Reviews:

Pyromania101: This chapter will most definitely elaborate more on the nature of their connection and give a hint at what other possibilities may come from having it.

Kyred: Thank you. More will be revealed this time around as well as the nature of their situation.

god of all: Thank you, I hope that it will continue to be enjoyable in the future.

Bagrat: I'm glad to see you enjoyed the way it all went. Harry will be learning a lot more about the Titans and Paths this time around as well.

Dasgun: ? Sorry, I saw you put a review but didn't see any words.

GreenTea4062: I was seriously tempted to go either the Slytherin or Hufflepuff route, but after mapping out the future events, I wanted the people of Hogwarts to have a certain image of Harry as a Gryffindor and wanting them to believe that he is an embodiment of those traits (which will change later on). Harry will continue to grow and make acquaintances with students of other houses and with the personality given to him, he isn't going to be fond of anyone trying to hold him back (unintentional or otherwise). Sawano and Linked Horizon really do compose some great tracks.

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J. K. Rowling and Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan is owned by Hajime Isayama. I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Connection

Harry wasn't sure what was worse; having an upset McGonagall and not having her say anything, or just having her say exactly what was on her mind at the moment. Neither exactly seemed like a good option, but the severe lack of response made him feel just… uncomfortable.

While he suspected that some of the emotions she was holding back were directed more toward the fact that a troll had been walking around the castle unabated, she was also probably wondering why it had to be a student who had to deal with the situation. One of her students, no less.

Hell, why was there even a troll wandering about the castle anyway when this was supposed to be one of the safest places around. Harry doubted that a random troll had just been taking a nice stroll outside and decided to waltz right through the front doors and join the Halloween celebration. It was possible that there was a secret passage in the dungeons that led outside the castle to the surrounding mountain range. That seemed far more plausible.

Or better yet, the Third Floor.

He really had no earthly idea what could be behind that door, but it probably had no right to be in a school whatever it was.

"I hope you know just how reckless that was," McGonagall finally spoke after seeing him up a flight of stairs.

Harry cautioned a swift glance over at her, trying to fully observe her reaction. Her tone was as stern as always, but an almost hidden light in her narrowed eye that made him believe that she was almost impressed to a certain degree. He had to have been mad to even think that.

"Well, um, I certainly feel it now, professor," Harry offered a meek reply. The pain that had flared up from his sprained ankle was fading fast leaving behind a series of hot throbs that would spike up whenever he tried moving that part of his foot without the use of his crutches.

"Be thankful that that is the only damage that you are walking away with," McGonagall warily said. "Wizards far older and more experienced than yourself have met with rather grizzly fates when they encountered trolls larger than the one you disposed of." Her lips pursed in thought. "What on heaven or earth convinced you that cutting through its neck was a good idea? From my understanding, Professor Flitwick has taught you the levitation charm. Would it have not been a safer option to levitate its club and drop it on its head?"

In hindsight, yes, it very much was.

"I… I guess that I just let my instinct take over, professor," Harry answered. An instinct that was probably rooted and connected to a certain Path.

"Then you'd do well to keep one as lethal as that in check," McGonagall curtly replied. "As reckless as I know my lions to be, needlessly risking or even throwing one's life away so carelessly is not synonymous with bravery. And for as sure of himself as he was, even your father would have certain reservations about needless actions."

Harry knew that McGonagall was dead serious when she spoke. He paid close attention to her words, especially when she brought up his father. It might have been a tad neglectful to put his focus on that of all things, but it was where his mind wanted to focus itself.

McGonagall's words just now combined with what he had learned from Hagrid about his father's ties to Snape were painting a larger picture of what he knew about the man. Now, Harry knew that James Potter was a man of humor, wit, brashness, and even immaturity.

It wasn't… exactly what Harry had in mind when he would try to imagine what his father had been like.

In fact, Harry often found he couldn't even fully picture either of his parents clearly no matter how much he learned about them from the people who did know them. He knew that he probably looked like them, maybe even behaved like they would have - or one of them more than the other, at least. But clearly, putting faces to what he knew was a difficult task when all he had was smoke and fog to draw from.

"Ah, here we are," McGonagall announced as they neared a set of double doors ahead.

Opening the doors for the both of them, McGonagall ushered him inside of a high ceiling room lined on both sides with beds of nicely folded fresh linen sheets and stuffed pillows. The matron of the ward, Madam Pomfrey spotted their arrival as she finished up lining one of the many beds. Her eyes instantly went to a limping Harry.

"Oh dear, what happened here, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey was already over by their side, guiding Harry over to one of the beds to offer him a spot to sit.

"It would seem Mr. Potter here had a fair bit of excitement taking on a troll that had wandered into one of the school bathrooms," McGonagall stood and watched as Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's injured foot.

"A troll?! Was that the yelling I heard coming from downstairs?" Having Harry hold his leg still, she pointed her wand at his swelling ankle and a soft indigo hue emitted from the tip and gave Harry the sensation of having just stepped in a frozen puddle. Giving his foot a sample roll, Harry found that there was no longer any pain whatsoever.

"That would be the cause indeed, Poppy," McGonagall gave the tiniest of annoyed sighs at the situation. "How or why it was out and about is beyond any of us."

"Well perhaps not Dumbledore," Madam Pomfrey elaborated. "Surely he'll deal with the mess."

"And what a mess it was," McGonagall shook her head. "Disposing of the body of a troll is never a sweet-smelling affair."

"Body?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "You mean that young Mr. Potter here fully disposed of that creature?" her tone carried the obvious concern below just the surface.

"In a rather unconventional manner, yes," McGonagall answered the other witch. "I fear that in doing so, he might have strained himself magically."

"Lie back down on the bed fully, dear!" Madam Pomfrey hurriedly ordered. "I'd consider you to have immeasurable amounts of luck if you only walked away with nothing but a sprained ankle, Mr. Potter." She pulled out her wand again and pointed it over his chest. "Now, let's see the full extent."

While her wand never directly touched his skin, Harry could feel a light pushing force against his flesh, an invisible massage of sorts that could pass straight through his body and right out the other side before coming right back around again.

"Hm," Madam Pomfrey hummed in thought as she eventually pulled her wand away.

"What is it, Poppy?" McGonagall asked the question that Harry was wondering himself.

"His magical energy has been drained, likely due to overexertion," she explained. "Despite that, his magical core is still healthy and intact. I'd say that his energy will be back to normal and rejuvenated by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I recommend that he stay here overnight to monitor any further developments. I trust that you approve?"

"But of course," McGonagall easily agreed to the matron's suggestion. She looked over to where Harry lay. "I trust that you'll comply with all of Madam Pomfrey's requests, won't you, Potter?"

There was no point in her even bothering to phrase that as a question.

"Yes. Yes, I won't be a bother." There was no way he was going to say anything other than that.

"Very well then, Mr. Potter." she gave him an understandingly curt nod. "I leave him in your capable hands, Poppy."

"You've nothing to fret about," MadamPomfrey said as she shuffled around in one of her medical cabinets. "Come the morning our young Mr. Potter will be feeling fit enough to pull the spikes from a Hungarian Horntail."

"What a cheerfully concerning comparison," McGonagall said, not wanting to plant any more reckless ideas in his head. The door closed behind her.

Madam Pomfrey was back by his bedside in a jiffy, a vial of light periwinkle liquid residing within it. "Here you are. Drink up."

Harry accepted the unknown vial and watched the almost sparkling liquid slosh around within. "What is this stuff?" he asked before he drank.

"Rejuvenation essence," Madam Pomfrey answered. "Liquified dust from fairies has certain healing abilities when mixed with mermaid essence. It should be more than enough to bring your magical energy back up to full potential and no need to fret about the taste; it'll be sweeter than any pumpkin juice, I can promise you that. Go on now. Bottom's up!"

Not wanting to upset the medical matriarch, Harry uncorked the vial and gulped down the contents within. He found that it went down smooth leaving a frenzy tickling sensation dancing on the surface of his tongue.

"Oh, wow," Harry uttered out loud after downing the entire vial. He had never experienced a sugar rush before, but the tingling that was stirring in his stomach and running to his head was how he imagined it would be, only maybe thrice as potent.

"Yes, that means that it's working," Madam Pomfrey nodded, taking the vial from him. "Now, rest is the best thing you can do for yourself right now."

"Hopefully the hour is not too late for that. Or for receiving visitors."

Both turned their attention to the set of double doors to see their newest visitor. His white hair and beard seemed even longer than when he stood on the dais. The pair of blue eyes behind those half-moon spectacles appeared even more vibrant and teeming with the delight of a child.

"Oh! Professor Dumbledore! I didn't hear you come in." Madam Pomfrey beckoned him to enter. "Come, come. I'll bring up a chair for you."

"That is very kind of you, Poppy, but I will not be here for too long," Dumbledore politely declined her offer. "I was informed of the situation and decided it was best to come and check on Mr. Potter myself." Dumbledore stood at the foot of his assigned bed, his twinkling eyes holding traces of remorse.

"How is it you are faring, Mr. Potter?" he spoke with a grandfather's concern.

"Well, er, much better now," Harry simply answered, not expecting the headmaster of all people to be showing up to see him.

Dumbledore offered him a silent smile. "As expected, Madam Pomfrey is regarded as being one of the best in the country. I'm sure she could tell you a number of tales concerning your father and his multiple visits to this particular ward."

Madam Pomfrey seemed to shudder in recollection. "Far too many, I fear. A botched Quidditch practice one day, a potion went wrong the other, those misadventures of wandering about the grounds at night, not to mention some of the nastier hexes he was hit with - some even deservingly so." She fixed him with a look that could rival McGonagall's. "I do hope that this isn't a start to another slew of bizarre visits."

"I'm hoping not either," Harry just agreed with her request. The foggy blur of his father only clearing the way by a smidge from this new bit of information.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded along. "Trouble seldom found James when he wasn't actively searching for it, a trait that seems to have reversed itself in a very inconvenient manner. Nevertheless, I do wish to commend you on your swift call to action. If it pleases you to know, Miss Granger is unharmed and safely back in her dorm within Gryffindor Tower."

"Oh. Well, that's good." Harry hadn't actually paid much thought to it after being led here, but he didn't want to say that in front of the headmaster.

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, his twinkle still ever-present. "And I also come to offer you an apology on behalf of myself and Hogwarts as a whole."

Eh? "Erm, an apology for what, sir?"

"While your actions did save the lives of multiple students, they shouldn't have been necessary, to begin with," he spoke with delicate regret. "Hogwarts is regarded as being one of the safest places in the wizarding world. Having students' lives put in danger was an option that should never have been possible. For that, you have my sincerest apologies."

Well, it came as a comforting thought that the headmaster was at least acknowledging the fact that the school safety had been unjustly breached. It would have been far more concerning if this whole incident was just swept under the rug and forgotten about.

But still, the idea of having a whole forbidden floor inside of the school still came across as being highly suspicious.

"Well… apology accepted," Harry didn't exactly know how to respond to that, especially by an adult of authority no less. It didn't bring him any real bout of self-satisfaction and it made him wonder why he was always forced to do so outside of this school.

"I am glad to hear it," Dumbledore politely smiled with a large twinkle. "And this in no way negates what I have said previously, but there is another aspect of this incident that has been brought to my attention by Professor Snape."

Oh. That figures. He had suspected that it was coming, and here it was, finally.

"Harry," he began calmly, "is it true that you have two wands?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir." He quickly added, "But I only use one per class."

Dumbledore held out his hands. "May I?"

Carefully eyeing Professor Dumbledore's wrinkled outstretched hand, Harry conceded and pulled out the pair of wands that he owned, handing them over to the wizened headmaster.

Dumbledore took his careful time in examining the both of them, his long, slender fingers running along the polish finish of the wood, giving experimental waves to get a feel for each of their weights. After a few more seconds of quiet observation, Dumbledore spoke.

"Mr. Ollivander has always done well to keep a high level of consistency with his work." He twirled the phoenix wand between his fingers before handing it back to Harry who eagerly accepted. Dumbledore still held the jotun one. "This one seems far older to have been crafted by Gerrick's hand."

"He said it had been sitting there for generations," Harry recalled and held his hand out. "Can I have it back?"

Madam Pomfrey seemed ready to reprimand him for making a demand like that from the headmaster of all people, but Dumbledore just smiled at the request.

"But of course. You did rightfully purchase it, did you not?" He handed it back to Harry who was thankful to not have it be confiscated. For as powerful as the phoenix wand was, he felt more connected to this one.

"I can still keep it?" Harry asked, not wanting to build up his hopes only to have them come tumbling down on top of him.

"You are the wands rightful owner," Dumbledore agreed. "Regardless if you chose it or it chose you, I do believe that you are the right fit for that wand." The twinkle in his eye seemed to dim a bit. "You may rest assured that I have no intention of confiscating your belongings. You said before that you only use one wand per class?"

"Oh, yes, sir," Harry nodded. "I wanted to see which one was better for which subject."

Dumbledore nodded along in understanding. "Well then, so long as you continue to only use just one per class, I see no issue with your possessions. After all, the school list does not have any specifications on the matter, just so long as a student has one." He could have given a sly wink.

"Well then," Dumbledore folded his hands together. "I bid you a speedy recovery, Mr. Potter. I'll be taking my leave now, Poppy."

"Of course," she bowed her head. "I'll see you out."

"Why thank you. But if you have any toffee tarts or lemon drops on hand I do hope you won't mind me stealing a few off of you."

After Dumbledore's unconventional departure, Madam Pomfrey supplied Harry with some fresh hospital clothing for him to rest in while she promised she would have his normal school robes back to mint condition come the morning. She lay him back to bed and dimmed the bedside lamp just enough that it gave off a soft orange glow before she retired for the night herself.

Seeing that he was now completely alone within the hospital wing, Harry allowed himself to relax fully as he felt his mind branch and wander off to seek a kindred spirit.

Ymir? He conveyed his thought. Are you awake?

'Yes. I'm still here.' Her voice seemed to be a tad clearer than he recalled. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Harry was no longer plagued with outside noises of teachers and students talking, the snores of some of his dormmates, even just the most minuscule of sounds.

Both mentally and physically on Harry's end, they were alone.

That's good, Harry began, sitting upright in the bed just a smidge. Just so you know, I still have a lot of things that I've been meaning to talk to you about.

'I figured as such,' she understandingly said. 'I'll answer as best I can. I meant what I said before, I won't lie to you.'

Alright then, Harry started. Does that also extend to half-truths and elusive answers? You've given me both of those before.

'...' There was silence from her end. Harry felt an ugly swell of distrust clench a fist around his gut.

Are you going to answer that or not? Harry didn't make any move to hide the disappointment he had in his voice.

'...I promise you to tell you what you'll understand,' she finally replied. 'I just need you to know that there are certain things that are… they wouldn't make much sense out of context.'

So put it into context then, Harry told her. It can't be that hard.

'You… I... ' she struggled to find the proper way to phrase what it was she wanted to say. Eventually, she settled with, 'I'm just afraid of what will happen if I do.'

Why are you afraid? Harry asked, concerned about what she meant. Afraid of what? Her reply was quite crisp.

'I'm afraid for you.'

Her answer halted the next question Harry had lined up ready to fire at her. He knew that she expressed concern for his well being, but fearing for him was… it was just a higher level of the concern that he knew she possessed.

Are you… afraid of me and what I'd do, or… you're afraid something might happen to me? He tried himself to figure out which would be worse.

'A little bit of both, I suppose. I'm afraid if you know everything it is that I want to tell you, you might do something that could get you in trouble, or worse.'

You don't have to be afraid of me. I don't want you to ever be afraid of me or what I might think. Harry hoped that she believed him about that. Her reply was elusively simple.

'And I wouldn't want you to be afraid of me either.'

Why would I be afraid of you? I mean, I'm pretty sure you jokingly mentioned before that you have a bit of a temper, but that isn't anything I can't deal with. What is it exactly I have to be afraid about you?

'I guess some part of the Path that we share,' she said with quiet remorse. 'Harry, can I ask you something? It may seem a bit personal, but will you just answer as best you can?'

So long as you do the same, yeah. Maybe now he would get some more straightforward answers from his foreign confidant.

'Alright. Can you tell me about your dreams?'

My dreams? Funny enough, he was still planning to ask her about the one involving that one man talking to himself. What about them? I've never said anything about them before.

'Exactly,' she seemed to pick up on the cue. 'Everybody has dreams, but for as long as we've been talking, neither one of us has brought the topic up.'

Well, you just admitted that you didn't bring it up either, Harry pointed out her contradiction. I don't know yours, and you don't know mine. We're on the same page with that one.

'Really?' she sounded skeptical about that. 'You don't dream of flowers, of scenes of blood, an enormous tree, of a sound so loud that you can't hear anything else?'

Wh-what… y-you… you have them too?! He thought that so loud that he feared that he might have actually shouted it with his actual voice. How long? How long have you been having them?

'For a long time. Probably since I was old enough to know how to dream. Does that sound crazy to you?' she probably already knew the answer to that.

No. No, not at all. I -I've been able to remember every single one of mine since… well, forever!

'I suspected as much,' she didn't sound gloatful or proud of her suspicion in any way. 'I guess it would just be further proof of how far our little bond actually goes. You wouldn't have known this, but those scenes, they aren't just random - they're memories trying to sort themselves.'

Hold on! Memories? Ymir, I've never seen any of that in my life. I can't say the same for you, but those memories aren't mine.

'You're not wrong,' she made no move denying him. 'They aren't even mine either. Well, not all of them. I doubt with everything there is that we'd be able to identify each and every one. There was one that was really odd, one with a sickly green light and a woman screaming. That was the one that-,'

That always seemed so different from the rest, Harry finished her train of thought. So how is all that possible? I mean, there's probably something involving those Paths you talked about, but what does that have to do with me - with us? How is any of that connected to ours?

'I've thought about it, and the best I can come up with is that each of those memories has a Path they belong to. And if all of them somehow connect with the one we share, ours must be where all others converge. The trunk, of sorts.'

Well now you're just making it sound like a tree of some sort, Harry expressed as he tried to best visualize a tree system of sorts to get a better understanding of what she was talking about.

'If that's how you want to picture it, sure. As far as I can tell the memories from those capable of using Paths, and even those who can't, Their memories are all gathered in one place, where ours is.'

You've mentioned that there are other people who can use these Paths before, Harry recalled. You said something about powers, too. What are they? If they somehow connect back to us, does that mean we have something like what they do?

'You're right, I did,' she admitted. 'There were nine individuals who each could access a certain part of the Paths. After a certain time, they would pass the power along to someone else. By doing that, their memories pass along to the next in line, and so on and so on.'

So… someone, or maybe all of them, passed their memories onto us? If they did that, it would have had to have been at a very young age.

'Well, if they did, it wasn't in the traditional way,' she informed.

How do you mean? Wouldn't they just choose who they passed it on to?

'Some of the time. In order to pass the power on, the holder would have to be eaten by the next host.'

Are you serious?! Harry felt a squeeze to his stomach churn its contents.

'Well, more specifically just the spine and spinal fluid,' she specified.

Either way, that's sick! I've never eaten anyone so-,

'So that's why it's unconventional,' she reiterated her point. 'Being able to see those memories doesn't mean that we had to eat anyone. It would seem that just so long as their Paths branch from ours, that's enough. Then there's also the matter of how those previous holders went about eating the last host.'

Oh, joy, there's more to it. He didn't need Madam Pomfrey rushing over because she heard him throwing up.

'It isn't just straight cannibalism. Well, it is, but also…. Look,' she struggled to find the right wording. 'One of the reasons why other people hated the Eldian people was because they had the potential to turn into creatures much bigger than themselves. That's how they would eat the other and gain the power that they had.'

The Image of that giant body decaying behind the man from his dream surfaced. They could turn into giants?

'Well, yes. But they were just called Titans.'

Titans…. He repeated the word, recalling some of the images he had seen in his dreams of a giant silhouette standing off in the distance. He guessed he finally had some context behind that.

Hold on, he thought of something. If they could turn into these "Titans," and if we're somehow connected to all of them, does that mean… we could do the same? To think that he potentially had another ability aside from magic that he had no idea of until now. And, if he had a connection to Paths, did that mean... he had some Eldian blood in him? If he did, he didn't think it would come from his mother's side as Aunt Petunia was nothing but English through and through. Maybe his father then, maybe his side of the family migrated from one island to another a long time ago.

'Hm…' she seemed to take her time considering her answer. 'Perhaps.'

Perhaps… what?

'Perhaps if certain conditions were met. It'd probably be much different than how it used to be done, but… maybe. I don't really know for certain. I was told that there really was never a need for that. Not anymore.' She gave him time to soak in that new bit of information. He didn't feel she was lying. 'Apparently, when first transforming into a Titan, the user is barely aware of what they do. And in a school full of kids, would you want to risk that without even knowing what you're doing?' She had a point.

Well… I guess that puts some things into a better view. You know, the dream I had last night - well, I guess it's a memory, there was a man with glasses next to a giant body that was evaporating.

'Really?' It was hard to tell if she was surprised or just asking in general. He didn't really know which he would prefer.

You didn't have that one, too? He at least knew for sure that he was surprised. Maybe their bond was starting to divulge.

'I can't say that I have. But I have seen that man in others before.'

He was shouting a name, Harry recalled. He was talking to himself, but he was saying the name Eren.

'Eren?' she repeated. 'Do you mean Eren Yeager?'

Harry blinked in surprise. Do you know who he is?

'Of course, I do,' she said that like it was obvious. 'The name Eren Yeager is rather infamous, especially on Paradis.'

Who is he? This was the first Harry was hearing of him.

'He's a holder of one of the Titan powers,' she began her explanation. 'You remember the power I told you about being able to transcend time, the one who could see future memories?'

That's him?

'Yes. The Attack Titan, that's his Titan's name.'

And… the man in my dream, if he was talking to Eren, would that mean that he was able to see Eren's future memories if he had the same power as him?

'I would say so, yes.'

He also mentioned something about a Reiss family, he remembered. He said that they were all gone except for the father. Do you… know the story behind that?

'Well, if he was seeing Eren's memories he probably saw something involving them. You unknowingly wrote about them during your test. But since you don't actually know about them, they were actually the hidden royal family on Paradis. They had a power that could have ended the conflict with the other nations but believed it would be best if they were to die rather than try and move forward. Their power was stolen and passed onto Eren Yeager eventually.'

He had two Titan powers?

'Eventually more, but at that point, yes. It was thanks to him and his use of the power that Paradis was able to keep on moving forward.' She spoke with such reverence and admiration. Harry had heard that tone when Aunt Petunia talked about her garden, or even when Hagrid spoke about Professor Dumbledore.

Well, he certainly sounds like a hero of yours, Harry gathered from her tone. He would have liked to have said more than just that to her but everything still sounded so vague and new to him as well as a tad infuriating. If he could see more, he could understand much better. Yet even the mention of this foreign man's name seemed to elicit a greater picture in Harry's mind than figures of his actual past. It was sad for him to realize that.

'There's no reason for him not to be.' Harry figured there was more she wanted to say but was holding back.

Even if he had to eat people to get those Titan powers you talked about? It would be interesting to see what she said about that.

'Powers he ended up never wanting,' she replied more even than before. 'He had always wanted to be special, but when faced with the burden of the future maybe just being born into the world is more precious than most of us realize.'

She purposefully let her statement linger, waiting for him to speak if he wanted to. He didn't. She continued.

'He did have to eat other people to gain the powers he had, yes, but if he hadn't, there probably wouldn't be any Paradis Island or Eldians. You'd be down a good friend.'

Then I guess I owe him thanks, too.

'Eh? What makes you say that?' she sounded eagerly blissful.

Because if what you said was true, I wouldn't be able to talk to you right now. I don't even want to imagine how boring my time would be if I were alone for all of it.

He felt a tingling warmth from his shoulder but one look over showed that there was no one there. The only thing he had to go on was an invisible smile in the recesses of his mind.

'Well, I'll be sure to pass your thanks along.'

Oh? Harry questionably exclaimed. Do you have a way of doing that?

'One way or another, yes. I'm sure that he'll appreciate the sentiment.'

I'd hope so, Harry replied, but somehow wasn't too worried about if this Eren Yeager would be disappointed or not. If it was just a gut instinct or something having to do with these Paths, Harry felt the man would accept it. But there was one thing that had been growing in his mind for quite some time now that he decided to take a risk with right now.

You know, from what you've said about Eren Yeager and how he made sure Paradis was safe. What does it look like?

'What does "what" look like?' she asked for a specification. 'Freedom? Eren? Paradis in general?'

Yes! That. Harry stopped her when she got to what he had been asking about. It just seems strange to me that you can see Hogwarts through me but I've never been able to see Paradis through you. If we really do share the same Path as you say, then why does this seem to be a one-way street?

'Huh,' she sounded borderline stumped herself on that one. 'I can tell you that I've been attuned to the Paths at a very young age, even younger than I am now. The first time that I talked to you, I was able to do so because I felt how out of place you were and I wanted to see why. But, I guess you can also say that I've always sort of known about you, too.'

Oh no! I'm famous even on Paradis! Harry meant it more as a joke to ease the feeling he was bound to get from what she said next. What do you mean?

'I mean that I could always sort of… feel a presence with me. I was never really alone when I felt it, and at times I could almost hear people talking. There was your voice, who I know now as the voices of your "guardians," Dudley and his little gang, and so on. But the thing is, I was only able to hear those when something unexplained happened.'

Like when I teleported onto the roof, or turned a teacher's hair color, and growing my hair back, Harry listed off just a few noticeable examples.

'Yes. It wasn't until that day at the zoo when I could feel the connection become stronger than before that I decided to actually try speaking back to you. But that time, I could see what you did.'

Oh. I see. Not really, but somewhat. Not to sound distant or anything, but I've never heard anything from your end until the day at the zoo, and even then, it's just been you.

'No offense taken,' she jokingly assured him. 'If I had to take a guess, it would be because of where you are in the world. The power of the Paths was discovered by the people of Eldia, so it makes sense that I would have a stronger connection than from where you are.' If she actually believed that or was just trying to offer a good explanation, Harry knew that it was most likely a mix of both.

That wasn't to say he didn't believe her, he just felt there was a more official way of wording it that she either didn't know or was unable to say exactly.

So no chance of me being able to see it through you then. That's fine. If you send me a postcard or something I'm sure I can get a better mental picture.

'Well… maybe not exactly.'

Meaning?

She chose her next words carefully. 'Would you be willing to try something? Something that may work?'

It isn't anything that would explode my head, would it?

'No. At worst, nothing will happen and you'll be waiting an awfully long time for a letter from my island.'

Harry conveyed his physical nod. Alright then. What do I have to do?

'You? Just fall asleep.'

You want me to just dream about your island some more?

'Trust me, this'll be much more than just a dream.'

Feeling skeptically curious, Harry eased himself back into the comfortable hospital bed, resting his head, he closed his eyes and just allowed himself to relax. Ymir did not say anything to him, giving him the chance to drift off without any distractions from her end of things.

He could feel his breathing begin to slow and even out. His head drifting back further into soft blissfulness.

He might have even imagined the soft electrical touch that graced the sides of his face once his vision turned completely black.

That pulse coursed from both sides of his face, traveling straight to and along his spinal column, sending his skin into a tingled frenzy. Harry no longer felt himself in the soft embrace of the hospital bed, but in a smooth coarseness that could be either sand or clay.

Opening his eyes, he could discern a faint white glow from somewhere near the center of… wherever this place was exactly. It seemed to stand straight up with a variety of different branches going off in their own direction. If it wasn't for the faint glow, Harry would have assumed it to be dead.

But there was another sight that grabbed his attention far beyond the strange environment that he found himself seeing right now.

An open hand from an almost familiar shadowed face was presented before him waiting an eternity in every passing second.

He grabbed it.

From the center, the light seemed to pulsate before becoming more complete, taking over his vision in a sea of darkened white.

He wanted to blink his eyes but found himself almost unable to do so and Harry feared that he might have gone blind from how bright it had glowed. But it was becoming evident that that was not the case.

The reason why was that the pair of eyes he was looking through had yet to open themselves. He saw the lids blink a few times, perhaps clearing the sight from experiencing that own burst of brightness.

Harry, he heard her voice more clearly than he had ever heard her before. Are you there?

'Yes. Yes, I'm here.' He noticed how his own voice sounded a little more muted. 'Whatever you did - it worked!'

I'm glad to hear it. She heaved a thoughtful sigh. I tried guiding your consciousness over toward mine. It was… a bit more than stressful. The distance between us is making things like this more difficult than it should be.

'Well don't go around straining yourself,' Harry chided her. 'It wasn't that important that I see it now.' Having her put herself through extra trouble was the last thing he wanted.

I just thought… huuh. Fine. Until I learn more, this might be the first, and last, time you'll be able to see through my vision. But… this is basically it.

Her eyes roamed around the room she was in, lingering on the high ceiling decorated in art, the wooden walls painted an elegant color and lined with polished molding. Her bed was a modest size as she hopped off of it, but still a step above the hospital and maybe even what he had back waiting for him at the Gryffindor Tower. She had an antique wardrobe in her room as well next to a glass door that led out to a small, circular balcony.

'Wow. Ymir, This is... this is really... is this all there is to it?'

Oh? Is this not good enough for a celebrity of your standing? He could almost feel her arms moving to cross over her chest in mock offense at his brazen question.

'It's not that,' Harry replied. 'It's just, I thought that you would show me more than just this, that's all. You've been able to see just about everything from me. And also...'

Her head seemed to tilt to the side. Also, what? Come on, you have to tell me now.

'Also just so I know that this isn't just some memory that you're showing me and the real thing.'

As vivid as this all was, it felt all too much like one of the dream memories that had plagued his mind since forever. This time he only seemed fully aware that he was seeing things through another set of eyes; eyes that would blink at different times than what he wanted, the tingling feeling of legs and arms moving against what he would have done with them. How was he to know what was real here or just a lost memory maybe belonging to somebody else?

I could try leaving here, but even someone as important as me does have to be in bed at a certain time. Avoiding a lecture is something I very much enjoy. But you do remember what I told you about me don't you?

'That you wouldn't lie to me or that I should just talk to you like a regular girl?' Harry recalled both.

Exactly.

Harry guessed that she did have a point. If she was that important to Paradis and he was important to the wizarding world, he guessed that it sort of evened out at a certain point. So long as they were both comfortable around the other.

From her perspective, Harry caught sight of swaying hair to the right and thought that someone else might be in the room with them, but quickly realized that it was just a brief glimpse into the mirror she had there.

'Hey, would you mind moving over a little?' Harry asked her.

Eh? Why?

'Just so I can properly see your face,' Harry modestly answered. 'I have a pretty good idea of how you look, but I just want to see for myself.' Honestly, aside from her basic description of herself, Harry didn't know what his closest friend even looked like.

Hmmm. No. She said so rather easily.

'Huh? Why not? I know you're not ugly or anything like that.'

Well of course I'm not! I know that!

'So? What is it then?' She knew what he looked like. 'Do you not want to prove to me that this isn't a memory of some kind?'

I just don't want you to see me until we actually get to meet in person, that's all.

'Meeting in person… you've mentioned so before. But you seriously won't let me see you until then?'

Consider it an incentive for wanting to get here, she encouragingly offered. I would try coming to you, but if you're off in a hidden magic school for most of the year and with those people for the summer-,

'Yeah, say no more.' Subjugating her to the Dursley's scrutiny and judgment was not something either of them had on their to-do lists. 'I guess that… I'll just have to come to you. Somehow.'

And that was sure to be a task within itself. For starters, he didn't even know where Paradis Island was.

I guess so, she agreed. But, if and when you do, there is something I have to tell you about it first. Oh? You see, because of our history, coming to Paradis isn't going to be easy. It's sort of… hidden from the rest of the world after everything… well, you know - er, not really, but you still know. She emphasized.

'Like hidden with those Paths or Titan powers or something?'

Well… yes. Exactly.

And that just complicated it even more.

If you were going to come here, you'd probably need some magical way of finding out how.

'There's the library,' Harry instinctively thought upon hearing her suggestion. 'I can probably find something about traveling there.' Considering how vast it was, he was confident he could find something. 'Maybe I could even convince McGonagall or Dumbledore to send me there.'

If you think so. She sounded doubtfully hopeful at his suggestion. I don't think your teachers would feel comfortable with sending someone as important as you to a place they've never been.

Harry considered that. 'Well, maybe not right now, no. But once the winter holiday rolls around maybe. I hear that students get a choice of going to visit friends and family or just stay at the castle. Maybe even over the summer, too. There's no way in hell I'd want to spend it back at Privet Drive.' For once, he might get to experience a good summer that every kid looked forward to.

You're serious about this then? Fragile hope lined her voice.

'Of course, I'm serious. I mean, so long as it's okay with the school and whoever you're with, Yeah. I think it's about time that we met.'

He couldn't see her face, but he could feel her smile.

I'm glad to hear that. As for my guardians, I know that they wouldn't mind.

'And they'd be fine with a kid they've never met before showing up to visit on an island hidden from the rest of the world?'

Relax. I told them about you, they believe me. And let's just say that they were less than pleased about some of your living conditions. Believe me, they want to meet you too.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Next chapter: Following his recovery and dream to meet his closest friend, Harry begins the process of searching for Paradis, gaining a helpful gift along the way. Chapter 9: Search.