Harry Potter and the World Beneath
By: Tellemicus Sundance
#19—Time Passes
1 April 1995
He didn't know how long he'd been here. He couldn't see the sun, sky, or stars here. He couldn't feel the winds, breathe or taste any differences in the air or climate, and he couldn't feel the shift of the earth churning and moving beneath him as the world rose and fell, heated and cooled, as the seasons persistently shifted and changed. All he knew was that he was trapped in this cold cave behind four metal-barred walls like some kind of rabid animal. The only concept of time he had available were the changes of guards as one shifted and another began since they kept him under near constant surveillance.
Outside his cage, the cave vaguely reminded him of someplace that he could weakly remember from his past. It wasn't necessarily the furniture or the colors or even the dark atmosphere that hung in the air like a poisonous vapor. No, it was the perfect angles of where the walls met the floor and ceiling. It was the glares and looks of contempt that the men and women gave him whenever they deigned to visit him. It was the abundant lack of food and being trapped in a tiny space. All of these things were things he knew he had once known when he was younger. He had known them and he had hated them. Having lived a life of total freedom in a vast jungle with near-total isolation for the majority of his life, the abrupt return of these long-forgotten feelings and memories of powerlessness only served to deepen his hatred of them.
He also felt a deep hatred towards his captors, some more than others admittedly. Most of the regular guards would constantly either ignore his presence, conveniently 'forgetting' to feed, water, or change his waste pan for several days. Others would glare and throw insults at him, banging on the cage bars to try and provoke a response from the 'freak', 'little savage', and 'jungle boy' as they'd termed him. Others still would try to talk to him and get him to talk back, asking questions and waiting for answers that were not forthcoming. The worst of them were the ones who'd come into his cage and start beating on him, after using their powers to restrain and incapacitate him. If there was one good thing about his imprisonment, it was that all of the constant exposure to the humans had drastically improved his language skills, even though he purposely chose to never speak a word beyond simple grunts, hisses, growls, and roars just to spite his captors.
Today was admittedly one of the better days of his imprisonment. He had taken off his undershirt so that it wouldn't get sweaty and smelly again and, with his back to the only entrance of the cave he was in, was doing pullups on the back wall of his cage with one hand. Exercise and playing with his power were his only forms of entertainment these days. Of course, that's not to say that he wasn't also going over a vague idea of an escape plan in his head right now. Escape was at the forefront of his mind, but he refused to rush headlong into an attempt without knowing where he was and what was waiting for him outside this cave. He had had far too many close calls in the past doing such reckless stunts and he was unwilling to risk it where he was in truly unknown territory.
"Again with the pullups?" a familiar female voice spoke up behind him as the entrance to the cave opened. In stepped one of his more favorite captors, Nymphadora Tonks, as the previous guard exited at the same moment, more than happy that their shift had finally ended. She fell into the third category of his captors, always trying to talk to him and ask him questions. Unlike the rest of that category, her questions usually pertained to his time in the jungle, how he met and 'tamed' Allie, and what kinds of magical wonders he'd found down there. "How long have you been going at them this time? An hour? Two? I wonder if all that stamina can be transferred to other more…enjoyable pursuits?" For some reason that he didn't understand, that last statement she'd made caused a bit of a red flush to briefly fill her face and turn her hair a matching red as a strange grin pulled at her lips.
Rather than answer, he just grunted as he switched arms with practiced ease and begun pumping again, without even touching the ground.
"I've got some good news for you, Harry," Tonks said, smiling as her face and hair returned their normal colors. "You're going to be getting a very special visitor today. I don't how or why, but she really wants to see you again. Must've made some kind of impression on her." She took a seat in the nearby chair, propping her feet up on the desk in a fashion that he'd seen very few other females take as she leaned the chair back on two legs. Crossing her arms under her modest-sized chest, she continued speaking her usual one-sided conversations, "I wonder what you might've done to have caught her eye. Then again, she is a Veela. So it wouldn't be surprising that you'd go out of your way to show off. That's how their magic works after all: get the guys to make fools of themselves in vain hopes of getting their attentions. And, as an untrained Wizard living in a jungle of dinosaurs, I guess I can't blame you for falling for her charms. Although, in your defense, she is a rather lovely specimen."
He had no idea just who or what she was talking about, as per usual. But he did understand that he was going to be getting a visitor who hadn't come by before. 'Please be someone different than that white-haired old man or the whiny bald guy,' he silently begged the forces that be. That white-haired man was someone named Dumbledore, who was also someone of great power and importance to these people, an alpha of alphas if his guess was right. To most, a visit from that man would've been a great honor. To him, it was a long and painfully boring waste of time each time. Dumbledore would try to use his power to exert changes and modifications in his mind and memories, trying to implant memories of a life that wasn't real. Luckily, Harry had learned several tricks on how to deal with predators who attacked the mind, so he was able to rebuff, redirect, and even counterattack in some rare cases. But the old man was persistent if nothing else, stopping by once every week or so for the past few months.
As Tonks continued talking, his mind wandered once again to his Fleur. What was she doing now? Had she managed to escape from this horrible land and these people yet? Would she remember him? If so, how would she remember him? Though their time together was brief and filled with misunderstandings, tension, and anger, he found himself earnestly missing her presence. He found himself dreaming about her. He would often revisit memories of her. The memories of that time together with her under the great fruit tree were of special importance to him. He had shown her many precious things that night, she had seen and actually seemed to understand. And she had shown him several things that he hadn't known, teaching him something very important about himself. And he has felt himself desiring to be in her presence once again.
A knocking sound on the cave entrance drew him attention from his pullups. It was a strange and rare occurrence when someone actually took the time to knock for entry. Most times in the past, they'd just barge right in as though they owned the place. This fact immediately told him that whoever it was must've been someone who was either new here or had a higher level of respect than most others. Regardless, he dropped to the ground and settled into a crouch upon the floor of his cage. He watched as Tonks quickly climbed out of her chair and moved to grant entrance to the newcomer.
When the door opened, he found himself staring at the familiar face of the female he'd long desired to see again. It was his Fleur!
Dumbledore visits Harry, trying to see if there's any humanity left in the boy for him to exploit.
Harry Potter – The World Beneath – Harry Potter
Allie gets captured by wizards, who were following monster-sightings. She's taken to the Ministry to be examined and experimented on (inhumanely tortured in the process). But it was a victory for her since she could now smell Harry nearby
Harry Potter – The World Beneath – Harry Potter
26 April 1995
Harry is taken before the British-Bulgarian-French combined Wizengamot for a farce of a trial. They spend more time arguing over his sentence (life imprisonment in Azkaban = French, Kissed = British, Death = Bulgarian) for his numerous crimes against the governments, Tournament, and people. They decide to postpone his actual sentencing until a majority decision is made. Dumbledore arrives after the trial, having been lied to on its exact time due to various rival parties not wanting his interference.
Harry Potter – The World Beneath – Harry Potter
1 May 1995
Harry escapes from captivity due to a moment of negligence on his captor's part. He comes across and frees Allie. Together, they wreak utter havoc through the Ministry as they search for a means of escape, eventually catching a taste of fresh air and following it to the surface. They explode into Muggle London, causing further chaos and partially exposing the Wizarding World as they flee for the Thames. Despite the Wizards' best efforts, because they now had to split their attentions between containing the chaos and chasing the escapees, the prehistoric duo escape upriver. Following an old memory of Harry's, they start heading north, following a similar trek as the one Harry had originally taken, seeking to return back to the World Beneath.
Meanwhile, Bill and his new alliance begin marshaling an expedition to further explore and colonize the World Beneath, seeking the untold riches that were hidden there.