Harry sighed in boredom as he looked at the fire in his hands. Who knew flying on a sky bison in another world would get boring, but here he was. The only positive aspect of this was that he could practise his firebending, as nobody would think to look for firebenders in the sky. He had met only a few firebenders, and they seemed to punch a lot. Or kick. Compared to Katara and her waterbending, or Aang and his airbending, their movements seemed much sharper and faster. He looked at his open palm, and carefully shifted it in a fist. The flame immediately got snuffed out.
The wizard stared at his hand, before inhaling deeply to control the rising anger. To his surprise, he felt the flame inside his body rise, before going back down as he exhaled. Frowning, he tried to put himself in a relaxed position, and inhaled deeply. He concentrated on his flames, as it followed his breathing. He opened his eyes, and produced the tiny flame again, in his palm. He breathed deeply, and watched with excitement as it grew bigger, but sighed in frustration as it disappeared. He just didn't get it! Magic was easy, you aim with your wand, do the wand movement, say the spell, and it usually works. Firebending seemed so much flimsier and out of reach even if it was everywhere, exactly like his magic.
"Aang, why are we going down?" asked Sokka over the wind. Harry looked down at the ground, and sure enough it was coming closer. The young airbender didn't seem to notice, his eyes vacant as he looked at the swamped below them.
"Aang!" yelled Harry, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts. "Why are we going down?"
"Wha—I don't know sorry I hadn't realized. It's just, the swamp seems to be calling me, it wants me to land." Said Aang, a faraway look on his face. Harry's mind immediately went to a black diary. "Nope, we are not going down to a swamp that can reach your mind." Refused the wizard. "I have enough of following weird voices in my world, it's not happening."
"But Bumi said to be patient and listen! And I can actually hear the voice of the earth!" he protested. "Aang, I am 100% sure that when Bumi told you to listen, it was to actual humans, not creepy swamps." Countered Harry, "besides, how are we even supposed to land?" Aang pouted in disappointment.
"Uh guys, I think we should speed up." Interrupted Sokka, looking at something behind them. They turned around, their eyes widening at the giant air tornado that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Appa, yip yip!" shouted Aang in alarm. The sky bison weaved between the tornado that was definitely trying to take them down. "YOU GUYS HAVE SENTIENT TORNADOES?" shouted Harry in alarm, because seriously what was happening. He barely noticed the white orbs floating around the tornado.
"NO, WE DON'T!" shouted back the rest of the group. Katara screamed in distress as she lifted up from the saddle towards the tornado. "Carpe Retractum !" shouted Harry, as a red lasso attached itself to Katara's wrist, keeping her in place. He tried to bring her back, but felt himself being lifted in the air as well, his clothes flapping in the ferocious wind. Aang grabbed his arm, doing complicated hand gestures, summoning a barrier of wind around them. They all dropped back down the saddle, the spell Harry cast cancelling in his surprise.
The airbender struggled to hold the sphere, and Harry couldn't wack his brain fast enough to come up with a spell before they were lifted from the air and spat down towards the earth. His body twisted and turned in the air, unable to tell where the ground or the sky was. He finally managed to belly flop in the air, as the thick trees of the swamp approached. He forced to point his wand at his chest against gravity, "Arresto Momentum!" He recognized the forms of his friends, and did the same for Katara and Sokka, assuming Aang would use his airbending. He managed to stop all three of them just in time, as they slowed down to land in the water with a small splash.
"Thanks Harry." Said Katara as they all stood up, looking around them. The air was thick and heavy, and the wizard couldn't help but grimace at the wet water covering his clothes. I feel like this is going to become routine, he thought to himself as they waded in the brown water. "Hey, where's Appa and Momo?" asked Sokka as they all looked around. Their companions seemed nowhere to be found. Aang quickly climbed to the top of one of the trees, yelling for their friends.
Harry blinked, as glowing lights filled his vision. He frowned in confusion, as he looked around with more attention. Glowing orbs and lights were everywhere around him, and the air felt thick with what he now recognized as spiritual energy. The energy wasn't as present as when he was in the spiritual world, but he could see it in the vines, and the roots that wouldn't normally be visible under the murky water. He closed his eyes, stumbling a bit as a headache made itself known.
"Harry? Harry! Are you okay, what's happening?" yelled Sokka, his hands on his shoulders. The wizard leaned against his friend, as he grunted in pain. He felt the hands around him flail, as the teen seemed not to know what to do. But right now, he didn't care. The arms felt strong and solid, and he could only think of other arms belonging to a red hair wizard and his heart ached once again. Everything was quiet for a little bit. He heard Aang land beside them but didn't turn around.
"Harry, Harry. What's going on?" asked Aang softly, poking him from where he was still resting against Sokka. Harry felt the teen lean him away, and just as he was about to protest, he was held against someone else, with gentle hands as she-Katara cradled him. He sighed, as his headache seemed to disappear the longer he stayed hidden. As the pain dialed down to a tolerable ached he pulled away, only now realizing he had basically been cuddling the two siblings.
He quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact, only to regret it immediately as the lights were still there, blindingly mocking him. The three were still looking at him, concern on their faces. "Uh, so this place is really spiritual after all?" he said, with a small shrug. Aang immediately understood while the other two stared at him. "Wait, so you're seeing a lot of spirits right now? I was right?" asked Aang, as he looked around himself. The Water Tribe members looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah, it's like … it's like the vines all around us and the air is filled with spirits and spiritual energy. But like almost everywhere!" he exclaimed, as he looked around. The brightness wasn't as bad. It had become more part of the scenery than anything else. "So, that tornado definitely wasn't normal." He confirmed. "Yeah, when I was up there, it just disappeared!" exclaimed Aang. "If you hadn't told me there was a bunch of spiritual energy, I would have suggested it." Muttered Aang. "I've got to agree," added Katara as she looked around as well, "It feels so … alive."
"Well, to me it feels just like a humid swamp." Said Sokka as he started walking in one direction, taking his boomerang and slicing at the vines. "I don't know about you guys, but I would like to get Appa and get out of here." He grunted as he marched forward. Harry carefully looked at the vines he had been slicing, and didn't notice any spirits or spirit energy coming from them, so he determined that it was safe to go. The main spiritual energy were concentrated on the trees, not vines. They walked until the sun was setting, yelling their friend's name to no avail. The group finally decided to rest and search again in the morning, as Sokka pointed out, they wouldn't be able to see anything in here anyways.
"Sokka, I think you shouldn't be doing that." Said Aang, as he cut some roots from a tree. Harry couldn't help but agree, the spiritual energy still in the back of his mind. "No, I asked the swamp. It said it was fine. Right, swamp? Yes, it's fine Sokka!" the teen imitated with a high-pitched voice. Harry sighed and decided that it wasn't his problem anymore. With his flame, they quickly got a fire started and huddled out together, their backs facing each other. The wizard tried to stay awake, but after a while, his body desperately needed the sleep, and he fell in Morpheus's realm.
XxX
Harry awoke suddenly, as he felt himself be tugged by something. He screamed in fright, and heard his friends do the same. Vines were wrapped around his body as he was roughly tugged through the murky ground of the swamp. His wand was still stuck in the special pocket of his inner coat that Katara had made for him during the trip, and he couldn't reach it. Panic started invading his mind, and as the vines tightened, and he could only think of a dark graveyard with a dead friend, an ugly snake and it hurt oh god it hurt just let me out please let me out LET ME OUT! Flames burst from his breath as he panicked, effectively freeing himself.
He quickly stumbled to a running position, taking out his wand, point behind him wildly, "Bomabarda!" the ground exploded behind him as he continued to run. He was going to panic about firebending later, this was not the moment. He sent out. a few more spells, stopping when he felt like he'd gotten far enough. Harry panted, hands on his knees as he looked around, cursing when he noticed that he was alone. The wizard blinked, putting a head to his head as the lights assaulted his vision again. They seemed brighter around here. He squinted his eyes at a bright light, which seemed not too far away. He vastly ignored the urge to look deeper, and walked carefully, trying to spot any angry vines. Suddenly, a figure in the distance appeared from behind a tree, and Harry's heart skipped at the sight of his godfather. He seemed to be surrounded by spirits. Maybe he'd manage to escape!
He ran forward, tears in his eyes and blind hope in his chest. Instead of falling into the comforting arms of Sirius, a tree adorned with vines blocked his way. He stared for a few seconds, at the spiritual energy surrounding him as rage took over. How dare they! He ignored the flames coming out of his breath, and lashed out with his wand at the tree. Explosions resonated around him, but he ignored it as the fire in his chest lashed out. He fell to his knee, a scream of pure anger ripping out of him, pounding one fist in the water sogged ground.
Tears escaped his eyes, as he let himself sob, alone and I privacy. His breath shook, tears falling out at an impressive rate, curling into himself. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't he be home! With his friends, and Sirius, and the Weasleys and no Voldemort or Bellatrix to MESS THINGS UP! For the moment, he let himself grieve for all the people he might never see again, for the fate he'd left them with. He grieved for his godfather, that without him would still be home safe and sound. He grieved for the life he could be having, and the familiarity of Hogwarts and magic. He cursed Lily, this world and their war that had nothing to do with him. He'd been fighting since he was eleven, and he was so tired.
He panted as the tears dried out, as the anger settled back in his chest, ready to explode at any moment. He chucked away his grief and emotions in a box. Feeling sad was not important at the moment. He needed to check on his friends, make sure they were alright. He walked a little bit further, only to blink at seeing all his friends already there. "Are you guys okay?" he rushed forward, looking them over.
"Yeah… I saw my dad." Mutters Sokka, staring at the ground. Katara, who was sprawled on the ground after Aang had seemingly tackled her, sprung forward, staring at her brother. "You saw Dad? I saw Mom!" she exclaims, excitement mixed with sadness. "You did? Usually I would say we're all hallucinating, but if Harry is seeing some weird spirit mumbo jumbo, I say we get out of here as soon as we find Appa and Momo." Said Sokka firmly.
"It's weird," comments Aang as he stands up, "I was chasing after a girl I didn't know. You all saw someone who was close to you." He assumes, staring at Harry who had been silent until that point. The wizard frowned, burying the feelings that rose up, "Yeah, I saw Sirius." He says shortly, "Anyway, I agree with Sokka, we can figure this out later, because this tree is a radiant for spiritual energy right now, and it is not doing wonders for my vision." He says, squinting at the ginormous tree they are standing on. Ever since he's seen Sirius, it has been easier to look at the tree, to filter out the spiritual energy. "I think this tree is what's been calling me." Says Aang, looking at it with awe.
A giant splash startles the group, as a giant figure made of vines rised up next to them and they all scream in fright. It raised its giant vine arm, giving the cue for the group to scatter. Harry runs, brandishing his wand for the million time that day. "Diffindo!" he casted, cutting the arm that was holding Sokka hostage. He doesn't have the time to react as the other arm hits him away, grunting at the impact on his body. He lands in the shallow water, standing up to go to help his friends. He ran, ignoring the aches in his legs. Katara waves her arms, pushing the creature further away, Sokka crying out from its grasp. "Diffindo!" he aims, cutting Sokka away from the vines. He rushes towards him, crying out the severing spell to help his friend. "You okay?" he pants. He doesn't get to hear his response, before he's thrown away. He vaguely hears the rush of wind, figuring that Aang is doing his thing. He stands up again, adrenaline fuelling his run.
Aang is thrown away beside him, while Katara spins her arms, creating water blades. Just as he's about to blast a bombarda, Sokka yells beside him. "There's a man inside! He's controlling the vines!" Harry grunts in annoyance, before putting all the power he can into the spell. "DIFFINDO!" he screams, slashing his wand diagonally. The mask adorning the creature's face splits, toddling sideways, as Aang rushes forward and creates an air blast before the man can retaliate. "Why did you call us here, only to kill us?" he asks, reading another blast of wind. "Wait!" cries out the man, as the vines falls away to reveal an almost naked man in his forties, "I didn't call you here."
"But I heard a call! That's what led me here!" protest Aang. "Wait, he's not covered in spirit energy at all!" realizes Harry, at exactly the last minute. Why didn't I see that sooner? He asks himself, as the rest of the group groan in exasperation. "Yeah, he can see spirit energy and he's the avatar. We follow strange voices a lot." Deadpans Sokka at the man's look. "You're the Avatar?" he asks, completely ignoring the rest of the group, "Follow me." He says, leading them back to the tree. The group looks at each other, before shrugging and following.
"This tree called me here too, I reached enlightenment when I sat in this tree. I only attacked you because I thought you were attacking my home." He says, sitting down on the tree. "Sure you did." Says Sokka, clearly not believing him. "This swamp. It's all connected. This swamp, this whole world is connected. It's all one giant tree." He explains, patting the trunk next to him. "I get that the swamp is all one tree, but the whole world?" questioned Aang. Harry couldn't help but agree. He'd not seen any spirit energy that resembled this in Omashu. Then again, maybe he hadn't been looking far enough. "Everybody is connected, we're all living and breathing from the same air. We all come from the same tree." The man said, a serene smile on his face. "What about our visions?" asked Katara, sadness evident in her gaze as she fiddled with her necklace. "Time is an illusion, and so is death. The swamp shows us that the people that we think are gone are not. They are still with us." "So that girl that I saw. I will meet her, I haven't met her yet." Says Aang, to which the man nods. "Look, I hate to break whatever this is," says Sokka, "but we still have to find Appa and Momo" Aang tilts his head in thought and he kneels on the tree and presses his fist against it. His tattoos start to glow, and Harry's eyes widen as a strand of light starts to glow brighter, reaching out further than he can see at high speed. The avatar stands up, as he starts heading out, "I found them, we have to hurry!" cries Aang, as they all rush after him. They run for a few minutes, Harry starting to get exhausted, reaching a few men on boats who had Appa in a big net.
Katara raises her hand, waterbending the water to try and cut Appa free. The man yelled that they were under attack, but before it could dissolve into an all-out fight, the man, who had yet to say his name, came through. "Wait! They're friends!" he shouted, as everyone stilled, before the water went back down.
"Hey Hugh, you good?" asked the man at the front of the boat. Harry panted a little bit more, as the men freed their friends, and everyone settled back to eat and pass the night away before they headed off. Surrounded by his friends arguing about the legitimacy of everything that happened and their bickering, the wizard couldn't help himself but be reminded of his friends back home. And for the first time since he landed here, he embraced the feeling and smiled. He was no way close to alright, but maybe with this, he could get there one day.
XxX: Well, I got this chapter done super in advance, but I tried to tweak it a lot. I hope you guys like my take on the swamp. I assumed Harry would see a bunch of spirits, and seeing Sirius would probably be devastating. Right now I'm going one chapter per episode, but it's probably going to change once Harry's presence makes this story deviate from canon. Some of you asked, and this fic is actually Zuko/Harry. Sorry if it puts off some people, but that was always where I was going. Anyways, hope you liked it, see you next week!