I do not own any part of the Harry Potter or Eragon universes.

If anyone is curious as to where I got the idea of using rune magic, it came from a series of books called Magnus Chase by Rick Riordian. If you are interested in Norse myths, you should definitely read them.

Going forward the story's point of view will be Harry's and Arya's. Eragon or Roran might get a chapter once in a while but I'm not sure yet.

I really liked to write this one, hope you enjoy it!

"That looks wonderful," Harry said sarcastically as he bit into his apple.

They were on the brink of departing from the Palancar Valley once and for all. Before them lay an expansive plain that appeared far from inviting.

"I see nothing but grass and scattered bushes," Artemis observed with a frown beside him.

As Harry took one final bite from his apple, he offered the remaining portion to Ares. Ares happily munched on the apple, while he ignored the envious glances coming from the other horses.

"Are you sure you followed the trail correctly?" Harry questioned Brom, who absently stroked his beard.

Brom glared at Harry. "I am very sure that we are on the right path. You are free to go back and make sure."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Harry raised his arms defensively. "The area just doesn't look particularly appealing."

"If you know better, please do it yourself," Brom said in exasperation, turning to face Eragon who was clutching his saddle exhaustedly.

Brom had pushed him to the limit in their last sparring, and if asked Eragon would have to admit that the storyteller could still best him.

"I will stay close to you," Artemis voiced her thoughts. "I don't trust him anymore and you should be more careful around him, too."

Harry frowned at her. "Who are you talking about?"

"Brom. He has too many secrets and reminds me too much of the longbeard from your world. I do not believe his story about the Varden. He knows too much about dragons to be a mere member."

Harry bit back a snort when Artemis talked about Dumbledore.

"I'll be more careful, but I don't think he'll lead us purposely in any danger," Harry said thoughtfully.

Shortly thereafter, they initiated their descent into the lowland, and Artemis' words triggered contemplation in Harry's mind. Despite the extensive knowledge Brom had imparted to him during the past weeks, there remained numerous enigmas surrounding him.

Whenever Harry attempted to broach the subject, Brom would swiftly divert the conversation or fall into an uneasy silence. It was evident that Eragon shared Harry's discontentment regarding Brom's refusal to disclose anything about his own past. Eragon had always been an outspoken companion, especially when it came to expressing frustration over Brom's guarded nature.

The descent was tough and anything but relaxed. Around the middle they had to dismount their horses and hold on to trees a number of times. The steep incline and loose rocks made the descent anything but enjoyable for them.

Upon reaching the ground at noon, they decided to take a brief break while they recovered from the descent. Each of them positioned themselves on one of the three pathways ahead. Harry stood facing Ceunon, a town situated in the northern direction. Eragon faced the path to the south, and Brom turned to the last path.

"They went this way." Brom pointed in the off-path direction, into the vast emptiness of the plain.

Stretching his gaze as far as the eye could reach, Harry beheld nothing but a vast expanse of flat land. The chilly wind swept passed them from the east, which caused his hair to sway and dance in its playful embrace.

"Where are they headed? I mean, seriously, it's not like there's anything remotely interesting or significant in sight. Nope, just endless nothingness as far as the eye can see. How utterly thrilling!" Harry exclaimed with a groan.

"Yazuac is only a few days from here," Brom explained swiftly, ignoring Harry's sarcasm. "It's a little village to the east, and it'll take us about four days to reach it."

Brom pulled himself up on Snowfire's saddle and began riding towards the Anora River.

"We need to replenish our water supplies. There will be no other option until we reach Yazuac."

They filled up their water supplies and drank as much as they could. The two dragons took some strong gulps of water, so that even the few fish in the river fled from them.

"You did not feel anything when the Ra'zac were there?" Saphira's voice echoed in his head.

"I did not, but I didn't meet them either," Artemis replied.

"You're sure? I didn't know who they were, but I instinctively felt a surge of hatred toward them."

Artemis didn't answer and Harry tried to mentally comfort her, but she quickly put up strong mental walls between them.

Compared to Saphira, she had no instinct about her past. Saphira had subconsciously witnessed events as she waited to hatch for her rider. She instinctively knew the Ra'zac were murderers.

Artemis, however, couldn't remember who she was or where she came from.

In a mere fraction of the time, she managed to achieve more than what had taken him years to learn. It had only been a few days since she first called his name and inquired about his life before Carvahall.

Harry had hesitated to delve into his past, wary of the consequences. However, he soon discovered firsthand why having an infuriated dragon by his side was far from desirable. He had quickly discovered that Artemis had a peculiar fondness for munching on his hand whenever she became enraged.

Though Harry could sense Artemis's profound sadness and uncertainty through their bond, he struggled to find the right words or gestures to comfort her. Not much was spoken during the journey across the plain. Eragon was often too exhausted to ask questions, being engaged in a fight by either Brom or Harry every night.

On the third day, Harry's mood lifted a little. The dry wind and Artemis' feelings had really gotten to him in the last few days, but his positiveness quickly vanished when he gazed upwards.

Dark storm clouds were gathering about their heads, and they announced themselves with raging clap of thunder.

With the plain offering no shelter and Harry being used to heavy rain from his Quidditch practice, he suggested they ride on. The storm would eventually catch up with them one way or another. Where they were, it was impossible to find shelter.

By then, they would have undoubtedly travelled a significant portion of the distance. The thunder grew louder, which caused Brom to look up in concern.

"Artemis and Saphira should fly ahead. They're not strong enough for a storm like this," Brom suggested.

"Did you hear him?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Saphira and I will wait for you in front of you. Take care, my Rider."

"You too, my Huntress."

As Harry cast his gaze forward, the sight of the brooding storm clouds evoked an unsettling resemblance to hordes of ravenous Dementors, seemingly poised to engulf him. Fortunately for them, it was merely a tempestuous gathering of clouds, sparing them from the actual horrors of those soul-sucking creatures.

Ares whinnied uneasily as Artemis and Saphira came into view. The wind had picked up and both did their best to cling firmly to the ground.

This was also necessary, because a huge gust of wind was coming towards them and leafing through the flat plain. Broken tree trunks and small rocks were swept upwards.

Harry braced himself in anticipation of the impending gust of wind. When it finally struck, it felt as though a powerful shield had been forcefully slammed against his face. Only by leaning forward against Ares did Harry manage to maintain his balance, averting the risk of being knocked off his horse.

In a moment of dread, Harry's eyes widened as he witnessed the unfortunate event unfolding before him. The wind mercilessly caught one of Artemis' wings, causing them to abruptly snap outward. Helplessly, she was overpowered by the force of the storm, propelled into the air by the violent gusts.

"Artemis!" Harry screamed in his mind.

Harry looked around for help, but Brom and Eragon were trying to keep Saphira's wings closed with all their might.

He quickly pulled himself up onto Ares' saddle and galloped after her. Suddenly the wind direction changed and for a moment she hung there, floating in the air, when suddenly she fell towards the ground.

He watched in panic as the wind pushed her down and her body hit the ground.

Ares rushed after her and Harry jumped off the saddle when they reached her. The wind knocked him off his feet and he landed face down on the ground.

Harry growled angrily and ran towards Artemis. Her wings flapped in the wind, and he was knocked over by one when he didn't duck in time.

Harry stumbled through the muddy terrain and collided forcefully with Artemis' left wing, just as she was struggling to tuck it back in, her efforts desperate and frantic. With combined strength, they finally managed to get the wing to buckle and cling tightly to her body.

They tried the same with her right wing. Harry grasped for breath and pushed against it with all his strength and even Ares pressed against the wing with his body until the wing finally buckled and both wings were pulled tight against her body.

"Are you alright?" He leaned against her with his hands on her scales. He could feel her trembling.

"I… I think so." She sounded exhausted. "Nothing is broken, I think." she looked into his eyes. "I couldn't do anything; The wind didn't let me go. I never felt this helpless," she admitted.

Harry stroked her between the eyes.

"Don't worry," Harry said in a soft voice. "Everyone feels helpless at some point, only then can we be brave, even dragons."

"Thanks, little one." Harry mustered a fleeting smile, which swiftly vanished as a cold rain descended upon them.

Harry looked up at the raging sky in annoyance.

"What's next?" he shouted in anger against the raging sky.

It thundered in response, as if someone had stood behind him with a cauldron and banged on it with a hammer. His ears were still ringing until they reached Brom and Eragon.

Luckily the storm passed and Yazuac came into sight the next day as they had used up their supplies in the morning.

Having dealt with little or no food from a young age, Harry wasn't in as much of a rush as the other two. Especially since he was the one out of the three that was always cooking the meals.

Brom rubbed his chin in thought and gazed out at the village. "Can you two see the bend in the river? Artemis and Saphira should wait there. It's far enough from Yazuac that they're safe from prying eyes, yet close enough for you to stay connected in case something happens."

"I don't like being apart from you," Artemis said after Harry explained the plan to her, growling sullenly.

Before Harry could even say anything, she and Saphira flew off.

Eragon sighed and at Harry's questioning look said, "Saphira does not want to hide. She hates it."

"There's nothing that can be done about that at the moment," Brom said, and rode off.

"That is easy for you to say... you don't have a dragon in your mind to nag at you," Harry grunted, taking Ares' reins in his hands, and followed the two into the village.

A few minutes later they reached Yazuac, and the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end. Something was odd.

Smoke rose from the chimneys, but there was an unusual stillness in the air. A silence he was not familiar with.

"We should leave," Harry said firmly. He did not like this feeling.

Eragon gave Harry a puzzled look. "Why? We have only just arrived."

"Listen, Eragon. Can't you hear it?" Harry implored; his words filled with a sense of urgency. Eragon scanned their surroundings but failed to comprehend Harry's meaning.

"What do you mean, Harry? I hear nothing," Eragon whispered.

"Exactly. Nothing! No yelling of children playing. No working men or the gossip of old women. No dogs barking. Nothing." Harry tightened his grip on his reins.

"That means to me that the inhabitants of this village either traveled further or..." Harry didn't have to finish the sentence. It was clear from Eragon's pale face and Brom's serious features that they understood.

"Nevertheless, we need food and water," Brom argued.

"Then we'll just go hungry for a few days. We can draw water from the Ninor, and we can travel to Daret. That's only a few days from here," Harry hoped Brom would consider his suggestion.

But Brom firmly shook his head. "We will not use the main road. If there is an ambush, this is how they will await us. We will ride into the village from the side."

Harry sighed and said to Artemis, "Be ready. I have a feeling we're about to get into trouble."

He could feel her smirk through their bond. "Saphira and I are circling above you. If we see something, we will be there immediately."

"So much about trusting the plan," he could feel her smiling.

"We are dragons, Harry. We do not have to follow plans," she growled back.

"Especially, stupid ones," Artemis added.

Gingerly they rode around the village and cautiously rode in. The road was deserted except for a small fox who scampered away when he saw them. The houses looked gloomy and sinister. The windows were shattered, and many doors swung back and forth on broken hinges.

As they rode into the center of the village, Harry instinctively reached for his wand and his face went ashen at the sight before him.

"Merlin," he whispered horrified at what he was seeing.

Before them lay a mountain of corpses, rigid and with contorted faces. The clothes were soaked with blood and there were pools of blood on the turbulent ground.

Men lay above the women they wanted to protect. Arrows protruded from countless bodies. Neither the children nor the elders were spared.

Worst of all was the barbed spear that jutted out of the pile of corpses and impaled the white body of an infant.

A crow dipped out of the sky, like a black shadow, and perched on the spear. It cocked it's head greedily and scrutinized the infant's corpse.

"Oh, no you don't," Eragon snarled. As he pulled back the bowstring and released it with a twang. With a puff of feathers, the crow fell over backward, the arrow protruding from its chest.

Harry couldn't take his eyes off the dead. He looked into the open eyes of a young boy and could almost feel the helplessness that these people endured.

"Harry..."

His Hands clenched into a fist, and he averted his gaze. This was not the time to mourn.

Meanwhile, Brom was busy examining the footprints he found on the ground.

"The Ra'zac were here...But the spear is from an Urgal." He studied a footprint more closely.

Brom's eyes suddenly widened, and he started to quickly run towards Snowfire.

"Go!" he hissed. "The Urgals are still here!"

Harry nudged Ares' flanks with his heels, and the horse charged after Eragon and Brom. They galloped past the houses and almost reached the outskirts of the village when Artemis yelled to him.

"Be careful! An Urgal is lurking around the corner!"

Harry took his phoenix wand in his hand.

Please work, he pleaded. Please.

Harry flicked his wand towards the corner of the house wall, where the Urgal was hiding behind, but nothing happened.

"DAMN IT! Not now!" He screamed in anger.

He searched in his pocket filled with rune stones and pulled out a random stone. The Rune started to glow in his hands, and he quickly threw it towards his enemy. The Rune struck the ground at the Urgals feet, and the earth slowly began to tremble. The Urgal raised his axe to attack, but realized too late that something was wrong.

ᛒ

Tendrils of thick earth twined around the Urgal's ankles. The Urgal tried desperately to free himself with his axe, but for every vine he cut, a new one grew. In the end the tendrils wrapped themselves around him like a cocoon and the tendrils disappeared underground with the Urgal. The ground looked as if nothing had ever happened.

If he hadn't just seen the mountain of corpses, he might have felt guilty for the Urgal. But all mercy for the Urgals vanished as he remembered the boy's death cold eyes.

Harry turned when heard an angry shriek and ducked at the last moment as another Urgal tried to slash him with his sword.

He jumped off Ares and ordered the horse out of the village to where it should wait for him.

"Magician!" the Urgal barked, standing directly in front of him, an ugly grin etched upon his face.

"It will be my pleasure to kick your ugly visage in the ground," Harry mocked.

It was the first time Harry faced an Urgal. Although he had heard a story or two in the village or from the traders, but it was always something different to see it with your own eyes.

The Urgal screamed, "For Rahna!" and attacked Harry with a loud roar.

His opponent possessed incredible speed for his size. He stomped towards Harry, and he tried to avoid the beast, but he reached out and grabbed Harry's arm tightly.

His eyes widened when he met the Urgal's black eyes.

"Got you," he grinned. With a thunderous roar, the Urgal hurled Harry forcefully against a feeble wall, causing it to crumble and collapse under the impact.

"Ow," Harry groaned, as he slowly struggled to sit up. "I have a feeling that is going to bruise."

He had underestimated the Urgal, something that would not happen again. Harry reached with his hand into his pocket for a rune and slammed it into the ground.

ᚢ

"Uruz!"

Harry was surrounded by a white light. He grew taller and his muscles swelled to a dangerous size.

His already disheveled hair stood on end as if electrified. He grabbed the charging Urgal and grabbed him by the horns.

"Got you," Harry smirked, throwing the surprised Urgal up by the horns.

Before the Urgal even landed, Harry jumped after it and punched the Urgal in the face. Blood dripped from the monster's skull, but Harry didn't stop. He kept hitting the Urgal until something heavy hit him from the side and pinned him to the ground.

Artemis stood over him and Harry swung his fist back as she yelled at him loudly.

"Harry, Stop! He's dead!"

Harry's fist stopped in flight, and he looked up at her, eyes bloodshot.

He could see himself reflected in her sapphire blue eyes. His eyes, which had just been blazing with anger, cleared. His muscles swelled down, and his hair lay on top of his head in sweat.

"I hate that rune," Harry croaked as Artemis carefully grabbed his collar with her teeth and pulled him up.

Harry looked around. Where the Urgal lay, he could only see the body. There was no trace of the head. His body unmoving.

Harry could not feel any pity for him. Not after everything they had done towards the people of Yazuac.

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked worried.

Harry took slow, deep breaths. "I could sleep for a week," he admitted.

As his breathing slowed, he looked around for Eragon and Brom.

Artemis answered at his questioned look. "Saphira is with them. They are safe."

Harry looked at his hand. The Gedwёy Ignasia was glowing faintly, but as he continued to look at his hand, it resumed its original appearance.

"Have you seen any other Urgals?" He looked around but could not see anyone else except for the two of them.

Artemis huffed once. "No, only those two dared to attack you. How are you?"

Harry hesitated for a second. "I'm fine."

"Harry!" Artemis snarled and Harry winced.

"Not now, Artemis. I need to think about this."

Artemis still looked concerned but kept her thoughts to herself. She knew he sometimes needed time for himself.

They moved towards the others at a fast pace. Artemis didn't want to leave Harry's side and refused to fly without him when they suddenly heard a loud explosion. The Dragon and Rider exchanged bewildered glances, and swiftly moved towards the source of the explosion.

They reached the others after a few moments. There, they found Brom unconscious, his back leaning against the wall of a nearby house.

"What happened?" Harry demanded, noticing the nearby crater. It spread from one side of the street to the other.

But Eragon couldn't explain it to him. He didn't know himself what had happened.

"I don't know. My arrow had caught fire and there was this explosion," Eragon broke it off, when he had to gasp for air in exhaustion.

He tried to stand up straight, but it quickly proved too much, and he dropped to the ground, shivering.

"He used too much magic," Harry said to Artemis, who hummed in agreement.

He knelt down to Brom and drew another rune stone. Eragon's eyes widened when he saw what Harry was doing.

ᚠ

"Fehu!"

Harry traced the head wound with the stone, and Eragon watched in fascination as the wound slowly closed.

"How did you do that?" Eragon asked in astonishment.

However, Harry was shaking his head in disagreement. "I did the same for your uncle, but now is not the time for explanations, Eragon. We must get out of here before any more Urgals come."

Harry took one last look at the mountain of corpses and helped Eragon put Brom back in the saddle.

Outside the village he found Ares standing. The horse was very restless, and it took Harry a few moments to calm him down.

"Good boy," Harry said, tying Snowfire to Ares and they began riding south.

Eragon kept glancing worriedly at Brom until finally Harry said, "He'll be waking up in a few hours. He just needs to rest."

Eragon nodded absently and Harry sighed. He really had other things on his mind than answering Eragon's questions.

"Out with it. What do you want to ask?"

Eragon hesitated for a moment, seeming to reconsider at first, but eventually told Harry what was happening in Yazuac. "That was magic what I did, wasn't it? You're one too... A magician," he said bluntly.

Harry nodded. "Not entirely correct. Exactly who I am is another story, but I can tell you one thing: Every Dragon Rider can use magic."

"Why did Brom never tell me anything?"

Harry glared at Eragon. "Because it takes years to learn how to fight with magic. What you did unintentionally was very dangerous. You could have destroyed yourself and the village."

Eragon's gulped, but his eyes shimmered with an undeniable curiosity. "Could you teach me... this Magic?" he inquired, his voice tinged with both apprehension and a deep desire to learn.

"I can give you pointers, but you'll have to learn the rest from Brom," Harry answered firmly.

"Brom? He knows about magic?" Eragon asked in bewilderment. "Why does he have so many secrets?" he fumed.

Harry lightly tapped Ares' flank with his heels, signaling the horse to gradually come to a halt.

"Eragon, use your eyes and your head. Do you really think that a simple storyteller can have all that knowledge?"

"N-No, but he wouldn't tell me," Eragon said with frustration in his voice.

Harry sighed, "Use your own head, Eragon. Observe him and draw your own conclusions. You can also speak to Saphira and try to come up with something. If you cannot trust Brom, then you should consider if you want to learn magic from him."

"Magic is the most beautiful, but also the most dangerous thing you will ever face."

Saphira growled over them.

"Even for a dragon," Harry said.

Harry was about to start a fire when he heard a soft groan. He looked to the side and saw Brom moan and stir.

Brom blinked tiredly and grabbed his head where the Urgal had gotten him.

"Did Saphira come in time?"

Harry slowly shook his head. "No, Eragon saved your old butt," he replied with a smirk.

"I…see," Brom said. "Where is the boy?" Brom asked when he looked around for Eragon.

"He is sleeping. He was rather exhausted after using that spell," Harry said and pointed towards Saphira, where the boy was sleeping beneath her wings.

"It was a miracle he was still able to stand."

Brom frowned. "Spell? What exactly happened?"

"I'm not sure. I was split off from you two, when the Urgals attacked us. During my fight I heard an explosion," Harry explained.

"Artemis and I met up with you. You were knocked out and Eragon could barely stand, exhausted as he was."

Brom nodded slowly. "I guess he used his magic for the first time then."

"Do you think he will exhaust himself like that again?" Harry asked while he leaned back against Artemis, who was curled up behind Harry.

Brom shrugged. "That depends on the magician and the spell he wants to cast. If he uses the same spell again, he should be able to stand for a little more time without passing out."

"Then what does magic depend on? When I was using my magic, I could use it until I felt drained…But I have never passed out, when I used a powerful spell," Harry said with a frown.

"Except when you use your runes," Artemis argued in his mind.

"That is something different."

The old man's eyes gleamed with interest. "From what little you had told me about your magic, I can say that there are clear differences to ours. For magic, like everywhere in the world, there are rules. If you break these rules, the penalty is invariably death. Your magical abilities depend on the power you wield within yourself, the words you know, and your imagination."

"Words?" Harry questioned with curiosity.

Brom nodded tiredly. "The words come from the ancient language that was once spoken by all living things. But the language was forgotten and only when the elves came across the sea to Alagaёsia they brought it back. The elves taught the other people the ancient language, after which they made powerful things. This language has a name for everything. You just must know it."

"So, the magic is bonded to the language?"

Brom nodded in agreement. "You could say that. For example, Brisingr means fire. It's not just any expression for it, but the true name of fire."

He glanced towards Eragon. "I guess he happened to have overheard Brisingr from me, when I use it to light my pipe and then unknowingly used it today."

Brom stretched one last time and laid down on his side to sleep, while Harry pondered the man's words.

Magic in this world seemed to be a bit different from his own. The magic from his world was not tied down to the choice of words… Rather to the creativity of the wizard and his own intent.

"Maybe that's why your magic feels off for you?" Artemis asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When Saphira touched Eragon, she turned him into a mage. Before that he could never hope to use magic."

Harry considered her words.

"You think my magic is fighting with each other? And the one who wins will remain?"

"It would at least explain why you couldn't use your magic until now. You were in a similar position to Eragon. Like him you were fighting for your life, but the magic inside of you has still not settled down. That is why, you still cannot use it."

"Hm," Harry said.

"You could be right. I will have to ask Brom tomorrow. He might have an idea."

"Do you think Artemis idea is right?" Harry asked Brom.

Brom nodded slowly. "She could be right. The problem is that you are unique. There has never been a Dragon Rider like you. Your magic is different from Eragon's."

"What do you think is going to happen to me? Will it change me?" Harry frowned.

He didn't like his magic being in turmoil.

Brom glanced at him. "You will change one way or the other. The bond between you and Artemis will be responsible for that."

"In what way?" He asked him.

"Well, there are a lot of things. For starters, over time you will start to look more and more like an elf," Brom explained and pointed to his ears.

Harry was not sure what he was supposed to think on that, but it didn't matter, because they had arrived at Daret. A small village where they hoped to get supplies.

This time Artemis and Saphira were closer in case something should happen again.

The three rode into the center of the village and found everything deserted.

"What happened here?" Eragon asked and this time Brom was quickly changing his mind.

"I don't like the feel of this. Let's get out of here."

Harry spurred Ares into a gallop. Brom and Eragon were following him but all of them were forced to stop their steeds when two wagons came out from behind two houses and blocked their paths.

Harry felt Artemis worry and quickly tried to calm her. "Stay calm. They have not attacked us, yet."

"Yet."

"What do you want?" Brom asked calmly.

"Why have you come here?" A man called.

"To buy supplies and hear the news. Nothing more. We are on the way to my cousin's house in Dras-Leona."

"You are quite armed."

"So are you," Brom returned. "These are dangerous times."

"This is true." The man studied them closely. "I don't think you're plotting anything against us, but we've had too many clashes with Urgals and bandits around here for me to trust you only on your word."

"If it doesn't matter what we say, what's supposed to happen now?" Brom replied.

The man eyed them for a moment before he nodded towards one of the archers, who was on his way down.

"My name is Trevor. Tell him everything you need. After you have everything, please leave our village."

A few minutes later they rode out of the village. Their bags were filled with various supplies.

"These are for each of you. That way you can hide your Rider's mark."

He gave Harry and Eragon each a pair of black gloves.

"Thank you," Eragon said shortly, who was still miffed that Brom would not teach him about magic until he recovered.

"Did you two use your powers while we were in Daret?" Brom asked.

Harry remained silent.

"There was no reason to," Eragon replied.

"No reason? If you had used your powers on them, you would have known Trevor's intentions. If the villagers were hell bent on killing us, I wouldn't have sat as calm as I did."

"You mean, you saw into the people's minds?" Harry asked with anger in his voice.

"Come on now!" Brom chided. "You could have sensed Trevor's intentions the same way you communicate with Ares and Artemis. The mind of humans is not so different from that of a dragon or a horse."

Harry frowned in disgust while Eragon pondered over what Brom was telling them.

"That's just perverted. No one should be able to do this." Harry exclaimed in anger.

He left the two and rode ahead. His occlumency shields could not contain his emotions. They poured out of him like water from a broken dam.

"I will not do that." He said firmly in his mind.

"Then don't. Just do not blame Brom for this. He has no idea what you went through."

Harry wiped away the only tear that rolled down his cheek.

"But still. He has no right to invade someone's mind like that. It is not right."

Artemis seemed to disagree. "I don't know. It's a useful skill to have."

Harry closed his eyes.

"It's just a question of whether you can deal with it yourself." Artemis said and closed the connection.