One Shot: Archeology Nest

by MeloneGuru

One-Shot: Harry lost himself in depression until he stumbled into the world of magical archeology. While investigating rumors of an abandoned village, his usual luck ensues and he is trapped in a world not his own. Further, he is stuck on an island housing only the burnt remains of a giant tree and a town near rendered to dust.

Author Note: If you've read Tree of Knowledge Reborn, you may notice a fair number of similarities. This was originally an attempt to revitalize my interest in continuing that series by starting off fresh, but this is just a One-Shot and I have no intention of continuing it.

Under the blazing summer sun, Harry Potter lay upon a large boulder like a puppet without its strings.

One might think him dead. If not for the long string of expletives spewing from his lips, "It's too bloody hot. It's too bloody steep. It's too bloody- bloody- bloody!"

After some time, and more curses, Harry calmed.

He slid from the boulder like a slug, dropping onto the ground cross legged. He adjusted his glasses and pulled out a map, a crude thing, roughly depicting a winding path up a mountain. The path flowed from a Japanese character denoting "Village" through a series of landmarks labeled by further characters such as "Big Tree," "Weird Rocks," and finally ending on, much to Harry's amusement, "Devil's Ass."

Harry traced the path, stopping a few inches from the end, landing on "Comfy Boulder." He sighed, "Not much further."

Harry stood and took several mouthfuls of water from a worn canteen. He hung it on a leather messenger bag hanging at his side and set off once more. Wind swept over him as he walked, whipping his loose long sleeved green shirt and whisking away the warm sweat that soaked both it and his tan hiking pants.

After a quick bend around "Lion Tree" and a precarious climb over "Slippery Hill," Harry stumbled out of a forest and finally stood before Devil's Ass.

Two cliffs towered far above him, framing a small valley which ended abruptly in an ancient collision between the two chunks of earth. Thick green vines covered their rock faces, curtaining what could only be the hole of the so-called Devil's Ass.

"Walk the path, Harry," Harry panted out. "It'll be good for you, Harry. You need the exercise, Harry." He brushed off his pants and a thorn caught his palm. He hissed, "Bloody Devil's Path!"

Nevertheless, his eyes were alight at the sight of the mighty rock cheeks. He plunged ahead with sure strides, but slowed as he neared the dense vines covering the ancient collision. A sense of unease fell over him. With a swish of his wand, the vines parted, revealing a pitch black cave. Unnatural darkness wrapped around the entrance and pressed out all hints of the afternoon sun.

With a jab of his wand, a beam of pure light shot out, slammed into the wall of black, and snuffed out. Harry narrowed his eyes. With a lazy grace, he performed a litany of diagnostic charms, but only found a failing anti-muggle charm and a soon to fail anti-pest charm. Nothing to account for the inky dark.

"Interesting," Harry said. "I see where it gets the name. Better scout this out."

Harry turned around and swished his wand towards the forest at the mouth of the small valley, " Accio snake."

Unbeknownst to a young Japanese Rat Snake, its expectations for its day, and life, were about to change forever.

Said snake slithered its five foot black body across a branch just above a nest of chirping chicks. It gathered itself, readying to strike, then leaped towards the chicks with a promise of death, but inches from its prey, it froze. It hung in the air for an agonizing second, then yanked away from the nest, speeding through numerous leaves and branches, and finally into the open air.

Harry raised a brow as a five foot black snake burst from the trees with a cry of, "Nooooooo!"

With deft hands, he caught the snake from the air, hand closing firmly behind its head. The snake thrashed in his hold, still crying out, "My prey, my prey!"

"Oi! Quiet down," Harry said, turning the snake to face him. " I'll feed you plenty of prey, just hear me out."

"Stupid hairless monkey, release me!"

"Just hear me out, damn it!"

After much cursing of the "hairless monkey," the snake finally grew tired and negotiated three fresh mice for its services. Harry lowered the snake to the ground and quickly stood back as he released his grip. The snake turned to face him, eyeing him hatefully.

"Sit still," Harry said. He pointed his wand at its face and hissed, "Eyes."

Harry closed his eyes as the magic washed over the snake and the world shifted. He stared up at himself from the ground, blurry and seeming giant from the angle. He took a deep breath and watched as his chest inflated and shrank as the air slowly left him. He watched as he hissed out, "Alright, now I need you to go into the cave and search around. If you find anything unusual, come back immediately."

"Then you will give me mice?"

Harry rolled his eyes under their lids, "Yes."

Watching carefully as the snake slithered into the unnaturally black cave, Harry was startled as one moment the sun lit the world, then another, complete darkness. Despite knowing his own safety, he couldn't stop a chill from spreading down his spine. He waited for what felt like ages, unable to tell if the snake was even moving amidst endless black. So focused was he on catching the faintest sign of movement, when a sound like a stone dropping into a pond echoed out of the cave, he flinched. Then, light flooded his vision.

Harry's eyes shot open in surprise. He groaned as his sight overlapped with the snake's in a dizzying array. Swaying on his feet, he awkwardly jabbed his wand at his face, vision clearing as the snake's own faded from his mind. He rubbed his forehead as he regained his balance, trying to make sense of what the snake saw. Still feeling the sun's warmth on his back, he murmured incredulously, "The moon?"

After regaining his bearing, Harry stared at the cave, tapping his foot impatiently. When it became obvious the snake wasn't returning, he huffed and walked to the mouth of the cave. He took a steadying breath, then stepped past the wall of black. The darkness was upon him in an instant. He gave his wand a flick but the light was snuffed out before it even left the wood. Keeping his wand in hand, he stepped carefully as he moved forward.

The endless black unnerved him. It seemed to press into him the further he walked. His mind created undulating illusions in his lack of sight, or at least, he hoped they were illusions. His heart beat loudly in his ears and the sound of each breath and step grated on his nerves. Just as the thought of turning around entered his mind, the ground beneath his feet vanished.

"Gah!" Harry gasped as the darkness swallowed him. There was the sound of a rock hitting a pond and his feet were on solid ground again. He stumbled forward, barely keeping his balance as his stomach lurched and light filled his eyes. "Woah!"

Harry blinked rapidly, hardly believing the sight. Innumerable stars hung high in the sky, unnaturally bright against the glare of the full moon peeking over towering cliffs wrapped around a massive hollow. Harry shook his head. No matter how unnerving the cave was, he knew it couldn't be later than early evening. It must be an enchantment.

Tearing his eyes away from the enchanted sky, not lingering on how it completely dwarfed Hogwart's Great Hall, he focused on the small village sitting in the center of the hollow. Wooden buildings overgrown with vegetation peppered the equally overgrown paths. A grove of persimmon trees lined the right side of the village, numerous fruits peaked out from behind the tall grass invading the grove. A small pond wrapped around its left side, where a waterfall poured out of a hole in the cliff face and spilled into it.

"Monkey," the snake hissed at Harry's feet.

Harry dragged his eyes away from the village and glared down at the snake, "Didn't I tell you to come back if you saw something unusual?"

The snake hissed, "I cannot leave! The cave is gone."

Harry turned around and groaned. Sure enough, only the same cliffs circling the entire hollow were behind him. The cave had vanished. He sighed, but wasn't overly concerned. The rumors which brought him here had spoken of such happenings. He had hoped it wouldn't happen to him , but he knew his own luck and had prepared plenty of provisions. The cave would open again, it always did. But not always before some poor fool starved to death.

Harry turned back to the agitated snake and sighed again. Looks like he was stuck with it for now, "The cave will open again."

"Good. I did as you said. Feed me."

Harry rolled his eyes and brandished his wand, " Accio mouse."

Nothing.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "Accio rodent."

Nothing.

Harry blinked, "Uhm, Accio animal."

"Gah!" "Shit!"

Harry scrambled backwards as the snake slammed into him. It fell to the ground and quickly slithered away, only to round and hiss at him in rage. Harry apologized quickly, "My mistake, my mistake, I apologize."

The snake coiled in on itself and hissed, "Food."

"Ah… about that… it seems there aren't any animals in here besides you… There is no food."

The snake blinked. Its tongue shot out and slipped back in, "No food?"

"No food."

"Noooo!" The snake shot into the wildly tall grass that covered most of the hollow, wails of "Where is the food?" "Prey!" "Hungry!" following its path . Soon its cries were lost to Harry. He rubbed his forehead and huffed. When the bloody thing calmed down, he'd try to share some meat with it, but he suspected the ruddy snake wouldn't comply until it was starving.

Pushing the snake from his mind, Harry set off towards the village, following the overgrown path as tall grasses tickled his cheeks. As he neared the first building, he pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill. With a murmured spell, the parchment and quill began to float alongside him. He moved carefully from building to building, observing what he could without causing damage. He muttered his findings and the quill faithfully jotted them on the ever growing parchment.

Sometime later, though it was difficult to tell how much later since the sky was content to remain frozen in time, Harry sat cross legged next to a worn statue covered in moss at the center of the village. He skimmed over the parchment, muttering to himself, "The tempus spell is going wonky, which means this place is probably a genuinely separate chunk of space. No idea how they did it. Especially since the oldest building is at least 500 years old, but it looks like people have been living here well past that, so maybe they figured out how to take the existing village with them. Still, even modern magicals would be hard pressed to replicate it. And people were only living here until about 100 years ago… But it is odd. Clothes, pots, toys… nothing was taken. There's not even any bodies, nor any signs of a fight. It's as if everyone who was living here just vanished."

Harry's musings were interrupted by a pitiful moan, " Hungry…"

Harry narrowed his eyes. He stood and rounded the base of the statue. Behind it, the snake was flopped on the ground haphazardly. Harry shook his head. He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a small cardboard box. With a flick of his wand, the preservation charms dissolved. Opening it, he laid it next to the snake and said, "Here, eat something if you're so hungry."

The snake lifted its head and regarded the pork chop and rice dish with obvious disdain. It hissed, "I am no scavenger! I am a predator, I only eat what I kill."

Harry rubbed his forehead, "Bloody snakes. Why couldn't I talk to a less annoying animal."

A thought struck him. He tilted his head as he considered the pork chop. He swished his wand and muttered a spell. A squeak sounded out from the tray, and a small, well, calling it a mouse would be generous, but suffice to say, a rodent-like creature leaped from the box and tried to scurry away on feet not quite the right size for its body. Quicker than Harry could react, the snake shot out and captured the rodent in its jaws. Harry looked away as it swallowed it whole.

"You happy now?" Harry said when the snake settled.

"You promised three. I am still hungry."

"Are you trying to make yourself sick? You'll get your other two later," Harry said. He bent down and extended his arm towards the snake, "Climb on. There's something off about this place. We should stick together."

The snake grumbled but still climbed up and wrapped itself around his shoulders. Harry continued his investigation, fielding endless questions from the curious snake.

"What are you doing?" the snake hissed.

"I'm studying the village."

"So you can take the nest for your own?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'm an archeologist. I study old things. Well, I'm more of a restorer, but I doubt I'll be allowed to work on this place."

"Why not?"

"The Japanese magical government doesn't like other wizards messing about with their historical sites. They'll hire a local team if they decide to restore it."

"But you are here, and they are not."

Harry rolled his eyes, "How would you like it if you found some other snake in your nest."

"I would bite them."

"Yes, of course you would. And I don't want to be bitten."

"But you are already in the nest."

Harry sighed, "They won't be upset with me for uncovering a lost nest. And if I'm careful and respectful in my initial investigation, they might let me work on the restoration team. Though I doubt it."

"I am hungry."

Harry groaned.

By the time Harry had finished going over the village, he was exhausted. He yawned, peering through squinted eyes at a tall orange gateway far behind the village. Light blue swirls littered the two wooden posts. And in an odd clash of colors, the top of the gate was bright green and swirled like an elongated 'S' on its side. It stood before a clearing, a wide circle where the wild grasses abruptly ended. A small temple sat in its center, clear of the moss and vines that claimed the rest of the village, but otherwise unassuming despite its obvious importance.

He took a step towards it but stopped as a spike of pain lanced through the scar on his left shoulder, a parting gift from the Chinese Fireball whose nest he had recklessly stumbled into. Already weary and now quite wary, he rubbed his shoulder and shook his head, "Tomorrow. I'm too bloody tired."

The snake grumbled as Harry pulled a chain off from around his neck. A small rectangular pendant hung from the silver. He laid it on the ground and tapped it with his wand. With a quiet "pop" a worn wooden trunk appeared. The snake peered at it suspiciously as Harry popped the lid and began to climb inside.

"Oh! It is like the cave," the snake hissed as they climbed down into a large room. The room was roughly divided into four sections, one for each corner. A tiny kitchen, an even smaller open bathroom, a small bedroom, and a sitting room with a lounge chair and two large bookcases.

"A bit," Harry yawned out. "But not really. Someone just stuffed more space into this trunk. The hollow is something much more ridiculous. It's a space all of its own. No idea how they managed it, given how old the place is. Even today it takes many well trained wizards to open a space even half as big. But that's the old magic for you. Way wilder and far more dangerous, but boy when it went right, it dwarfed any of the modern tricks we play."

The snake stared up at Harry blankly. Harry chuckled and shook his head. Here he was in one of the most spectacular feats of magic he had ever seen and his only company was a mundane snake. He scooped the snake off his shoulders and laid it on the counter of the tiny kitchen. He summoned a blanket, applied some warming charms and formed a makeshift bed, which the snake quickly slipped into with a hiss of satisfaction.

Leaving the snake to digest its two pork-rodents for the day, Harry followed its example. He kicked off his shoes, slipped out of his clothes, and dropped into his bed. Feeling twice his weight, he sank into the mattress with a satisfied groan.

He blew out a long slow breath. He was so tired, but as tired as his body might have been, his mind had other plans. It flashed with half thoughts and memories as he tossed and turned. He willed himself to breathe steadily until his mind calmed. But in that calm, a question his mind constantly skirted around lodged itself in place and refused to fade.

Was he happy?

He didn't know.

He had stepped out of the war and right into the auror's office, gutted as it was, they warmly welcomed any help, let alone the help of the 'savior.' Rounding up the death eaters, snatchers, and lowlifes profiting off the war had felt good. He felt more productive in those few months than he had his entire life before. But then things settled. He was safe. They were all safe. Safe to live, and in his case, safe to break down.

Years of conditioning to live under stress and fear, and at the first sign of peace, he unraveled.

After six months as an auror trainee, he quit. Over the next two years, he slowly pushed away his makeshift family of friends while he wasted away in Grimmauld Place. It was easy to look back on now and empathize with himself. But in the midst of it, he didn't understand at all. And he held nothing but self disgust, fueling an ever spiraling cycle.

Hermione had been Hermione, trying her best to explain depression, trying to make him see it for himself. But no amount of her words could convince him it was anything other than a personal failing. He was a burden, and they would be better without him. And though she tried her best, she had her own life to live. And she had her own limits. She and Ron married at 20. He didn't attend. And though he had forgiven himself and they him, nothing was ever quite the same afterwards.

Whether it was loneliness, or his own mind beginning to heal, after two years, he decided he wanted more out of his life than burying himself in the obscure magic books of the Black library and drinking himself to sleep. It was slow and grudging everyday. But somewhere, god knows where, he had found a spark of motivation and strived desperately to keep it alive. It had been Luna who sent him down his eventual path. One off hand comment about wanting to travel and two weeks later he was asking to serve as the security for a group of archeologists Luna introduced to him. They had no need for security, but they could hardly turn away the savior of magical Europe.

Harry had soon taken to learning from them. They specialized in restoration, a delicate craft that made him fall in love with magic all over again. It soothed his soul to use his magic for something other than violence. So he stayed. And he healed. And after a year with them, he felt more alive.

On his last job with the group, he met his master. She had just tucked another grand discovery under her belt and his group had swooped in when the Albanian magical government decided to have the historical site restored. For reasons he still couldn't fathom, the brilliant woman had offered to take him as an apprentice three times. And three times he had said no. He had a talent for restoration, perhaps even a love, but he had never imagined himself as an archeologist. But there was only so many times his group could scold him for being a fool before he caved. So on the morning she was set to leave, he appeared before her ready to beg, but her wrinkled face had simply broken into a pleased smile.

For four years, he learned all she could teach him. The last four years of her life. He hadn't felt ready when she passed. Not ready to work alone, and certainly not ready to lose her. And though he has found great success in the year since her passing, it never seemed enough. He was miles better than those years lost in depression, perhaps better than he had ever been in his twenty five years alive, but even still, he didn't know if he could truly say he was happy. He didn't know if he would ever be happy.

For now, he was content to be alive. Content to keep searching. At least, that's what he told himself until sleep claimed him.

In the morning, or what passed for morning in a space where the sky was frozen in night, Harry strode up the path to the temple. The snake hung on his shoulders and grumbled, "Hungry…"

"You literally just ate, you glutton. Ah, yes. That's what I'll call you, Glutton."

"Keep your monkey names to yourself."

"Whatever you say, Great Glutton."

"Great?" The snake preened. "Yes. Great Glutton. I will allow it."

Harry snorted and shook his head. Perhaps Pride would have been more appropriate. He pushed Glutton's whining from his mind as he came to a stop in front of the large orange gateway. It stood along the border of the clearing, moss and vines climbing the front of it, but neither spread past the line of the border, leaving the back blue swirls clear of obstruction. Harry eyed it cautiously, lazily twirling his wand in a series of patterns as he murmured a myriad of spells.

"Oh, that's wood from quite the old tree," He muttered to himself. "No wonder the protections are still holding up. Ah, an old school anti-muggle charm if I'm not mistaken… Oh, a memory curse, a nasty one too, not delicate at all… Ugh, that's a strong anti-theft charm, not sure I want to tackle that one. It's keyed to, well something inside the temple I suppose. What's the punishment then… Oh, god, I'm not sure what that does, but I do not want to find out. Ah, there's the preservation and weeding charms, holding up surprisingly well. Animals too of course. Hmm, it seems that's it." He slipped his wand back into a wrist holster and rolled up his sleeves, "Well, I just need to subvert the memory curse, I'll let the Japanese curse breakers deal with whatever nasty spell is tied up with that beefy anti-theft charm."

With much more care than before, Harry traced his wand in a complex pattern, eyes narrowed in focus. With a final swish, he relaxed. Nothing appeared to occur, but a pleased smile played on his lips. Nodding, he hissed, "We'll head in now."

"Is there food inside?" Glutton asked eagerly.

"No! Well, maybe, but you're not to eat anything in there! There's a nasty curse over this place and I have no idea what it's keyed too. It's old too, so there's no saying if it's acting properly, it might have keyed itself to everything inside for all I know. Oi! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, yes. No eating. But I am hungry…"

"Bloody snake, I'll feed you when we're done. Now keep your jaw shut, I'm still worried about what happened to the people here and I can't have your whining distracting me."

Harry eyed the sulking Glutton. Satisfied with his silence, or her silence he supposed, certainly not gonna ask now, he stepped through the gateway and promptly fell through the ground like stone into a pond.

Harry landed on solid earth with a gasp. Glutton groaned, "This again!?"

"Shut it!" Harry snapped. He gripped his wand tightly and peered around with narrowed eyes. They stood inside the clearing, just under the gateway, but the village, cliffs, and night sky were gone, replaced with a thick swirling fog surrounding the circle in a large gray dome. Harry ran his fingers roughly through his hair, "Bloody hell! Anchoring two separate spaces together, what the hell were they thinking? You can't go playing around with space like Russian dolls! No wonder they all vanished, damn nutters probably got lost in the inbetween."

"Why are you afraid? You did not fear the nest around your neck."

"It's not the same," Harry huffed, calming some as the shock faded. "I already told you they were different. Separate spaces rely on their connection to the, for lack of a better word, 'real world' to be stable. The universe is bloody massive, it can support some extra space hitching a ride, but this damn thing is hanging off something incomparably smaller. It's like, it's like-" Harry groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Why am I even explaining this to you, you don't understand at all. And I barely know what I'm talking about myself."

"Is it like making a small nest under a bigger nest and then it rains and both fall apart?"

Harry blinked, "Well, I suppose it's sorta like that, yeah."

"But it is not raining, so we are fine."

"Just- Just- Merlin, just be quiet," Harry groaned, hitting Glutton with a silencing spell. He rubbed his forehead in the blessed silence. With a huff, he straightened his back.

"Alright," Harry said, slapping his cheeks. "I'm being a fool. I didn't even pick up on the separate space, so obviously these people knew something I don't. Not that that's hard, I don't know shit about spatial magic. But the place is still standing, so they must have done something right. So, let's just get in, get out, and wait for that damn cave to open, then never step foot in here again."

Harry nodded. He took a step forward, remembered the villagers had vanished, stopped in his tracks, and turned around, "Nope! I'm leaving. The Japanese team can deal with it."

Harry strode through the gateway and slammed into a wall. Eyes tearing, he rubbed his nose and glared at the swirling, very solid, fog. After many more attempts, a circle around the clearing, and quite a few bruises, he begrudgingly accepted his fate. He was stuck. As if to further mock him, his silencing spell chose then to fail.

"Hungry…"

Harry's shoulders slumped, "Brilliant."

Silencing the menace known as Glutton, Harry eyed the temple suspiciously. People didn't just up and vanish without reason. Unless he opened the door and found a pile of skeletons, he would remain wary. Well, he supposed a pile of skeletons warranted its own wariness. So! There it was. No matter what, he wasn't letting his guard down until he was miles away from this place.

Harry circled the temple with a murmur of every detection spell he could drudge up from memory. Nothing. Unsatisfied, he climbed into his trunk for a gander through his books and tried several more. Nothing. Incredulous, he circled once more, laying a myriad of protections for himself, and Glutton, he had dragged him, or her, into this mess after all. Hardly satisfied, but out of reasons to delay, he stepped up to the temple door, wand gripped tightly at the ready, and slid it open.

Harry frowned, "The hell?"

The temple was completely bare besides a single pedestal in the center of the room. Sitting upon it was the strangest fruit Harry had ever seen. Vaguely like a large persimmon, it was mostly orange, but densely covered in blue swirls. And further like the gateway outside, an elongated green stem swirled out of the top of it like a sideways 'S.'

Harry eyed the threshold warily. No matter what his spells said, he knew something was wrong with the place. He considered Glutton sulking on his shoulder, but shook his head. He might have been dubious of the cave, but he didn't think it would kill the snake. Glutton might be a hungry idiot, but he wasn't going to send him, or her, into obvious danger alone. Well, Harry thought, he could always wait and hope the fog would clear. But the idea of being stuck in a likely unstable separate space for weeks chilled him. He shook his head, shot a final bitter look at the solid fog, then stepped inside.

And promptly fell through the floor.

It was an odd cocktail of signals firing in his brain. Some anger for sure. A pinch of vindication. A whole lot of resignation. A big dose of incredulity. And, ah, yes, plenty of bone-chilling terror. But, later, much later, he would reflect, most concerning of all, was the burst of absolute glee.

As for now. He didn't so much land on solid ground, as he crumpled onto it in a heap. The previous cocktail flooded out with a rush of pure relief. Something between a growl and whimper slipped from his lips.

The silencing charm had failed. He heard, but did not listen as Glutton whined on the floor next to him, having slipped off the heap that was Harry. Untangling his own limbs, he came to his feet. He regarded the room with a calmness he certainly did not feel. After all, three bloody spaces stacked on top of each other like a house of cards did not invoke a sense of calm! Yet, as if some fearless nutter had taken over his body, he watched from behind the scenes as he began to calmly investigate the room they had landed in.

It was large, much larger than the temple could have held, but not nearly as big as the clearing. In the center of it was the pedestal and its fruit. Though, there was a new addition around its base. A large ritual circle wrapped around most of the room, centered on, and climbing up, the pedestal. Whatever it was for, the fruit was the center of it all.

His eyes moved to the walls littered with shelves loaded with scrolls, journals, and texts. Diagrams depicting complex geometry ensured no wall was otherwise bare. Just looking at it all was giving him a headache. His wand in hand, he began a careful application of detection spells.

Unsurprisingly, he found nothing. He rubbed his temples and said, "How the hell did they make this place? It should be singing with magic, and yet there's bloody nothing!"

"What is that?" Glutton hissed.

Harry blinked. He turned to the door, or where there should have been a door, but was instead a bloody wall! Pushing down his frustration, he peered at Glutton, coiled on the ground where Harry had left him, or her… well, that was at least something he could put to rest, "Oi, are you male or female?"

Glutton blinked, eyes tearing away from its focus and onto Harry, "What is male and female?"

Harry sighed. Magical snakes were so much smarter. "Do you lay eggs?"

"Oh. Yes. I am an egg-bearer. But I will not mate with a monkey."

"Gross!" Harry gagged. "I don't want to mate, you fool!"

"Then why did you ask if I could bear eggs?"

"I- I- I just wanted to know, damn it!"

"Hmph. Foolish monkey."

"I'm not even a monkey, you damn snake, I'm an ape! A human to be specific, but that's probably too complicated for your small brain."

"What is an ape?"

"Ugh, why do I bother? It's like a tailless…" Harry coughed, and snapped, "Nevermind."

Glutton narrowed her, not his, eyes, then she hissed out what could only be a laugh and gleefully said, "You are a hairless and tailless monkey!"

Harry groaned. The great 'savior' of magical Europe, trapped in a non-magic spatial fun-house being mocked by a mundane snake. "Bloody Devil's Ass."

Interrupting the laughing snake, he said, a bit nastily, "You wanted to ask me something?"

"Hmm, oh yes. What is that?" she said, head swinging to point at the pedestal.

"It's a fruit."

"Like the monkeys eat?"

Harry sighed, "Yes."

"Is it tasty?"

"Don't even think about it!"

"But I am hungry…"

"Eat your own tail!"

Glutton hissed and coiled in on herself, pointedly ignoring Harry.

Content to be ignored, Harry turned his attention back to the room. His head immediately began to hurt. He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Suddenly arguing with Glutton didn't sound so bad.

With a sigh, Harry focused on the fruit. He hadn't sent a spell its way. Some deep instinct urged him to stay the hell away from it. He could wait, he told himself again. The cave always came back after all. Maybe the door would too. And maybe the fog would clear after that. And then maybe the cave would be there as well. And just maybe, the whole thing wouldn't fall apart around him.

Harry rubbed his forehead, "The cave always disappearing and these one-way lower levels are probably signs the enchantment is already failing. I can't stay here. I wish I could just apparate out." He shivered. He had heard enough horror stories about aparating out of separate spaces and didn't want to imagine what might happen to him if he tried to apparate while three layers down a spatial rabbit hole.

"Alright," Harry said. "The fruit it is."

Harry approached the pedestal and examined the ritual circle. His eyebrows shot up. He expected the fruit to be the product of the ritual, but it was clearly the power source. "I don't recognize most of these symbols, but what I do are mostly references to space." He blinked, eyes widening, "Bloody hell… Did they really make all of this using this fruit?"

Eyeing the fruit with much heavier suspicion, Harry cautiously began casting detection spells on it. He perked up when he actually got a result, only to slump when it was just the anti-theft charm. As the final spell fell upon the fruit with no further results, Harry frowned. He mumbled, "At least I know what the theft charm is tied to now. Maybe I should take a look at those books, then." He shook his head, "I don't have time for that. Need to get out of here. I need answers."

Harry eyed the fruit, frown deepening. His face grew unsure, "It's risky, but I need information fast." Slowly, he nodded. He took a breath, then dropped onto the floor cross legged.

Harry rummaged in his bag and hissed, "Oi, Glutton. I'm going to try something, but more than ever, I can't afford distraction. Please, for both our sakes, do not disturb me."

Glutton turned to face him, "What is it you intend to do?"

"Divine the history of this fruit."

"Divine?"

"I'm going to peer into the past," Harry said as he plopped a small cloth bag in front of him and used his wand to set it alight. "It's an extremely dangerous bit of magic and I must be completely focused. Burning the herbs in this bag will help, but I can't stress this enough, do not disturb me."

"Why-"

"Please. Just save the questions for later," Harry said quietly, breathing in the smoke from the burning bag of herbs.

Glutton hissed in agitation, but said, "Fine, monkey. Do not take long. I grow unbearably hungry.

Harry felt a rise of irritation, but he closed his eyes, grabbed the emotion, and fed it into a small mental flame. As the emotion burned away, he exhaled heavily and breathed in more of the focusing incense. He continued as such, losing all sense of time as with each breath, he fed the flame another errant emotion or wandering thought. As his mind cleared of all but the flame, he fed it his senses. The soft breathing of the snake, the wooden floor pressing against his legs, the scent of dusty parchment in the air, the gentle hue of light through his eyelids. It all fed the flame.

The world fell away. The insubstantial flame that knew itself as Harry burned in a void of nothing. Magic rose to its gentle pull, spreading from it in a call to the endless nothing. But no, so far from nothing, wherever its magic touched burst with everything. An endless glittering web of knowledge teasing with promises of all.

The flame known as Harry flickered wildly, thoughts spilling out to be grasped by the web. The web pulled at the thoughts, spreading Harry like a star fish with endless legs. Harry plunged towards the birth of the tree which grew the wood his body sat upon, towards scholars carefully preparing ink which had filled his nose, towards the slow growth of his stomach in his mother's womb, towards more and more and more, for every thought and every emotion that spilled out of the flickering flame.

Then there was a flash of a hand grasping a persimmon covered in swirls. And the flame blazed.

The endless limbs were burnt away, leaving the single limb being dragged towards visions of the fruit. Without the balance of the other limbs, the web yanked Harry into a nauseating array of visions, smells, sounds, and knowledge. The flame flickered violently, yet even as more and more thoughts poured out, the flame blazed and blazed, burning away the errant limbs. But soon it was out paced, stretched further and further into the web. Before it could be swallowed whole, the flame exploded. The limbs burned away, the magic receded, the web vanished, the embers settled, and Harry slammed back into his body with a strangled gasp.

Harry gripped his head with both hands, panting for breath. His head pounded as shivers rocked his frame. His mind stormed with knowledge of a man from another world. A sea filled with gargantuan monsters, a pirate ship besieged by an armada, crew mates vanishing in a captain's desperate attempt to save his crew, the same captain crashing to the ground of a mountain village covered in wounds, villagers failing to heal him, a bright smile as the light dimmed from the captain's eyes, a persimmon growing as swirls spread across it, villagers chanting around the fruit as towering cliffs separated the village from the world, decades and centuries of research, a temple filled with men, women, and children as the elders performed a ritual, an elder fainting, a burst of light, an empty temple, an empty clearing, an empty village, and the fruit, sitting upon its pedestal for one hundred years.

The villagers. Gone. Lost in a ritual backlash. Perhaps killed, perhaps lost in the inbetween, or perhaps, if they were lucky, transported away to live another day. Harry's heart ached. The captain's grief in separating from his crew, his deep gratitude that they may still live, the pride of the villagers as they claimed their own space, their shock and terror as their final ritual failed. All of these emotions and more stormed through Harry in an overwhelming blur.

"Know this," Harry's master had said. "The secrets of the world are not so easily stolen. For every vision, for every piece of knowledge, you will pay a price. The stories of those past are forever intertwined with their emotions. Their ambitions, their regrets, their love. It can and will change you. Ruins you once stood before indifferently will be your home destroyed. Stories of battles now your loved ones lost. And ambitions unfulfilled your greatest regrets. This magic I teach you is wondrous. But it must be used with the greatest of caution. Less you lose all sense of your own heart."

Harry's master's voice snapped in his mind, "Master yourself! Find your heart in the storm and shield it from the winds." And so he did. He forced himself inward, delving deep into the hurricane of emotions raging through him. In the eye of the storm, he found it. Brimming with panic, but panic of his own. Relief filled it, followed by a blazing determination. Harry held it close, wrapping himself around it as the winds buffeted his body. After what felt like hours of assault, the storm calmed to a gentle breeze. The captain's pain and the villagers' fear were mere whispers now. Never to leave, but like faded pangs of love past.

Harry laid on his back, wiping tears from his eyes. His throat ached, his chest ached, his bones ached. Wonder and relief mingled with greater disappointment. "No wonder I found no magic," he rasped out tiredly. The only magic performed was on a fruit from another world. Filled with a power he had no knowledge of. A Devil Fruit, his subconscious supplied, the notion slipping into his mind as if it had always been there. Harry laughed, "A Devil Fruit in the Devil's Ass. How fitting. And here I am, trapped as the whole thing teeters on collapse. My only salvation wrapped in an anti-theft charm I was too lazy to disable."

A weight moved on Harry's chest. He looked up, blinking until his vision cleared. Glutton squirmed on his chest, tongue shooting in and out in obvious distress. She hissed, "It hurts!"

"What's wrong," Harry murmured, hands rising to run along her length. Just as his fingers found a huge bulge in her shape, he sensed magic surging inside her with malicious intent. Before he could pull his wand, the protections he had laid around the temple before entering sang to life, holding the foreign magic at bay, but at the rate it was draining him of magic, he could already tell it wouldn't hold. He used the reprieve to quickly feel at the attack, it felt… his eyes widened. Exhaustion lost in a surge of panic, he shot to his feet, gripping Glutton to his chest. He swayed, eyes seeking the pedestal. Empty. Bloody empty!

"Fool!" Harry yelled at Glutton, twisting her upside down and shaking her. "Spit it out! Spit it out!"

However, even as Harry yelled, the bulge disappeared. He stared at the now smooth scales, mouth agape. The curse had gone as well, along with the drain of his protections. He closed his mouth and swallowed, "What the hell?"

"Hungry," Glutton moaned in pain. "So hungry."

Harry opened his mouth to berate her when the temple quaked. He stumbled about, barely keeping his balance as books and scrolls were tossed around the room. Fine cracks spread through the walls and floor, splinters breaking from the wood in larger and larger chunks. Through the largest cracks, dense gray fog rolled into the room. Harry retreated to the pedestal, spinning about as fog rolled in all around him. Spells blasted from his wand in an endless stream, splashing against the fog to no effect.

"What is happening!" Glutton whined as she hung upside down in Harry's iron grip.

"You've doomed us, you stupid snake! The space is collapsing, and we're bloody stuck!"

"Ah! Let me out of here! Do something!"

"You do something!" Harry yelled, thrusting the snake towards the surging fog. Glutton hissed in surprise, thrashing in Harry's hold. There was a flash of light, and the fog was pressed back. No, Harry corrected himself, they no longer stood in the temple at all. They had appeared outside, in the large clearing surrounded by fog. The ground shook beneath them as said fog rolled over the orange gateway and into the clearing. Harry stared at Glutton incredulously as she writhed in his grip listlessly, "How the hell did you do that?"

Glutton only released a piteous moan in answer. But it mattered not. Because just as he knew of the Devil Fruit, the answer to his question rose from his subconscious. Glutton had eaten the fruit, thus claiming its power. He brandished the snake towards the fog, "Do it again!"

"I am so hungry…" Glutton moaned.

"You're never going to eat again if you don't get us out of here!"

Glutton whined, but with another flash of light, Harry stumbled out from under the gateway, the hollow spread out in front of him. Massive chunks of stone fell from the towering cliffs as the earth shook. They crashed into the pond and smashed through the grove of trees. Harry ran towards the village, gathering the nearly lifeless Glutton into his arms. She whined quietly as he sprinted past the buildings, "Food..." "Feed me..." "Starving…"

Harry knew these weren't her normal antics. She was dead weight in his arms and he could barely hear her over the cacophony of falling rocks and shattering trees. Using her new abilities must have nearly drained the life from her. He huffed out reassurances as he ran, "Soon. Feed you soon. As many mice… as you want. Gotta get… to the cave."

But as he exited the other side of the village, he skidded to a stop. Where he had hoped to find the cave returned, a wave of dense fog rolled over the wild grass. Harry cursed, "Shit! Shit, shit, shit!"

Harry growled, spun around, and ran back into the village. He slowed to a stop next to the moss covered statue in its center, panting as he slowly lowered Glutton to the ground. He rummaged in his bag, hissing through gasps of air, "Feed you now. Get your energy back. One more jump. Then we'll be safe."

Harry dropped a stack of boxes on the ground, tearing off all their preservation charms with a wave of his wand. With another wave, squeaks chirped out and a series of rodent-like abominations scattered in all directions. With a final wave, the rodents were gathered in a pile and frozen in place. Glutton eyed them desperately, but didn't even have the energy to claim them for herself. Harry was forced to stuff one down her throat until her muscles took over, guiding it into her body, but just before she closed her mouth, he saw the rodent vanish.

Harry blinked. He rubbed a hand against the scales behind her head. No bulge. He wanted to cry, "The hell did that fruit do to you. You were already a glutton and now food is literally disappearing in you!"

"More," Glutton moaned.

Harry shook his head, quickly grabbing another rodent, and then another. After the fifth one, Glutton suddenly recovered. She shot over to the remaining pile of five, opened her mouth, and sucked them all up in one go. Harry's jaw hung as the rodents turned into a swirl of shrinking limbs and vanished into her unblemished body. His horror was interrupted as a violent quake shook the statue. As its base cracked, the statue toppled towards them. He dived towards Glutton, scooping her up as he barely rolled out of the way of being crushed.

Coming back to his feet, he found the fog had already caught up with them, rolling over and around the surrounding buildings. "Get us out of here, Glutton!"

As if the fog knew they were escaping, it surged forward with twice the speed, consuming the last of the village in the blink of an eye, but not fast enough to catch the flash of light.

Under the dense vines of Devil's Ass, light flashed and Harry stumbled out of it with Glutton coiled in his arms. He plopped on the ground and laughed, tears falling from his eyes, "Oh god, that was insane."

Harry deposited Glutton into his lap and held a hand over his racing heart. His other hand swept through his sweaty hair, "What a bloody rush."

Glutton squirmed in his lap and hissed, "Monkey!"

Harry started at the fear in her voice. And then he felt it. The earth trembled and fine cracks spread out from under him. Something like paper crumpling sounded out behind him, sending a chill down his spine. He looked over his shoulder and paled. Space itself seemed to twist in on itself, the cliffs bending inward like strained metal. Then, they snapped. Harry's body moved before his brain caught up. His arms shot out and with a burst of pure magic, he launched Glutton away. At the same moment, the space behind him shattered and he was yanked into the inbetween.

Glutton stared at the stupid monkey as she flew through the open air once again. The whipping winds were not cool enough for the chill running through her. Every instinct screamed at her to flee from the horrifying hole in the air, but as the monkey disappeared into it, she recalled a protective warmth surging against the terrible curse tearing through her body and gentle words with careful hands as she slithered on the edge of death. Her power moved and she vanished in a flash of light.

One moment, the sun blazed overhead and Harry flew through the air amidst a cacophony of sound. Then, there was nothing. No light, no sound, and to Harry's surging panic, no air. His racing heart burned through his limited oxygen. His vision blackened and his limbs grew heavy. A calmness fell over him even as his heart quickened. Finally, he stilled. In his final aware moments, something squeezed around his chest, and abruptly, he could breathe . With a strangled gasp, he slumped into unconsciousness.

The growls woke Harry. They grumbled through his stomach like an enraged beast. He forced his tired body upright, leaning on a half destroyed stone wall. He paid it only a passing interest, too focused on weakly rummaging in his bag for food. Despite his stomach's protests, he ate and drank slowly; childhood lessons never forgotten. His mind churned with all the stiffness of an old mill.

Harry knew he ought to be dead. An odd mix of relief and resignation battled in his heart. But with a spoon of curry in his mouth, the warm sun across his skin, and fresh air tinged with the sea filling his lungs, relief won out. He let his head fall back as his stomach accepted its desperately needed meal.

Harry was pulled from his reverie with a shout of, "Monkey! You are awake!"

"Yes," Harry said, tilting his head down to regard the excited Glutton with a tired smile. "So, it was you that pulled me from the inbetween."

"Yes," Glutton said as she coiled into his lap and stared up into his eyes. "I feared you would not wake. You have slept for three cycles."

"Is that so… I must have been more drained than I thought."

"I am pleased you survived," Glutton said. And Harry was surprised to hear genuine relief in her voice. "It would be a poor rescue if you died after pulling you from that horrid place."

"It was horrid," Harry chuckled weakly. "I'm surprised you braved it for me."

"You protected me within the cave. It is no different."

Harry shook his head, "I pulled you into the mess in the cave. It was my responsibility to keep you safe. You, on the other hand, owe me nothing."

"It is pointless to speak on this," Glutton hissed, coiling in on herself with her head pointed away from him. "I do as I please."

"I'm well aware," Harry said, flicking the top of her head. "I have not forgotten about you eating that damn fruit."

"You were sleeping forever! And I was hungry!"

"You're always bloody hungry."

"I am not hungry now. There are many prey here and few predators."

Harry blinked, observing his surroundings for the first time since he awoke. Half crumbled stone walls surrounded him, standing only a few feet tall. Rubble and dust littered the stone floor. It hardly looked like a place teeming with life. Pushing himself off the wall, he scooped Glutton into his arms and stood. Harry turned slowly, a whistle slipping from his lips at the scene over the walls.

He stood in the remains of a building at the edge of a series of worsening ruins. As if a bomb had dropped in the center of the town, the only structures remaining were on the outer edges. The center had been reduced to its foundation. Craters, small and large, littered the ground, some filled with water and surrounded by sparse vegetation. Miniature versions of the sparse forests surrounding the ruined town. Quite a ways behind the town, lying on its side was the burnt husk of the largest tree Harry had ever seen. Even from here, and on its side, it filled the skyline.

"Where have you brought us," Harry asked.

"I do not know. The nest is abandoned, the forest young, and the land surrounded by water."

"We're on an island?" Harry said.

"If you say so."

Harry shook his head, "Why didn't you take us back to your forest?"

"I was unsure if it was safe."

Remembering the world bending in on itself, Harry shivered, "That was probably wise."

"I thought so," Glutton hissed with obvious pride. "I tried to bring you to your nest, to others like you."

Harry snorted, "Other monkeys?"

"No," Glutton said. "You are indeed a monkey, but you said you were an archeologist. I tried to bring you to their nest."

Harry raised a brow, peering at the ruins, "Didn't seem to work. But you've only just gained your ability, so that's alright. And it's not too far off, ruins would certainly attract archeologists."

"I know my power," Glutton said shortly. "This is the nest of archeologists."

"Oh is that so," Harry said, lifting her so she could clearly see the ruins. "Looks pretty empty to me."

She hissed and writhed in his hold, twisting her body down his arm to settle on his shoulders, "Clearly their nest has been raided. They were probably eaten. But their nest, it still is."

"Whatever you say," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. Not keen to apparate when he had no idea where he was, he said, "You should take us back. The collapse will be long over by now. It should be safe to return."

"I cannot return."

Harry frowned, "Why not?"

She squirmed and said, "I do not have the strength."

"You're still bloody hungry?" Harry said incredulously.

"It is not hunger that stops me. I am blocked by a barrier I cannot pierce."

Harry furrowed his brow, "What do you mean, barrier? What's it feel like?"

"It is like the cave."

"But you were able to escape the cave just fine."

"To compare them is to compare a pebble to a mountain. No it is even beyond that. It is so much more. I feel…" Glutton hesitated, as if it pained her to continue, "...so small in the face of it. I am far too weak to pierce it."

An unease fell over Harry. His mind put the pieces together quickly. He flicked his wand out and said, "Tempus."

As a series of intelligible nonsense wrapped around his wrist, his heart sank. Legs suddenly weak, he leaned against the wall and slid down until he sat on the ground. Of course, he thought. They were within the inbetween amidst a spatial collapse. There would be cracks. Small, sure. But just enough for Glutton to leverage the ridiculous power of the fruit to slip inside. But as the cracks sealed, and the walls stood firm, she could only rely on her pure strength to pass them. They were trapped here.

Trapped in another world.

"What is wrong with you?" Glutton asked. And Harry once again started at the genuine worry in her voice.

How to explain, he thought, turning his head to regard her on his shoulder. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words. He swallowed and tried again, "I'm not sure how to explain it so that you'll understand. We're beyond your forest, beyond your mountain, and beyond even our own moon and stars. The barrier you feel, is the barrier to the inbetween. Even if you pierced it, you could not return unless you could go even further and pierce the barrier to our world as well. We're trapped."

"This is what you worry over?" Glutton hissed in irritation. "I know it well already. But I do not fear. If I must, I will grow stronger."

Harry glared at her, "It's not that simple! We may be stuck here for years. Or even decades! And that's assuming you can even grow strong enough to get us back. We don't even know if you can grow stronger!"

"I can and already have. I am stronger now than I was in the cave, and stronger even than the day I arrived. It may take more time than you like, but until I grow my strength, we can claim this nest."

Harry barked a bitter laugh, "Some nest this is. Do you think I wish to live in ruins, forever separated from my home? My life? From the people I… I love… They… I… " He trailed off into silence, turning away as his heart sank.

Nothing would change.

For what had he been doing for the past six years other than hiding in ruins. Even the two years before in that old run down house. And what of those he loved? Had he not built a life without them? And in his absence, they without him? So what did he truly leave behind? His master's grave? A handful of acquaintances? His work? Even if it took him decades to return, how many would even notice his absence?

An emptiness welled in Harry.

In barely a whisper, he said, "I have no life to return to… No life here, and no life there. So what does it even matter?"

"Monkey," Glutton hissed almost softly. "I do not speak of the nest of stone."

Harry frowned as he tried to remember what they had been talking about. She had said they could claim the nest. But if not the ruins, then what? He turned to her. Her head was raised, staring out into the forest. The island, then? He sighed, "Island or ruins, it changes nothing."

"No, Monkey. Not this land! There is so much more out there than this tiny rock. I can feel it. It could all be our nest."

Finally catching on, Harry couldn't stop the incredulous laugh that burst out of him. "You mean this world? You find yourself trapped in another world and your first thought is to take it for your own?"

She turned him, eyes boring into his, "Why not? Why claim a tiny piece when there is so much more? Do you not wonder what we may find?" She grew quiet, almost wistful. "What is it that fills all that space… Perhaps… out there, you can find this life you desire. And I, perhaps, the strength I need."

Harry looked away from her, not willing to acknowledge his own curiosity. Instead, he said, "To make a nest is to root yourself to a place, to make a home of it, but what you wish is to travel the world, not claim it as a nest."

"Monkey logic."

Harry ignored her, "And though you may find strength in your travels, there's no saying if it'll be enough. You may search forever in vain." Is that not what he had done? Searched for happiness in vain?

"No," Glutton hissed. "If there is not enough, or even none to be found, then I will grow stronger myself. I will build my strength until I can sink my fangs through the barrier with a single strike!"

Harry stared at her, something welling in his chest. Unbidden, a smile twitched at his lips. He held a hand over his mouth to hide it and shook his head. Inspired by a bloody snake. Harry chuckled, "I really should have called you Pride."

"Great Pride would be agreeable."

Harry laughed. And how odd it felt, he thought, to joke with someone. He sighed, his heart feeling heavy. Maybe he had spent too long alone. Alone for far too long.

Something shifted in Harry's mind, and like a fog had been lifted, he saw clearly for the first time in months. The despair hanging over him was nothing new, he realized. It was the same baggage he had been carrying for years, with a few extra pounds added on. He had been neglecting it, in the wake of his master's death. He fell into old isolating habits, losing himself in work rather than books and perhaps he could not banish the despair, but he knew how to live with it. And he would not let it paralyze him.

Harry took a steadying breath and pushed himself to his feet. He patted the dust from his pants and smiled with far more confidence than he felt, "Alright then. We'll do it your way. But you may have forgotten, we're not just trapped in this world. We're trapped on this island. So unless you know a way off of here, it's just gonna be just you and I for a while."

"It is as I please."

"Oh?" Harry smiled slyly, his false confidence giving way to a burst of real humor. "Does it please you to be with me?"

"And if it does?" she challenged, eyes piercing his own.

Harry started. His smile slipped into something more fond and he chuckled, "I suppose you're not half bad for a snake."

"And you, for a monkey."

Harry held his hand towards her, "In that case, so long as it pleases you, let's be friends."

Glutton hissed at his teasing, but wrapped herself around his inner arm and said, "Partners."

"Hah. We'll, partner, if we're going to be here for some time, I really ought to clean this place up."

Three years later

Glutton rested upon a large rock, soaking up the sun's warmth. Resignation filled her as a shadow fell over her. She looked up to her monkey partner as he said, "Sorry to interrupt." Irritation filled her, not at the interruption, but at his use of the monkey language. Though she had asked to learn, if only to understand the other monkeys now residing on the island, she cared little for it. In a way that both thrilled and frustrated her, her partner seemed to always know what she was thinking, and so he continued in the much more noble tongue, "Crocus called, wants us to head over."

Glutton perked up, "Has he found a crew for us?"

Her monkey frowned at her. "He didn't say," he said sighed, "Probably just needs a hand with Laboon. You know those weirdos have been giving him trouble."

She regarded her monkey tiredly. She didn't understand his resistance to sailing with the pirate monkeys. In the time they had spent with the flower monkey, he had refused to even consider any of the ships that anchored at the lighthouse. They had done nothing but train for the past month and she was sick of hiding away. They both knew they couldn't sail the snake sea alone. She knew her monkey would cave eventually, but she wished it would be sooner rather than later.

Hoping the flower monkey wasn't just calling for the mountain whale, she climbed onto her monkey's shoulders and flashed them away.

The Twin Cape Lighthouse, standing thirty feet tall, seemed miniscule next to the mountain-like whale jutting out of the nearby sea. And to the Red Line at its back, the gargantuan cliff-like continent stretching into both the sky and distance with no visible end, it was but a speck. Despite its unassuming appearance, the lighthouse marked the beginning of the Grand Line, the greatest of all the seas.

Within the speck, in a small dark room filled with cobweb infested barrels, Harry and Glutton appeared in a flash of light. Their arrival kicked up a storm of dust intent on invading Harry's nose. He cursed as he sneezed, groping in the dark for the door. Glutton snickered on his shoulders. Hand finding the door handle, Harry burst out of the storage room with another sneeze and darted for the main lighthouse door. Throwing it open, he shot out into the fresh sea air, "Achoo! You damn- Achoo! -snake!"

"I thought you would appreciate a long forgotten room to hide in." Glutton said . "You seem so fond of hiding away in forgotten places."

"I'm not hiding," Harry grumbled as he rubbed nose. "I'm just taking my time. Pirates are selfish and sneaky. We have to be sure they're not going to stab us in the back."

"Ah, yes. Your sudden abundance of caution. I do wonder where it was hiding while you were throwing yourself into constant trouble."

"Hah! You've got some nerve. You're just as reckless, if not more!"

"Exactly," Glutton said, radiating smugness. "Neither of us are overly cautious, so save me the lies you tell yourself. We both know this is about your irrational dislike of pirates."

"Nothing irrational about disliking criminals."

"You are a criminal."

Harry glared at her, "And you're a worm!"

"Take that back!" Glutton hissed, returning the glare.

"You first, wormy."

Someone cleared their throat.

Glutton and Harry blinked in unison and turned to the sound.

Crocus lounged in a reclining beach chair, gazing over his shoulder at them flatly. A teenage boy in brown overalls sat on a blanket laid out in front of Crocus. Tools and knick knacks littered the cloth. The boy held a small pellet in one hand, and a dropper in the other, but his focus was on Harry and Glutton, mouth ajar. The boy gulped as Harry and Glutton turned their gaze on him, terror filling his eyes.

With fear radiating off the boy, Harry couldn't help but give a polite smile, "Ah. My apologies, I didn't realize Crocus had a guest." He shot a quick look at Crocus, but the man had already turned around and began to read his paper. "My name's Harry, and this is Glutton." And when Harry saw the boy's fearful eyes turn curious, bouncing between Harry and Glutton, he continued, "I can speak to her and she can speak back, but while she understands our language, she can't speak it, so only I understand her." Some fear still lingered in the boy's eyes, so he added, "She won't attack you unprovoked. Although she is overly curious at times and may startle you, my apologies."

"Uhm, right," the boy gulped. "Nice to meet you, and uhm, you too," he said, nodding to both of them a little unsurely. He gestured towards himself with the pellet and used his head to gesture towards the sea, his ridiculously long nose pointing straight into the air with the motion, "I'm Usopp, my crew is over there."

Harry narrowed his eyes as he scanned the coast, the only crews to come through here were pirates. He spotted Laboon first, head just perched out of the water. The scars covering his head were now obscured by what looked like a giant toddlers attempt at painting a jolly roger. Laboon seemed unusually pleased as he listened to a small figure on the edge of the coast wildly gesturing to the whale.

A mix of indignation and relief rose up in Harry. Laboon had never looked so relaxed. If he wasn't releasing terrible moans of grief, he was slamming his head against the Grand Line. Someone on their crew must have broken through to him, which Harry could not deny relieved him, but pirates had already abandoned Laboon once, and he didn't want to see Laboon hurt again. He didn't think the whale could take another blow like that.

Swallowing his misgivings for now, he turned his attention to a small ship anchored on the coast. It was an oddly elegant ship for pirates, a caravel with a cute sheep for a figure head and even several trees along its back. But with the black flag flying off the top of its main mast, sporting a jolly roger in a straw hat, it couldn't be mistaken for anything other than a pirate ship. The jolly roger struck him as familiar. He frowned, "Straw hat… straw hat… Straw Hat something… from east blue… Hah! Of course. How could I forget?" Harry chuckled, "Monkey, D. Luffy."

Glutton perked up with a snicker, "The Monkey monkey is here?"

"Seems so," Harry said, rolling his eyes even as he smiled.

"You know Luffy?" Usopp said, surprise clear in his tone.

"Of course not," Harry said, his smile slipping away. "Glutton just finds his name funny. Although, the highest bounty out of East Blue in years did stand out, regardless of how small it is."

"Small!?" Usopp shouted. "How is thirty million small?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "East blue is the most peaceful of the four blues. Thirty million isn't uncommon in the other blues, and barely notable here in the Grand Line. Hell, even I-" Harry coughed. "Ahem, I, uh, have met pirates with higher bounties."

"Fool," Glutton said.

"Shut it."

"No way!" Usopp yelled. He turned to Crocus, "Is that true?"

"Well," Crocus said, turning a page of his paper. "Bounties don't mean much. But insofar as they do, 30 million might not be much to consider from a longtime pirate, but as a rookie, it's a sign of great potential. Otherwise, all true."

Harry muttered, "Great, my ass" as Usopp shot to his feet and ran towards the figure with Laboon, "Luffy! Let's go back to the east blue! I forgot my lucky shoes!"

Harry snorted. He eyed Crocus as the boys argued in the distance, but was ignored. He kicked Crocus's chair, "Oi, what did you want?"

" I don't want anything," Crocus said. He tilted his head towards the ship, "It's her you ought to talk to."

Harry turned just as an orange blur shot off the ship and sprinted towards them. A teenage girl with bright orange hair skidded to a stop in front of him and nearly yelled, "Are you Harry?"

Wide eyed, Harry nodded, "Uh, yeah."

She squealed, hand shooting out to take his own. She shook it vigorously, "Hello, I'm Nami. Crocus said you have a log pose. Could we have it?"

"No!" Harry yelled, yanking his hand away from her. "Are you crazy?"

Nami blinked, then her eyes began to rove over him, spending too long on his bag for his own comfort. She crossed her arms and raised a brow, "You don't have one?"

"Of course I have one! It's suicide to travel the Grand Line without one. I'm not just gonna give mine up. Are you trying to leave me stranded here?" Harry snapped. He glared at Crocus, "Don't you have a spare?"

"Lost it," Crocus said with a shrug, turning to another page of his paper.

Harry's eyebrow twitched. Lying old man! He turned to Nami, "What happened to yours?"

Nami frowned, "We didn't know you needed one."

"You…" Harry blinked. "Came to the most deadly sea on the planet without doing any research?"

She reddened, "It's not like there are books about this place! And I would know. I have been studying atlases since I was a toddler." Harry felt a tad sheepish since he knew better than most there were few books about the Grand Line, and why. "We were lucky to have even found a map!"

Harry's mouth fell open, "You have a map of the Grand Line? Where the hell did you find a map?"

Nami smiled, a touch of pride in her expression, "I stole it from Buggy The Clown."

"Who in the world is Buggy The Clown?" Harry said. He turned to ask Crocus, but stopped. The unflappable man actually looked uncomfortable, paper down as he eyed Nami with a frown. Harry hummed, "You know the guy?"

Crocus pulled his paper back up, face slipping back into its usual bored grumpiness, "Only when he was a boy. Not surprised he had a map."

"It wasn't his," Nami said. "He stole it from the Marines."

"Could be, the Marines stole it from him first," Crocus said. "But I suppose there are other Grand Line pirates in the Blues. Could have come from anywhere."

"Wait!" Nami said. "That loser was a Grand Line pirate?"

Crocus shrugged, "We come in all shapes. Not every pirate on this sea is a Whitebeard or Roger."

"We?!" Harry choked out. "You're not a damn pirate!"

"I retired," Crocus said, shifting his paper. "Though some say, 'Once a pirate always a pirate.'"

Harry glared at Crocus, "You never told me."

"You never asked."

"Why the hell would I!?"

"With how paranoid you are about them, I'm surprised you didn't."

"Not you too!" Harry groaned. "I get it enough from Glutton." Harry blinked. A weight was missing from his shoulders, "Where did she go?"

"She chased after the boy as you were assaulting my chair."

Harry shot his eyes towards Laboon just as a screech filled the air. Usopp sprinted towards them, kicking up a cloud of dust and screaming, "It ate Luffy!"

Harry slapped his forehead. He rubbed it as Usopp cowered behind Nami, rambling about man-eating snakes. He caught a flash of light at the corner of his eye and a weight settled on his shoulders. Ignoring the baffled Nami, crying Usopp, and apathetic Crocus, he regarded Glutton tiredly, "Please. Just spit him out."

"He wanted to eat me!"

Harry frowned. He turned to Usopp, "You tried to eat her?"

Usopp yelped, "No! I tried to tell Luffy, but he's an idiot! Tell him, Nami! Don't let it eat me!"

"She is not an it, " Harry snapped.

"I'm sorry!" Usopp cried. "Don't let her eat me!"

"Uhm," Nami hedged, wariness now filling her own expression. She shot a glance at Crocus and seemed to find some comfort in his apathy. "Luffy is an idiot, especially about food. He is, uhm, okay right? I mean, Usopp must have seen something wrong because your snake, uhm, she I mean, is so small so she couldn't have actually eaten him, right?"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Damn pirates! He thought he was coming to help with Laboon or drive away those whale hunters and now suddenly he was surrounded by pirates. Even Crocus! Laboon too!

"What's all the, aaah, racket?"

Harry blew out a harsh breath and opened his eyes, regarding the new addition to his pirate hell. A young man, or perhaps a fit teenage boy with bright green hair walked towards them. He stood straight, but one of his hands lazily lay across three swords at his waist while his other hand covered his yawning mouth. He stopped next to Nami, eyeing Harry and Glutton coolly, "Is there a problem?"

"Zoro!" Usopp cried, shifting to cower behind the larger boy. "The snake ate Luffy!"

"We don't know that," Nami said quickly. To Harry she said, "I mean, she didn't, right?"

Harry ignored her, his instincts screaming at him. This Zoro person was dangerous.

Zoro met Harry's eye, seeming content to hear him out, but when no objection was made, his eyes narrowed and the hand resting on his swords shifted to grip one of the hilts, "Do I need to cut him out?"

"Draw that sword on her and I'll smash your head in," Harry snapped, placing his hand on his bag.

Crocus sighed loudly, lowering his paper, "You're disturbing my reading."

Zoro ignored him, half drawing his sword, eyes never leaving Harry. Harry slipped his hand into his bag, glowering at Zoro.

"Rude brats," Crocus grumbled. "I'm sure he's learned his lesson, Glutton."

Glutton shifted. She stared at Crocus for a moment, then turned and opened her mouth. Like a compressed foam ball bursting to its full size, Luffy shot out of her mouth. He hit the ground and rolled quickly to his feet, standing with his back to Harry.

"Woah!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami and Usopp gaped. Zoro nodded and sheathed his sword. Luffy blinked, tilted his head, and regarded his crew, "What're you guys doing here? Did the snake eat you too?"

"Idiot!" Nami yelled.

"You-you," Usopp stuttered.

"The snake spit you out," Zoro said, pointing his chin behind Luffy.

Luffy looked over his shoulder. His eyes filled with stars when he spotted Glutton. He spun fully around, yelling, "That was so cool!" He shot forward, his face inches from Glutton's, "Join my crew!"

Harry planted his hand on Luffy's face and stepped back while shoving Luffy away, "Piss off."

Luffy stumbled back, but quickly regained his balance. He frowned at Harry, "Who are you?"

Nami stepped forward and pounded her fist into Luffy's head. Luffy slammed into the ground as Nami yelled, "You were just eaten you idiot! Why are you asking her that!"

Luffy jumped back to his feet, rubbing his head as he pouted, "Why can't I? She's cool. And who's that jerk?"

"You're ridiculous," Nami groaned. "The snake belongs to him."

"Glutton doesn't belong to anyone," Harry said, glaring at Nami. "She's my friend."

"Oh," Nami said, oddly soft. She smiled, "I see."

Harry furrowed his brow, but his confusion was interrupted by Luffy's goofy smile filling his vision. He stepped back again as Luffy said, "I like you too, both of you should join!"

Harry, completely flabbergasted by the last ten minutes, could only stare at him at a loss.

Nami's hands wrapped around Luffy's throat and she began to throttle him, "Idiot! You don't even know anything about them! Do I need to remind you that you were just eaten! How could you think this is a good id-" Nami stopped throttling him. "Good idea? Yes, it's a great idea!" She released Luffy, who swayed on his feet as she sidestepped him to stand before Harry, "You won't give us your log pose because you'll be stranded, but you can just come with us!"

Harry opened his mouth to outright deny the idea, but found his tongue wouldn't cooperate.

"He's got one of those log toes we broke?" Luffy asked. "That's great!"

"Broke?" Harry asked, his mind finally catching up. "I thought you didn't have one!"

"Heh heh," Nami laughed awkwardly. "You see, we found one, but then these idiots," she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, "broke it."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Don't blame us, Witch!"

"Meh, it was Sanji's fault."

Harry shook his head. These idiots were going to drive him crazy. He glared at Crocus, who continued to ignore him. The old man had never recommended a crew or even made comment about the crews Harry had passed on, so why the hell was he interfering now, and for this wild lot? If Crocus wouldn't speak plainly, then Harry had no intention of playing along. Turning his attention back to the now arguing crew, he said, "Bring me the pieces and I'll fix it."

Nami froze mid rant and blinked. She turned to Harry, "You can fix it?"

"If you have enough pieces. And if it means being rid of you. I will."

Nami gave him an uncertain look. She turned to eye Crocus. He ignored her, but as her piercing stare persisted, he sighed. He shot a disgruntled look at Harry and said, "He can."

Nami smiled, "Alright! You three go look for pieces where you broke it and I'll go get the rest."

She turned around and ran for the ship.

"But Nami!" Luffy said. "I want them to join."

"Well, he doesn't," she shouted back. "So shut it and go search!"

They all grumbled, Zoro most of all, but still walked over to a picnic table nearer the coast and began to search. Harry could have told them he didn't need much but was content to get away from them. And it gave him a chance to question Crocus. He turned on the man and said, "What are you playing at?"

Crocus eyed him tiredly, "Listen brat. I'm not usually one to stick my nose in other people's business, but I consider you a friend, so I hope you'll hear an old man out, just this once."

Harry frowned, shifting on his feet. He nodded, "Fine. Why them?"

"It's not just about them, Harry. It's about you. I know you've got a target on your back. And that's why you've been hiding away, too anxious to even spend much time here. But you're not living anymore, you're just letting the days pass you by. And I don't like it."

Harry exhaled and dropped cross legged next to Crocus. The similarity to words once spoken by Hermoine stole the winds from his sails. Glutton slipped from his shoulders and coiled into his lap, eyeing the two of them with undisguised eagerness. Not meeting Crocus's eyes, Harry said, "And you think I should embrace my new criminal status? Hide amongst a group of pirates instead."

"Not hide, brat. Live. You should be chasing your dreams, not hiding away. And you don't have to join a crew, but you'll need to at least travel with them. Unless you plan on really joining the Revolutionary Army."

"No," Harry said softly. "I already told them once, I won't be a tool in their war."

Crocus blinked, "You're actually connected with them?"

"No," Harry scoffed, "I only encountered some lower agents in passing, I helped them out of a bind, that's it. But it was enough for the papers to spin that ridiculous tale."

"The World Government spun those tales."

"I know that," Harry snapped.

"They spin many tales, Harry. Tales about pirates as well."

Harry glared at him, "I'm not a fool, Crocus. I know the power of propaganda. I know pirates aren't inherently evil. But even amongst those few harboring actual morals, they're still selfish at heart. They do what they want without any concern for the rest of the world."

Crocus fell silent for a moment, then tentatively he said, "Ya know, brat. There's nothing wrong with being selfish. I'm not sure why you seem ready to bare the world on your shoulders, but you need not. It is enough to live your own life well."

Harry sighed, closing his eyes, "That ship sailed a long time ago, Crocus. It's just who I am."

"Maybe. And maybe you're right to say pirates are selfish. But I think you'll find there is a selfishness in you as well. I would describe your actions in Ballywood, as you say, doing what you want without any concern for the rest of the world."

"That's not the same!" Harry said. "I was helping those people."

"You think pirates never help people?"

"Sure, for a price."

Crocus snorted, "I won't pretend that's not true for a vast majority of them. But not all of them are the money hungry savages, you're keen to make them out to be."

"Of course not, they're power hungry too."

Crocus nudged Harry with his foot, "Shut it."

Harry huffed, "So what, you think this rowdy lot is the exception?"

Crocus chuckled, "I have a good feeling about them, yes. I'll admit some bias because their captain broke through to Laboon, but all I'm asking of you is to give them a fair shot. You don't have to like them. I just don't want you to waste away on that island anymore."

Harry fell silent, eyeing the group at the picnic table. Nami had returned, carrying a small box with her, and the whole lot were back to bickering as Luffy and Usopp goofed around. "Look, I'll admit they're hardly the cutthroats I'm used to coming across, but they're so damn young. And obviously way in over their heads. Who comes to the Grand Line with only a handful of people and not a clue of how to sail these waters?"

"It wasn't so long ago a young fool came here brimming with overconfidence only to come flashing back with his tail between his legs. Or did you already forget you and Glutton showed up here in a dingy, ignoring my warnings as you ignorantly challenged this wild sea alone."

Harry reddened, "Fine, but I'm practically an old man to these kids, the lot of them can't be older than eighteen. I'm twenty eight!"

"You're all brats to me, brat."

Harry scoffed, "Doesn't mean I want to be trapped on a ship with that rowdy lot, they'll drive me crazy."

"Harry," Crocus chuckled. "You have to be a little crazy to sail the Grand Line. Best to get used to it."

Harry slumped. Even he knew he was grasping at straws now. He couldn't help but be moved by Crocus's earnest plea. Harry knew himself too well not to recognize the comforting embrace of isolation and avoidance trying to pull him in. While Crocus feared it for Harry, a part of Harry would always desire it for himself. To cut away the burdensome bonds and let his aspirations fall away, but in a dangerous balance, it was the guilt of breaking those very bonds which kept him going on. Perhaps it was a precarious way to live, teetering constantly with only guilt and fear truly moving him forward, but it was the only way he knew how to resist the temptation to fall into oblivion. And the temptation was strong, and so inviting. He couldn't leave an opening to be seduced back. He didn't have the will to fight it, not alone. He needed to be decisive, leaving himself no room to back out.

Harry knew all of this. And yet, it still took all of his will to force the simple words out, "Alright... Alright." A flood of anxiety rushed through his veins, an orchestra of sensations rippling under his skin, but he forced himself to keep speaking, "You win. You meddling old man. I'll give them a shot."

Crocus eyed Harry with an unreadable expression. He nodded slowly, face giving way to a grin "Not gonna ask Glutton's opinion first?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He rubbed his palms on his pants as his nerves settled from a rolling boil into a restless simmer." You got a problem with it, Glutton? "

"You know I do not. I have long grown tired of waiting."

"I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear she's fine with it. Apparently I'm the only one here who is wary of pirates," Harry said, glaring at Crocus, "But that's no surprise since I'm surrounded by them."

Crocus shook his head, "Does it make a difference?"

Harry glanced away, "Of course not. You're still an old bastard who likes playing around too much."

Crocus chuckled, "Still holding a grudge over a little practical joke. You are a brat."

Harry huffed. He felt far from content, but he would force himself to see this through. He knew the nerves would fade, and he would claim some peace of mind again, but the knowledge never seemed to make it easier to pull himself out of a rut. He placed Glutton back on his shoulders and stood, brushing his pants off. Be decisive, he told himself. With another breath, he called out, "Oi! You lot! Bring what you have found over here, I don't need every last piece!"

As the group headed their way, Harry sighed and said quietly, "I'm trusting you here, Crocus."

"I won't make any promises, but I think you'll thank me for it, one day."

Harry rather thought it unlikely, but he would swallow his doubts for now.

Nami stepped up to him, thrusting the box out. The others stood close behind her, peering at him curiously. She said, "How long will it take to fix it?"

Harry took the box with one hand, eyeing hundreds of tiny glass shards surrounding a leather band with a mostly broken glass semi-sphere in its center. His eyes strayed to Crocus, who eyed him back with the same unreadable expression. His eyes turned to the others. Well, he thought, if he was going to throw himself in with this wild lot, best get the whole magic thing out the way because he sure as hell wasn't going to be hiding his abilities on this terrifying sea. As he flicked his wand in hand, a small part of him hoped they would react poorly to his magic and he could push this all away for a little longer. He tapped the broken log pose with the tip of his wand, tilting the box towards the group, and said, "Only a moment."

The shards rose slowly, twisting gently about each other as more shards floated towards the box from the picnic table. They formed a large spinning dome above the leather band before slowly swirling downward, shard after shard slipping into place until a pristine unbroken log pose rested in the box. Harry's eyes had never left the crew. Shock, wonderment, and disbelief played across their faces, but not a hint of fear or disgust. He sighed, tapping the log pose once more before pushing the box towards the stunned Nami, it seemed he wasn't getting his easy out.

"H-how-" Name stuttered. "How did you do that? Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

Harry considered lying, but the mocking words of that bastard marine rose in his mind, and instead he shook his head, "No. I'm a wizard. I was born with magic. It's just something I can do, no curse of the sea involved."

"Like in the fairy tales?" Nami asked, struggling to keep her jaw from hanging open. "Magic is real?"

"Yes," Harry chuckled. "Is it so hard to believe? There's a whale the size of a mountain behind you."

"Everyone knows about sea kings!" Usopp yelled.

"Exactly," Nami said. "I didn't think they were really so massive, but I've heard talk of them all my life. Devil Fruits too. Even if I didn't believe in them, they're at least treated as something real, but magic is just something from children's stories. No one actually believes in it!"

"She's right," Zoro said. "In all my travels, I've never heard talk of wizards."

"Who cares!" Luffy yelled, stepping between Nami and Harry with stars filling his eyes. "This is so cool! You have to join my crew!"

"No," Harry snapped. Then he took a breath and continued with a more leveled tone, "I would however ask to travel with you. At least until the next island. I may be able to set off on my own once we get into the Grand Line proper, but the first trek is too dangerous to sail alone."

"Yes!" Luffy yelled, face splitting into a blinding grin. "Come with us!"

"Wait a minute!" Nami shouted, pushing Luffy aside. "You haven't even explained about magic. How come none of us have ever heard of wizards before? And what do you mean about the first trek of the Grand Line being dangerous? And just ten minutes ago, you didn't want anything to do with us. What's changed?"

"Nami," Luffy whined. "Who cares about all that? He's a wizard! Every pirate ship needs a wizard."

"Shut it!" Nami snapped. "We don't even know what a wizard is."

Harry rubbed his forehead, shooting a disgruntled look at Crocus, but the old man just hid behind his paper. Harry muttered a curse then gestured at Crocus, "He seems to think you lot are alright. And Glutton and I are sick of being stuck here. We came to the Grand Line alone, but we can't go any further because the weather is insane, something about the converging magnetic fields. I don't really get it to be honest, but it means we've been stuck here for over a month."

"Alright," Nami frowned. "So we're in for some rough sailing."

Harry snorted, "You're in for hell."

Nami rolled her eyes, "Clearly you're not much of a navigator if you can't avoid some poor weather."

Harry's jaw clenched, "We'll see how confident you are when the sea is trying to swallow you in a blizzard."

"Nami's the best navigator," Luffy said. "You'll see!"

"Whatever," Harry sighed. "You won't understand until you experience it for yourself."

Nami huffed and opened her mouth to continue, but Usopp cut her off, "What about wizards? Are you really like the fairy tales? Turning people into toads, summoning fireballs, enchanting swords, and all that."

"Yeah, pretty much," Harry said, eyeing Usopp tiredly. "Although, I've never turned someone into a toad."

Usopp yelped and jumped behind Zoro, "Don't start now!"

"You've enchanted swords, then?" Zoro asked, shifting his body so his swords were away from Harry.

"Oh, give it a rest, you two," Harry huffed. "I'm not going to turn you into a toad or touch your swords. I'm only sharing my magic with you because I might need it out there and I can't have you all freaking out if I use it." The two relaxed some and Harry turned to Luffy, idiot or not, he was apparently the captain and his word was all Harry needed, "So, can I sail with you?"

"Yes!" Luffy cheered, smiling wide. He turned to Nami, "We can go now right? Since we have the log toes?"

"Log pose," Nami sighed. "Yeah, we can set sail whenever you're ready."

"Then let's go!" Luffy called out. He turned around and set off for the ship in a jog. "I have a wizard on my crew!"

"I'm not joining your damn crew!" Harry yelled. He shot an incredulous look at the others, "He's really the captain?"

The others just shook their heads, following after Luffy.

"I like them," Glutton said.

Harry groaned, "What have you gotten me into, Crocus."

Crocus chuckled, "Better hurry up, brat. They'll leave you behind."

Harry looked towards the ship and started. They were already pulling up the anchor while Luffy hung off the back of the ship, yelling his goodbyes to Laboon.

"Damn them," Harry said, taking off towards the ship in a sprint. He yelled back, "Look after yourself, old man! And Laboon!"

Crocus laughed, "Good luck, brat!"

Harry shook his head. He neared the ship just as it was pulling away from the coast. He leaped across the space and landed on the railing between two oddly dressed people leaning on it with their arms crossed. He eyed them for a moment, a young woman wearing a frayed pale green jacket over a blue shirt with dizzying black swirls covering her stomach and breasts. Her long blue ponytail swayed in the wind as she turned her head up to sneer at him. Next to her, wearing an expression as if he had smelled something foul, was a young man dressed in a green suit with a golden crown atop a bed of messy orange hair.

The ship lurched and Harry jumped to the deck before he lost his balance on the rail. A man about Zoro's age with blond hair stopped in his tracks as he was hurrying past where Harry landed. He wore a blue pin-stripe long sleeved button-up shirt, tucked into black plants. A black suit coat hung draped over one arm while his other hand pulled a cigarette from his mouth. He raised a curly eyebrow, gazing at Harry with one eye, the other hidden behind his blond bangs, "You're the one looking for a ride?"

"Harry," Harry said, sticking out his hand. "Are you the Sanji Luffy mentioned?"

"That's me," Sanji said, sticking the cigarette back in his mouth. He grasped Harry's hand and spoke with half his mouth, "I'm the chef. Got any allergies I should know about?"

"No, nothing," Harry said, a real smile playing on his lips. Finally someone normal.

"Stop socializing and get a move on Sanji!" Nami yelled from somewhere unseen.

"Yes Nami-Swan!" Sanji said, voice pitched high as he twirled away from Harry with his hands clasped to his chest.

Harry slumped. Nevermind.

A moment later, Harry started as a hand shot passed him, connected to an arm stretching across the entire deck. Luffy soon followed the arm, flinging himself across the ship like a slingshot. Harry grabbed Usopp as the boy hurried past him and pointed at Luffy who's arm stretched up to the crow's nest, "What the hell is that?"

Usopp yelped and snapped his head over just as Luffy pulled himself up. "Oh," Usopp said, blowing out a breath of relief. "Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu fruit. He's a rubber man."

Harry let Usopp pull away from him, still gaping at Luffy. He had seen a few devil fruit users other than Glutton, but everything they could do was analogous to things he had seen with magic. He was fairly certain no wizard had turned themselves into rubber. He shook his head of the shock and tried his best to lend a hand to the crew. The Straw Hats might not know what they were getting into, but he knew everyone would need to work together if they were going to get through the storms ahead.

And storms they were. They came with little notice and little sense. Within a blink, calm waters became brutal waves, throwing the ship about like a rubber duck in a tantruming child's bath. With no chance to lower the sails, terrible winds appeared to yank the main mast, the wood creaking under their strength. Freezing air filled with slurries of snow which stole all heat from their bodies gave way to humid heat waves threatening to dehydrate them.

Amidst it all, Harry danced between the scrambling pirates with his wand aloft. Water rose out of the hull and dived into the ocean like sea serpents, barrels, crates, and crew thrown overboard flew through the air and settled gently back on the deck, torn sails stitched themselves back together, towering waves split around the ship, and on and on until finally the sea fell calm and the sun hung low in the blue sky.

The crew lay strewn about the deck like lifeless fish, beyond exhausted. Harry most of all. He ignored the grumbles around him and fell into himself, pulling his magic to spread across his body. It filled every muscle fiber and joint and both eased the pain and healed the damage. Of all the dusty and ancient tomes of the Black library he had devoured amidst his depression, he had learned little of true use to him. At least until now. Trapped in this bizarre world forced to rely on himself, those esoteric arts he learned proved invaluable. What he once took for a crude and brute force method of healing was now the greatest of boons when he lacked all access to healers and potions.

The pain and physical exhaustion fell away as his magic receded. Spells would prove difficult until he properly rested, but better he could move and be magically weak than too bone weary to even raise his wand.

Harry stood and stretched his back and shoulders. Turning his head, he finally let the words of the crew wash over him. Nami stood pointing towards the front of the ship, "Look! The first leg of our journey is over."

Harry joined the crew in hobbling over to the front of the ship. On the horizon an island grew to fill the skyline. Luffy called out, "It's an island of giant cactuses!"

Green mountain-like but squat and round cacti lined the back of the island. A series of green bulbs rose from each like arms reaching for the sky. Harry squinted through the fog hanging about the island and could just make out hundreds of spines littering the cacti and their arms. It wasn't the oddest of things he had seen, but wonder filled him. This world seemed endless in wonders. His lips split into a wide smile, unknowingly matching the expressions across the Straw Hats' own faces.

Amidst their shared wonder, the oddly dressed duo broke away, leaping onto the rail of the ship and announcing, "We'll be taking our leave. Thanks for the ride darlings!" They grinned in unison, eyeing the crew with a touch of malice, "Bye-bye, Baby."

The duo flipped off the rail and dived into the sea, quickly swimming away.

Harry opened and closed his mouth, shaking his head. He turned to the others to ask, but was interrupted by a hiss near his waist, "Is it over?"

Harry peered down at his bag where Glutton's head poked out. His eyebrow twitched, "Have a nice nap, you lazy snake?"

Glutton slithered out of the bag and climbed down onto the deck, "No. You were thrashing around too much."

Harry glared, hand twitching with the restrained desire to strangle her. If he thought she wouldn't just flash away, he might give in. He sighed, peering back into the fog now surrounding the ship. They sailed on a river flowing into the island. Glutton said, "There are voices in the fog."

Harry listened. Murmurs bounced around the mist, occasional words and phrases coming through clearly.

"...alert…"

"…town…"

"…pirates are here!"

Usopp yelped at Harry's side, then muttered rapidly, "Stay away monsters! I'm not tasty. I am filled with monster poison. Don't eat me."

Harry rolled his eyes, "They're probably just scared townspeople. They must live in constant fear of pirates, being so close to the start of the Grand Line."

However, as the fog cleared, Harry gaped.

A crowd of people lined both shores of the river, waving banners and cheering loudly, "Welcome pirates! Welcome to the Grand Line! Welcome to Whiskey peak!"

Men and women, old and young filled the crowd. A nun grasping a cross as she smiled and waved, a boy swinging a toy sword around as he cheered, a group of young women setting off poppers bursting with confetti. Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji waved back, cheering just as loudly as the crowd. And Harry. He took this all in and barely fought off a sneer. He fell back to lean on the front mast, arms crossed and face set in stone.

Harry remained there as the ship anchored at the end of the river and the crew disembarked. The mayor met the crew as they stepped off the ship, inviting them to a celebration. While Nami and Zoro seemed hesitant, they still joined the exuberant Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji rushing with the crowd towards smooth sandstone buildings, seemingly carved directly out of the earth.

The long-faced mayor hung back, peering up to Harry through the ship rails. He wore a three piece black suit, the coat tailored to stay open. He carried a saxophone, seeming oddly small amidst his large hands and wide tall build. Long white hair spilled over his shoulders, rolled into three consecutively larger swirls. His small eyes met Harry's and he said, voice high and musical, "Will you not, ahem, mi-mi-mi, join us, honored pirate?"

Harry frowned, "I'm not a pirate. And thank you for the offer, but it's been a hard journey, I would rather rest."

"Excuse mi-mi-mi, I was too presumptuous. May I offer you a quiet space to enjoy a drink and unwind?"

Harry pushed off the mast, frown deepening, "I don't drink. Good night."

With that, Harry climbed down the stairs and slipped into the men's quarters. He jumped into a hammock and rubbed his face. He lay there for an hour, half awake as his mind tried to make sense of a pirate loving town. Perhaps it was how they survived here, welcoming the pirates with food and drinks in hopes of saving their town from a raid. The thought of it sickened him.

The sounds of revelry reached him through the walls of the ship, pulling him from his half-asleep state. He sighed, and rolled out of the hammock. Pulling his trunk from around his neck, he expanded it and climbed inside. He paused by Glutton's nest, reaching up to his shoulders automatically, only to realize Glutton wasn't with him. He shook his head. Knowing she could take care of herself, he deposited his glasses on the bed-side table and dropped onto his mattress, throwing an arm over his eyes.

Beneath his exhaustion and disgust, a seed of glee rose up and he didn't try to fight the smile which bloomed on his face. Three years. It was hard to believe he had been in this world so long. And now he was finally upon the Grand Line. He chose to run to this legendary sea because his pursuers would least expect it. But beyond that, a much deeper desire drove him here. He had hit a dead end in the West Blue, but here, in this wild sea, he saw hope for his dream.

The World Government's claws reached far, but of all this world's seas, they were weakest in the Grand Line. Though paradoxically, it was this very sea which housed their most dangerous of agents. As here they continued their battle to wipe a forgotten history from the world. And here, he would find and preserve that very history, right under their noses. And in the end, he would keep it safe and open to all who seek truth. Upon the ashes of Ohara, the Tree of Knowledge would be reborn. Harry would ensure it. He murmured, voice quiet but filled with determination, "I'll do it. I'll build the greatest library in the world."