I decided to do a crossover between Harry Potter and ASOIAF. The owners of all the rights are JK Rowling and GRR Martin. Some rights have been sold to Warner Bros Discovery. I don't own any rights. I'm just playing in their universes. I do own this story and the OCs I create. It's going to be AU pretty much from the get go.
Harys Rickard Stark aka Harry James Potter turned 6, today. In the Citadel of the Maesters he was now an Initiate. The Citadel offered 15 subjects and Harry had passed all of them. He would be forging his own links. Forging was not something he had done as the wizard and all round hero who had died aged 187, trying to send his soul/consciousness into his 11 year old body. That failure rankled. He used it as a spur in his activities on Planetos. That was the name of the world he was now on. He thought it an absurd name.
Other groups were trying to disrupt his group. Doing such to the son of a Marauder was counterproductive as Harry taught his 20 fellow students all the pranks he knew that would work without magic. There were a surprising number. The attacks died out.
Harry did not get let off letter writing just because it was his birthday. He worked out that he would have paid off the Citadel the cost of his education on his tenth birthday. Forging his 15 links out of different metals taught Harry patience. He'd never had a great deal of that.
The other difference was in his growth. Previously starved by the Dursleys, Harry was now well fed and ate a good diet. He would be tall. He already possessed a wiry strength. Forging was developing his muscles.
Harry was soon at his letter writing task. He was the best one doing it and his clients appreciated it. Harry figured he'd have repaid the Citadel in full for his education on his tenth birthday. Harry used his spare time to check out the library for stuff on Dorne and Skyfall and the Daynes in particular. There was precious little on Dorne and nothing about his family down there. Harry was fluent in all the languages spoken in Westeros. That had been the first stage of his three language badges or rather links. The chain of 15 was rather heavy. He was pleased he was forging and getting used to the weight. His staff was still bigger than he was, still Harry could measure himself against it and he was growing. Too slowly for his liking.
There were a few nobles amongst his 20 colleagues. They were just learning enough to send ravens and administer their lands. They would still have Maesters from the Citadel to advise them. There were 3 or 4 of them, from what Harry had been able to glean. One was Samwell Tarly, son of Lord Randall Tarly, one of the Seven Kingdoms foremost military minds. Tarly seemed more academic than military. That could change, of course, as he got older. Samwell was not taking any of the military subjects, though. Harry suggested he take swords, he did. Most of the 20 boys were older than Harry was. Harry was used to that state of affairs.
Harry got a job assignment to help out in the births, marriages and deaths department. He was able to find his birth record Harys Rickard Stark born 31st July 282 to Ashara Dayne and Brandon Stark, bastard. Harry knew that was not right. His mother had provided him a letter that told him his parents were married before his birthday.
Robb Stark was born 13th September 283 to Lord Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Lady Catelyn Tully, legitimate. Sansa Stark was born 11th February 286 to Lady Catelyn Tully and Lord Peytr Baelish, bastard. That certainly would have caused a stir in the Citadel, had it been known. Luwin had sent a note saying Lady Catelyn Stark was again with child. Harry wondered who the father was, this time. Buried in the wrong place, Harry came across Aegon Targaryen born 18th August 283 to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lady Lyanna Stark, legitimate. This true heir to the throne was known as the bastard Jon Snow, according to Citadel gossip, a byblow of Lord Eddard Stark. Harry decided to appropriate this document and use silent wandless magic to make it look like something else. Harry was almost surprised magic did what he requested. There was Benjen Stark who had taken the Black and gone off into the Beyond.
Harry knew he had a cousin Ned Dayne and an Uncle, called Darkstar, who wielded the Sword of the Dawn or Morning. This was a weapon that had similar properties to Valyrian steel, but was not. Harry's professional curiosity was aroused. Then there was Ashara, his mother, in this world. She was still around, somewhere out there. Ned's father had been with the Dornish forces at the Battle of the Trident and had died there. His mother had died in childbirth. Ned had only survived thanks to a Dornish wise woman and a young mother who had lost her own child.
Harry wondered how the Starks would take him turning up and demanding that they hand over The North to him. Not very well, Harry thought. They may not even know that Brandon had got married, let alone had a son. Factor in that he was training to be a Maester and his rights were no longer an issue, once he became one.
Harry noticed that ravens to the Iron Islands were conveying military data drawn from all over the Seven Kingdoms. Harry informed the ArchMaester for defence of the Citadel that the Iron Islands were preparing for war. Harry got laughed at for his troubles.
Harry convened a meeting of his 20 colleagues and made his case and asked if any others had sent letters to the Iron Islands detailing the state of fortifications and army sizes and where they were located. The 4 nobles placed at the Citadel agreed with Harry's assessment and sent ravens of their own to their fathers warning that war was coming.
After a month of failing to convince the Citadel ArchMaesters of the threat posed by the Iron Islands resulting in Harry being banned from raising the matter again, Harry decided to go to the Hightowers. One Sunday evening before evening meal, Harry went to see the Hightowers. The guards admitted him, even though they must have been amused by an earnest and serious six-year-old talking military matters. He was shown into the private solar where the Hightowers were eating.
Harry launched into his spiel about the letters he was sending to the Iron Islands, saying that there were a lot of details about the fleet sizes and readiness. One of the Hightowers mocked Harry. Harry did not let it go.
"My Lords and ladies, I am Harys and have a link in military matters, which is how I know what the Iron Islanders are doing is a prelude to war. I have written a lot of letters. I know how to decipher what they say."
Harry then proceeded to list what those sending letters by raven to the Iron Islands had to say about the Hightower demesne. He proceeded to break down the information about troops numbers and garrison sizes and state of readiness. He said the letters summarized the state of readiness of Hightower troops as 'slovenly'. The assembled family was no longer laughing at him. They thanked him for coming and sent him on his way.
Harry had done all he could. He carried on sending letters by raven to the Iron Islands. His conversations with Marwyn, in various languages, revealed that the ArchMaester responsible for Citadel defence hailed from the Iron Islands. When Harry had a letter that carried verbatim what the Shield Island envoy in High Gardens had said that there was no chance of an Iron Island revolt as patrols of Shield Island ships had found no evidence anything was being planned, Samwell Tarly agreed to carry a message to the Hightowers. This message repeated what the Shield Islander had said and that the ArchMaester was from the Iron Islands. Shortly after, that ArchMaester went into Oldtown 'visiting' and got assassinated. No blame was attributed to Harry. The Maesters did not dare attempt to punish Samwell (Tarly).
The Citadel was prepared against attack from both land and sea. As there were no dragons, attack from the air did not need to be defended against. The Maesters, however, would not take the chance and ordered new bolt throwers for the roof. Plus the necessary number of bolts as the Citadel protocols demanded.
Iron Island spies believing their cipher was unbroken declared the date of their attacks and the disposition of their forces. The force of Iron Islanders designed to keep the North out of the fight was ambushed on landing and destroyed, including the Lord leading it.
The Shield Islanders as complacent as they were arrogant lost their fleet and suffered occupation. The attack on Lannisport was driven off with heavy losses amongst the assailants.
The Iron Island fleet that attacked Oldtown was drawn into a trap and ambushed by the combined Hightower, Redwayne and Royal fleets. That Iron Island fleet including its highest Lord was utterly destroyed to the last ship and man. The campaign thereafter was one of clean up. The Shield Islands were liberated and every fort in the Iron Islands reduced.
Robert's campaign done, his blood lust slated, he left things as they were and returned to the capital. Harry was concerned by this. A seven-year-old Citadel apprentice did not get listened to. The Citadel Maesters made sure Harry never got the opportunity. Harry received 2 gold coins for his efforts. He was removed from letter writing, his debts to the Citadel written off. Harry had the thanks of the Citadel. Harry supposed that was better reward than he'd got for saving Hogwarts so many times.
Harry read the report of Theon Greyjoy being made a ward of Ned Stark. Harry crumpled the note in his hand. He replaced it, of course. The Iron Islands followed a way of life completely different from the rest of Westeros. They looted money, women, food and boys, boys who replaced their losses. They were pirates and pirates do different. Theon was but a spy, learning the lay of the land for the inevitable counterstrike that the Iron Islanders would launch.
Harry had his studies and he studied hard. The Hightowers' provided a much more tangible reward. Harry trained with their Master-At-Arms, worked with their Maester, learning estate management and which crops worked best with which soil. Harry learnt about fish farms and water wheels. A Master Bowman was brought in to teach Harry archery. Harry got to make real weapons and armour with the Hightower blacksmiths. Harry also learnt what he would have to do, if Greyscale ever returned to Oldtown. Half the city had been burned down, with everyone inside killed. Harry did not like that training, at all.
Harry found that he had to work harder to keep his scores the same as previous years. There were now three new intakes below his year. They were not the babies of the Citadel anymore. The dropping out of senior years was also worse than in previous years. The eight, nine and ten-year-olds were all down to 10 initiates. Harry had to find out why. He thought it might have to do with the size of his year. The fairly surly answers he received confirmed his thought. Harry's conversations with Marwyn in various languages also confirmed it.
Harry was in the archives, when the birth certificate arrived about Arya Stark. The Citadel was clearly using a magical artefact, but Harry suspected there was something seriously wrong with it. Arya Stark born September 11th 289 to Lady Catelyn Stark and Aerys II, bastard. How could someone dead for 6 years be the father of a child? Harry decided to test out his Greenseer powers and watch her conception. He was definitely not a pervert or voyeur. It was something that needed to happen for scientific reasons. It just so happened that Greenseers and their abilities was the subject module that Marwyn was currently teaching Harry.
Greenseers could reputedly see the past, current and future events. If they stayed too long in their visits they would be stuck there. Marwyn had yet to encounter anyone who had successfully done this. Harry was not about to tell him that he could. Harry's best effort had been about a minute listening to a conversation about him. He was being evicted from the Citadel. Harry thought that sounded bad, very bad. He'd been in the future and not, as he had thought, in the past.
Harry's efforts improved as he practiced and eventually, he got to watch Arya Stark being conceived. Definitely Aerys II who had taken the form of a dragon. The man had been asleep. He was dreaming this. It should not have been possible. Harry ended his trip back into the past. He accioed Aerys children. He got Viserys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister. No wonder Tywin had had Aerys II murdered. Where was Daenerys? He accioed Rhaegar's children. There were three Aegons. There was his legitimate one with Elia Martell. His other legitimate one with Lyanna Stark and one with a Blackfyre. Daenerys was a union with his own mother. Harry managed to get out of the archive room before he threw up. Harry viewed the Targaryen habit of incest disgusting. The daughter of Elia Martell was not Rhaegar's.
On his next foray into the archive, Harry lit 4 candles. He used a variation on the spell Dumbledore used to track him. If they were still alive, the candles would stay lit. All 4 did. An imposter son was therefore murdered. Harry remembered what Ashara had written about her brother Ser Arthur Dayne, the Kingsguard. Harry accioed the children of Ser Arthur Dayne and the daughter of Elia Martell's birth form came into his hands. That there had been 3 Kingsguards at the Tower of Joy showed that Lyanna's child was legitimate. A royal bastard would not have had such protection.
Lessons were really a lot harder now. Several of his colleagues were now struggling. Harry helped all of them. In his previous 187 years of life Harry James Potter had been an exceptional educator. Older and younger students listened to Harry as he made the subjects understandable to them.
Harry decided to do a check on Robert Baratheon's children, expecting to see Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella. He saw 19 children, none of them with his Queen and when he lit nineteen candles, four went out, immediately. Somebody, and Harry suspected the Queen, was killing them off. Of the 15 still alive, only three were beyond Cersei's reach, in Harry's estimation. Mya was in the Vale under the protection of the Hand, Jon Arryn. One, Edric was in Myr and Gendry was under the powerful protection of the blacksmiths guild in Kings Landing. Harry filched some paper and a raven and sent Gendry a warning. Harry signed it Harys. He realised that signing the missive might have been a mistake.
Harry had to find out who the father of Cersei's children was. Jaime Lannister, the Queen's brother, Kinsguard and Kingslayer was not the name Harry had been expecting. The Lannisters had been around the Targaryens for too long.
Harry made several wands and tried many different cores. None of them really worked for him. He removed the cores, made the wood into a simple flute and sold them in the market for a few copper coins. Eventually, Harry found a piece of holly 9" long that he smoothed until it shone. He could feel the connection with his magic. Now, he just needed a core. He first wand had been holly and phoenix tail feather. It was not likely he'd find a phoenix in Westeros. Harry almost hit his own head. His animagus form was a phoenix. Impossible, of course, but it was all down to the Potter luck. He found a safe quiet spot where he turned into his phoenix form and took a tail feather from himself and a test tube of tears. The test tube was one of a dozen Harry had blown during his glassmaking exam. He'd created a wooden holder for them and a box for them to be stored in. His carpentry was functional, not ornate. Harry soon had a functioning wand. That was progress. Had he been this formidable first-time round, had he not been saddled with the Dursleys? He would never know.
Marwyn introduced Harry to the First Men and their religion, centred around the weirwood. This was a collective of sentient, almost, trees. Harry let his mind drift out towards them. He would make contact and engage in a conversation of sorts. He had a brief conversation with the three eyed crow that declined to offer him its powers. He could see a man, half merged with a tree, who introduced himself as Brynden Targaryen, a legitimised bastard who was Hand of the Kingdom for many years before settling into an exile. This was Bloodraven, a man the Citadel Maesters had feared and despised in equal measure.
Brynden told Harry that he was Protector of Westeros. Brynden would not last a decade. The power in the trees was declining. First, the three eyed crow would escape being bound to him and second, he'd lose the power to keep himself alive.
Harry did not like the way that this Bloodraven was inching towards declaring him the new Protector of Westeros. That sounded far too much like 'The Chosen One'. Once had been more than enough. Harry had to practice his occlumency to prevent nightly interruptions.
Harry's favourite time was when the Cinnamon Wind docked. He'd race to the ship and chat away with the crew and captain and listen to stories. He'd give an edited version of what he'd been learning. There were the odd one or two new crew, whom Harry took time to get to know. The ship had come from Bear Island and was carrying the former Lord, who had been exiled for selling 2 islanders into slavery. Harry's eyes narrowed. The captain noticed. He knew Harry had never asked where he had dropped his mother off.
Quhuru Mo, Captain of the Cinnamon Wind, enjoyed speaking High Valyrian with young Harys. His daughter was all for Adopting the boy and taking him far away. Yes, Kojja talked about Harys with a capital A. She loved watching him trying to draw her bow. He did not get far. A little further each time the ship visited Oldtown. She talked common to Harys. She did not want him learning the language of Summer Isle unless he was hers. Harry helped Quhuru Mo with his written High Valyrian.
Harry learnt that Marwyn the Mage was a frequent traveller and Quhuru Mo was more than willing to tell Harys where the Mage went. Harry frowned on hearing that Marwyn visited the Temple of Rh'llor, Lord of Flame and Shadow in Oldtown and the Great Temple in Volantis. Harry had briefly touched the consciousness of the Drowned God, so he knew Gods really existed on Planetos.
In the archive, Harry came across a document that would be a death sentence would anyone know that he had seen it. The document was the Maesters copy of the contract between the Citadel and The Faceless Men to destroy Valyria. The Faceless Men would kill to retrieve the copy and as long as the Maesters had it, they could blackmail the Faceless Men. Harry reckoned the assassins would want that threat lifted. The Maesters would not want anyone to know about the contract. Harry found a safer place to hide it. The Maesters hatred of magic had doomed Valyria and murdered millions of people. Harry knew the Maesters disliked magic, but he had no idea it was at Dursley levels.
Harry had not thought about the Dursleys for over 160 years. He had been 34, when he had finally managed to evict the Dursleys from his properties, collect all the back rent he'd been owed and sold off the properties. He'd sold Grunnings to some Far Eastern conglomerate. The look on Vernon Dursley's face had been priceless. That had been the last time that Vernon remembered Harry Potter. He'd erased all trace of Harry James Potter from the muggle world. He probably should not have been quite so free with his use of confundus, but hey, if Dumbledore did it, Harry could, too. Harry had held all of Dumbledore's posts for 100 years. No-one talked about Dumbledore. He was a forgotten man. That was one revenge that had definitely been served cold. Harry had turned the Order of the Phoenix international.
Harry began mapping. He started with Oldtown. He was also close to starting his project for The North. Harry was interested in thee lesser bannerman: House Frey, House Bolton and House Manderley. He would start with these lesser bannermen. Harry found he had the typical Stark prejudice against both House Bolton and House Frey. He was impressed how the Manderley had built up their lands over a thousand years. White Harbour was the only true city in the North.
Harry did enough private letter writing to be sent by ravens to pay for his own letters to Lord Roose Bolton, Lord Wyman Manderley and Lord Walder Frey. He hoped they would be intrigued that a seven-year-old was making a study of their lands.
Imagine Harry's surprise, when a couple of months later, he received a raven from Maester Luwin on behalf of Lord Ned Stark, giving him permission to request the information he was after from the northern lords. Harry, naturally, wrote back to him thanking him for his kind permission and saying that he would sometimes say simplistic things that were childish, because he was a child. That was not strictly true, due to who Harry really was, but he was not about to tell his uncle, in this world, about that.
Just before the turn of the year, Ned asked Harry for simplistic suggestions. Harry had a couple of ideas. The first was to move the family that had many landed sub branches into the Gift. This would have several advantages. It would mean the Night's Watch no longer had to garrison the area and provided a nucleus of trained fighting men to contain Wildling raids. Its treasury would benefit from taxes paid by their new retainers. Harry's second simplistic idea was to just have one family responsible for the mountains and pull the others out and resettle them in the West. The land was better out of the mountains. Harry floated the idea of Jon having his own landed estate in the Gift.
Ned thought these ideas were excellent. He expressed how his wife had rewarded him after he told her about sending Jon away. The other changes had been approved by the Lord Commander and the various mountain lords. Bloodraven told Harry that he'd done well. The dreams had begun again. Harry was not happy about that.
Life in the Citadel had got harder. After the Iron Islands revolt had been put down, those of Iron Island extraction within the Citadel were removed. This did not affect Harry's year. It did affect those years above and below, though. An ArchMaester and two Maesters were among those who disappeared. Nobody quite knew what GrandMaester Pycelle's loyalty oaths meant for the long-term future of the Citadel. Harry was none too happy about swearing loyalty to Pycelle Lannister, personally. Harry definitely did not know where Pycelle's true loyalty lay, though he suspected it was not to the Citadel. Harry believed that had the Lannisters spoken up for his father and grandfather that they would both still be alive. Harry felt genuine anger towards the Lannisters. Harry certainly would not be duped again, the way he had been after Astoria Malfoy, nee Greengrass, had died. Draco Malfoy had played him for a fool and boy had he been fooled. In the end, it had not saved Draco from Harry's wrath. You could have knocked Harry down, when Luna became Lady Malfoy.
Harry sparred with the two friends he had made. Samwell Tarly was one of the noble placements learning what he needed to manage the estates he was heir to and Alric who hailed from King's Landing. That was the only detail the boy was prepared to give. He was taking 7 links. Harry was tutoring him. He was tawny haired and tawny eyed. Harry had no idea if that were significant or not.
Lord Manderley sent Harry an amusing letter informing him of the appointment of his son, Wylis, to the bannerman lordship vacated by a noble family heading to the Gift. Harry chuckled. Wyman had said it had given his son something to do after years of not having to roll his sleeves up. Harry sent a reply sympathising with Wyman's son.
Lord Roose Bolton sent Harry a History of the Red Kings of Dreadfort. Harry checked it with the official History in the Citadel. He wrote out the pages in full, all nice and neat and handed what the man had told him to the ArchMaester who taught the subject. Harry wrote back to Lord Bolton thanking him for updating the records with real history. The ArchMaester could not believe that Harry had got information out of Lord Roose Bolton, just by asking.
Lord Walder Frey could not stop boasting. More than 100 children and grandchildren; over 20 marriages into other families; alliance with the Dreadfort and plans to make the Frey House into a power in the land.
Harry had not lead the Magical Law Enforcement for 32 years without developing a nose for things. It was this that the responses of House Bolton and House Frey set off, rather than those of a child. Both Lords set his Dark Lord sensors atingling.
Bloodraven's next nightly call had Harry ask him about the two families. Bloodraven said things did not look good for House Stark.
"Harys, House Stark broke the blood oath of eternal loyalty with House Targaryen by revolting."
"We should warn Ned Stark, Brynden," Harry said, in his mind.
"Why? His family is nothing to me," Bloodraven said, matter of factly.
"It is to me, I am a Stark," Harry retorted.
"You're a Potter, first and foremost. You were brought here to deal with the chaos that will unfold after the usurper dies. That much I can see."
"I was a Potter. I am a Stark here," Harry replied.
"The child sees both families as trouble. It is your insight as a Potter that pegs these families as serious trouble and your skill as an educator that brings your year group along with you. After your training at the Citadel is done, don't expect Ned to stand aside for you. Try as you will, you cannot create a Northern powerhouse. Your successful reassignment of various Lords was unexpected."
"Your praise is most unexpected, Bloodraven," Harry said, sarcastically. Harry managed to end the link.
Harry found his own real birth certificate with legitimacy confirmed and hid that somewhere in the archive. It would not do for someone to find that. Let them think he was a bastard. Harry discovered that Hoster's father had married a Stark from one of the extended family. She was Harry's 4th cousin 4 and 5 times removed. Targaryen's were not the only one who practised incest. That did not lessen Harry's disgust for them, any.
Arryn. Harry knew that name. He was the Hand of the King. His wife was Lysa Tully. His sole, sickly heir to the Vale was known as Sweetrobin. His birth certificate named his father as Peytr Baelish. What was it with these Tully women? Rhaegar had made the mistake of trusting Baelish and the Targaryens had fallen from the throne.
Harry started a conversation with Wyman Manderley about soil and crops, sharing with him the tips of the Maesters. Harry also suggested his own ideas about fallow fields, planting field of clover and using horse and cattle manure to enrich the soil.
Harry had been surprised to find potatoes grown in Westeros. He thought that would be an ideal crop in the North. Special strains that were resistant to cold could be developed and his history teacher back in primary school talked of a potato that could be harvested 4 times a year. It was an invention of Frederick the Great. Harry link project for agriculture: develop a cold resistant potato that could be harvested 4 times a year. This was a very involved project. To prove the cold resistant properties, Harry would need the help of Wyman Manderley.
Harry made sure he had a feed into the upper years studying for their third link in each subject. He needed to know what was happening in the wider world. It was what he missed from his old life. Unlike Dumbledore, Harry had taken his position as Supreme Mugwump very seriously.
Harry had taken over all of Snape's possessions. Snape had rented a house Harry owned in Cokeworth. He had found many rare treatises. He had moved everything to a rebuilt Godric's Hollow. Harry had taken control of Nurmengard. From Fleamont Potter, Harry had inherited potions and a potion making firm. From Charlus Potter, Harry had acquired the main Potter vault and time machines. He had recovered the Manors as well. Dumbledore had told him both had been destroyed in the first wizarding war. That had turned out to be a lie. After Harry had become headmaster of Hogwarts, he had discovered the time turner Hermione had used in third year. It was not a Ministry time turner. It was another Potter heirloom that had found its way into the hands of Albus Dumbledore.
Harry had tracked Dung down and forced him to steal back everything he'd taken from Grimmauld Place. Dung had done so. He'd also revealed where Dumbledore stored his loot. That had been most useful. Harry never made Dumbledore's mistake and use Dung for anything important. The wizard just was not wired for anything like that. Harry knew he needed to establish a network like that on Planetos, but he lacked the resources, currently. Harry added that task to his 'to do' list. That was one list that never got any shorter.
