Reviews:
Diaspared: Yeah, I got GOT season 8 flashbacks all over again. The whole extermination of Paradis was a bit more fitting of the tone as opposed to the initial end, but even still, the whole execution of the final couple of chapters really felt like the whole plan of the series was a last-minute change.
TheChamp123: I'm certainly glad that a new chapter here can invoke the new episode feeling. I'm just trying to do all the characters justice and make them sound and feel as authentic as possible, writing the drinking scene was probably my favorite of the last chapter. The angst will certainly come, and as for seeing an insight of the AoT world... this chapter might offer just that.
Darkscythe Drake: Happy to be back. I can't speak on how often chapters will come out, I'm also currently working on my own independent story alongside this one so I'm pressed for time as is.
Draedon's Forge: Yeah, it has been a while, but here's a new chapter.
Yoana: No problem! Here's another one.
culpeuslylcal: That is indeed what I'm telling you, and you might be happy during a certain scene this chapter. But no, I have nothing but praise for AoT no Requiem and the team behind it. It was their project to inspired me to keep this fic going after my feelings towards the canon ending.
Austin: Yeah, there were some good moments in the ending, but just the way Eren's character was handled was what my biggest concern was about, as well as several gaping plot holes that were never addressed by any characters in the story. As for if the Tybur family had lived, I think the world would leave Willy and his children alone, but once his kids started to reproduce, I think some action would have been taken there, especially if they still had the Warhammer, the world would want to see it never passed on. As for Isayama, I have massive amounts of respect for the work he created. I'm of the opinion that there was more going on behind the scenes of the final chapters that us readers were not privy to; like in the final chapter, the thank you note was from Isayama's editor and not Isayama himself, so that just leads me to believe other parties had a say in how Isayama handled the finale. Maybe we'll get a different cut once the final anime episode airs. And if there was an aquatic titan, it would probably have been the Beast since every user seems to have a different animal form.
Guest: The cloak will be the most important hallow, as for the others, only the future can see what's in store for them.
VIBING RED: Yeah, and here's the newest one.
A10riddick: Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story
GreenTea4062: Yeah, more people are starting to learn that he has powers not of their world.
Yo: Here's the newest one, happy reading
Winter Tea: Yeah, more people are beginning to know.
Guest: After Eren stopped, he more or less took out about 85% of the outside world. Now that years have passed, the population outside has gone up, but not by great enough numbers. There is a constant fear in the outside world if they are to let their own numbers get too high.
Tenma Kirin: Here's the new chapter
korrd: Glad that you're enjoying. Agree as well, it was basically just Code Geass but not done nowhere near as good. I can rewatch Code Geass and see the progression of Lelouch and ultimate payoff of all his plans, I don't think I can ever do that with AoT knowing how it all ends and how Eren basically had no plan the entire time. Even if his friends could enjoy their lives, he effectively doomed their kids and future generations because he had no plan.
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin is owned by Hajime Isayama. I own nothing.
Chapter 16: Source
The Whomping Willow - that was what Fred and George had called it. Aside from the way it lightly swayed without a breeze seemed the only indication that it was out of the ordinary. And given its relatively isolated location and name, nothing really stuck out about it.
Huh? Harry wondered. It actually doesn't look so bad from here.
A bat flapped by overhead. When it neared the willow, a single branch that had been wilting snapped to life and flicked the mammal from out of the sky. The wooden limb shook itself and returned to hang lifelessly.
'Oh, lovely,' his mental companion supplied.
I still have the cloak on, Harry reminded. It won't be able to see me.
'What about feel you?' she asked. 'Besides, you don't even know if this tree is what you're looking for. For all you know, this could just be a normal, magical willow that-,'
There's an opening.
'Eh?'
Right there! He moved a hand out from the cloak to point exactly where he had seen it.
Indeed, if it had not been for the light supplied by the moon, the opening would have gone completely unnoticed. It was nestled between two of the roots, a hole big enough for a person to fit through into the awaiting darkness below.
The images of Ymir Fritz falling through a hole in her own tree flashed through his mind, his eyes narrowing in on his destination.
Still think that it's normal now?
'Fine, fine! You win this one!' she relented. 'Just, how do you plan on getting to it?'
I'm… going to walk over to it.
'You'll walk?'
Yeah. I'll walk slowly.
'Not if that tree breaks your legs, you won't.'
C'mon, have some faith in me, Harry urged, hoping he could convince himself a little, too. And if whatever's down there can help me fully connect with Paths, you could just instantly heal my broken legs, couldn't you?
'...' Silence. 'Well… let's just hope it doesn't come to that, alright?'
I'm hoping. They are my legs, afterall.
Taking a tentative step forward, Harry approached the Whomping Willow. When the tree made no hostile movements upon his cloaked approach, Harry took another step. The willow remained stationary.
Slowly, ever so carefully, Harry crept ever-closer to the where the gap between the roots awaited. After every other third step, Harry would briefly pause in his advancement to observe the willow; making sure that all of its limbs were firm and stationary.
When he reasoned that he was about two meters from the entrance, he minded his footwork, narrowly avoiding stepping on a fallen twig. He wrapped the cloak around his body tighter as to where it would drag across the ground less. By that point, Harry was basically tip-toeing the rest of the way there.
By the time the entrance was within spitting distance, Harry slowly lowered his body closer to the ground to further examine. It really did look like an empty expanse of darkness.
Is this what she was feeling? All those centuries ago?
With a near-shakey breath, Harry began to reposition himself, letting his legs hang over the edge of the hole while he made ready to slowly ease himself down from up on top. He had no idea how deep this hole went, but if it was like the one the first Ymir had fallen into while avoiding the hunters, he could expect a long fall before hitting a pool of water.
Once Harry felt secure in balancing himself, he moved his legs around to see if he could feel any walls of sorts. As it turned out, he could. His left leg came in contact with a soft, earthy surface. As his moved his leg down further, it wall actually felt that it had a bit of a curve to it. This was good. If it wasn't a straight drop down, he could try snaking down by the curve.
When Harry tried to feel further, his foot came in contact with what felt like a small rock. It lodged free of its position and landed somewhere below with a soft Cla-thunk!
It wasn't a loud noise by any means, but it was enough.
The moonlight gave the shadow an even more twisted nature than it already possessed. The wood began to creak and grind and Harry hazarded to turn his head skyward to see the Willow had a blunt-ended branch raised high directly above where he was situated.
With an almost roarish groan, the heavy limb came flying down at him. But as it neared, the branch seemed more akin to a hungry dog, ready for its next meal.
In that moment, Harry abandoned rational thought and threw his whole body down into the awaiting abyss below.
There was a drop in his stomach when his body collided with the curve of the tunnel, the momentum carrying him down the makeshift slide, before the real dropoff.
"!" Harry's lips let an invisible gasp escape as he fell and-,
"Oof!"
He landed flat on his stomach, not in water, but earthy soil.
'Are you alright?!' her anxious voice filled his head.
Y-yeah, I'm fine. Harry assured as he managed to pull himself to his feet. Just had the wind knocked out of me is all.
He looked back at the dropoff and figured that it was maybe only a little over a meter above the ground of the tunnel he now found himself in. At that height, he could easily climb back up to the curve and sneak back out the mouth of the tunnel as carefully as he could.
Opposite the way he had entered, the tunnel seemed to stretch for an eternity. Growing out from the sides of the walls were varying forms of fungi, some giving off shimmers of bio-luminescent light. It certainly looked different from what the first Ymir had encountered.
Having come too far by this point, Harry pressed on forward.
Even though, he knew he was the only person in this tunnel, Harry kept the invisibility cloak fastened around him. Just because he was the only person, didn't mean he was the only thing down here; and if something as casual as a tree could be a threat, he didn't want to encounter a giant centipede lurking around somewhere under here.
He kept close to the walls, following them on what seemed to be a straightforward path. Ymir was being unnaturally quiet during this underground trek. He had grown accustomed to her comments and self-assured presence, to not hear her talk during such a potential pivotal moment was a bit worrisome. He reasoned that she was probably just as anxious as he was as to what they would find at the end of this tunnel.
And when Harry took those last couple of steps to where the tunnel came to an abrupt end, he wasn't met with a pool of water, no giant parasite, or any other source of magical energy.
Instead, there was a simple wooden ladder that led up to what appeared to be a trapdoor.
'Someone's been here before,' Ymir let her concern be known.
Yeah, you're right, Harry agreed. A ladder just didn't build itself… well, maybe by magic, but that was besides the point. Maybe the Hogwarts Founder's did this.
'You think?'
It's a good a guess as any. Clearly whoever made it didn't want anyone getting here. Why else would they plant that tree at the entrance?
'...Fair enough. Just… just be ready for whatever is on the other side.'
Harry pulled out one of his two wands for further emphasis. Taking his first step on the ladder, Harry then began his ascension.
Giving a push to the trapdoor above, Harry was met with the sight of… an old house?
Carefully closing the door behind him as to avoid any creaking, Harry soon found his worry was misplaced as the entire foundation of the house seemed to creak and grind anyhow. And perhaps labeling this place as a house was a bit generous; it seemed more akin to an abondoned shack than a home anyone would willingly live in.
A single look around let Harry know that this place was completely devoid of life, save for himself. Old furniture was littered around with little rhyme or reason; a large build-up of dust nearly caused him to sneeze. But, by far the most inhospitable thing had to be the multitude of slash and claw marks on the floors and walls of this place.
Perhaps some dog, or vicious creature had once stumbled along in here and decided to make this place their own personal chewing ground. There weren't any stains of red near the claw marks, the only thing keeping it from resembling a horror or crime scene.
'I, uh, guess we know why they didn't want anybody coming here,' she shyly offered.
Maybe, Harry replied as he walked around the decaying shack. He came across a staircase leading to a second floor and took a tentative step forward.
'You're going deeper into the murder shack?'
I just want to look around, Harry informed. I don't want to come back here if I miss anything.
'Yeah well… that's just… ugh!' she groaned. 'Just promise to make it fast, alright? This place is starting to creep me out.'
She needn't say any more.
Climbing the rest of the way up the rickety staircase, Harry came upon the bedrooms. Much like the scene downstairs, this one was no better.
The bed and pillows were ripped and torn apart, the vanity mirror, shattered into hundreds of fragments, and all over the walls and the door - the same claw marks matching the ones seen from downstairs.
Stepping past a couple shards of glass, Harry opened the drawers on the desk, or rather, opened them as best he could without making the desk collapse. He had hoped to find some papers or some sort of record of how or why a tunnel connected this shack to Hogwarts grounds, but was met with only dust and cobwebs.
'Nothing?' she asked.
Nothing. Harry closed the drawer, a bit more forcefully than he intended, causing it to break free from its position on the desk. He hardly felt himself caring if it made a loud noise or not.
'Careful!' she chided.
Of what? Getting a splinter? Harry met the mental challenge. No one is here but me.
'Don't ghosts exist at Hogwarts?'
All the ghosts there are harmless, except for maybe Peeves. Besides, I'm not even in Hogwarts right now.
'All the more reason then.'
Harry shook his head, not wanting to argue with her on the matter any further. Although, he was a bit curious as to where this rundown shack was exactly. He went over to one of the fractured windows and cleared away some dust and grime from the glass. It was a bit difficult to see given the dark of night, but there were some distinguishable shapes that he could discern.
The sharp outlines and angles signified that there were buildings of some kind a fair distance away from where this shack was. Out of thoses shapes, one actually still held some semblance of light from within, a thin trail of smoke rising from the chimney. With how close it was to some of the others, Harry could only assume that he was looking at the outline of Hogsmead Village, a site permitted to visit to only those in third-year and above.
The village wasn't that far from the castle, but coming in from the underground tunnel made him feel that his walk had been much longer than that. He turned away from the sight.
'Heading back?' she sounded hopeful.
I'm heading out of here, Harry replied. There is somewhere else I want to check.
By the time he walked the tunnel a second time, climbed out as quietly as he could, stealthed his way past the homicidal willow, the moon seemed to be ready to start making a decline in the night sky. Harry figured there was still plenty of time to look where he wanted and make it back to the castle before anyone would notice before morning arrived.
Instead of going toward the castle, Harry stayed to the left and passed by Hagrid's hut where, even from the outside he was able to hear the giant man snoring. His destination lay just beyond the pumpkin patch.
'The Forbidden Forest?' her voice becoming more frantic. 'You're going in there at night?'
I'm just thinking of what Hagrid told me the one day, Harry recalled. He said there was a part of the forest where none of the creatures went. Some force or something must be keeping them away for some reason, right? What if that's what I'm looking for?
'And you're just going to… what? Comb through the entire forest?'
If that's what it takes. He started walking towards the tree line.
'Wait!' she urged. 'Wouldn't it make more sense if you at least had an idea of where you're going first? That forest is huge!'
Hagrid said something about the creatures avoiding a spot near the center of the woods. That's where I'll head. Look, there's even a path.
The till of land leading from Hagrid's pumpkin patch to the forest was less a path and a more civilized style of ground. He could almost feel Ymir's annoyance growing.
'And you think you'll find… wherever this spot is tonight?'
No, not tonight! Harry defended. I just… just…
What exactly did he expect to find?
From the pieces of the puzzle he had, Harry could only put together a faint outline, leaving the middle a jumbled mess. And if whatever piece lay somewhere in this forest, Harry knew she was right and that there was no way he could search the entire forest in only a few short hours. But… what was stopping him from coming back?
How about this, Harry proposed. I won't check the entire forest or go too deep.
'Go on…'
I'll stay to the path and mark trees to know where I've been and come back another night to pick up where I left off. How's that sound?
'Sounds more reasonable than you've been acting,' she teased. 'But it's your body. I'm just spectating and trying to keep you alive until I can smother you with a hug.'
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
He stepped forward into the Forbidden Forest.
After Hagrid's hut had disappeared from sight, Harry could understand why the school was keen to keep the students out of the forest. It was huge.
The trees seemed to grow until they blended together with the darkened sky, letting little to no moonlight to shine through the canopy at all. Harry was ready with both wands, casting a basic light spell so he could stay as close to the barely-existing path as possible. If any creature saw his lights, Harry hoped that they would just be dismissed as brighter than average fireflies. If not, he still had the cloak on him.
After every 50 meters or so, Harry would stop and use the cutting jinx to carve a mark into the bark of a tree. How many times he did this, Harry had honestly lost count after he had passed 20. And the deeper he went, he found himself pausing more frequently.
Him stopping had less to do with marking his progression, and more to do with the forest itself.
The further he went, the more alive the forest seemed to become. He was hearing noises from all directions. There were the sounds of hooves, sounds of leaves being crushed, a squawk or a chirp from up above or off to the side, and the occasional howl or two. Even the trees themselves seemed to make their own noises if he listened close enough. It wasn't anything like the Whomping Willow, or so he hoped.
When Harry had marked his latest tree, he felt a tingle run down his spine, ducking his head just as the creature that had been flying overhead came in for a landing near a small pond.
Harry tucked his wands inside the sleeves of his robe as to not alert the winged creature of his invisible presence. Even without the light from his wands, Harry was close enough to get a good look at the thing.
It had the wings, face, and talons of an eagle of some sort on its front half, and the legs of a horse. He almost mistook it for a griffin, except that griffins were supposed to have parts of a lions body somewhere on them. He didn't know what to call this thing except for fierce. And when it raised its head and its golden eye passed by where he stood invisible, Harry figured that it was a fitting description.
Once the fierce creature had taken to flight once again, Harry continued on his way as well.
Not too long after witnessing the magical hybrid, did Harry have to pause yet again after making a tree. A nearby cr-ikk! The sound of a stick being snapped. Even with the small light from the end of his wands, Harry had to squint to discern what awaited him beyond the shadow.
The light he produced then reflected off a pair of large, glassy eyes. They stared directly where he was shining the light.
Tucking his wands away, Harry backed up until he felt his back press against the closest tree that he had recently marked. With his cloak shielding him from observation, the thing that those eyes belonged to began to walk in his direction.
When it was near enough, Harry stared at the beast in mild confusion.
He instantly recognized it as one of the skeletal horses that had pulled the carriages they had ridden on for the journey to the castle. Harry knew he hadn't been going mad when he had seen them, and here was one now as living proof.
The winged horse bent its head and sniffed at the ground. It used its hooves and snout to brush past the dirt and soil until a mole poked its head out from underneath. The rodent squeaked and quickly scurried to find a new spot to burrow into.
It merely watched the rodent scamper off into the woods before a echoing neigh got its attention. Two bigger beasts stepped out from behind the trees. Their calf, most likely, galloped over to its parents and trotted off with them as a unit through the forest.
After that brief encounter, Harry continued on for some time, staying as close to hte path as he could, which proved more difficult as he progressed. The path was nearly nonexistent at this point, and Harry just did his best to not get tripped up by the overgrown roots that sprouted in all directions.
Harry honestly felt that he could have gotten further, but after the willow and this lengthy trek, the fatigue was finally setting in for him. Marking one final tree, Harry turned around and followed the path he had marked for himself.
'Finally had enough?'
For now. I feel like I'm about to pass out on my feet.
'I'll bet. I actually feel a little guilty.'
Guilty? Harry repeated. What for?
'While you were scouting the area out, I was sorta drifting in and out of sleep. Sorry.'
Ah, I see. No wonder you were so quiet.
'Well, I can't be watching through you all of the time,' she defended. 'I have a body of my own that I need to attend to every now and again.'
Yeah, fair enough. He walked in silence for a bit longer. But if you're awake now, do you mind just talking to me for a bit? Just enough to keep me awake and on my feet.
'Hm. I think I can manage that. You walking through a forest like this, its almost like the Survey Corps going to take back Wall Maria.'
And so she told him that story. The scouts then had moved in the cover of night since Titans were active during the day from the energy the sun provided. They had led their horses through the woods at the base of a mountain before arriving outside of Shighanshina in the early hours of the morning. What's more, Eren and a majority of his friends had apparently all been a part of said operation. Harry smiled softly to himself at that. Maybe once he was able to go to sleep, he would dream of that exact moment in time.
But as Harry began to near the beginning of his trail, the darkness around him had seemed to lessen. One look up above let him be privy as to why. Faint rays of sunlight were starting to poke through the thinning canopy overhead. Unlike those scouts, he was running a bit late.
Crap! Harry cursed himself as he picked up his pace, hurrying now to exit this forest. He had at least hoped to catch maybe an hour or two of sleep before he joined everyone for breakfast, but that would have to wait until he had a free period.
By the time he had finally exited the forest, smoke was already rising from the chimney of Hagrid's hut, the morning dew had already set, and the sun was already clearing away any lingering remnants of dark indigo sky.
Feeling a last bit surge of energy, Harry made a beeline bolt up the slope to where Hogwarts castle rested peacefully. He started to feel a burn in his side when he estimated he was ¾ of the way there.
His hand reached out, grabbed the entry door, and hurriedly opened it just a crack for him to slip through and close it shut behind him.
Looking at the entry clock, he saw that breakfast should already be in session. Sure, it would be more than halfway over by now, but that would be enough time to grab something to counter his fatigue. He might fall asleep in class, but that was what History of Magic was for.
Finally taking the invisibility cloak off and stuffing it in his bag, Harry walked over to the doors of the great hall. Late arrivals weren't too uncommon. With any luck, he could slip in and grab a seat.
When he opened the doors, Harry saw that there was no need to worry about finding an empty seat at the Gryffindor table - it was empty. All of the tables were empty. The only people in the hall now were gathered around the staff table.
All the heads of houses were there, along with all of the school prefects; Harry easily spotted Percy Weasley's red hair. Filch was present with Mrs. Norris as well, looking as haggard as always. And Dumbledore was presnet, too, of course.
The door to the hall shut behind him. At once, all sets of eyes locked on to the second-year student. Harry just stood there, his eyes not sure who to focus on or for what reason.
"Potter?" McGonagall was the first to break what seemed to be the eternal silence.
"Potter!" Snape spoke soon after, nowhere near as bewildered as the former.
They were converging in on him now, professors, prefects, Filch, everyone. He remained stock still, hoping that if he didn't move, he would have no need of an invisibility cloak.
"Thank Merlin!" McGonagall relieved. It didn't last long before her typical stern appearance took over. "Where exactly have you been, Potter?"
"I'm… I'm sorry, professor?" Harry plainly asked.
"Don't play coy, Potter," Snape leered. "You were unaccounted for this morning and during the start of breakfast. A castle-wide search was put into place. What a way to start the new school year - strutting about the castle as if you own it."
"I wasn't strutting the castle!" Harry defended. I ran. "I was just… in the restroom. My stomach didn't feel too good."
"I don't think so, Harry." It was Percy who spoke. "One of your roommates reported you unaccounted for when everyone woke up. All students were ordered back to their dorms until you were found. Us prefects and teachers lready searched all of the lavatories - you weren't there."
Harry now fully understood why the twins treated Percy as they did.
"Wandering about the castle at night, no doubt," Filch eyed him. "They always think they're being sly; not this time, Potter."
"No!" Harry tried not to falter. "I just… woke up earlier than everyone else, I had a nightmare and went to use the restroom and by then, it was basically morning. I just… decided to walk around until I felt better."
"How poignant," Snape stared him down. "And during this little walk of yours, you somehow managed to evade everyone who was searching for you? Even some of the ghosts?"
"...I…"
"Yes?" Snape awaited his answer.
"I can't speak for anyone who was looking for me, but maybe they just didn't care to look hard enough."
The black of Snape's eyes became barely visible as he narrowed in. "Then perhaps you wouldn't care to a month's detention and a fifty point deduction."
Before the triumph could fully set in on Snape's face, Dumbledore intervened. "I do believe this is all enough excitement for one morning." His blue eyes shone with a faint twinkle.
"Headmaster, term has barely begun and Potter is already breaking school rules. Surely a punishment is in order?"
Dumbledore met gazes with the potions master. "Indeed. A punishment that his head of house is more than capable of sentencing." McGonagall gave a curt nod.
"Things do not look in your favor, Potter," she began. "While it is clear that you were unsupervised before normal hours, there's no evidence that you weren't feeling unwell. Still, two weeks detention with me, and a thirty point deduction seems more than adequate."
It was better than what Snape had suggested. He nodded. "Right. Thank you, Professor."
"Oh, don't thank me," McGonagall cautioned. "Because of you, Gryffindor is in the negative number range. I don't believe your classmates will be too thrilled once they see."
That was also true. But Harry doubted they would stay that way for long with someone like Hermione in their class.
"I do believe that settles things," Dumbledore smiled. Snape glowered. "Prefects, please bring the students back so they may finish their breakfast before classes begin. Professor McGonagall, would you please escort Harry up to the infarmary? He does look in dire need of some rest. I will be there shortly."
"Of course." McGonagall gave a curt nod and motioned for Harry to follow.
McGonagall did not say much to him during the walk, only briefly chatting with the matron of the medical ward about the situation and then informing Harry that his detention with her would begin the following week. She then left him in Madam Pomfrey's care and returned back down the assembly in the great hall.
Madam Pomfrey led him over to one of the beds along the wall and bade him not to get too comfortable just yet. Dumbledore would be up soon to check in on him. The news didn't exactly bring comfort to him.
Roughly ten minutes later, the doors to the ward opened, and Dumbledore stood there with his vibrant vermillion robes. "Good morning, Poppy," he greeted the matron.
"An apt way of putting it," she replied. "Term has barely begun and I'm already getting visitors."
"It'll only worsen once quidditch begins," Dumbledore smiled.
"Repairing a few broken bones is a simple enough task; even more simple to prescribe something to a boy with nightmares and fatigue."
"I'll leave that in your hands, then. Would you mind giving Harry and I a moment?"
She nodded and retreated back to her office. Both Headmaster and student shared a glance of silence.
Dumbledore pulled over a chair and sat near the foot of his bed. For someone as eccentric and colorful as Dumbledore presented himself to be, he seemed puzzled by how he should begin. He settled with a simple: "How are you feeling, Harry?"
Harry turned his head to only briefly meet the older wizards gaze. "How do you mean?"
The aged wizard pondered. "That was a rather broad question. Forgive me. I just meant to ask if you were alright; that you are uninjured."
"I'm not hurt," Harry simply answered. "Why?" How much did he actually know?
"Because I would have failed as a headmaster if you had gotten hurt," Dumbledore softly replied. To that, Harry chose to reply.
"What about last year, then?" Harry briefly met the elder wizard's gaze. "You had that stone kept here when you knew someone was out to steal it. I ended up right here after I stopped Voldemort from getting it."
Dumbledore just nodded. "A gross oversight on my end. You've suffered enough in life to have had to deal with a burden such as that. And you dealt with it in a rather unorthodox manner." Dumbledore cocked his head. "A method in which you seemed to have been practicing over the summer."
Harry's brows narrowed. "You were watching me?"
"Not directly, and only to ensure that you were safe," Dumbledore answered. "After your declaration at the end of last semester, no doubt that whatever wards were in place around Privet Drive have failed." Well there was a happy thought.
"I won't be going back there after term ends," Harry informed. "I don't care what you say to try and make me - I'm not going back."
Blue eyes lowered behind their spectacles. "Leaving you there was another oversight. One that I had perhaps put too much faith in. Even if you were kept there under magical watch, I've no doubt that it would be unsuccessful. Still, Hogwarts will always be home to those in need. And a number of wizarding families would no doubt accept you into their homes if need be."
"Just like the Potters did?"
He stared the headmaster directly in the eye. Harry could feel a warm pressure building behind his, a pressure that only grew stronger as the twinkle in the elder's eyes dimmed to a speck of sand in an ocean.
"Harry…"
"Are you still not going to tell me why?" Harry demanded. "You don't think that I can handle the truth?"
"It is not your ability to handle the truth that I doubt; merely my ability to relay it."
The teeth in Harry's mouth found themselves biting the inside of his cheeks. If he bid hard enough, would a golden bolt of lightning strike him? He wanted that to happen. In this moment, Harry wanted nothing more than to transform into a Titan here and now. He would pick Dumbledore up with one hand and make him tell the truth.
As a light iron taste hit his tongue, there was no reaction.
"I do not ask that you understand my apprehension," Dumbledore sighed. "I merely hope that you consider what I have told you from the end of last semester."
"That just sounds like you're afraid of the truth yourself." The metallic taste had yet to dissipate.
Now it was Dumbledore who refused to meet his gaze. "Much like love, the truth can be equally relieving as it is ugly."
He felt his heart beating inside his throat. "I guess I wouldn't know either."
Dumbledore looked at him with unspoken sorrow. Whatever it was he was going to say next, he decided against it. They sat in silence for a moment longer.
"...You still seek a way back?" Dumbledore broke the silence.
"Are you going to try and stop me?" Just what sort of game was the Headmaster playing at?
"I thought I said before: if there is such a way, I've no doubt that you would find it." The twinkle briefly returned to his eye at the memory. "That was no doubt the objective of your expedition last night."
"..." Harry said nothing. His silence spoke volumes.
"Hogwarts has no shortages of hidden secrets and riddles, but I am not one to say if any would be of benefit to you. The only thing I can recommend is perhaps a good night's rest - or, in this case, a days rest." He called for Madam Pomfrey.
"All set, Headmaster?" she asked, a blue vial in hand.
"I do believe so," Dumbledore accepted the vial from the matron. "With your clearance, I'll escort young Harry here back to his dormatory."
"Hm. Yes, yes." She agreed. "All he needs is rest, what bed he's in for that is just a preference by now."
Dumbledore nodded. "Well, then, if you'll follow me, Harry."
With little option of refusal, Harry got up and followed after the wizard.
They seemed to arrive back outside the portrait of the Fat Lady faster than usual. The stairs seemed to lead them right to it, perhaps a perk of being headmaster of the school. Harry expected Dumbledore to leave once he was inside, but that was not the case.
He followed Harry into the now deserted commonroom.
"You'll be excused for your classes for the day," Dumbledore informed. "You'll have to ask a classmate to fill you in on what you've missed." He presented the vial to Harry. "Here. Drink this and rest."
"What is it?" Harry eyed the indigo liquid within.
"A sleeping potion," Dumbledore handed it to him. "In but a few short minutes, you'll feel the effects and enjoy a peaceful and dreamless sleep."
"I don't want this." Harry held the vial away from him. Dumbledore tilted his head.
"You are exhausted, Harry." And he certainly felt it. "Surely you know that whatever goals you have, you will not be able to accomplish them in such a weakened state."
Despite being right, Harry felt like shouting back at the man. He wouldn't even be exhausted if he was where he actually belonged. Still, he held onto the potion.
"...I'll take it in bed," Harry told him.
"You can take it now," Dumbledore countered. "It would put my conscious at ease to know you've taken it."
With heavy hands, Harry uncorked the potion and downed it all in one swig. It tasted a bit like water, but with a more sugary finish to it. Dumbledore sighed.
"I recommend you go to your bed now. The effects will start momentarily." And with that, he turned and exited the common room.
Practically dragging his feet up the staircase, Harry pushed open the door the the second-year dorm and slugged his way over to his bed.
Almost there.
He could feel his head start to loll to the side.
Harry walked past his bed and opened the window to the outside.
Sticking his head out, Harry prepped himself for the worst. Closing his eyes, Harry readied two fingers and stuck them down his throat until he felt his gag reflex trigger.
*Ggrruuuhh!*
Harry heaved as he retched the contents of his stomach out, which weren't that much. He coughed and gagged a few more times until he was sure that he had gotten everything. The hazy effect of the potion was already starting to dissipate, leaving him with the regular feeling of fatigue as before.
There it is. Harry slumped down against the wall.
'There "what" is?' Ymir's voice returned to him. 'What even was that just now?!'
I… I had to do that. He wiped some saliva away from his mouth as he crawled into his bed. I wouldn't be able to sleep right if I didn't.
'You wouldn't be able to sleep from a sleeping potion?' she was clearly puzzled. 'Did you throw up your brain, too?'
It's what Dumbledore said, Harry explained. I'd sleep without dreams.
'Dreams? You mean… memories.'
Exactly. He pulled the covers over himself and rested his head on the pillow. That's the only way I can even come close to seeing you and everyone else.
And sleep took him. The dream came with it.
It was hard to see at first. There was so much smoke in the air that it obscured everything else. Wait. No, it wasn't smoke - it was steam. A lot of steam at that.
The sound of flapping wings soared into existence and parted the steam so that a winged Titan of sorts was able to land on the barren ground. In the distance, a rocky plateau resided; some base-like structure was visible from here on the ground.
The feathered Titan lowered a wing to let off a young girl with a rifle, a blonde woman, and people he recognized as Jean and Connie and another woman with long dark hair. Out of all of them, Jean was the first to act.
"Mikasa! Armin!" he yelled out. "We're over here! Are you guys alright?!"
From the corner of the vision, a few more figures could be identified walking into view. One he identified as Armin, the other was a young woman with short black hair and traits of oriential features. A faint scar was barely visible under one of her eyes and despite the seemingly arid environment they were in, wore a scarf loosely around her neck. Both of them looked utterly exhausted.
"We're here, Jean." Armin called back. The two of them walking over to join with the others. "You guys, is everyone-?"
Before Armin could finish, Jean had quickly enveloped the shorter male, his arms wrapping around for an embrace. Armin appeared stunned at first, but reached up to wrap an arm around the taller and gave a few pats to his shoulder.
Jean released Armin from his hold and now faced Mikasa. His longer face tried to form a reassuring smile of sorts, but even he seemed to realize that wasn't what was needed. His mouth opened to try and speak, but words failed him as well. He simply just walked over to her and embraced her as well, albeit more tender than he had been with Armin.
Mikasa didn't react at first, she just stood still as before. Eventually, her head tilted to rest on his shoulder and she slowly returned the embrace herself. When Jean finally stepped back, he carefully observed her. There seemed to be more that he wanted to say, to do to comfort this girl, but his musings were cut short by a heavy thud.
Coming into view out of the steam cloud was a 15 meter Titan. It had snow-white hair and Its body was clad in whitish-yellow plating; at least, it was supposed to be. Many of the armored plating along its right side seemed to have cracked or been stripped away, exposing the softer flesh and muscle underneath. The plate covering its jaw lowered and the Titan opened its mouth to let a hiss of fiery steam escape. Its golden eyes began to flicker and dim. The Armored Titan fell down to its knees and collapsed with its back to the sky.
Kra-psssshhhhh!
The plate that had been covering its neck was blown clean off, allowing for the man inside the nape to emerge in another wave of steam. His tall, broad build wearily climbed down from his Titan before he collapsed to his knees as well.
"Reiner!" The young girl dropped her rifle and ran over to where the man had emerged. She offered him a shoulder to lean on, rather awkwardly, too, considering she was much smaller than him.
The man - Reiner, looked down at the young girl. Relieved exhaustion on his face. His short, blonde hair was disheveled, and his legs wobbled as he tried to straighten himself. He placed a large hand on the girl's head.
"You're okay."
"Y-yeah, but you're not!" she observed.
"I'll… be alright," Reiner tried his best to assure her. "There are still some things that I have to do."
"Reiner," it was Armin who called him. The taller blonde gave a nod of acknowledgment. "That worm - er, parasite, is it… did we kill it?"
"We better have," Reiner grunted as he struggled to fully stand. "The Titans have stopped moving." Reiner looked past where he was seeing this scene play out. "That had to have done something." His expression was hard to read. "And… what about Eren? Is he…?"
"I don't know."
It was Mikasa who finally spoke.
"I tried getting close to his head, tried to talk to him, reach him somehow. I don't think he was here."
"B-but it all stopped," Armin tried to assure her. "Now that his Titan body collapsed, we can find him."
"Or we can just try asking." Someone new spoke up.
"Captain!" those dressed in military gear turned to see the man approaching.
Of all the males, he was the shortest, despite sounding older and more mature than all of them. His short, black hair was done in an undercut, and a sharp steel-blue eye was visible behind the bandages that covered his face. With his hand that was missing a few fingers, he was dragging a taller man by the hair. He roughly tossed the man to the ground.
The man was naked from the waist up. He was in good physical shape, but resting at the foot of the Captain, he might as well have been an ant. His bearded face still held traces of youth, probably being no older than 30 at the least. Despite that fact, his blonde hair and beard seemed to be going white faster than they should've.
"Is that…?"
"The Warchief," the dark-haired woman identified him. "Zeke Yeager."
Zeke lifted his head. "I'm not quite sure that title still applies to me, Pieck. Let someone else carry that with them. So long as there's humanity, wars will need someone to lead them."
The Captain aimed a kick at Zeke. "Don't go getting too comfortable there, Monkey-Boy. You've got a lot to answer for as well."
Zeke's dull, green eyes stared up at the shorter man. "I'm surprised that you haven't killed me yet, Levi. You're a pretty particular man; do you mean to count all the hairs on my ass before you fulfill your mission?"
"You're sounding awfully eager there, Beardy," Levi stared down at the man. "Maybe I'll just take a piece of you at a time."
"Yes… you were proficient at that before," a grimace passed over Zeke's face. "Either way, do as you will, Captain. It's just human nature to never learn from past mistakes."
Levi examined the blade of one of his swords. "That eager, huh?"
He swung the blade down, a smooth arc straight for Zeke.
"Oh?" Levi halted his blade. The tip of metal only lightly pressing into Zeke's neck. A thin trail of blood seeped out. Zeke just stared at the ground. "Not even a flinch, huh?"
"Life is just evolution," Zeke spoke to no one. "I evolved my beliefs one way; Eren, another. Why waste time trying to save a species that doesn't want to be saved?"
"Mister Zeke." Armin walked over to him.
Zeke watched him. "Oh, you're that Armin boy. Eren's friend."
"Yes, that's me," Armin nodded. "Mister Zeke… you were in that huge Titan body with Eren, weren't you?"
"In a more metaphysical sense," Zeke replied. "I only made contact with Eren's head after young Gabi there shot it off with a rifle."
"You know where Eren is?" Armin asked.
"Why?" Zeke asked. "What do you intend to do with my brother?"
"We just want to talk with him," Armin pressed.
Zeke blinked dispassionately. "The blood trailing down my neck from your comrade suggests otherwise. Forgive me if I don't believe you."
"You're defending him?" it was the girl - Gabi that asked. "Even after he used you for his own gain, you're going to defend him? Why?!"
A more sympathetic look passed over those green eyes. "What of your cousin, Gabi?" Zeke asked. "He betrayed the trust of the people of Paradis and here he stands now, united with their soldiers. While you were in their custody, did you reveal anything to who you perceived as the 'enemy?'"
Gabi was silent.
"Eren is your family, I understand that," Armin tried again. "The only one that you have left."
Zeke eyed him with what seemed like pity. "Eren is my family. He isn't my only family."
"I don't think your grandparents will still view you as the golden grandson anymore - if they're still alive," Levi put his blade under Zeke's chin.
"Hm," Zeke blinked. "Given what you know, it would only appear to be that way."
Levi planted his foot on Zeke's chest, pinning him down. "Commander Arlet is trying to civil with you, you dirty ape. Do the smart thing and start talking sense."
Still, Zeke only spoke with malaise. "I wasn't the only person Eren kept his true intentions from." He gazed solemnly at the sky. "Father was right. It all went Eren's way. Maybe that's for the better."
"You… you don't care for your euthanization plan?" Armin asked.
"Death has always been a freedom from life," Zeke stated. "But… I think I saw it. That scenery that Eren spoke of, the one he showed to our father. He and I bore those shackles since our birth. Those lives that he cherishes… there will be none. They will be free."
"What lives? Ours?" Armin questioned. "Mister Zeke… please… if Eren is dead then-,"
"My brother has more than just the Attack and Founding Titan, you know," Zeke mentioned.
…
And the scene began to change. He was encased in something - a crystal of sorts. The angular edges were almost disorientating. His head hurt. Almost as if it had regrown on his body.
With a single thought, the crystal began to crack. Shards of hardened Titanized material blasted forward as he began to step out of his incubator. His hand raised up to feel his head, making sure that it was properly secured to his body. It was.
Even if it was night out where he had emerged from, the devastation from a previous battle was evident by the craters, bullet holes, and collapsed infrastructure of several buildings. Massive amounts of debris lay in waste around this town.
"I guess I should thank you, Lara Tybur," he spoke to himself. "Your ability was much appreciated."
And from the devastation, he turned his back and walked away.
By the time Harry felt his eyes fluttering open from the first rays of sunlight, the dream had ended. It always seemed to end just as things were becoming clear. He stirred from his slumber. That light really was too bright.
Sunrise?
Had he really slept until the next morning?
"Blimey! He's awake!"
Turning his head, he saw that his dormmates had all gotten out of their beds and were now crowded around his. Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, they all converged on him.
"Told you he wasn't dead," Dean said.
"I never said he was!" Seamus argued. "I just said he looked dead."
"That isn't what I heard," Neville meekly joined in.
"Thanks, Nev" Dean nodded. "Pay up." he held out his hand to Seamus who groaned and handed over two sickles.
"You gave us a right good scare, mate!" Ron patted his shoulder. "McGonagall told us not to disturb you, but to wake you once tomorrow came around."
"Now tomorrow is today, and you're already awake," Seamus explained.
"Just in time, too," Ron said. "Breakfast is going to be served soon."
"Yeah, you weren't too happy when it got cut short yesterday," Seamus reminded the other boy.
Ron's ears turned a brighter shade. "I'm a growing boy, I have to eat." He turned to Harry. "Anyway, you coming down this time?"
He wiped some sleep from his eyes. "You lot aren't upset?"
"About yesterday?" Ron asked. "I mean, I was at first, but we ended up having a bigger lunch and dinner yesterday too because of it." Yeah, that would put Ron in a good mood.
"And Hermione already worked hard enough to get Gryffindor out of the negative range," Neville added. "I'd stay clear of her today if I were you. She didn't seem too happy about it."
Ron waved dismissively. "She likes answering questions. Besides, we got Professor Sprout today, you'll be sure to get some points for us." He paused. "But, er, Neville's got a point, mate. Some other Gryffindor's might give you the cold shoulder for a bit. That Malfoy git is sure to run his mouth eventually."
Harry was on good enough ground with Malfoy to know that the blonde ponce would actually thank him for putting Slytherin ahead so early before demanding to know what exactly he had done to do so. It was one of the last things on his mind right now.
"Yeah, I bet." Harry and the others got changed and made ready to head out.
The common room was mostly empty, but once the students saw Harry coming down, conversations immediately went silent. Ginny, who was writing contently in a journal, instantly closed it as Harry walked past. She tried for a simple greeting but ended up just nodding her head.
It was all very awkward until a pair of voices called out.
"Sneaking out?"
"Detention already?"
"Are you trying to one-up us?"
Fred and George comedically demanded.
Their antics drew a few chuckles from the otherwise hostile Gryffindor crowd, which Harry was thankful for. They ruffled his hair as they passed.
"Detention with McGonagall we heard," Fred held the portrait open.
"Just be careful to not fall asleep on her," George advised as they exited.
Any hostility in the common room was a mere prelude to when he actually entered the great hall.
All eyes were on him, following his every footstep. Some Slytherin boys gave mocking claps to him as he walked past the aisles to the Gryffindor table. No one moved over to offer him a seat as they had always done before, not that he had ever accepted. The older students shook their heads in disappointment as he passed.
The group of second-year boys eventually found a spot close to Lavender and Pavarti. Sitting close by was Hermione. Ron shot him a quick apology glance. Harry just shrugged and they took their seats. No sooner had they done so and the two biggest gossips had already swarmed over to him.
"Harry!" they both cried.
"Is it true that you found a secret passage that leads everywhere in the school?"
"That isn't what I heard. He found a secret room and defeated a troll, like he did last year."
"Where'd you hear that from?"
"My sister in Ravenclaw. And she heard it from-,"
Harry did his best to tune them out and focused on getting some food in his stomach. As he did, Percy stopped over and handed him his class period list for the semester as McGonagall had entrusted to him. Harry barely had time to read his paper over before a bright camera flash went off.
It belonged to a first-year Gryffindor who introduced himself as Colin Kreevy and was eagerly awaiting a handshake and another picture. Harry turned back around to his breakfast.
"Do you lot think we were that annoying as first-years?" Lavender asked as Colin went to go look at the picture he had taken of Harry.
Seamus opened his mouth. "Do you mean you or just in general?" He had a sausage link tossed at him for that.
"Still," Pavarti continued on. "I can kind of understand. After all, Harry, you do have more than a few… admirers." She and Lavender both shared a giggle at that.
"The year's barely started and you're already going on adventures. And we still never found out what happened on the third floor or Professor Quirrell."
"Hmmph!" from her seat, Hermione had closed the book she had been reading. "Adventure is hardly an apt word to describe yesterday." She promptly finished her toast, shook her head disapprovingly at Harry, and exited the hall.
"Huh. I thought she'd be angrier." Ron watched her leave.
When the bell tolled, breakfast was dismissed and classes began in full session.
As Ron had predicted earlier, Neville earned them a fair heap of points during their herbology lesson which involved repotting plants known as Mandrakes. They screamed when pulled up, and one student actually fainted from its cries.
Potions were dreadful, as always. Snape had never been the most pleasant person before, but after Harry had failed to be punished as he had seen fit, he was more than keen on just docking points for the smallest of things. Even as Hermione answered all the questions and brewed the potion as instructed, Snape docked points from her for "not letting other students participate." He seemed intent on getting Gryffindor back into the negatives, if it was possible to do so twice.
History of Magic was completely unchanged and Harry found himself taking a nap, same with over half of the class.
DADA was a different experience.
Unlike the stuttering mess Quirrell had been, Lockhart wanted all eyes on him. He posed at the front of the class and passed out a surprise pop quiz on the first day.
"Here you go, Mr. Potter," Lockhart handed him his quiz. "You've no doubt read my books so I know you'll be fine, just as you were after your little excursion the other night." He flashed a smile that almost blinded Harry. "Spotlight can be fickle, that is why we must share it when we can."
Poser, Harry thought as he look at the quiz. Sure enough, all the questions had to do with Lockhart and his various "achievements" or just random personal questions such as his favorite color.
Not seeing a point to this, Harry just wrote down anything that came to his mind. He doubted Lockhart would grade anything that wasn't 100% correct about himself. And after their little quiz, Lockhart seemed keen on giving a proper demonstration. He brought out a cage of blue pixies and "accidentally" let them loose while trying to explain how to contain them.
Needless to say, but the class ended after that.
And for a time, things fell back into a normal loop.
He would go to class, dream about finding a way home, and when night came around again, Harry would don the cloak and venture back out to where he had left off in the forest. After his tardiness on the first night, Harry always made sure to arrive back in his bed before the sun had risen. He came to find the best time to explore the forest was during the free weekend days when it was still light out and he had more time to explore.
During one such excursion, Harry had to backtrack on where he had explored on account of stumbling upon a web of giant spiders dwelling within. He wasn't as afraid of spiders and Ron, and apparently Ymir, but these were the size of hounds, and Harry knew how violent those could be.
Even when it came time for his detention with McGonagall, it wasn't as horrible as it could have been. She just had him writing lines of "I mustn't act foolheartedly," over and over again each night he was with her. And that became his schedule.
Sleep, wake, class, detention, explore.
His homework was often only half complete, or not at all.
Sleep, wake, class, detention, explore.
"Did you see, Potter?" Draco asked during one of their meetings. "The new Nimbus 2001! My father bought them for the entire team. Only the best for their newest seeker."
Sleep, wake, class, detention, explore.
"Look, Ginny, here he comes."
"He looks tired, doesn't he?"
"Why don't you offer him to sit next to you? He might fall asleep and rest on your shoulder."
"S-shut it!" Ginny told the other girls in the library as Harry walked past. She hoped he had not spotted her writing his name in her new magical journal.
Luna poked her head from around a bookshelf. "Hello, Ginny. I thought that was your voice. You wouldn't happen to have seen my left shoe, have you?"
Ginny's two dormmates turned to her. "You know her, Ginny?"
Sleep, wake, class, detention, explore.
"I do believe your two weeks are up, Mr. Potter."
McGonagall collected his completed parchment. "Do try and improve yourself this semester, Potter. I've heard that your marks are declining in several of your classes - mine included. Are you getting enough rest? You look exhausted?"
"I've never felt better, Professor."
Sleep, wake, class, explore.
"Ah, finally, another weekend!" Ron collapsed under the tree by the shore of the Black Lake. A red tentacle poked the surface. "You coming to the quidditch game today?" Ron asked him. "Even with those new brooms, I still think Gryffindor has a shot of taking Malfoy down a peg or two."
"I'm not really feeling it today," Harry said, his eyes wandering towards the forest. "I'm behind on my assignments. I want to work on those first."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Snape's essay getting you down, too? I'll tell you about the game later then. See you back in the common room, mate."
He watched as Ron made his way down to the quidditch pitch. Once he was out of sight, he pulled out the cloak.
He found his marked trees no problem at this point and continued on with his journey into the woods. When he heard the galloping of hooves, he had come to know that the herd of centaurs were passing by, perhaps in hunt of some game or driving the spiders out of their territory. Either was a valid option.
Not moving until the sound had faded, Harry moved forward.
'Jeeze, just how big is this forest?'
I think I'm pretty close to the heart of it.
'What makes you say that?'
Ever since I passed a certain point, I haven't seen or really heard any wildlife.
'Uh... are you sure that that's a good thing? Animals typically stay away from areas that they know are dangerous.'
She had a point.
Still, Harry couldn't help but feel that he was on to something. A certain pull in the pit of his gut guided him deeper to this certain part of the forest. After marking another tree, Harry spotted something a bit unusual, even for the Forbidden Forest.
Up ahead, there was a clearing. The golden light from the sunset gave him a perfect view of the seemingly desolate space. He stepped out into it.
The grass beneath his feet was a warm orange color, giving the impression that autumn had arrived a few weeks early. When he stepped away, the ground seemingly erased any footprint that he might have left behind in his wake. But Harry wasn't focused on that. His attention lay near the center of the clearing. The only tree to have ever grown there was bone-white and toppled over onto its side.
He approached the downed tree. Eleven stumps from where its branches once grew. He went down to where the roots pointed to the sky. Crouching down, Harry saw that the inside of the tree was hollow, big enough for him to even crawl in. And it was there, he saw it.
A faint shimmer of blue light from within.
Ymir... is this...? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. If it went any faster it might just burst.
'I... I think so. Yes. Yes! It has to be!' Her excitement was palpable. 'If you make contact with that, it should be enough to fully open your connection to Paths.'
And then?
'And then you should be able to help yourself.'
Then what was he waiting for?
Squeezing his body inside the downed tree, Harry began crawling forward to where the light was. More than once, Harry hit his head on the inside of the wood, but continued to shimmy his body along to where that pulsating light was. And the closer he got, the smaller it actually seemed to become.
Harry hoped that it wasn't just some illusion or something to where by moving closer, he was actually moving away from it. He soon discovered that was not the case.
The object that the light was coming from came into clearer view. That's why it seemed so small.
It was a branch, a leaf. It looked almost like a mistletoe that would be hung up around the castle during the holiday season, but this one lacked any holly berries that came with it. It appeared to be completely normal, aside from the bioluminescent glow that came with it. The light grew brighter at his approach.
Feeling completely crammed inside this space, Harry worked to free just one of his arms so he could reach out and touch it. Just one.
He was pinned too tight. The space had only narrowed as he neared the branch.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Harry just used his legs to push his whole body forward. If he couldn't get it with his hand, he would reach it with the one part that could.
The light was nearly blinding now as his head moved just a little further and...
The pressure was gone from his body.
Instead of crawling on his stomach, he was now lying face down on his back at an endless night sky. A faint pillar of light resided in the center of this expanse of clay and sand.
He pushed himself up and could discern two shadowy figures standing over by the pillar of light. One was around his height and clearly a feminine build. The other was quite taller and in the clear form of a man.
Is that...? Were they...?
They had to be!
Standing up fully, Harry was ready to run over to where they were when a shadow rose with him.
Looking behind him, he saw that a giant body was forming itself from the expanse of clay. It grew until it towered over him, its features hidden by darkness save for the eyes. Glowing green eyes floating in a pool of black that were the scaleras. One of its massive hands came down to grab him.
Harry covered himself with his arms.
'Don't be afraid, Harry.'
And suddenly... he wasn't.
The hand grabbed him. It lifted him up and pressed its head to his own.
All at once, Harry felt as if his head was being split in two. But he felt fine.
The barren landscape and the shadow figures watching were all fading. And he was fine.
Even as he felt his body being compressed through a tube and then stretched to its absolute limit; he was fine.
And in reality, when that golden bolt of lightning came striking down to where his physical body resided, he felt nothing at all, but euphoric bliss.
The lightning strike was visible to all occupants of the castle as they returned from the quidditch game. And then another, equally blinding light soon followed.
And for all of it, Harry felt completely at ease.
He didn't know if he was seeing things through his eyes, or someone else's but... he was back to being surrounded by sand. A light lapping sensation washed over him. It was nice. And he slept.
"Gah!"
Blue eyes opened to look around the darkened room. He didn't move, just stared at the ceiling above him. He brought a hand up to his chest. He could feel his heart even without doing so. He sat up in the bed, careful of the other occupant. He brought his hand up to his head.
A dream.
That's what it had been. Strange. When was the last time he could actually remember one of his dreams?
Getting out of bed fully, he exited the room as quietly as he could and made his way to the kitchen. Some water would do wonders for his head.
He all but chugged his cup and went back for a second fill. The dream not having faded from his mind at all.
What had it all been about? He had seen images of some castle, a forest, and a boy that bore a striking resemblance to someone he once knew. The concerning thing was seeing a flash of golden light and an almost instinctive tingle running down his spine.
No! That wasn't possible. He... it just was. He wouldn't be alive right now if that power was still around, his term has passed its expiration date.
"Up already, I see."
He almost dropped his cup as the voice of the other occupant spoke from the threshold. He turned to see the shorter blonde woman standing there staring at him.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I know it's early, and I know you like sleeping in. Did I wake you?"
"I was already up," she said as she walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fruit bowl for an apple. "This is an earlier time for you, too. What are you doing up?"
"Just a bad dream, I guess." Neither of them were strangers to the occasional nightmare.
His companion sent him a side glance. "What a coincidence, so did I."
He was glad he had set his cup down, because he was certain he would have dropped it then.
"Did you see a boy in yours, too?"
"I did. And he fit the profile of a kid who's been missing for the last eleven years."
He pulled over a chair and sat down. He didn't typically, but maybe he should have gone with something stronger than water. She pulled up a chair next to him.
"Armin," she spoke to him. "We both had the same dream, saw the same thing. If he knows about this as well he'll-,"
"What? What will he do, Annie?" Armin interjected.
Her stare turned more to a glare. "Will you let me finish before you go interrupting?" he nodded. "This doesn't have to be a bad thing. If this kid really has just turned up again, don't you think that'll be enough to placate Paradis?"
"...They haven't attacked any nation or made any threats since he first went missing." Not that any nation could withstand the power of the man who held the sole power of the Titans. At least, that's what they had all been told. Damn it Eren! If that dream is true then... he didn't want to think on that right now.
"Look, Queen Historia has her neutrality and aide treaties in place to help the world where need be, but that still hasn't stopped that feeling of fear," she continued. "When he went missing, the entire world was going to feel the wrath of Paradis. Eren's threat still stands. But if this kid is alive..."
Armin politely raised his hand this time. "I understand what you're saying. The world tension would surely lessen." He rubbed his chin where a bit of stubble was growing. "I'll see if I can send word to Mikasa over in Hizuru. She's due to visit Paradis so her ship might already be in port there."
"And the others?" Annie asked. "Reiner? Pieck? Falco?"
Armin nodded. "I'll send word to them and the rest of the members of the Alliance." What had started out as just a ragtag group of soldiers had gained traction with some other idealistic individuals after the war. People from all over the world, even Paradis had joined. Together they focused on rebuilding the world under the confines of the Paradis Treaty and ensure that no other global war would ever emerge. It was an organization of which he was the head. His duties as Commander of the Survey Corps he entrusted to another gifted leader, his old friend Jean Kirstein.
Jean had accepted Queen Historia's pardon and was one of the original Alliance permitted to live on Paradis while the rest of them had taken to the mainland. It had been years since Armin had last set foot on Paradis that didn't involve any peace talks. Going there would mean seeing him.
He sighed. One way or another, Armin knew he would be seeing much more of him.
But before he met with anyone from their Alliance, Armin decided he would have to visit the most heavily guarded person on this world.
His feet were wet.
As groggy as his head felt, Harry could tell that his feet were wet.
"Uuhhgghh..."
Harry's eyes fluttered open. He almost instantly closed them when he saw how bright the sun was. It was also around this time that he caught the rough taste of sand in his mouth. He tried spitting it out and ran a hand over his tongue. He blinked a few more times.
"Ah!" the cry left his mouth when he saw it.
There, lying right next to him was the steaming, skeletal remains of a Titan body. Those now-empty sockets stared directly into his soul.
In its completed form, Harry estimated that it must have been at least 13 meters in height. The sensation of his feet getting wet drew his attention away from the Titan skeleton.
Pure, crystal blue waves lapped along the shore of the beach. The beach that was on an island. His island.
A/N: Bit of a delay, I'm working on my own independent story alongside this one so chapter releases might be sporadic. Anyway, thank you for reading. Next chapter, The ramifications of Harry's return can be felt on both sides. And as Harry journies to the interior of the island, he is accompanied by a new companion. Chapter 17: Homecoming.