AN: Enjoy the chapter.
Ch 36 An Old Man's Warning
Hogwarts,
Dumbledore sat in his Office, thinking over what he just heard from Sirius and Remus. They said that Harry Potter was in a nice Muggle Family, however, in their minds was different.
All he got was an image of a blizzard and a snowy field. Unlike before a simple gaze into someone's eyes allowed him to peer into someone's mind. There was some interference, like something was preventing him from fully seeing what the two saw.
However, from what he got from inside the two Marauders' mindscape was that there was a young Boy who bore a resemblance to James and concluded to be Harry Potter. The second was a young man who also shared a bit of a resemblance to Sirius.
Those two scenes let the Old Wizard deduce that Man and Harry Potter are together and in his care. From what he had heard in their minds was the Man saying they were heading to South America.
"Albus," Dumbledore looks up, seeing the Minster for Magic entering his Office, "I heard that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin have finally returned after disappearing from your watchful eyes," Fudge said, standing before his desk.
With him were two familiar faces that Dumbledore knows all too well. The first was a Woman in all pink with the face of a Toad and the other was a brown-haired Wizard who was starting to turn grey.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dolores Jane Umbridge who worked closely with Fudge,
The other is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Corban Yaxley.
"That is correct, even though there were some… unforeseen events with both Sirius and Remus." Dumbledore got up from his seat, addressing the Ministry Officials. "They managed to find out where Harry Potter is located."
"That's great news, Dumbledore." Fudge exclaims, seeing things are looking up in the Future. "Now then, tell us where we can find Mr. Potter and we'll pick up Sirius Black and return him to-"
"Unfortunately we can't send Sirius Black back to Azkaban," Dumbledore stated, having need of Sirius and Remus for Future plans.
Umbridge hums, looking at the Headmaster. "Headmaster, you can't be serious that we let Sirius Black go? Not after the Crimes he committed in the Muggle World." The Undersecretary asked the Headmaster, "It seems to me you're defying the Ministry and the Minister,"
Fudge looks at Dumbledore, hoping this isn't the case. "Albus, what is the meaning of this? Why would you want to keep Black free after he'd served his purpose?" He asked,
Dumbledore responded, expecting that kind of reaction from them. "Sirius Black's purpose may have been finished, however, Sirius has been quite useful so far." The old Wizard stated, "It would be a waste if we don't use him a bit more. If you still have doubts, then I swear that I'll keep a close eye on him, Cornelius." He said to the Minister for Magic.
Fudge looks complex, unsure how to respond. He trusts Dumbledore so far, giving his response whenever he needs advice. "Alright, Dumbledore. If you believe the Criminal Sirius Black would be of great use then I shall permit you to do so." He said, believing nothing would go wrong if Dumbledore had it covered.
"Ahem, we do still have the issue of where Potter is." Umbridge hums, reminding the group of their true purpose in this mini-meeting.
"Y-yes, quite right." Fudge quickly said, looking a Dumbledore for the information. "Headmaster, if you would…"
Dumbledore nodded, needing the Aurors to get Harry from this Muggle. "Harry Potter has been taken in by a Muggle I have no name of currently. However, their location is in a place in South America Brazil called the Crystal Valley." He informed the Ministry. "My fellow Headmaster in the Wizarding School Castelobruxo told me stories about this Crystal Valley, but it's just Myth. Even the exact location,"
"This is most likely another of the El Dorado expeditions Muggles do to search for the Fountain of Youth," Dumbledore commented, hearing the stories of El Dorado.
Fudge nodded, "Whatever the Myth says, Harry Potter is located in South America." He turns to Yaxley, giving him an order. "Yaxley, gather a small group of Aurors and head to Brazil to this Crystal Valley place and retrieve Harry Potter."
Yaxley nodded, accepting the orders without question. "Yes Minster Fudge, I'll get my best Aurors for this mission." He heads to the Floo Network and returns to the Ministry to do what he was told, not aware that they were being watched.
Soon, Harry Potter will return to his rightful place,
South America, Brazil, Crystal Valley
Harry groans, shifting his head to the side. He felt his body feeling less heavy than before. "Fou, Fou…" A familiar bark called out to him, prompting him to flutter his eyes open.
"Fou?" Harry opened his eyes, seeing the Beast sitting on the ground before him. He then spots two golden shoes and legs on where he is laying,
"Oh, you're awake." A soft and familiar voice spoke to him,
Looking up, Harry saw Ereshkigal smiling down at him, though he could see that her smile was a nervous one. "H-Hello," He greeted, realizing that this Ereshkigal was different from the one he'd met.
This Ereshkigal has fair skin instead of tan, and her outfit is with more color mainly a dark hue of red.
Harry sat up, looking at the Goddess of the Underworld. "I-I uh, hope I didn't scare you. I just noticed that um…you were looking a little…sick! Yes, you were looking a bit sick." Ereshkigal explains to the young Boy,
"Is that why you kidnapped me? Because I was sick?" Harry asked, raising his brow at the Goddess before him. "But I don't feel sick though,"
Ereshkigal cleared her throat, explaining things to him. "It's not your common Cold or any Disease you're familiar off, young master." The Lancer explains, "It's more of a…Parasite that needs to be taken out." She points to the Lighting Bolt scar that was starting to fade.
Harry placed his hand on the scar located on his forehead. "My scar? There was a Parasite in there?" He asked, shocked that something was living in his scar.
The Lancer nodded, "Yes, that Parasite was something of the Mystery side. It clung to your Fate, forever intertwine if we left it." Ereshkigal explains to the young Heir. "As the Mistress of the Underworld or any other Death-related Servants have a duty to ensure all Souls pass on and punish those who cling to the Living Realm."
Harry's eyes widen, remembering Tezcatlipoca and Nitocris Alter reacted once the Grand Servant said, 'a Broken Soul.' "I see…Mistress of the Underworld?" He ponders on the Title before remembering what his Mother cried out, "You're Ereshkigal, right? The Goddess of the Mesopotamian Mythology." He said what he learned from his Tutor.
"O-Oh, I didn't realize you already learned about Mesopotamian Mythology already…" The blonde Goddess blushed, feeling giddy inside her Body. "W-Well, good. If you continue to learn from your F-Father, then you'll be a master on the same level as him." She stated, showing that she's on his side in the inner conflict within Chaldea.
"Thanks! You know both you and your Altered form may look different but you act the same." Harry commented, seeing no difference between the two. He gave a smile that greatly resembled her master's.
Ereshkigal blushed, standing up from the small rock. "Hmmm…you also share the same smile." The Lancer pouts, finding more and more things in common with him. "Are you sure you're not his actual Son or something?" She asked.
Harry tilts his head, not sure what the Goddess of the Underworld meant. "I don't get it, I'm Daddy and Mommy's Son. If you want to be more specific then Adopted Son to be precise." The young Heir commented,
"Fou, Fou," Fou barks, climbing onto Harry's shoulders.
"F-Forget it, it's nothing important." Ereshkigal blushed, shaking her head, and walked past him. "Anyways, your Father is outside of the Ruins. I'll take you to him," She held her hand for Harry to grab it.
Harry saw the gesture and prompted to grab onto Ereshkigal's hand. The Lancer blushed, guiding Harry outside of the Ruins.
Outside the Ruins, Ritsuka stood before Ishtar and Ozymandias with his arms crossed. "So, after Tez and you all finished with this Ritual on Harry's scar, he went on and left?" He asked, repeating what the two told them.
Mashu stood beside her Husband, her Shield was ready to protect him due to the place they are at.
Jaguarman, Zhou Yu, Tlaloc, and Dumuzid are on point, keeping a close eye on the Crystal Valley.
"That's right master, right after getting all that gunk out of the Boy and the Soul into one of Ereshkigal's Cage, Tezcatlipoca just upright and left us," Ishtar confirms what his master repeated. "You know, you should have better reign over your Servants, master."
Ritsuka sighs, "I was giving you guys the benefit of the doubt. I trust that you all know what to do when the time comes in this Second life I gave you." The Magus explains once more to Ishtar and all the Servants who are listening.
Ozymandias frowns, crossing his arms. "Master, you are too kind. That's your flaw, as much as we appreciate it, you need to have an iron grip when the time comes." The Rider glares, instructing his master many times before on how to be a Leader. "I know you have it within you, we all saw it during the Singularities and Lostbelts."
"Can we call Tezcatlipoca with a Command Seal? This is the second time he has acted without your permission, Ritsuka." Mashu stated, seeing that he has it out for their Son.
"Unfortunately for you, Black Sun has activated his Independent Action. Though still a master and Servant, he won't appear if you use a Command Seal." The Egyptian Pharaoh stated,
"You know you can always tel-" Ritsuka was about to continue when he saw two People emerge from one of the Ruins. "Harry!" He ran up to the young Boy, relieved that he was okay.
"Daddy, Mommy," Harry saw his Parents coming up to him with relieved faces.
Ritsuka came up to Harry as Mashu knelt and pushed his fringe out of the way. "Harry-kun, your scar is healing now." Mashu smiles, relieved that something they missed was taken care of. "How are you feeling? We've heard from everyone about your scar."
The Magus looks down at Harry, feeling sorry that they haven't detected the Soul within him. "Are you feeling alright? Any side effects you're feeling now?" Ritsuka asked his Son, worried about him.
Harry shook his head, "No, I'm not sure how to describe it, but I feel like…I feel lighter," He expresses how he feels the best he could.
"Fou, Fou," Fou smiles, happy that the Servants were able to help Harry.
Ritsuka nodded, "I see, that's good to hear." He looks at Ereshkigal, smiling at the small Family moment. "Thank you, Eresh. You truly are the best Goddess." He smiles and jokes with the Pseudo-Servant.
Ereshkigal was caught off guard by the compliment, "H-Hey now, you don't need to go that far." The Lancer stutters, looking away from her master. "I'm merely doing my part as the Goddess of the Underworld."
Ritsuka smiles, knowing the type of Person the Lancer is. "Of course,"
Ishtar and Ozymandias approach the awake Boy; the Goddess and the Pharaoh take a good look at Harry. "About time you have woken up, you know we were getting worried that you wouldn't able to handle that procedure." The Goddess of Venus commented. "But it seems you pulled through," she smiles,
"Indeed, any normal Magus or Human will die under those conditions." Ozymandias looks at Harry, impressed with his ability to hold out without struggle. "Your affinity for the Dead is something worth investing in." The Rider commented.
Harry merely nodded, unsure what he meant. Pretty sure anything revolving around Magic or Mystery as the Staff said it, he's lacking other than Servants. "Um, thank you."
Mashu smiles, standing on her feet. "Harry-kun, you already met Ereshkigal-san, the two here are Ishtar-san, and Pharaoh Ozymandias." She introduces the two Servants to Harry.
Harry looked at the two, recognizing the Names. "Ah, you're Ereshkigal's Sister; the Goddess of Heaven and Beauty, Ishtar! The one who ordered the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna that Gilgamesh and Enkidu slayed." He exclaims, knowing the story from Moriarty.
"Ugh, please don't bring that up." Ishtar gave a sour expression. "Is that what that Crime Lord is teaching you? Not that I mind, but still; there's more to me than that!" She exclaimed,
Ozymandias smiles, hearing about the intelligence that Harry was known for among Servants. "Tell me Boy, what have you learned about me? The Sun King?" The Rider asked.
Harry looks at the Pharaoh, "Ozymandias or Ramesses II, the great Pharaoh who grew up alongside Moses. You also built the Ramesseum Tentyris said to house statues of the Egyptian Pantheon, one of the greatest builds in Human History." He said, reading about back in the British Outpost.
Ozymandias smirks before giving a prideful laugh. "Yes! Very good, you have earned the respect of the Sun King," The Rider exclaims, seeing the Boy's worth. "Now, my advice is to keep that bullheadedness of yours, it might serve you good."
Harry nodded, seeing that he had earned the Rider's respect. He felt his Father's hand ruffling his hair. He then heard some whirling sounds in the sky, prompting him to look up.
Four Drones flew past them, heading to the area just before them. "Those Drones…where are they going?" Harry asked the group,
"Those Drones are ours, they're Mystic Codes that Samuel designed to help us observe the Crystal Valley," Ishtar explains to the young master, "Just us stepping into the Crystal Valley is dangerous enough," She crossed her arms.
"C-Crystal…V-Valley…" Harry's eyes widen, turning to where the Drones are heading. He saw the four hovering above the area,
Mashu took out a tablet from within her Shield, "The Drones are positioned above the Crystal Valley. This Monitor from Koyanskaya-san will show us what it's like from the Drones' perspective." The former Demi-Servant held the tablet for both Ritsuka and Harry to see.
"Good, let's check if ORT is still asleep and if there are any changes from the last time we checked," Ritsuka said as Mashu turned on the device.
Harry steps next to his Father and Mother, seeing the Crystal Valley.
What he saw was unlike anything he saw so far. The Wyvern Nest and Russia's Tundra are nothing compared to what's on the screen. The ground was shining in the sunlight; the entire earth was covered with this crystalline structure.
The ground has cracks within it, all leading to the center of the area like a spider's web. The center has protruding crystal towers that are like a crown, indicating where the Alien Being resides.
"S-So…that is the C-Crystal Valley…" Harry gulps, looking at the Monitor. "I-It's… beautiful and yet…"
"Scary? We get it," Ritsuka said to his Son, understanding his nervousness upon looking at the Alien Territory. "This is where ORT has resided for Millions of Years until now."
Harry looks up at his Father and Mother, "So…what are we going to do now?" He asked them, a bit anxious if they were going straight into the Valley.
Mashu smiles, turning to her Son. "We're not going into the Valley. Too dangerous even for Chaldea's standards." The violet-haired Woman explains to the young Boy. "All we can do is to check and observe."
"Mashu, check the Thermal readings. I want to check if he's still at the center." Ritsuka said before explaining to Harry. "Harry, ORT has a unique Body reading than normal Technology can't even detect it. However, thanks to our meeting in the Seventh Lostbelt, we have some Data about ORT we can use here." The Magus explains to his Son as his Wife overlaps the Thermal detector built into the Drones with the Temperature detection system."
Harry looks closely at the Monitor, seeing the screen reverts the colors of the Valley. There at the Crystal Towers, beneath the layer of Crystals was a circular object. It was producing both cold and heat signatures at the same time, something complex Harry. "It's both hot and cold at the same time…"
Ritsuka nodded, "That's how Alien ORT is," He said before sighing in relief. "Good, he's still asleep. No irregularities detected in the Crystal Valley."
Mashu paused, seeing an anomaly on the screen. "Wait, hold on…Ritsuka, there are at least three- no, six heat signatures approaching the Crystal Valley." The Shielder stated, relaying the information. She then received a message from the Storm Border, revealing some troubling information. "And we receive information from the Border. Wizards are near the area, those heat signatures, that must be them…"
"W-Wait what!? I thought the Mafia and the Gangs have closed off all routes leading to the Valley!?" Ritsuka stated, taking the Monitor from his Wife's hands.
"I heard Wizards are good at evading Non-Magical by changing their forms or some kind of concealing Spell they use," Ozymandias said, overhearing what was going on. "They're fools, they're going to get themselves killed if they wander into there." The Rider clicked his tongue,
Ishtar sighs along with Ereshkigal at the situation. "We better go and stop them before they cause the end of Humanity." The Archer stated,
"Master, what's your orders?" Ereshkigal asked the Magus,
Harry looks at his Father, hearing what he's going to say. "Let's go and stop them." He turns to Ereshkigal, "Eresh, keep Harry with you at all times. Though I don't like it, it's best for him to stay with us in a place like this."
Ereshkigal nodded, placing her hands on Harry's shoulders. "You can count on me, master."
Harry gulped as the group began to circle around the edge of the Crystal Valley.
On the other side of the Crystal Valley, Yaxley leads a group of Aurors through the Amazon Rainforest. "It's too hot here, why would a Muggle go to a savage place like here?" A Pureblooded Auror asked, swatting away the Insects around him.
"Like a Muggle, they are arrogant to make themselves famous they disregard the danger," Yaxley commented, despising that part of the Non-Magical. He turns around, looking at his platoon, "The Muggle who took Harry Potter can be anywhere in this damn Forest." He said, knowing dangerous Animals and Magical Beasts are lurking in the Amazon.
They all agreed, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of the Boy-Who-Lived. After a few minutes of transversing through the Rainforest, they all saw something sparkling just ahead of them.
One of the Aurors saw the sparkling, "Sir, there's something up ahead. It's sparkling, maybe it's some tressure or something like that." He informed the Captain.
Yaxley looks ahead, also seeing the sparkling thing up ahead of them. "I see it too, it must be Magical. This is probably what the Muggle is looking for here," The Head of Magical Law Enforcement said, assuming that was the case.
"Then he must be using Harry Potter as a means to get some Magic." Another Auror said,
"We have to stop this," Another Auror added, having already seen the dangers of Muggles and Magic firsthand with Sirius Black. "We can't let another incident like with Peter Pettigrew happen again."
Yaxley heard what the Aurors said, agreeing with this. Once they get hold of Harry Potter and the Muggle who took him, he'll come back here and take whatever Magical Artifact that lies here and present it to the Dark Lord,
He smiles at the idea he came up with, Yaxley knew this position would serve benefits for Voldemort's cause. It'll be a matter of time- "Who are you!?" The Wizard looks up, seeing a cloaked Man standing before them.
The Old Man was dressed as a Dementor, but he's not one. A Dementor would cause everything around it to freeze up or worse die. Yaxley sighs, thinking this was an ordinary Muggle, "Move out of the way, Muggle. We're here on an important business." He stated, ensuring their Wands were hiding and yet close in case of the worst scenario.
The Old Man remains silent, only gazing at them. "Tch, why are we wasting time with this Old Muggle? Let's Obliviate him and get to our-"
"The Evening Bell has Toll thy names." The Old Man spoke, speaking in old English to the Aurors. "Go no further, for if thou does, then Death shalt await for thee." The Old Man warns the Wizards, knowing what awaits behind them.
"What are you saying? You don't make a lick of sense!" A younger Auror stated, not understanding what the Old Man said.
Yaxley pulled out his Wand, aiming for the Old Muggle. "Keep out of this Old Man, someone like you should stay out of someone else's business! Obliviate!" He cast the Memory Charm, aiming to make him forget that he ever saw them.
The Spell hurls straight for the Old Man, however when it lands on him he disappears in a cloud of smoke. "W-Wha-Did you kill that Old Muggle Sir?" An Auror asked the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement.
"No, that's just a Memory Charm. It shouldn't kill anyone, just make them forget some things to a certain degree-"
"Thy arrogance shalt be thy own downfall. Harken, only one shalt live and notify thy others of what slumbers here." The Old Man's voice echoes around them, "After thou live and tell the tale, thou shall experience thy own Death. Thou hast been warned."
Yaxley and the others were confused, unsure where the echo of the Old Man's voice came from. "I think that Old Muggle was a Ghost of some kind," One Auror said,
"A Ghost who lost his mind in a place like this. Let's go continue on, right Sir?" The Auror looks at Yaxley, waiting for his response.
"Of course; follow me, everyone," Yaxley stated, leading the group into the edge of the Rainforest and into the Territory of the Crystal Valley.
Once the Wizards depart, the Old Man appears once more. "The sin of arrogance is clear as Day. Contractor, raise thy Heir well, for he shalt be the one to defeat the Beasts yet to emerge." The Old Man returns to the shadows, keeping a close eye on the situation.
AN: How do you like it? Please leave a comment or review.