Hello everyone!

So almost two months hmm? Two fucking months without an update... Unfortunately, IRL stuff caught up to me and I had too much shit to do to even think about writing. I managed to release a chapter here and there for my other stories, but they too were mostly untouched.

Thankfully I am FREE now. Well... as free as I was before shit hit the fan. I will be aiming to update all of my stories at least two times in the coming month so that's something right?

Anyway, I am happy that you liked my addition of Sirius to this story and I hope you will like my plans for him. There are still a few things before we move onto the canon of GoT (or whatever will be left of it), but this time most of the events will be closer to what you are all used to when thinking of GoT.

Also, I got a few messages asking if Harry will be hiding his magic from the world forever. The answer is simple. No, he won't. Besides I never really got an opportunity for him to show his magic to bigger crowds. Well expect Mossovy and Asshai, but those places work differently than the western part of Essos (At least in my story. I think at this point everyone already knows that it is an AU).

Alright, that's should be all for my welcome back AN.

Enjoy the chapter people!

Chapter 18. Family

Early 295 AC

"Asshai, Yi Ti, Mossovy, the lands beyond the Wall," Sirius shook his head, his eyes slightly wide, "Bloody hell and here I thought my new life was full of surprises."

Harry shrugged, at this point pretty much used to people's reaction when he told them about his adventures, "Can't say I was bored. Still, it took some time to get used to this new world and body," he said and looked down on his hands.

"Blakfyre eh?" Sirius said mostly to himself, "I learned enough of history to know what the most of the world think about your house. Or rather thought as House Blackfyre should be extinct after all. People definitely will get confused if you ever decide to reveal your new heritage."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "For now I see no reason to reveal this particular secret. Oh, I am sure that sooner or later it will come out, especially if stay close to you. You are already popular and while I can hide pretty well, I can't do it forever."

Besides Harry had enough of hiding. Everywhere he went, he used glamors over his appearance, and apart from some low-key spells he almost didn't use magic openly. It almost made Harry miss his time in Asshai and Mossovy where everyone practiced magic openly.

Suppressing a snort, Harry turned back to his godfather and noticed the man staring at him with eyes wide, "You're staying here? I thought you will continue your travels, this world is big and I am sure there are places yet undiscovered."

Harry's lips quirked up into the biggest smile he ever had since arriving in this world, "That's true, I want to see more of this world, but I have got my entire life to do this. You are family Sirius, the only one I have. I lost you once due to my stupidity and I won't be making this mistake again... even if I really want to visit Valyria as soon as I can," he whispered the last part, they could talk about this later.

Sirius' gaze fell and it took a good moment for the older man to respond, "Harry, it had been more than ten years since we last saw each other and even then we didn't really know each other that well. I am happy that you want to stay here, trust me I really am, but are you sure about this? I am not the same man I was back then..."

A hollow laugh left Harry's lips, "Sirius," he began, "Neither of us is the same... I lived through another war before my death, and this world? It changes you, more than I have ever expected. So no, I won't just walk away because we are different. You are family and nothing is ever going to change that."

Sirius chuckled quietly, "Maybe you are right."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I know I am. Now tell me what you did in the last ten years. You already heard my story and I want to hear yours. And remember, I won't judge you for anything you tell me."

Sirius nodded, "When I feel into the Veil of Death, I thought it was the end," he snorted lightly, "For a while, it was the truth. Not afterlife, not hell awaited me. Just nothing or rather an endless void where I was completely alone."

Harry's mind instantly flashed to one of his early visions from Qarth where he heard a man he couldn't recognize back then. Endless void described this vision pretty well.

"I don't know for how long I was trapped there, but it gave me a lot of time to think about my life. The ups and downs. The numerous mistakes I have made over the years... I would have probably gone mad if the void didn't decide that it had enough of me. Even if it spit me in the Flatlands with only my wand, clothes, and much younger body."

Harry quirked his brow, "Near Pentos?"

Geography wasn't Harry's forte, but he knew enough to remember the name of the lands around Pentos. After all, without Flatlands the Free city would be without its own supply of food.

"Aye," Sirius confirmed, "Thankfully I could spot the city from my landing point. Unfortunately unlike you, I had no clue how this world functioned. It took me weeks of wandering around Pentos and using magic to finally learn something. Those were pretty dark days. Even my time after escaping Azkaban was better..."

Harry sighed when he noticed his godfather drifting away in thoughts. Whatever the man went through, it couldn't be good. Harry's situation in the beginning while not perfect, wasn't too bad.

Clearing his throat to get Sirius' attention Harry spoke, "If you don't want to talk about this part we can skip it."

Sirius smiled lightly and nodded, "Thanks... I just prefer to forget about those times, just like my vacation in Azkaban," he shook his head before continuing, "I remained in Pentos for almost a year before I found something to do. Apparently, a smaller mercenary group was looking for any volunteers to join so I took the offer. Anything was better than my stagnation in the Free City."

Harry's brows furrowed, "Mercenary group? You? I very much doubt you had any skills that normal companies like that required."

Sirius shrugged, "I didn't, but they never specified who they wanted. Just volunteers. Besides I still had my magic, even if this world actively fights against anything I try to do..."

The younger wizard immediately perked up at the mention of magic, "Wait. Before you continue I wanted to ask you about your magic. Like you know my own changed a lot with the transfer to this world. What about yours?"

Sirius paused for a moment before he reached into his pocket and brought out a simple stick of very dark wood. Unlike Harry's creation, this wand was completely smooth and without any cracks running along its length. It was evident that this artifact was created by a master wandmaker.

Harry felt like a large weight was removed from his shoulders. Now he had a chance to better his own wand if only Sirius had nothing against giving some help.

"I don't think I went through any changes apart from my younger body when I arrived in this world. My magic works just like it did before, but like I mentioned earlier this world actively fights against it. In the beginning, I had troubles maintaining even the simplest of spells, thankfully over the years it got much better, but some magic is still beyond me."

Harry raised an eyebrow and Sirius instantly elaborated, "Mind magic, not that I was ever good at it. Thankfully confundus works to some degree, shite saved my hide a few times already," then the older man lifted up his left hand and Harry's eyes widened when he noticed the pinky finger missing, "Of course my stupid arse didn't think anything of those changes back then and tried to use Apparition... It didn't work as you can see."

Groaning Harry ran a hand across his face, "Really Sirius? Your magic refuses to work as it should and the first thing you do is Apparition?

Sirius looked away as his shoulders slumped, "Hey, those were hard times and I didn't really think this through."

Harry looked at Sirius' left hand, then back to his godfather and answered dryly, "Yes I can see that. Wouldn't be the first time eh?"

His godfather blushed lightly and stammered a response, "Anyway I still have some problems with magic, but for the most part I can do almost anything I could in our previous world. Only here the spells are a bit more taxing. Now let's go back to my story, no questions."

At Sirius' glare, Harry waved his hands and motioned his godfather to continue. He had his fun and he wanted to hear the rest of Sirius' story. How someone like his godfather became a very important Magister, Harry had no clue.

"The company had about three hundred men when I joined. Most of them were experienced fighters while a smaller part was almost as bad as me. The leader didn't care and just trained the recruits to a passable standard," Sirius snorted, "Never have I thought that I would be swinging a sword in my life."

"And magic? Did you hide it?" Harry questioned.

"At first? Yes," he replied swiftly, "I still knew almost nothing about this world and didn't know how people would react if I used magic in front of them. I heard some rumors about Red Priests and their 'sorcery', but that was it."

The older man paused as a dark look passed in his eyes, "For more than two years life was pretty good... Well at least better than previously. My comrades trained me and I managed to learn a lot about this world. We had a few skirmishes here and there that definitely showed me that life here was different... Unfortunately, those times didn't last."

"Our leader grew too bold due to our success and thought we could start taking harder contracts," Sirius shook his head, "Foolish. At this point, we had about nine hundred fighters in our company with maybe eighty percent of them being capable and experienced warriors. Still, somehow the bloody idiot thought we could handle the force of a two thousand Dothraki."

Harry palmed his face, "Tell me you didn't try to fight them in the open. At least with some sort of protection, you had a chance."

Sirius almost growled, "I wish, but like I said the idiot thought we could hunt Dothraki. The Khalasar might have been small and inexperienced, but to fight them on their home turf? Suicide."

"You are here, so somehow you managed to survive. What happened?"

Sirius snorted, "What do you think? I began to actively use magic. I can fight with a sword against one person and probably win, but more? Bah, I would be dead in a minute. So when the battle started I cast as many offensive spells as my magic allowed me to. Fuck hiding if I can save my and my comrades' life."

By the clenching of Sirius' fists, Harry knew that he again came upon a very dark memory.

"I did what I could. Probably cast more spells in an hour than I thought I could. But in the end, only I and about fifty of my comrades came alive from that battle. We took what we could and traveled back to Volantis where our contractor lived. The rest of the group elected me as a new leader even if with our numbers we couldn't really be called mercenary company anymore."

"They didn't ask about your magic?" Harry inquired.

The older man chuckled, "Oh they did. Like a never-ending stream, they fired question after question. I explained what I could, they deserved that much after what we went through. Surprisingly most accepted everything without much thought while others took some demonstrations to sway."

"At least now you had some people who you could maybe trust and knew about your abilities. What happened to them?"

"We traveled," he answered simply, "Taking an odd job here and there so we would have money to survive. More than ten of us decided to leave our group and went on their own. Not that I can blame them, we all wanted some peace after almost another two years of wandering Essos. Thankfully for the first time in years, we were lucky and got hired by a very old Magister from Myr."

Sirius again stopped his story while he observed the room they were in, "This was his home you know? We arrived here expecting another of those pompous slave masters, but instead, we got an old man who gave his servants all that they would require in their life. And to top it all he somehow knew about my abilities."

Harry frowned as he recalled his memories of Myr, "I don't remember anyone like that, but I never really cared enough about the ruling party of Myr."

Sirius snorted, "Not surprising, you were more concerned with surviving back then. Still, life became quite good and for the first time in this world, I felt like I achieved some sort of normalcy. Of course, the old man was overly interested in me, but not in a bad way. We talked about my travels and magic, while he spoke of his life as one of the richest magisters. He wanted to change this city for the better, but with his age, there was only so much he could do."

"And that's why he hired you," Harry cut in, slowly realizing the old Magister's plan.

Sirius nodded, "Exactly. He didn't have any heirs and upon his death, his wealth would be picked apart. So he decided to pick an heir for himself. I should have expected that after all those weird questions about my thoughts on the state of this city and the world. He made sure that whoever he picked would be the right person to continue his work. My own views and magical power made me the perfect candidate at least in his opinion..."

"So he just gave you his position like that?" It couldn't be that easy, nothing ever was.

Shaking his head Sirius leaned back in his chair, "Yes and no. The old man didn't have anything to lose so he probably trusted his gut when he made the decision. The last few months of his life he spent on teaching me all I needed to know and introducing me to the most important people in Myr. After all, the title of Magister is not hereditary. One needs to be chosen so the old man did everything he could to make sure I would be."

"Not that it was hard, being one of the richest people in Myr proved very useful... I was elected as a new Magister a week before the old man died and even now I can remember his last words very clearly. 'I have tried to change this place for years lad and never succeded. But you, you have the power to change this shithole for the better so don't waste it,' he said. Bloody old fart."

"At least he tried to make this world a better place. I traveled through multiple lands and met only a handful of people like that," Harry said with a shake of his head, "And here I thought that the wizarding world was fucked up."

"You don't say," Sirius replied as his nose crinkled, "I had my own fair of wizarding politic before they threw me into Azkaban, but here? Everything is ten times worse. People backstab each other on a daily basis and you always need to look into shadows to check if there are no assassins lurking in the dark. And the worst part? You either join this cycle or die."

"And you Sirius, did you join the cycle?" Harry asked, his tone steady without even an ounce of accusation in it.

The older man nodded slowly, his eyes distant, "I did. I made a promise to the old man and I intend to keep it. You need to understand Harry that I lost almost everything in my life. Lily, James, my world, and much more. I didn't know what to do, so when a man appeared who finally gave me some purpose I grabbed it and held it as firmly as I could... If I knew you were alive I would have searched for you. But I didn't and so I fell into the pit of blackmail, backstabbing, and murder."

Harry looked away, not capable of meeting his godfather's eyes after what he just heard, "I'm not mad at you Sirius, why would I. You dealt with your problems as best as you could and you should be proud of it."

To Harry's surprise, Sirius laughed, "Oh I am proud Harry. I control over half of the city and most people love the changes I implemented. Everything would be perfect if it wasn't for the fact that when I look in the mirror I sometimes don't recognize the person staring back at me."

Ah, so that's what it is all about, Harry thought as the realization hit him like a Warhammer.

"Not everyone handles the change as well as you do. It can break a person and leave them a shell of their former self. Your godfather while holding himself well still needs to completely accept what happened to him," the voice which had been silent for this entire conversation finally spoke.

True, Harry answered, not commenting on his partner's disappearance.

"Sirius," he began gaining the man's attention, "Remember what you have told me? You aren't the same man I met in the Shrieking Shack. You have changed and you need to accept it. I can't say I ever had the same problem as even though I hated it, I always adapted well to new situations. Still, it doesn't mean that I can't help you... Family Sirius, remember that."

They remained in silence for some time, before Sirius chuckled loudly, "Even with new face and name I can still hear Lily right through you. She might have been the voice of reason when the war began, but she was the kindest person I have ever met... Well maybe expect your grandmother."

"A story that I definitely want to hear one day," Harry said and sighed when he noticed his godfather coming out from his temporary depression, "For now though I would like you to meet my companion for the last few years. Ralnor, show yourself."

At Harry's command, the space next to him shimmered in bright light. It slowly extended in every direction forming the tall body of Harry's trapped friend. The man stretched his form, popping a few of his joints. Harry had no clue how that worked as Rolnor was made entirely out of magic.

Turning back to his godfather Harry laughed when he noticed Sirius' mouth opening and closing in an attempt to say something, "You okay there Sirius?" he asked with a snicker.

The older wizard splutterer, "But, but, I thought he was someone you met in Leng! What the hell Harry!?"

Ralnor snorted, "He met me in Leng alright. Although I think he omitted the fact that I was trapped in an underground vault for centuries. Oh well..."

Harry wiped a few tears that formed from his fit of laughter and explained, "That is a bit of a longer story Sirius so we will save it for later. All you need to know is that Ralnor here is now bound to my magic and we share a connection that let us speak mentally."

After the last sentence, Sirius instantly stopped gaping and his eyes narrowed, "Connected? After what you have told me of the war in Britain, I would have thought that you would never want anything foreign inside your mind again. Are you both fine with this?"

Almost in synchronization Ralnor and Harry shrugged, "It was hard in the beginning," the Lengii sorcerer spoke, "We weren't prepared for the merge and none of us really wanted it. Thankfully over time, we managed to find some familiar ground and start a tentative friendship. Took months to do it, but well here we are. I am definitely not complaining. Everything is better than being trapped in this god-forsaken vault, even if having my own body would be nice."

Harry just nodded not having anything to add. Only after giving a full story to Sirius, they could expand on this subject.

"Are you trying to find some way to separate yourself permanently?"

Harry frowned, "We are. Unfortunately magic like that is still far beyond us. For now, we are working on creating a working wand. I was hoping you will let me get a look at your own. Gods only know how Ollivander created so many wands..."

"Of course I will," Sirius replied, "Just try not to destroy it. Not everyone here can use magic without one."

"Don't worry we won't," Harry's eyebrow then raised as he realized something, "You really can't use magic without a wand?"

Sirius shook his head, "Apart from some low-powered first-year spells, I can't do anything. I guess that's the con of having my own body travel with me. You can't have everything."

Harry smiled a bit, "I guess you can't... Anyway, we derailed from the topic a bit, but I wanted to ask, what are your plans now? You have most of the city eating out of your hands and only a few other Magisters controlling the rest of it."

"I'm going to take it over," he stated bluntly and Harry's brows raised almost to his hairline, "That was always the plan. Take over the city, implement all the changes I couldn't before, and then set my eyes on the Disputed Lands."

At this point, it was Harry's turn to gape at his godfather while Ralnor just observed the pair with rapt interest.

"Are you mad?" Harry almost shouted, "I get taking over Myr, after all, it is already almost in your control, but the Disputed Lands? Tyrosh and Lys will never let you. Bah, I bet they won't be happy with the change of leadership in Myr. Most likely they will band together against you and it will end the same way it always does. With no one getting the Disputed Lands."

Sirius gave no outright reaction at Harry's outburst and only replied calmly, "That would be true if Lys and Tyrosh decided to stand against me together."

Harry furrowed his brows. This didn't make any sense, the two remaining Sisters would never let anyone control the Disputed Lands even if it meant banding together. Over the centuries only a few managed to conquer those lands, but it never lasted.

To Harry's even further surprise it was Ralnor who spoke and made the younger wizard realize something, "You know something we don't Magister Black. Something is happening between the two Free Cities."

Sirius nodded and unrolled a large map of Westeros and western Essos on the table, "Over two years ago I heard rumors from my contacts that one of the Magisters of Lys upset the Tyroshi Archon. I don't know the details, but the trade between the cities became strained after this. Over the time this situation began to affect other Magisters and instead of dealing with the one idiot who caused all of this they went against Tyrosh. Already I heard of a few skirmishes between the Cities. It is only a matter of time before the official war begins."

Harry palmed his face. Of course one of the Sisters would rather go to war than admit a mistake to each other. Another of those never-ending cycles.

Shaking his head Harry addressed his godfather again, "So what, you plan to use this war to conquer the Disputed Lands? This still won't help you with keeping them. I won't be surprised if Lys and Tyrosh don't stop their war just to band against you."

"That's the thing Harry," Sirius said as he looked straight into Harry's eyes, "I don't plan to go after the Disputed Lands. No, I will use the distraction and conquer both Lys and Tyrosh."

Harry knew that this world changed him. Be it for the worse or the better. He didn't care too much as long as he enjoyed his new life and enjoy he did. Traveling was something Harry dreamed of during his younger years, unfortunately, life with Dursleys never allowed such a thing.

Then Hogwarts and the war came and Harry forgot about his dreams. When Death gave him a second chance, even if it was only for the beings entertainment, Harry promised himself that he would do whatever he could o make this life better than the last one.

And so he traveled for years, encountering things and people he never dreamed of.

Coming to Myr he only had plans to relax for some time and then be on his way towards Valyria. Now though Harry didn't know what to do.

Discovering that Sirius was alive and well, filled Harry with a myriad of emotions. He wanted to scream in happiness and thank Death for giving him a chance to reunite with his family. Unfortunately, his godfather had to go and complicate everything.

Taking control over Myr and changing it for the better Harry could understand. Even if Sirius probably killed a few people on his way, seeing the smiles on the faces of former slaves and smallfolk was worth it. No longer slaves outnumbered the freeborn three to one and it was only getting better and better with every day.

Conquering Lys and Tyrosh?

Harry almost punched his godfather when he heard him even suggest it two days ago. Their conversation followed up with Sirius asking if Harry would help him. To make this world a better place. He didn't give his godfather any answer, just asked for some time to think.

Harry wanted to laugh as he laid in his bed, here he was considering joining another war. Ralnor remained silent ever since this day and Harry was grateful. He needed some time to think in peace.

He already promised Sirius that he wouldn't abandon him and Harry had no intention of breaking this promise. Family stuck together.

But did he really want to help Sirius in a conquest that could kill thousands or cause his godfather's own demise? Yes, he did. Harry lost him once and this time Harry wasn't a hopeless child who couldn't protect himself.

Now Harry could defend Sirius from the dangers coming with the war. With his abilities, he might be able to even lower the death count on both sides. Maybe this was the perfect way to prepare for whatever the Bloodraven spoke about. Something definitely to think about.

Harry sat up from his bed and ran a hand through his short hair, "This was never a hard decision eh?" he murmured.

"I don't know what decision you are talking about, but we got a visitor. You could have warned me that you really knew Magister Black," a voice spoke from the entrance to Harry's new room.

The younger wizard's head instantly snapped towards the elderly form of Maran. He must have been in a really deep thought if he missed him approaching.

"I will tell you later Maran. If you are planning to stay in Myr for a longer time then it will affect you too. Now let me deal with the madman," Harry answered and jumped to his feet.

Swiftly bypassing frozen Maran he entered the main part of the shop where Sirius walked around, browsing through Maran's creations.

"Interesting," Sirius said as he held up a shining shield before his eyes, "Your friend must be very talented to create so many artifacts. I just might have a business offer for him."

"I am sure he will be delighted to hear it," Harry spoke honestly. Maran always complained about the lack of regular clientele in new cities.

"Why are you here Sirius?" he continued with a sigh, "I told you I'll come back in two days with my final decision. I thought you could respect that. After all, not everyone is so ready to follow this outrageous idea of yours."

Sirius gave a sigh of his own, "I see you are still not happy with my plan. I can't even blame you. As you said we might be a family, but we didn't see each other for more than ten years, and to just accept my idea instantly would be asking for too much."

"It is not that Sirius," Harry said, his voice louder than necessary, "Your plan is just too risky. Remember if you fail, the two Sisters won't let you keep your leadership in Myr. They will do everything to take you out. And let's not forget about the other Free Cities that might attack you after you succeed."

"I know," Sirius' voice answered quietly, "But I can't just back down now. This is my purpose Harry."

Why am I even trying? Well, Sirius let's hope that our magic will be enough to steer any Free Cities away from attacking us if we succeed... No, when we succeed.

"I see there is no convincing you," Harry said with a chuckle, "I will help you, just like you helped me back in the wizarding world. After all, I can't let you go to war and do something stupid."

Sirius smiled brightly and looked like he would start jumping. Thankfully he didn't and settled on a quick hug that Harry had barely any time to return.

"You don't know how glad I am," Sirius said with a short laugh, "I thought I used you away with my plan, but I just can't abandon it, Harry, I just can't."

Harry smiled, "I can see that Sirius. Now tell me why couldn't you wait one more day to hear my decision."

His godfather's face instantly darkened, "Dothraki. They raided a near settlement that fell under Myr's control and are now coming in our direction. It must be some young Khal as my scouts only reported about two thousand raiders. I don't know what the hell this idiot is doing, but I won't stand for anyone attacking my City."

Harry groaned, "Idiot indeed. From what I know Myr offers gifts for Khallasars that pass these lands."

"Apparently this Khal isn't that well informed. If he wants to attack the city then Death will be all he gets. Two thousand is far from enough to conquer Myr. Still, I wanted to ask you if you would help with the defense of the City," Sirius finally explained.

In response, Harry froze for a moment, A battle against Dothraki... I said that I will help him so might as well start now.

"Are you sure Harry? If you use magic in this battle it will be the end of anonymity. Yes, people might not know your name or even face, but the word will get out that a powerful Mage is living in Myr," Ralnor's voice sounded out.

I know Ralnor, Harry replied as a grin stretched over his face, But what is the point of having our abilities if we are going to hide them forever. I had years to prepare for this moment and I think I am finally ready. We are not alone Ralnor and it is time to show the world that magic is still alive.

A chuckle reverberated through Harry's mind, "I am happy to hear it. Just please wear a hood or glamour your face. We really don't need everyone to know how you look. Confidence is one thing, but let's not cross the edge where stupidity starts."

Right!

Ant that's it, people. The last parts of the chapter were pretty hard to write, but somehow I managed.

Now, this chapter definitely shined some light on what will be happening in the nearest future and I would love to hear your opinions on it. I will be trying to make this entire arc interesting and maybe we will even get to see Valyria in the near future.

Apart from that thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter.

Remember I got a discord server now for our community and you can ask me questions there or via PMs.

LINK: discord. gg/ b7JaQcpuc7 (Just delete the spaces.)

Also, the next update will be "Road to Power" either tomorrow or on Friday.

Have a good day/night.