allies from all the different magical species.
They were going to fight alongside him for control over the Isle of the Bay of Seals, whose people supported Brandon during the war of the Long Night using their obsidian weapons.
Though they only appeared in the fight once the Children of the Forest had gone to seek their aid.
While Brandon wasn't overly bothered by the actions of the Skagosson noble clans, he knew along with Harry that they didn't consider themselves as part of the North like the rest of the First Men.
Their late arrival had caused some strife with certain nobles of the mainland of the North, which soured the strong relationship Skagossons once held with the Northern nobility.
Also, during the war, they lost a large number of males, as well as females willing to fight, so Brandon suspected they might try something drastic to increase their numbers or remove a possible competition to their rule.
His thoughts weren't wrong once the forces of Clan Heiðruind arrived at the Isle with Neville and Ronald leading, only to discover countless ships under construction to raid Skane Island.
Harry soon joined them via apparition, including Brandon and the forces of House Stark to not just stop the Skagossons from continuing with the plans for Skane, but to bring the lands under the control of House Potter, and her vassals.
A battle rang out between both sides, though not for a long time, as the Children of the Forest made themselves known as early as possible because the Skagosson were pious believers in the Old Gods.
They had noticed the change in the Heart trees and the improvements to the Weirwood, believing it all as an act of the Old Gods, however the Children of the Forest explained how it was done by man, and introduced the Wizard King, Hadrian James Potter.
It was the name that best suited the North, and 'Harry' was more acceptable for friends to call him by in private.
The Skagossons quickly dropped their weapons and knelt before Harry after hearing of his legend and those of his vassals, causing many of his friends to nearly burst out in laughter but kept their cool for now.
None needed to wait longer than a few moments to gain some respite as Harry brought Brandon before a nearby Heart-Atkaye tree insight and swore an oath of cooperation, friendship, and trust with one another.
Along with the commitment from the Skagossons that none would say anything about the oath sworn outside of their people, the decision was made to lead the rest of the North to believe the 'Wizard King' swore featly to House Stark, but only the Skagossons, vassals of House Potter, and the members of House Stark's army would know the truth.
The oath more importantly spoke of Harry's role as the Shadow protecting the First Men, while the Great Alpha of the Direwolf led the North publicly for all to know and see.
This didn't mean House Stark would be the puppet of House Potter, but rather they would work together to manage the Kingdom of the North, with the Kings of Winter sitting atop the throne of the North, whereas the Wizard King of Skagos would safeguard the North with its King of Winter aware of the threats and involved in resolved the problem.
It was a rather odd agreement between both sides, but necessary for what would come at some point down the road.
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Brandon soon returned to Winterfell though with another tale added to his legend, having taken one of the harshest lands and people to accept the rule of the King of Winter.
Back on the Isle of the Bay, magic wasn't held back or hidden but freely equipped and used by all that could wield it.
Goblins, Dwarves, Centaurs, Gnomes, Merfolk, Wolffolk, Veela, Nymphs, Dryad, and other such magical species quickly became accustomed to their new homeland besides the Pocket Dimension World.
As they were all part of the battles to control the islands from the Stone Men of the Isle, cooperating wasn't as difficult as one expected with the noble Magnars of the newly formed Houses.
Clan Crowl and Stane were made into Houses with the same clan names, though Magnar changed to Skaggnar so the Lord of the House wouldn't be addressed as 'Magnar Magnar'.
All three predominate Clans of the Isle eagerly led the army to attack the last that hadn't chosen to fight the forces of the Starks and Potter upon their arrival.
Sadly, for the newly formed Houses of Skagos who were itching for a fight against the clan that strongly opposed them for a long time, Clan Beowuld, led by a young man named Eivor, whose father fought valiantly beside the forces of House Stark during the Long Night, decided on parley between the two sides.
Even if they came late to the war of the Long Night, Clan Beowulf left without the stain of shame and therefore weren't worried about meeting with the forces that arrived in their lands.
Thankfully Eivor wasn't hard to convince to kneel and become a vassal of House Potter, which only just added to the number of projects that would be taking shape around the Isle.
Brandon had also left them land that included part of Brandon's Gift given to the Night's Watch, including some land outside of it as well.
It was closer towards Eastwatch-by-the-sea, ensuring the Night's Watch was well funded at the very least by House Potter and the rest of Skagos.
The real reason Brandon gave them land on the North was to ensure the Skagossons were more involved with the people of the mainland.
He had no doubt in Harry that it would become true, and there would be no differences between the two sides in a couple generations.
There were no objections from the Night's Watch as they already saw plenty of donations from House Potter and Stark to see them comfortably manning the towers of the Wall for centuries at the very least to come, if not longer.
More clans from Beyond-the-Wall continued the progress of moving south of the Wall along with the Giant Clans, their mammoths, enclaves of the Children of the Forest, and other magical creatures or species considered endangered, to take up life in the far less harsher lands of the North Kingdom.
Aelflyns were overseeing all the clans, many of whom moved to Skagos and became loyal to House Potter, while the rest took up land through the lands below Brandon's Gift and settled their noble Houses or Councils to lead their people, under instructions from House Stark.
House Mormont became the High Magnar's to oversee the lands below Brandon's Gift for their loyal service during the Long Night, leading to it being named eventually as the 'Bear's Gift', however they chose to remain as Vassal Magnars to House Woodfoot, who continued to maintain their seat on Bear Island.
The High Magnar of House Woodfoot had knelt before Brandon and called him their King and High Magnar soon after the end of the Long Night, along with the Mormonts and other Vassal Magnars.
So, there wasn't any issue for them to communicate and trade with Clan Heiðruind, House Potter and her vassals from their new seat on Skagos.
Harry and his forces spent most of their time after arriving on the Isle to develop the land into the perfect place for their home, utilising magic to not just increase the speed at which everything was completed, but to also bring great change and influence upon the land.
…
..
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While that all occurred, news of the Battle for the Bay of Seals had reached the petty Kings and Houses of the North, worrying many that the Starks would attack them next, while others sought to stop this train of thought completely by truly viewing House Stark as their liege High Magnar and King.
Those Houses began making their way to Winterfell, travelling on the new roads when they came across them in their journey, marveling at their craftsmanship, and security on offer by the various guards from Houses willing to aid in the management of the roads.
Furthermore, there were plenty of inns to rest at and enjoy a nice warm meal, if not a comfortable bed for the night.
Domeric Bolton, the Red King during the time of the Long Night, knew of Brandon and didn't hold the same animosity against the man or his family like that of his predecessors, however news of Skagos and the Isle being led by the 'Wizard King' left the Red King to wonder if he needed to prepare for war.
He'd already seen the changes brought to his lands through the quality produce now easily available for harvest, but better yet the few roads that extended nearby his borders were more than worth their price since they brought more benefits to the North overall.
While the cost was far from cheap, the roads allowed for people and goods to travel far faster than ever before, while never having to worry about finding a place to stay in during the journey.
However, this all brought up more concerns in Domeric's mind about the fast rise of House Stark and their strong vassal in House Potter that began to heavily alter the measure of power and influence in the North.
Domeric started to gather allies so Dreadfort and the lands under House Bolton were secure from House Stark for now, yet the man knew nothing of Harry's true forces and how they'd begun to lead and form one of the most elite intelligence networks of the world that recently came together.
Therefore, members of Clan Heiðruind intelligence forces already organised into a small network around the North some time back, learnt of Domeric's plans and informed their Formaðr and High Magnar.
Harry had nothing against House Bolton, but they were bound to bother him later down the road, so he spoke with Brandon about the issue, only for the King of Winter to prepare his men for any attacks or skirmishes in their lands.
It would have been a greater problem if they rose before Harry arrived, but now Brandon wasn't worried for his family and loved ones in case of war broke out as Harry would no doubt lead his friends against the Red Kings and utterly wipe out their entire existence before anyone could say otherwise.
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Taking some time out to see his friend and discuss the actions of the Red Kings, travelling via a Portkey built into the Ring of the King of Winter, an item crafted by Kevgnor and Ragnok in conjunction with Olar and Hephaestus once House Stark's personal Great Forge was completed.
It was bound to the Blood of Starks and would be worn by the King once they begin their reign, with Hadrian adding a couple extra goodies for generations down the road to discover.
With his own personal Portkey, Brandon had seen the whole Isle of the Bay of Seals as they became lands of paradise that all First Men would view one day as the 'Land of the Old Gods'.
Atkaye-Weirwood trees grew in the thousands, left entirely under the care of the Children of the Forest, Dryads, Nymphs, and Druids, ensuring all the islands were blooming with magical energy like no other place across Westeros or even Essos.
Brandon didn't know it at the time, but his first visit to Skagos after the battle for its control would lead him to cause an event that managed to be remembered and told all across the continent as the day the Old Gods blessed the prosperity of not just House Stark, but the North overall.
It started with Brandon being led to the Godswood of Hadrian's castle for House Potter's seat, which had come along nicely and was turning into an impressive home for the Immortal Wizard.
Once in the grand woodlands of the Godswood, Brandon found himself at the foot of the largest Heart-Atkaye tree he'd ever seen, with it reaching close to a hundred metres into the air.
"If you're questioning how it has become so tall… well you can blame my magic for that, but I actually did some further tests and changes to improve the Heart-Atkaye tree along with the Weirwood.
Funnily enough, it started with a little trip to an island of the Iron Islands, where I found more goods than I expected.
But I ended up finding a tree that might not have in the past worked well beside a Weirwood tree but now after the modifications by the Atkaye seedling, I suspect they could grant our Houses more power and wealth than I truly could have expected."
Brandon had to stop Hadrian from rambling further and asked for a thorough explanation from the beginning, which only led the wizard to talk about his small trip around Westeros.
Nothing overly long but not too short either, as it allowed Hadrian forces to settle down and begin laying the foundation for their trading company.
Eventually Hadrian had reached the Iron Islands, and felt disgusted by the behaviour of the Ironborn, taking slaves and reaping upon the lands of other Kingdoms indiscriminately.
After learning about the ruling parties from an Ironborn's mind he'd met at the Port of Orkmont, Harry went on to learn about the Grey King though it came from the mind of a man related to House Greyiron.
This led to journey over to Old Wyk and discover the Nagga bones of the slain Sea Dragon by the Grey King, who just happened to have recently passed on from the world.
It happened right after the conclusion of the Long Night, leading to a civil war between the children of the Grey King to see who was fit to rule over the rest.
So far Greyiron had the strongest claim and a small few 'adjustments' to the mind of its 'King' and heirs made certain none would continue their reaving ways, however it would only last for a time before the effects would wear down and they would take up the practice again.
It all started to be heavily practice after the death of the Grey King, leading many to believe it came about to increase the losses after the great civil war.
At the seat of the Iron Island's greatest ruler, Harry also discovered the remains of a ship with pale hard wood similar to that of Weirwood, but had a far tougher grit about it, with a dark countenance.
It wasn't long before Harry found the tree he was looking for, known by the locals as a Ygg tree, believed to be a demon tree that fed on human flesh.
They weren't exactly wrong as it did feed on flesh, as it had to use the power from the blood and meat to create crystals of dark blood magic.
The tree would remove the taint from the magical crystals in its creation, making it ideal for necromancers and blood mages to utilise, however Harry saw the potential of the tree if it could be modified slightly.
Taking what remained of the Ygg trees from Old Wyk and the Iron Islands, Harry returned to Skagos and got to work incorporating the Ygg tree with a Heart-Atkaye tree.
It'd taken some time, but the end result was standing before Brandon, as the truck of the tree gained an even lighter platinum hue that could only be dimmed by the brightness and richness of the crystals that formed instead of the leaves up above.
Currently the crystals were brimming with a bright reddish hue as the energy Brandon could send from them felt overwhelmingly pure and raw.
Utterly amazed at the density of power each crystal contained without imploding, Brandon thought about wielding one while practicing Ice magic and trying to create the Wall.
Harry started to explain the tree before him was the final version of the modified Heart tree that'd spread over the whole North, causing a whole new industry and market to form.
The attributes of the Ygg tree were added to the Heart-Atkaye tree, allowing for flesh to be fed to the tree, but through the practice of entrails, and the blood of the executed and guilty.
However, the majority of the power would come from Harry's connection to the Atkaye seedling component, which now fueled the creation of the blood crystals as they were named by Brandon.
To spread the changes made to the current tree to reach the rest around the North, Brandon was required to allow its influence to spread with an order given to the Children of the Forest.
They were also present, along with Dryads, Druids, and Nymphs, all prepared to help in the ritual, which Harry helped perform, only for it to send a small shockwave through the whole North.
This led to the sudden growth of the Heart tree in Winterfell's Godswood, showcasing its height above the other trees as the branches extended further out and expanded to endure the strain of weight due to its size.
Other Heart trees around the North similarly underwent changes that caught the attention of the smallfolks, leading many to believe it was the actions of the Old Gods.
Yet this led to a growing number of people believing in House Stark as the entrusted hosts for the Old Gods to lead the North, as their Heart tree reached close to eighty metres in height.
All of this meant the lives of the petty Kings throughout the North were becoming far more complicated and difficult to manage with the growing influence of House Stark.
Though only the more pious believers in the Old Gods were given visions of both House Stark and Potter working in conjunction with one another to improve the North's state after the Long Night, but they only saw all this after visiting their own Heart trees to pray for guidance.
This led another powerful House of the North to meet with Brandon, who rarely left Winterfell visible to others, instead preferring to move around the North using his personal Portkey and transporter that used the principles of Phoenix flash travel.
It was designed after Hedwig who'd turned into a Phoenix through the blessings of Lady Magic and Death, turning into a snowy electric blue Phoenix that had the power of the elements of Lightning, Ice, Storm, Water, Snow, and Wind.
Most of the elements in Hedwig's control were because of her two latent affinities to Lightning and Snow, which allowed her to expand her elemental range of power and strength.
Studying Hedwig's ability to travel in a flash eventually led Hephaestus to create the transporters with Olar the Gnome King who passed the knowledge to his friends Ragnok and Kevgnor to further develop in their own unique ways.
Their work had led to the final product on Brandon's hand currently which just didn't have the functions of a Portkey build into the ring, but a transporter as well.
Therefore, travelling to Skagos wasn't an issue for Brandon to do daily if he so wished, though most of his time there was spent learning magical theory and studying specific fields at Hogwarts on Skane Island.
In all honesty, a Transport Door could have simply been set up for Brandon to travel, as it was simply safer than a transporter, but the King of Winter preferred the current means he had available to him.
His days on the Skane Island became more prominent after being called upon by Harry to seek out the rebuilt school he'd been educated at, along with the rest of those that came with him from the Terra Dimension.
The size and magical awe of Hogwarts had left Brandon deadly still and silent by its imposing nature yet calming tone.
To Harry's and everyone else's delight from the Terra Dimension was that the land of Skane Island matched closely to the Scottish Highlands with some severe climate differences.
But it wasn't something that couldn't be altered with magic, so it wasn't long before the island was ready for Hogwarts to be constructed, which didn't take too long to complete.
However, the final touches took a bit longer than expected.
Harry had also included the same runic array long ago developed for the Library of Alexandria, which would recreate the book from the endless supply of enchanted paper and ink before storing it away onto the shelves in the correct sections.
Without having to find the original copy, the magic of the runic array would automatically call upon the written knowledge from around the world and feed it onto paper.
The same runic array was employed in the Great Library of Winterfell and would eventually be placed in the Great Library of Wintertown, granting more smallfolk the opportunity to have access to knowledge from around the world.
It ensured a place for scholars and professionals to gather in the North, stopping them from heading down south to the find other means of a higher level of education.
Adjustments were also made to the runic array to translate the texts to form another tome from the original and have it written in First Tongue, much to the relief of the First Men around the whole North, as it was rare to come across untranslated tomes or books.
Brandon had visited the library of Hogwarts in his first visit to the magical institute and felt nothing but astonishment at the number of books already stored away, not knowing a whole lot were copies brought over from the Terra Dimension.
But all that had been formed from this world still left Brandon shocked and slightly worried at the amount of knowledge considered lost.
What he didn't know about was the vault with a similar runic array in the Potter Castle that would take artifacts from around the world that were close to destruction, being lost, or even fading away, to find safety in the vault.
Some would eventually be sent to the Artifact Hall of Winterfell, but most had already found a place for display around Hogwarts and Potter Castle.
Brandon had the opportunity to choose some of the items to take back home, however Hadrian assured most would be sent to Winterfell in time to be displayed in the Hall of Artifacts.
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Sirius had also been on a large trip with his two best friend's James, Remus, and Peter Pettigrew who in fact had been found to only give away the location of Godric's Hollow to Voldemort because the monster had threatened his mother a truly horrible and vicious death at the hands of her cousins.
Harry during that time saved Peter's mother and gained the man's allegiance and support for a long time, even helping catch Voldemort's forces without Riddle any the wiser.
Now though, Peter had no problems in life to worry about and could spend his free time travelling with his best friends, or return home to his wife and children, all of whom were heavily protected by Clan Heiðruind during the war.
So, the group of four friends, along with plenty of others that had joined the 'Marauders' over the years once saved by Harry's forces, had left to travel across the knowledge world and create different footholds in different cities to help their trading company become a force of nature in his world.
They also continued to find treasures and travel the most absurd places, discovering treasures considered lost or outright denied existence.
Already, they had plenty of success by moving the fresh crops and meat of the North to lands across the sea to Essos through expanded Transport Doors, generating a whole new income available for their Houses to exploit with magic's aid.
None knew how long it would take for the Dimensional Gate to become functional once more as Hephaestus had set various failsafes to ensure it wouldn't be forced to start.
On top of that, none knew of a place where the dimensional wall was the thinnest to ease transport from this world to another, however Harry wanted to return back to the same world Hephaestus came from, as something told him that it would require his help to save it from some sort of mess.
Until the time came to leave though, they began to instead reinforce their power over Skagos and the whole North, since it was their home now for the foreseeable future.
Thankfully none disagreed with Harry's decision, as they had a chance to create and develop a magical society, though the option remained if they wanted to be known or hidden from the eyes of the known world.
…
..
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Another year would pass by for the North, leaving Brandon to only thank the Old Gods for all the blessings that befell the North since the arrival of the High King of the Terra Dimension.
Many petty Kings had come forth and kneeled to Brandon, proclaiming him the King of Winter and rightful King to the whole North.
This only further fuelled other Houses to begin preparations for a massive war, though most who could see the changes all over the North and the rise of Clan Heiðruind, House Potter, and her vassals knew it was in their best interest to side with House Stark or be remembered in the history books.
One of the oddest, yet surreal moments Brandon found himself facing was the arrival of House Greenwood, and Blackwood, along with their respective leaders.
The Raven King was the ruling monarch, with Greenwood a vassal to House Blackwood but as a cadet branch, which also extended out to House Forrester.
They were all present at Winterfell, gazing around in a dazed fashion at the full extent of the changes to the home of the Kings of Winter.
Wintertown had already left them gasping for air, whereas Winterfell was just a whole different monster to compete against that the Raven King and his loyal Magnars all just accepted their war with the Starks was futile.
The Raven King, a man, while imposing in stature, and gruff as the Starks, honestly saw the value in siding with the Kings of Winter, rather than facing a war that would likely last generations and see either to end of his bloodline or their escape from the North.
However, such a fate just so happened to come up in the private discussions between the Raven King Tymon, King of Winter Brandon, and Wizard King Hadrian, who simply arrived with Hedwig's aid.
An invite to House Potter only came about because of a plan Harry had come up with that involved sending a powerful family of the North to act as their will in the South below the Neck.
Tymon's family was ideal for the job, though not everyone, just the second son who would be required to establish a cadet branch of House Blackwood in the Riverlands.
It wasn't a bad idea per say, but it brought up many questions in Tymon's mind as to why he should send away his second son to the Riverlands and be away from all that he knows and loves.
Eventually Harry had to settle the disagreement that was building up from the side of the Raven King, which quickly subdued when it was made known House Stark would do the very same with a son of their own.
Both Houses would be watched and protected by House Potter and her allies, relieving Tymon greatly but also confusing Brandon as to who would be sent from House Stark.
Yet the topic of discussion moved onto children in general of nobles and smallfolk, which caused the King of Winter and the Raven King to look on in wonder at Harry, who proposed children of nobility were sent to Wintertown to be educated at any of the numerous schools but boarded together to foster closer bonds.
At the same time, they would attend classes at the Tower of Knowledge and Wisdom that had started to draw people to learn all sorts of professions such as healing and attending the qualifications to become a certified Healer.
Others could take on scientific roles, or just continue studying until they had learnt all that could be understood, but they would study alongside smallfolk and understand the difference in station while learning what life meant for the people they had to protect, oversee, and manage so the Kingdom of the North would not fail.
Tymon eventually agreed to send one of his sons to the Riverlands, along with plenty of guards, household servants, craftsmen, and so on, but Brandon generously added House Stark would send their own support to the child, so he wasn't out of place in the lands down South.
With that out of the way, Tymon moved onto the topic of a Magical Institution back on Skagos, which Brandon let slip while boasting of the efforts of House Potter and its allies had done to see the Isle turn into a land of majesty and unparalleled beauty.
People like Hermione, Neville, Blaise, and many others wanted to see a magical society flourish in this world under their supervision, so another Hogwarts was built, and had started to accept students, most of whom were simply brought over by scouting teams sent out to find them and deliver their letters of admission.
So far, the Book of Names and Admissions spanned out to all of the North further South through the Ygg-Atkaye-Weirwood trees that now spread out across Westeros.
Though only the Ygg-Heart-Atkaye trees would generate the blood crystals from Harry's magical energy compounded together into a dense form, and they were diligently collected by the Children of the Forest.
Currently students were coming mostly from the North, but some came from the Riverlands, and Reach above all else.
Their families would move to the North once told of their child or children's potential to learn magic, though it only became hard when children of nobility were advised of Hogwarts and what it had on offer.
Noble parents would often ask to visit but were declined and advised to visit Skagos instead why it might be possible to see Hogwarts one day, but not as of yet.
The plan was to allow parents to visit the magnificent school but only after the rebuilt Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were fully operational.
Once students gained the privilege to travel to the nearby magical village and city, it'd be possible to bring parents to Skane to see where their children were being educated.
Also, it'd give them the opportunity to experience a truly magical village and city, in comparison to all they have seen created by mundanes.
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Tymon couldn't help but laugh wildly for a short while, astonished at the level of growth the North achieved in such a short time that it was becoming a silent powerhouse none could ever match up to, even if they were given a thousand years to prepare beforehand.
Magical contracts would ensure none could abuse the knowledge they received, so most of their worries were for naught, though it meant Harry and his forces had much more work cut out for them in the coming years.
They were already swamped with various projects, such as the creation of the Forever Winter Bank of the North.
Jointly managed and operated by the forces of the Hjarkden, Gringotts and Kelbar Bank, Forever Winter Bank had begun construction on the island of Skagos.
The three financial institutes of the Terra Dimension discussed how best to expand their operations across the whole of Westeros, including the form of the currency they would create and distribute.
Milly, the High Magnar of the Aelflyn and an Elder of Clan Heiðruind, sent representatives from various magical species to be involved in this meeting as they were involved in the construction of the headquarters for the bank, and would likely end up serving as part of the staff in some manner or form.
It also led to the best point no one had thought of from the three species known for their financial institutions back in the Terra Dimension.
"… Have you considered paper bills to replace the typical gold, silver, and nickel coins?
I don't believe it would be difficult to create paper notes like those used by the Mundanes of the past worlds.
They are honestly easy to carry and can be understood far better than coins, which can easily be stolen and attraction plenty of attention as they are typically carried in pouches tied to our waists.
Am I wrong to suggest this?
The notes wouldn't be damaged if made correctly and could be transported without the worry of weight being a concern.
Plus, the gold would remain in the vaults, only to be exchanged when making a large withdrawal or movement between accounts which can be managed in house as well, so… really… why don't we issue paper bills?"
The young Merfolk lady had seen plenty of mundane entertainment through the Data Slates and noticed how easy paper bills were to transport and use.
They also could be swapped out with the passing of a ruler or remotely altered through magic to display the new sovereign.
Such points were also thrown out by the girl eventually, leading to further looks of astonishment from Dwarves, Goblins, and Gnomes.
But before they could say a word, a young Centaur lad spoke up, following up with the same energy as the Merfolk, "Well we can have both options.
Paper bills and coins for those who want to store their wealth in their castles and see it in the form of a polished and stamped golden metal.
So, wouldn't it be better if we can somehow make use of those credit cards mundanes created in the past worlds?
I understand we don't have machines that can take payments, but it wouldn't be hard to create, right?
It's another service we offer our customers, and it adds a little more spice to the magical Forever Winter charm."
He went on to explain how the cards could display to a customer how much money remained in their account, and deposit sums at a bank branch or magically installed ATMs.
This sort of chaos continued for quite some time, with the scribes noting everything as it was rather valid.
Thankfully they decided to start small and expand from there.
They utilised the Direwolf of House Stark as a stamp for one side of the coin, while the other would use Hedwig, the snowy electric blue Phoenix.
It'd be known as a Golden Wolf, while the silver coin replaced the Direwolf with a Child of the Forest, and the bronze used a Giant of the North.
Each coin had a serial number stamped into it magically, ensuring none could counterfeit the coins, which was impossible because of the purity each one possessed and the strength they held.
A gold coin of one hundred percent purity should be malleable but solid as steel and indestructible once the Goblins, Dwarves, and Gnomes were finished enchanting the coins.
Brandon had the opportunity to see the finalised products on offer by the Forever Winter Bank, which offered warding services for castles, manors, businesses, and so forth, healthcare options, and even insurance for merchants, businesses, and personal, a concept Brandon found hard to accept at first but agreed with in the end after hearing of the benefits for loved ones.
He even bought insurance for House Stark, buying the full package to have a healer oversee each member of the House for the minimum of two thousand years.
They would have full health and insurance coverage, along with guards silently operating to maintain their safe in lands considered abroad from the North.
Brandon couldn't help but laugh at the current price of the offer for such a deal, even advising his Magnars to purchase it as well to help the bank get off the ground.
He also told them to purchase the warding system they offered as well as any construction deals to improve their Keeps, which led most to make some improvements immediately at fairly cheap prices.
All this continued to add more strength to the North and grow the influence of the lands beyond their own, sadly Brandon wouldn't get to see the Kingdom expand beyond the current lands of the North during his lifetime.
His life ended around his 68th name day, and massive funeral would be held in Winterfell, drawing people from all over Westeros to pay respects to the Heahþrym Magnar to fight against the Night's King and win, even if the creature wasn't destroyed and escaped far up North.
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During his later years as King of Winter, House Potter and all her Vassal Magnars became far more active as their magical society began to form and set foundations that would last millennia, Brandon's children instead were making a name for themselves, separate from the accomplishments of their father.
Rickon Stark, the eldest son of Brandon Stark the Builder, began to take over certain duties for his father, such as his crusade to conquer the whole North for House Stark, as a few petty Kings and Clans refused to kneel just yet.
After receiving his mother's blessings, who was a Child of the Forest named Melio, Rickon gathered his Winter Wolves, an elite unit of warriors that were trained to battle against bandits that started to rise more frequently since the roads were constructed and protect against foreign invaders.
It consisted of men and women from all over the North who travelled to Winterfell when the call went out to find those willing to serve in the interest of the whole North.
Much like the Night's Watch, Winter Wolves would become the protectors of the smallfolk and the North roads from banditry, though it wouldn't require people to give up their names or titles, but a service all Magnars and Magnara would go through in their youth.
Those of common birth would be allowed to join as well, however Winter Wolves wouldn't be the only elite warrior unit to serve the North in the coming years.
For now though, the Winter Wolves were tested like no other from their inception, as they had to man various towers across the whole Wall to help aid the Night's Watch in their cause.
Rickon as part of this group and one to have seen to its creation was pushed far more than anyone else, especially by Neville when he took the whole group of one thousand Beyond-the-Wall.
There weren't any enemies to fight but were given the task to simply gather the clans willing to create settlements in these lands instead of below the Wall, as House Stark, Potter, Blackwood and the rest of those allied together were prepared to strengthen their connection to the people of the North, regardless of the place on either side of the Wall.
During training, Rickon found himself caught out for the smallest issues by his dear Uncle Neville who'd become the next living incarnate of the devil, along with Uncle Ronald who never let the heir to the Winter Throne get close to a victory while fighting bare chested in the rushing colds of the land Beyond-the-Wall.
He was also taught to think ahead rather than in the moment, leading to Rickon realising the creation of the Winter Wolves wasn't the great suggestion he thought it was as there was no need for it currently.
However, it was created nonetheless for the heir to experience and learn from his choices, which eventually led Rickon to realise his focus should have been on the events that may happen down the road.
This helped him understand the purpose of gathering the wandering clans Beyond-the-Wall, as people were bound to forget their purpose if it wasn't strictly written down, leading to possibly enmity between the First Men on either side of the Wall.
Rickon knew the purpose of those settled Beyond-the-Wall was noted down and shelves in the Great Library of Winterfell and Wintertown, but the young heir understood in the worst-case scenario, it was likely the White Walkers would become a legend, if not a myth.
Having processed such thoughts before meeting with Joral, the man whose grandson would become High Magnar-Beyond-the-Wall, Rickon brokered an agreement to cooperate with the newly established Winter Wolves.
They would allow members of the Houses that would form from the Clans to join the Winter Wolves, while the Clans still remaining on the other side of the Wall would help train the recruits and turn them into fierce warriors.
This further increased the size of Winter Wolves from its original one thousand to three thousand by the time they left for the South after half a dozen months as many young men and women from the lands Beyond-the-Wall joined the elite warrior unit.
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They only returned after ships arrived from Skagos to make port at the site that would become Hardholme, a new settlement for the Kingdom of the North, under the rule of the Kings of Winter.
House Stark ships arrived in great numbers, having been built by the shipyards at Skagos, though they weren't the only ones to make port.
Clan Heiðruind, House Potter and her rather extensive number of vassals, all sent ships to help establish shops, buildings, infrastructure, sewage systems, bathhouses, public toilets, training facilities, gyms, and so forth to truly make Hardholme a land under the rule of House Stark.
All the resources sent to Hardholme would turn it into a small city perfect for the tough Freefolk of the First Men to call home, with the perfect defences to protect it from land and sea.
Crown Prince Rickon Stark made sure Hardholme had everything it needed during its early days of being formed into a city, even asking House Potter to install a Transport Door to make things easier.
Hardholme wouldn't be the only settlement Beyond-the-Wall organised by House Stark, as the coming times would see others rise.
Yet for now, Hardholme became the only settlement House Stark held in the lands Beyond-the-Wall, greatly improving their status amongst the Freefolk of the First Men.
The development of the settlement was the reason for Rickon to call on competent councillors and educated scholars from the Tower of Knowledge and Wisdom to help aid in further plans he'd created for the North.
Of course, this meant taking some power and authority from his father, who'd happily given his son plenty of freedom to do as he pleased for the betterment of the North.
And Rickon wasn't one to allow a House like the Bolton's a chance to rebel or war against them down the line just because of past failures.
Hogwarts of Skane had sent over a number of graduated Wizards and Witches to serve House Stark as well, which greatly helped Rickon understand his citizens better, as they began to help develop various potions for the smallfolk and nobles to consume to improve their health or fight off illnesses.
This was all from local plants but also those brought over from the Terra Dimension, but what Rickon loved the most about the graduates of Hogwarts were the ideas they proposed like building up census data, something they learnt from the entertainment media in the Recreational Hall.
They also increased the speed of projects being completed or developed if they were knowledgeable in the field, which they thankfully were for Rickon as the North had a whole lot going on.
Though the hardest decision Rickon had to make in his time taking over the responsibilities for his father was sending away his younger brother to head down south to aid House Blackwood of the Riverlands in securing the region for the North's benefit, while understanding what their foes thought of their homeland rising in power and stature.
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Brandon the Younger left with the blessings of his father Brandon the Builder, leaving Winterfell with the second sword made from the metals of a fallen star found in the Northern Mountains.
However, the blade was only handed over to Brandon the Younger once Alaric had started forging more weapons to fill the armoury of House Stark and their vaults.
The unique metal of the fallen star had already been utilised by Alaric to craft more weapons to various designs and styles, each gaining their own odd colouring along with the milkglass steel of the weapons, with layers incorporated into the pattern of the blade.
Hephaestus continued to educate Alaric; however, the brother of Brandon the Builder had already accomplished plenty of achievements on his own.
The building of the Wolf's Fort, where it would be named Moat Cailin in another world, was all done by Alaric, just as his master built Aestia.
He'd gotten a chance to see it all through a Pensive High Magnar Hadrian carried in a storage ring and showcased the home of 'The Maker' from another world, yet now it was his turn.
With help from Dwarves, Goblins, Giants, Gnomes, Children of the Forest, Aelflyn, Druids, Dryads, and Nymphs, Alaric began the construction of the greatest defensive for the North.
The Children of the Forest worked with the Druids, Dryads, Nymphs and Aelflyn to create the canal that would cut through the Fever River to the waters of the Bite, connecting West to East.
A great deal of the manual labour to dig out the soil was managed by the Giants, but Wizards and Witches greatly help reduce the amount of time it would have taken otherwise.
At the same time, they helped reinforce the riverbed and even begin laying the foundation for the other two castles besides Wolf's Fort.
Alaric planned to not just have a giant Direwolf guarding over the entrance from the West, while the East entrance would have Hephaestus and Brandon the Builder side by side looking out towards Essos.
The massive statues weren't just for show but had enchanted chains capable of being activated with a pull of a latch, allowing thick steel chains to stop ships dead in the water, killing most on board.
It was sound a tactic as any, and Hephaestus actually approved of its nature, but he was also vocal about the creation of castles at the very entrances as well, just in case someone chose to make landfall there instead during a time of war.
They were designed by Alaric with his master aiding where he could, though magic allowed for some amazing feats, so it wasn't long before they became grander.
Each had the same facilities as Winterfell, though differences were made to the design of the Keeps, and castle in general but with the same northern style with touches of influence from particular cultures Hephaestus had willingly taught.
The castle on the entrance of the Eastern Entrance to the canal had a port for ships and a shipyard of its own, mirrored on the Western Entrance, with specific details like the number of towers, fenced walls, siege weapons, and guards on duty making up the difference but barely.
Once it was all said and done, Alaric married Aelius, the daughter of his master, and established House Makerstark of Rivia, taking Wolf's Fort as his seat of power.
With over fifty towers that stretched high enough to match Winterfell's own, Wolf's Fort was a monstrosity but only for its foes, while its allies would forever look on in wonder.
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So, when Brandon arrived at first line of defence for the North and met with his Blood Uncle, as Grandfather Hephaestus joined the meeting to give his blessings, stating they were all on the path to forge their own legend.
Both men gave Brandon the Younger all the aid they could give to the young man, including completely new armours for each of the guards sent with the Third Son of House Stark.
They were of magical nature, made from materials given from creatures in the Pocket Dimension World.
Each member of the graduating class of Winter Wolves from a couple years back that Brandon had spent training with Beyond-the-Wall, along with a couple Wizards and Witches that had graduated from Hogwarts of Skane, were all given the new armours and even provided a couple weapons.
Everyone was equipped in the Fallen Star metal blades from the Northern Mountains, forged by Hephaestus and the other Grandmaster Smiths as a gift for all those leaving the North for a duty that would be sung throughout the ages.
The resource had been made renewable by Harry after gaining Nicolas Flamel's aid in setting up a Philosopher Stone to replenish the metals, gems, and jewels harvested from the land.
Harry had a whole lot of trouble figuring out the specifics to make it possible, whereas Nicolas needed no less than a week to have it all sorted.
It involved Ygg-Heart-Atkaye Trees grouped around the runic array in which the Philosopher Strone rested, allowing its energy to rise from the trees, and continually replenish depleted resources drawn from the lands.
The Children of the Forest were asked to aid in the runic array, using the scripture of the True Tongue to help ensure the North would never reach a point where all the resources from the land were consumed.
A spring fountain was created at the base of the trees, with a pool forming to take in the golden liquid created by Philosopher Stone, which Nicolas explained as a refined Elixir of Life.
It would greatly enhance one's life but wouldn't necessarily give them immortality as the power of the Philosopher Stone was actively used to replenish the land.
Yet a side effect of the pool was the sudden rise of a large forest cove that drew Dryads, Nymphs, Druids, and Children to the region, all for the sake of safeguarding the runic array and the spring.
It even raised a couple unique Dryads and Nymphs that were surprisingly gifted and began to mingle with their brethren to better understand their existence and life in general.
All the events in his life, especially as of late, made Nicolas quite overjoyed at the fact he could once more enjoy his life.
After Hadrian made him an Acolyte of Death, granting not just Nicolas but his wife, Perenelle, a chance to continue their immortal life, they were further surprised by being able to finally raise a child of their own and finally create a family to carry their lineage.
Regaining their youth, the two were made scientists left to roam freely around the Great Library of Avalon, the city of Skagos and home to the seat of House Potter, Camelot, as well as travelling around Westeros as they wanted to.
Harry had decided to spend more time learning from the Flamel's but hadn't spent the time yet to give it his full attention, however he was thankful for the issue regarding resources running out something he'd have to focus on.
It had actually been quite some time since Nicolas had set up a Philosopher Stone he'd made some time ago in another world, so Brandon's forces were easily able to be equipped in the Fallen Star forged metal.
Along with that, they were given Storage Rings, exactly like the Scouting Teams, capable of keeping their weapons and armour safely locked away, only for it all to reappear with a simple thought if they so wish.
For everyone, the rings happened to be the best gift as it could store countless items and goods they might require out in the wilderness, or just in general while travelling in the lands below the Neck.
As such, everyone part of Brandon the Younger's group heading South, awaiting eagerly for the day their Magnar created his own House as the sigil would be naturally added to the rings.
It really just iterated their commitment to House Stark, the North, and more importantly, Brandon the Younger, the Third Son of House Stark.
He should have been known as the 'Daring Wolf' for taking such a risk to head down South to serve the North in secret, yet in truth his legend to come would create the greatest cover.
On their way to the Kingdom of the Reach, they stopped for a time in the heart of the Neck to meet with House Reed.
The former Marsh Kings, House Reed, had knelt before Brandon the Builder and called him their King and Heahþrym Magnar after learning of the Raven King and Warg King doing the same, and had come to accept marriage contracts bound in magical contracts and oaths to connect their bloodlines in the near future.
The current High Magnar of House Reed sent his youngest son, Hordan, along with Brandon, as the young man had strengthened his magical capabilities after attending Hogwarts.
Hordan also rode atop a black Lizard Lion, whose scales glistened in the sunlight to give off a nice murky golden tinge to the tamed beast.
Meanwhile, Brandon sat atop his Direwolf, Sygg, like many others of the Winter Wolves had the option of doing, but only if they could bond with a Direwolf from the packs managed in the North.
Currently the Direwolf Brandon rode atop and those ridden by the Winter Wolves had been covered by an illusion to appear like large horses that were wild and recently tamed.
Hordan, a member of the Winter Wolves as well since his days during and after Hogwarts, preferred riding his tamed Lizard Lion called Baltha, as the beast was enhanced through Magical Rituals to have the strengths of a wolf, giving Baltha plenty of speed and stamina.
Its build had increased as well, making Baltha a flexible and dexterous as a wolf, but sized the same as a medium sized horse.
The unique Lizard Lion was enhanced by Astoria Greengrass, after she saw the love and strong bond Hordan had with Baltha.
So, to not break that apart by forcing him to find a Direwolf, Astoria decided to gift Baltha the strengths of a wolf, creating a new magical species that strengthened House Reed and furthered secured their allegiance to the Starks.
Baltha also wore a special artifact that allowed it to appear as if it were a Horse, but there were plenty of charms to make people either ignore the beast or forget it entirely.
Thus, Brandon left plenty of crannogmen by his side, all wishing to either make a name for themselves down south or establish themselves as Vassal Magnars of the House Brandon would establish eventually.
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While this all occurred, Rickon and his other brother, the second son of House Stark, Torren, began to move fast and hard to seize control over the North while their father remained alive, as they wanted to show him a united North under House Stark.
Working with their army commanders, and general of the Winter Wolves to plan out the best forms of battle, all in the hopes of reducing losses, before heading off to mark their war the remaining opposition to their rule.
A number of petty Kings couldn't accept the Starks as their King, but soon began to fall under the weight of their strength as Giants from the North and Terra Dimension barrelled through their numbers, each armoured in boiled and treated magical leather, with weapons of Goblin Silver, Dwarven Steel, Gnome Iron, and Celestial Bronze.
Weapons of Fallen Star metal were spread out amongst the Giants but not beyond Gathor and Grawp, as the two led their collective people.
Children of the Forest, Centaurs, Goblins, Dwarves, Veela, Wolffolk, Gnomes, Aelflyn, and Druids participated in the battle, providing all the support possible for House Stark to prevail.
Each were equipped in the best armour and weapons available for the war to come, as the forges of House Stark, Markerstark, Potter, and the rest of the North were running non-stop to equip all fighters.
When the opposing forces came into contact with the army of House Stark, they knew the battle to come would lead to immense losses from their own side, which only led to all the Houses to kneel in the face of power.
House Stark soon had the fealty of Houses Towers, Ryders, Amberstin, Frost, Fishers, and the Mountain Clans at their beck and call, with each of them providing a number of Men-at-arms to join the Stark Army as they unified the North under their throne.
The cadet branches of House Stone, and her cadet branches House Winterstone and Icestone, put up a decent fight that surprised most, but they too knelt and immediately chose to fight against the Boltons because of their own beef with the pricks.
A fifth son had raced off with a number of disgruntled sons to help the Red Kings rebel against the Kings of Winter, though the goal was to remove his sibling later through battles to seize control over the ancestral seat.
The Magnar of House Stone wasn't nothing more than to cave in the head of his dear brother, while the younger siblings wanted to shed the skin of the Red Kings for taking smallfolk from their lands.
Unfortunately, House Stark found the Bolton's were far from the enemy they had once through they were.
It was largely due to the efforts of Clan Heiðruind and the vassals of House Potter making House Bolton's life miserable through silent attacks and raids on Bolton lands, taking smallfolks away so they could have a new life in Skagos or elsewhere across the North.
This only led House Bolton to take the lands of their neighbours, raiding villages to kidnap the smallfolk, or outright kill the men and steal the women.
Such acts became harder to accomplish as the Starks began to support their vassals more, including the roaming Winter Wolves causing plenty of mayhem, eventually led House Bolton to investigate who was stealing their smallfolk.
By the time they believed to have found the source of whom captured their smallfolk, King Rogar Bolton, the son of Domeric Bolton who'd died from an unknown illness, but many believed was killed by his eldest son, was captured along with his Vassal Magnars by Green Rangers, an elite force of warriors that could be considered shaolin monks or war priests of the North without the bald head or overly obsessed belief in the pious and holy than thou lifestyle.
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Trained by another Basic Magical Sentience Harry developed with his friends called Onidas, after the Spartan King Leonidas, the Green Rangers took up residence in the northern mountains where the source of Fallen Star metals could be found.
They had their own Keep built, named Asgard by Hephaestus after leading its construction into an imposing castle and small city that would draw every northern man and woman as part of a pilgrim all First Men should complete once in their life.
Made from the Fallen Star metal, gold, Ygg-Atkaye-Weirwood Trees, Ironwood, Obsidian, and much more, Asgard truly lived up to its name, housing all manner of life.
Children of the Forest were invited not just from all over Westeros, but even Essos, such as the Ifequevron, to take up residence in the city if they so choose.
Asgard became the 'City of the Old Gods', where young orphan men and women were raised and educated to serve the Old Gods, the North, House Stark, and prepare for the eventual return of the White Walkers.
There was some contention with taking young children to Asgard so they could be raised into fearsome warriors for the North, however Clan Heiðruind made sure to oversee all operations on the orders of Harry.
He wouldn't allow children to be brainwashed slaves to fight needlessly, even if it were for the protection of his new homeland, a sentiment agreed by House Stark, so they declared the children would receive certain privileges and freedoms as they grew up.
It might not have seemed like much, but it led to the first and second-generation Green Rangers to lead the attack against the Boltons who never once brought young, orphaned children to Asgard, letting them instead fend in the harsh unforgiving chill of the North's weather.
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They massacred the remaining forces of the Boltons and saved the smallfolk, convincing many to stay in the conquered lands as House Stark sent Magnar Morg of House Giantsbane to rule over Dreadfort while the Broken Branch fell into the hands of House Thenn.
Both Houses were formed after moving from the lands Beyond-the-Wall down south once Brandon promised all those who moved to the Kingdom of the North lands of their own and titles.
They would gain Keeps of their own, and loyal men in service of their House, as long as they knelt.
Morg had come with his brothers and father from Beyond-the-Wall with their clansmen, and served House Stark honourably before Rickon granted them Dreadfort for their service in the battle against the Bolton's who were entirely dead except for a pair of twins.
They were the children of Rogar's sister who married a son of House Hornwood, however the young man was killed by Rogar in a dispute regarding House Stark, saying they should kneel but the Red King refused.
Derra Hornwood née Bolton had survived her brother's wrath, and granted the authority to establish House Bolton but it wouldn't follow the path of the Red Kings no more.
Harry was also involved in this matter and had to draw up the magical contract to ensure House Bolton's loyalty.
Some adjustments were made to the contract as well as some compulsion magic in the clauses to turn the Bolton's into a weapon in the grasp of the Starks far down the road.
Derra had no problem with House Bolton setting away from their roots, since she never liked them herself and didn't want it to affect her children either.
Her son would become Dorran Bold, with a new Keep built in their former lands of Bolton, but it would be covered by House Stark.
Until it was built, he was raised in Winterfell, with his mother serving as part of the court, and helping Queen Dowager Melios in her duties as a High Priestess of the Old Gods.
The young man would end up raising House Bold into Champions of the Old Gods, fighting for the justice of the smallfolk, while leading the way for change.
Dorran Bold would become the first of many Champions to fight for the Old Gods, heading South in their youth to seek out injustices, and fight for the betterment of the people.
In time, they would create an Order, one sacred to the whole of Westeros, though it would take centuries if not longer to achieve such a feat.
In the present, all the personal belongings and weapons Derra wished to take were collected, as per Rickon's orders, as she was heading to Winterfell, while the rest of the goods in Dreadfort were handed over to Morag Giantsbane as the spoils of war.
Derra couldn't care less about the Bolton goods she left behind, with it all taken by House Stark and moved to the Artifacts Hall and their vault.
However, the mother of two left happy knowing she could give her children a new life that was hopefully full of love and happiness.
She wasn't wrong as her daughter would soon become of the fiercest Witches after attending Hogwarts, and raising her family to new heights as House Bold were new vassals under the High Magnar of House Giantsbane.
Unfortunately for the Magnar of House Stone, and his men, the Fifth Son of their House had escaped from the North, taking away plenty of riches from Dreadfort before leaving with his family.
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Yet as this all occurred, Brandon the Younger and his entourage had reached the lands of the Reach and met with the man that called himself the High King of the First Men, a direct insult to Bran the Builder.
Brandon wanted to unleash his fury at the man once he'd heard of the title from some smallfolk but stayed his hand after seeking council from the members of his entourage to not react.
All advised he speak his brother, who asked Brandon to gain the trust of the man and marry a legitimised daughter to give credence to the formation of his House without people learning of the Starks involvement.
Using all that he learnt during his time at Hogwarts, Brandon made sure to utilise Occlumency not just to stop his emotions from spilling over, but to behave more calculatedly and cunning to survive the courts of the Reach, known over Westeros for its poisonous nature.
In an effort to make his time in the South and Reach even more worthwhile, Brandon began to speak with his dear Uncle Hadrian, who said during one of their earliest conversations, "Your father said to me during one of our first discussions with one another, that I would be the Shadow of the North to protect it against external forces.
Yet here I am building it up in the light of the Winter Sun, clear as day for anyone to see.
Maybe in the future… far in the future… I might be the Shadow the North needs, but right now, it has to be someone else.
So, listen to me nephew, your father gave Clan Heiðruind and House Potter the right to oversee the intelligence network in service of House Stark, which I might add has grown to an incredible size, but it could do you better in the current circumstances you are in."
An Aelflyn had arrived with all the relevant information pertaining to the intelligence network managed by Harry, which startled Brandon as it was far greater than he expected.
Receiving help from Ragnarl, an Aelflyn whose father was Ragpor, a well-known member of the illustrious Scouting Teams which also went by the name, Raiders, gave Brandon plenty of relief he wasn't solely shouldering the whole management of the organisation.
For the time being, Ragnarl oversaw the operations of the intelligence network, with funds supplied by House Potter and Stark for the time being, the intelligent Aelflyn knew how to best expand operations while keeping them all under his control.
He helped Brandon understand the full scope of the intelligence network, including a new name for the organisation.
They became the White Night, somewhat referencing the Long Night, with titles Hugin, Munin, Freki, and Geri given to the spymasters that reported to House Potter who directly advised House Stark.
Yet the spymasters had every right to directly speak with House Stark if they felt it was the best course of action to take.
For now, Brandon chose Ragnarl as Hugin, given that the Aelflyn oversaw the entire intelligence network in Harry's stead, as the man became more heavily involved in helping his eldest brother Rickon in securing House Stark as the Kings of Winter and the North.
Ragnarl also found others worthy of the remaining titles, with some assistance from Harry, while Brandon chose this time to move closer into the ranks and inner circle of Garth Greenhand.
The supposed High King of the First Men ruled only over the First Men native to the Reach and lands bordering it, however the North would remain forever out of his grasp, which was surprisingly acceptable for Garth.
During one night where Brandon and Garth sat down together to enjoy some whisky, a drink produced in the North by House Umber and sold through the Northern Trading Company, with shares divided amongst the noble Houses of the North.
The controlling power remained in Clan Heiðruind hands, which meant House Potter and its vassals oversaw its operation, though such news wasn't known and kept closely guarded by the forces of the North.
So, Brandon wasn't prepared when Garth suddenly spoke of the North and its Shadow that acted more in the limelight than anything.
Without having to say a word, the man continued, speaking of his youth as the son of a Child of the Forest, and a First Men who was injured while saving a youngling of the Children.
His mother was the High Priestess of the Old Gods, and her latent powers were present in Garth in the short few weeks after his birth.
His appearance also had some characteristics of the Children of the Forest, with his stature slightly shorter than most First Men, and small antlers growing out of his head, interwoven into his hair, though it all just meant his magical capabilities were far greater than originally believed.
Garth spoke of how he used his strength to improve the land of the Reach and as such, it led many petty Kings and Magnars to invite him over to improve their immediate lands, and possibly lay with their daughters.
That last point disgusted Brandon and it showed to Garth who could only smile back grimly, advising he didn't have the choice to refuse most of the time as his own strength and prestige hadn't generated enough of a protection.
The North were the first to provide their aid for the man, sending a second son to oversee his protection for a time, until he returned home North to be wed, leaving Garth to wonder what sort of beauty and peace that land had over the Reach.
Though he never went ahead to journey to the North once his reputation grew too large and he gained the title of High King.
However, this meant he wasn't in the wrong for sending men North to battle in the war of the Long Night, and even forged a friendship with Brandon the Builder that no one had expected, including Garth himself.
The High King continued to speak of his past, talking about Bran the Builder and the time they spent together in the Reach when King High tower had requested his aid in building their Keep.
Brandon couldn't help but feel astonished at all he learnt about his father in his time of youth travelling across Westeros, yet when his Uncle Harry came up, Brandon began to worry what Garth knew.
To his shock, Garth had actually spent time learning from Harry and his close friends when they came travelling across Westeros to know the continent better.
"Your dear uncle, and one of my closest friends actually helped improve my magical abilities, even helping me gain a few new ones as well." Garth said before showing his uniquely crafted wand with a golden wheat tinge to the wood.
"As Harry explained it, I do not have a magical core, therefore I wasn't able to use a normal wand or even utilise certain magical systems.
However, my body… or those of the First Men, naturally allow us to absorb magical energy from the environment as it seeps through our blood, bones, muscles, and organs.
Thankfully the ingenious actions of Lady Hannah Longbottom née Abbott, Lady Padma Thomas née Patil, and Garrick Ollivander discovered a method where I could use a wand, while Anthony Goldstein developed a magical system that incorporated True and Old Tongue, including bits of Isu, which I have to say is potent at times.
The wand required a drop of my blood, a branch from a Weirwood tree I have nurtured to its full potential.
While making the wand, all three taught me how to use the new magical system and equip it alongside my magical abilities, so when they were ready to leave and continue their journey, I knew enough to continue practising on my own.
So, I have to ask… do you have a wand of your own, Brandon Stark, son of Brandon Stark, the Builder, the Heahþrym Magnar of the North?"
Brandon didn't think twice and equipped his wand, displaying the Weirwood and Ironwood wrapped together, roughly lengthened at 11 inches.
Soon enough the two were discussing magical theory and their own specialised fields of study, which was obvious for Garth since his affinity to nature, but Brandon's was rather surprising as a battlemage, and one easily strong enough take on hundreds if not thousands of armed men.
Therefore, it wasn't much of a surprise to find them battling one another, testing various spells against each other, improving their duelling, and fighting skills every time they fought.
The Wizards and Witches in service to Brandon the Younger also joined this duelling and battling sessions every so often, even providing further guidance for both, though it wasn't often, nor could it measure up against the Professors of Hogwarts or the University.
It still formed a bond between the two that eventually led petty Kings and Magnars to believe Brandon was the Second Son of Garth Greenhand, a child that who was never mentioned by noble society or rumours up until now.
Ragnarl, with Harry's, Rickon's, and most of all, Brandon the Builder's approval, informed Brandon the Younger to continue with the lie, but to ask Garth to form a marriage with a known House that would accept not just the Northern entourage but Brandon as their Lord.
Once Garth became aware of the plan proposed by Harry and Rickon, he agreed to have Brandon marry into House Strong, one of the Houses he had taken liberties with a Strong daughter, only for his own blood to be born as a result.
She'd risen in the end with Garth's help and selected as the betrothed for Brandon, with the promise of a new Keep and blessings to strengthen the castle stone and improve the soil of the land in their grasp.
Garth's daughter of Strong heritage was rather stunning and powerful magically, so she wasn't against marry Brandon, but nor was she prepared for the wealth of knowledge and wealth to suddenly be contained within the walls of her home.
The current Keep of House Strong was located in the Reach and wasn't entirely secure to fend off an attack or siege repetitively, which made it far from ideal for Brandon to take over and manage.
Before the marriage commenced, Brandon called for the magical Grandmasters, his Grandfather Hephaestus, Uncle Alaric, and Aunt Aelius, to come help with the creation of the new Keep.
They provided their assistance for a time, with Garth doing his best as well, calling on the Giants of the Kingdom, as well as the Children to help with increasing the fertility of the land and even drawing certain metals from the ground to help House Strong in the long run.
While this all occurred, Brandon the Younger led his entourage around the region to secure the lands that would fall under House Strong and create the Keeps of his loyal fellows.
They too were built by the forces brought from the North and the rest of the Kingdom of the Reach, eventually turning the lands of House Strong into a haven in the region.
Soon, all preparations for the wedding to come left Brandon with little to do as the castle was finally built and easily one of the more impressive buildings.
Meeting the invited nobles and petty Kings, along with his own family who chose to attend though only by masking their appearance through magic.
They gifted plenty of resources and a strong workforce for Brandon to make good use of to establish House Strong to last generations and eons, including the personal blessings of his father and mother, who wished their son nothing but fortunate, peace, and love.
When Brandon had the time to go over the gifts, he discovered a chest full of books and tomes from the Great Library of Winterfell, including instructions to set up magical transportation in his home so House Strong wasn't ever far away from the North.
Besides that, there was more than enough there for Brandon to truly turn his House into something fierce and unforgettable.
Everything went well for the next few years, with Brandon strengthening House Strong through the various crops they had planted in their fields as well as the methods taken from the wealth of books to help manage the smallfolk into a force that helped develop the region further.
It allowed for the creation of a second outer wall to protect the lands under House Strong, along with providing the necessary funds to help their vassals as well, though all of this drew the ire of many Magnars and petty Kings.
Somehow a tall tale of a nearby enclave of the Children of the Forest were the cause of House Strong's sudden rise, and the Giants still wandering all over the Reach Kingdom for building the Strong Keep into a magnificent castle, drew plenty of envy.
Truthfully, they weren't entirely wrong, but not to the extent it should have drawn any sort of suspicion or hostility from anyone, which led White Night to begin investigating who leaked the information.
Regardless they had to answer the petty Kings and Magnars gathered in larger than predicated numbers on the Keep of House Strong, not knowing White Night knew of their actions and informed Brandon the Younger.
This all just happened on the same day Brandon the Builder had passed away in his sleep, with Rickon informing his brother via Communication Mirror.
For some time now, Brandon the Younger wanted his father to spend the last of his days further south raising his children, however such plans were always pushed further back until it mattered no more.
Heartbroken by his past actions, Brandon the Younger wasn't in the healthiest mindsets when news came from a White Night operative of the force heading towards the enclave of the Children of the Forest.
Garth also appeared via Portkey to provide his aid in the battle to come, but Brandon stopped him, already filled with grief from the news of his father's passing, "We are not of blood, Garth… but I see you as nothing less.
You have become family for me and another father figure in my life that I have settled here in the South over the course of many years now.
For all of that, I am truly grateful for your friendship and guidance… so please listen to me, as a 'son' to his 'father', this is not your battle but mine alone.
All I ask… is if I die, take my body back home North to Winterfell, where all 'Starks' must be laid to rest."
Garth didn't know what to say but nodded and hugged Brandon as anyone of blood would their loved one and left to find Harry.
The man in question knew already through Ragnarl and arrived with Neville, Blaise, Ronald, Justin, Ernest, Dean, Seamus, and many others in the Kingdom of the Reach, first saving the Giants and mammoths from slaughter.
All were being sent away through Portkeys to the North, however it was still a daunting task to complete, especially with Brandon the Younger's life on the line.
By the time they were able to save the Giants and enclaves of the Children not being attacked, the whole group reached the Keep of House Strong before heading over to the Blue Lake that rested nearby the Children of the Forest enclave.
They were all equipped in armour, somewhat stained with blood from Reach men fighting against Giants, who once managed their lands and helped harvest the crops with their mammoths were possible.
Now though, after expending some of the fury that had built up due to the death of Brandon the Builder, they were much clearer in mind to find the son of their dear friend.
He was a dear friend to all present, so they weren't going to let his son die on the very same day as his father.
Hell, Harry swore to that fact to Rickon before leaving the North, yet their arrival at the Blue Lake was met with dead silence as they found Brandon covered head to toe in the blood of his foes, wounds all over, some small but others deep and deadly.
However, Brandon's poor health hadn't caused them all to stop momentarily, but rather the chaos Brandon caused in his wrath as the blood of all his foes who numbered into the thousands at the very least, had their blood spill into the lake, turning it deep red.
Harry couldn't help but notice the magic Brandon had employed to allow him the ability to walk on the surface of the lake, only for it to extend to the foes, as they raced to their deaths at the hands of the deadliest Battlemage Harry, Neville and Blaise trained personally.
Yet what surprised him, and the rest was the sight of the sword made from the Fallen Star metal, with its milky steel colour gone and replaced by a blood red blade.
"And here stands the legend of Brandon 'of the Bloody Blade' Stark, the man to have slayed thousands to keep his people, loved ones, and those tied to his blood by an ancient pact alive instead of letting them face the repercussions of his success.
You have made us all proud, nephew…
Most of all you have made your father proud today, just like the rest of your ancestors by the actions taken today.
Now it's time for you to rest and let us handle this mess."
"Aye, Ragnarl please come forth,
It's time for White Night to get to work." voiced Ernest right after Harry, moving forth to begin planning with Ragnarl to spread Brandon's legend, while Harry waved his hand to heal the damage to his nephew's body, leaving the scars behind as a reminder of the battle.
Brandon, who'd remained dead still and unmoving until now, finally noticed his uncles and felt the change to his body before the sudden hit of exhaustion led him to unconsciousness.
He never had the chance to say a word, and disappeared with Justin, who took Brandon back home to House Strong's keep, and called on an Aelflyn to bring a healer over to manage the rest of the internal damages.
The rest who remained behind at the lake were discussing what to do in regards of strengthening Brandon's legend and ended up going with a wild plan that happened to come from Garth after he arrived with an Aelflyn.
