Chapter 1: Too Weak to Seek It

HJP - Day 1

Hello? Good, this notebook isn't enchanted like the one I encountered in second year. I shouldn't be surprised though, the "tax collector" I stole it from didn't appear to be magical... Anyway, I guess this will be my diary while I am here. My name is Harry James Potter. I was born on July 31st, 1980, to James and Lily Potter. I defeated a dark lord when I was one, then again at 11, killed a giant snake at 12, resurrected the same dark lord at 14, and then finally defeated him at 17. That was the easy part of my life. From there I was hunted by those I meant to help as another Dark Lord. My friends betrayed me, and I spent years hiding before I realized that if the wanted a dark lord, then I would show them one... I destroyed Great Britain one Auror at a time. I tore down the monuments to their hubris. I showed them what a REAL dark lord was. Then, I became arrogant, and my own hubris turned out to be my downfall.

It's sad to be honest. I thought they were defeated. It had been many years since my enemies had shown their faces. Alas, they were waiting. I moved on with my life. I moved to America with my fiancé, Astoria Greengrass and we were to be married...

We were backpacking through the Rocky Mountains when we were ambushed. I wish I could say we put up a fight. Astoria was wicked with a wand. However, instead of a fair fight, we were cursed in the back. I know not which spell cast me to this is unknown land, but I only hope Astoria is here also.

HJP - Day 2

I find myself in a land called Westeros, in the Seven Kingdoms. It seems to resemble the medieval era on Earth; however, they seem to have never shaken polytheism. I ran into some sort of priest for the "Seven Gods", and he gave me a sort of bible for them. It's... Interesting to say the least. It appears to be similar to the Holy Trinity but incorporating the symbolism of the Roman gods. I know not how to adequately compare it to my old world.

I also met with man who spoke of the old gods who come out of faces on trees? This land is strange. I find myself tired of learning these esoteric religions.

I will continue walking along this road I discovered hoping for some town to rest and collect provisions.

HJP - Day 3

I... relieved...a man of his horse and life today. He was some sort of knight; however, he acted as a common thief. He threatened my life and attempted to steal my backpack. I could not allow that; thus, my new horse is tied up outside my tent. He also had a map of this area as well as a map of Westeros. The second map was much cruder, but it has allowed me to gain an insight into this land.

I still have no idea where I am. The Point Me spell has yet to point me to anything of value. Perhaps now with this map I can finally make some progress...

It turns out I have been riding in the wrong direction to get to the closest settlement. It appears that the "Inn at the Crossroads" is not far from here.

HJP - Day 10

The Seven Kingdoms is an apt name for this hellhole. They each jockey for power against one another, barely working together for anything. Each weak in their own way, but ruled by one King... A fat one who whores his way through his reign.

I have spent the last few days at an Inn in the "Riverlands" getting the lay of the land and learning about this place I have been dumped. Of course, this area where I am has many rivers and the Inn is aptly named the "Crossroads Inn". two guesses why... They are not an inventive bunch these folk.

It is amazing what you can find out for a few coppers or whatever shite currency they use here. I was able to transfigure some rocks I found into some copper and silver coins that are similar to the ones they use here. It appears though that counterfeit money is not a problem as these people do not even look at the coins. Fools. The gold dragons they use here will be a bit trickier to create and I need a more permanent situation to use the stone I have hidden in my bag. So, for now, silver coins will do.

It appears magic in this land is very hard to come by. I have spoken to several and they all report that magic is only practiced by a few in Essos (some other continent I have surmised) and that Magic in Westeros is dead. They do speak of the North, which is both a Kingdom and the direction of said Kingdom, where there are those that can see through the eyes of animals. They also tell stories of the "Children of the Forest" and "White Walkers", small wizards and zombies respectively. I find those harder to believe.

However, I luckily retain all of my magical abilities. While I cannot feel any magic here, my body still produces(?) it. I am unsure myself how I use magic. Is there some sort of reserve within me or something more mundane. I have tested my abilities and it does not appear that I "run out" of magic, but rather get tired as if magic is a muscle within me. The answer escapes me for now. Anyway, like I said, my powers remain at full strength.

My body is different from when I left, unlike my magic. I seem to have decreased in age to maybe 15 years old, rather than my mental age. All the rituals and my magical tattoos have been removed sadly. I will need to reperform those rituals in order to reach full strength. I have gotten a few comments about my perceived age, however a quick spell changes their tune.

I do try to use magic sparingly. The several people I have spoken to about magic have said that the Priests of the Seven gods kill those who show any sign of magic. Thus, I tread carefully. I have used several confundus charms on the more 'useful' soldiers that have entered the Inn. Generally, the ones that carry themselves with dignity and get the respect of those already in the Inn. From those I have learned most of my knowledge of this place.

The ruler is King Robert Baratheon of House Baratheon, a weak king by the sound of it. He mostly leaving the governing to his 'Hand' Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale. The Vale is some mountainous region to the East of here. Lord Arryn commands the respect of the realm, thus Robert remains King. The Lannisters, a powerful family in this land, seem to be feared by most. This is due to their Lord, Tywin Lannister. He is said to be merciless and cunning. Not a man you want opposing you. I shall steer clear of the Westerlands.

The North is ruled by House Stark. The North Lords seem to be an isolationist bunch, rarely traveling south of the 'Neck'. Their Lord, Eddard Stark, is said to be the best friend of King Robert however they have not seen each other in sometime.

The rulers of the Riverlands are House Tully. It is said in hushed tones that their Lord Hoster has taken ill and is likely not to survive much longer. His son, Edmure(?) is weak, foolish, and is likely to be a poor lord. The most interesting news I heard about the Riverlands is a large castle is located not far from here. Said to be haunted and cursed, this "Harrenhal" seems to be a perfect candidate for my new home in this world. There is the unfortunate problem of the current owner, however it is cursed...

HJP - Day 11

I decided it was time to head out. There is only so much I can learn and do at an Inn. The travel by horse was uncomfortable but it took me not long to arrive at Harrenhal. It is much bigger than I expected and also appears to be heavily damaged, something the soldiers failed to mention. The towers are blackened with an ash like substance and melted. Stone... melting? Very confusing. I have camped some distance away. While there appears to be a small town outside the walls, I wish to maintain my distance and hide my arrival. While I would not stick out in any other trading town, that village seems to have few visitors and it is likely I would be noticed. I will begin scouting the castle tomorrow and find a way in.

HJP - Day 14

Harrenhal is as indefensible as an open field. I counted at least 23 open holes in the outer wall large enough to fit a tank through, 19 of them were unguarded. The interior wall is better but still allows entry. There are 3 holes beyond the gate. These however are all guarded. While the security was better, it was easy for me to bypass due to my disillusionment charm. I don't blame the guards for that though. They could have caught me if they saw me.

The Lady of the castle hails from House Whent. She is a widow and has no heirs according to the captain of the guard. It would be an easy castle to take. Perhaps, if I were to gather a force of 20 mercenaries with my fake silver, I could seize it and force Lady Whent to give me the castle. I will do more thinking on this...

HJP - Day 17

I believe that my plan to assault the castle with 20 'sellswords' is ill-conceived. While I still plan to seize the castle, I will use the 'sellswords' as the garrison while I control Lady Whent with the imperious curse. I will slowly reveal myself to the populace as her husband's brother's son. There may be questions, but as long as nobody looks too far into it, I should be fine.

I have placed the captain of the guard under the imperious already and he has informed me that Lord Tully has not communicated with Lady Whent in many years and is unlikely to in the future. He said that there has been rumors of a rebellion by the Pirate Lords in the West, some island grouping called the 'Iron Islands'. Lord Tully, even though he remains ill, has supported the King with his army. This may be the perfect opportunity to strike. Rumors also persist of a 'Westerland Witch' who has fought off several bands of bandits over the last three weeks. While I do not know what they mean by using the descriptor of 'Westerland', a witch could infer Astoria is here. I will find out once my plan has succeeded.

HJP - Day 24

Lady Whent is finally under my spell. It took longer than I would have liked, but I was able to gain an audience yesterday and cast it. She announced to the guard and the population that she found the long-lost son of blah blah and whose it, which is me, and that I will be taking over the day-to-day duties as Lord of Harrenhal due to her advanced age. I informed the population that I will endeavor to improve their lives and ensure Harrenhal is restored to a position of prosperity. I have spoken with several of the town's people and they informed me that House Whent is very wealthy due to how much land Harrenhal controls. The surrounding area is very fertile and the tax generated would support a slow reconstruction of the castle and surrounding town.

I know not how to return to my previous world, however if Astoria is here, I have no reason to attempt to return. If there are few magic users here, I am much more powerful than all and can change this world into mine...

I have sent a party of guards to the last known location of the 'Westerland Witch' in an attempt to find her. If it does turn out to be Astoria, they have orders to explain her fiancé is Lord of Harrenhal and she is to come along. If not, they are to leave her in peace. I need not make enemies with another magic user... As I write this, I realize that I could have sent a Patronus message to her... I need to remember the magic and spells that I learned in school. Even those simple spells will be so much more useful here.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 29

I sent a Patronus message to Astoria and she responded! She said that she will find a horse and ride here as fast as it allows. It is a weigh off my chest to have her in the world. I would not share my life with anyone but her. She said it might take her a few days or a week to arrive, but she is on her way. I am thankful for that.

My plans for Harrenhal are simple. The castle needs to be restored to working order. Harrenhal is too grand to be of use to anyone and is in an indefensible state. The cost the fully garrison this castle is immense and would bankrupt any House that holds it. The five huge towers provide no shelter other than for bats and are mostly destroyed from the attack by the dragon lords. I have decided to demolish them, using my magic of course. I have clued the most important of guards and citizens to my magic and asked them to spread the rumor that the old Gods have blessed me with immense power similar to Bran the Builder who constructed 'the Wall', a 700 ft ice wall in the North. While I am most certainly not Bran the Builder, the townsfolk will look to me as a God if I give them the opportunity.

Anyway, in addition to the towers being useless, the walls, stables, and 'Godswood' are all too grandiose. I mean, walls and halls that are better for giants than humans? The area within the walls is also too large to adequately defend. The purpose of a castle is to defend against a larger army with significantly less forces, not be require maintaining an army large enough to assault a castle itself to defend it. Thus, I will be destroying a significant portion of the wall once the towers have been torn down. I will mostly be doing this at night, to keep the prying eyes away. They will of course yell magic when the walls change position, but that doesn't concern me.

It will be a difficult task to rebuild this castle into a more manageable one, but it can be done. I also have some ideas on how to better utilize the Gods Eye Lake. Harrenhal currently does not back up to the lake, I mean to rectify that. A large source of water right outside the walls would allow the castle to not worry about water during a siege. This and using most of the stone from the large towers to build strong stores for food and the new Keep I plan to build will allow Harrenhal to become a smaller, yet still powerful castle. I will begin with removing the largest tower in the next few days, which will provide stone for other buildings and stone works I intend to build.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 30

I was foolish to believe that even with magic, reconstructing this castle would be a simple task. I wish to not completely crush the stone from each tower; however, the towers extend at least a hundred yards into the air. I cannot simply let the stone crash into the ground; thus, I am using my broom to slowly lower each cut stone to the ground. Overnight, I removed perhaps a yard off the top of the largest tower this way. I have decided to employ some workers to work during the day, removing the stone to quicken the process. The Philosopher's Stone I brought from my world will help immensely with the price of this. I believe this will only cost a few hundred thousand gold 'dragons', which I can create pretty easily. Demolition is much cheaper that construction it appears. Skilled labor is not required...

The main problem is that I must wait until the towers are removed before adjusting the walls. I have decided to, rather than tear down the walls and move them as my original thought, I will simply move and rebuild the interior walls for a keep and leave the outer wall as is besides putting it next to the lake. Two thoughts ran through my mind: why remove a wall at all and why can I not just use the immense size of the interior of the castle as the town itself. There is no reason not to just move Harrentown within the walls of Harrenhal and protect it from raiders and bandits. It was foolish for the Harren the Black to build such a great castle only as a fortification rather than a town.

On a side note, the pirates attacked and sank a large Lannister fleet at port. I guess the Pirate Rebellion has begun.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 38

Astoria arrived earlier today! She ran into my search party somewhere in the Westerlands, and they escorted her to me. We both were very excited to see each other. It was funny, we have really only been apart for about a month, yet it felt like a lifetime. We spoke about what brought us to this land and neither of us had any idea. It is most strange that we retain all of our greatest treasures. It is like we were picked up from our world and moved to this one. Astoria has her satchel that contained my cloak as well as the Peverell ring, which she was wearing when we were ambushed. She also has her camelback water dispenser which survived the 'transport(?)'. She had an idea that, if we are to stay in this world, it might be useful to equip our soldiers with them. Luckily, we both know the duplicate spell which will allow us to create more without the necessary production equipment.

We did have the idea that, perhaps since we were touching when we died and I being the Master of all three Hallows, we were transported here due to the Hallows themselves. It is plausible. No one has ever united the Hallows, so it would stand to reason that there could be additional benefits like that. Who knows? It is unlikely we will find out the true reason.

I introduced Astoria to the guard and castle as my intended. They are to follow her orders as my own. No one seemed to bat an eye at that, which I am grateful for. We have decided to wait a while to get married, but within the year. Astoria wishes to adjust our ceremony to include some of the local customs. I find that unneeded, but alas... It will be a small ceremony outside the walls. I spied a hill not too far from here with a single tree adorning it. I am sure Astoria will enjoy the seclusion.

I have received no ravens from the Lords of this land, so I doubt information of my control of this land has reached them yet. I did discover that the 'Maester' of this castle was spying on me and my goings on. Insidious little fellow. They say that they are loyal to you and the castle, but they report your every move to the 'Citadel'. I placed him under the imperious curse to stop him without raising suspicion. Additionally, the Septon of the castle was doing the same for the Faith of the Seven. Luckily, he is a foolish man blinded by his gods, so he is easily manipulated.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 60

I have not been keeping up with this journal very well since Astoria arrived. Having another magical around really speeds up projects while having your fiancé around definitely increases the number of projects. None of which have actually got done, just added to the list... Currently I have a full-page list of items Astoria wants added to the keep once we begin construction, the most important being hot water, heating, and air conditioning. I am not a medieval engineer! How do I force a castle, the definition of cold and unforgiving, to have heating? I generally understand how A\C and heating ducts work in a house; however, those are connected to mechanical units which cause them to be hot or cold! I will perhaps have to send a raven to the Citadel, as much as I would be loath to do so, to get their expertise. Or perhaps speak with a stonemason or something...

The towers are coming don nicely. The largest of them is about a third of the way deconstructed. With workers in the day and Astoria and I in the night, it does not take as much time as I thought. However, the Towers do get more complicated and less destroyed the closer we get to the ground, thus the work is slower. I expect the deconstruction to end in approximately 300 days. At home, that would have been around September, I believe. I know not how their calendar works here. Anyway, then we can use the stone collected to repair the outer walls as well as adjust the interior walls for our keep.

I have been told that the summers in this world run many years and winters are just the same. I would surmise the planet must circle the sun is a different way than our sun on Earth. Perhaps, while Earth follows a stable trajectory around the sun, this one does not? That may force the summers to be longer while also allowing for 'years' in the sense of one orbit around said sun. Like I said earlier, I am not an astronomer. I am just a wizard.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 126

My entries are become more spread out and our time here grows longer. I have heard this 'Greyjoy Rebellion' continues as the Iron Throne is attacking the islands themselves. Fools... Pirates stand no hope against a unified medieval empire. I detest pirates. They steal what they won't produce themselves and act like they earned it. Ha... But I am not that different from a Pirate myself, stealing myself a castle... Hypocrisy... I have found that hypocrisy rarely matters when it comes to adults. Sure, you can say that someone is a hypocrite, but what does that really accomplish. Politicians in my world were hypocrites all the time, yet they were still elected? I don't worry over petty insults like that.

I have an interesting story that occurred not ten days ago. It has spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms now that we are tearing down Harrenhal, some stories saying there are wizards helping us, others admitting we have the money to do it quickly. That has brought all kinds of wayward peasants to our town to see the construction for themselves. That brings us to a couple who walked through our gates... A brown-haired boy with a redheaded girl... Normally, their arrival would never have been noticed by anyone. Harrenhal is busy with workers and commerce, so the arrival of two teenagers would go unnoticed. However, one of my guards spotted the woman with a stick that reminded them of my wand. Thus, I was told immediately. The guard had enough sense to put a tail on them until I arrived, and we tracked them down not far from the tower we are using as our keep currently.

It turns out the pair was Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones! They were the only two of my friends to stick by me in my old world and they somehow made it here. They were also assassinated not too long after us. Which throws out our Hallows theory... But I am incredibly happy to have friends from my old world here who are loyal. It would have been exceedingly difficult to confide in anyone in this world. It is full of snakes and weasels who would sell you out for a nickel, or a piece of silver, I guess. I have put them up in my keep as 'Bannermen' or "Vassals'? Whatever. When I begin my plans, I will give them a Castle for their own...

The town has been growing, which has allowed us to gain more in taxes as well as trade. I have instructed our townspeople, using a mild compulsion charm, to get those people that enter the town to stay and promise them good jobs, support, and even a place to stay when the castle is completed. The traders are free to come and go as they please, but I hope many people stay in the town. I have also begun to spread that Harrenhal is accepting of bastards and all types of low-income folks, no matter your station. If you are willing to work, Harrenhal is for you.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 189

I have finally received a missive from Lord Tully, enquiring about what is occurring. It seems he is happy that the "ugly wreck of a castle" will finally be taken care of and used in a better manner, however he did question my origins and intentions. He asked if House Whent was still in control of the castle or if it had really been taken over by someone else. I informed him that House Peverell were the new lords of Harrenhal, with House Whent abdicating to us. It appeared that he really didn't care who was in charge surprisingly, but he did ask that I make time to swear an oath to him. His letters seemed to be written in a more grandfatherly tone, rather than a Lord Paramount. He also has a slight tremor in his writing hand, but that's not my problem. I responded in a kindly tone, asking if I could delay the oath until my duties as Lord allowed me to be gone for an extended period of time. I cannot with how I am trying to repair the castle and increase trade. I shall await his response with bated breath...

Having four magicals has really increased the speed at which we are removing the towers, we have taken down the two largest towers and are working on the middle one currently. Some of the stone has been used to repair the walls, but the vast majority is just sitting outside the walls. We could probably construct another entire castle with it, but I know not where to put it that would offer a strategic value. Perhaps the Isle of Faces? It would offer the perfect protection from attack should Harrenhal be sieged. However, it really offers no benefit other than that. There are no industries there. No reason for trade... Perhaps not.

The 'Greyjoy Rebellion' ended with the defeat of the Pirates like I said it would. Most of the House was killed and their castle was sacked. For some reason, the King allowed the rebel leader, Balon Greyjoy, to remain alive. Fool. Those type of people only understand one thing, death. He did send that pirate lord's son to Winterfell in the North as a hostage... If I understand the Greyjoy philosophy, that really won't stop them from rebelling in the future. It would be better to rout out those pirates and destroy their religion of piracy while you are at it. Give the islands to someone who would act in a predictable manner. But I am not King...

The King actually fought, which surprised me. He must have called the breastplate stretcher to make his armor fit his fat body... Ha-ha But truly, he supposedly led a fleet of ships and defeated a party of Ironborn. He still is a whore monger and a drunkard, but at least he can fight battles.

Astoria and I are planning to have Neville officiate our wedding. It seems as time goes on, Astoria becomes less enamored with local customs and is beginning to miss the customs of our previous world. I suspect we will get married on the hill, overlooking the town with Neville performing the traditional wizarding marriage rites. She has commissioned a dress from King's Landing, though I am not allowed to see the designs. I am sure it will be good. Neville and Susan have started dating. While they were together when they were killed, they were not together at that time. It was only pure coincidence. I think the fact that they are the only other two magicals here lends to them getting together.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal - Day 265

The towers have all been deconstructed. We are currently living in a house in Harrentown that we are borrowing from a local businessman. I offered him payment; however, it seems he wants a favor rather than money. Once again, snakes. To be honest, that is fine. I am lucky that Astoria is a natural legilimens who can read the thoughts of those closest to us.

The outer walls have also been all repaired. I decided to take the stone from the towers, essentially melt it down using magic and fill in the gaps in the walls that way rather than paying someone to fix it. It was easier and should be stronger in the long run. I did pull in parts of the non-destroyed walls to ensure they were sturdy.

I have also finished the plans for our new keep. It will be built where the previous largest tower once stood, making use of the strong foundation as well as the tunnels below. The addition Astoria wanted will all be included, using a mix of runes and construction. Most recently, she stated she wanted water pressure, so I had to include a water tower on the top of the castle. Luckily, a water refilling rune will easily keep us from having to find a way to refill it.

The town is growing immensely now that we have the plans for where the keep and interior walls will be placed. I have allowed all open areas within the outer walls to be built upon, even the former Godswood. It makes little sense to have a 20-acre Godswood. I don't even believe in those gods…

Neville has been moving the interior walls into their new positions. The area inside will be much smaller than previously. I have also been helping a lot with that task. As soon as it is done, we can begin the construction of the keep. I have hired additional workers for this task, with the intention of completing it within three months. There will be a lot of magic involved and thousands of workers, so I hope we can complete it quickly.

The town has grown exponentially since we finished the deconstruction. Hundreds of people arrive from all over Westeros every week, some joining our Men at Arms regiments or others becoming laborers and farmers… I would estimate our levies stand at around 15,000 with another 7,500 in men at arms. Those forces garrison the castle itself while the levies I have are being trained in their off seasons when they aren't farming. I could possibly raise more, but those would be peasants with pikes rather than a quality fighting force. I really just pay for them using half tax and half gold created from the stone. While I may be 'flooding' the market with gold, the system of commerce is so spread out that we are fast becoming the richest area in Westeros and are able to buy anything we need from other places. There even have been rumors that there are gold mines under Harrenhal and that's were our gold comes from.

Lord Tully is becoming more of a nuisance by the month. I have yet to pledge my undying loyalty to the old man, so he keeps sending ravens asking me to make my way there. I'll probably send him another raven saying that I will come once my castle is completed. What is he going to do, march his army here? That would be a massive waste of time and money. I also feel that he is slowly becoming concerned about the amount of power I command.

I am thinking about having Susan learn more about commanding a medieval army from the library. I need someone loyal and intelligent to command my army and she is a most capable witch. The sexism in this land matters little to me, she can imperious my men if they wont follow her orders. I believe I will need her assistance soon rather than later.

Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal – Year 2: Day 10

The castle was completed, and we are all moved in. Neville and Susan also moved into the keep, though they are in a separate area. The keep is nearly as large as Maegor's Holdfast in King's Landing. It is unlikely that this redoubt could fall to any attacking army. The town inside the walls is also under construction. I have informed the townsfolk that the spare stone from the towers and walls is free to use to construct houses, but they must be inspected by our stonemasons from time to time to make sure they are safe.

The amount of people in the town and surround area continues to astound me. Some are saying we are the fourth largest city in the Seven Kingdoms now, after King's Landing, Oldtown, and Lannisport. I have increased my standing army to 10,000, with most of them doing police duties and ensuring there is no corruption within the city. I am proud to say, this is probably the safest city in Westeros.

Funny story, I guess Lord Tully got tired of waiting for me to go to Riverrun and he came here! How embarrassing, coming to your own vassal's castle because he wont come to you. Lord Tully was shocked by the progress we had made in such a short period of time. He congratulated House Peverell on a job well done. Then he demanded I pledge fealty to him… And I did, only to him. I plan to use that later… While there really is nothing holding me to that 'oath', it seems honor is valuable here, so I will bide my time. Lord Tully is only getting older… And I will live forever.

Astoria and I were married about a week ago under the tree on the hill. Neville officiated while Susan witnessed. It was exactly how we both imagined it would be. The town was very happy for us and threw a large party that lasted for a few days. It was heartwarming to see that our citizenry likes us, not like I care.

Now the castle is completed, I will bide my time, increasing the wealth and power of House Peverell of Harrenhal. Next on the list, Harry Peverell, Lord of Harrenhal and Lord Paramount of the Trident...