Okay, so, when I began writing The Stars Our Destination, I realised it wasn't quite working out. I felt like too much would be contrived, any more than my stories usually are. So, I needed another angle for my Harry/Ranni fic.

I went back to one of my challenges that I had considered, 'Runes, Ranni and Reincarnation', where Ranni killing off her Empyrean body goes badly wrong, and she's reincarnated in the Potterverse. I tried so hard to get it to work, considering a WBWL fic, but I struggled to find someone who fit Ranni. Until I realised the answer was too obvious.

Namely, Hermione.

True, this story is somewhat contrived in its own way, involving a bit of time travel so that age isn't a factor when the romance comes in, and Ranni is OOC, though this is due in part to having lived a life as Hermione, as well as not remaining a detached observer to the Shattering. She'll be considerably more emotive and, perhaps vital, more empathic. She'll still be the calm, stoic waifu of canon with Ubermensch tendencies, but I wanted to blunt some of her more amoral traits.

Plus, this is the first Harmony fic I have done for quite a while, which is odd, considering Harmony is my favourite Potterverse pairing.

I should mention, in the interest of full disclosure, that a guest reviewer had left a review mentioning the resemblance of Ranni to Hermione. But I should also say that I had actually nearly finished the first chapter of this story at the time I had read said review, and I had deleted said review partly because of their other reviews of my other fics.

Anyhoodle, enjoy...

PER ARDUA AD ASTRA

CHAPTER 1:

ARRIVAL

It happened an age ago. But when I recall, I see it true. On a night of wintery fog, the Rune of Death was stolen, and the demigods began to fall.

Many believe the Shattering began then. But it began long ere that fogbound night. The cracks had already begun to crawl across the Golden Order of my mother. The advent of the Tarnished, and their exile, with Lord Godfrey leading them. Radagon wedding Marika, leaving dear Rennala to mourn and madden.

I was young then, but I saw much. Too much. Of Godwyn's true face, far from golden, but gild over something monstrous. Of the bitter infighting between the demigod children of Queen Marika. Of Marika's own disaffection with the Golden Order. Too many of us grasped for power.

My sister desired another path. Empyrean, she was, as was Miquella and Malenia, the twin prodigies. But she became disillusioned with the path the Two Fingers laid out for her. And when Godwyn slew someone she held dear…his own days became numbered, though he knew this not.

My mother and my sister plotted. Revenge was part of it, for my sister's friend was also one of my mother's. And I was my mother's punitive blade, one of many. I was bound to obey, and in truth, I too had become disquieted with this state of affairs.

My sister stole part of the Rune of Death, and with my assistance, fashioned blades. One held part of the Rune of Death that would slay souls. The other would slay the body. Godwyn would have his soul slain, and it would be my sister who would shuck off her Empyrean flesh, and thus, embark on her destiny.

I owed it to her to slay her myself. I suspected that the backlash may destroy my own body, but we were prepared. Or so we believed, in our hubris.

We both took some time to steel ourselves for the deed, but eventually, my sister gave me the sign she was ready…and I plunged the blade deep into her breast. Almost immediately, our souls were divested of our bodies. Mine became but ash on the winds. My sister's endured, but was still left a charred husk.

But what of my sister's soul? The doll prepared for it, in the likeness of her mentor, Renna the Snow Witch, remained inert. Seluvis insisted little had gone wrong, though for a time, we believed him not. Only Blaidd's own connection to my sister told us the truth: her very soul still existed, linked to him, but lost in the aether. It had not returned to the Erdtree, nor had it been bound to the doll prepared for it.

Perhaps it is for the best. We watched the world shatter, burn, and rot. My mother shattered the Elden Ring, and my siblings squabbled over the remnants, like scavengers around a corpse. Mohg abducted Miquella, and misled Malenia into assaulting Radahn in Caelid, and now the Scarlet Rot festers over much of Caelid. Godwyn's corpse festers deep beneath the earth. Morgott, blinded by duty, does his best to hold Leyndell together, but he sneers at any he considers his lesser, including his own siblings. Rykard and Godrick indulge in their own depravities and grasping for power.

And what of me? Bereft of body, bereft of purpose, I wandered the lands, with Torrent, the keepsake of my sister's friend, a steed who is too kind to me, given my sins. I sometimes make myself known to my sister's accomplices, or rather, to Iiji and to Blaidd. For all that I prefer something akin to the Golden Order to her Age of Stars, they have been good friends to me, better than I deserve, having robbed them of their friend and family. In addition, I check on Rennala, even as she slides further into madness.

Meanwhile, as the Tarnished are recalled by Queen Marika, to slay the demigods and claim the Elden Ring, I seek out any who show promise, who may become the next Elden Lord. For that is my atonement, my need to find purpose in my incorporeal existence. But I wondered, as I had over many centuries, where was my sister? Where was Ranni?

I never expected an answer. I believed her lost forever. But one day, she was found. And under the most extraordinary circumstances.

I, Melina, would never have believed that I would witness the advent of those who held the fate of not only the Lands Between, but also another world, in their hands…

As pain roused him from unconsciousness, and his thoughts became coherent, Harry Potter's first thoughts were that this latest experience was the perfect cap to a pretty appalling year. Then, he remembered what had happened with a little more perspective, and instantly, he was concerned. But even as he surged to a sitting position, he heard a gruff but surprisingly gentle voice speak from behind. "Easy there, lad. Here, drink this. It'll do you some good, I hope."

Harry took the proffered crimson flask without thinking, and drank it. It took a moment for it to register that the hand was gauntleted, even as the warmth of whatever it was reinvigorated him. Then again, he had his glasses off. "Hermione? Where's Hermione?"

"The girl? She's here. She had a most peculiar reaction to seeing me, a little more…dramatic than most people do. Most people try to either cut me down or run away from me. Which reminds me, I mean you no harm unless you mean to do me harm, so please, don't attack me."

Harry turned to face the voice, only to stop, and stare. Even without his glasses, what he thought he saw sent a cold chill down his spine. He was tempted to get his wand, wherever that was, and start cursing and hexing, but the man's request echoed in his mind…assuming this was even a man. "…Uhh, my glasses?"

"Oh right, these, I presume?" the beast in front of him said, before handing Harry his glasses. "I've seen some scholars of Raya Lucaria wear them. I'd ask if you were a student, but I haven't seen clothes quite like yours or the girl's before there."

The world was brought back into something approaching clarity again. They seemed to be in a library of some sort, the walls lined with books, and untidy piles everywhere. Pale blue crystal grew in certain places. Hermione lay on the floor, a fur cloak covering her. And now, he could see the beast in front of him more clearly. He fought down the panic with an effort.

For it looked like a werewolf.

Not the scrawny, sickly thing Remus had turned into. No, this looked like the wolfman in those horror movies Dudley loved to watch, burly and bestial, but dressed in armour, a large sword on its back. The fur on its exposed head was matted somewhat, as if it had wandered the wild for some time, and the armour seemed well-used…and yet, there was no real belligerence in its eyes. Wariness, true, but also concern.

And then, it spoke again, in the same gruff but gentle and eloquent tones he had heard before. "Well, at least you aren't attacking me. I suppose that is some consolation. I daresay that introductions are in order. I am Blaidd."

"Blythe?"

"Blaidd," the wolfman corrected. "I was once the sword of my mistress, Lunar Princess Ranni…but that was a long, long time ago. She…vanished, and I wander the Lands Between, righting wrongs, what I can of them. And what of you, lad? What name do I call you?"

"…Harry Potter," Harry said, before he frowned. "The Lands Between? I've never heard of them."

Blaidd frowned. It…no, he seemed to consider Harry's question. "Truly? The demesne of Queen Marika? The seat of the Erdtree? When you both first arrived, I had taken you for Tarnished, using some queer spell to travel here, only to end up at my mistress' tower."

"Queen Marika?" Harry asked. "The queen of our country is Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Britain. And what the hell is the Erdtree, or Tarnished, for that matter?"

Blaidd came over to him, and peered at him. "…You truly do not know. Either your brain is addled, or you're certainly from further afield than I would have thought. Anyway, well met, Harry. Sorry, I should have said that earlier. Still…" He went over to Hermione, and took something out of a pouch he wore at his waist. He seemed to write something on the ground, letters that Harry couldn't read, and which began to glow. On Harry's look, he said, "Summoning sign. We should be safe here, in theory, but the Bloody Fingers have become bolder of late, and while we won't be far, I'd rather not take any chances with my mistress missing. If something happens, I'll be summoned to her side."

"Summoned?"

"…You truly are ignorant, aren't you? I say this not to insult you. Then again, it's not unusual for Tarnished to be ignorant of summoning magic. What is unusual is for them to be ignorant of Marika and the Erdtree. So, I intend to see if I can jog your memory a wee bit. Please, come with me."

Harry followed the hulking wolfman through the door, thinking about what had brought him to this bizarre situation. Recollection came depressingly easy. It seemed to be nothing less than a series of unfortunate events.

First, he had learned the truth about Sirius, about Remus, about Peter Pettigrew. And then, Remus' transformation, and the Dementor swarm that allowed Pettigrew to escape. Harry and Hermione's sojourns in time to help Sirius and Buckbeak escape.

The thing was, the Dementor swarm seemed to cause Hermione to change, and not wholly for the better. Her attitude became a little colder, almost haughty, though not in the same way that Malfoy or his Pureblood buddies were. She wasn't being malicious, she did apologise for some of her sharper, colder words, but Harry was worried. Ron wasn't, he was still smarting a little over their arguments over Scabbers, and despite Crookshanks being vindicated in attacking the Animagus, there was still a rift between them.

Eventually, Harry had all but demanded to know what Hermione was up to. And, albeit with reluctance, she showed him, taking him to a place known as the Room of Requirement. She stumbled across it quite by chance after the whole Dementor business, and was using it for some experiments. Her Time-Turner was there, as part of what looked like a ritual circle.

Her explanation was…well, it sounded half-mad. She'd been having dreams lately, dreams that she'd had glimpses of all her life, but the Dementors had caused more of them to appear. And yet, her demeanour was perhaps more cold and clinical, driven even, than he had known Hermione to be. Oh, she appreciated his concern, he could tell by the tired smile she had shot him, and it still was Hermione…just…different.

She had confessed something. She hadn't been on good terms with her parents, especially once she was admitted to Hogwarts. She'd even entertained notions of a changeling fantasy, that her real parents were somewhere out there.

But something went wrong. The ritual activated, and Harry had gone to pull a panicking Hermione from the ritual circle. But it hadn't worked out that way.

As they reached a door leading outside, Blaidd blocked his way briefly. "If you're truly from not around here, just keep in mind, you may be in for a shock. The wolves around here have gone elsewhere, but we have a dragon guarding the Three Sisters. Don't scream. Adulla objects to that."

"Of course you have a dragon," Harry snarked, even as Blaidd stopped blocking his path. He walked out, and stared at the dragon in the distance, stalking around, growling. "Okay…so…is it friendly?"

"She is. Well, to me and my allies," Blaidd said. "I'll ensure she does not attack you unless you make the mistake of provoking her. But she is not what I wanted you to see." He pointed over in another direction. "See? Beyond the Caria Manor?"

Harry followed Blaidd's finger, and stared. In the distance was what looked like a walled mansion of some sort. And beyond that…

…Was the tree.

It had to be huge, massive, in a way that dwarfed even mountains. Even half-obscured by fog, he could see it, for it glowed with a golden light that reminded Harry a little of the sun. It was distant, very distant, but Harry was staring at it in awe.

"…Well, Toto," Harry said faintly, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind, I get the feeling you've never seen The Wizard of Oz," Harry said. "Actually, sorry for calling you Toto. If you knew who that was, you'd probably be offended." A wolfman compared to a small, yappy dog? Yeah, Blaidd might not like that.

"…I'll accept your apology, even if I don't know why you offered it," Blaidd said, rather bemused. "But that, over yonder, is the Erdtree. And given that even the Tarnished would have heard tales of it, I get the impression you are from further afield than I originally thought."

Harry nodded. He was trying to deny it, screaming inwardly, but part of him realised that he was on another world. As far as he knew, there wasn't a massive golden tree growing on Earth. Oh, he remembered Hermione mentioning offhandedly about the Norse worldtree, Yggdrassil, but he had heard nothing of such a tree on Earth.

But if that was true…were they stranded here?

Those horrific thoughts were stifled when Harry faintly heard a moan from back inside the building, some sort of tower. "Hermione?" Harry asked, turning back. He hurried back inside, Blaidd following close behind.

Hermione was struggling to her feet, looking at the books surrounding them. Harry couldn't quite grasp the expression on her face. There was confusion, but there was something else. "Hermione!" Harry called out.

She looked at him, and Harry recoiled, for the look she gave him was as if he was a stranger. Then, it passed, and understanding seemed to dawn, and with it, relief. "Harry! Tis good to…I mean, it's good to see thee…you again."

"…Hermione?" Harry asked. Her voice had changed a little. It had become a soft, regal rasp. Oh, it was still recognisably Hermione's voice, but some of the mannerisms had changed. Blaidd entered behind him, and as her eyes snapped to him, Harry decided to cut off any problems. "He's friendly, Hermione, so far. Look, we're on another world somehow, I think. This guy's name is…"

"…Blaidd," Hermione said, before a smile touched her lips. "My Shadow, my sword…my dearest brother." She gathered them both up into a hug, smiling warmly. "Tis good to see thee…oh, this is vexing."

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked. He was now worried about his friend. He thought back to what happened to Ginny with Voldemort's old diary. Was something similar happening? His friend was changing.

"…It's okay, Harry," Hermione said, her voice now between her usual tones and that regal rasp. "I…I just regained something I had lost a long time ago." To Blaidd, she said, "Do you remember the oath you swore to me before that fateful night? I shall be your sword, your Shadow, no matter if your path takes you away from that of the Two Fingers and the Golden Order. You are linked to me, Blaidd. You know the truth."

Blaidd's eyes widened. Eventually, he asked, his tone hopeful and yet disbelieving, "Lady Ranni?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, Blaidd, my faithful Shadow. I have returned…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So…Harry and Hermione have ended up in the Lands Between. But what's this? Hermione is Ranni reincarnated? How will Harry handle this?

The opening monologue is meant to evoke the cinematic trailer for the game, as narrated by Ranni rather than Melina. What Melina did around the time of the Night of the Long Knives is unknown, but I've extrapolated from what is known about Melina (she seems to have the moveset of the Black Knife Assassins, she is hinted to have a power related to the Rune of Death sealed behind her marked eye in the Frenzied Flame ending, and her file suggests she is Marika's daughter), and made my own hypothesis.

Also, don't you wish that cinematic trailer was the actual opening cinematic? I mean, instead of the slideshow we got with the narrator chewing the scenery over "The Loathsome DUNG EATER!"

No numbered annotations this time.