I do not own any part of the Harry Potter or Eragon universes.

Harry woke up, taking in his surroundings. He was surrounded by a clump of trees and in the distance, he could hear the faint rushing of a river. He tried to move but found himself quite stiff and his joints protested against his attempts.

"Harry, you're finally up!" Artemis shouted happily through their bond.

Harry groaned. "Ugh, what happened?"

He looked up and saw Artemis blue eyes looking at him in concern.

"I am fine," Harry tried to calm her down.

She snorted and he got a puff of smoke in his face.

"You have been unconscious for two days," Artemis argued. "You were not fine."

Harry looked around. "What happened? Where are the others? The last thing I remember was falling and then everything went black."

Artemis took a step back and spread her wings. Her white scales glistened in the sun.

"I was hunting with Saphira when I suddenly heard your scream. Saphira and I split off, while she flew after Eragon, I flew towards you. I just managed to catch you from the fall." She said with clear worry in her voice.

"I don't know what happened to the others. You were unconscious and I didn't know if you were fit to fly. I could feel your exhaustion. Whatever you did, nearly killed you." A single tear ran down her cheek.

Harry felt miserable. "I am sorry. This will never happen again."

Artemis bumped her head hard against his. "Don't say that. I know how danger always finds you."

Harry rubbed his forehead while fell back in the grass and chuckled.

"That is true. Where are we anyway?"

"We are in a small forest a few miles from Teirm. With you unconscious, I didn't want to carry you any further and I did not want to leave you alone."

She lifted her head and looked into the distance. "We were lucky that it was morning when it happened. Teirm was surrounded by heavy fog, and I doubt anyone saw me. But we might have to be more careful now."

Harry stroked her between the eyes. She immediately started purring, as it was her favorite spot.

"Thank you for saving me," Harry whispered and tried to share his thankfulness with her.

Artemis turned her head and looked at him.

"I will always save you. No matter what. I love you, Harry."

His heart was bursting with joy and despite his body's protests, Harry stood and hugged Artemis in the tightest hug he had ever freely given.

He despised himself for putting others in danger, he silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to protect Artemis from harm.

"What do we do now? Brom and Eragon could be miles away," Harry frowned.

Artemis was getting unusually nervous. She dug into the ground with her claws.

"Brom told me the name of a man who might take us to the Varden," Artemis explained slowly.

"I see… When did he do that?" Harry asked slowly.

She avoided looking at him. Her behavior reminded Harry of Dobby when he knew something but couldn't speak about it.

"Are you under an oath?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes."

Harry's eyes flashed with anger. "I have told you about oaths from my world and you still made one? You know what happened in my fourth year at Hogwarts! Why would you do that?"

Artemis was ashamed and tried to turn away, but Harry held her head with both of his hands so she couldn't look away.

"Tell me why you did that."

"I was curious." She admitted quietly.

Harry blinked.

"What?"

"Only a bit," she looked sheepishly to the ground. "You and Eragon were sleeping. It was just after we left Yazuac and Brom took the opportunity and spoke to Saphira about something important. He found out that I was listening in through Saphira and I had to swear an oath in the ancient language to him," Artemis explained embarrassed.

Harry flicked his finger against her snout. "Never do something like that again. How are we supposed to completely trust each other when you hide things from me? Is it dangerous what he told you?"

Artemis staggered back and shook her head in irritation.

She glared at him, but at his pointed look she relented and thought about his question. "No. It is about someone dear to him. He is no danger to us."

Harry let out a breath of air. "At least it is not dangerous. But never do something like that again, understood?"

She nodded her head. "I will only do it if it will save your life. But you have to promise to tell me how you're feeling. When you're using your Occlumency shields, it's hard even for me to know how you're feeling inside. And I would prefer you telling me than me always looking for it."

Harry looked guilty at her. "Fine. I Promise, but you know the reason that I have to keep them up."

She looked him into his eyes. "I know, but sometimes it would be easier to talk to a wall than to ask how you're feeling, Harry. I would hate having to sit on you in the future until you would give in."

Harry chuckled and stood slowly up.

"Sitting on me aside - What was the name that Brom gave you?" Harry asked.

"His name is Dormnad. He lives in Gil'ead and can take us to the Varden. We will have to fly there." Artemis was obviously excited to fly such a long way. It would be the first time that the two of them would have such a long flight together.

"Gil'ead? Do we have a map of Alagaёsia?"

Artemis frowned. "We don't. Do you remember the one from Jeod?"

Harry scratched his chin in thoughts. ""Roughly. I think we need to fly east until we hit a big lake. Are you ready to go?"

Artemis straightened herself and nodded. "Are you healthy enough to fly?" She asked him concerned.

"A little bit stiff, but I have no other choice. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long. There could still be soldiers looking for us. I just wish Ares was with us."

Harry thought of his trustworthy horse that had accompanied him for so long. He would miss him wherever he was now and hoped that he and Eragon were able to get away in time.

Harry stretched one last time and, with a little help from Artemis, settled down in the saddle. He fastened the saddle straps to his legs. "Are you ready?" Artemis asked.

Harry nodded. "Let's go."

It has now been a week since Harry and Artemis set out for Gil'ead. They had to take frequent breaks in between as Harry was still recovering. He felt relieved that he could finally use his magic again. It was like he was himself again for the first time in months.

The only thing he couldn't use yet was the magic with the ancient language. Something inside him seemed to prevent him from doing so. He had an idea what it could be, but for the moment he had no choice but to trust his own magic.

Something else that bothered Harry immensely was, that he kept having dreams about the black-haired woman, as it reminded him of the visions that lured him into the Ministry department in his fifth year.

The dreams showed her in deep despair and Harry desperately wanted to help her, but he didn't know how. He didn't know of any magic that could track anyone, and he didn't even know who she was.

All Harry knew was that she was beautiful.

At the moment, Artemis was curled up around the campfire that Harry had prepared.

"What are you thinking about?" Artemis asked, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

"Of my past," Harry replied, immediately feeling Artemis's seething anger.

"If I ever catch someone from your past, I'll rip them to pieces." Artemis promised and pulled Harry closer with her wing.

"Thank you, Artemis," Harry said with a soft smile. "I'm really glad you hatched for me...I don't know if I would have ever left Carvahall if your egg didn't appear in front of me."

Artemis rested her head on Harry's lap, who absently began to scratch her favorite spots.

"You needed time to recover Harry. After all you've been through, you needed time to process everything that was done to you. "

Artemis opened one of her ice-blue eyes. "You were never allowed to mourn for the people who were close to you. Something you've never been able to do before. I am sure you would have joined the Varden at some point. You are not one to sit around when there are other people suffering."

Harry sighed. "I guess you're right... When I see Eragon ready to do whatever it takes to defeat Galbatorix in revenge for what the Ra'zac did to Garrow..."

Harry leaned back and looked up at the sky where thousands of lights lit up the sky. It would never have been possible to see such clear skies in London.

"Could I have prevented it, had I supported the Varden in their fight against the Empire earlier? But I chose to stay out of the war...I'm unsure if it was the right decision to hide myself from the conflict."

Harry felt Artemis move her tail around Harry.

" And how would that have changed anything? We don't know how Saphira's Egg came to Carvahall, nor how the Ra'zac knew about it. When you arrived in Alagaёsia, you were in a foreign land that had no connection with you," Artemis explained.

"In a way the wizarding world was the same for me," Harry argued, crossing his arms above his chest. "A new world and I still helped them."

"That is not true. Your parents and ancestors were wizards and witches. Even if you knew nothing about the wizarding world, you were still part of it. Alagaёsia is a completely foreign land for you, and you had no responsibility to help the land and its people, while Voldemort killed your parents and the people dear to you. You had no choice." Artemis grumbled while she enjoyed the pats from Harry.

"That might be-"

"Harry!" Artemis bared her sharp teeth sticking out like sharp daggers and let out a loud roar that even the birds fled from the trees.

Harry grimaced. "Okay! You are right. Happy?"

"Yes." Harry felt the smugness from her and burst out laughing. He ate his piece of bread in peace and enjoyed the warmth that Artemis and the campfire emanated.

"Do you think we can reach Gil'ead tomorrow?" Harry asked after conjuring himself a blanket from scattered leaves.

"I think so," mused Artemis. "There are more and more animals, which would mean that we are getting closer to the lake. It is the only source of water in the area."

Harry nodded sleepily and yawned loudly.

"Sleep, little one. We have set up wards around the camp. Nothing will bother us."

Harry leaned against Artemis' side and closed his eyes.

"What's the name again of the guy who's supposed to help us find the Varden?" Harry asked.

"Dormnad, I think... I don't like you going into that town alone," Artemis growled. "Not after Teirm."

Harry sensed her worry. They had been having a discussion for a long time now about exactly how to proceed, and Artemis rejected almost every plan Harry had suggested.

They weren't bad plans per se, but mostly they revolved around Harry walking around town alone. Something she did not agree with.

"I won't be away for long. Two days at the most, then I'll come back, and we'll talk about what we're going to do."

He looked Artemis into her eyes. "You know that I can take care of myself." Harry adjusted his sword, that he had conjured earlier this morning.

Harry wished he had a sword like the Sword of Gryffindor or one like Zar'roc, because he couldn't always just conjure a sword... It was not easy thing to do, and they were not known for being particularly strong and sturdy.

Artemis looked at Harry at eye level. "Fine. Go ahead, Harry. The quicker you walk with your little legs, the sooner you'll be back, little one."

"I am not that small!" Harry huffed.

He gave his partner a big hug and made his way to Gil'ead. He slid down the path of the little mountain, they had found a few miles away from the town and was soon on the road to Gil'ead.

It was the only place Artemis could hide in plain sight.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain, he slowed his steps. It was unusual how much stamina he had gained in the past few weeks.

It was something he had not realized before.

On the way to the town, he met some traders who looked extremely battered.

Harry could see details of the city from afar where others would have seen a fuzzy point at first. He was glad that he no longer had to wear his glasses.

Since he bonded with Artemis, he could see even farther than before, and his reflexes, already quick by nature, became even faster.

He did not know why that was, but he liked the changes.

After just two hours of hiking around the lake Isenstar, Harry arrived at the town gate and was promptly stopped by a soldier.

"You must pay entry into Gil'ead, stranger," the soldier said in a grim voice.

Harry arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

"How much do you want for the entry?" Harry asked as he took out his pouch.

"Three crowns. No less." The soldier shifted his spear towards the sunlight, blinding him.

Harry glared at the man and took the bag of money out of his pouch and counted out the three crowns.

"There you go," Harry said. "Greedy git," Harry muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" The soldier asked with his raised spear.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything," Harry replied with a cheery smile.

The soldier accepted the money with a deep grunt and let Harry through the town gates.

It was probably market because the streets were full of people and trade. Harry asked an elderly woman where he could find a place to stay for the night.

She gave him the name of the Silver Rooster, which would be one of the cheaper ones. "Just down the road," she told him.

Harry nodded in thanks and began his search for the Silver Rooster.

On the way Harry met many different people. Many people with expensive clothes, and at the same time poor people with torn clothes who had to haggle with the merchants for every crown.

Harry found the Silver Rooster near the main road. The building looked a bit run down, but it would suffice for one night.

Harry opened the door and saw various people sitting at the tables.

"Welcome to the Silver Rooster! What can I do for you, sir?" greeted him an elderly, balding man with a smile standing behind the counter.

Harry returned the smile and walked over to the counter.

"I'm looking for a room to stay for the night," Harry watched the man's smile grow. "Your tavern was recommended to me by an elderly lady, and I have to say so far it exceeds my expectations."

That might have been too much, Harry thought with a wry grin.

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad you came across my little treasure. If you want a room, it will cost you five crowns a night. Seven crowns with breakfast," the innkeeper answered, and Harry gave him seven crowns for the night.

The innkeeper put the crowns in his side pocket and told Harry to head up take the third room on the right. Harry thanked him and headed up the stairs to his room.

The room held a simple design, which was what Harry had expected. A bed with a white sheet and a small window that gave a simple view of the backyard.

Harry pulled his black glove from his right hand, which was hiding his Gedwёy Ignasia.

He sat down on his bed and immediately felt the few feathers in the bed.

"Better than nothing," Harry grumbled, pulling his wand from its holster.

He tapped on the door with his wand and several wards went into effect. One that would alert him if someone entered his room, and one that would muffle all noise.

Satisfied that all wards were in place, Harry walked down the stairs and sat at one of the tables in the corner from which he could overlook the whole room.

It wasn't long before the innkeeper came to his table and brought the potato soup Harry had pre-ordered.

"Thank you very much-" Harry began.

"Egor, son of Elgar," the innkeeper introduced himself.

"What brings you to Gil'ead?" Egor asked as he sat down with Harry at the table.

"Name's Dudley," Harry introduced himself, shaking hands with the innkeeper.

"Dudley, eh? A strange name," Egor laughed.

Harry shrugged, but internally he was laughing. "My father was no genius when it came to naming. But give him a bow and he was one of the most feared archers in all of Alagaёsia," Harry lied and took the mug in his hands and drunk a large gulp of water.

Egor gave a short nod and fell silent.

Harry took advantage of the moment to ask his questions. Who better to ask than a local innkeeper who overhears all the gossip?

"Egor, I'm looking for someone in Gil'ead." Harry paused for a moment. "I'm supposed to deliver a message from my father for someone with the name Dormnad."

The innkeeper lifted his mug and took a large shot of mead.

"You are in luck then. He is a regular of ours." Egor rubbed his chin as he was deep in thought. "If he comes at his usual time, you can wait for him here. He should be back in a few hours."

"Then luck is on my side," Harry said with a smile.

"Old man! Give us something to drink!" Yelled one of the men seated at a round table across the room.

Egor took a last gulp from his mug and went to get the drinks for the men.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Egor grumbled annoyed.

Harry spent the remainder of the day gathering information. Harry's wallet was a lot lighter at the end of the day, but it was very much worth it. The soldiers in particular were very easy to elicit information once the gold loosened their greedy tongues.

A special piece of information cost him a lot of crowns.

Harry found out from a soldier that the king had taken one of the Varden as a prisoner. The soldier even mentioned that a rumor was going around that it was a female elf.

A group of soldiers pushed open the door of the tavern Harry was staying at. Harry wrinkled his nose as the soldiers walked towards the main table, where two young women of the same age were sitting.

The two women didn't seem to have noticed the soldiers and only looked up in surprise when the ugliest of the soldiers threw their mugs off the table.

"What do we have here, men?" He asked through wide, yellow teeth.

"Young flesh! It's been a while since I had such young ladies in my company," the soldier said and grabbed his crotch in excitement.

The woman looked aghast at him.

"I've had really bad luck for the past few weeks." He barked and turned to the other soldiers and laughed out loud.

Oh, this was not happening, Harry thought with a frown. He looked towards the innkeeper, but he had disappeared behind a door.

Coward.

Clearly, both women were disgusted and frightened of the men and tried to leave when the one with the yellow teeth grabbed the two of them tightly by the arms.

"Wait, where are you going? You do not want to spoil the fun of the king's bravest soldiers, would you?"

His eyes wandered over their bodies.

One of the women managed to free herself from him. "Please, we don't want any trouble. Just let us leave." She looked around, seeking for help. None of the other soldiers moved, except for one.

"Brave, Gareth, eh?" One of the soldiers muttered. His blue eyes were blazing with anger.

He was about Harry's age and clearly the youngest of them. "We are abusing others and neglecting our duties. We are just a bunch of idiots and a waste of air." He helped the woman free herself from Gareth.

The man let the other woman free, and the women quickly ran outside.

"Kent, you bastard! Now it's your fault those two pretty birds are gone!" He swung back and struck the one called Kent under the chin with his fist.

Wood splintered as Kent fell onto another table. The other residents jumped up and quickly left the inn. The last bits of soup dripped down the young man's blond hair. The other soldiers laughed uproariously at the humiliation of their comrade.

Just in time, Egor arrived with a barrel of mead.

Harry flicked his wand and mumbled, "Confundus."

The soldiers looked dazed for a moment and then turned towards Egor and immediately started to cheer when he placed the barrel in front of them. The soldiers turned their attention away from Kent, and each grabbed a seat to sit around the table. The only one who didn't was Gareth.

"You really think you're something special, don't you?" He stepped on Kent's ankle with his foot.

"Ugh," Kent groaned out.

"Oh! Does it hurt?" Gareth asked with a smirk.

"You should be glad that Lord Durza kept you as a soldier after butchering your father like the pig he was."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Kent screamed in anger.

"Oh, I know quite a lot," Gareth smiled. His yellow teeth made his face even more disgusting than it already was.

"More than you can ever imagine. I've been a soldier for the past 20 years, serving under Lord Durza. I've seen things that would haunt your dreams and you would piss yourself in your bed at night!"

"And the best part is I can do whatever I want as long as I don't direct Lord Durza's wrath on me."

Gareth continued to smirk at him and pressed his foot further down on Kent's ankle.

"Please, stop!" Kent screamed in pain.

"You want to be brave and make something out of your life? Run away and go to the Varden, where the scum from Alagaёsia gather. This is the wrong place for a hero like you."

Kent gasped in relief as Gareth stepped off his foot.

The man turned to the other soldiers, his back to Kent. He grabbed himself a mug, filled with mead, while Kent was looking at Gareth, his face full of hatred.

"Do you think Lord Durza will let me get close to the elf later?" Gareth asked no one in particular.

The other soldiers howled with laughter. "Don't you know what happened to the others who tried? The last one who tried something with her hasn't been able to get 'it' up since..." He waggled his eyebrows.

"If you know what I mean…"

Harry leaned his chair against the wall and was glad Artemis didn't know about the elf, yet. He didn't claim to know much about the relationship between dragons and elves.

But he knew from Brom that the elves and dragons did have a very close pact with each other, and Artemis' anger would know no bounds when she find out about the elf.

And then there was the whole Durza thing. The shade was powerful, and Harry would have to be very careful, when he attempted to free the elf.

He did not want to get caught.

Fortunately, the soldiers didn't stay for long and disappeared after making a big mess.

Harry kept waiting at his table for another hour until he the door opened once more. He heard the innkeeper greet the man who, he judged by the greeting, was a frequent visitor.

"Egor, what happened here? Who was it this time?" The man growled in disgust.

Egor just shook his head. "The same as always. It was Gareth and his bunch of idiots. They really went out against young Kent this time."

The man shook his head. "The boy just can't hold his tongue, he is exactly like his father."

They continued to talk for a few minutes, until the newcomer sat down at one of the empty tables near Harry. The innkeeper glanced towards him, and Harry quickly understood.

Harry got up from his table and walked over to the stranger.

"Is the seat still available?" Harry asked politely.

The stranger looked up and said something unintelligibly. The man obviously wanted Harry to leave, but Harry just shrugged and sat down anyway, to the man's displeasure.

Harry looked closely at the man opposite of him. He was probably around forty years old, with brown hair. You could see many scars on one side of his face, indicating the man had been through quite a few battles.

Harry called for Egor for two mugs of mead, which promptly came.

"What do you want?" the stranger grunted, and Harry watched as he gleefully gurgled down the mead.

"I am looking for a man named Dormnad," Harry replied truthfully.

The man's eyes went wide for a second. That was answer enough for Harry to continue poking.

"I was given the name by an old friend," Harry continued.

"Is that so?" The man's eyes glanced towards the door.

Harry hid his grin behind the mug of mead when he noticed the man's interest to leave.

He waited for the man to put the mug of mead to his lips.

"Yes, his name is Brom. Ever heard of him?" Harry was glad he put the muffliato and around the table beforehand, as the stranger started coughing violently as he choked on the mead.

It took him a few seconds to calm himself down and he stared at Harry in disgust, "You did that on purpose."

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"So, are you Dormnad or are you not?" Harry asked.

In an emergency, he would simply obliviate the man and start looking outside the bar.

But today he seemed to be truly fortunate.

"My name is Dormnad. Why are you looking for me?" Dormnad asked with narrowed eyes.

"I was traveling with Brom. I need to find the Varden."

Harry watched in amusement as Dormnad's eyes widened.

"And why do you want to find the Varden? Not that I know where they are," Dormnad whispered hesitantly.

Dormnad looked around to see if anyone would be eavesdropping, but there was no one in the inn, save for the innkeeper.

"You don't need to worry. No one can overhear our conversation," Harry shared with Dormnad.

"You use magic?" Dormnad asked in amazement, relaxing noticeably when Harry nodded.

"That makes things easier. There has been a rumor going around for a few days that Durza fought a dragon rider in Teirm. Do you know something about that?" Dormnad asked.

Harry's eyes widened. "That was fast. I did not think rumors would travel that quickly."

"You mean you were there?!" Dormnad exclaimed.

"Yes, we were ambushed by Morzan and this Durza fellow. I was able to fight him off, but we were split off from each other." Harry scratched his chin.

"That explains why the soldiers behaved like this. Durza will not have been pleased that you beat him in Teirm," Dormnad remarked quietly.

"Yes, but what about the soldiers?" Harry asked.

Dormnad sighed. "Everyone knows that behind the soldiers is Durza. Which means they can do whatever they want. After Durza returned from Teirm, the soldiers were even more violent." He gestured with his hand around the room where the apparent destruction was evident.

"Was Brom the one, who told you about me?" Dormnad asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes, in case anything should happen to him, we still would have a way to find the Varden."

The man nodded at him.

"I can help you, but I need proof from you, more than just empty words. It's a well-kept secret how to reach the Varden and I am not sure I can trust you with everything you have said." Dormnad narrowed his eyes at him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, I can show you something that will make you believe me, but not here. We will have to go up to my room."

Dormnad frowned. "That is fine with me. If you try any magic tricks, I'll kill myself before you can do anything, got it?"

Harry swallowed when he saw the determined fire in the man's eyes.

"Yes…I've overheard some rumors in conversations with the soldiers from earlier - Is there any truth to them?" Harry asked, looking serious.

Dormnad picked up his mug of mead and took a quick sip before answering.

"That the king has captured someone of the Varden?" Dormnad asked.

Harry slowly nodded his head.

Dormnad's face darkened. "Unfortunately, I can't deny that. You just have to listen for the gossip from the soldiers at the prison."

Dormnad drained the mug with one last gulp and banged the mug on the table.

"The rumors speak truth. Durza has imprisoned one of the elves."